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Now, here's today's message from Pastor Skip. What the Bible does say is this, for the love of money. And you can have that if you're dirt poor. The love of money is a root. Not the root, a root of all.
Kinds of evil.
Well, that's a very different meaning than money is the root of all evil.
So When it comes to rich and poor, there were some people in the Bible that were very wealthy. Abraham was very wealthy, he could mount up his own militia. Armed on par with the kings of Canaan and go fight battles. Job was wealthy. He lost everything, but God restored more at the end than at the beginning.
Joseph in the Old Testament, we noted last week, was the second most powerful man in the world. That would also make him probably the second richest man in the world next to Pharaoh.
So he was godly and wealthy. In the New Testament, there were Jews like Joseph. of Arimathea, who followed Jesus. There was Matthew who followed Jesus, a tax collector. Zacchaeus, a tax collector.
In fact, Zacchaeus had so much bank, he had so much money that he was able to restore people he cheated four times.
So he had a pretty hefty bank account.
So I just wanted to clear that up. Our world is divided. It's not wrong to be poor. It's not wrong to be rich. It just is.
What you do with it and how you approach it is the issue. But to our second point. Our world is divided, but our outlook is delightful.
Now If you go back to verse 9 and 10. James is telling both the lowly, the poor. And the rich To do something unexpected. He's telling them to glory. Which is another word for rejoice or be glad.
Look at it. Let the lowly brother glory. In his exaltation. But the rich, and again inferred, the rich brother glory. in his humiliation because as the flower of the field He will pass away.
The word glory could be translated boast. Or rejoice. Both rich and poor are told to rejoice. but for very different reasons. Very different reasons.
The lowly brother is to rejoice or boast or glory in his exaltation. The rich is to glory or boast or brag in his humiliation. One is honored, one is humbled.
Now watch this. The lowly brother is brought high. The one who is high. is brought low. By what?
Trials. Have you noticed the trials Are the great loveler The great equalizer. Whether you are poor or whether you are rich, they have the capacity to bring equality. You know, we often say that It's always level at the foot of the cross. What we mean by that is: all men are sinners, all have to come the same way.
So, none are higher, none are lower. At the foot of the cross, all can be forgiven.
So, the ground is level. At the foot of the cross, I would also say. That the ground is level in the field of suffering. It's, you might have different trials than other people, but they're trials nonetheless. They're common to all.
So he tells both of them to glory.
Now, let's go to the poor, brother, and ask the question: why should the poor rejoice? What does he have to rejoice in?
Well, very simple, and you can answer this. You already know the answer to this. The poor believer rejoices. Because no matter how poor he is, he's still a believer.
So he's a child of God. That means he will inherit the birthright of a child of God. That means he will rule and reign with Christ. Romans 8, 16, and 17, Paul says, if we are children, then heirs. Heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we also may be glorified together.
Then in the very next verse He says, For I consider. That the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory. That will be revealed in us.
So you may be poor. Right now, you may be suffering a period of extreme poverty. I just want to say that you're Poverty is a short-lived trial. It will only last during this life. Hopefully, it won't even last your whole life.
Hopefully, you'll be able to get out of it. But if you stay poor your whole life, it's still, when you compare that to eternity, a very short-lived trial. In eternity, you will rule and reign.
Now, something else about Poverty, James is writing to a group who mostly are poor. There's a few rich, but mostly poor.
Okay. Jesus also. Most of the people he ministered to were Poor people. common people. He said, I have come, and he read Isaiah, he said, to preach the gospel to the poor.
And he said in the Beatitudes, Blessed are the poor in spirit. And Luke's rendition is just, blessed are the poor. And there were many poor people that hung on every word when he was in the synagogue in the Gospel of Mark. And people were around, and Jesus was there, and he spoke. It says, and the common people.
heard him gladly. They were attracted to him.
So you may be low in the eyes of the world, you are exalted in God's eyes. You may be poor, but you will have eternal riches. You may be hungry, but you have the bread of life. You may be thirsty, but you have the water of life. You may be cast aside by men.
