Find James chapter one in your Bibles. And as you do, if you're new, let me encourage you to. If you're in the seventh grade or above, pick up one of these first 63 green books in the lobby. If you haven't started that one, Sunday's the best day to start this. You can pick it up anytime and it's not too late.
Do this with us this summer as we review the basics of the Christian life and introduce our discipleship pathway. We're teaching through James chapter one this summer, verse by verse. We'll do chapters two and three this fall. We'll get four and five early in 26 and we're calling this series Tried and True Faith Under Fire. And today is part three of eight messages in James chapter one.
And today I'm answering the question, humbled or exalted? It's the status switch, and it is based Jon James chapter one, verses nine through eleven. I'll read those now. 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.
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. My brothers and sisters, the word of the Lord. And as you can see, we are almost 11 verses into James chapter one. And James doesn't sugarcoat things.
He hands us truth in calloused hands. And it turns out that he knows how the world works. The rich get noticed, the poor get overlooked, and people think that their value is tied to their wallets. The world says, the more you have, the more your worth. But God says, the more you depend on me, the more secure you really are.
And so in our verses today, James flips the world scoreboard, and he does so by exalting the humbled and humbling the exalted. And the reason he did that is because some of his readers felt invisible because they had very little, little. And others of his readers were tempted to trust their abundance and their material possessions. And James says, let me show you how God sees it. So I've got three verses to preach through this morning.
I'm going to give you three truths, one for each verse. So here we go. Truth number one. James writes, let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation. And what he means is, you can be broke and blessed at the same time.
Time. And for many of us, that might be good news.
James starts with those who are overlooked and with those who are underpaid and likely those who've been burdened by tough circumstances in their lives. And he calls them the lowly brothers, the lowly brethren. And the word he uses here, lowly doesn't just mean broke financial, it means small in society's eyes. It means forgotten. It means no applause.
And yet James says, let him glory in his exaltation. And I don't know about you, but that sounds backwards to me. Until you realize that God's economy doesn't run on status, it runs on grace.
Your wallet might say empty, but your identity in Christ says exalted. You know, when the world calls you a nobody, Heaven says you're seated in high places. Do you know this verse? In Ephesians 2, verses 4 through 6. But God, who is rich in mercy because of his great love with which he loved us even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ by grace you've been saved and raised us up together and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
Now, I know you're seated in a gray chair at Great Commission Church's building, but the true reality is your position in Christ is you're seated in heavenly places with the saints of God in. Now, this is true about you.
Let me illustrate this a little further. On the plains in the heartland of America, the prairie grass that is abundant out there doesn't really turn anybody's heads because there's no stalks, there are no flashy blooms on the prairie grass. It looks plain, forgettable, even. Even. But what you don't see is where its strength lies, because the prairie grass has roots that run deep.
And in some cases, the roots are deeper than the plant is tall. So when the drought scorches the land or when wildfires sweep across the fields, the prairie grass is never permanently destroyed. Destroyed. It holds fast. It endures.
Not because it's beautiful, because it's anchored. And that's what James is getting at here. The lowly believer may look unimpressive to the world, just a bunch of prairie grass. No wealth, no platform, no acclaim. But.
But if you're rooted in Christ, if you're a believer, you have what the fire can't burn.
You see, faith that's grounded in Jesus doesn't collapse under the heat. It grows and it endures. Friends, you may feel like you don't look like much on the surface, but my question is, what's under the surface? Because that's where the strength is, if you're rooted in Jesus Christ. Do you Remember in Mark 12 when Jesus went to the temple and started watching people give offerings?
And he pointed out a lady, a widow, and she gave two. Two coins. If you add them up, they don't equal the price of our penny. And she threw them in one of the receptacles. And Jesus, you see that lady?
She just gave more than everyone else. And I don't care what calculator you're using, that's not true mathematically. But here's what Jesus meant. She had two. They weren't worth very much.
She had a choice. She could have kept one and told everybody she gave half of what she had. But instead, she Gave it all. Why is that? She gave out of her faith, not out of her overflow.
