A millionaire decides to throw a massive party for his fiftieth birthday. During the party he grabs the mic and he announces to his guests that down in the garden of his mansion he has a swimming pool with two great white sharks in it. “The man who dares to swim across that pool gets 1 MILLION DOLLARS.”
No one enters the pool until suddenly, there is a great splash and a man swimming as hard as he can. The fins come out of the water and the jaws are snapping and yet this guy just keeps on going. The sharks are gaining on him but somehow this guy reaches the end and he gets out of the pool, wet and soaked.
The millionaire grabs says, “I am a man of his word so would you like that money in cash, check, bonds? For you are the bravest man I have ever seen. So sir, what will it be?”
The guy says, “I have one question of my own…who pushed me in the pool!”
In China many years ago there lived an old man, with his son and a horse. Back in those days, having a horse was like owning a car today, so you can well imagine how valuable a property the animal must have been. One morning, when the man went to his field to feed the horse, the animal was gone. People in the village said, "What bad luck to lose a horse!" But the old man said, "Good luck or bad luck, who’s to say. The horse happens to be gone, and we’ll leave it at that." The people thought the old man silly, and wondered, "How could losing a horse not be a bad thing?"
A couple days later, the horse returned and brought with it a beautiful mare. People came by again. "You were right. Not only was your horse not stolen, it brought you another horse. How lucky you are!" But the old man said, "Good luck or bad luck, who’s to say. It’s not always a good thing to have another horse. The fact is, now I have two horses, and we’ll leave it at that." This time, his neighbors just shook their heads. "How could it not be a good thing to get another horse for free?"
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the old man’s son, while trying to break in the new horse, fell and broke his leg. When the neighbors learned of the incident, they said, "You’re right. Since the new horse caused your son to break his leg, maybe it wasn’t exactly a good thing to get another horse. In fact, you might say it was unlucky for you that another horse showed up.
Same as before, the old man was indifferent about the whole thing, and said, "Good luck or bad luck, who’s to say. My son fell off and broke his leg, and we’ll leave it at that."
This time the neighbors thought that maybe the old man was right, and went back home. A few days later, a war broke out and a government official came into town. He conscripted all the able-bodied young men to go and fight in the war. However the old man’s son was made exempt because of his broken leg.
I think that James would have liked that story. He seemed to enjoy an ironic twist or two as he began his letter with such a challenging thought as "consider it pure joy when you endure trials
SUGGESTIONS FOR ADJUSTING OUR ATTITUDES
• Trials tend to simplify life and draw us back to clear truths. Common trial area is in our finances.
• James suggests things to see about ourselves depending on where our station in life is.
• Reminded of not allow earthly separation ideas to influence spiritual realities
We live better than the kings of years gone by.
Caesar couldn’t have contacted anyone in the world on a moment’s notice.
King Solomon didn’t have access to 1/10 of the knowledge we have at our fingertips.
In the scope of world history, we are among the wealthiest 1%, the elite of history.
1:9 But the brother of humble circumstances is to glory in his high position; 1:10 and the rich man is to glory in his humiliation, because like flowering grass he will pass away.
1:11 For the sun rises with a scorching wind and withers the grass; and its flower falls off and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so too the rich man in the midst of his pursuits will fade away.
1:12 Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.
1. Person who is not rich in this world’s goods 1:9 But the brother of humble
circumstances is to glory in his high position;
a. Remember our relationships together: Brother
b. Remember our relationship with God: High position
Church history shows that many of the members of the early church were from the lowest economic levels of society. The burial inscriptions in the catacombs at Rome reveal that a huge number of Christians were slaves. They would have been among the poorest of the poor.
It is very possible that these humble conditions were brought about by persecution.
In our day being a Christian can have financial advantages. A company can advertise itself as a Christian company or a businessman can advertise himself as a Christian and gain customers from the Christian community.
But in Bible days you didn’t wear pins on your lapel that read, “Jesus is Alive” or put bumper stickers on your chariot that read, “Honk if you love Jesus.”
In those days, being a Christian oftentimes created financial hardships. If you were a Christian, people would not trade with you and in many cases would not sell to you. If you were a Christian you were ostracized by society.
• The word “glory/rejoice” means, “let him boast
• Jesus said to the church in Smyrna " I know your afflictions and your poverty--yet you are rich!" and Paul says in Eph 1:18. "I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,"
2. The Person who is rich in the world’s goods. 1:10 and the rich man is to glory in his
humiliation, because like flowering grass he will pass away.
a. The danger of wealth is that we start to depend on our wealth.
We rely on it for our security and our happiness.
Benjamin Franklin "Money never made a man happy yet, nor will it. There is nothing in its nature that creates happiness. The more a man has, the more he wants. Instead of its filling a vacuum, it makes one. If it satisfies one want, it it doubles and triples that want another way."
John D. Rockefeller Jr. "The poorest man I know is the man who has nothing but money".
Robert Horton said the greatest lesson he learned from life is that "people who set their minds and hearts on money are equally disappointed whether they get it or whether they don’t"
1:11 For the sun rises with a scorching wind and withers the grass; and its flower falls off and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so too the rich man in the midst of his pursuits will fade away. Hit the ground 6 feet under still running after things of this world
In the desert, when rain would come, shoots of grass would appear almost immediately out of the barren, dusty soil and begin to make their way up. But then the wind would blow across the desert and the hot air like an oven would literally wither everything in sight.
James tells us this is what wealth is like. As quick as the winds of trails blow across the desert of your life, your riches will wither and die.
So does your life. Not one of us know how long we may have here in this life.
We spend so much time trying to gain what we cannot keep, and trying to obtain what will never satisfy us.
The greatest possession you can ever have is one that does not cost you a thing, not one red cent.
But it cost God everything. It cost Jesus His life.
• No arguments in the graveyard over who has the nicest casket/burial plot
THE ULTIMATE POSSESSION
1:12 Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.
• perseverance comes from two Greek words. The first means "to remain" and the second means "under." So, perseverance means, "to remain under."
The connotation is "one who remains under trials" and doesn’t crack.
The idea here is stability.
Perseverance is standing steadfastly in the midst of trial, unflinchingly facing it in the faith of Jesus Christ. God wants to bring us to the place where we patiently wait upon him to do his work in us. He wants to develop within us the patient assurance that he is at work.
Failed in business 22 Ran for Legislature--defeated 23 Again failed in business 24
Elected to Legislature 25 sweetheart died 26 Had a nervous breakdown 27
Defeated for Speaker 29 Defeated for Elector 31 Defeated for Congress 34
Elected to Congress 37 Defeated for Congress 39 Defeated for Senate 46
Defeated for Vice President 47 Defeated for Senate 49 Elected President 51
That’s the record of Abraham Lincoln.
1. There is a much larger plot to the play of life that we all find ourselves in.
a. Not about the possession or the comfort or the temporal pursuits.
b. God is always addressing the eternal in our lives. The only possessions that we earn that
really matter will be ours beyond this world.
2. Two things about our trials:
a. HOW WE HANDLE THEM PROVES WHAT IS TRUE ABOUT US
b. THEY DEMONSTRATE OUR LOVE FOR GOD AND NOT OURSELVES
During the time of the persecution of Christians in Rome there was an incident that forever changed the heart of one senator. He had gathered together all of his servants who were known to be Christians and had them arrested and sent to the Coliseum to be killed. Seated in the Senator’s place of honor he looked with horror to see his wife leave the stands, step down into the arena, hold hands with her servant girl and face the lions together. They were equal in Christ.
