As I have shared with some of you, in the midst of the pain and grief of Michael dying, I found great comfort in reading and praying the prayers of the Puritans. There is a book titled, “The Valley of Vision” – it is a compilation of prayers by Puritan authors. Within these prayers, not one breath was wasted, not one word lost. Each letter and space and phrase has meaning and purpose and are prayers of the likes I have rarely heard. Each prayer took me from the place of my misery and lifted me into the throne room of the Lord. I consider these prayers an act of grace from the Lord for in a time when I did not feel like praying, the writers of these prayers carried me along with their words. In a time when others’ words could not comfort, God Himself, through these prayers, comforted me.
“Lord, high and holy, meek and lowly, Thou hast brought me to the valley of vision, where I live in the depths but see Thee in the heights; hemmed in by mountains of sin I behold Thy glory. Let me learn by paradox that the way down is the way up, that to be low is to be high, that the broken heart is the healed heart, that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit, that the repenting soul is the victorious soul, that to have nothing is to possess all, that to bear the cross is to wear the crown, that to give is to receive, that the valley is the place of vision. Lord, in the daytime stars can be seen from deepest wells, and the deeper the wells the brighter Thy stars shine; let me find Thy light in my darkness, Thy life in my death, Thy joy in my sorrow, Thy grace in my sin, Thy riches in my poverty, Thy glory in my valley.”
I began to wonder about the authors. Who writes prayers this deep? I began to reflect upon their theology and ponder their remarkable faith and the lives that they must have led. I began to ponder the paradox of faith displayed in the Valley of Vision which led me to think about this world and how it stands in complete contradiction of what God intended. This led me to reflect on God’s view of beauty compared to the world’s view of beauty and I came upon James 1:11:
“For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes.”
And that’s it. All that the world calls beautiful will perish. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to pursue something that perishes. Summer’s favorite flowers are tulips. They are beautiful! If you are ever in Dallas, TX in April, go to the Dallas Arboretum. You will see thousands upon thousands of varying tulips and it is absolutely breathtaking! But it only lasts 3 weeks and then, pfffttt, its gone. All that beauty, all that work to plant all those bulbs – it almost seems in vain. Such is the life spent in pursuit of the world’s beauty.
I’m going to do something I don’t usually do – I’m going to give you all the answers to the fill-in-the-blanks on the message notes right up front, ahead of time. For those of you who are note takers, get your pens ready, here are the five marks of A Truly Beautiful Life found in James 4:13 – 5:18
1. The Beautiful Life is a life based upon a TOTAL LIFELONG SURRENDERING to the will of God.
2. The Beautiful Life is a life lived acknowledging God as owner of all wealth and we as the stewards of that wealth.
3. We live The Beautiful Life when we are Patient for God’s intentional good toward us.
4. The Beautiful Life is a transparent life.
5. The Beautiful Life is a blessing to others.
Now I am going to flesh these out a little for us, but before I do, lets pray.
MARK 1
A Beautiful Life is in a daily battle with itself to surrender control to a sovereign God. It’s a life based upon a TOTAL LIFELONG
SURRENDERING to the will of God. 4:13-17.
Let’s read Chapter 4, verse 13. It states,
13 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. 17 Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.
“You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” You see, in our temporal minds, we think we understand things and can predict things. We think we can control things. When in reality – God’s reality, Who is above all, eternal, omniscient, omnipresent – When in reality, we don’t know a thing about what is going to happen tomorrow, much less the next hour, minute, second. Our 75 or so years is a blink of an eye compared to the eternity in which God exists. So wouldn’t you rather surrender to a God who has a reality MUCH BIGGER than what our temporal minds can comprehend? He has the whole puzzle put together whereas here we are, trying to lift our one piece onto it with all of our might. We need God’s help to put the whole puzzle together and to trust Him that He will fit us WHERE we are needed and WHEN we are needed.
The world’s view is that the individual is in complete control of their pursuit of beauty and here is what is so foreign to faith – it’s a pursuit of false and temporary beauty by doing what seems right in their own eyes. However - Scripture tells us that we should pursue true, eternal beauty by doing what is right in GOD’S EYES. You see the difference here?
But where the world has trouble is that it takes surrender to trust Him and it takes surrender to ask Him for help. And the ideals of the world here are clashing with God’s ideals and the fight that we are in is whether or not you and I will follow the world’s philosophy that we can be god, OR we will be real with who we are and recognize that we are but the creature created by a loving and gracious and merciful Creator who has a special plan for each of His creations. A special place in the puzzle to put you and I. Which will ideal will you follow? Which will it be? You tell me. Which will it be?
