James 1:9  Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted:
10  But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away.
11  For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.

Before we get into our text for today, there are some interesting things happening in the world right now. South Korea has a president who imposed martial law and a few hours later he had to back down from that position. Now there are calls for him to resign. Syria is in a state of turmoil which is also causing problems for Turkey. Of course all of this keeps Iran and Russia in the mix. The world is changing rapidly. None of this is a surprise to God. In fact it is all happening under His watchful eye. God’s timetable does not need man’s permission. God gives man rope to maneuver with but He controls the extent of the rope. God also gives us His Word by which we can know the way of blessing and we can also know the consequences of rejecting His way. Regardless of what is happening, it is always important to know the Lord and walk with Him.
In our text, the name it and claim it crew claims that if the “saved” have enough faith, they should not be poor. They should be wealthy and looked up to for their wealth. Jesus certainly never taught this lie. He is the eternal Son of God. Yet He set aside His glory to become a man. As a man He never laid title to anything on this earth. He had a robe that they gambled for at His crucifixion. He never even owned a donkey. He borrowed one to ride into Jerusalem. Of course we know God owns everything and He uses many different things for His glory. When it was time to pay taxes, Jesus sent Peter to the sea to catch a fish and there would be the tax money.
In reality, Jesus owns everything, but He subjected Himself to a simple life as a man. There have been some wealthy, godly men. There may be a few of them today. There will also be those who do not have much of this world’s goods. Being poor does not mean the person is a bad steward. They just never make it big in the financial world. A godly man who is called to serve the Lord in ministry may not be wealthy. He may serve in a small work where there is not much money. He may be a “tent maker” as the apostle Paul was for a time. The apostle Paul was not a wealthy man, nor were Peter and John.
The point that James is led to address here is that those who are spiritual and poor, can rejoice in that they have been made rich in Christ. Jesus asked the question:

Matthew 16:26  For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

We need money to live. We should not live for money.

I Timothy 6:10  For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

The saints needed to be reminded that they were rich in Christ. They were exalted by God. That is worth more than all the money in the world.
In verse 10 the rich needed to be made low. Rich people tend to trust in their riches. They are careful in what they do because they want to see their money grow, not become less. They may be hesitant to give to the work of the Lord because that does not pay big dividends. Many people want to have a tax receipt for what they give to a church. They want something tangible in return for their “gift”.
James was directed to use the illustration of the flower of the grass to make God’s point more vivid. The flower of the grass does not last very long. The person of low degree and the person who is rich, both do not last long on this earth. The poor person who barely scrapes by is only here for a short time. If he is faithful to the Lord during those few years, that is what counts. The rich person also is only here for a short time. If he is faithful to the Lord, that is what counts. That flower on the grass is just for a short time. But that flower is necessary for that short time to pollinate that plant and develop the seed that will cause that grass to multiply.
In verse 11 we are further reminded that the sun rises and the heat of the sun causes the grass to wither and the flower of the grass falls off. It appears for such a short time. People do not generally take the grass when it is in bloom and cut it and put it into a vase to enjoy. We do that with roses or lilacs, etc. Most people never even notice the flower of the grass. It is not impressive. God refers to the grass during this stage with the word “grace”. The Greek word translated as “grace” here refers to “the goodly appearance” or the “gracefulness” of it. Soon that is gone.
God directed James to remind the rich that their time is short. He may take great pleasure in his riches. He may fret over how to invest his money to get it to increase. It does not matter how much money he can make in his short time on this earth, he will not be here for long.
As a boy I worked for a farmer who had a sharp pencil. His father also had a sharp pencil. To look at them, you would never assume they were wealthy. They had a nice house, but it was not big. The father and his wife lived in one part of it and the son and his wife lived in the other part of it. When the father died, the son inherited the farm.
I remember when the father died. He did not take anything with him. I also remember when the son died. He too left it all behind. I went to see his wife shortly before she died and I went to her funeral. She did not take anything with her either. The sad truth is that neither the father nor the son had any interest in spiritual things. After they died, the farm fell into disarray and no one ever farmed it as well as they had. They perished and are in torment now and will remain there for all eternity. Their wealth did not help them. I found the son a good man to work for. He and his wife treated me well. I do not know that they were crooked in their dealings. However, they were not saved. When I tried to talk to them about the Lord, they did not want to hear it.
The point is that it is important to make sure that we focus on that which is truly important. We need to see things from God’s perspective. We can do that if we are saved and accept godly wisdom. We can see where wise investments can be made. Jesus stated:

Matthew 6:19  Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
20  But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
21  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Jesus Christ was given a name above every name, after His humiliation. He always was God and He still is God. He did not have to prove anything to anyone. He did prove that He was the Messiah. His deity was never in danger of being lost.
The apostle Paul talked of that crown of righteousness that was laid up for him. He stated that crown was not just there for him, but for all those that love Jesus’ appearing. We need to be sure to have the true God as our goal and purpose for living. Everything else takes a lesser place. Hearing the “well done” of Jesus Christ is worth more than all the money this world has. Living for God should be our greatest desire. Those who know Him and serve Him faithfully are blessed. They can impact the lives of others in a mighty way.
That was James’ desire and that was what he was directed to write for others to consider as well. The saved will take it to heart.
Pastor Bartel