Sermon Text: James 1:9-11
Below is a sermon manuscript from January 26, 2024. Watch the sermon here.
Introduction
I think I peaked when I was 9. No really. I was decked out in a new cowboy hat, knew the relevant material inside and out, made eye contact most of the time, and walked with poise and control while giving a clear view of what the judges wanted to see. That’s when I walked into the Barry County Fair and won swine showman as a novice. The crowd went wild.
Not only did I win the show, but afterward, I filled my pockets at the swine auction. The bidding was going crazy. While most kids sold their pigs for 1-2 dollars a pound, mine went for over $3 a pound, each. And I had two of them! Of course, I later found out that that ferocious bidding was my aunt who was bidding against herself, but still!
Then, a little later, a local radio channel interviewed me about my win.
There I was in the first decade of my life, money, status, fame. And I have pictures to prove it.
Transition
Perhaps it wasn’t quite like this, but in the circumstances surrounding James’ audience, there were a lot of people who had money and status, and part of having it meant letting others know, and the way you let them know is through flaunting it. This was one of the few ways that people would distinguish themselves. In fact, Plutach wrote, “Most men think themselves robbed of their wealth if they are prevented from displaying it, and that display is made in the superfluities of life, not in the necessities of life.”[1]
Let’s read James 1:9-11
Before we start to look more closely at this passage and applications for us today, we should be aware of the twin dangers of money.
Twin dangers of Poverty and Prosperity Gospels
When we think about the topic of money, it is really easy to simplify our approach into a black-and-white, good and bad strategy. Of course, over the history of the church, people have sought to over-simplify concepts or take issues that require patience and wisdom and create a simplistic approach. Rarely does this go well. In terms of money, there are twin temptations when it comes to oversimplifying. These would be the prosperity gospel on the one side and the poverty gospel on the other.
It’s interesting today that we have both prosperity gospels and poverty gospels. Typically, they come from the same error: too much focus on money. Some have the mentality of Judas, who is quick to point out how others spend their money and say, “You should have given it to the poor,” which really is just a self-righteous statement masking the true heart – you should have given me that money, I would have spent it better. On the other side you have people who are so concerned with money that they turn Jesus into a get-rich-quick scheme. Instead of finding value in Jesus and using our money in a way that serves him, they find supreme worth in money and try to use Jesus to get that. Both miss the point.
Listen to the words of Proverbs 30:8-9,
Remove far from me falsehood and lying;
give me neither poverty nor riches;
feed me with the food that is needful for me,
9 lest I be full and deny you
and say, “Who is the Lord?”
or lest I be poor and steal
and profane the name of my God[2]
Real Faith Transcends Poverty
In contrast to the poverty gospel that sees faith as unnecessary to those in poverty because of inherent righteousness, Scripture teaches that real faith helps us face times of financial hardship. This is likely the condition of many of the Christians who originally heard the words of the book of James. Jewish Christians who were relocating because of their faith and that had the ability to compound financial strife. For those who didn’t have much, to begin with, a move would be one more headache they might not know whether they could make it through.
We might ask ourselves. Which are we? Maybe we want to chart these on a wall and say “what does it mean to be rich or lowly.”
David Nystrom writes,
These poor are poor both spiritually and materially. The ancient world knew almost nothing of what we would call a “middle-class.” About 90 percent of the population of the Roman empire lived at or below what moderns would consider the poverty level. Except in select urban locations such as Corinth, social climbing in the Roman world was a virtual impossibility.[3]
What was the exact price tag in that society, and how does that translate for today? After all, we want to properly interpret and apply God’s Word. We might consider how our nation measures up with other nations or our historical place. But while each of these may be interesting, I don’t think this is the point that James is trying to make. His intention is not the objective metrics but the subjective felt experience of those hearing the words. Those who feel lowly and like they don’t measure up. Those who feel financially strapped or who are going through a rough season in terms of their status to those in their life. With this in mind, there is an application for all of us here. And, with this in mind, we might find ourselves flipping between each of these ideas and seeing how each applies – maybe even right now, in our current situation, or maybe how they apply to different aspects of our life. Because, as we will see, there is a narrow application of money within these verses. There is also a broader application as well. This is focused on finance but extends beyond that to status, education, popularity, beauty, and other aspects of life. My hope is that each of us will benefit.
Let your lowly earthly status drive you to see your future exaltation
First, we should not let our earthly insecurity blind us from God’s good provisions. Those who lack material possessions and means can be affected emotionally and spiritually by this. We are not neatly divided and compartmentalized people, but the physical can affect the emotional and vice versa. A person who lacks sleep can be more apt to unleash emotionally! Likewise, the person who lacks food. Hangry is a word for a reason. Likewise, the person who lacks material provisions can be affected. This idea of lowly is connected to finances here because of the rich in the next verse, but it’s a word that is more inclusive to of no status, humble. The person who is brought low. Perhaps even felt within their disposition. The temptation can be to evaluate themselves based on what they have. But for Christians, this hyper-focus on things of the here and now can rob us of the greater realities of things yet to come. Lowly status can help us have that proper focus.
I’m writing here in the negative, for us not to fall into the temptation of being driven by our circumstances in order to show a different aspect of what James says, but he writes more positively for them to boast in their humble circumstances. Why? Because this gives them an opportunity to examine our position that truly matters most. Those who are in humble circumstances or status don’t place their hope or worth in those things and, because of that, can be freed to place their hope and worth in things that matter most. It’s easy to see the value of being a co-heir of Christ when you are not proud of the Burger King crown you are wearing.
