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The Power of Prayer!

by Pastor Pete • on 9:49 PM • in James

James 5:13-20

Intro:

James ends his EPISTLE with – PRAYER

He begins with a series of QUESTIONS, all dealing with PRAYER…

1^st of all, James asks:

James 5:13

13a Is anyone among you suffering?

The Word for suffering here is actually the word ‘AFFLICTION’

“To suffer evil affliction; or, to be AFFLICTED by evil”

Back in JAMES 5:10, James talked about –

The prophets SUFFERING AFFLICTION

“Suffering AFFLICTION is often the direct result of following Christ”

The Apostle Paul also spoke of SUFFERING from AFFLICTION:

2 Timothy 2:8-13

Remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel, 9 for which I suffer trouble as an evildoer, even to the point of chains; but the word of God is not chained.

2 Timothy 1:8

“…do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me – in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God,

We are to ENDURE———to SUSTAIN AFFLICTION

2 Timothy 2:3-4

You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

Paul in his FINAL WORDS to TIMOTHY exhorted him in –

2 Timothy 4:5

… be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

How often we feel like GIVING UP in the midst of AFFLICTION?!

But James says:

If you are suffering from AFFLICTION…what are we to do???

13b Let him pray.

How do we ATTAIN VICTORY in the MIDST of SUFFERING?

Go out to EAT?

Go to a MOVIE/ entertainment?

Get DRUNK or take DRUGS?

Go on VACATION?

Call a FRIEND?!

WORRY?!

GOD has a BUILT IN key to VICTORY in our SUFFERINGS — IT’S CALLED PRAYER!!!!

What is OFTEN times the LAST thing we do WHEN we are suffering? ——— Pray!!!! Right?!!!

Why WORRY when we can PRAY? Yet we often think:

Why PRAY when I can WORRY?!

WORRY is SO PRODUCTIVE isn’t it?!

Which of you by worrying can change a single thing?!

Most often what we do is TRY EVERYTHING else 1^ST!

THEN, if none of our other remedies work, we say…

“I Might as well PRAY, everything else FAILED”

Ephesians 6:10-18

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,

15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.

17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;

18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints–

The TOOL over all AFFLICTION is ALWAYS the – POWER OF PRAYER!!!!!!

Are you suffering AFFLICTION this morning?

What should you do?

PRAY……WITHOUT…..CEASING…….

The next QUESTION JAMES asks is:

13c Is anyone cheerful?

Or HAPPY?!

Somebody once said:

“We’re either in a trial, coming out of a trial, or getting ready to go into trial.”

Maybe you’re NOT SUFFERING this morning?

Maybe you’re HAPPY?!

That’s a GOOD THING, RIGHT?!

What’s the CONTINUED REMEDY for JOY?

13d Let him sing psalms.

SINGING the PSALMS!

There is something about SINGING GODS Word!

Other music can be enjoyable, but PRAISE N WORSHIP in times of joy!!!!

Singing God’s Precious PROMISES back to HIM!

PRAISE and WORSHIPPING the LORD!!!

Music has TREMENDOUS POWER to MOVE us!!!!

When we SING God’s Word, we are making a DECLARATION of FAITH!

“Lord, this is what I believe!”

When we are in times of JOY………SING PRAISES!!!

Somebody once pointed out that 2 of the GREATEST GIFTS ignored in the CHURCH today are:

PRAYER and PRAISE!!!!

SO OFTEN…

When we’re HURTING, we DON’T pray like we should…

And when we’re JOY filled, we don’t PRAISE the LORD like we should!!!!

How OFTEN God answers our PRAYERS and yet in our JOY we FORGET our need to PRAISE HIM?!

I think of the 10 LEPERS Jesus healed and only ONE returned to PRAISE Him! Jesus said, we’re not there 10 of you? What happened to the other 9?

Sometimes the hardest time to seek the LORD is when times are GOOD; and I think that God often has allow the trials to get us back to PRAYER?!

But OH HOW GOOD IT is to be a PRAYING CHRISTIAN…..BEFORE the trials set in?!

If we want to live in CONSTANT VICTORY then we need to be on our KNEES in PRAYER; or on our TIP TOES in PRAISE!!!!!

RIGHT?!

When you’re HURTING;

* The way back to the KINGDOM is through PRAYER

When we are JOY FILLED;

* The way to WALK in VICTORY is through constant PRAISE!!!!

I would even recommend that PRAISING GOD through PRAYER will soften your SUFFERING

“I’m HURTING, but I’m going to COME TO GOD with a heart of THANKSGIVING and PRAISE!”

“Well, I don’t FEEL like PRAISING God…”

“Well then what you need to do is PRAISE GOD until you are filled with JOY!”

Hebrews 13:15

Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.

The reason GOD calls it a ‘SACRIFICE of PRAISE’ is because it COSTS us something!

It’s HARD to PRAISE GOD when we are:

Depressed - Discouraged – Despairing

But the KEY TO VICTORY over DEPRESSION; DISCOURAGEMENT and DESPAIR is to——–

Simply begin to THANK GOD———–PRAISE HIM!

Now we’re NOT PRAISING God because we LOVE our CIRCUMSTANCES, but we are PRAISING Him because we TRUST Him and He tells us in His word to PRAISE HIM!

