From Rags To Riches Series

A Life of Works Produced by Faith

Part 3

“From Rags To Riches”

Date: September 15, 2002 A.M Service

Place: Allendale Baptist

Text: James 1:9-11

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Introduction

As we continue our study on this wonderful book of James, last Sunday morning we are told by James to “count it all joy when we fall into various trails or testings”.

Now this morning in our study we see two of the many ways we can be tested or tried. James tells us in these verses that we can be tested in the way of poverty. Another way is to be tested by wealth.

You are probably saying today as many of us in the area of finances, one of the ways I have never been tested is by having too much money or by being rich.

Oh really! By whose standards? By your standards? By the worlds standards or by God’s standards?

You see by God’s standards, as we will see in just a moment, those who are poor or lowly are rich, and those who are rich in material goods are seen as poverty stricken.

I have shared this story before, but my mother’s family grew up as sharecroppers. That means they didn’t own the land they farmed. It was leased or they worded it for some one else. I have sat and listened to the brothers & sisters sit & talk about not knowing how poor they were. They thought they were rich.

At the end of verse 10 we were given a word, which describes many around us today. A Double-minded person is one that is unstable in everything. This person has a wrong view of life.

 Many place all their worth and value in life by haw much or how little they have

 A person that is poor may see himself or herself as of no or little value.

 They may say God has abandoned me or because of my financial status, I am of no use to God.

 The other extreme is the person that has been richly blessed by God, sees Himself to blessed to bless others.

 Let me stop and say right now, no matter what you financial status, God does not care. All blessings come from Him.

 God sees all of us the same. As a parent with several children, you do not love one child more then the other, you may love them in different ways. But the love is the same for all your children.

Remember James is speaking to Christians. And as we will see in a moment there is a new way of thinking. He is still referring to trails and in the midst of these trails we are to know that the trying of our faith in the trail is to produce a greater faith. We can ask for the divine wisdom from God to help us see the purpose for His good & His glory.

In verse 1 we see a person of low degree. This term can be translated, “Doesn’t amount to much” or “undistinguished”.

Then we see the reverse side a rich and wealthy person. The world would give a greater prominence to this person.

But in God’s ways, in God’s truth we will see that each of us as children of God, are all placed of the same level.

So this morning we will see during our trails, which may come in the area of financial status, we can know by the wisdom that we have been given by God, because we have asked, we can see God working in our life.

And we can also have …

I. A New Perspective

A. “Let the lowly or poor glory in his exaltation”

1. Romans 8:18 tells us; “The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us”.

2. 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 says; “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things, which are, seen are temporary, but the things, which are not seen, are eternal.

B. Although having nothing in this world, the poor believer can rejoice in his high spiritual standing before the Lord by grace & the hope, which that brings.

C. “But the rich in his humiliation”

1. This refers to the rich believer being brought low by the trail.

2. Such trails helps the rich rejoice and realize that genuine happiness and contentment depend on the true riches of God’s grace, not on earthly wealth.

Having this new prospective we can now see our…

II. A New Position