Riches | James 1:9-11

Good morning. It's wonderful to be with you. I'd invite you to turn in your Bibles to the Book of James. Chapter 1, verses 9 through 11 are where we will be today.

If you do not own a Bible, there should be one on the seat back in front of you or at these tables right out here. Feel free to take that home as our gift to you. We want everyone to be equipped with the Word of God. We're in the first chapter of our walk together through the Book of James, and James wrote this letter about 15 years after the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, and he addressed the letter to Jewish Christians who had been scattered or dispersed across the known world by those who were in opposition to their faith. So while understandably, the letter addresses the trials and difficulties his readers were enduring, James begins by encouraging his readers to remain faithful and steadfast even amidst their trials.

Chapter one, verses two through four, James said, count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness, and let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. Now, James is not simply dismissing his readers' circumstances or playing them off as not that big a deal. James is working diligently, no matter his reader's circumstances, to raise their perspective higher, to set their minds on things that are above, no matter what is below.

Yet while James points his readers to the surpassing joy which is theirs in salvation through Christ, he knows they lack wisdom regarding how to navigate the path that God has laid out for them in their trial. Therefore, we read last week as James directs his readers to seek God's complete wisdom in full assurance of faith.

Now, while this perspective actually might be easier for those enduring difficulty, especially for the name of Jesus, what about those in the church who are enduring a different kind of trial, a more hidden, less obvious temptation, that which emerges from even a possibly desired set of circumstances.

What about those who have proclaimed their allegiance to Jesus Christ as Lord yet find themselves prospering by worldly standards?

James knows while it can be tempting to abandon faith in Christ when things are difficult, in many ways it can be more tempting to abandon faith in Christ when things are going well.

After all, I've got everything I want, everything I need. I'm doing all right. Yes, God is great, God is good. But look at my life. What do I really need saving from?

Well, while most people, including Christians, recognize poverty and lowliness as a trial and easily recognize their need for God in that struggle, James reminds his readers that riches too are a trial. In fact, according to Jesus, riches can be the greater trial of the two. Matthew, chapter six. Jesus said, for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.

You cannot serve God and money.

So what God's Word commends to us in this regard, and what we will see in today's passage, is not a rejection of poverty or wealth, but a righteous perspective on both. We see this perspective displayed in the Apostle Paul, who said in Philippians 4, I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound in any and every circumstance. I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

So how then do we gain that same perspective? How in Christ can we find commitment through both need and through plenty?

Well, to that James turns next in his letter as he encourages his readers to seek wisdom from God and joy in Christ through every circumstance. So let's read James Chapter one, beginning in verse nine. Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and let the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass, its flower falls and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.

Now, if you read the Scriptures very long, you find ideas that at first seem mutually exclusive or even contradictory, but after further examination, provide greater understanding in their relationship than they do at face value alone. For example, in God's Word we read that in Christ the weak are strong, the empty are full, the slave is free, the last is first, and the cursed are blessed. We read that death brings life and that if anyone would save their life, they must lose it.

In the Scriptures, paradoxes such as these provide a stabilizing wisdom, that which James told us to seek from God in the previous verses. So, given that paradoxes can be a vehicle for wisdom, James gives us this juxtaposition in verses 9 through 11 between the lowly yet exalted brother and the one who is exalted yet is lowly. And though each brother comes from different backgrounds, James encourages them both to see that in Christ they should arrive at the same position. And that position, James says, is a posture of boasting, rejoicing, or glorying — not in oneself, but in God.

Verse 9. He says, Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation. Now this word lowly is often translated simply as poor. The term usually describes a low status because of economic lack or social rejection. For many Jewish Christians in the dispersion to whom James is writing, their reality likely included both — in the dispersion, many left homes and businesses and faced severe financial difficulty. Many in the early church who turned to Christ became outcasts from their families and their social circles.

They lost their support systems and their economic stability, often finding it difficult to find employment because of their profession of faith in Jesus as Lord. Now in the world's eyes, at that time — as it mostly is now — financial prosperity was equated with happiness and blessing. Humble means were considered a source of misery, even a sign of God's displeasure. One facing financial difficulty then could easily be tempted to believe the voices of the world about themselves and even doubt the goodness of God.

So rather than adopting the world's perspective on their circumstances, however, James encourages the lowly brother to boast in his exaltation. This word exaltation in the Greek literally means in his height. He who is low, James says, ought to rejoice and glorify God for their height.

So how does the Gospel of Jesus Christ make that paradox make sense?

As one scholar said, he may be hungry, but he has the bread of life. He may be thirsty, but he has living water. He may be poor, but he has eternal riches. He may be cast aside by men, but he has been eternally received by God. He may have no home on earth, but he has a glorious abode in heaven.

