Active Faith (Part Four): Highs and Lows

Transcript

JRNT 4
10/16/2022
Active Faith (Part Four): Highs and Lows
James 1:9-12
Jesse Randolph

Well, according to Webster’s Dictionary, a “paradox” is: “A statement that is seemingly contradictory as opposed to common sense and is perhaps true.” I’ll say it again. A “paradox” is: “A statement that is seemingly contradictory as opposed to common sense and is perhaps true.”
Now, some paradoxical statements are a part of the common vernacular, meaning, we hear them with some frequency in normal conversation. We say things like: “Giving is receiving”, and “Less is more”, and “You save money by spending it” and “This is the beginning of the end.” Other paradoxical statements come from the literary world. The line from Shakespeare’s Hamlet: “I must be cruel to be kind.” Or the line from George Orwell’s Animal Farm: “All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.” Or this one from Oscar Wilde: he says, “I can resist anything but temptation.” Other seemingly paradoxical statements are found in scripture. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 12:10 – “For when I am weak, then I am strong.” He also says in Romans 6:18, that “Having been freed from sin”, [you] “we became slaves of righteousness.” The empty are full. The cursed are blessed. Death brings life and so on and so on and so on. Now, when we first hear statements like those, they may cause us to initially to tilt our heads and bend our ears, because on first listen, they do sound contradictory. But as we reflect on what ‘s being said, the truth of those statements come into sharper focus, and become more apparent.

In our text for today, we have another example of one of these seemingly paradoxical statements. We’re told by James, among other things, that the poor of this world are to consider themselves “rich”, while the rich of this world are to consider themselves “poor.”

See, who we are in Christ, once He saves us, changes everything. Not only does our salvation change our eternal destiny as we’re re-routed from hell to heaven. Not only does our salvation change our personal identity, as we’ve been re-branded, to use Paul in Romans 6:18 again, from “slaves of sin”, to being “slaves of righteousness.” Our salvation changes our day-to-day perspective. As we realize and recognize the utter bankruptcy of the ways we once lived. The paths we once walked. The people we once pursued. The lusts we once indulged. The flesh we once fed. Once realizing that, not matter how much or how little we have in this life, no matter how much or how little we earn in this life, no matter how much or little we store away in this life, we are eminently privileged. We are abundantly rich, because of who we are in Christ. The gospel of grace, the gospel of Jesus Christ absolutely levels the playing field. As it’s been said many times before, I can’t take credit for this line. The ground is level at the foot of the cross. That’s what Paul was getting at in his statement in Galatians 3:28, when he says, “there is neither Jew nor Greek . . . nor slave . . . nor free . . . nor male nor female”; but “you are all one in Christ Jesus.” To which James, based on what he says in our text for today, may have added: There’s neither “rich” nor “poor in Christ Jesus.” “At least not in the ways that we typically think about those terms.”

Now, by way of review, the James that has written this letter to us, the half-brother of Jesus, as we’ve seen, was this early pillar in the Jerusalem church. We say that a few weeks ago in Acts 15 and elsewhere. In this book that bears his name, James was writing to these twelve tribes in the Dispersion, that is, these early Jewish converts to Christianity, who had been scattered all over the land, and ostracized from their families, and only because of their faith in the world’s one and only Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
We see this dispersion, or this “scattering” happening in Acts 8:1, which says “On that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria.” So, this group of scattered, dispersed Jewish believers, had trusted in Christ. It didn’t take very long for them to start experiencing the pain and the suffering that came along with being an early convert to Christianity. Naturally they had many questions, likely tinged with some sense of exasperation, which needed answering. Questions like, “We signed up for this?” “Is this, these circumstances, this life, this persecution, is this normal? James here, in this letter, is telling these early believers how to respond, how to react to the situations they found themselves in. He’s encouraging them. He’s imploring them, not to quit, not to melt down. But rather, to stay in the saddle. He tells them how to, through this series of commands. Fifty-four imperatives have been seen in the letter. These exhortations laced throughout this book. James starts, as we saw a few weeks ago, with this counterintuitive command to count it all joy when the believer experiences various trials. A command that sounds paradoxical. A command that makes no sense. A command that doesn’t work, if it's premised on a worldview other than the gospel of Jesus Christ. James then tells them that the testing of their faith produces endurance, steadfastness, hupomene. Which, when it’s in full bloom, will lead to this place where they are “perfect and complete lacking in nothing.” Which simply refers to God-given maturity. James then tells his audience, this was our text for last week, that as they go through the various trials, that will inevitably come their way, they need to navigate those trials in wisdom. Wisdom is not something that we naturally possess. Wisdom rather is something that God needs to give us. We need God to give it to us. It’s something that we need to ask Him for. Which is why we saw in last week, in verse 5, this statement: “But if any of you”, James 1:5, “lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given” to him. So, we do. We ask. We pray. Which was the central theme of last Sunday’s message.

