August 13, 2010

"Now listen, you rich people," James 5:1

When James addresses "you rich people" it sounds like he assumes they know who they are.

That raises the question, "How do you define 'rich'?"

Are you rich?

Obviously, he was immediately addressing those who possessed material wealth. He was measuring wealth by their bottom line or their net worth.

But is that the best measure of wealth? I think James would say, "No!" He clearly states that material wealth corrodes and can corrupt the who holds it.

The real issue with material possessions is, "Do you own them or do they own you?"

One of the points James is attempting to communicate that it is not wrong to own material wealth but it IS a big problem when wealth owns you! You can have a huge net worth but be poor toward God. Spiritual poverty will rob you of the joy of properly benefiting from your fortune. Your stuff will own you and hold you captive. You will be riddled with guilt, greed, anxiety, insecurity, distrust, and worry. Your personal identity and self-image will be defined by what owns you - or Who owns you. Jesus told a story about a guy who did that and called him a "fool".

Is that how you want your life to be defined? Do you want your life to be measured by what you hoard or by who you help? As the old saying goes, "You can't take it with you." BUT you can send it ahead!

As you invest your time and your talents and your treasure in helping others and serving God, Jesus said you, "lay up treasures in heaven". That sounds good to me!

The road to riches begins here, according to Jesus, "Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them saying: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." Matthew 5:1-12

"Blessed" means "happy" or "complete" or "fulfilled".

Aren't those the things you really want from wealth?

So, who is it in the final analysis who determines who is rich? Your bottom line? You net worth? Or your relationship with God? Is it what you are storing up or is it what you are laying up?

August 12, 2010

"Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you." James 5:4-6

Rich people seem to be easy targets for criticism. Many novels and movies have portrayed the wealthy as villains and bad guys.

Robin Hood stole from the rich to give to the poor. He was the good guy.

It is a little disingenuous of us to hassle the rich because who among us wouldn't choose to be rich given the opportunity.

In this portion of Scripture James gives us some insights on why the rich are often despised.

The Rich Tend To Show Insensitivity

These rich people were hoarding their riches while the less fortunate around them were hurting. Either they were out of touch with the needs of others or they just didn't care. Either way it does not endear them to anyone. At a time when they could have been helping others and relieving some suffering they were feathering their own nests.

Because they were insensitive and uncaring about the needs of others, they were resented by most of their neighbors.

The Rich Tend To Be Indulgent

While these rich were ignoring the hurting people around them they were living the good life and

enjoying themselves. They were living it up while others were just struggling to live at all. In the face of the suffering around them they were sitting fat and having fun. Rather than helping others out of their extra cash they were being excessive and extravagant in their luxurious lifestyle.

The Rich Were Creating Injustice

In order to be able to assure they had plenty of money to induldge their every desire, these wealthy folks were withholding wages owed to those who worked for them. Not only were they depriving others of what they had earned, they failed to lift a finger to defend those who were wrongly accused of an offense. Some were using their wealth to bribe the judges and corrupt the justice system. They were lending credence to the old joke about the Golden Rule meaning that those who have the gold make all the rules.

It is not hard to see why these wealthy people were despised and resented. Their behavior was reprehensible and for those who were believers, this behavior was sinful. But the question remained, was it their riches that corrupted them or was it their corrupt natures that misused their wealth?

James reminds us that spiritual wealth is far more important than financial wealth. Treasuring God and His will is the true source of wealth. Knowing God's luxurious love and His extravagant grace is the true measure of wealth. People who possess that overcome insensitity, give generously and do justice.

Are you rich toward God? If not, poor you!

August 11, 2010

"Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you." James 5:1-6

A wise person once told me that the way to check a person's priorities is to look at his check book and his date book. Where you spend your time and your money is very revealing as to where your heart is.

Therefore, it is not surprising that James deals with these two topics together. Granted, the verses are contained in different chapters but when they were written there were not these divisions.

As we already studied, you must be humble in your attitude toward time. You must understand the sovereignty of God, the Beginning and the End. Even though God stands above and beyond time, He controls it. He has numbered our days individually and He has numbered the days of man upon the earth. He spoke the world into existence and by His word it will end. That is the truth. It is a fact that must guide your attitude toward planning and time. James said you must plan your life in view of eternity and an eternal God.

So, if your heart is right your priorities will be right and your datebook will show it.

That same attitude must be reflected in your finances. Not only is God the Author of time He is the Giver of all good things. Jesus was clear in His teachings either God will be the Master of you money or your money will master you.

