James today hits on something that will be a constant theme for him in this book. Be careful of wealth. For us, it’s easy to think that it is a warning to someone else. And yes, there is always someone better off than each of us. But if we are reading this on our computer or mobile phone, listening to this on a podcast after having woken up in a warm bed with a roof over our head, driving our job, we are among the richest folks to have ever lived. This is not a warning for us others; it is a warning for us. Where do we find our identity?

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Good morning. It’s good to be with you as we gather back together on this wonderful Wednesday to continue our time together in James. We’ll be reading today from James chapter one, verses nine through eleven. Just a short little section today. And we’re going to see a theme that James revisits quite often in his letters, and that is a warning to the rich. He doesn’t hold back, and James, with all of us, no matter where we find ourselves, is not afraid to challenge us.

Let’s talk a little bit about where the early Christians found themselves and how this applies to us today. The early Christians were usually among the lower classes of the Roman Empire. Many of them were slaves. Remember how Paul says in Galatians, “There is neither slave nor free, male nor female, Greek nor Jew, for you are all one in Christ.” Many of the early Christians were from the servant or laboring classes of Rome.

Early on, among Jewish believers, many were persecuted. One of the commands given to Paul when he began preaching to the Gentiles was to “remember the poor.” So we see within early Christianity that many of the first believers were among the poorest in the Roman Empire. They were not prominent. They were considered a fringe group, often looked down upon and persecuted.

Being a Christian in the early days of the church was a costly decision. It was not uncommon for believers to lose their livelihoods because of their faith. That’s why we see in Acts chapter two how the early church took care of each other—because many of them, due to their faith, could not find work.

John Wesley also did most of his work among the poor. One of my favorite concepts about Wesley is something called the Halévy Thesis. The historian Élie Halévy speculated that the reason England did not have a revolution like France was because Wesley did so much work with the poor that he helped create a stable middle class. So early Methodism, like early Christianity, had a strong concern for the poor.

James is writing to a group of Christians who were largely poor. We’re going to see this theme come up again in chapter two, chapter four, and chapter five. James repeatedly warns believers not to put their trust in wealth, not to treat people differently because they are rich, and not to find their identity in material things.

This passage isn’t just for “rich people out there”—it’s for us. If you’re watching this video on a computer, listening to this podcast on a smartphone, waking up in a warm bed, or driving a car, in the grand scheme of history and even in the world today, we are rich. James is talking to us.

If we’re honest, most of us don’t worry about whether we’ll eat today. We have enough for vacations, hobbies, and entertainment. We aren’t struggling for survival. That means this passage isn’t just a critique of the ultra-wealthy—it’s a challenge for us. Are we relying too much on our money and possessions? Do we find security in our bank accounts instead of in God?

Let’s read the passage again, but this time, understanding that James is speaking to us:

Let the believer who is lowly boast in being raised up, and the rich in being brought low because the rich will disappear like a flower in the field. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the field, its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. In the same way, the rich, in the midst of a busy life, will wither away.

We need to be careful not to build our identity on things that won’t last. Money comes and goes. Houses, cars, and jobs can all disappear. If we base our security on them, we’re setting ourselves up for disappointment. Instead, we should root our identity in Christ.

Remember Jesus’ parable of the sower—seeds that fall in shallow soil may grow quickly, but when troubles come, they wither away. We don’t want to be Christians with shallow roots, relying on material things that will fade. We want deep roots in Christ, able to withstand trials and challenges.

It’s so easy to find our identity in wealth, status, or possessions. The world encourages it. But James reminds us not to get caught up in temporary things. True security is found in Christ alone.

James will revisit this theme several times, but today, let’s reflect on where we place our trust. Are we holding onto things that can fade away? Or are we standing firm in what lasts forever?

Thanks for being with us today! Tomorrow, we’ll continue with James 1:12. See you in the morning!