That brings us to this morning’s text. We’re going to be in verses 9-12 of James 1 this morning. If you’re not there already, I’d invite you to turn to James 1, and we’re gong to be working through verses 9-12. We’re going to read it first, and then unpack it.

James 1:9, “But the brother of humble circumstances is to glory in his high position; and the rich man is to glory in his humiliation, because like flowering grass he will pass away. For the sun rises with a scorching wind and withers the grass; and its flower falls off and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so too the rich man in the midst of his pursuits will fade away. Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”
So, as we get our bearings here, we’re still in this section of James 1, in which the major theme of this entire section, is trials, and specifically the believer’s approach to trials. Today, withing that major theme, we’re approaching a sub-topic, under this major theme of trials, which is this: riches, poverty, and how to think of both, riches and poverty, through the lens of faith. As we endure, as we persevere, as we remain steadfast in light of our heavenly hope.
This morning’s sermon has three points. The sermon points run in conjunction with the three major ideas or developments that we see here in our text.
First, in verses 9 and 10, I’ll give you the points upfront for you note takers. In verses 9 and 10, we see A Reversal of Roles. In verses 10 and 11, we see A Reminder About Riches. Then, finally in verse 12, we see A Reward For Running.
I’ll say it again, we have, A Reversal of Roles, A Reminder About Riches, and A Reward For Running. Let’s start with the first one, starting with verses 9, moving into verse 10.


A Reversal of Roles
Verse 9: “But the brother of humble circumstances is to glory in his high position.”
Other translations have this rendered as “Let the lowly man boast in his exaltation.” Either is fine. I’ll probably us a lot of those terms interchangeably up here this morning. The one being addressed here, at the beginning of verse 9, this “brother of humble circumstances”, is a follower of Jesus Christ, hence the word, “brother” (adelphos) here. He’s not just a brother, he’s not just a brother in the Lord, he’s economically “poor.” He’s economically poor, that word there for “humble”, that word for “humble circumstances”, is (pareinos), which means “low” or “humble” or “unimportant” (in the social sense). But in the context here, clearly means “poor.” He’s impoverished. Economic impoverishment was a category, that represented most of the scattered, early persecuted Jewish believers, to whom James wrote. Now, many of them, not doubt, had at some point, been well-off financially. Or at least, better-off financially. By the time James writes them, they’re these victims of dispossession, victims of persecution, and they are being deprived of all sorts of means. In fact, outside their bond of fellowship, their mutual bond of fellowship through Jesus Christ, you could say that the closest thing that bound this group together, which made them like-situated, was their poverty.

Nevertheless, James tells that group, this group in verse 9, these impoverished, Christian brothers, that they should “glory” in their position. That word for “glory” there, is (kauchaomai), I won’t try to spell it or ask you to spell it, (kauchaomai), but it can also be rendered “rejoice” or “boast.” This person is to “boast” in his exaltation. To “glory” in his position, his “high position” it says. What “high position” is this person of humble circumstances have? What does that referring to? Well, he’s obviously not referring to his high earthly position, he doesn’t have one. He’s impoverished. He’s poor. Rather, this is referring to the person’s high spiritual position. As a son or a daughter of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. As the recipient of all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places. As the one who has been ushered out of the domain of darkness and into the kingdom of light. As the one who’s being prepared for an eternity of worshiping the one true and living God in glory.

This is really, really good news for people like this, and people even today, who walk through life without having much. Without earning much. Without receiving much. This is good news for the people who weren’t born with a silver spoon in their mouth. The people who don’t come from “old money.” The people who wouldn’t be called “blue bloods.” For most of us, that has been our experience. You know, we came into life with the parents God gave us. With the circumstances God gave us. With the experiences God gave us, and James here is saying: It doesn’t matter. No matter what family you were born into. No matter how little you grew up with. No matter how little you have or had or will have in the world, In Jesus Christ, James is saying, you have a high position. You have an exalted position. In fact, look across the page a James 2:5, here he says – “Listen, my beloved” brethren, “did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which He promised to those who love Him?” God chose the poor of the world, to be rich in faith. Meaning, the church is not a club that you can buy your way into. The church is not a place that you can dress a certain way, to be accepted. Rather, we all become a part of the church, that is, the body of Christ, the same way. By understanding that we were dead in our trespasses and sins. It’s understanding that we were not only spiritually impoverished, but spiritually bankrupt. Understanding that we had no evidence of spirituality until Christ saved us. Until the Holy Spirit took up residence within us. Until God exalted us. Its understanding that it was God, who made us a part of His family. It was by His invitation that we were adopted, becoming His sons and daughters, and joint heirs with Christ. Jesus takes fools and makes them wise. Jesus takes the weak and makes them strong. Jesus takes the lowly and exalts them, making them dwell on high. Such a person, James 1:9 says, “is to glory”, to boast, to boast “in his high position.”

