Employer & Employee

Recap

This morning, we continue our study of James. It was no coincidence I think, that our guest pastor last week, Rev. Serrano also preached from James, a sermon I needed to hear, and which resonated with many people I talked to during the week. In fact, we were talking and quoting some of his sermon just yesterday, at the Men’s retreat that the Baptist church puts on every year. Talk to me about it after the service, it was awesome, and I can’t wait to go next year.

This morning, James is talking about rich and poor, those who employ people and those who are employees. Now, before we dive right in, just a quick word, most of us are in or above the 2% of the richest people in the world. Even if you make less than $25,000.00/year, you’re in the top 2%. As such, our buying power employs people around the world, manufacturing clothing, vehicles, etc.

Okay, what does James teach us, what is God teaching us through his servant James.

First, money is dangerous. Money is a good thing, but it can be a dangerous thing also. Just as a fire can keep you warm, and you can use it to cook food; it can burn your house down. Money is dangerous in the same way. The heart is easily deceived and it can lead to playing with money, like playing with fire. A love of money is deadly.

Did you know that the average person in the US in 1945 spent 5.2 hours per day interacting with media. In 2014, the average person now spends almost 10 hours per day interacting with media. This means that we’re much more exposed to ads. Even with Netflix or PVR’s , Ad-block Plus, most people are bombarded with 360 ads per day. 360 times per day, you’re told, “You need this, this will make your life better, this will change your everything. Get rid of the old, bring in the new.

This is constantly calling you to become discontented with what you have, and to try to find contentment in something you purchase, use, explore, travel to, or whatever. All these things are really, are carrots to make us run after things we can never really get. We’re on an endless treadmill and it is making us ill. It’s a lie.

James is telling us that money is dangerous, the love of money is deadly. We want to keep all kinds of things, but these things all decay, break down and become useless and worthless.

But why is it really dangerous? Because we’re trusting the wrong things. This will make me calm. This will get me through the tough times. This will ease my burden. This will make me happy. All those things are lies, lies your heart believed. And they don’t deliver. And you’ll pay for it.

Jesus says the same thing in , the middle of his sermon on the mount. “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

James and Jesus are teaching, that what we do with our money, and what it reveals about our desires for money, shows the truth of our hearts much more than our words and actions. You can say things, you can do things, but your bank statement tells the truth. That’s how you judge what’s going on in your heart. Other people can’t judge you there, only you can judge you there.

Our finances are God’s gift to us, helping us to see what’s going on in our hearts. No one else can see if we’re really generous or not. I remembering hearing on the radio that Bill Gates gave away 1.6 billion dollars to some charity or another. To put it into perspective, the radio host said, that’s like a normal person giving away $1.60. Don’t get me wrong, Bill and Melinda Gates are extremely generous people. But other people can’t really tell how generous you really are, only you can see that. We can see how you live, we can see what you drive, but we can’t see what you give, ordinarily. And don’t assume that if someone is giving a portion to the church, that they aren’t giving to other places also. Remember, no one lies to you as much as you lie to yourself. Be honest here, what does your bank statement say about your heart?

We’re tempted to think we’re doing well enough. We compare ourselves to others, and we think we’re doing pretty good. Jesus is telling us, look at where your money is, look what you spent it on. That’s where your treasure is.

We use our finances in two ways, both of which are lies, both are deadly. We use our wealth to make us feel safe and to seal ourselves from anxiety.

We buy safe cars, live in safe neighbourhoods, have an alarm system. We put out protections. We manage our safety. We use money to hope that the future is going to be okay because we have savings, we’re prepared.

This reminds me of a show I’ve seen. It’s called “Doomsday Preppers”. In the show, people are convinced that the world will be hit by an asteroid, or nuclear war, or the collapse of the government, so they’re creating stockpiles of food, and clothing, and creating bomb shelters, some even spend hours and hours training in self-defence.

Not only are those people much closer to the crazy line, they are putting their hope in something that actually makes them more insecure, more anxious. That’s what happens to all who put their hope in things of this earth, for example in money. Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard says that riches and abundance reduce anxiety about as well as a wolf put in charge of a flock of sheep, money becomes the object of anxiety. Dietrich Bonhoeffer echoes this thought, “Earthly goods deceive the human heart into believing that they give it security and freedom from worry, but in truth, they are what cause anxiety.”