Because of the way we are wired we struggle with insecurity about the future and one strong source of sercurity is money and material wealth. Of course, when you obtain the money and material wealth then you have a whole new set of worries because you have to protect it and try to increase it. So, in the final analysis how much security is there REALLY in having money? That is the point of what James is teaching here in 5:1-6. He is acknowledging some of the negative issues that arise when your trust and confidence is based in materialism.

Jesus teaches more about money than He does any other single topic - more than about salvation and more than about heaven! Why, because He wants us to get our heart before our Source!

How much money will you have when you life on earth ends? If you die before you get your heart right with God, how much of your money would you be willing to give to get right with Him? With those questions in mind, what should your attitude be toward your money and your God?

If you knew that this was the last week you would spend on earth, how would your schedule change? What would you do differently? What would you NOT do? Who would you spend more time with? What would you give up?

A good way to do a quick and revealing spiritual evaluation is to check your date book - where are you spending your time? AND check your check book. How are you spending your money? Will you make some time this week to do that?

August 10, 2010

"Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you." James 5:1-6

If God doesn't have a problem with riches, then why does He sound to upset in this portion of Scripture?

God gets excited about people who know how to handle riches correctly. They understand:

1) Righteousness is more important than riches.

2) Relationship is more important than riches.

Apparently, these Christians James is writing to had forgotten these truths. Or, at least some of them had. Their actions and attitudes were downright sinful. They were disgracing their God, their faith, their church and themselves.

They had succumbed to the temptation of trusting in their wealth more than trusting in God. As a result they were hoarding their money and riches instead of helping the less fortunate or giving to the Lord or honoring their obligations to their emloyees. In an effort to protect their wealth, these rich people had become miserly and miserable. Rather than investing their money in God's purposes and God's people they were spending it on personal pleasure and possessions and tempting to gain power over God's people.

What this portion of Scripture proves and what these people illustrate is that when your cash on hand exceeds your character the result is usually corruption. When you love your money more than you love your Master, you are on a road to ruin.

God is committed to the development of your character and He knows how much wealth you can handle without it corrupting your character. Being the God of unlimited resources and unlimited grace He would delight in being able to pour out abundant material blessings on His preople. But His generosity toward you is limited only by the capacity of your character to handle wealth without it corrupting you.

If you are spiritually weak or lack maturity and if your character is still being developed you may be as wealthy as God can trust you to be right now. Draw closer to Him. Cleanse your hands and purify your heart. When God has your heart then He can trust your wallet. His desire is to pour blessings on you so He can pour blessings through you. He wants you to be a pipeline not a reservoir.

The condemnation on these believers was that they had become stagnant reservoirs rather than pipelines of blessing.

How would you characterize your attitude toward money and wealth? Is it the driving force in your life? As you trusting it as the source of your security? Is it more important than your relationships? Is it more important than your righteousness?

August 9, 2010

"Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you." James 1:5

Does the Bible have something against rich people? Did Jesus! Should we?

Certainly, it is easy to pick on the rich if, for no other reason - envy. I don't think I have ever met a person who did not want to be rich. All of us wish we had more that we have. Rich people would like to be richer.

The founder of our movement, John Wesley once said in regard to money, "Make all you can, save all you can and give all you can." That doesn't sound like someone who was against having money. But he also said, “When I have money, I get rid of it quickly, lest it find a way into my heart.” Obviously, he was aware of how easily money can corrupt us.

Jesus undestanding the nature of the human heart and the lure of money had much to say about money:

*Jesus talked about money more than He did Heaven and Hell combined.

*Jesus talked about money more than anything else except the Kingdom of God.

*11 of 39 parables talk about money.

*1 of every 7 verses in the Gospel of Luke talk about money.

Preachers often get resented and criticized for talking about too much about money but it IS such an important and practical topic that Jesus dwelt on it. How can a pastor be Biblical and not talk about money when the Bible focuses on it so much?

This week we will be studying James 5:1-6 where James has some rather harsh things to say regarding wealthy people and the use of their money. So, to set the stage for that, let's spend a few moments considering the lure of money. Why is it so powerful?

1) Money brings security and who doesn't desire to have more security!?

2) Money brings power and who doesn't want to feel more powerful?

3) Money brings privilege and opportunity and who doesn't welcome more options?

4) Money brings popularity and esteem. Who doesn't want those things?

5) Money can allow us to gain possessions and having stuff makes us happy.

So, the bottom line is this: It is okay to have money but you cannot allow money to have you! God is faithful to provide for you as much as you can handle.

Think about it, when you have your heart and head right in regard to money then you will give tithes and offerings. That benefits both you and Him, so why wouldn't He want to bless you more?