Now, you might be saying to yourself, maybe you were raised in the church. Maybe you were raised around a good family that taught you good manners. Good! You’re also saying, “Boast?” Pastor, you’re telling me to “boast?’ But that sounds so unspiritual. Well, if you’re boasting in yourself, you would be right. That form of boasting, is unspiritual. That form of boasting is wrong, and that form of boasting is sinful. There are places in scripture, where that type of boasting is condemned. James 4:16 – “you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil.” Or Ephesians 2:8-9, familiar verses for many of us – “for by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may” what? “Boast.” 1 Corinthians 1:28-29 – “and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no many may boast before God.”

That’s not the type of “boasting” that James has in view here, in verse 9. Indeed, there are some things that God says He wants us to boast in, or brag about, or take delight in. Namely, Him, His Son, His Son’s bloody cross, and His Son’s atoning death. 1 Corinthians 1:31 – “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.” Romans 5:11 – “And not only this, but we also exult”, that’s the same verb, boast, “in God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Galatians 6:14 – “But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” Philippians 3:3 – “for we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus”, glory is that word, boast again, “and put no confidence in the flesh.” Hebrews 3:6 – “but Christ was faithful as a Son over His house – whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end.”

The lowly person in this world may be considered, as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 4:13, “the scum of the world”, the “dregs of” the earth. But in God’s eyes, he is exalted. Sometimes, in His wisdom, in His sovereignty, God will allow physical possessions to be taken away from some of His children, for the purpose of growing them in spiritual maturity. That being so, we can boast in the Lord. Boast in the Lord, knowing what Peter says in 1 Peter 1:6-7. Peter, there says, “In this”, he’s talking about your eternal hope, “you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and honor and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” We can boast in the Lord. We can boast in the Lord, based on what Paul says in Romans 8:16-18, he says – “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him. For I consider that the sufferings of the present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”

We can boast in the Lord. Boast in the Lord, based on what Peter has said. Boast in the Lord based on what Paul has said. We can boast in the Lord based on what Jeremiah said, all the way back in Jeremiah 9, in fact, flip with me, if you would, to Jeremiah 9. Jeremiah 9, and as you’re turning there, let me set some of the stage here. We’re going to be in Jeremiah 9, these are some of the amazing words in the midst of some really miserable circumstances. In the context here is, we have the divided kingdom and Judah, the southern portion of the kingdom, has as a nation, rejected God. They are chasing after idols. They’re going their own way. They are about to be taken away by Babylon. Look at what happens here, in Jeremiah 9:23 – “Thus says the Lord, ‘Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches’.” Jeremiah, by the way, is not saying that might and riches and power are always wrong. In the same way that Paul in 2 Timothy 6:10, is not condemning money. But rather, the love of money, which is a root of all sorts of evil. But what Jeremiah is saying here, is that if we boast in our riches, in the sense of “look at who I am”, “look at all that I’ve accomplished.” Well, that is wrong. Because when we boast in ourselves and not in God, we’re spiritual thieves. We’re double-minded bandits. We’re glory-robbers. The Lord has made it absolutely clear in His word, that He will not share His glory with another. Back to Jeremiah, picking up in verse 24, it says – “But let him who boasts boast of this: that he understands and know Me, that I am the Lord who exercises loving kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for I delight in these things, declares the Lord.”

Taking it back to James, if you’re here this morning, and you’re poor, you’re on one of the lower rungs of the economic ladder. If you’re feeling some sense of economic humiliation in this life, what James is saying, and what God is saying through His word here, is to accept it. To, as we said a few weeks ago, to walk through it. To recognize that it is a short-lived trial, that its only for this life. That it’s a blip of the radar on the ocean of eternity. Back to the context of James, to these poverty-stricken Jewish Christians, who were poor because of their faith, and who were in this economically low position. Who certainly were low in the eyes of the world, and perhaps even low in their own eyes, in their own self estimation. James says, glory, “boast.” Boast in knowing that you are a part of God’s family. Boast in knowing that you are one of God’s children. Boast in knowing that you are in fellowship with God and in fellowship with His people. Don’t throw a pity party. Because there’s actually nothing to pity. Rather, boast in knowing your exalted status and your privileged position! Boast in knowing that you have been purchased by the Son of God, and that the Spirit of God now lives in you. Boast in the eternal and not the temporal. Boast in heaven, not on earth. Boast in Him, not in yourself. All of that is wrapped into this verse, James 1:9 – “But the brother of humble circumstances is to glory in his high position.”