But I want to point out to you that Jesus saw her. You see, if you feel small today, you should rejoice because God sees you the same way that Jesus saw her in the temple that day. And he says that you're rich in what matters. The theologian A.W. tozer wrote, Our true worth is found not in what we have have, but in whose we are.
You can be broke and blessed at the same time, number two, James writes, but the rich in his humiliation. And what he means is you can be rich and rattled at the same time. Then James now switches to the believer who financially comfortable, maybe even financially influential where he lives. And he says, you have something to celebrate too, but it is not your bank balance. It's that God has shown you how fragile it all is.
And I say, why in the world celebrate that?
Friends, here's the answer. The Bible teaches that wealth is very true, tricky, because wealth can insulate you from your need for God. Wealth can make you think that you're self sufficient and you'll go to God when things are bad. But right now it's eat, drink and be merry. The rich can be rattled too, James says.
And James also says that those who are blessed with material resources should glory, glory in their humiliation. And I go, well, when are they ever humiliated? And here's what James means. They should glory in their humiliation. Because trials have a way of shaking the foundations that we don't even know we were standing on.
Hey, does being wealthy mean you're invincible? Yes or no?
The world may admire your position, but hardship doesn't. Check your bank account before it hits. In fact, I want to say to you that prosperity often can leave you more rattled, not less rattled, because you've grown comfortable in being comfortable and you are accustomed to being in control. In other words, if you were going to put your life on a graph, it's always up and to the right.
But when life is always up and to the right, it's easy to confuse your security with your stuff.
And it's easy to confuse your security with your stuff until your health fails and your money can't fix it. It's easy to confuse your security with your stuff until a recession wipes out what took you decades to build. It's easy to confuse your security with your stuff until your title at work and the home that you live in and the reputation that you built vanishes overnight. And suddenly you're not just managing a crisis, you're Facing total identity collapse.
Why is that? Because you are standing on something that looks soft, solid until it cracked. And that's why James says the rich should rejoice not in their riches, they should rejoice in the wake up call that reminds them who they are apart from their wealth.
Did you know that sometimes the most gracious thing that God can do is shake what you thought was unshakeable?
Because if he does that, you'll grab on to what really is unshakeable, and that's the Lord Jesus.
In the late 1800s, missionary Amy Carmichael, I've mentioned her in the past, she was ministering in South India. And in South India, this was a place where jewelry wasn't just decoration. It was identity. You see, for women, your jewelry marked your caste, what level of society you were in. It marked your marriage ability, whether or not you would make a good wife.
It marked your family honor. It even indicated your own personal dignity. A woman without gold was considered shamefully bare in that culture, as if she had been stripped of all of her worth. Well, Amy led a small group of Indian Christian women who called themselves the Starry Cluster. The idea was they shine the light of Jesus into the night sky like a constellation of stars that God made.
And by the way, these weren't women from the fringes of society either. They weren't low caste and they weren't from the slums. They were from the middle and the high castes, which means they had status. They had sparkle and bling.
But what they did next shook their world. They gave it all up. I mean, they were moved by the love of Christ and they desired to follow him fully. So these women voluntarily removed their bracelets, they took out their earrings, they took off their necklaces, they slid their rings off their fingers. These were their most treasured possessions.
These spoke of who they were. And they placed them in the offering plate to support the gospel mission around them. And no one forced them, and Amy hadn't even suggested was the Holy Spirit. Spirit who stirred them to lay down the things that defined them in their culture. And by the way, this was no quiet gesture.
This was no secret. It became a full blown scandal. Families were outraged. One Hindu woman cried out in the streets, nothing is as shameful as no jewelry at all.
Some of the women were disowned, others were threatened. A few of them were even kidnapped. And yet they stood firm. Why in the world would they do that? Because they had found a treasure more valuable than gold.
They had found a treasure that superseded their culture. They, in the Middle of millions of Hindus had met the Lord Jesus Christ, and once he captured their hearts, no ornament could compete.