James’s point, then, is that believers must look beyond the world’s evaluation to understand who they are and look to God’s view of them[4]
Don’t let earthly insecurity blind you from God’s good provisions
While we have to be careful to find ultimate worth in the things we have, we also need to recognize that placed in the proper context, we can and should thank God for all good things, knowing they are from him. Put another way: An unhealthy focus on things blinds us from larger realities, but when we have larger realities in focus, we have to be careful not to fall into the opposite trap of finding value and worth in our pious rejection of earthly blessings. The blessing for the poor is not that they are good and distant from earthly pleasures but that they can properly situate them under the Lordship of Christ in all of life. Things are not in command, Jesus is. And because of that we can praise him for all the good things that we do have.
Real Faith Relativizes Possessions
In contrast to the prosperity gospel that uses faith as a means to achieve greater possessions, James helps us see that real faith relativizes possessions. When our desire is for God’s glory above all else, we don’t need personal status as a marker of success and value in this life. This section is debated among scholars. Because the rich are negatively viewed in other parts of the book, there is a question here if this refers to Christians who are rich or unbelievers who are rich. If it is unbelievers who are in view, then James instructing them to take joy in their humiliation is ironic. James certainly can and does use irony in the letter, but this is more cutting than other irony used. It also seems that the use of brother that qualifies the lowly person should be used here as well. I am taking the view of a rich brother in the application of this section, but even if those who argue for unbelievers are correct, the application points have warrant throughout Scripture.
Earthly status markers are temporary
Here, James illustrates his point. He pulls from common imagery that would draw from everyday experience. The most famous example of this imagery would have been in Isaiah 40:6-8,
A voice says, “Cry!”
And I said, “What shall I cry?”
All flesh is grass,
and all its beauty is like the flower of the field.
7 The grass withers, the flower fades
when the breath of the Lord blows on it;
surely the people are grass.
8 The grass withers, the flower fades,
but the word of our God will stand forever.[5]
We see this language throughout the Psalms as well. Contrasting the transient nature of wealth and earthly status markers like beauty to attributes of God. Often his love, his care, his Word.
All of us have something we place our security and worth in. The issue comes when that object is not worthy of security and worth. James lets us know what happens when we place our hope in material things or our own status. It may be here one day and gone the next. Further, even if it is here today and the next, it is not something worth placing eternal hope in. Even if it helps us forever in this life, this life is not forever. Unfortunately, as we see in the case of the Young Rich Ruler in the gospels, the security that money can bring can be too much to give up.
Don’t let material goods blind you from your spiritual needs
This leads to the second concept. Having an abundance of material goods can obscure or blind us from our spiritual needs and dependency upon Christ. Think about it in terms of a common situation.
The person who is stranded on the side of the road with no money to fix their car may be more aware of their need for God than the person who can always write a check.
While there are certain earthly benefits, there can be some spiritual speedbumps as well. The person in need may be more open to receiving wisdom from others, the person with wealth may see themselves in only the give advice position. This can happen as we have relationships across socio-economic lines. We can see ourselves in the place of benefactor or recipient and not see how God can and does use each of us with our unique backgrounds to influence and teach others.
Rejoice in the equality at the foot of the cross
New Testament scholar Doug Moo writes,
James’s encouragement to that person to take pride in his low position will mean that the rich believer is to boast not in his wealth or his elevated social position, but in his identification with Christ and his people, a matter of “humiliation” in the eyes of the world[6]
Consider that phrase that James starts off as regarding the poor and the rich. Servant of God. Lord Jesus implies that Jesus is our master. For the poor, it is not a big deal to be called a servant, but they are exalted because of their relationship with the one they serve. For the rich, it is humbling to recognize that, just like everyone else, they are a servant. Like everyone else, they have someone who will hold them accountable. Think about that. In that culture, there is not a middle class. There are either the poor and destitute, those utterly dependent upon those of high status. Or those of high status who have many people of low class under them who are utterly dependent upon them. If you are part of the high-status group, the idea of servitude is difficult and hard to swallow. Even more, the idea that this places you hand in hand with those who are, in the eyes of everyone around you and especially in your social circle, beneath you. Again, to circle back to the idea of learning from others. How can you learn from someone unlike you?
Right now, regardless of your social or economic standing in society, we are one. The Christian who is walking with the Lord for all of their life without a dime to their name can lead a discussion group that we would never let a recent convert corporate CEO lead.
Conclusion
As we think about the idea that real faith transcends poverty and trivializes possessions, we can be assured of that because of the object of our faith. The person and work of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the rightful owner of the cattle on 1,000 hills. The world is his and the fullness thereof. And get Jesus humbled himself so that we might be exalted. He did not consider status as something to grasped but lowered himself for our sake to the point of death. But he didn’t stay in the grave but was exalted and reigns on high giving us ultimate hope. The rich and the poor are both called to turn from themselves and trust in Him. And Jesus allows them to guard against the errors associated with their station in life. For the rich, they can remember and reflect on their union with Christ and his humility. For the poor, they can remember and reflect on Christ’s exaltation. The beauty of the gospel is that hope is found not in us, not in our situation, but in Jesus. He is the hope of the world, rich and poor, high status and low status. All are equal at the foot of the cross. That is great hope for us today, and it’s a hope that will never wear out or break down.
[1] David P. Nystrom, James, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1997), 54.
[2] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Pr 30:8–9.
[3] David P. Nystrom, James, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1997), 56.
[4] Douglas J. Moo, The Letter of James, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: Eerdmans; Apollos, 2000), 65.
[5] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Is 40:6–8.
[6] Douglas J. Moo, The Letter of James, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: Eerdmans; Apollos, 2000), 66.
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