Now, that’s the command to the poor of this world, to the lowly brother, to the brother of humble circumstances in verse 9. It was also true that, in James’ time, as is true now, there were some in the church who were people of means. People who did have wealth. People who did have a name and clout and prestige. James refers to them in verse 10 here, as “the rich man”. He says – “. . .and the rich man is to glory in his humiliation. . .” See, how it normally worked, not only in the society of James’ day and not only in the church of James’ day. But as it can tend to work in churches of our day, is that the rich have an inordinately loud voice, that attaches to some of the natural privileges that come along with wealth. What James is driving at here, in verse 10, is that it doesn’t work that way. At least it shouldn’t work that way in the church.
To enter the church, to enter into life in the body, is to enter into an entirely different economy. It ought to entirely transform one’s concept of wealth. The rich man is no more blessed than the poor man. The poor man is no less blessed than the rich man, because by faith in Christ, the two are equals. In light of the equalizing gospel of grace, there’s this equalization of what was previously an unequal situation. Someone is going higher, and someone is going lower. I think of it like this see-saw, or a teeter-totter. Someone in the first hour tried to tell me that the word out here for that, is an upsee-downsee, but I don’t believe it. I think you call them see-saws and teeter-totters here too. But the idea is, one starts on the bottom and one starts on the top, on a teeter-totter or a see-saw, right? The equalizer in this illustration I’m trying to give, is the gospel, the fulcrum that changes everything, is the gospel. The poor man, who once was despised and low on that teeter-totter, is not exalted. He had no voice in society, but now he has a voice in the church. He can have a role in the church. He can serve in the church. Even one who is dirt poor, can be an elder in the church.
On the other hand, you have the rich man, who was previously high and sitting on top of the world but now, he’s brought low. Because he recognizes that he’s not able to buy any extra spiritual privileges that the poor man would be priced out of. It doesn’t work that way. The capitalistic mindset doesn’t work that way. The rich and the poor, in the world’s sense, doesn’t work that way in the church, because of the truth of the gospel.
So, in this first part of verse 10, James is presenting this other side of the coin. The rich man, he says, is to “glory in his humiliation.” Now, interestingly in the Greek sentence here, of verse 10, we see it as, “. . and the rich man is to glory in his humiliation.” But in the Greek sentence, we actually don’t have a noun or a verb here. It just says, “but the rich in his humiliation.” That opens the door to an issue we have need to address here. Is the rich one, mentioned here in verse 10, a believer? See, in verse 9, it’s clear. It says, the poor man, the lowly man, he’s a “brother”, which is an indication of his spiritual state. He is a Christian. Then in verse 10, it just says, “But the rich.” Now, he’s not outwardly expressly called a “brother.” What does that mean? Is that saying something about his spiritual state? Is that saying that the “rich” man is not a Christian? Is James making some sort of blanket statement about richness and poverty? Is he somehow suggesting that a rich man can never enter heaven? Is he expanding or taking Jesus’ words about camels and eyes of needles to their extreme? There are important questions to work through and some have indeed, concluded that this “rich” one, in verse 10, is an unbeliever. They’ll usually cite other places in James, where James has some harsh words. We’ll get to them later, in describing the rich. Look at James 2:6, he says – “Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court?” Or look at James 5:1, he says – “Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you.” With verses like that, I get why people go there, and come to that conclusion but I can’t get there, and for a few reasons. There are a few reasons why I believe the “rich” one in verse 10, is a believer.

First, there’s no question, syntactically, grammatically that verses 9 and 10 go together, they’re linked logically and grammatically together. In describing the two figures mentioned in those two verses, what is being highlighted by James, as he’s moved by the Holy Spirit, is their economic status, rich and poor. The emphasis that’s being asserted here, made here, is not their spiritual state, saved and unsaved. So, he’s making an economic statement, distinguishing, I believe, between two brothers.
Second, scripture is not uniform in condemning the rich. Think of Zacchaeus, the rich tax collector, he found salvation. There are texts in the Old Testament that refer to wealth as a sign of blessing in certain cases. Psalm 112:3 says – “wealth and riches” are in the house of the one who fears the Lord. Proverbs 10:15 says – “the rich man’s wealth is his fortress.”
Third reason, and there are more that we can go through, but I limit it to these three. James 4:13-17 refers to somebody who is at least reasonably well-to-do (you could even say “rich”) who is able to go travel elsewhere, to different parts of the community, to turn a profit. I would say, and in that context, that person is referred to as a believer, with a believer of means. So, I do believe that the “rich” in verse 10, is a Christian.