How do we see this is true? Take vehicles, for example. I had a ’85 Chevy Sprint during my college years. It was a three cylinder, four speed manual, that got incredible gas mileage at the cost of having a 0-100kms best measured not by a stopwatch, but rather by a calendar. No cruise, no power steering, no air, no power windows. But I didn’t worry about the car. I washed it so infrequently that one of my friends commented, “Oh, your car is white, I thought it was grey.”

But now I have a much newer vehicles. I’m still not so great at washing them, but I notice dents, and I notice if they’re not running right. I’m more anxious about my vehicles because they are newer, not less anxious. People say they buy new cars so they can have good warranties, and not worry about it. But you worry more.

Stuff makes and increases anxiety. Planning for the future doesn’t guarantee security. Now, I’ll be clear. Be a good steward, but don’t put your hope in money.

Our futures are secure. Why? We have the Holy Spirit, He’s a deposit, guaranteeing, that our future is with Christ, for eternity. I know Christ will provide for me. That doesn’t mean I’m not a good steward. I can’t say, “I don’t need to plan, because Jesus’ has me.”

But money is dangerous. Look at verse 4. What is James describing there? People who have some, want more. They will defraud, live in luxury, and self indulge. They will condemn and murder.

Who are the bad guys on television? They’re the rich, aren’t they? Why do they do the wicked things they do? They do it to get a bit more. The lie is that money gives security, but when you have some, you worry that you don’t have enough, so then you get more, and more and more, and it is never ever enough, why because it doesn’t give security.

We are eternal beings. We will never be satisfied with anything that the world offers. Even millionaires, people who have a million dollars lying around that they can do anything they want with it, don’t feel rich. It just makes them want even more.

Our sinful natures desire more. “But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.” As eternal people, the desire to find satisfaction in the temporary things of this life, in riches in particular, will never be satisfactory. No matter how much a person has, it will never be enough. It turns into a trap that only increases desires which lead to ruin.

What happens when you are rich, and your desire is not eternal, but these temporary riches, which never satisfy? What happens in this world to the rich who only want to get richer, the millionaires who need another million, and then another, and then another? They will do whatever it takes to get it. They will be prone to oppress, to manipulate systems in order to gain advantage over others.

Unless we operate according to the gospel, we will take advantage of the weak. Remember the bombardment of ads that hit you daily. 360 ads per day, telling you that you need this, you must have that. Don’t think it doesn’t affect you. You are probably unaware of the lies that are in your own heart.

What causes us to buy the clothes we buy, the cars we drive? We’ve been discipled into making those purchases. Someone, something, some corporation, some ad has discipled us into thinking that such and such is better than something else. They have told us what to think. They have told us lies. Only the gospel can protect us from this.

First, the gospel is rooted in God’s generosity. says that we’re all guilty of choosing creation over the creator. “I don’t want you God, I just want your stuff. I like your toys, I don’t need you.” Everyone is guilty.

How does God respond to our greediness? By being more generous. Remember what we saw a couple of weeks ago? How does God respond to those who use up all his grace by sinning? He gives more grace. God responds to our greediness by being more generous, by sending Jesus. He doesn’t withhold, instead he increases his generosity. Jesus comes, lives, dies on the cross, taking God’s wrath for our sins upon himself, then gives us, pours into us his own righteousness, his own obedience. The gospel is God’s generosity flowing from God, into us, giving us a new identity, and identity that protects us from the deadly lies culture bombards us with.

Your primary identity is not a sinner. You are God’s child. You are a son of God. Christ adopted you by his blood. If everything else is taken away, you will still have that, nothing can take it away. Your car brand doesn’t define you. Nor your clothes, nor what people think of you. The gospel protects you from all of that.

But we feel it still, don’t we? We see something we have, and we think, oh but the newer version is so much better. We feel the pull from the ads, from culture, from others, you need this, but the gospel protects us.

The gospel takes us out of the boring, the mundane, the rat race and puts us into the greatest story the world can ever know. God’s on a mission, and he’s invited us into it. We’re not only saved from sin, from desire, from evil, we’re saved to. We’re saved to save others, to rescue others, to fight against the darkness.

God gifts us with abilities and talents so that we are equipped for this battle. Why are all those superhero movies so popular? It is because we desire to sacrifice ourselves for others, just like Jesus did.

