THE BOOK OF JAMES
LESSONS FOR THE MATERIALIZING CHURCH -- PART 2
James 1:9-11 – TRIALS
INTRODUCTION: Frank Mead has said, “The best protection one can have from the devil and his schemes is a humble heart. Nowhere is this more apt than when we look into the area of our personal security. James, in his letter deals with this situation – personal security when he writes to the scattered about their thoughts concerning humility and wealth. I would like to share with you today some thoughts concerning what we are trusting in for security.
I THE HEIGHT OF HUMILITY
A The Meaning Of Humble
1 Low on the economic scale
2 Insignificant in the worlds standards
B The Reality Of Humility
1 World assumes Christians are lacking something
2 Christians need to have a different understanding
James 1:4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
a The believer who is maturing in his walk with the Lord lacks nothing. God has given him everything he needs.
1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
b The believer in Christ has the opportunity to have pride in KNOWING Christ
1 Boast in knowing the one who rules this world
2 Boast in the one who controls this world
3 Boast in the one who delights in this world
Jeremiah 9:23-24 This is what the LORD says: "Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, 24 but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight," declares the LORD.
C We are to be proud of God’s Opinion of us, .. WE ARE OF GREAT WORTH TO GOD
1 Remembering our worth to God keeps our circumstances from dulling our spirit.
Every try and cut something with a dull knife? You are doing a lot of work and getting very little result from is and the result you do get of poor quality. I try and keep my knives at my house sharpened to an “mother-in-law” edge. That is a sharpness that will allow me to cut a piece of meat so thin that my mother-in-law will not be back for dinner for a long while!
2 Remembering our worth to God keeps us from developing a sense of inferiority.
II THE RUSE OF RICHES
A Wealth does not protect us from everything
B Our focus on Wealth can cause us to become Spiritually Underprivileged
1 In Christ our position is unaffected by wealth
2 Our focus on Wealth can hinder our spiritual position
Matthew 19:23-26 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." 25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, "Who then can be saved?" 26 Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."
a Notice the issue is not wealth itself, it is the surrender of wealth to God and His plan.
b The issue is the need for security apart from Jesus Himself
1 Corinthians 3:10-15 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. 14 If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. 15 If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.
1 Peter 1:18-19 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.
ILLUSTRATION: The mayfly lives its entire life in one day. In the scheme of all eternity, are time here is but a day, even less than. What will we do with that day? Will we focus on the façade of what we are doing (the outward appearance), the richness of what we are doing (the cost of our stuff), or the value of what we are doing (what it will accomplish for Christ)?
III THE ISSUE OF CONCERN
What do we trust in, Temporary Protection or Eternal Security
A Riches are not the issue trusting in them is
1 They fade away even while we are going about our business. We will not see it coming until it is already happened.
B When we trust in comforts and riches, …
1 They rival God
2 God accepts no rivals, “No other God’s Before Me”
C Wealth and Riches are useless when they are preferred to God.
1 Timothy 6:17 Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.
D If we put our hope in what we receive in our offering plates, and put that hope above doing what we know we should be doing, we are no longer trusting in God, but in our own devices.
1 God will accept no idols
2 God will remove idols
3 God will judge the worship of idols