They gave up the shine that impressed their world for the glory that lit up their souls. And that's what James means when he says that the rich should glory in their humiliation. Those starry cluster ladies humiliated in the eyes of God. They were elevated in the eyes of God, and their empty wrists testified to their full hearts.
You see, God's power shines brightest in humility, not status.
Because worldly riches and applause always fade away. I want to ask you a question. Does the gospel need a headliner? Would it benefit from one? I mean, do we have a marketing and promotion problem?
Isn't it funny how we act like the gospel gets more credible when a celebrity starts following Jesus?
I mean, the moment a pop star or an athlete mentions God in an interview, Christians light up Instagram and X and Twitter or whatever they use to call. Call it like we just got some divine endorsement deal and they go see, Even they believe.
Why do we do that?
Because we're tempted to think that influence equals importance. We're tempted to think that fame equals authority, that someone with status can add weight to the message. As if Jesus needed a press secretary wearing skinny jeans to boost his credibility with Generation Z or Y or whatever it is we're on.
But can I tell you, the gospel doesn't need a celebrity sponsor.
It doesn't become truer when someone with a million followers approves it. It because truth doesn't ride into town on a tour bus. Truth rides into town on a donkey.
You see, we think the rich and the famous are the prize. But James flips it. He says, no, they're the mission field. Because wealth and fame don't protect you from being rattled. In fact, wealth and fame might blind you to how lost you really are.
So why rejoice in being humbled? Because if God wakes you up before the bottom falls out, you've got more grace than most people ever do.
The gospel doesn't need a headliner. It already has one. And his name is Jesus.
First Timothy 6:17. Paul reminds us, command those who are rich rich not to trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God. Hey, let me say something to you. If you're doing well financially, praise God. I'm cheering you on too.
But remember, your stuff deteriorates. Your soul doesn't. Your riches are a tool and a test, but they are not your identity. You see? See, the rich, you can be rich and rattled at the same time.
Number three in Our list. James writes, as a flower he will pass away. What he means is, you can bloom big and wither quickly in a day.
James ends our short section today with an image that every generation can understand. Understand a flower that looks radiant in the morning, but by evening it's wilted in the heat. Friends, that's what material possessions and wealth is like. It dazzles for the moment, and then the heat comes and it's gone.
James goes on to write in Our text, verse 11. For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat heat, then it withers the grass, so the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits. Isaiah chapter 40 echoes this. Verses 7 and 8. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.
And that's James point. Don't miss it. What seems impressive now will not last. Not your career, not your net worth, not your title, not your curated and airbrushed image. The morning sunshine is coming.
The morning sunshine of trial. The morning sunshine of difficulty, the morning sunshine of loss. Even the morning sunshine of death, it always rises and then the bloom withers and only what's rooted in eternity remains.
Do you understand that Jesus wants us to see that chasing wealth without God is like chasing a flower that's already dying.
Isn't it true that the market dips? Yes or no? Does health fail? Does your job eventually end, the applause die out, and what you are building your life on suddenly blows away like dandelion fluff in the wind? And friends, I want to tell you that that's not doom and gloom.
That's reality. James isn't trying to depress us in these verses. He's trying to anchor us.
Blessed Corrie ten Boone wrote, hold everything in your hands light, otherwise it hurts when God pries your fingers open.
They called him the prince of preachers. In the 19th century, late 1800s, in England, Charles Haddon Spurgeon. He filled assembly halls and shook nations with his messages and his preaching. But. But one of his most powerful gospel moments happened when no one was supposed to be listening.
He stepped into an empty auditorium to test the acoustics before a major event. Remember in the 1800s they didn't have voice amplification yet, so they built assembly halls for the sounds to bounce off the wood and hit the people in the seats.
Wanting to project his voice, Charles Haddon Spurgeon bellowed out, behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. John, chapter one, verse 29. He said it louder than I said it, but I've done enough Yelling in this room before. What he didn't know was there was a custodian, a worker hidden in the rafters high in that building. Clean.