Thomas a Kempis, a medieval monk once wrote that “Man proposes but God disposes”. What proposition have you brought to the table lately that has been disposed by God? Have you considered God’s will? Have you surrendered to it? When you do propose, do you say and mean “God-willing” or are you setting your heart in the wrong place from the beginning of your plans?
Now James is not saying that plans made apart from considering God’s Will will fail. God allows some of man’s plans to succeed, which leads to man’s boasting. Chapter 4, verse 17 denouces such boasting as evil. It brings God and others no benefit to boast of one’s accomplishments apart from God. There is no eternal benefit of such boasting. A life of beauty boasts not in one’s accomplishments, but in God’s accomplishments through them. Which leads us to the second mark of a beautiful life and that is this:
MARK 2
The Beautiful Life is a life lived acknowledging that God is the owner of all wealth and that we are the stewards of that wealth. 5:1-6 CONTRAST – A life lived attributing achievement and beauty to our hard work and our labor without regard for God or His creation.
Starting in verse 1 we read:
[READ verses 1 – 6 offering commentary]
[Proverbs 18:10,11]
The world, and in particular the American culture, wants to entice us into the false philosophy that money is the answer to living the beautiful life. Combine this philosophy with our indwelling self-promoting selves and we find a powerful combination bent on hoarding and accumulating wealth. We are not too far removed from the collapse of Enron in 2001 to find an example of greed to its extreme and even today we continue to hear of high executive bonuses even as the government bails their companies out of debt.
The other day, Caden, my 6 year old, was mourning the fact that he didn’t have (in his view) enough toys and he asked me, “Is it because we are not rich?” Oh – I love how what I think comes out so clearly and frankly in my son’s words. I have also bemoaned, in my thoughts, that I don’t have the big flatscreen or the cool iPad or the latest toy. We, like children, have a flesh bent on selfish driven desires. Its just that children don’t know how to cover it up like us adults do.
And then Caden’s question hit me – “Is it because we are not rich?”. I turned to him and said, “We are so rich, Caden, in so many ways – we live in a house that has clean water, unlike the many Ugandans who live in mud huts and drink contaminated water. We have abundance in our fridge and pantry. We have a vehicle which gets us from point A to B. And not only that, but more importantly, we are rich with, according to Ephesians 1, every spiritual blessing in the heavens.” What an obligation we have then to give, not only of our material wealth, but of our spiritual wealth as well. And James certainly speaks to this earlier in his letter when he states, “If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you said to them “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?” Rather a life of beauty is marked by the giving of and the good stewardship of the resources that God has given us.
When is the last time you praised God for His providence in your life and gave out of that providence? Are you living a life of giving, or hoarding?
MARK 3
First we surrender to the will of God and then acknowledge Him as author of all material and spiritual blessings. The problem we now find in pursuing the truly beautiful life is that we are not patient for those blessings and fruit of beauty to come. Looking at chapter 5, verse 7 we read these words:
[Read verses 7 – 8]
The virtue of patience in contrast to the unbeauty of its opposite is displayed in John Bunyon’s classic – “Pilgrim’s Progress”.
[EXPLAIN STORY, then read quote]
The Interpretor explains: “These two children are figures - Passion, symbolizing the men of this world who must have all their good things now, they cannot wait until the next world for their portion of good; and then there is Patience, symbolizing the men with an eternal mindset. But as you saw Passion had quickly lavished all away, and had nothing left but rags, and so will it be with all such men at the end of this world.
Then Christian said, “Now I see that Patience has the best wisdom: Because he stays for the best things and will also have the glory of his treasure, when the other has nothing but rags.
Then the Interpretor said, “And the glory of the next world will never wear out, but the things of this world are suddenly gone. For first must give place to last, because last will have his time to come; but last gives place to nothing, for there is not another to succeed. He that has his portion first will only have a short time to enjoy it; but he that has his portion last will have it eternally.
And Christian said, “Then I perceive it is not best to covet things that are now, but to wait for things to come.
INTERPRETER replied: “You say the truth: for the things that are seen are temporary, but the things that are not seen are eternal. (2 Cor. v. 18.) But since things present and our fleshly appetite are such good acquaintances they will quickly fall in love with each other. And because things to come and our flesh are such strangers to each another, their distance will increase.
James tells us to follow the example of the farmer’s patience as he waits for the fruit of his labor to appear. How opposite our the world thinks.