When God in his wisdom and sovereignty takes away physical possessions from some of his children, it is for the purpose of making them spiritually mature — a blessing infinitely more valuable than anything they have lost or have wanted, but never possessed.

So why should the lowly or poor brother or sister in Christ consider themselves exalted? Well, the answer is not because they are lowly or poor, but because they are in Christ.

Romans 8:17 says, if we are children, then heirs, heirs of God, and fellow heirs with Christ. Luke 6:20, Jesus said, Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Hebrews 12:22–24, you have come to Mount Zion, and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect. First Peter 2:9 says, you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession. Ephesians 1:7 says, in him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace which he lavished upon us.

Now, I don't know about you, but that sounds really, really rich to me. That sounds like immeasurable blessing, unimaginable fullness, a stature and a position reserved for the most fortunate people on earth.

I know I don't deserve that, but by any means possible, sign me up.

And what are the means?

What is the cost? How does one attain this lofty and inconceivable position?

Well, it is a price beyond money, beyond any worldly means, a cost beyond that of which any man could possibly ever afford. The cost is full payment for the infinite sin debt we owe against the holy Creator God, the sovereign King of heaven and earth, against whom we all, as mankind, have rebelled. It costs everything.

Infinite atonement, infinite worth in exchange for an infinite penalty in debt. It's a cost so high it would require the willing sacrifice of the only one who is of infinite worth — the sacrificial payment of God himself. And Christian, that is exactly what Jesus, God the Son in human flesh, came to do — to willingly lay down his life that our sin debt might be paid and that we could be adopted without hindrance as children of the King.

Now, because this is God's work, by God's grace, you know what is completely irrelevant in that equation?

How much money you do or don't have.

You may be Elon Musk times 10, or the poorest man in the deepest hole on earth, and it doesn't matter. Your standing is equal before the judgment seat of God and the cross of Jesus Christ.

So what does this mean then, for even the lowliest brother or sister in Christ? As Peter reminds us in 1 Peter 1:3–6, according to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. And in this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials.

The lowly brother should boast in his exaltation, not because he is poor, but because his lack of that which is temporary or material in this world has emptied his hands that he might grasp more freely that which is eternal and spiritual in heaven. There's less stuff blocking their view from seeing God clearly. There's less to carry in this world as they run toward Christ.

There is freedom in Christ for the lowly in this world.

Remember what Jesus said as he announced his public ministry in Luke 4:18–19. Taking up the scroll of Isaiah, he said, the Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has appointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.

Though considered lowly in this world, if you are in Christ, rescued by his grace, trusting and following him by faith, then James says you should joyfully boast in your position, for the glory of God who has raised you with Christ and seated you in the highest places in heaven.

This paradoxical boasting, however, is not only for the lowly. He continues in verse nine, let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation. So James says that he who is rich should boast just as much as he who is lowly. The rich person, however, is to boast not in his exaltation or his height, but in his humiliation. Now, interestingly, in the Greek, the word James uses for humiliation is the exact same word he used in verse nine for lowly.

So this is the paradox. Whereas the believer of lowly status in this world is to boast of their height in Christ, the believer of high status in this world is to boast in Christ of their lowliness. Now, James is not saying that if you have money, wealth, or resources in this world that you are evil and should feel humiliated for having such things. Jesus had followers from a variety of economic stripes, many of whom were very well off financially. Lydia from Thyatira was a tremendous benefactor for the early church.

Before following Jesus, Matthew was a wealthy tax collector. James and John, sons of Zebedee, were part of a successful fishing business — not to mention the many faithful Old Testament followers of God who had great wealth: Solomon, David, Abraham, Boaz.

James is not seeking to shame the wealthy, but to help them recognize that this world is bent fully away from the kingdom of God and toward the kingdom of self. And the kingdom of self is built on personal status in the eyes of men. And one's status in the eyes of men is most often defined by what one has and how much of it they have.

The bigger the home, the happier the family, the nicer the car, the more joyful the driver, the deeper the bank account, the more satisfied the soul — or so goes the wisdom of this world.

But is it true?

Listen, it's okay to have a nice house, a car and a bank account, but by the gift of God's word, we must understand there is a much deeper reality than materialism that truly governs the world. Because the kingdom of self says he who dies with the most toys wins. But the kingdom of God reminds us that he who dies with the most toys still dies.

And then what?

One's position in the eyes of God has nothing to do with one's finances. Rich, poor, and everywhere in between — in the end, the only thing that matters is whether or not we have surrendered to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior over every part of our lives, including the money we have now. Why then does James say the rich brother must boast in his lowliness? Well, because the rich must recognize that by nature of their position they are much more prone to these dangers of materialism.

