Boasting in Exaltation/Humiliation

I. Introduction
A. Today we come to what I consider one of the most helpful – and underappreciated – verses in the whole Bible. This is one of the reasons it’s so great to go through the book of James!
B. This week we’re going to start with what we talked about last week.
1. James 1:5-8 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, &it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
C. James tells us two very contrasting things here:
1. God is very generous and gracious to give to you without finding fault. VERSUS
2. Don’t expect anything from God if you ask in the wrong way.
D. Both messages are delivered with a lot of punch, even though they are sort of opposite.
E. They are not contradictory, they are just two different messages spoken to two different groups.
F. This is often the way it is with God. Jesus tenderly comforts the little, broken person, but He blasts the proud Pharisees out of the water (e.g. Matt.23).
G. Paul draws our attention to this contrast in Romans 11:22, “Behold then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen away, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness.”
H. So, different audiences need very different messages.
I. Or, to put it another way, in His word, God has given us a whole medicine cabinet worth of various medicines, for various kinds of ailments.
J. Imagine two people praying:
1. One of them is discouraged and confused in his struggle and needs to hear about God’s generous willingness to grant wisdom to His children (James 1:5).
2. The other person has no true love for or trust in God but is merely trying to use God to get what he wants. He needs to hear that God won’t give anything to a person like that. (James 1:6-8)
K. And one thing I’ve noticed over the years is that we often take the wrong medicine, we listen to the wrong message.
1. Preach on God’s anger & the people who need to hear about His mercy are the ones it really hits.
2. And sometimes you preach on God’s generosity and the people who need to hear about His anger seem to gain fuel for their self-justification.
3. The ones who need to hear that the Lord gives generously without finding fault, instead hear that they ought not to expect to receive anything from the Lord because of doubt/double-mindedness,
4. while the ones who need to hear that they shouldn’t expect anything from the Lord because they don’t have any real faith and are double-minded, hear instead that the Lord is eager to give to them generously without finding fault.
5. And I think it is Satan who tries to get us listening to the wrong message. This is what he tried to do with Jesus when he took Him to the pinnacle of the temple and quoted Ps.91:11-12 about how God’s angels will protect you. And Jesus responds by quoting Deut.6:16, “You shall put the Lord to the test.” Well, when someone is tempted to jump off a high place, he doesn’t need the message that God protects His children. He needs the message that God commands us not to test Him.
a. But Satan loves to get us listening to the wrong message. He loves to use God’s law to accuse those who are prone to guilt feelings, and the assurances of the Bible to whisper false hope to those prone to smug self-assurance.
6. The point is that we need to feed our minds the right things at the right times, and be on guard against the devil, who loves to feed us the very opposite of what we need.
L. Well, James continues this same theme in v.9.
M. James 1:9–11 Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, 10 and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. 11 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.
II. 9 Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, 10 and the rich in his humiliation.
A. At first it sounds very strange. One of the confusing things is the word glory or boast.
B. The point here is that the lowly brother ought to dwell on his exaltation, celebrate his richness. And the rich person should ponder his poverty.
C. This meaning is clear because of the elaboration in v.10-11: Let the rich boast in his humiliation – because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. 11 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.
D. So, the rich person boasting in his humiliation means that the rich person should remember that his earthly life is soon going to pass like a flower.
E. So, the rich person should not glory in his riches because his riches aren’t going to last, and the person who puts his hope in riches will lose everything in the end. Rather, the rich person ought to focus on his poverty, his vulnerability, his undeservedness, his brokenness, his hopelessness without Christ – in order to counteract his tendency to put his hope in his riches.
F. Likewise, poor brothers or sisters shouldn’t dwell on their poverty – they shouldn’t focus on what they don’t have, but on what they do have. They should glory in their riches: on how much they are loved by Christ, on how much God has given them, on all the eternal riches they’ve been promised.
III. The reality is, some people feel confident and secure and on top of the world.
A. Revelation 3:17 is a good example of this: “I am rich, I have prospered, and there is nothing that I need.” They are glorying in their riches, not realizing their poverty, that “they are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.”
