Invest in the Eternal

James 1:9–11 ESV

Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. For 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.

Intro

I have a confession that I must make. This is something that those who are closest to me might no, but many of you do not. It is something that I would call a bit of a problem… some might even call it an obsession. I have an obsession for Yeti Coolers.

It all started back when I was in high school. I went on a trip with some of my high school buddies, and they brought along their coolers. To my amazement, these coolers kept ice no matter how long they were left in the sun. While a normal cooler only keeps ice for a few days, the Yeti coolers only had to be iced every few days, and even then it took very little ice to refill them. I decided on this trip that I would become a Yeti guy and get a Yeti cooler. The only problem is, I soon found out, was that Yeti coolers are quite expensive. Because of their manufactured excellence, they cost more than the average cooler. Because I was convinced that I needed a cooler, I began to save up. I saved up throughout my senior year, and I was finally able to buy this cooler. I kept this cooler in pristine condition; it was one of my prized possessions… until one day I was driving a four-wheeler with my cooler on the front and hit a bump… causing my cooler to be launched into the field and driven over by the four-wheeler. Thankfully, it survived… though it is no longer pristine.

I invested quite a bit of time, money, and attention in this cooler, but I soon found that it was not something that would last. The pleasure I got from this cooler was only temporary because it was a temporary possession. The main idea for my sermon tonight is the idea that we should not devote our lives to investing in the temporal — as we will soon see, they are but temporary. Instead, we must invest in the eternal.

Let’s dive back into the book of James.

James, the author of our text, was the leader of the larges church of the first century, the Jerusalem church, who is writing to Jewish Christians who have been scattered throughout the Asian continent. These believers, because of their dispersion into Roman society, faced often unideal situations, including religious and social persecution. To encourage and edify believers, he pens the letter we are now reading. He begins this epistle discussing joy in trials, from which he dives into how one can gain wisdom. From here, he dives into the idea we will discuss today, which I believe to be the importance of living with an eternal mindset.

James 1:9–11 ESV

Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. For 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.

Today, we will break down our text into three main sections.

Sometimes Life is Good (v. 9)

James is writing to first century Christians, many of which would fall into the “lowly category.”

They would be lowly in the social category.

They would most likely be lowly in their financials (as they faced religious persecution because of their religious identification).

Yet, when we have nothing, it is easy to boast because we are more dependent on the Lord.

Yet, we all face good times in life -> we will feel exalted at times.

When life is hard, it can be easy to see the blessings in the little things.

Even if we are living in lowly times in our life, we can boast in our coming exaltation when the Lord returns. Our earthly position will pale in comparision with our eternal rewards if we are in Christ.

Salvation is not dependent on whether one is lowly or rich; it depends only on the heart.

Sometimes Life is Hard (v. 10)

In this life, we are not always promised an easy route.

Yet, it is easy for us to become dependent on our possessions and rely on them for our joy.

We might have things for a time but quickly lose them.

No matter who we are, we are guaranteed the same result: death.

Illustration: Weeds in Grass

Weeds will look nice and green for a time; it will look like one has a full yard.

Yet, one quickly finds out that one day of summer heat can quickly destroy a yard.

One can have grass one day and none the next.

This is how short life is.

No doubt, many of these first-century Christians were experiencing the brevity of riches first hand. Historians believe that the writing of James aligns with a large famine that swept the Near East at this time. Those who once had full bellies were now barely scraping by. The possessions that were once treasured were now gone like the grass.

If we are overly dependent on our possessions, we will find our happiness to be temporary.

Life is Always Short, and Eternal Pursuits are even Shorter! (v. 11)

After discussing how life has its ups and downs, James goes on to write how quickly the pursuits of the world will fade.

The temporary nature of this world leaves the pursuit of worldly pleasures undependable.

This reflects Jesus’s teaching on the Sermon on the Mount, which is recorded in Matthew 6.

Matthew 6:19–21 ESV

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

We must invest in the eternal. Earthly pursuits will soon be past, but only a life lived for Christ will last.

This idea is also reflected in the Old Testament.

Jeremiah 9:23–24 ESV

Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.”

We are not to boast in the things of this world, we are to boast and be confident in the things that never change!

Why should we invest in the Eternal? Because it will never pass away!

Matthew 24:35 “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” God’s Word is unchanging

Hebrews 1:10–12 “And, “You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands; they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment, like a robe you will roll them up, like a garment they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will have no end.”” All things will pass away, but God will not. He is eternal!

Conclusion

It is easy to be so consumed with things that will soon pass away. As I soon found out with my Yeti, earthly things bring only temporary happiness. Eternal investments are the only things that bring a true reward.

What are you investing in?