Are you handling your money or is it handling you? Are you allowing money to be your god or are you trusting God to help you with your money? What do you need to do differently in regard to your finances?

August 8, 2010

"Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor? Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins." James 4:11-17

“FAITH THAT WORKS OUT”

Week Seven – “Faith Works Out In Humility” James 4:11-17

Last week we ended up with the verse, “Humble yourself before the Lord and He will lift you up.” James 4:10b

Oh Lord it's hard to be humble when you're perfect in every way,I can't wait to look in the mirror cause I get better looking each dayTo know me is to love me I must be a real swell man.Oh Lord it's hard to be humble but I'm doing the best that I can.

It’s obvious that this guy doesn’t understand humility, but how can it be measured? How is it defined? What can you do to get it and keep it?

James gives clear instruction on that this morning!

I. HUMILITY NEVER PRE-JUDGES, Vv. 11-12

Driving to the office this morning, I noticed a woman driving 65 mph with her face up next to her rear view mirror, putting on her eyeliner! I looked away and next thing you know she was halfway in my lane, still putting on her makeup.

As a man, I don't scare easily. But she scared me so much, I dropped my electric shaver, which knocked the donut out of my other hand. In all the confusion of trying to straighten out the car using my knees against the steering wheel, it knocked my cell phone away from my ear which fell into the coffee between my legs, ruined the phone, soaked my trousers, and disconnected an important call. All because of that crazy woman driver!

How many would say that fellow might be acting a little judgmental?

This whole issue of judging is widely misunderstood within the faith, so I think it is worth spending some time clarifying this.

(VISUAL ILLUSTRATION WITH THREE PEOPLE)

Judging does not mean you cannot form an opinion about someone. There is no way you can avoid that. You have intelligence and you have your value system and those just naturally kick in when you meet someone. We all prejudge others – it is human nature. But it becomes wrong when you refuse to make an effort to get to know that person and choose to keep that person bound by your PRE-judging.

In his little book Illustrations of Bible Truth, H.A. Ironside pointed out the folly of judging others. He related an incident in the life of a man called Bishop Potter. "He was sailing for Europe on one of the great transatlantic ocean liners. When he went on board, he found that another passenger was to share the cabin with him. After going to see the accommodations, he came up to the purser’s desk and inquired if he could leave his gold watch and other valuables in the ship’s safe. He explained that ordinarily he never availed himself of that privilege, but he had been to his cabin and had met the man who was to occupy the other berth. Judging from his appearance, he was afraid that he might not be a very trustworthy person. The purser accepted the responsibility for the valuables and remarked, ’It’s all right, bishop, I’ll be very glad to take care of them for you. The other man has been up here and left his for the same reason!’"

PRE-judging gets worse when you impose your opinions and judgments of a person to another who has not been given the opportunity to form his own opinion about that person. You impugn one person’s character and you rob another person of an opportunity to form his own opinion toward them. In so doing you are spreading your prejudice. That is wrong!

You want the opportunity to let others get to know you before they form their opinion of what you are or what sort of person you may be. Since you want that chance for yourself, you are oath-bound to extend the same grace to others.

There are at least three types of judging:

1) Correct evaluations from a heart of love

“Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment." John 7:24

“Does our law condemn anyone without first hearing him to find out what he is doing?" John 7:51

2) Correct evaluations but with a negative attitude (Vindictive/Grudge)

3) Incorrect evaluations of other people (Prejudice

“Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it.” James 4:11
The key Greek word, “KATALALEO”, here is translated "speak against." It has the idea of "evil speaking" or someone being slanderous. This deals with intentionally and maliciously attempting to destroy the reputation of another person and prejudice others to believe your characterization of them. You do this to make yourself look better or you do this seeking revenge on them or you might do this trying to be divisive.

(WATER IN WILDY’S GAS)
People who do this are not operating out of humility. They are showing pride and prejudice. They are disruptive and destructive to the unity of a church fellowship.

Morris, the loudmouth mechanic, was removing the cylinder heads from the motor of a car when he spotted a famous heart surgeon who was standing off to the side, waiting for the service manager to come take a look at his Mercedes.
Morris shouted across the garage, "Hey Doc! Is dat you? Come on ova’ here a minute."

The famous surgeon, a bit surprised, walked over to where Morris the mechanic was working on the car. Morris straightened up, wiped his hands on a rag, and asked argumentatively, "So, Mr. Fancy Doctor, look at dis here work.

I ALSO open hearts, take valves out, grind ’em, put in new parts, and when I finish dis it will purr like a kitten. So how come you get da big bucks, when you an’ me is doing basically da same work?"
The surgeon leaned over and whispered to Morris the loudmouth mechanic, "Try doing it with the engine running."

