INTRODUCTION
• SLIDE #1
• I was watching one of those crime shows on the dish the other day. This was a story of a young lady who went missing after going into a bar.
• Authorities have no idea where this young lady went, or what happened to her.
• In an effort to locate this young lady, the police started pursuing all the leads they could find.
• One of the leads they found which they thought to be important was some video footage of a young lady at the bar ordering some drinks. The mother of the girl told authorities what her daughter was wearing when she left home.
• The video which was not too good showed a young lady but this girl was wearing different clothing. The authorities based their investigation on this video footage of a young woman whose clothing did not match what the mother told them she was wearing.
• Now it is my understanding that in a missing person’s case, the first 24-48 hours are very important.
• Six weeks later, information surfaced that the young woman in the video was NOT the missing girl.
• Six weeks pursuing the wrong leads. The mother was very upset.
• Now imagine that you spend your whole life pursuing something that you feel is important. Your pursuit lasts for years.
• One day when you get to the end of life you find that what you were pursuing, you pursued based on bad information. What you thought you were going to find, you did not find.
• How devastating. Today we are going to examine a couple of verses that deal with both a poor and wealthy Christian. Now it is easy to look at the passage at a glance and think that God is condemning wealth, but wealth is not the real issue at hand.
• Things are not always as they appear. We need to understand there is more to this life than what we see.
• We do not want to get to the end of life and find we wasted it pursuing the wrong things.
• Let’s turn to James 1:9-11, we will begin with verse 9.
• SLIDE #2
• James 1:9(ESV) 9Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation,
• SLIDE #3
• First let us understand…
SERMON
I. Worldly rags do not exclude one from heavenly riches.
• It is so easy to get fixated on the here and now that we can forget about what is waiting for us.
• James is trying to bring some encouragement to those who have very little economic means.
• The phrase “lowly brother” denotes one who is seemingly insignificant, weak or poor in the eyes of those around him.
• The context speaks of one who is financially poor.
• It would be easy to surmise that if I am not doing well financially that God must not be caring for me.
• In Jesus day there were basically rich and poor, there was not much of a middle-class.
• I would imagine it would have been hard to sit back and see those who had so much and being one who had so little, wondering where God was.
• It was not like today when we are dealing with a 36inch TV verses a 72 or a Mercedes verses driving a Ford.
• The poverty was real and pronounced.
• There was also the issue of persecution that was hitting many of the folks.
• James reminds the readers that instead of focusing on financial issues focus on what is waiting for them!
• He says they should boast in their exaltation. The word “boast” is not used in an arrogant way but rather to celebrate.
• The poor are urged to boast not in their own ability, but in what God has done for them.
• No matter what our position in life is James calls us to delight in our position in Christ.
• Depression, resentment, and selfish ambition can easily characterize the lives of those who are not well off economically.
• Poverty is not a virtue, but how we handle the adversity can be.
• SLIDE #4
• Philippians 4:11-13(ESV) 11Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. 12I 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. 13I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
• Rags on earth do not mean rags in heaven!
• Let’s look at verse 10
• SLIDE #5
• James 1:10(ESV) 10and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away.
• Another lesson we can see is…
• SLIDE #6
II. Worldly riches can evolve into heavenly rags.
• This looks like James is condemning the issue of wealth, but once again WEALTH is not the issue but rather the attitude behind it.
• Jesus Himself had many people of means who were his friends, Zachaeus, Joseph of Arimathaea, Barnabas, Nicodemus, just to name a few.
• If we have been materially blessed by God we are not to find our esteem from that, we are not called to BOAST about how WE got the wealth.
• If one is not careful one can fall into the trap of having a lot now and nothing to show for it later.
• Whereas a materially poor believer should rejoice in his spiritual riches, the materially rich man [should] glory in his humiliation.
• 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 temporary nature of those material things and their inability to give inner and lasting satisfaction or help, especially spiritual help.
• The issue with riches is the tendency to rely on them. Our natural tendency is to rely on what we have and what we can see.
• If we decide to live life off of what we have and if we decide to rely on our stuff instead of God, our riches can quickly turn to rags.
• The story of the rich man and Lazarus we see one who lived his life in luxury and Lazarus who had nothing.
• The rich man’s issue was not that he was rich; it was that he lived for himself.
• In another instance in Luke 12 we have a man who was very well off materially, look what happens to him in the end.
• SLIDE #7
• Luke 12:18-21(ESV) 18And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ 20But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”
• WE must be careful that our pursuit if wealth and comfort does not lead us to exclude God from the mix. He is to be first in all things!
• That is what we are called to strive for.
• This leads us to verse 11
• SLIDE #8
• James 1:11(ESV) 11For 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.
• SLIDE #9
III. Worldly riches have no eminence with God.
• This thought basically says that material blessings have no standing with God. I used the word because then I have all “E’s” underlined in the outline.
• This is a wonderful thing because of three reasons.
• First- If material things gave us position with God, then those without material goods would be in trouble.
• Secondly- for the wealthy, what happens if they lose their material goods? The rich can lose being rich.
• SLIDE #10
• Matthew 6:20(ESV) 20but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
• The only treasure that is 100% safe is the treasures of heaven.
• And the third reason is…
• What we have here is temporary!
• James uses an illustration that the folks could relate to.
• The flowers and grasses in the fields of Palestine sprung up quickly with great beauty following the rain, yet even more quickly they would perish under the burning sun and hot desert winds.
• Even worse than what we deal with in Arizona.
• James reminds us that in the midst of our pursuit’s death and judgment come.
• Our possessions cannot stop those issues.
• In James 5:1-6 James speaks to the wealthy in particular telling them that what they were chasing was temporary.
• SLIDE #11
• James 5:1-3(ESV) 1Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. 2Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. 3Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days.
• WE have to carefully consider what we are going to pursue in life.
CONCLUSION
• So where are each one of us today?
• Wealth and poverty are subjective terms. The issue is this, who or what are you relying on?
• On who or what are your placing your trust. Who or what are you pursuing?
