Last Sunday we began our series in the book of James by exploring how the God of Scripture calls us to consider our trials pure joy, and then the Lord gave us a winter storm to put His word into action!
And I saw His Word being lived out in our church family in Austin. I heard people embracing the challenge. I saw you getting together with friends and family. I saw you sharing resources with one another. I heard the tone in your voice as you chose to look on Him for security and stability instead of the circumstances of our day. Praise God!
I know this was just one trial, and not as challenging as last year, but these days we want to look for opportunities to rejoice so be encouraged! The theme of trials is going to continue into our passage today. Specifically, James is talking about wisdom, but it’s important to remember the theme of wisdom is taking place in the context of trials.
Therefore, this this morning we are going to focus on three sub-points; 1. What Is Wisdom? 2. What About Doubts? 3. What About Money? Let’s get into our first sub-point; 1. Who Is James?
- What Is Wisdom?
James 1:5, “5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”
First, it will be helpful to know the book of James is described as “wisdom literature” so when we read the book of James on our own there are going to be times when it feels like we are reading something written by Yoda from Star Wars, “Do or do not. There is no try!”
It’s because James writing style blends the cognitive and the emotive (the head and the heart) so for those of us who are linear in our thinking we might find James a little difficult to understand. Do you know what I mean by linear?
When you learn to write a paper in school there is a primary statement, first point, supporting point, second point, supporting point, which makes up the body of the essay, and then conclusion. That’s linear thinking.
But James is wisdom literature, which means his writing style is more abstract, so it isn’t uncommon to read a primary statement, then another completely different primary statement, then a supporting point that was related to the first primary statement, and then a conclusion so that you might be thinking, “What did I just read?” That’s James! That’s wisdom literature.
Second, when James introduces the concept of wisdom in verse 5 James is teaching us to distinguish between knowledge and wisdom. Knowledge is the ability to learn facts and information, and then regurgitate that information. That’s not wisdom.
Wisdom is knowing information and then knowing how to apply the information so that we experience the best parts of life.
So that one might have knowledge of God, know information about God, and James writes in chapter 2, “Great, demons have knowledge of God” but it is wisdom that teaches us to not only know about God, but to surrender our lives to Him and follow Him.” That’s wisdom! That’s Proverbs 1!
Therefore, as we go through trials in life it isn’t just knowledge of knowing how to navigate the trial, but it is wisdom that moves us cry out to our heavenly in prayer like we talked about last Sunday.
It is wisdom that moves us to God’s Word so that we read God’s Word, study God’s Word, enjoy God’s Word, and obey God’s Word because there is life and goodness in God’s Word.
It is wisdom that moves us to reach out to the body of Christ for support and encouragement. It is wisdom that moves us to send out a text instead of holding on to that trial ourselves. You might know to reach out, but it is wisdom that leads us to reach out!
It is wisdom that moves us to show up on Sunday morning because we need to gather with the saints. It is wisdom that moves us to show up to community group because we need that group, and that group needs us. That’s wisdom! We want to be M/W who are wise!
Therefore, as we go through trials James writes, “If you lack wisdom, ask God for wisdom and our heavenly father will give us wisdom generously.” Do you see that in verse 5?
The word “generously” means simply which means when we are in Christ we have a heavenly father who looking for opportunities to give His children wisdom.
We might give to people with conditions. We might ask people to jump through hoops. We might give to people with backhanded compliments, “I am surprised you need this.”
But verse 5 teaches us when we are in Christ in Austin we have a heavenly father who doesn’t give conditions, He doesn’t get in jabs along the way, but He loves to gives That’wisdom to all who ask. That’s the good news. Let’s look at our second sub-point; 2. What Is Doubt?
- What Is Doubt?
James 1:6-8, “6 But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.”
In verses 6-8 we must again remember these words are all taking place in the context of trials, and the reality is when we experience trials and temptations in life we are going to be confronted with doubts.
What if I pray to the Lord and He doesn’t do anything in Austin? What if I read the scriptures and God doesn’t speak to me in Austin? What if I obey God’s Word and I only see more trials? How many times have we had that thought? Doubts are everywhere!
What if I send a text to that person and they never respond? What if I show up to that community group and people don’t talk to me? I am sure for many of us, if not all of us, we have all had those types of doubts, and verse 8 is teaching us when those doubts come upon us we become like the “double-minded” man or woman. Do you see that in verse 8?
The word “double-minded” means double-minded. Write that in your devotional. The word “double-minded” means we are going through a trial or temptation and literally trying to mentally, spiritually, emotionally exist in two different worlds.
In one world we believe God is good, gracious, glorious, and working in all areas of our life, and we might fully believe those truths, but we are also living in another world where we are filled with thoughts and emotions about what if God isn’t good, glorious, and working in all areas of life.
I do this in my life. Last week I got a phone call that my brother’s liver is failing. While I am on the phone, I begin to imagine myself at my brother’s funeral. I am still on the phone, and in milliseconds and I am mourning his life. I am double-minded!
Let’s just watch this little video for a few seconds and imagine what it’s like to be in a place where we are blown and tossed by the wind. We often think of the sea as a vacation destination, but James uses this language of sea and waves because in ancient literature the sea is a symbol of chaos and destruction.
The sea is a picture of instability, and when doubts enter our thoughts and emotions, we begin to feel incredibly unstable. Doesn’t life kind of feel like this video right now? We start out the day with clarity of thought about what we are going to do, and by the time we are in the shower we start wondering, “What if this or that happens?”
Listen to me, this isn’t unique to 2022. This isn’t a challenge just for some people in Austin. Throughout scripture we have examples of people who model this same pattern.