It seems to me that with each succeeding generation, the world becomes less patient. When my father was a kid, his family had very little. It was the end of the depression and the beginning of World War 2. His mom used to put cardboard in the soles of his shoes to make them last a little longer. Well, the family didn’t stay that poor forever and eventually prospered a little, yet there was a lot of labor before seeing the fruit of that labor. The next generation grew accustomed to this prosperity and grew a little more impatient to receive its own. Then the next generation, my generation, even more impatient to the point that saw them desiring land and home ownership immediately out of college, no matter the amount of debt incurred, and thus we have the housing crisis of the last couple of years, devastating this economy. And that is my layman’s view of our economy. And here is my layman’s solution for improving our economy:
PATIENCE! Not passion! We need to apply once again that the fruit of our labor is not immediate. If there is any virtue we should be teaching our children today that will influence all other virtues and decisions, it is the virtue of patience – BUT this must be displayed and proclaimed not by our mouths, but by our actions. What are you doing to display the virtue of patience in your home? What temptations to indulge are you avoiding, knowing that the best is to come? Do you have complete trust in the Lord that He wants to give you good, eternal prosperity? Or are you manipulating and passionately pursuing those things which you lust after? Patience is at the heart of Crown Financial Ministry’s “Get out of debt and stay out of debt” philosophy – don’t spend more than you make. Wait! It’s a simple strategy, yet extremely hard to do because our flesh and the world is constantly desiring a beauty filled with toys and things which cannot last and is overrated.
By living a patient life you will be living the beautiful life. It may not seem beautiful in the eyes of the world, but you will be growing in a beauty marked by sanctification and resistant to corrosion. Are you wondering if you are patient? James lays out 3 marks of a patient life in verses 8 – 12, read with me:
“You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. 9 Don’t grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!”
If living by God’s standard of beauty, you won’t fight back when injustice is done to you because you will have an utter and complete trust in the Lord, patiently awaiting His judgment. There is no need for vindication. The first mark is a life lived in patience for His judgment. Continuing on in verse 10 we see another mark:
“10 Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.”
A beautiful life marked by patience will not try to avoid pain and suffering or despise God for it, but will seek the Lord’s intention for the good within it and will wait patiently for that good.
James uses material his Jewish audience is very familiar with and he references the prophets and Job. They all suffered, yet we can see how God used their suffering for their good and for His plan. Like the prophets we face may face trials:
I don’t know why Aunt Sue got cancer and died. I don’t know why the house burned down with all the family’s possessions. And personally for me, I don’t know why God would not allow Summer and I to see one breath escape from our son’s, Michael’s, lungs. Whatever trial you find yourselves in, you are faced with two choices. Avoid the pain and pretend that it is not happening, or seek the God above it all and the good He intends through it. This is where our trust in God’s Word is put under fire. Do we really believe His promises? Do we believe Him when He tells us in Romans 8 that, “all things work out for the good of those who love him?” Or in those moments of tragedy and despair, are we going to turn from His Word and despise God for the pain? The promise in verse 11 tells us that if we are patient, then we will persevere and WILL SEE the compassion and mercy of the Lord.
The final mark of a beautiful life girded with patience will be known to others as a life lived out in integrity to one’s word.
12 “Above all, my brothers, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your “Yes” be yes, and your “No,” no, or you will be condemned.”
There is no need for one to quickly make a promise when he or she is not even sovereign of his or her own life. RATHER, It is a life marked out by integrity, proven by the patience of waiting on God and surrendered to God, that will convince others that one is speaking the truth, not a quick oath. James is echoing Jesus’ teaching from The Sermon on the Mount, recorded in Matthew 5 when he exhorts us here that living a patient life will be SO attractive to others that they will need NO OTHER reason to question the words we speak, for they will be either “yes” or “no”.
For a patient person, there is no need to be vindictive when wronged. A patient person seeks out the good in all trials. A patient person’s life is SO attractive, others will never question the words that come out of their mouths. The virtue of patience adorns the beautiful life.
Are you facing a trial right now? What’s the good you are finding in the midst of it? Are you blaming God or blessing God for the trial? And are you discovering how it might draw you and others closer to God?
MARK 4
Beginning in verse 13 we find James re-emphasizing two important and foundation qualities of a beautiful life:
“Are you in trouble? “ James tells his readers that they should submit to God’s sovereignty by going to Him in prayer. Surrender! “Are you happy?” James tells his readers that they should acknowledge the One who has provided the cause for happiness. Submission! The Beautiful Life is a life of surrendering to the Lord and acknowledging Him for His providence.