So, bringing it back to the main idea here, just as a materially poor believer should rejoice in his spiritual riches, the materially rich man, James is telling us in verse 10, should glory in his humiliation. In what sense does the rich man experience “humiliation”? What humiliation does he have in view here? Well, in one sense, this could tie back to how the rich person’s world was turned upside down, when he got saved. When that day came, he immediately became ostracized from the groups and the tiers of society that he had been working with and operating in. He was no longer, as a result of his salvation, able to maintain relationships with all the rich and the illuminati that when he suddenly no longer available on Sunday mornings. He was no longer getting drunk. He was no longer carousing. He was no longer cursing, that ostracized him. Another form of humiliation comes to the rich when they come to Christ. When the wealthy believer discovers just how transitory, just how fleeting his earthly possessions are. Just how lacking they are in their inability to give inner lasting satisfaction to their owner. The “trials” that James is addressing in this whole section of James 1, as a whole, they remind the rich person, that money ultimately cannot solve their problems. The stuff that they keep filling their lives with, won’t cover up their hurts, their difficulties, their highs, their lows. James here, is exhorting the rich man “to glory in his humiliation.” To boast in his humiliation, in the same way that the poor man is to boast in his exaltation.

For the rich man, this means to boast when his friend group shrinks on account of his comment to Christ. When the hangers-on are no longer hanging on. When the stock market crashes. When account balances shrink. When financial prospects tumble. When he loses everything, he boasts in it and how does he do so? Well, he boasts, remembering that he shouldn’t have any pride in his possessions anyway. He steers clear of his temptation to trust in his wealth, rather than fully trusting in God. He recognizes that riches do not make one person better than anyone else. He gets that his riches don’t prevent death and won’t prevent death. He understands that, just as being poor does not make one necessarily qualified for heaven. Just being rich will not necessarily consign one to hell. He understands that the important thing, is where one’s trust is. He understands what 1 Timothy 6:17 would say – “Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.”

James then, is exhorting both the poor and the rich Christian to remember that the sole basis for their confidence in this life, is their identification with Jesus Christ. To the poor believer, tempted to feel insignificant, and tempted to feel powerless, because the world, as we know, will judge a person based on their money and their status. James says, no, take pride in your exalted status in the spiritual realm, as one seated in the heavenlies with Christ Jesus Himself. And to the rich believer, tempted maybe to think too much of himself, because the world is out there holding him in such high esteem, James is saying no. Take not pride in your money, or in your social position, things that are all doomed to fade away. But paradoxically, in your humble status, as a person who identifies with the one who Himself was despised and rejected by the world. Both groups of Christians, then, rich and poor, are to look at their lives from a heavenly perspective, not an earthly perspective. That perspective should lead them to exult, to glory, to boast, not in anything about them, but in everything about the one who has saved them. So, that’s the Reversal of Roles, verses 9 and 10. Next in verses 10 and 11, we’re going to see this reminder about riches. Reversals of roles, leads into this reminder about riches.

A Reminder About Riches
Now, James’ brilliant paradox in the text we’ve just looked at, stands on its own. Then he adds this illustration that drives home the point he’s making with this unforgettable force. He says, of the rich man and his pursuits, picking it up halfway through verse 10 – “. . .because like flowering grass he will pass away. For the sun rises with a scorching wind and withers the grass; and its flower falls off and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so too the rich man in the midst of his pursuits will fade away.”
James’ description of the rich here, and relative shortness of life, what it’s doing is, reminding him of the wildflowers that carpeted the landscape where he was from. These wildflowers, they sprouted up. They were dazzling in beauty, for just a few short weeks after the spring rains would come, but their beauty was always short-lived. Because soon, the blistering heat would come, brought about by these hot, gusty winds, that the siroccos, in that part of the world. Where we come from, they’re called Santa Ana winds and these hot winds would immediately wipe out these wildflowers, causing them to wilt and to wither. Of course, James here, is using a biblical metaphor, which he’s borrowing from the book of Isaiah. What I read during scripture reading this morning, referring to the word of God. James is drawing on Isaiah 40:7-8 – “The grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath of the Lord blows upon it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.” There are other passages that use similar language in the Old Testament. Psalm 102:11 – “My days” it says, “are like a lengthened shadow, and I wither away like grass.” Or Psalm 103:15-18 says – “As for man, his days are like grass; as a flower of the field, so he flourishes. When the wind has passed over it, it is no more, and its place acknowledges it no longer. But the lovingkindness of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, and His righteousness to His children’s children, to those who keep His covenant and remember His precepts to do them.”