And he heard that one sentence and was cut to the heart. And his testimony is it was in that moment that he was converted to Christ and became a believer. Not through a massive sermon, but through a single sentence seemingly aimed at no one.
Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. It wasn't Spurgeon status or aura that saved that man. It was in fact, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world using the vocal cords of one of his servants to save that man. You know, even the grandest ministries eventually fade. You cannot go and hear a single sermon he ever preached.
It never got recorded. It was too early. There is no Charles Haddon, Spurgeon Ministries, Incorporated International. Everything ends. But God uses humble, unseen moments to make eternal impact.
As a flower, he will pass away. I'll tell you about another missionary. His name was Adoniram Judson. Adoniram Judson wasn't born into poverty like so many of these people. He wasn't even born into insignificance.
In fact, he was a rock star. He was a prodigy. He was a literary and academic genius in the early 1800s in America. And he graduated at 19 years of old from Brown University, an Ivy league School. At 19.
And when he graduated, he was already fluent in multiple languages. He was a brilliant scholar, an eloquent speaker. He was destined greatness by the world's standards. And Adoniram Judson walked away from all of it to bring the gospel to Burma. Burma is modern day Myanmar.
If you're wondering where that is. Did that help at all? It's where they get all the pythons, right? The Burmese Pythons. Way, way over there.
Way over there. Burma was a place known for its hostility to foreigners and its brutal prisons. It didn't take long before Adoniram Judson's earthly success was reduced to ashes. Just a few years into his mission there in Burma, Judson was thrown into the notorious Ava prison. Barefoot, chained, filthy, his feet were tied to a bamboo pole above his head, making it really hard to move.
His brilliant mind now throbbed and ached from starvation and lack of water. His voice, once booming in lecture halls, had now been forced to being hoarse and groaning with pain. One day, one of the guards looked at Adoniram Judson's decaying gaunt frame and he sneered at him. What now of your golden future mission is visionary? Adoniram Judson didn't Flinch with all the physical strength he had left.
He looked up and he said, my future is as bright as the promises of God.
Friends. That is James, chapter 1, verse 11. In living color, Judson's former status had faded like a flower in the heat. But something deeper had taken root in him. After being stripped of his prestige, after having all his comforts taken away, after being in a place where nobody recognized his achievements, he discovered a treasure that the Son could not scorch.
And that treasure was God's enduring promises.
He lost everything. The world applauded only to gain the one thing that heaven rewards. And that's faith that endures.
You see, even the most gifted among us can be humbled. And that's where your faith grows the deepest. So let me tell you today, don't chase what's shiny but shallow. Build your life on what lasts. Let trials remind you you what's eternal.
Do you know Proverbs 11:28? He who trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like foliage. You see, you can bloom big and wither quickly in a day. In conclusion, let me make some remarks in our text today, James levels the playing field. To the lowly, he says, lift your eyes.
Your value is in Christ. To the wealthy, he says, stay humble. Your stuff is fragile, but your soul lasts forever. You see, faith flips the script. I'm not defined by what I have or what I don't have have.
I'm defined by who I am in Christ.
You receive this word today. Okay, look. Let's apply it to our lives with just three ideas for prayer ministry after the service. Number one, for those who are feeling small but seen now, if life has you feeling overlooked, weigh down. If it has you feeling like you don't matter.
Come receive prayer. Let a prayer ministry team encourage you. Let God remind you that in Christ you are known, you are loved and you are lifted. Number two, when rich feels hollow, if you've been leaning too hard on your stuff or if your blessings now feel more like burdens, come and let us pray for you. Get realigned.
Let God shake loose what fades and let him fix your eyes on what lasts. And number three, if you're burned out by the heat, if trials in your life have scorched your joy and left you dry, come be refreshed. Let us pray that God gives you the water of life. We'll ask God to anchor you deep again so you can stand strong when your life turns up the heat one more time. You think about that as we pray.
Well, my Prayer is for our church.
It's one thing to study the Bible, God, but would you help us apply it and live it? I pray that the truth that we've heard won't be discarded before lunchtime today.
God humble our church enough to think about this stuff again.