B. Those people are desperate for a reminder of their tinyness and nothingness.
1. They need to be reminded of their mortality, “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.”
2. They need to be reminded of the uncertainty and fragility of their earthly prosperity.
C. When you’re feeling rich and successful, how helpful it is to glory in your vulnerability!
1. Let the rich brother boast in his humiliation!
IV. On the other hand, some people have no need to be reminded that “they are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.” That reality is a part of their daily thought patterns. They feel insecure, afraid, insignificant, unloved. And it’s easy for them to focus on their pitifulness.
A. But instead they need to focus on their richness in Christ, that they are loved by Him and created for His good purposes, that the almighty Savior is with them, and that they have a glorious destiny awaiting them.
V. You see, the natural thing is for the rich to glory in their riches and the poor to wallow in their poverty. But what is comfortable and what comes naturally is not what is wise. What is wise is for the rich man to focus on his poverty, and the poor man to focus on his riches.
A. The Bible tells us of a rich person who did what was natural – he gloried in his riches instead of in his poverty.
1. It is the rich fool in Luke 12:16-21 “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, 17 and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 18 And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” ’ — That’s very natural for a person in that situation!
2. 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”
3. People like this really stink! That’s what Psalm 49:20 tells us: “Man in his pomp yet without understanding is like the beasts that perish.”
a. How many of you have ever been on a walk and were interrupted by the stench of death – some animal has died and its body is decomposing?
b. Well, Psalm 49:20 tells us that a man who has much and doesn't understand that ultimately it’s just a vapor smells like a rotting beast in the nostrils of God.
B. And the Bible also gives us some examples of poor people who gloried in their poverty instead of in their riches.
1. How about the disciples on the boat when that terrible storm came upon them. They were gripped by fear. “Don’t you care that we’re perishing?” Mark 4:38
2. The Servant of Elisha — 2Kings 6:15-17 When he rose early in the morning and went out of the house and, behold, the city was surrounded by an enemy army with horses and chariots. He was so afraid! “My master! What shall we do?” But Elisha said, “Don’t be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And then the Lord opened the eyes of the servant to see that the enemy army itself was surrounded by the army of the Lord.
3. He saw his poverty very clearly & was scared to death – until God opened his eyes to the riches.
VI. For me, I have always struggled with pride. It is amazing how quickly and easily I start patting myself on the back. I can get caught up in my success even when the success is minimal.
A. And I go wild when I begin to receive a lot of praise, which fortunately doesn’t happen much. It affects me. I foolishly start to believe it! (See Prov.27:21.) I need to remind myself of my poverty.
B. But as I get older, I sense things are shifting. I have to combat discouragement more now as I get closer to the end.
C. The fact is, in life every person has pleasant, encouraging experiences as well as discouraging setbacks. And it’s easy to react to either of these things in an unhealthy and even harmful fashion.
D. But we’re complicated! Sometimes we go back and forth between boasting and loathing ourselves.
1. And James is here teaching us how to steer ourselves between the dangers of pride and despair.
2. If you find yourself veering toward despair, compensate by glorying in your high position. If you find yourself veering toward pride, compensate by glorying in your humiliation.
E. The fact is, all of us are rich and all of us are poor.
1. Rich: All of us have things we’re good at. All of us have things we possess.
a. All of us have connections. All of us have resources.
b. All of us have histories, all of us have successes and failures in our past.
c. Children in a large family are rich in siblings, but often poor in one-on-one time with each parent.
(1) license plate: MOMOFCC. It seems CC is rich in parental attention and poor in siblings.
d. All of us are rich in Christ – even if we’re poor
(1) Mark 10:29–30 Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, 30 who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.”
(2) Revelation 2:9 “I know your poverty (but you are rich).”
2. Poor: All of us have ways we’re ugly. All of us have things we’re missing.
a. All of us have things we’re bad at. For all of us there are things others possess which we don’t.
b. All of us are poor in sin. We are all unworthy sinners who deserve nothing but God’s judgment.
c. All of us in ourselves are foolish and broken and needy and weak.
3. The key is, whichever you are experiencing right now, either the poverty or the riches, you need to compensate by glorying in the other.
F. How about you? Do you sometimes get overwhelmed by your sinfulness? Or brokenness? Or failure? Do you find your pride welling up in your heart, and self-confidence and earthly security?
1. Well, we need to listen to ourselves less and preach to ourselves more.
2. Psalm 42:11 (42:5-6, 43:5) Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.
G. Jesus rebuked His disciples after the storm incident in the boat for their lack of faith. He wanted them to remember that the all-powerful Savior was with them and loved them, but they didn’t.