Drawing on those Old Testament passages, the point of James’ illustration here in verses 10 and 11, is that the rich, ultimately, are like this wildflower, fragile. Which under this oppressive, scorching heat, sees its blossom fall, and its beauty fade, as the flower withers and dies. That is the way it is for the rich. He will perish with all his undertakings. His wealth will have initial appeal and attraction, only, like the flower, to be proven an illusion. Something that’s going to pass away very quickly.

So, James is telling these early believers and by us, application, that if we have the things of the world. Understand, they are going to pass away. Therefore, to use James’ words, let the rich man glory in his humiliation. Understand that life is short and is going to pass away. Because, one day, you’re going to die. I’m going to die. We’re all going to die. One day, our great civilization, the grand old U S of A is going to die. We can’t take any of it with us. Again, James here, is not saying that riches are bad. The bible never teaches that wealth, in and of itself, is wrong. What it does speak to, is how we acquire wealth, lawfully, not unlawfully. How it is used, as a stewardship and recognizing it as a gift from God and the extent of its grip on us. Recognizing that those who worship wealth, will ultimately perish with their “god.”

Taking it back to the beginning of our message this morning, the poor man, verse 9, is little noted in this age; but he knows God. He’s a child of God. He’s a joint heir with Christ. He possesses eternal life; in that, he can boast. The rich believer, though, knows that he must take no pride in his social position, his worldly status, his clout. He knows he’s no greater than any other man. He knows he’s a sinner, saved by grace alone, and so he boasts, not in his wealth, but in God. James 2:5 again, recognizing that God chose “the poor” of this world, “to be rich in faith” and heirs of the kingdom.

Now, what this means, for you and for me, as we walk out of this place today, is that if you are poor, lower on the economic ladder of society, exalt in your high position in Christ. On the other hand, if you’re rich and of means, and wealthy by the world’s standards, and you’re seeing that maybe because of your faith, starting to be stripped away, rejoice! Endure that faithfully. Glory in your humiliation. Know that your faith in Christ is costing you something, that’s a good thing. Keep your mind fixed on Him and on eternity. Remember what Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4:17 – “For” this “momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory.” Or as Paul also said in Philippians 3:7-8 – “But whatever things were gains to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ.” That’s what sustains us in the midst of our trials. Knowing that there’s something on the other end of this life that God has promised. Knowing that whatever we lose in this life is so small and so inconsequential in comparison to what we’ll gain in the life to come. Knowing that, in the midst of whatever life brings, God is going to use it to perfect us, as He prepares us for eternity with Him. Speaking of eternity, we turn to our final verse for this morning, verse 12. Here’s our third point, if you’re taking notes, a reward for running.





A Reward for Running
Verse 12, “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial”, for once he has been approved, “he will receive the crown of life” which the Lord “has promised to those who love Him.”
Now, you remember a few weeks ago, back in verse 2, James told us to count “it all joy” . . . “when [we]you encounter” or experience, “various trials.” In verse 12, as he finishes off this paragraph, he says, “blessed is a man who perseveres under trial.” What’s the common word there? What’s the theme of this whole section? “Trials.” Meaning, what these words, what James is doing between verse 2 and verse 12, is placing bookends, on either side of this section that we’ve been studying for these past few weeks. James has told us to count it all joy when we encounter various trials. He has told us that our trials will bring about endurance. He said that endurance will have its total affect, so that we’d be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. He’s told us that we need to pursue wisdom in our trials. Now, he’s told us a little bit about the plight of the rich and the poor, in their own unique form of trials. He says this in verse 12; the man who “perseveres under trial” will be, first word there, “Blessed.” (Makarios). James, as he’s prone to do, is importing language from his half-brother, the Lord Jesus Christ, who used that word, very often in His beatitudes in Matthew 5, “Blessed”. That one, the one who perseveres under trial, is blessed. God is not some cosmic killjoy. God does not want us walking with our lips down and sorrow in our hearts all the day. God does not want us to have some sort of puritanical dreariness weighing down on us as we meander through life. Rather, He gives us this beatitude. This word of blessing in verse 12. These words of reward, to those who persevere, to those who endure, to those who don’t give up. To those who keep putting their pants on one leg at a time. To those who keep putting one foot in front of the other, plodding along. Pressing along, pushing forward. To that person, God not only promises “blessing”, but a reward.

