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"Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation."

Text: James 1:9

WRITING STYLE

The Apostle James moved quickly from one topic to another. His approach seems to be to dwell on one topic succinctly and then move on to discuss another.

1. Testing of faith James 1:3-4

2. Asking in faith James 1:5-8

APPRECIATING LIFE IN THE LORD

The next topic James dealt with was the subject of “life”. Even in the first century there was a clear distinction between the “have” and the “have not”.

“Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation,
but the rich in his humiliation,
because as a flower of the field he will pass away.”
James 1:9-10

1. “The lowly brother”

a) In the world the lowly brother has nothing to boast about.

b) However, he is “exalted” because of his faith in the Lord.

c) In his standing, because of faith in Christ, he is equal to a rich man.

d) Thus, the lowly brother should “glory” in his exaltation in the Lord.

2. “The rich”

a) He too may glory in the Lord.

b) However, his glorying is in that he has come to faith in the Lord.

c) The rich seldom come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (Mark 10:23).

d) Thus, the rich man should glory in his “humiliation” (“humility” is the better word).

THE BREVITY OF LIFE

James commented on the brevity of life. The brevity of life is vexing to those who have so much in life.

“As a flower of the field he will pass away. For no sooner
has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass;
its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes.
So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits.”
James 1:10-11

1. The rich man is compared to a flower of the field that will soon pass away

a) The burning heat of the sun will cause the grass to wither away.

b) His worldly pursuits will fade away too.

2. His rejoicing must therefore be found in the fact that he has the promise of eternal life in Christ Jesus, for everything else fades away in futility.