You will be welcomed by God. You may have no home on this earth or a poor home on this earth. You will have mansions in heaven.
So because of that, Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation. Then he he addresses the rich. But the rich, verse 10, In his humiliation.
Now we gotta just look at that for a moment. Um we might get Being poor and realizing that we're rich in Christ. Yeah, I get all that.
Okay, I'm going to rule and reign. That's. That helps. Don't solve it, but it helps. But what's really weird, if you're honest, I think, Is to tell a person who is rich and loses stuff.
like his wealth, to say, you should rejoice. In your humiliation. That's exactly what he says. But the rich in his humiliation. Why?
How on earth could he do that? Here's why. Because the trials that he faces reveal how. Inadequate his wealth is. to solve the problem.
And it reveals to him the transitory nature of the wealth he owns. You might have a lot of stuff. That stuff can't give you peace. That stuff can't really satisfy your inner soul. And that stuff cannot help you spiritually.
Remember that rich young? Ruler who came to Jesus. And just had sort of a theoretical question: What must I do to inherit eternal life? He was just, you know, all quizzical. All professorial.
What must I do to inherit eternal life? I want a good answer. And Jesus said, Well, keep the commandments. He started naming them. The guy said, I've kept them all from my youth.
Jesus said, Okay, there's one more thing you got to do: sell what you have. and give it to the poor. And come and follow me, and you'll have treasures in heaven. It says, that man went away sorrowful. He walked away from Jesus.
He just walked off the page. very, very sad because he had great wealth. And then Jesus said to his disciples, How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God. It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man. to enter heaven.
Why? Why would he say that? I'm sure that was a shock to his disciples. Because rich people usually don't think they need anything. They don't see how desperate they are before God.
Desperate. Me? I've got it all. Are you kidding? They don't see themselves as helpless.
Material wealth has lured them into thinking they have spiritual wealth. They think they're okay. They're not in touch with need. That's why Jesus spoke of the deceitfulness of riches that choke up spiritual life. And I think the more you have materially, the more likely you are to be deceived spiritually.
Remember when Jesus in Revelation 3 spoke to the church at Laodicea. And he said, Because you say I am rich. And I have become wealthy and I have need of nothing. And you don't know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. Wow.
the heart. Their materialism has clouded their thinking.
So, Wealth and pride are often twins. It's hard to have a lot of money. and have a humble spirit at the same time. Until it's taken away. And if it's touched or diminished or it's taken away, and you, or you just suffer a trial.
In the material realm, you start seeing life very clearly. I love what George Whitfield said. He said, All trials are for two ends: that we may be better acquainted with the Lord Jesus Christ. and better acquainted with our own hearts.
So good.
So, the poor should rejoice because if he's in Christ, he's eternally rich. The rich should rejoice because the trial makes him humble and weans him off dependence on his material. Good.
So, our world is divided. Our outlook is delightful. We rejoice. We glory. Rich or poor.
This is Connect with Skip-Heitzig. Before we return to Skip's teaching, have you ever wondered what it really means to grow up spiritually? In Adulting, a study through the book of James, Pastor Skip Heitzig walks you through 21 powerful teachings that show you how to live a mature, Christ-centered life, one shaped by conviction, consistency, and character. This practical and encouraging series is yours when you give $50 or more to support Connect with Skip Heidzig and share teaching like this one today with more people around the globe. Request adulting as a C D package or digital download at connectwithskip.com slash offer or call 800-922-1888.
Let's return now to today's message. Third. Our materialism is doomed. That's pretty clear in verse 10. Because as a flower of the field, he will pass away.
For no sooner has the sun risen with the burning heat than it withers the grass, the flower falls, its beautiful appearance perishes.
So, The rich man will fade away in his pursuits.
Now, that happens to be a free rendering of an Old Testament passage, Isaiah chapter 40, verse 6 and 7. James is just kind of shooting from the hip and writing it down under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, but it is a free rendering of those verses.
