Boasting In Humility

Introduction:

· What do our brothers and sisters in west Africa more easily grasp about faith than we do?

· In the west: “wealth = blessing, poverty = lacking”; James turns this all around

TO SEE THAT, WE NEED WISDOM THAT GIVES A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE, THEN WE’LL SEE HOW THOSE THE WORLD VIEWS AS LOW HAVE REASON TO BOSAT, WHILE THOSE THE WORLD ELEVATES, HAVE REASON TO BE HUMBLE.

I) Trials Create the Opportunity For Wisdom

A. Context: Seeking Wisdom in order to steward our trials well

i. The Context sets the tone: This is about facing “trials of many kinds”

1. Pulled out of context: chastising wealthy, blessing the poor

2. An Inclusio: context = persevering through trials (vv. 2, 12)

ii. The context sets the purpose: (see vs. 5)

1. We need “wisdom” (seeing from God’s view) to face trials

2. Wisdom is seeing life from God’s perspective, fitting into the world

B. A Tale of Two (Financial) Trials:

i. Wisdom often presents two choices

1. A feature of wisdom is that it sets up two choices:

2. EXAMPLE: Wise/foolish builder; Tree planted by water or chaff

ii. So: The trials of both poverty and wealth

1. So: NOT wealth = good/poverty bad (or vice versa) but two kinds of trial

2. We need wisdom to view both wealth and poverty with God’s perspective

JAMES FIRST POINTS US TO THE TRIALS FACED BY THE LOWLY.

II) The Lowly Can Boast in Their Exultation (vs. 9)

A. The Trial Facing the Lowly:

i. The lowly: Those who lack the clout that others have

1. Not only materially poor, but those judged by the world as insignificant

2. The lowly are those who lack what the community esteems

3. EXAMPLE: Popular kids at school? The people on the margins of society

ii. The lowly face temptations

1. The lowly are tempted to “climb” out through dishonest means

a. EXAMPLE: Stealing money from a Target because you broke

b. OR, popularity à make fun of the kids lower than you

2. The lowly are tempted to believe: “If I just had…then…”

3. The underlying issue: “My value is determined by what the world says.”

B. Yet Lowly Can Boast Because of How God sees them

i. Rethinking Boasting: (vs. 9)

1. Wisdom says: “How does God view this?”

2. Therefore the lowly can realign themselves with God’s view

3. APPLICATION: If you are in Christ you are infinitely honored

ii. What we learn fro the lowly

1. The materially poor often understand far more about trusting God

2. APPLICATION: what our brothers/sisters in Africa know that we can learn from: Trusting God’s provision rather than our own

NOW, WHAT ABOUT THOSE WHO ARE RICH?

III) The Rich Can Boast in Their humiliation (vv. 10-11)

A. The (Unexpected) Trial Facing the Rich

i. Prosperity can be spiritually perilous: (Deut. 8)

1. James is addressing wealthy Christians (NOT non-believers, as some say

2. We view wealth as a sign of God’s blessing – but it holds spiritual danger

ii. Why? Because wealth … and the wealthy both fade away! (vv. 10b-11)

1. James isn’t saying that wealth is bad, but rather it is transitory

2. EXAMPLE: Crypto/stock market can wipe out wealth;

3. APPLICATION: “I know this!” (but do you struggle w. generosity? Anxious about money?)

B. The (Unexpected) Exultation of the Rich

i. (Rich) Christians are humbled

1. Christ had the ultimate wealth and set it aside to become a poor slave

2. If you identify with Christ, you follow this pattern

3. APPLICATION: How do you view the

ii. (Lowly) Christians are exulted

1. But Christ also was exulted – he was raised and ascended

2. Follow this pattern, your life is hidden in Christ, and you too are exulted

Transition:

Conclusion

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