November 18, 2018 - James Pt. 9

You got to have a seat. I first want to say I love singing with you guys. We're growing in disgrace that God has given us the most repeated command in scripture is for us to think that we are to be reminded at the grace of God through song and remind ourselves and our neighbors again, and again and again and again by actually doing it we're growing in this and I'm just not I'm not just saying that because I'm craving worship Pastor that I'm the guy that's normally behind the mic over there with a guitar not just saying that I'm saying as your pastor as you continue to love singing as you continue to grow in this Grace, Jesus will continue to make himself known in your life and I'm really excited about that for us at the church. All right well week after week. We've been coming back to the Book of James and can begin to feel like James might be picking on us. That James is got some kind of beef against us and he wants us to feel bad about ourselves feel this way again and is coming at us again with something else another reason to feel like a man. I don't have my stuff together. There is still things for me to work on. See if you could feel like James is that older parental figure that constantly points out that we still haven't got our stuff together. But let me assure you that James is not motivated like that. He's not trying to do that. James wants us to live lives radically committed to the god of the Bible. James want us to prize Jesus Above All Else. He wants us to love what God loves and hate what God hates James wants us to be committed to the things that God has committed to participating and actively engaged in the war. God is doing That begs the question if that's James motivation, he's not just picking on us he wants us to love what God loves. What do you think God loves? What is God radically committed to what is God's Mo what's his game plan?

Things that come to your mind will tell you what you think about God. Will you think about his work here in this world? You just think about God as love maybe just thinking about like. John's words God is love. He should radically committed to love or maybe you tend to just think of God's Wrath against sin because you know, you're a sinner who you think you got this really angry. Maybe you think that God is just fully committed to himself and his own holiness. Maybe you think that got this rat committed to recreating for the world into what it should be see a lot of us tend to think of God as he's revealed himself in the Old Testament as just really angry. Like he's just out to get you for your sin is going to slap you or something like that and you created this world to be good. We messed it up and he's just angry at us for it. And then God comes incarnate as Jesus in the same as God killed outright. He's got his robot. You could have sandals on you know what? I mean? He's got kind of chilly talk about loving your neighbor. This would way we think of Jesus but nothing could be further from the truth. God has been amazingly consistent over all time showing his love for us and its commitment to everything that would come in between us and God that is what he has rap against that is sin. What would divide us and God? C. Primary Mission objective is to care for his creatures that he's created specifically he cares for the lowest and neediest of his creatures. He makes much of his own self so that we may see what is truly satisfying that we may see what is truly worth giving all of our lives for and that is himself. And God with all of his power and with all of his might loves to exercise his power on behalf of the most vulnerable the weakest in the poor. If you think that I'm just going to pull this out of nowhere, I promise we'll get to James here in just a minute, but we need to understand what the god of the Bible loves and what he's about and what he's committed to in Deuteronomy chapter 10 verse 12 and says this and come up on the screen and now Israel. Does your god require of you? But the fear the lord with your God to walk in all his ways to love him to serve the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soul and then continue in verse 17 for the Lord your God. This is what God is all about is a god of gods a Lord of lords the great the Mighty the awesome God who is not partial. He takes no bride. He can't be bought. He executes Justice for the fatherless and the Widow and he loves the Sojourner giving him food and clothing. Love the Sojourner therefore for you or sojourners in the land of Egypt. See if this is what God's God loves. This is what God says about he's about himself and His glory and US seeing him as we rightly should and also he's about the care of the most vulnerable the poorest the weakest The Widow's the orphans the fatherless Sojourner the ones that God provides for what is god require of us. Now, here's where we can Adventure into little bit of a nerd territory. Do you know me teach you something just a little bit and it's the next party to go to this is a nice thing. You can't pull up pull out of your back pocket and you know got a party to talk another people. Well, you can tell him, you know, a word in Hebrew. Most of you probably know what a word here already is like Shalom or something like that. We just means peace, but for the flirt natural flourishing of all things, but this word is Mich pot. Okay and what you said. Spot spot that's good. Very good action in there. Right and there's somewhere most of which part is the idea. It's normally translated as righteous or Justice all over the Old Testament and the New Testament Greek different work, but miss Paula Deen's living righteously or giving people what their do weather punishment or protection and care. So it's righteous think Justice. This is Mich pot. This is what God requires of us. In the Proverbs 21:3 it says that the writer says to do righteousness and Justice that's the idea of Niche about to do Mich Todd is desirable to the Lord is more desirable to the Lord and sacrifice which means that I'm tired of lies. It's not my entire life living for our own self and then we can Rectify it by doing one great Act of Service Act of generosity contrary to the gospel at its core because as core the gospels that we could never earn our own righteousness before God. We can never be good enough before God one had to come Jesus. God himself had to come to live righteously in our place so that we would be seen as righteous before God. So doing this by doing justice has the two sides of the coin. They're doing the spot means obeying the law and pronouncing judgment or wrongdoing. His happened are some people you break the law you go to jail and that's good. That's right. And there's the justice that happens. There knows II side of Mich pot of also protecting and caring like protection and caring for the poor the Widow the orphan The Immigrant or the earlier part of James James is already introduced to the idea that we were talking about today the idea that true religion. Is undefiled if you were before guys care widows and orphans the ID at this much pot. That's that's what Justice is. That's what living righteously is doing right giving what to do to those who are most vulnerable and all who around is it at that for the core of Jesus's teachings as he taught the Old Testament when he was asked by The Scribe, what's the greatest of The Commandments? Basically, how would you sum up all the teachings of God? It's love God love your neighbor. It's love the Lord God with all your heart mind soul and strength like Deuteronomy says love him to serve your lord your God with all your heart and all your soul. And then Jesus also says the second commandment is like it it's loving your neighbor as yourself. It's doing justice. As God does Justice God wants us to walk and faithful in this and today. James is going to lay a devastating sentence on those who would live without thought for God the arrogant. Or thought for the good of their neighbor the rich and the proud. I'm going to read through James 4 and starting verse 13 and go all the way through James 5:6. You got a Bible. Go ahead open that up. You going to need it today as you will every week when you gather with us at Veritas Church full of the Bible. We normally regularly preached through books to buy with the primary way that we preach and teach the word Hears by walking through scripture together. And so if you need a Bible, there's a blue hardback ones the back of right hand corner of the room back there. If you don't have a Bible man keep that thing that you pick up today. We love the Bible and we want you to have one. You want you to prize the word of God word of God highly as we do. All right, so James 4 James is going to have some really harsh words for us is going to beat us up again. All right, here we go. James 4 verse 13 come now. You say today or tomorrow? We will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit. Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life for you or a missed? It appears for a little time and then vanishes instead you ought to say if the Lord Wills we will live and do this or that as it is you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it for him. It is sin.

