Money Money Money 2
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Text: James 2.1-12
Last week in this series James taught us something very important.
Your material possessions are a test, a test of where you have placed your faith.
Principle: When the object of your faith not in focus. You have lost biblical use for material things.
The book of James is clear and practical when it comes to the importance of living out the reality of the gospel. Even though this letter isn’t lengthy, a substantial portion is devoted to how wrong money-thinking leads to wrong and destructive actions. And given that so much of James speaks to money issues, we can know that this is really important.
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The sin of financial favoritism (2:1-2:13)
Imagine the account of the Sermon on the Mount as Jesus gathers his twelve disciples and undoubtedly many others gathered around and as he begins his message he declares...
“Blessed are the rich in Spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Something would strike you as peculiar in that statement.
Or maybe as the Rich Young Ruler sunk his head low and slowly walked away from Jesus. He had turned to his disciples and explained.
It is hard for a poor man to afford heaven. In fact it would be easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than a poor man having enough to impress me.
Or as the disciples argued and jockied for position he had coached them. “the first shall be first and the last shall be last. For he that is greatest among you serve that guy. and the least let him be your servant.”
There is something off in the tone of those ideas primarily because they are completely opposite the command of Jesus. The idea that the powerful and wealthy should receive some sort of special treatment is the antithesis of the church.
So when James tells the account of two church visitors one who is rich and another who is poor.
James concludes with the attitude of God:
Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?
In James chapter two, the author really goes after our tendency to pander to people with money.
Attention and consideration based on a person’s financial success was a problem two thousand years ago and it’s a huge problem today. When we do this, we’re embracing a worldly and godless way of thinking.
James argues that in financial favoritism we are making a bold statement that money or worldly success is what determines one’s value.
When you and I engage in partiality, we are engaging in evil thoughts.
1. Money is never allowed to become our top priority.
When we do this, money is our priority, not God, not the truth of the gospel or the welfare of our neighbors. When we show financial favoritism, we’re fixated on ourselves and we’re missing life in Christ on many levels.
2. Money is a poor replacement for the souls of people.
The souls of others
This is also wrong because it rejects the people that are most likely to embrace the gospel – those who have no hope in this world.
Your own soul
It says that first place goes to those with money, and if that’s not you, you’re a second-class citizen.
For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
We are plagued with mental health crisis.
We are plagued with an identity crisis.
Some part of this is that there is nothing that makes me - me.
The major problem of partiality...
The Bible has a lot to say about our tendency to hang on to favoritism or partiality in different ways. And for a foundation against this, from the Old Testament to the New, there is a consistent message that God cannot be bribed and there is no partiality in him.
How much less to him that accepteth not the persons of princes,
Nor regardeth the rich more than the poor?
For they all are the work of his hands.
The rich and poor meet together:
The Lord is the maker of them all.
But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.
For there is no respect of persons with God.
This is the violation of the Royal law. This is a reference to:
Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
Everyone is sinful and helpless, and everyone needs the gospel.
Everyone who believes, believes because of God’s mercy and not because of intellect or earthly success.
This means that we should be very careful about why we admire anyone and how we treat everyone.
Thank God that there is no partiality in him. He offers himself to absolutely anyone who is done with self and trusts Jesus – poor or rich, black or white, male or female, Jew or gentile, murderer or addict or successful Topekan.
Special treatment for the rich and powerful is illogical.
Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called?
Many times we are bad and deciding who the real enemy is...
This is why preachers of God’s word have to remind us that Hollywood, Disney, and Master Cards are not our friends.
James is announcing the same. If money were an indicator of Spiritual value than you could trust the rich. But Wealth is a poor guide of those that you can trust.
Caustic action of listening to celebrities in the area of polotics, environmental issues, or even financial decisions. We all of the sudden unplug our brain and forget that in many instances they are being paid to promote that agenda. And the seller they represent are merely cashing in on the looks and built up trust because youve invited that person into your home in some instances up to sixteen hours a season.
Christian we have to have more discernment than this.
Special treatment for the rich and powerful is worldly.
Your life is meant to please God with the life given. So much so,
Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
God expects us to measure our participation with agreement in God.
Bigotry
Racism
Chauvinism
Feminism
These are all worldly ways of measuring one’s worth.
Special treatment for the rich and powerful is a sin.
But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.
Understand James description, you and I may see this as a small issue. But in God’s eyes its the same as adultery and murder.
How is it so grevious?
God says so...
And because of the misrepresentation of the Gospel.
We are free:
But believing the gospel means we live under the law of liberty and we’re no longer enslaved to a sinful, worldly structure. Therefore we are called to give the grace that we have found in Christ - The way we recieved it from Christ.
Jesus is our treasure:
When Jesus is our treasure, everything changes and money no longer sets the course.