Thank you for taking the time to read the sermon this week. I thank the Lord for giving me the opportunity to post this sermon. I hope and pray that you are all in good health and doing well.
Today, we are going to deal with a controversial topic from the book of James. As we go through the book of James, you will see that James doesn't have a lot that is good to say about those whom he considers to be rich. In fact, you will find that rich people don't come off well in most of the New Testament. Jesus said that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into heaven. He also told the parable of a rich fool who had full barns. He tore down his barns to build bigger ones. He was called a fool, and his soul was required of him that very night. In addition to this, Jesus warns us not to build up for ourselves treasures on earth. Jesus tells us that we cannot serve both God and money.
Probably the most well-known instance when Jesus spoke about the rich man was in His parable of the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man ended up in hell while Lazarus found comfort in Abraham's bosom after a life of suffering.
In our reading today, James begins in verse nine by telling the believer in humble circumstances to take pride in their high position. The point that James is making is that a person's position as viewed by this world is not what is important to the Lord Jesus. A person might be in dire poverty, but if that person has a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, that person has an ultimate and eternal position that is much higher than the richest person living on the earth at this time or any other time. Of course, this is what Jesus was getting at in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus.
In Jesus day, the religious leaders viewed wealth as a sign of God's favor and poverty as a sign of God's disfavor. Nothing can be farther from the truth. Man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on what is in a person's heart.
James tells us in verses 10 and 11 that the rich are like flowers and plants that will pass away in the burning heat. They will fade away, and their riches will not follow them in death. Riches are temporal, and only what is of eternal value will last forever.
So, we need to ask a couple of questions. First of all, why are James and Jesus down on the rich and riches? Here is my belief. Jesus taught us that we are to live in an honest and forthright manner. Part of that is taking care of others and meeting the needs of the least of those among us. Later we will see that James says that true religion involves helping the most vulnerable members of society.
People that are extremely wealthy have often, not always, obtained their wealth through some type of exploitation. This often takes the form of not paying those that work for them a living wage. It can also take the form of not following proper environmental and health regulations. Much of the wealth in this world has been obtained by people through improper means. Of course, Jesus would be opposed to this as would James.
Here is more to why I believe that Jesus and James are critical of the rich. There is so much need in this world, how can a person who has so much not give much to help alleviate the problems in this world. Now, I know that some multi-billionaires are major philanthropists. However, what they give is little when you compare it to what they have. How can someone spend a great deal on oneself when they have the means to alleviate so much suffering in the world? A person who has abundant wealth and keeps spending more and more on him or herself instead of helping others is not living up to the ideas, values and teachings of Jesus.
This leads us to another question. What constitutes rich according to Jesus and James? This is a hard thing to answer. This is my opinion. If a person has enough to eat, clothes to wear and a few nice things, that is more than enough. The accumulation of more and more things at the expense of helping others then becomes difficult to justify. Now, this is my understanding. The Bible presents no hard and fast rule about this. The teachings of Jesus and James do make it clear that the believer is to use his or her resources to make a difference in the world and to help make this world a better place. Jesus and James both focus on the fact that riches are passing away, and a person is making a grave mistake by concentrating his or her efforts on the accumulation of riches that are soon to pass away.
The most important thing that we can do in life is to trust in Jesus and help others. If we do that, we are honoring and pleasing the one who loved us and died for us. Amen.
Prayer Requests
This week, the forecast is for arctic temperatures where I live. Please pray that my car will start so I can get to work. Thank you.
I have something to thank the Lord for. My nephew's wife has been very sick and in the hospital. She is now out of the hospital and doing better. Thanks be to God.
Please continue to pray for an end to the coronavirus pandemic. Pray that people will receive the vaccine in a timely manner. Pray that those who are sick will recover.
Continue to pray for peace. Pray for peace in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Libya and Somalia.
For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those in Comoros and India. Pray that many will come to know Jesus.
Next week, we will continue our study in the book of James. I will post the message on Friday. On Monday, I will post the verses. I will post a review on Wednesday. May God bless you all.
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