If you have surrendered, submitted and living patiently for eternity, then are you being transparent? The Beautiful Life is lived by honestly sharing your life and your heart with others and with God. In CONTRAST – Those in pursuit of a false life of beauty find ways to cover up the blemishes, the scars, the wounds, instead of sharing these openly with others and allowing God to use the hurts and the pains and the mistakes.
[Read 14 – 16]
Various scholars will disagree with each other on what “sick” means here. Is he spiritually sick? Is he physically sick? I don’t think there is anything in the context that can discount either, so it is probably that the man is both spiritually and physically sick and it might be a spiritual sickness which has brought on a physical sickness. Not confessing one’s sins has an effect on the anxiety level and mental state of a person and anxiety and depression have been proven to cause physical ailments as well.
In any case, if we are too sick to go to church where we can publicly acknowledge God through prayer or publicly praise God, then we are to pick up the phone or shoot an email and ask the elders to come over for prayer.
Scripture confirms that while it is not always God’s will for the sick to be physically healed (2 Cor. 12:8), it is always his will for the spiritually weak to be encouraged in their struggles against sin . These verses focus on one’s spiritual condition, which was always the primary focus of Christ. Verse 16 exhorts us to confess our sins to one another, a part of the road to spiritual healing.
The take away from these verses is not strictly about using the power of the prayer of faith, but more about the power of confession.
When is the last time you confessed your sins to another person? Yesterday, last week, last month, last year? Are you seeking God’s healing of your spiritual state through a community of believers by being transparent?
Practicing a life of transparency about your own shortcomings and sin within a community is the opposite of what this world is pushing us to do. The quote-unquote “beautiful” of the world magnify the false image that they have it all together and with that they have happiness, when in reality we know that all have fallen short of what God has intended for mankind and that the one who is not spiritually well is the one who is corroding on the inside.
MARK 5
Lastly, The Beautiful Life is a life which God uses to greatly bless others. It’s a life that is on a mission to bless. Read with me here in verse 16:
[Read 5:16 – 18]
Our aim? Righteousness. Why? Because God will bless others through it. When we live a life surrendered, submitted, patient and transparent, then we are living a righteous life not to us, not to us, but to His name and for His purposes and will. When we live the beautiful life, we are living the righteous life and the righteous life produces beauty and blesses others with beauty.
The example James gives is that of the Elijah. Elijah, a prophet in a time of Israel’s rebellion, was a man like us who understood human frailties and trials, yet turned to God in prayer. This story is found in 1 Kings 17 and 18 and what we discover from James’ commentary here concerning Elijah’s prayer life is that he prayed with earnest and persistence. The focus of his prayer in the end was not to see a nation cursed, but to see a nation blessed. We find in the last part of verse 18 the result of his prayer: “and the earth bore its fruit”. Fruit is always what God is desiring to produce in all of us.
A righteous person’s prayers are effective and powerful. The goal of righteousness is so that we may be conformed to God’s image in order to bless others. 1 Peter 2:9 states: “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.” We are all called priests and what are priests supposed to do – they’re to bless. We are to bless through reflection. Now what do I mean by that? Jesus calls his followers the light of the world. He also calls Himself the Light of the World. Light is a reference to truth-bearing. We are to be reflective of Christ’s truth by living out a righteous life and by praying to bless others.
So how do we pray to bless others? You can start by praying for those in your life who have not received Christ. The greatest blessing that one could receive is spiritual healing. And the likelihood of them receiving Christ is higher if our lives reflect Christ by living a life surrendered, submitted, patient and transparent to God and to others.
CONCLUSION
The world’s view of beauty is usually that of something that is driven by a self-centered need for preservation, either for a physical beauty or a financial security. God’s view on these things is that they will fade away and that there is a more beautiful thing to pursue, a lasting beauty, called righteousness. It is a beauty not focused on blessing one’s self, but focused on blessings others.
Do you know someone who is truly beautiful? You know it is the real deal when their beauty does not attract you to themselves, but attracts you to God. Are you living a truly beautiful life? What is it that is preventing you from doing so?
I would like to call the worship team back up to lead us in one more song and as they come up, I’m going to close with a prayer from the book I mentioned earlier: The Valley of Vision:
Convince me that I cannot be my own god, or make myself happy, nor my own Christ to restore my joy, nor my own Spirit to teach, guide and rule me.
Help me to see that grace does this by providential affliction, for when my credit is god, thou-dost cast me lower, when riches are my idol thou dost wing them away, when pleasure is my all thou dost turn it into bitterness.
Take away my roving eye, curious ear, greedy appetite, lustful heart; Show me that none of these things can heal a wounded conscience, or support a tottering frame, or uphold a departing spirit.
Then take me to the cross and leave me there.
