Below is the text and audio (pending) from June 13th. There is no audio from June 20th.
“Fields, Flowers, and Faith” / James 1:9-11 / June 13, 2010
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
As we continue further into our journey with James you will quickly notice that James writes like someone with ADD. That is to say, James doesn’t always follow a linear, logical progression of thought. James is writing in a typical Jewish wisdom style that is non-linear. He has a tendency to jump from topic to topic. James’s non-linear approach does not imply there isn’t some semblance of order. It is just rather hard to impose too much interconnectedness to the letter.
For example, the first chapter of James seems to touch on a hodgepodge of themes. While it does in fact cover a variety of issues, it has been suggested that he is introducing the various topics he will return to later in his letter. We get our first real taste of this non-linear thought process in James 1:9-11. After James opens his letter talking about facing trials leading to mature faith in God, he fairly abruptly begins talking about riches and wealth. The apparent detour in verses 9-11 actually introduce a theme that we will revisit again in chapter two.
Additionally, if we look closely enough, it would also seem that verses 9-11 are indeed connected to earlier verses. While in verse 9 begins, “The brother in humble circumstances,”, in the original Greek there is this little connective word “de,” which is not translated. The word is usually translated “but” or “and,” and would indicate that it is continuing an earlier thought. This preposition connects us to verse two when James says, “Consider it pure joy, whenever you face trials of many kinds.”
In James’s mind, trials are opportunities to live out our faith in Jesus Christ and to put our spiritual practices to the test. They provide the occasion to determine whether one’s faith reflect true religion. In essence, are you able to practice what you preach? As James’s shifts directions to discuss, he knows his audience is experiencing trials and tests of faith involving issues of wealth. In the ancient Greco-Roman world, there were substantial issues of wealth, class and social distinction, and slavery. There were distinct classes of people that did not interact on equal footing. Jesus, himself, was part of the working class and would have been prevented from going certain places and associating with certain people because of his upbringing and profession. Laborers didn’t mingle with bankers. Religious people didn’t befriend the common folk. Society assigned value and worth to people based on their material wealth.
These issues did not disappear upon conversion to Christianity and affected the newly formed congregation. We know that early converts to Christianity suffered financial discrimination for their new found faith. They were typically persecuted by rich non-Christians. Instead of lamenting the struggles, James sees the issues of wealth as presenting an opportunity to grow in faith. This morning, I want to explore these tests of faith that James addresses in verses 9 – 11.
TEST OF MONEY
The Bible discusses the issue of money more than almost any other topic. 2,350 verses address finances and 15% of Jesus’s teaching deals with money (Crown Financial). In the New Testament, Jesus talks more about money than every other topic. In Matthew 6:24 Jesus teaches, “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.” Money tries to pull us in all directions and begs for our allegiances. It causes a man to be double-minded, unstable in all he does, as James in verse 8. Test and temptations of money are not limited to only the rich but all people are susceptible. In several passages James will touch on the different traps that wealth and riches present. I want to touch on two traps and look at James’s advice to avoid them.
#1 Trap: To be poor is to be cursed.
The first trap that we fall into is the belief that, “to be poor is to be cursed.” Although most of us wouldn’t articulate it in these words, we would affirm the opposite statement to be true. “To be rich is to be blessed.” We equate riches with the favor of God. We someone living in a nice house, driving a big car, or wearing fancy clothes, and many of us think, “I wish I was blessed like that.” Why do we think this way? One of the reason is that we have believed the prosperity Gospel. We hear Jesus say in John 10:10, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full,” and we think of material wealth. While the abundant life, may include material blessings, we need to avoid the trap of thinking to be poor is cursed.
Instead of lamenting a lack of wealth, James advises that: “The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position.” James realizes that there are tangible disadvantages to being poor. You are looked at differently. You are treated with bias. Those who are truly poor have every right to be envious of the rich. Nonetheless, James advises that the poor man boast in his position. James says this because he knows and understands Jesus’s teachings on wealth. In Luke 6:20-21 it says, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. 21 Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied…” This not the easiest place to arrive at, but it is possible. James will show us how to arrive there momentarily, but before we get there let’s look at the second trap.
#2 Trap: Riches provide lasting security.
While the first trap sees God’s favor directly related to material riches, the second trap is to believe riches provide lasting security. In other words, money replaces God. Many rich and poor falsely believe that money provides the necessary security in life. I think this trap is more deadly than the first trap. This trap deceives us and leads us directly away from God. We think the more we have in our 401K and IRA the safer our future looks. Therefore, we think to be rich is to have security and to be under the favor of God.
James advises differently. In verse 10 he says, “But the one who is rich should take pride in his low position…” James does not see the intrinsic value in having an abundance of earthly riches. He knows the teaching of Jesus in Luke 6:24-25, “But woe to you who are rich,
for you have already received your comfort. 25 Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry.” James goes on in the rest of verse 10 and 11 to talk about how the rich man passes away like the wild flower. As we have seen over the past several years, James understands how quickly one’s earthly riches and pass away. It is in the these two verses that James proposes his final answer to avoiding the traps of wealth.
THE ULTIMATE ADVICE
It reads, “…because he will pass away like a wild flower. 11 For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich man will fade away even while he goes about his business.” The reference James makes here is a reference every single reader would have known. It is one that many of us have probably heard at some point. It is found in Isaiah 40, where the prophet speaks a word of comfort to the people of Israel. He understands that God will always level the playing field in all circumstances. In verse 4 – 5 it reads, “Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. 5 And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it.”
The most direct reference is in verse 8: “Flowers fade and the grass withers but the word of our God stands forever.” James’ ultimate advice to pass the test of wealth we must pursue God. We pursue God and the things of God: things of ultimate worth and things that will last. The themes of his letter are in fact the things we must pursue: wisdom, faith, and love.
Pursue Wisdom:
As we have already seen, wisdom is an important quality to pursue. James knows that wisdom has lasting value. Proverbs 3 informs us concerning the nature of wisdom. “Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding, 14 for she is more profitable than silverand yields better returns than gold…. 19 By wisdom the Lord laid the earth’s foundations,
by understanding he set the heavens in place…” Wisdom is invaluable to James and too many of us ignore time tested wisdom. We live in a period of time that is ignorant of our country’s mistakes. We need to learn from our elders and value their wisdom. As we find ourselves trying to dig out of the Great Recession, we can learn from those among us that lived through the Great Depression. If we want to pass the tests of wealth and the trials of life, we need to continually seek godly wisdom.
Pursue Faith and Love:
As we pursue wisdom, James teaches us to pursue faith and love. In 1 Corinthians 13:13 it reads, “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” James has already discussed the importance of faith and in verse 12, which we will address next week, he touches on the importance of love. These are things that last. Faith and love in action is what true religion is all about.
If we want to avoid the traps of wealth, we must set our hearts on things that last and pursue them. We must value the importance of faith in God and loving relationships with others. These are things that will make a difference into eternity. These are the things that we must pursue if our faith is to become mature and complete. There are countless pitfalls and traps in the journey of life. As we are seeing, We must set our minds, souls, and bodies towards God if we want to successfully complete the journey with God. Christianity is more about pursuing things than avoid. It is about loving relationships with God and others.
Let’s pray and ask God for the strength to avoid the traps of wealth and pursue the things of God.
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