In fact, they will be “blessed” in verse 12, we see, with a specific reward. He says, “blessed is a man who preservers under trial, for once he has been approved”, now that word “approved”, is the same word that we see as “tested” back in verse 3. “Knowing that the testing”, that’s the same word, that we see now in verse 12. So, this could be rendered in verse 12, such a person, once he has been tested, and then look at what comes next, he “will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” The one who perseveres in the face of trials. The one who endures when he’s tested. The one who remains steadfast as he is being refined. He will, it says, receive the “crown of life.” For those who endure, that’s a great promise. To know that you’ll receive the “crown of life.”

Now, that word, “crown”, Stephanos, is a common word in the New Testament. And frankly, there’s many uses in the Old Testament. In fact, back in Proverbs 12:4, we see the godly wife, being the crown of her husband. In Proverbs 16:31, when we see gray hair being the crown of the man. I’m starting to grow such a crown, with the little hair that remains. Some of you, never mind. I won’t say anything further. 1 Thessalonians 2:19, Paul calls that faithful early church his crown, his source of victory.

In James 1:12, he has this specific type of “crown” in mind. This is the crown of a military victory. The crown of an athletic victory. Don’t think of some sort of gem-studded headpiece that British monarchs wear. No, this is the leafy, horseshoe-shaped crown that would be placed on the head of a conquering general, or an Olympic hero. The kind of crowns that you’ll see depicted in those sun-bleached bohemian statutes, with that image in mind, what James is telling these dispersed believers here. He’s saying, when your race has been run, when you cross the threshold of eternity, on the other side of that finish line, there is going to be this token of victory, waiting for you. Your crown. Your “crown of life.”


This “crown of life” that we see James here referring to, it’s given various other descriptions. It’s referred to by various terms elsewhere in scripture. It’s called the “imperishable wreath” in
1 Corinthians 9:25. The wreaths that they would put on the heads of those who would compete and win in the Corinthian games, those wreaths would eventually wither and wilt in the sun as time went on. When we who are in Christ, have an imperishable wreath. One that will not perish. One that will not fade away. One that is incorruptible. One that represents Christ’s victory over sin on our behalf. So, the crown of life is an imperishable wreath. The crown of life is also called the “crown of righteousness” in 2 Timothy 4:8. 2 Timothy 4:8, represents Paul’s final days here on earth. He’d just a short period of time before his head would be severed from his body by a Roman executioner. Paul there, tells Timothy, “There is laid up for me a crown of righteousness.” Which will be awarded not only to Paul, but to all, meaning Christians, “who have loved His appearing.” That crown, ultimately celebrates Christ’s victory over all manner of unrighteousness. This crown that James refers to, is also in 1 Peter 5:4, called the “unfading crown of glory”, that will be rewarded to Christ’s undershepherds. Celebrating victory over that which is temporary, victory that was won by Christ, over that which here on earth, is defiled. It’s also, in Revelation 2:10, which we saw over the summer, referred to here in James as the “crown of life.” Celebrating victory over death, namely, spiritual death.

Though it goes by many different names in scripture, this is a single crown, the victor’s crown. It’s imperishable because it celebrates victory over corruption. It’s a crown of righteousness because it celebrates the victory over unrighteousness. It’s the unfading crown of glory because it celebrates victory over the defiled and temporary and corrupt of this world. It’s the crown of life because it celebrates life over death. It’s a sign, a token, a trophy of the victory having been won. The race having been completed. It’s the culmination of a joyfully and steadfastly walked through trial-laden life. It’s the culmination of a prayer-filled and wisdom-seeking journey to heaven. It’s the culmination and summation of actually, of being perfect and complete and lacking in nothing. Whether you receive this crown, is not dictated by how many coins you throw in the jar. How many bills you pull out of your wallet, or how many swipes of the credit card you complete. Instead, whether you receive this crown, is dictated by your own faith-fueled perseverance.

Now, I need to say, perseverance is not the basis of anyone’s salvation here. Perseverance in the faith, perseverance in Christ, won’t, in and of itself, merit your salvation and eternal life. The only basis for salvation is the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross and believing in His name. But perseverance will absolutely be the result of that genuine salvation. The natural outcome of having been granted eternal life. Which in turn, will result in this crown of life being given to the Lord’s true followers.