So, what he's writing about and quoting that is very familiar to anyone living in the Mediterranean world because this happens every summer. You know, it's funny when we take tours to Israel. If you've come with us to Israel, you've come in February. Everything's so green and people go, wow. This place is so green.
It's nothing like where we come from. This is like, you know, Ireland or something, because it's just, it's the rainy season. It's just about over. It's that shoulder season, the early and latter rains. But if they come in May, All those beautiful green grasses and flowers.
Look like straw. And people come and they go, man, this place looks like Real Rancho. I mean, it's the same place. He should have just come a couple months ago. What happened?
This happened. The sun came up, the winds came, it blew it away, it withered. When I did live in Israel, when I lived on a kibbutz many years ago, They introduced me to this phenomenon. It's called a Sirocco. That's this hot wind that comes from North Africa, usually Egypt, and it brings bugs with it.
Dust and extreme temperatures.
So whatever you're growing can wither overnight. I mean, it's oppressive heat. Or if you're from Southern California or you're listening in Southern California, you know about the Santa Ana winds that come from the deserts down by Palm Springs and they can blight everything along the coast when the winds change.
So that was a phenomenon they were familiar with. What's his point? Simply this. You can lose everything very quickly. Stock market 1929 crashed.
the Great Depression was launched.
Now, most rich people, I'm speaking generally here, I'm painting with a broom, I realize that. Most rich people are very concerned. With the possibility That they may lose what they have. That gnaws at them and they work hard to protect it. They're worried they're going to lose it.
Newsflash. You will. You will lose it. If you don't lose it here, you will lose it when you leave here. You'll lose whatever you have.
You can't take anything with you. 1 Timothy, Paul said, For we brought nothing into this world. It is certain we can carry nothing out. You've heard everybody say this little saying I'm about to say. You've heard it before.
You've never seen a hearse pulling a U-Haul. Right? You can't you can say, well you know They did it in Egypt. They put a bunch of stuff in the tombs of the Pharaohs. Yeah, but it didn't really help, did it?
You can't take anything with you. You will part with it. And whatever you have achieved or accumulated. Stays here. All your awards.
All the gold records. All the Academy Awards. All the Oscars, all the PhDs, all the medical degrees, all the law degrees, the gold watch from the company all stays here.
Well, I'll make sure I put it on my body in the casket.
Okay. What are you going to tell time?
So There's a common phrase, and it's accurate because it's based on scripture: it's all going to burn. It's all going to burn. Actually, true. 2 Peter chapter 3, remember Peter said, everything in the material world will melt with fervent heat. Then he said, This: Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved.
What manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness? If you have material wealth, And material wealth only, then all your wealth and all your plans end up in a grave. That's all you have. That's all you have. And they end there.
Verse 10 is very clear. He says, He, look at the last few words, he will pass away. I never really liked that saying when people said, Well, he's passed away. Because, yeah, he's, but yeah, but no, I mean, he's passed away from here. But he still is alive somewhere.
Where is that? Right, so he's passed from here, but he is gone somewhere else. You pass from this life, and you end up in heaven or in hell. And so the idea here is: James is just saying, live with this. Eternal perspective.
I've always liked Duncan Matheson. He was the Scottish clergyman who said, He often prayed, Lord, stamp eternity on my eyes. That's how I want to see my world. I want to live my world. I want to wake up every day and think eternity, eternity, eternity.
Every decision I make, stamp eternity on my eyes. But he was Scottish, so it's stop eternity. And my eyes. I can just hear him saying that. Let me give you a fourth and we'll close with this.
Our future is dependent. The future that you face after this life depends. On a few things, even as a believer.
So look at verse 12: blessed is the man. Who endures? Temptation. I know it says temptation as if it's belonging to the next Verses on temptation, but it really, and most translations. Unfortunately, the New King James doesn't correct it, but what most modern translations do, it's the same word as the trials back in verse 2 and 3.