Come minister to us. Prayer ministry teams, if you'll get in place, I'm going to join the service in just a moment. While we're still in this attitude of prayer. Nobody looking around, just me. How many of you say, pastor, would you pray for me?
I've been thinking about becoming a Christian, and I just want you to know. And I want you to pray for me. Anybody? I've been thinking about that. Would you pray for me?
Okay.
How many of you would say, pastor, there were some verses in that sermon today that I think God had just for me, and there's some applications I need to make to my life. Would you pray for me that that would happen for me? That I would be a doer of the word and not a hearer Only anybody. There was some stuff that was for me. All right, Father, you saw those hands.
You know those hearts. Minister to them for Jesus glory. Amen. Let's stand together.
I see you guys at midweek. You are dismissed. Come for prayer.
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Tried and True: Faith Under Fire
HUMBLED OR EXALTED: THE STATUS SWITCH
Read: James 1:9-11
Intro: James doesn’t sugarcoat things. He hands you truth with calloused hands. He knows how the world works: the rich get noticed, the poor get overlooked. People think their worth is tied to their wallet.
The world says:
“The more you have, the more you’re worth.”
God says:
“The more you depend on Me, the more secure you really are.”
James flips the world’s scoreboard—exalting the humble and humbling the exalted. Some of his readers felt invisible because they had little. Others were tempted to trust their abundance. James says: “Let me show you how God sees it.”
- “Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation” — You can be broke and blessed at same time.
James starts with those who are overlooked, underpaid, or burdened by tough circumstances. The word he uses—“lowly”—doesn’t just mean broke; it means small in society’s eyes. Forgotten. No applause.
Yet James says: “Let him glory in his exaltation.”
That sounds backwards—until you realize that God’s economy doesn’t run on status. It runs on grace.
“Your wallet might say ‘empty,’ but your identity in Christ says ‘exalted.’”
“When the world calls you a nobody, heaven says you’re seated in the high places.”
Eph 2:4-6 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus
illus: On the open plains, prairie grass doesn’t turn heads. No tall stalks, no flashy blooms. It looks plain—forgettable even. But what you don’t see is where its strength lies. Its roots run deep. In some cases, deeper than the plant is tall. So when drought scorches the land or wildfire sweeps across the fields, that prairie grass isn’t permanently destroyed. It holds fast. It endures—not because it’s beautiful, but because it’s anchored. That’s what James is getting at. The lowly believer may look unimpressive to the world—no wealth, no platform, no applause. But if you’re rooted in Christ, you have what the fire can’t burn. “Faith that’s grounded in Jesus doesn’t collapse under heat. It holds. It grows. It endures.”
You might not look like much from the surface. But what’s under the surface? That’s where the strength is, rooted in Christ.
Jesus once pointed out a widow who gave two tiny coins and said, “She gave more than everyone else” (Mark 12). Why? Because she gave out of her faith, not her overflow.
If you feel small—rejoice. God sees you. And He says you’re rich in what matters.
A.W. Tozer – “Our true worth is found not in what we have, but in Whose we are."
- “But the rich in his humiliation” — You can be rich and rattled at the same time.
Next, James talks to the believer who’s financially comfortable, maybe even influential.
And he says: “You’ve got something to celebrate too—but it’s not your bank balance. It’s that God shows you how fragile it all is.”
Why celebrate that? Because wealth is tricky. It can insulate you from your need for God and make you think you’re self-sufficient.
The rich can be rattled too.
James says those blessed with material resources should glory in their humiliation—because trials have a way of shaking the foundations we didn’t know we were standing on.
See, being wealthy doesn’t mean being invincible. The world may admire your position, but hardship doesn’t check your bank account before it hits.
In fact, prosperity can leave you more rattled, not less—because you’ve grown used to being comfortable and in control.
When life is always up and to the right, it’s easy to confuse your security with your stuff.
- Until your health fails and money can’t fix it.
- Until a recession wipes out what took decades to build.
- Until your title, your home, or your reputation vanishes overnight.