As we transition from James’ audience to this audience here this morning, I need to tell you something. If it hasn’t happened already, a day will come when you will feel like “dropping out” of Christianity. Of checking out of Christianity. What James is saying here in this whole section, going back a few weeks, to the first sermons in this series, is, stay in the race. Run the race. Stay the course. Because there is a crown of victory that awaits you. Yes, God is tempering you. God is testing you. God allows you to go through these trials. He does so, because He loves you. He does so, because He wants to see His children strengthened and refined and purified, as He prepares them to be with Him forever. So, run one more day. Run a day at a time. Run knowing that you already have victory over sin and death and Satan. Run knowing that you already have victory over the world’s systems and all their wickedness. Run knowing that the victory has already been won and purchased by the Lord Jesus Christ, and specifically by His blood. Run as Hebrews 12:2 says – “Looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.”

One last note about this “crown of life”, as we look at the end of verse 12 here, note that the reward of the “crown of life”, is not for one’s endurance per se. It’s not that because you endure, you get the crown. Rather, it’s because of the love of God, that you have, which prompts the endurance, that then leads to the crown. Here’s what I mean, let’s let God’s word speak. He says, he will receive the crown of life, end of verse 12, which the Lord has promised to who? To “those who love Him.”
James here, is associating faithful perseverance under trial, with genuine love for the Lord. Which is another way of saying, that this person, this one who perseveres, is a true follower of the Lord, a true follower of Christ. “Those who love Him”, those words line up perfectly with the biblical definition of a genuine believer, that is, one who truly loves God.

That’s how John describes it. In 1 John, he repeatedly connects love of God and genuine faith.
1 John 4:8 – “The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”
1 John 4:16 – “God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”
1 John 5:3 – “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments.”
John links love of the Lord and genuine believing faith and so does Peter.
1 Peter 1:8, he says – “and though you have not seen Him, you love Him.”
Paul makes this connection, he says in 1 Corintians 16:22 – “if anyone does not love the Lord, he is to be accursed.” A genuine Christian is not only someone who at one point in time made a profession of faith, a Christian is a person who demonstrates true faith, by an ongoing love for God, that cannot be damaged, much less destroyed, by troubles, afflictions, trials; no matter how severe they are, no matter how long lasting they are. Because the believer’s faithfulness is under trial, because they endure the trial, James, going back to verse 12 here, declares such a person, blessed.

Now, this set of closing words I’m about to give, might land with a thud, because I’m no where near a coast, we’re in Nebraska, but I’m going to try anyway. Sailors, mariners, seafarers, used to say that crosswinds are actually the safest way to enter a harbor. So, actually having winds blowing either way, are the safest way to enter a shelter, the safety of a harbor. Isn’t that a great picture? Buffeted. Battered. Tossed. Redirected. Potentially even slightly rerouted. Ultimately, those “crosswinds”, which we would call “trials”, force the mariner, the seafarer, to be all the more diligent to stay the course. To white-knuckle it, you could say. To not sleep on the job. To guide his vessel safely home. So it is with us. Though the crosswinds of this life might blow us around. Though the crosswinds of this life might chap our skin. Though the crosswinds of this life might shake us or rock us, the charge we have from God through His word, in sections like the section we’ve been covering these past few weeks in James 1. The charge we have is, to stay the course. The charge we have, is to persevere. The charge we have, is to endure. The charge we have, is to rejoice to the end. To the safety of that harbor, our heavenly home.

Let’s pray. God, we thank You for Your word. We thank You for its clarity. We thank You for its perfection. We thank You for its sufficiency. We thank You for the work that You do through it, in us as Your people. God, I pray that for those here, who have put their faith in Jesus Christ, that today would be an encouragement, to remember that You are doing something. That You are there in their trials. Whether those trials relate to things of materialism or wealth, lack or gain. I pray that You would help everybody here to have that eternal perspective of You are a sure and steady anchor, navigating us through the trial. If there are people here today that don’t know You, I pray that they would not hear today’s message as some sort of self-help message. Rather, they would see that they’re not headed for a harbor, they are headed for the rocks. See what they need to do, is not live a better life. Not clean up the act. Rather, put their faith in the one Savior of the world, the Lord Jesus Christ. Trust in His name. Repent of their sin, and walk in a new manner, worthy of their calling. God, we thank You, that You are a sure, unchanging God. That You are a good and perfect God. That You are a holy and righteous God and You are a loving and merciful God. We pray the You be glorified in our lives for the rest of this day. In Christ’s name, Amen.