But what do our wallets say? In his book, “Don’t Waste Your Life”, John Piper says,

“I am wired by nature to love the same toys the world loves. I start to fit in. I start to love what others love. I start to call Earth home, and before you know it, I’m calling luxuries needs, and I’m using my money just the way unbelievers do. I begin to forget the war. I don’t think much about people perishing.

Missions and unreached people drop out of my mind. I stop dreaming about the triumphs of grace. I sink into a secular mindset that looks first at what man can do, not what God can do. It is a terrible sickness, and I thank God for those who have forced me again and again toward a wartime mindset.”

We’ve forgotten what it means to sacrifice for others. During World War II, everyone sacrificed for the war effort. There was rationing in Canada also. Everyone contributed toward winning the war. Not so since then. We have maintained our “me first” attitude, even as wars are waged.

We applaud self-sacrifice, as long as someone else does it. We approve of it, when it is Captain America or someone else laying down their life. This reflects the 360 ads that bombard us daily. So, how we fight against it?

We have to repent. We have to admit to God that we’re only seeing things from a worldly perspective. We have to repent of the attitude we all have, of, “Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die.” That attitude is not true, James says.

Practically, what does this look like? First, we need to grow in financial wisdom. Most of us were not well trained in the use of money. Most children growing up, by the time they’re in high school and college, see their parents managing things well. They don’t get to see the early struggles of raising a family and paying off debt. They see them when they’re good income earners. And they see what they can afford, and they try to be the same. So we think, as 30 year-olds, that we should be able to buy the same stuff. This is why you can mortgage a travel trailer for 30 years. And now, young people are starting out with crazy debts, which put extra burdens on life.

If you find yourself in this situation, please understand, I’m not putting you down. I telling you that you have a lot of company. But we have people who can help you. We have people who know how to manage finances and debt. Not only is financial understanding important, we need to pursue contentment.

This truly is a battle. 360 ads a day are telling you you’re not content. They’re telling you you’ll find contentment in buying something else. You have to fight against that. You have to fight for contentment. You do this by being aware of what you actually have, not by wishing about what you don’t yet have.

Everything you own, everything was given to you. Everything was given to you. Everything you have comes from God’s graciousness to you. Your abilities in business, in managing the home, in raising children well, all of that is God’s graciousness. There are really great, really talented people who have failed in business, failed in managing the home, failed in raising children well, because they weren’t blessed as you have been blessed. All you have belongs to God.

If you want to grown in contentment, work on growing in gratitude for the things you have. Finally, be generous. Learn financial wisdom. Be content. Develop contentment. Live generously.

Budget. Make generosity a monthly line item. Set aside an amount, it doesn’t matter how much, start with $20.00. Then figure out what you can do with that $20.00. Figure out how you can be generous. Buy the food for the person behind you in the drive through. Set aside money for generosity. As your income grows, your generosity line item can grow.

This helps grow contentment. Your focus moves off of you, and your wants, to others and their needs. I know someone who has helped friends with stuff for a while, just to be able to help them, not expecting anything in return. This person is content in what they have, and don’t need more.

Pick an amount, and start there. $1.00, $4.00, pick an amount and go with it, be generous, no strings attached.

Now, lastly, think about God’s mission. I’m sorry, but God doesn’t exist for you. He isn’t your genie that you can go to, rub the bottle in prayer and get what you want. God’s on a mission to seek and save the lost. That’s what Jesus said about his ministry, “The Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.” That’s still his mission. That’s our mission. Our money, generously given to us by God, should be for that mission.

So, fund that. Use God’s generosity toward you to fund that. Fund a mission organisation. You want to know a good mission organisation? King Christian School, formerly Holland Marsh District Christian School, fund that. They have a new building, they have some debt, they are working on changing things so that more donation dollars can go to the families that need it most. But right now it is underfunded. Give to that. Take your kid’s inheritances and give it to the school. My father in law always said, “If you’re in your forties or fifties and you’re depending upon your inheritance to make you financially stable, you won’t be. You’ll just burn through that money faster than you burn through the rest of your earnings. I understand wanting to give good gifts to your children. Give good gifts to your grand children, help pay for their Christian education. It’s a mission field. They’re trying to teach Christ to these children.

Invest in something that follows God’s mission. Think eternally. Life for the life to come, invest in the life to come, be a good steward of what you’ve been given. Pray for me also. Let’s give. Let’s battle against the bombardment of ads, of the world telling us it’s all about us. Focus on God and his mission. He takes the focus off of us, and puts it first on himself, and then on others. Amen.