Come now you rich is that ass again weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you your riches have rotted in your garments are moth eaten your gold in your silver have corroded in there corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You've laid up treasure in the last days. Behold the wages of the laborers who mowed your Fields what you kept by fraud are crying out against you and the cries of the Harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You have lived on the earth and luxury and self-indulgence you a fat in your hearts in a day of Slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you.

Forget and ask God for help grace and mercy as we approach these words from James.

Gabby come again to you today.

Asking for your help as we approach your words. Give us eyes to see rightly this morning these words from James. Spirit giveth ears to hear clearly what you have for us. Let us. Be wounded wear appropriate so that we may be further healed by the goodness and grace and mercy of your gospel. May we see our broken state for what it is so that we may go to the Wellspring of life, which is you Jesus and thirst no more. May we exchange going to call us to do lay up treasure for ourselves in heaven as we seek are all and you God and loving you with all of ourselves and loving our neighbor as ourselves. Got to pray would we be reminded in all of this. Jesus you are our righteousness. There's nothing that we could do was no good act that we could do that would earn our Salvation before you guys but there's only one whose live righteously in its you Jesus, but just remember the mercy and Grace that you offer freely today. It's your name we pray. Amen. All right. So James has a harsh heavy word and we're going to see four main things in the text today. The first thing we're going to see in the text today is that James wants us to never think that we're in control James is like don't ever think you're in control. Number one second think we're going to see don't trust in your things you things are going to fail you. Don't trust in them. And James is going to make sure that we know that again and again thirdly it matters what we do with our stuff that means our money or possessions all the things that we have it matters what we do with those things and forcefully it matters how we treat others because God cares about that a lot. So, let's Dive Right In to the beginning of James chapter 4 verse 13 James. It's telling us.