So it's speaking about the Trials that God takes us through or allows in our lives. Blessed is the man who endures testing trials. For when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love him.
So James closes this section on trials with a beatitude. Blessed. Makarias is the Greek word. Same word Jesus used in the Sermon on the Mount. Blessed are the poor in spirit.
Blessed are those who mourn. Blessed are the meek. Same word, Makarias. It means this. Ready?
Oh, how happy. Oh, how happy. Oh, how satisfied. One translation says, to be envied. Or, oh, what profound inner joy.
To the man who endures Temptation. He's going all the way back to verse 2. Count it all. Joy.
So he returns to the theme of patience. Remember last week's message? The remaining under the hoopahmane we talked about? That's what patience means: perseverance, the ability to not. Get out from under the trial, but remain there so that God can do his work.
Let patience, hupamene, have its perfect work. Same word here. It says, whoever endures temptation, that word endures the same word as patience. Hupa Mane.
So Blessed, oh how happy, to be envied, satisfied. Profound inner joy to the one who endures temptation. Why? For when he has been approved. He will receive.
The crown of life. which the Lord promised to those Who love him?
Now don't misunderstand that. He is not. Meaning that you get eternal life as a reward for going through trials. He's not like, yeah, you know, I've suffered a lot in this world, so I deserve heaven. Didn't work that way.
You can suffer a lot in this world and still not go to heaven. That's horrible. But it's not like, well, if you suffer, then God will, okay. You know what, you've had a bad here, so I'm gonna make it good for you there. No, he's not talking about that.
It does mean that believers will be rewarded. At the judgment seat of Christ. You are given rewards or the absence of rewards, depending on your faithful service or not to the Lord.
So if you. Remain Under the trial, you endure. The trials allowed by God, God is going to honor you in heaven. That's the reference.
So we've done two weeks now on trials. And next, we're going to get into the flip side of that coin: that is the temptations that we face in life. Before I do, and before we close, Let me make this section very practical. I'm just going to ask you a few questions. Maybe close your eyes.
You don't have to, but I want you to evaluate. Yeah. Not her, him, them. You evaluate yourself as I ask these questions. First question: How do you react when various forms of testings come into your life?
Next question. Do you complain about the misfortunes of life or do you Thank God for them. If indeed what we read the last two weeks is true, then the latter should be true. You should be thanking God for them.
Next question, do you advertise your trials? broadcasting them, making sure everybody knows. How bad it is for you. Or do you bear them quietly?
Next question: Do you always live in the future waiting for things to improve or? Do you live in the present letting the hardship change your attitude for the better? Right now.
Next question. Do you indulge in self-pity and seek sympathy from others? Or Do you commit yourself to a life of service? four others. That's the evaluation part.
I don't know about you. But I'm convicted. And I want to endure. I want to remain under because I, like I said last week, I'm going through whatever test I'm going through, you're going through, whatever test you're going through. I'm in the classroom.
I don't want to take this class again. I want to pass this class and not be held back and take it 10 years in a row. I want to move on. That's part of the maturity process. You know what?
You know what? God is so committed to making you mature. that he's going to send you trials. That's how much God loves you. God is radically committed.
to your growth. Let patience have its perfect work. Endure. the test. We're so glad you joined us today for Connect with Skiff Heitzig.
Before we go. Don't miss this opportunity to request Pastor Skip's series, Adulting, a study through the book of James. This 21 message series dives deep into what it means to live a spiritually mature life. full of faith, character, and Christ-like purpose. Adulting is our thanks for your generous gift of $50 or more to help share God's word with more people.
Call 800-922-1888 or visit connectwithskip.com slash offer. And while you're there, sign up for Skip's weekly devotional emails and get a free download of a chapter of Skip's The Biography of God. Thanks for spending time with us today, and we'll see you next time on Connect with Skiff Heidzenk. Make a connection. Make a connection that the food.
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