Throughout scripture we see God speak, people get focused, but then trial comes, life gets hard, doubts enter into the story, and we see this pattern with Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Jonah, Habakkuk, the Apostles, and as a result we start seeing “double-mindedness” being lived out!
Listen to me, this is the challenge for us today. Last Sunday in verse 4 James makes it really clear that when we are in Christ we are made mature and complete, lacking in nothing. That is the gospel. Theologically this is known as justification! In Christ we are declared righteous!
And at the same time, when we are in Christ, we are growing in righteousness. Theologically this is called sanctification. How does that work? I don’t know, but this is the invitation of God’s Word.
Trials are going to come, wisdom is available, and those doubts are going to come and when they do, we are going to start looking around for something to catch out footing.” Does that make sense?
We are going to start looking around for something emotionally, physically, relationally, spiritually to catch our balance, and that brings us to our last sub-point; 3. What About Money?
- What About Money?
James 1:9-11, “9 But the brother of humble circumstances is to glory in his high position; 10 and the rich man is to glory in his humiliation, because like flowering grass he will pass away. 11 For the sun rises with a scorching wind and withers the grass; and its flower falls off and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so too the rich man in the midst of his pursuits will fade away.”
At first glance we might think Jesus looks down on money or people who are wealthy, but we need to remember that there are many positive examples of wealthy people in Scripture.
People like Abraham, David, Joseph of Aramathea who donated his tomb to Jesus, are all positive examples. In our church family in Austin we have men and women who make money, and making money isn’t necessarily good or bad, but it’s our view of money that is important. Does that make sense?
In verses 9-11 we see God’s Word exposing the instability of money. The grass withers, the flower fades, and so it is with wealth. If the pandemic has taught us anything it has taught us that our economy is fragile, our country is fragile, the value of a dollar is fragile, and yet it is our trust in money that allows us to live out “double-minded” lives.
Listen to me, I don’t want to shock you, but most of us in this room are rich and wealthy. We all like to think that other people are rich, but Austin Chamber of Commerce states the median family income is $100K a year, and if you make anywhere near that income then you are in the top 1% of the world.
And listen to me, this isn’t a pastor trying to get people to give money. I am rich also. I wasn’t even trying to get rich, and I got rich.
I don’t make a 100K, but I happened to buy a house in our city 15 years ago, and now I am in a position of wealth when I wasn’t even trying to get wealth, therefore, James writes, “You who are rich, be careful!
It’s why the Apostle Paul writes in Timothy:
1 Timothy 6:17-19, “17 Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. 18 Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, 19 storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.”
The gift of wealth in our life was never intended to be a source of false security in life. It’s why verse 18 says, “Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share with others.”
It’s what James is teaching us in verse 11. The wealth of this world is just going to pass away. The rich man or woman will fade away in death just like every other person.
Take a few minutes to stop at the next cemetery you drive past and consider one day we will all be there. There’s something very familiar about a cemetery because the cemetery contains people who had great joys, great experiences, relationships, friendships, family, pursuits and dreams, and then one day they died, and every one of us will have that same experience one day. Therefore, let us take the false security of money and give it away as an outward expression of our faith that our hope and security is in you and you alone Lord.
It was one of my favorite parts about raising money for this new location. In the midst of a pandemic 2020 when the world is literally shaking beneath our feet, and yet we gave $200K away. Every dollar we gave was like a little dismantling of those “double-minded” lives. Does that make sense?
Every dollar was a step of faith that we say, “Our trust is in you Lord.” I am not going to give my heart and mind a chance to find footing in the world of money and wealth, but in you alone Lord.
Might that be our response to every one of those double-minded worlds. It might not be money, but the threat of living “double-minded” lives is real for every one of us in this room and every one of us watching online.
It might be relationships that we hold on to. It might be food that we run to. It might be status, appearances. For me it is control, but either way doubts are going to come, and sometimes we treat those doubts like little warm fuzzy friends to tease out in our hearts and minds so that we create these dual lives, and God’s Word says, “Their an illusion!”
This is why James admonishes the man or woman with humble means to glory in their high position in Christ. It is a gospel invitation! In Christ we are seated in the heavenly places (Ephesians 2). In Christ we have every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places (Ephesians 1).
Therefore, let us boast in the One who spoke all of creation into existence and yet because of this great love for you He chases after you. He is captivated by you. It His joy to lay His life down at the cross for you! It is His joy to call out to you. Boast in Christ!
We’re going to doubt. God’s Word knows we’re going to doubt. Verse 4 “perfect.” Verse 5, “But.” We’re going to doubt, but lets not warm up to our doubts. Instead let’s turn from our doubts. It’s called repentance. Let’s become single-minded men and women.
I know for some of us this morning we are in the midst of trials in Austin and temptation right now. We are in the wave of the sea being tossed too and fro, and if we are honest with ourselves, it’s hard to sleep at night.
We are trying to juggle a double-minded life, and I want to invite us to turn to Jesus and call out to Him. Let us confess our fears. Let us confess our doubts. Let us ask for His help.
If you have never met Jesus, you need to do that this morning. There is nothing in this world like Jesus, so turn to Jesus today and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, believe in your heart that Jesus conquered death, and you will find life in Him like you could never imagine.
We will have people here at the front. I encourage you to let them pray with you, pray for you, so that we, as the body of Christ, are a beacon of light, wisdom, and goodness. A people in Austin who are built up in Him. A people with deep roots that can weather any storm. A church in Austin who will face the trials of the day, and consider them pure joy, because those trials are helping us shine brighter and brighter for His glory. Will you pray with me?
As we close, I want to ask you to consider what double minded worlds we might be holding onto right now. One time I was talking to a counselor, and he said something in our trials it feels like we are walking through cobwebs in life.
We put so much energy into chasing down those cobwebs, and instead we need to chase down that spider and squash it! Let’s go find that spider!