I ended Sunday’s sermon with six ‘gospel-centered’ principles that will help us fight against the relentless pull of seeking wealth or material comfort (the larger point of James stark warning in James 5.1-6). I mentioned that those principles deal more with attitude than action realizing that attitude guides action.
The principles were meant to help us answer the question, what is God’s (general) will regarding wealth and/or the pursuit of material gain?
Here are those principles, again, for your further reflection. (I use the term “money” as a catch-all term for “wealth/material gain”.) (I invite you to read the supporting verse(s) to help you get a biblical background for where I came up with each principle.):
1. See that your money is really God’s money (Ps 50.10-11)
2. Remember, the 1st priority for money is to bring glory to God (1 Cor 10.31)
3. Realize that money is God’s good gift & blessing to you (James 1.17)
4. Understand that money is one way that God provides for your needs (Phil 4.19)
5. See money as a means to generously invest in God’s kingdom work (Mal 3.10; 1 Cor 16.2; 2 Cor 8-9)
6. Use the way you treat money as your testimony to the greater treasure of the gospel: Jesus is great prize of life (Matt 13.44-46)
Time did not permit me to cover one more way I think we can apply what we learned from James in 5.1-6 . . . here’s another question to help us embrace James’ teaching in the context of s 21st century American Christian:
Question: How can we fight the ever-nudging desire to “want more”? Answer: Realize this question (like every matter in the believer’s life) is really a question about the gospel.
The gospel perspective on that question would go something like this: If I trust in the sufficiency of God in giving Christ for my soul, shouldn’t I trust Him to provide for all of my other needs? Or, a shorter way of asking the question: am I finding God sufficient in all things? The Bible offers these answers/reminders (there are more):
Rom 8.32: He who gave His own son, will He not graciously give us all things – in & thru Christ
John 10.10: The thief (in this context, our attitude about wealth) comes to steal, kill, destroy; came to give abundant life.
(Our attitude about wealth can become a “taking” attitude, instead of a “receiving” (a good gift from God) attitude.)
Phil 4.19: God will supply every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus
This is a question about the gospel, because – (only) in Jesus – does every promise of God finds it’s ultimate “yes & amen” (2 Cor 1.20). This is also a question about the gospel, because it is the gospel that reminds us God is ever-faithful in doing good for His children, no matter our financial status (Rom 8.28).
The central thought from yesterday’s sermon was this: Wealth and the pursuit of material comfort are an ever-present danger for American Christians. (Shorter version: wealth is dangerous.) Working from that thought, I led into our time of reflection and invitation with this comment (drawn from Jas 5.4): “Our financial practices will testify about us before God.” So, as we read and reflect on James 5.1-6, we must ask: “will my financial practices be a witness for me or against me in the last days”?
I am grateful for the general generosity of the saints at Harrison Hills. In my gratitude I am praying that all of us will earnestly seek to ensure that our financial practices will testify for our love for God. And, that’s one more thing from Sunday’s sermon that I wanted to share in order to encourage you and equip you in your faith. I hope it will encourage you this week (and every week) to remember that I am praying for you and with you in the journey of finding God sufficient in all things.
Pastor Gary