You're boasting in yourself if you think that you're in control. That type of thinking that type of boasting is evil. Our first thought is Harsh much James. I mean, come on man. You call this thing evil, you know having plans know James is going to make sure that don't ever think you're in control, but James is not condemning planning here. He is condemning the type of planning that doesn't have at its focus what God would desire remember back to Deuteronomy with me where God's Mo his desire for us is that we would love him with all our heart soul mind and strength. So if we make plans in our own wisdom, Not Consulting got not bringing those plans before God those plants are ultimately wrong because we have not submitted them to God verse 15 James to submit an answer for us. What we do instead of AR-15 James says instead you ought to say if the Lord Wills we will do this or that see what James calls planning without God's desires and mine because it arrogant boasting all throughout the letter of James is he again and again and again for those who are arrogant and prideful and proud of their own efforts and James laid the hammer on those dude every single time. Remember what we talked about last week in Chapter 4 Verse 6 if you leave your and if you got a Bible and look on the page in first six of chapter 4 he says but he gives more grace. I think we're being asked to therefore. It says God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. This is who God is pleased with this is the type of followers that are truly after him. It's those who are humble those who realize and display their need for him. That is who God is looking for he's opposed to the proud would say in their own plans. We're going to do this or that and I'm in the game these things for myself. And he gives Grace to those who in humility submit to him this past Thursday night and in our community group still a community group leader right now of a group of individuals another guy in that group. We were talking about this passage and what it's kind of like and he said it's kind of like this. It's like you got this is Major decision in your life where you need to make a major purchase or make a huge decision to think like a relationship. Like should I get into this relationship or buying a car or house or something like that instead of submitting. Should I engage in this and Consulting? Like is this right? Is it good of the Holy, is it a wise use to my resources and submitting that before God we're asking God. What color hair should I get what color car should I get we're asking God to bless a superficial decision that we've already made in our own minds. We're not actually submitting our plans before God. We're asking him to bless a solution that we've already come up with ourselves. Keep this is the opposite of humility before God humility before God. Does this humility before God is humbly admitting that God is in control of all things and acting accordingly. T James reminds us that we are a Mist in verse 14. Literally we do not last what is our life is short and he got better older. You're starting to realize man. This body is like breaking one of her Elders went on a hike with his grandchildren yesterday. And his wife was telling me about like me Jose knee is hurting today. You start realize your body starts breaking down. Once those things start happening to you. You start realizing your life is a vapor it sure. It's not going to last long. So we can't go sticker on accomplishments. We can't boast and look at our things and say we would have gained for myself. We cannot do that. We recognize the futility of boasting in our compliments. Our accomplishments see our accomplishment accomplishments will be forgotten. All the awards all the things you put on your chest will be forgotten all the trophies that you've earned that high school championship your football team one will burn. It will be forgotten Psalm 127 verse 1 says this unless the Lord builds the house those who labor.

What's the Lord builds the house those who build it labor in vain? Unless the Lord watches over the city The Watchman stays awake in vain see our actions if aren't led by and in accordance with what God love with God is about our futile the worthless. They won't last. And so what I want us to do and I want you to see that what James is doing here. He's not wanting you to get yourself wrapped up in a frenzy. He's not wanting you to start treating it. What kind of what decision to make I don't need to make any decisions and you start treating Godlike Google Maps then I done it before you start treating the Holy Spirit like your personal GPS take a left here like every single thing you feel like you're immobilized by fear that God's going to judge, you know. You don't let humility lead to inaction humility. Looks like this. It looks like 417 look down at James 4 verse 17, so Whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it for him. It is sin. See we are not to be paralyzed by fear that God will be displeased there every action what we do is we get to know Jesus we get to know what God loves through his word. We see what Jesus did and how he blessed and will have what he did and why he did it and we get to know Jesus we act accordingly. We would build confidence in God that our actions are in a quart of the will of God because we have been with Jesus. We get to know Jesus eat a lot of us get focused on one of two types of sin there two types of sand are there types of sin that you do by committing an action? It's things that you do like you do a bad thing in this consequence of the action right send then there's other types of sin the send out of note, you know, the right thing to do yet failed to do it. James is saying that thing to send to those things are called sins of commission. Once that you actually commit that you do then sins of omission send that you actually just don't do the thing that you're supposed to be doing, you know is right both of those are sin. She might be here today. You thinking well, I'm not doing any bad things. You know, I'm just trying my best trying to I don't you know, I try to just not do any bad things is that is going to wrong the people around me. Whatever. God bless you, please with me James doesn't let us go there. He makes us ask the question. What are we neglecting? What are we failing to do? How are we failing our neighbor? How are we feeling ourselves? Even what things are we neglecting to do? Those things for us are still sent. We can continue on in the next session. We're James Blaze into the rich apparently of his hears. You expect that some of these people be rich and some will be poor and is really harsh words for those who are rich. This can be summed up in the phrase. Don't trust your things. Don't trust the things your stuff will lose its appeal and eventually testify against you later in the Judgment when Jesus comes James 5 verse 1

Come now you rich week and how for the miseries that are coming up on you your riches have rotted in your garments are moth eaten your gold and silver have corroded in there corrosion will be evidence against you eat your flashlight fire. You have laid up treasure in the bath last days, but hold the wages of the laborers who mowed your Fields, but you kept back by fraud or crying out against you the cries of the Harvesters and reach the ears the Lord of hosts. C James the same there is no lasting benefit to being rich. You cannot take your riches to the Grave with you. You will passed away and your riches remain here. Can take them with you Richard Stan even as a witness against you later before God and the Judgment. So James is forcing us to ask the question. Who is the richest Among Us. Who is the rich? James is recalling what Jesus taught on the sermon amount here. You got to see that James is not just pulling the stuff out of thin there. He is calling us back to think of the teachings of Jesus with the rich and the poor his teachings on righteousness and goodness. In Luke 6:24. Jesus says this but woe to you who are rich for you have received your consolation the same type of wording in James. 5:1 says come now you rich that's like a sarcastic statement saying like come now, you know, what's about to happen? I'm about to lay the hammer on you. This is a condemnation upon the rich. Jesus says this right after in that Luke 24 pass that he says woe to the rich for you've received your consolation right after pronouncing blessing on who the poor the poor will receive the kingdom the rich are those who are satisfied with Earthly things. See the ones whom God pronounces blessing or the ones who cannot be satisfied with Earthly thing, but only with God himself think that to Deuteronomy 10 again with me. What is it? What did god require of us looking for an us? Love him to seek our all in him to be ultimately satisfied in him. See if we find our satisfaction in Earthly things if we can be satisfied of things of in the things of Earth those will be the only things that satisfy us. We will receive a consolation now rather than later. See you might be asking yourself. The question. Does God want me to be happy or maybe you're in here, you're not a follower of Jesus. You're thinking man of God that doesn't want them to be happy that said this a real question and I feel like a lot of times. We just leave those questions off that just wants us to be. Joyously obedient, right? That's what God wants obedience. No. Throw that out the window. God want your joy to be totally wrapped up in following him. He wants your happiness to be found completely in ultimately in being satisfied only in him. See Jesus is the fount of every blessing leasing Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing. We were actually mean those words that Jesus. We are all satisfying desire. But if we are satisfied with things of Earth with Earthly riches with Earthly Goods, we will not be able to find our satisfaction in Jesus see the evidence by their luxurious and self-indulgent living their evidence by the recording of the riches laying up your treasure is the the phrase that uses in first for you have laid up your treasure in the last days. The treasure these riches were gained by either the neglect of the poor. fighter defrauding them getting richest gaming from the poor or by neglecting them.

According to the global rich list. This is a website that you can go to go home and look this up later globalrichlist.com. A resource is a resource on income disparity. You can put your annual salary in there and see where you rank on a worldwide scale as far as wage earnings like where you rank as richest person in the world. I was like I did last night was like 80 82 million or something like that some like that. If you make an annual income of if you have an annual income of over $32,000 a year US Dollars the place you in the top 1% of wage earners globally. That's staggering you make over $32,000 a year. You're in this room live in America richest country on the planet. You're the top 1% of age wage earners on the planet. Minot fuel Rich feel like you're swimming and luxury and self-indulgent living. But what James is making a faces, do you feel the warnings of the rich in scripture apply to you? You feel like that's the section scripture that you can pass over. You don't have to worry about that. And I watch hard and know that some of us I'm not trying to condemn. Some of us are in Desperate situations here in this room.

But while we may not blatantly defraud others, do we not live in relative luxury and relative Self Indulgence? So we have to ask this question. What are the areas of my life in which material is materialism may have taken root. Where do I trust in my things? More than actually trust in Jesus. Where do I trust my stuff and for some of us it's in a weird legitimately struggle with dealing with greed. We literally want to hire dollar sign in our bank account so that we can have a hard dollar sign than other people around us. It's just you know, like a man thing and I'm bringing home the bacon like there's that side of it for some of us and then there's other stuff s dollar sign equal protection for us. They've been mean man. I want to be able to send my kids to college and we give him a better life than I got straight like I did. To treat our money we worship it as security. Are we going to God for protection? Do we look to God for Protection security do we look hard money stuff? Does your identity come by the type of car you drive type of house you live in? The type of badge do you wear? Where is your identity firmly rooted in the identity that God freely given you in Jesus? You couldn't have a higher status with the king of the universe if you are in Christ beloved Son opted daughter. Do you not realize you will inherit all riches in Jesus every bit of the wealth of Heaven at your disposal as a son or daughter of God? Is the inheritance we have to look forward to.

We need to pause here for a moment. I know that this is the landing heavy on a lot of us cuz we see ourselves and the rich man. We see ourselves in the innocent poor being condemned and murdered by the rich suffering at the hands of the rich.

We need to remember that following Jesus is hard. That the gospel is hard to believe all the time. We need to remember that Jesus was obedient perfectly in our place for all of us rich poor. Whatever status God sees us as righteous to Jesus's perfect generosity. Jesus did not have to give he didn't he didn't have to give even of himself. But Jesus gave everything even his own body for us so that we would be given everything that he rightly deserves. Jesus only deserve the acceptance and love of God. He only lived a life of perfect righteousness before God deserving the love of God the adoption of God and that status of the Sun. See now as followers of Jesus with that as our identity all of us were followers of Jesus. We now have freedom to live outside of the law because it's not beat it saves us rather Jesus's give outside of the law because it's Jesus's hear these words of Jesus in Luke 12 to his disciples read these words as they come up on the screen fear not little flock. It is your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Those are sweet words coming from the mouth of Jesus. fear not my little ones my little flock of shepherding you for your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. He's going to give us the kingdom. Then Jesus. He gently reminded us of what coming for us the inheritance that we have in him. So he says tell your possessions give to the needy provide yourselves with money bags that don't grow old with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail with no fee for approaches and no mop destroys. Diversity for where your treasure is there. Will your heart be also? Church is your treasure in God? Is he the one that you desire above all things? Are you loving him all your heart and all your mind your soul and your strength? Is he the one that you desire? You won't be able to love your neighbor as yourself if you do not love God with your whole heart.

This is what Jesus wants for us. But Jesus is inviting us into everything by losing it all here every thing in Jesus by losing your Earthly possessions here. Jesus James, they're all saying it matters what we do with our stuff. It matters what we do with our stuff. Did Jesus want us to notice and James wants us to notice and slowly. We began to realize that James isn't condemning the rich for being rich. He's not going to condemn us just because we've been born in a particular place and then we've got dollar signs in our bank account. He's going to condemn the rich for using their money and stuff selfishly. Just as he has in the rest of the Book of James if you're arrogant, if you're proud you begin to use your stuff and see that it's in is just for you. That is very kind of nation comes because that's not living as Jesus wants us to in James 5:5. Jane says you talkin to the rich have lived on the earth and luxury and self-indulgence. This defines the rich totally. What James is implying?

Is that we should instead use our well use our stuff for the good of others rather than seeing or well as a means to boast or a way to protect ourselves James proclaimed the worthlessness of riches the worthlessness of our stuff. He does not proclaim the worthlessness of the rich. God has incredible plans for the rich they play a vital role in his kingdom. They have always just think about the early church. And the precious Saints in the eyes of God that kept that church running that's 3,000 convert 1 day. Do you think the majority of those people were rich? I know the majority were probably very poor the first major problems. They had in the churches that people are being left out of the distribution of daily food for the people. No blessed Saints in that first church communion. There always has been in God's family that have been gifted. to bless gifted and interested in order to bless it matters what we do with our stuff Paul and 1st Timothy 6 says to the rich he is writing specifically to the rich and 1st Timothy 6 as for the rich in this present age charge them not to be haughty or the set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches but only God richly provides us with everything to enjoy default word play here The rich are provided all that they have by God. He's provided all of us richly with everything to enjoy and verse 18 McCall to do something with it there to do good to be rich and good works to be generous and ready to share and inverse 19 the storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation to the Future so that they may take hold of which is truly life. See you see James singing condemning the rich for using the riches on themselves. You see Jesus teaching sell your possession game for yourself. Lay up Treasures in Heaven. Don't be like the rich laying up Earthly treasure for yourself. Provide for yourself money bag that can't be taken away. They can't rot that can't be moth-eaten and Tall right the same here store up for yourselves. In heaven a good foundation for the future so that you may take hold of which of is truly life. Only one who can grant life is God. The only one who can give life is God. So we asked the question this morning, what do we do with our stuff? There's two things. I want to encourage us to do with our things. The first is see it as God's your stuff is not your own. We look out later on today and your drive when you see that car think that's God's car. We drive home up to your house think that's God's house when you look at your bank account. See those are God dollars. When you see things for what they rightly are hard to worship it. Easy to worship your things and you're not thinking of them right way, but we don't bow down to our stuff the bed onto God will see everything that God has given us at the rightly is it is God's stuff second. We use our stuff we use our money. We use our things to bless others. My wife said when we bought our kitchen table that this is God's table. We went to the store. We picked it out. We got a little wooden bench to go on the side of and we thought this is God's table because God going to bring people at this table to be disciple around this table. We're going to pray to Jesus with our kids around this table. This table is going to be used for the furthering of the gospel and you think of all of your things that way we use our stuff to bless others. So as an expert ation, give your stuff away.

All of the money that you've been entrusted with by God his gods. Act according you look to Jesus with your money. You look to God with your stuff all that stuff that you have. You don't need all of it. I want it you don't need it. What things can you blast with we treat our money and our things and opportunities to bless and demonstrate our faith in Jesus as Paul writes to Timothy the rich with us. We're do good the rich and good works to be generous and ready to share. That's what we do. I want to make light that there are people in this room that have suffered loss great loss. Some of us have lost many things at the hands of natural disaster or the hands of the wicked or whatever. A lot of people Eastern or half of North Carolina with devastated from Hurricane Florence see the reason why all of this is important if you're in here or not, you're not a follower of Jesus. This is important to us because when the hurricane hit When that fire comes and destroys your entire home.

stock market crashes You lose all your money and all of your Investments. If those things were to happen would God if God took everything from you would he take your joy?

Is your joy wrapped up in your possession that your joy wrapped up in your saying that your joy wrapped up in your money?

Pray, it's not true. Pray that Jesus would make us into a people who have our identity so wrapped around having him and only being satisfied in God that we use our things to the good of others. See it matters how we treat others and James is going to make sure we know that as well the rich in this scenario are just rotting the poor. They're actually that the poor are crying out to God and God hears their cries. Do you remember what we talked about at the very beginning God's Mission at his main goal is we love him and love our neighbor the meaning of us. Ask the question who our neighbor is in the answer is everyone God is put around us that has a heart specifically there for the poor in the disadvantaged. You look back at first for a change 5 to behold the way to the laborers Moser field. If you kept back by fraud or crying out against you in the cries of the Harvesters, I've reached the ears of the Lord of hosts the God hears the cries of Injustice and he will send his wrath against it. You suffered unjustly God hears your prayers. He hears your cries. The God will bring judgement on them the rich for how they treated the poor. This is why it's important for us as followers of Jesus to not only treat others with respect. That are our peers, but Austin to speak the good of those who are less fortunate than us. We are to do good that were the spot where to do justice as the Lord does Justice. Tim Keller writes this about Justice rectifying justice or Mich pot in our world could mean Prosecuting The Men Who batter exploit and Rob for women. Dawson mean respectfully putting pressure on local police department. So they respond to the calls of crimes as quickly in the poor part of town as in the prosperous part. Another example would be the foreman organization that both prosecutes and seeks Justice against loan companies that prey on the poor and elderly with dishonest and exploited practices. See we seek the good as followers of Jesus the most vulnerable. The ones who society says that they're the lowest. Hardest to actually care for we remember. Because God all people were created in the image of God all people of all Races and backgrounds and religions and Country and political parties are image bearers of God and our do dignity and respect. And we should seek the flourishing of them all because God does. This is one of the primary means others will see the gospel demonstrated in our lives. We remember James again. Faith without works is dead. We cannot just say that yeah, that's the I agree with that. I agree with that statement. We must do something about this. We must ask the question. What does caring for the vulnerable look like in my life?

cutest Is it caring for the Widow on your street? Is it adopting or fostering orphans in the city? Is it defending the cause of immigrants in this country? Is it giving to the poor in our city? Is it seeking the good of the refugee the migrant worker in the homeless? Maybe it's sacrificing your time to befriend a single parent or serve the mentally handicapped or visit the elderly in your neighborhood.

See we're going to fail in all of this and I don't want us to feel condemned by all of the pressures. That we see the scripture and hear me say today. God loves as we try to follow Jesus, he loves to see us feebly trying to follow him. He is not mad enough when we do it like Che Cali and not really know what we're doing. It's like a kid might might might my youngest I remember learning to walk. And when keep started to learn to walk and he was stumbling fault. I didn't get mad at him because he fell it's just excited that he was trying to walk to Daddy. I was excited that he wanted to call me. One of the following makes you wanted to do what I was doing. God is the same with us. Jesus is patient and merciful and gracious and slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. We need to remember again. Jesus gave everything he was ultimately generous he get did justice for all of us on the cross and gave even himself for us that we would be given everything that he rightly deserves acceptance love and adoption. And in that identity. We do justice we care for others. We don't boast in our own arrogance would look to God in all things. Keep her stuff away because the gospel we use what we have what gods gifted us to bless others. And pray for us and I'm going to spawn to this truth together.

Lord Jesus I'm grateful for the ways that you

showing your grace and your kindness that you do not demand all these things of us. and yet don't walk Faithfully in these things yourself. You call us to Grace you call us to Justice and mercy because you are a God of Justice and mercy, you've shown us your faithfulness in all of your scriptures.

Jesus you walk the path that we should walk you not going to call us to a faithfulness that you're not going to demonstrate for us.

God help us to repent where we need to this morning for those of us.

No, we are the rich man. Help us leave our riches in our grasp on what we have loosen our grip on this Earthly thing so that we might take hold of what is truly life. In you Jesus loving you with all of our selves Lord Jesus for hard hearts in the strain this morning. May they be soft and see you as ultimate as all satisfy everything we could ever want Jesus.

You truly are and it's in your name. We pray in them.

We're about to go to the table together this morning. And I'm not sure what's going on in your heart. But I know that in wrestling through this text this week at times it felt like I was I've been I'd gone through like the carwash. I've been beaten up and I didn't know what to feel. See we need to be reminded that Jesus is righteousness is enough and that we are empowered by the spirit in order to be obedient that we can never muster up enough good like wants and us to make ourselves righteous before God. We are reminded today again. We need the table. We need to be reminded that Jesus went to the Cross live perfectly throughout his body was broken for us and we even participated in that but that's good news for us because in that he bought us life. So not just some of us today all of us need the good news of the Gospel all of us need the table. And as you go to the table and remember that your brother and sister are coming to the table with you doing here. You're not a follower of Jesus. I just want to say Don't come to the table. If you're not a follower of Jesus instead. Jesus is offering. You himself engaged within today. He wants to meet with you if you wants to engage with you just open your mouth and talk with God. He Faithful and just to forgive those who humbly come before it. We're also going to get together. We all have a role to play in the Kingdom. Rich for all of us we get to use what God has given us to bless. Just like the woman if you only gave a couple pennies. We use our stuff for the good of others. We blessed with what God has given us. And so we when we get we go to church too blessed Church planners through Acts 29 and that organizations that your money goes to blessed the continuing of the preaching the gospel here at Veritas Inn in Fayetteville. We remember their blessing goes to bless others. Just like the Arrogant man. Don't think about don't just give mine. Let's play this morning. God want your joy in your giving. Bring this before God asked God. How can I bless today? God loves a cheerful Giver. He wants to meet you even in that with joy. I'm going to sing today. We're going to respond with all of ourselves. The most repeated command in scriptures to sing to God it's so that we were reminded of his goodness and our dependence on God, but with us singing in our neighbor singing beside of us, but staying as we go to the table to stand with me. Sing as you go to the table together.