All of us must remember that this life is fleeting, temporary, impermanent and beyond our control. The world tells us, however, that the more we have, the more secure and enduring and permanent we are.

We must remember, church: that is a lie.

Security in wealth is a mirage.

Every material thing you have in this life can be taken away with one phone call.

As one pastor noted, the idea is that a believer who is materially well off, healthy and otherwise physically blessed should rejoice when trials come, for they teach him the transitory nature of those material things and their inability to give inner and lasting satisfaction or help, especially spiritual help.

The wealthy, rich or exalted, should not see themselves as lowly because they have increased wealth, but because they have increased temptation to turn to that wealth instead of God to rescue them.

They are tempted to be, as James described in verse eight, that double-minded man — as Jesus described in the parable of the Sower, the one who hears the word but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word and it proves unfruitful.

Remember the rich young ruler in Mark 10, who caused Jesus to say mournfully how difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God.

Now, Jesus was not saying that the rich can't be saved or flourish spiritually in Christ. He was saying that those whom the world props up or elevates because of their wealth will have to work harder at recognizing their lowliness and their humility.

And so, to help them, James offers this sobering reminder. Verse 10. Because like a flower of the grass, he will pass away. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass. Its flower falls and its beauty perishes.

So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.

So for this reminder, James leans heavily on the wisdom of the Old Testament. Psalm 103:15–16 says, as for man, his days are like grass. He flourishes like a flower of the field, for the wind passes over it and it is gone, and its place knows it no more. Isaiah 40:6–8 says, all flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the Lord blows on it.

Surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades. But the word of our God will stand forever. Again, though those words are certainly just as relevant and just as true for those who have less means, James emphasizes these realities to the rich, and why? Because all day long the rich man is told his flower is eternal.

The rich man is exalted for the beauty of his possessions. The rich man is chasing his worldly pursuits, not understanding that they are already wasting away.

Nothing in and of this world is dependable or worthy of our complete faith.

The sun rises on everything with scorching heat. Every blade of grass will wither, every flower will fall, every form of beauty will perish. And so will we, if our foundation is built upon those things.

Psalm 49:17 says, for when the rich man dies, he will carry nothing away. His glory will not go down after him. For though while he lives he counts himself blessed, and though you get praise when you do well for yourself, his soul will go to the generation of his fathers who will never again see light. Man in his pomp, yet without understanding — that is, godly wisdom — is like the beasts that perish.

Ultimately, what James is saying is that whether we are rich or poor by the world's standards, every single one of us is brought to the same point: the economy of God.

In the end, each of us will stand before God with no plea to our accomplishments, our accruals, or our accumulations. All of us will stand on level ground before the cross of Christ.

Neither the rich nor the poor have earthly things that they can truly cling to. Yet both in Christ have eternal things in which to rejoice.

The poor sister or brother is to look beyond their earthly poverty. And so the rich brother or sister is to look beyond their earthly wealth. And they are both to look to Christ, who alone offers salvation beyond anything that this world can afford.

As one scholar noted, to the poor believer tempted to feel insignificant and powerless because the world judges a person on the basis of money and status, James says, take pride in your exalted status in the spiritual realm as one seated in the heavenlies with Jesus Christ himself. To the rich believer tempted to think too much of himself because the world holds him in high esteem, James says, take pride not in your money or in your social position — things that are doomed all too soon to fade away forever — but paradoxically in your humble status as a person who identifies with the one who was despised and rejected by the world.

See, the point of James' seeming paradox here is that though the world may define us according to material standards, our spiritual identity in Christ alone is the measure of our significance. And it is godly wisdom to remember this, James says, especially in times of trial.

Jeremiah 9:23, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice and righteousness in the earth, for in these things I delight, declares the Lord. Let's pray.

God, I thank you that our worth is not in our performance.

Our worth is not in what we can accumulate.

Our worth and our boasting and our rejoicing and our hope and our peace and our joy is rooted in one thing alone, and that is in the finished work of Jesus Christ on our behalf.

God, we know, just as James was writing to those in immense trial, that there are many in our church family undergoing severe trial.

And we pray that you would help them to see the beauty and the glory, the surpassing status in Jesus Christ, who has adopted us as children, that we might be with him eternally. And God, for those who are struggling with the material things of this world, struggling to hold them open-handed before you, I pray, God, that you would bring their sights so much higher.

I pray, God, that you would lead them to see the beauty of your word, the amazing nature of those things that money could never buy. Help us all to see this life as fleeting, temporary, and every resource that you have given to us to be used for your glory, which in the end is our greatest good.

Jesus, we love you and we thank you that we can have this perspective in Jesus Christ. We thank you, Spirit, for the Word that guides and leads us. And so in the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen