Jonathan Williams with Word of God, Speak

Could there be any better expression of the truth that Jesus Christ has come to turn people and society upside down than these words in James 1:9-11?  The one who is low is made high.  The one who is lofty is brought low. 

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 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. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.

What we need is wisdom.  Wisdom is applying knowledge to our lives.  Wisdom is knowing why these things happen so that we can respond appropriately.   But we don't always have wisdom, do we?

In my previous message, I identified five kinds of trials. They are the normal circumstances of life, the trials we bring on ourselves, the trials God brings on us for our good, the trials others bring on us by their sin against us, and the trials that come to us because we are followers of Jesus. It is this last kind of trial, persecution, that James mostly had in mind as he wrote this letter.

I have to be honest. The verses we are going to look at today have been some of the hardest for me to apply, especially the first part. So many times I have read these verses, stopped in my tracks, and thought – "Sounds good.  But am I doing them? Am I obeying."

The Book of James gives many outstanding insights on this kingdom agenda. In our first two studies we have provided an overview of this book and given some highlights. Today, I am going to provide a little bit more. Today, I want to talk with you about the author, James, and the people to whom he wrote.

As you know, we live in a world that does not value the things God values. What a shame that is! The world is his! He is the one who sets the standards! Yet the world ignores him to its peril. I want to demonstrate today three ways the world does not value God's kingdom.

This series, The Upside Down Kingdom, will show you how to live by the values and culture of the kingdom of God.

I want to talk with you today about the glory of God, about unity in the body of Christ, about how God can take terrible circumstances and turn them around for the progress of the Gospel, and about his grace. Are you ready?

What kind of God is this who encourages us to give and says the more you give the more you will get back!  It is a generous God and we can never outgive Him! 

The resurrection of Jesus shows God is concerned about and has a remedy for the man-made problems in his creation including all the suffering and injustices in the world.

What does the resurrection of Jesus tell us about the world we live in? In this first message of the Resurrection Vision series, we explore a powerful and often overlooked truth: the resurrection affirms the goodness of God's creation. While many worldviews—ancient and modern—treat the physical world as something to escape, Scripture tells a different story. The God who made the world declared it good, loves what He has made, and is committed to redeeming it. This message challenges us to rethink how we view our bodies, the earth, and everyday physical life, reminding us that resurrection vision sees the world not as disposable, but redeemable.

Throughout history, many have faced death with courage. From the philosopher Socrates, calmly drinking the cup of hemlock… to the Jewish martyrs under Antiochus Epiphanes, enduring unimaginable suffering… to faithful Christians who sang and prayed as flames rose around them…. They all died with bravery.   But no one died like Jesus. Why did the One who healed the sick, raised the dead, and commanded the winds fall to the ground in sorrow in Gethsemane? Why did He cry out in anguish instead of facing death with calm resolve? The answer takes us deep into the heart of the Gospel.

Some of you may look at your life and think, "What a mess." And you know what? It probably is! But I have good news for you. God has made promises to get you out of it!

There are many dark, tragic places in this world – stories we hear that frighten us, news reports of troubled places. Many ask, "Where is God in the midst of the suffering?" And the answer is, "he is right there."

God chose Bethlehem to drive home this point. In his eyes there is no little position, no little ministry, no little person, and no little place. It is all important to him.

Ordinary Mary, Just Joseph, and Simple Shepherds. This is the humility of Christmas. Don't you find it amazing that God used humble, simple people to advance his purposes? I believe God did this to show His power and to turn the values of the world upside down.

Life is composed mostly of daily, ordinary routines. God uses the daily, ordinary, routines, and sometimes troublesome events in the world like a Roman census and like a crazed ruler such as Herod to accomplish his will.

After centuries of church history, apocryphal writings, and questionable theology about Mary, we need to get back to the simplicity of who Mary was. Sometimes I like to call her ordinary Mary.

That baby in the manger was the most glorious and perfect expression of God. He was God, and he was the most beloved person in the universe and before the universe.

The greatness of Jesus is not that the lowly Baby in the manger was exalted. It is not that he went form a place of lowness to highness. No, the greatness of Jesus is that he went from a place of highness to lowness!

"The palace, the forum, and the inn had no room for Christ. Have you room for him?

How heavy is your burden? The One who is the eternal Word of God, the One who was with God, the One who was and is God, the Almighty, can carry that burden for you if you will give it to Him.

He was full of grace in that He came to sinful people. He didn't come just for the wise or the strong or the elite. He came for everyone – even those who thought their lives had been wrecked beyond repair.

We get into trouble because that which is supposed to be a very little thing becomes very big in our lives. When something that is not important becomes important then we're in trouble.

What will we do when we stand before the Lord if we have not managed our resources to help in the work of God?

Just as one little insignificant seed has the potential to yield an abundant supply of food, so each of our seemingly insignificant acts of goodness has the potential to reap a bountiful harvest of reward.

When Jesus warns us not to store up treasures on earth, it's not just because earthly wealth might be lost; it's because earthly wealth will always be lost.

Here's a reason why we get into trouble - we make decisions based on partial information, rather than the whole story. How can we stop doing this? Today we will learn how.

Here is a certainty that we must pay special attention to – oppression of the weak always follows a rejection of God. We are experiencing a rejection of God. Unless there is repentance, there will one day be oppression of the weak.

For 1000 years, the descendants of a man named Asaph were singing the praises of God in the Temple. How would you like that for a legacy – knowing your descendants were leading others in worship? Today, we are going to learn about this man and one of the Psalms he wrote that is a work of priceless art.

In all the universe with all its vastness and glory, in all the earth with its beauties that we behold, there is something even greater that has been made to show the glory of God. You might be surprised at what it is.

How could two short chapters in the Bible written over 2500 years ago by a man with a strange name have such a powerful effect upon people today? Let's listen and find out.

We have a picture of the grace of God, that God would take the grandson of an evil king and use him to advance his purposes in the world. God reverses the curses and blesses the worst of us for his glory.

How can be we become holy before the Lord? Does it happen automatically because we go to church and hang out with other dedicated people? Or do we need to take responsibility?

Many of us worry because we wonder if we are going to have enough in uncertain economic times. Here is God's reassuring word of promise – “The silver is mine and the gold is mine. It all belongs to me. You will have enough.”

Any time we are discouraged, we must pause and reflect on who our God is. Any time we want to give up we need to take our eyes off our discouraging circumstances and put them on the Lord who is the ruler of all things.

One of the greatest promises of Scripture is God saying, “I will be with you.” Today we will hear this promise made to his people who lived 500 years before the birth of Christ. What did it mean to them? What can it mean for us?

So here we have two men – the high priest in Israel and the governor of the people who is a descendant of David. They have already done well in that they led the people back to the land but somewhere along the way they lost their focus. How did Haggai get them back, and how can he get us back?

Have you seen anyone get off to great start and then stop? They just stopped doing what they were supposed to do. Why? The prophet Haggai talks about this in his little book.

There are ten reasons why you and I must go forward together in humility and ask that Christ be glorified in greater ways with this ministry. It is His ministry, not ours, and we are stewards of it. Let's learn these today.

He had no beginning. He has always lived. He did not receive His life from earthly parents. He receives His life eternally from His Father in heaven. He is from heaven, and He is above all and just as John knew this lesson and humbled himself before the greatness of Jesus, we too must humble ourselves before the One who is above all and for whom are all things.