HUMBLE PEOPLE DON’T SHOW PREJUDICE!

II. HUMILITY NEVER PRESUMES, Vv. 13-17

During the US civil war Abraham Lincoln met with a group of ministers for a prayer breakfast. Lincoln was a man of deep, if at times unorthodox, faith. At one point one of the ministers said, "Mr. President, let us pray that God is on our side". Lincoln’s response showed far greater insight, "No, gentlemen, let us pray that we are on God’s side." If we want to know what God wants us to do, then we must first strive to live a life of conformity to Him.

It is easy to presume upon God because He is so patient and gracious. But humble people understand WHO HE IS and WHO THEY ARE and keep each in their proper place.

Last week’s message ended at verse 10 taking about humility. These verses show several illustrations of humility.

Let's start with the big picture. It makes a difference when you look at life from an eternal perspective. Don't you agree that it influences your thinking and decision-making when you understand you are going to live somewhere forever? It absolutely does!

First, it changes how you look at yourself and your spiritual condition. If your eternal destiny is at stake and dependent upon what you believe and how you behave that will impact your decisions and your actions. And it should!

Second, it impacts how you look at others. If they are eternal and you are eternal and how you treat them has eternal consequences it ups the ante, doesn't it? When you understand that your slander or accusations about another person could possibly influence what happens to him eternally, that causes you to be more careful!

Third, it should determine how you relate to time. Since how you spend your time determines how you spend your eternity, be very wise about how you spend your time! You will understand that people of faith don't spend time - they invest in it! Planning is paramount! But planning must be done with the humble recognition that God is in charge of time and He must be vitally involved in how you think about planning.

So, properly relating to time and eternity will necessarily result in an attitude of humility. Humility looks like someone who lives, loves and plans backwards - from eternity to today. If you were to live today from an eternal perspective, what would you do differently?

There was an officer in the navy who had always dreamed of commanding a battleship. He finally achieved that dream and was given commission of the newest and proudest ship in the fleet. One stormy night, as the ship plowed through the seas, the captain was on duty on the bridge when off to the port he spotted a strange light rapidly closing with his own vessel. Immediately he ordered the signalman to flash the message to the unidentified craft, ’Alter your course ten degrees to the south.’ Only a moment had passed before the reply came: ’Alter your course ten degrees to the north.’ Determined that his ship would take a backseat to no other, the captain snapped out the order to be sent: ’Alter course ten degrees--I am the CAPTAIN!’ The response beamed back, ’Alter your course ten degrees--I am Seaman Third Class Jones.’ Now infuriated, the captain grabbed the signal light with his own hands and fired off: ’Alter course, I am a battleship.’ The reply came back. ’Alter your course, I am a lighthouse.’

No matter how big or important any of us think we are, God’s Word stands forth as an unchanging beacon. All other courses must be altered to His.

HUMILITY NEVER PRESUMES ON GOD.

Humility results from knowing your purpose.

Humility results from knowing your place.

Humility results from knowing your perspective.

How do you measure up?

How can you humble yourself?

August 7, 2010

"Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him." Psalm 127:3

Matt  and His Son, Payton

The phone call came thirty-five years ago today. Those were the days before ultra-sound so when I received the news that the child we were hoping to adopt was a son, I was thrilled!

Three days later we received him into our lives and we have never been the same! I gave him my last name and he has given me many first joys. We bonded quickly. We were inseparable for those first several years until his sister and brother showed up and divided my attention a bit.

Choosing a name for him was simple. "Matthew" means "gift from God" and that is what he is!

One of the first things I noticed about Matt was that he was very co-ordinated. He walked early and could catch and throw a ball before he was two. He was late in getting his hair and his teeth so he was like a little old man running around playing catch with his dad.

Actually, Matt has always excelled at anything he set his mind on. But being a high energy boy, his focus was prone to wander. He was an all-star baseball pitcher as a youngster and though he was a bit small for football, did well in that sport, too.

The only limitations on his growth and development were probably my deficiencies as a dad. There were some difficult years during the adolescent and teen years, but several years in the Army shaped him and tappen into the potiential I knew was there.

Since he lives in the Minneapolis area I don't get to see him nearly as often as I would like. It has been way to long since we have been together. But through the marvels of technology we keep in close contact.

Matt has become a good husband, a great dad of four daughters and a son, and he is highly successful in his business. As you can tell, I am very proud of him.

On this, his 35th birthday, I want to thank God for allowing me to be Matt's dad and want to pay tribute to Matthew, our true "gift from God"!

Happy Birthday, son! I love you and I am very proud of you!