Suddenly, you're not just managing a crisis, you’re facing total identity collapse.
Why? Because you were standing on something that looked solid…until it cracked.
That’s why James says the rich should rejoice—not in their riches, but in the wake-up call that reminds them who they are apart from their wealth.
“Sometimes the most gracious thing God can do is shake what you thought was unshakable—so you’ll grab hold of what is.”
illus: In the late 1800s, missionary Amy Carmichael was ministering in South India—a place where jewelry wasn’t just decoration; it was identity. For women, jewelry marked your caste, your marriageability, your family honor, and your dignity. A woman without gold was considered shamefully bare, as if she’d been stripped of her worth. Amy led a small group of Indian Christian women called the Starry Cluster. These weren’t women from the fringes of society—they were from medium and high castes. They had status. They had sparkle. But what they did next shook their world: they gave it all up. Moved by the love of Christ and their desire to follow Him fully, these women voluntarily removed their bracelets, earrings, necklaces, and rings—often their most treasured possessions—and placed them in the offering plate to support the gospel mission. No one forced them. Amy didn’t even suggest it. The Holy Spirit stirred them to lay down the very things that defined them in their culture. This wasn’t a quiet gesture. It was a scandal. Families were outraged. One Hindu woman cried, “Nothing is as shameful as no jewelry at all!” Some of the women were disowned. Others were threatened or even kidnapped. But they stood firm. Why? Because they had found a treasure more valuable than gold. They had met Jesus—and once He captured their hearts, no ornament could compete. “They gave up the shine that impressed their world for the glory that lit up their souls.”
That’s what James means when he says the rich should glory in their humiliation.
The Starry Cluster ladies weren’t humiliated in the eyes of God—they were elevated. Their empty wrists testified to a full heart.
Like James says, the sun rises, the flower fades, but those rooted in Christ stand forever. These women showed what it means to invest in what doesn’t wither.
God’s power shines brightest in humility, not status. Worldly riches and applause fade.
1 Timothy 6:17 “Command those who are rich… not to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God…”
If you’re doing well financially, praise God—but remember: your stuff fades. Your soul doesn’t. Your riches are a tool and a test; they are not your identity.
- “As a flower… he will pass away” — You can bloom big and wither quickly in a day.
James ends this section with an image that every generation can understand: A flower that looks radiant in the morning, but by evening, it’s wilted in the heat.
That’s what wealth is like. It dazzles for a moment. Then the heat comes—and it’s gone.
James 1:11 “For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass... So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits.”
Isaiah 40:7–8 echoes it: “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.”
And that’s James’ point: what seems impressive now won’t last. Not your career, your net worth, your title, or your image.
The morning sunshine of trial, loss, or death always rises, and then the bloom withers. Only what’s rooted in eternity will remain.
“James wants us to see that chasing wealth without God is like chasing a flower that’s already dying.”
The market dips. Health fails. The job ends. The applause fades. And what you were building your life on suddenly blows away like dandelion fluff in the wind.
That’s not doom and gloom—it’s reality. James isn’t trying to depress us. He’s trying to anchor us.
Corrie Ten Boom – “Hold everything in your hands lightly, otherwise it hurts when God pries your fingers open."
illus: Charles Spurgeon—called the “Prince of Preachers”—filled halls and shook nations with his sermons. But one of his most powerful gospel moments happened when no one was supposed to be listening. He stepped into an empty auditorium to test the acoustics before a major event. Wanting to project his voice, he bellowed: “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” A worker hidden in the rafters heard it—and was cut to the heart. That man gave his life to Christ, not through a massive sermon, but through a single sentence aimed at no one. “It wasn’t Spurgeon’s status that saved the man. It was the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”
Even the grandest ministries eventually fade. But God uses humble, unseen moments to make eternal impact.
illus: Adoniram Judson wasn’t born into poverty or insignificance. He was a prodigy—a literary and academic star in early 1800s America. He graduated from Brown University at 19, fluent in multiple languages, brilliant, eloquent, and destined for greatness by the world’s standards. But Judson walked away from it all to bring the gospel to Burma (modern-day Myanmar), a place known for hostility to foreigners and brutal imprisonment. It didn’t take long before his earthly success was reduced to ashes. Years into his mission, Judson was thrown into the notorious Ava prison—barefoot, chained, and filthy. His feet were tied to a bamboo pole above his head. His brilliant mind now throbbed from starvation. His voice, once admired in lecture halls, groaned with pain. One day, a guard looked at his decaying frame and sneered, “What now of your golden future, missionary?” Judson didn’t flinch. He looked up and said, “My future is as bright as the promises of God.”