H. And here His brother James gives us a method to manage the wrong reactions we’re all prone to.
VII. The Bible also gives us examples of the right kind.
A. It tells us of rich men and women who gloried in their poverty, like Zacchaeus after he met Jesus: “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” – Luke 19:8
B. And it tells us of poor men and women who gloried in their riches, like Ruth, like David when he was hunted by Saul, like the apostles when they were imprisoned for preaching the gospel, like Paul and Silas singing hymns in the Philippian jail.
1. In the beatitudes we recited this morning, Jesus teaches the poor to glory in their riches: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. 21 Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. 22 Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! 23 Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.
a. And then he turns and warns the rich of their coming poverty: “But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. 25 “Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry. “Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. 26 “Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.” – Luke 6:20–26
C. And the Bible gives us an example of a rich man who gloried in his riches but then learned to glory in his poverty. It’s Nebuchadnezzar.
1. Remember that when he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, he answered and said, (Answered who? He answered what he saw. He saw this magnificent scene of his glorious city and he answered what he saw by saying,) “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?” – Daniel 4:29-30
2. But after he learned his lesson, and his riches were restored to him, he said this: “I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; 35 all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?” ...I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble. – Daniel 4:34-35

VIII. Sermon applications
A. You can’t manage your heart if you can’t first assess your heart.
1. And so every time we go to prayer, we need to humbly examine our souls – discerning what’s going on there. How’s my pride? How’s my gratitude? How’s my trust? How’s my joy? How’s my hope? How’s my love for the Lord? How’s my love for others?
2. We can use these to diagnose our hearts. What is missing? Which of these are off?
3. And then in addition to taking the time to assess the state of our heart, we need to be familiar with the medicines and which one we need at which time.
4. But if prayer for us is merely something we want to check off our to-do list, we’re not going to do any of this. We’re just going to get the task accomplished. We need to be changed, we need to meet Jesus where we are, right where our present struggle is, but that’s not going to happen if we just want to comfort ourselves by being able to tell ourselves that we prayed.
B. The great thing is that no matter how it is that we’re feeling at the moment, the cross is great medicine. If we’re feeling strong and competent, the cross reminds us of our weakness and need. The cross teaches us that we were not good enough or right enough to be approved. Only in Christ, only on account of HIS work do we stand approved!
1. And if we’re feeling weak and insecure, the cross is a great reminder that in all our sinfulness and brokenness we are so loved that God gave us His Son (John 3:16).
2. If we fix our eyes upon the cross, it’s hard to be either proud or hopeless! It’s the medicine which works both ways! It helps the poor glory in their riches and the rich glory in their poverty!
C. A case study: The situation of those in our church who are of my generation or older
1. We have seen our parents age and many of them die. And it wasn’t pretty. And we know that our time is coming.
2. It’s like there’s a dark cloud on the horizon, knowing that there’s a devastating storm coming. It’s like drifting down a river, knowing that they are rapids ahead, rapids which no one can survive.
3. Even when one of us feels strong or on top of things, all it takes is one look in the mirror to get a good glimpse of our poverty. And we know that we won’t feel well forever.
4. Finances: Do we have enough? inflation shoots up, stock market goes down, US economy teeters
5. Dementia, cancer, nursing home, being a burden to our kids, adult diapers, walking with a walker, people feeding you?
6. Every time a new symptom manifests itself, you wonder if this is the beginning of the end.
7. “Facing old age is not for wimps.”
8. When we’re overwhelmed with worries, we need to remember that God will continue to be with us to the end, that our suffering will be brief – however long it lasts, that God will supply all our needs – as He always has. But the greatest riches we need to be glorying in is the fact that death is but a portal to a far better world.
9. In Revelation 2:9, Jesus tells the church at Smyrna, “I know your poverty (but you are rich).”
10. This is our comfort as we drift toward the inevitable rapids of old age: Jesus knows our poverty, He knows what we’re going through, but He wants us to remember that we are rich: that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us, and even though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we need not fear any evil, for the Good Shepherd is with us; even to our old age and gray hairs, He will sustain us. He made us and brought us into this world, and in the end He will also carry us (Isaiah 46:4) to His side in paradise.