That’s James 1:11 in living color: Judson’s former status had faded like a flower in the heat. But something deeper had taken root.
Stripped of prestige, comforts, and recognition, he discovered a treasure that the sun could not scorch—God’s enduring promises.
“He lost everything the world applauded—only to gain the one thing heaven rewards.”
Even the most gifted among us can be humbled—and that’s where faith grows deepest.
Don’t chase what’s shiny but shallow. Build your life on what lasts. Let trials remind you what’s eternal.
Prov 11:28 “He who trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like foliage.”
Conclusion:
James levels the playing field:
- To the lowly: Lift your eyes—your value is in Christ.
- To the wealthy: Stay humble—your stuff is fragile, but your soul is eternal.
“Both the poor and the rich have the same bank: Jesus Christ. And He’s the only one who doesn’t close accounts.”
Faith flips the script:
“I’m not defined by what I have or don’t have—I’m defined by who I am in Christ.”
Don’t build your life on what’s temporary. Build it on what endures.
1 John 2:17 “The world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.”
For Prayer Ministry:
- Feeling Small, but Seen
If life has you feeling overlooked, weighed down, or like you don’t matter—come receive prayer. Let God remind you that in Christ, you are known, loved, and lifted.
- When Rich Feels Hollow
If you’ve been leaning too hard on your stuff—or your blessings feel more like burdens—come get realigned. Let God shake loose what fades and fix your eyes on what lasts.
- Burned Out by the Heat
If trials have scorched your joy and left you dry, come be refreshed. We’ll ask God to anchor you deep again—so you can stand strong even when life turns up the heat.
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Come and join us this Sunday at the Great Commission Church for a truly remarkable and uplifting experience. Great Commission Church is not just any ordinary place of worship; it's a vibrant community where faith comes alive, hearts are filled with love, and lives are transformed. Our doors are wide open, ready to welcome you into the warm embrace of our congregation, where you'll discover the true essence of fellowship and spirituality. At Great Commission Church, we are more than just a congregation; we are a family united by a common mission – to follow the teachings of Christ and spread His love to the world. As you step inside Great Commission Church, you'll find a sanctuary that nurtures your faith and encourages you to be part of something greater than yourself.
We believe in the power of coming together as a community to worship, learn, and serve. Whether you're a long-time believer or just starting your spiritual journey, Great Commission Church welcomes people from all walks of life. Our vibrant services are filled with inspiring messages, beautiful music, and heartfelt prayers that will uplift your soul. Every Sunday at Great Commission Church is an opportunity to deepen your relationship with God and connect with others who share your faith and values.
At Great Commission Church, we believe that faith is not just a solitary endeavor but a shared experience that strengthens and enriches us all. Our church is a place where you can find purpose, belonging, and the encouragement to live a life in accordance with Christ's teachings. Join us this Sunday at Great Commission Church and experience the transformative power of faith in action. Be part of a loving and supportive community that is committed to making a positive impact in our world. Together, we strive to fulfill the great commission to go forth and make disciples of all nations. We look forward to having you with us at Great Commission Church this Sunday, where faith, love, and community intersect in a truly amazing way.
Great Commission Church is a non-denominational Christian church located in Olive Branch, Mississippi. We are a short drive from Germantown, Southaven, Collierville, Horn Lake, Memphis, Fairhaven, Mineral Wells, Pleasant Hill, Handy Corner, Lewisburg and Byhalia.
See you Sunday at Great Commission Church!