To PRAISE the LORD in a time of DESPAIR is an ACT OF FAITH!!!!

Do you want to DEMONSTRATE your FAITH through a TRIAL?

Then PRAISE GOD! When the ENEMY is EXPECTING us to DESPAIR and be DISCOURAGED, PRAISE God and watch your life TURN AROUND!

When we DON’T FEEL like praising God through a trial, and yet we do; eventually our TRIALS TURN AROUND and our hearts are FILLED with JOY!

The only thing worse than most of our TRIALS, are the FEELINGS of:

* Despair; Discouragement and Desperation we often feel!

BUT! We must remember that our EMOTIONS are just EMOTIONS

We cannot base TRUTH on our FEELINGS!

LET ME ASK YOU:

Is God any less in control when we are DEPRESSED than when we are CHEERFUL? Not hardly!

The key here is to realize that God has already provided the NECESSARY ingredients for VICTORY…

NO MATTER WHAT we are facing—

* GOOD times and HARD times—

* God is always there!

Maybe today you’re NOT SUFFERING or CHEERFUL;

* Maybe your HEALTH isn’t WELL?

14a Is anyone among you sick?

‘SICK’ : “Without strength; powerless; sick. to be weak, spiritually as in faith”

14b Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.

What does the Bible tell us to do if there are any sick among us?

*STRESSED out?

Be filled with FEAR?

Be ANXIOUS?

I love it that that BIBLE gives us HOPE, even in our SICKNESS!!!

NOTICE here what James says:

WHO IS RESPONSIBLE to call for the ELDERS?———The SICK person, right?!

Too often we’ve had sick people in the hospital get back to church and they are all offended that nobody came to see them or pray over them…

BUT, if you’re sick and you DON’T TELL anyone, nobody will know.

There is a 2 PART relationship here:

#1. The SICK must call the ELDERS

#2. The ELDERS must PRAY and ANOINT the sick with OIL

#3. In that, God assumes the ANSWER to HEAL or not to HEAL

Sadly many MINISTRIES today do not believe in HEALING;

* They feel that the gift of HEALING went out with the Apostles

* And so they DON’T PRAY for their sick

They say that this refers to SPIRITUAL SICKNESS….I’m going to say YES! I think “sick” ALSO include the SPIRITUALLY SICK…anoint/ pray for them too!

I BELIEVE in the GIFT of HEALING and in the POWER of God!

I believe that GOD STILL HEALS and still does MIRACLES!

God healed me: encephalitis!!!!! (Lady at Church) lump in breast; Many others!!!!

Not that everyone we PRAY for and ANOINT with OIL will be healed;

But if we BY FAITH obey the WORD of God, He’ll do the REST!

Matthew 8:1-3

1 When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him.

2 And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”

3 Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

SOME GOD HEALS, and SOME God DOESN’T heal – and ONLY GOD knows why

2 Corinthians 12:7-10

7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.

8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.

9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Many people say that these verses are a GUARANTEE that if you FOLLOW this ‘FORMULA’ that you are GUARANTEED to be healed; and if you don’t get healed, then:

You LACK FAITH

Or you have SIN in your life

But they fail to understand the GRACE of God

We must simply do what God has called us to do:

#1. If you are SICK – call the Elders

#2. Elders pray and anoint w/ oil

#3. Trust God for His SOVEREIGN answer

15 And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up.

SICK here is different from V13:

“to be weary from constant work, causing physical, spiritual and emotional sickness.

“Weary of mind, which can hider physical recovery.”

The EFFECTUAL – FERVENT PRAYER of a righteous man ACCOMPLISHES MUCH!

It’s our PART to PRAY – and it’s GOD’S PART to RAISE him up

We CAN’T do the work of the LORD, ONLY God can heal – We PRAY and GOD does the WORK

15b And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.

Now there are some sicknesses that are directly attributable to sin

There are certain venereal diseases that are usually contracted through fornication or illicit sexual relationships, and thus there is a direct tie between the sin and the healing.

I think of that man in Mark 2:1-12

There was a man brought to Jesus by his friends, who had palsy

This palsy usually was the result of a syphilis infection

And it was, as the brain was deteriorating, the body began to shake, uncontrollably.

The person sort of began to lose, in the final stages, much of the motor function capacities of the body.

This man was in sort of that final state, the palsy resulting from the infection and his friends brought him to Jesus for healing

And not being able to get into the house, you remember, because of the crowd, they went on the roof. They lifted some tiles and let the man down in his bed with ropes before Jesus.

And Jesus, looking at the man, said, your sins are forgiven

I imagine his buddies on the roof were upset! Lord, we didn’t tear the roof up so you could forgive his sin. We want our buddy to party with us again. We want him healed.

The Pharisees who were there had a very negative reaction. They said who does this man think he is, saying your sins are forgiven? Only God can forgive sin? And they were correct in their assessment. Only God can forgive sins.

And so Jesus was just proving that He was God. He said, what’s easier to say, your sins are forgiven or to rise, take up your bed and walk? Naturally, it’s easier to say, your sins are forgiven.

You know, you could go over to the mall and meet some kook, wild eyed, wearing a robe, going around and saying, your sins are forgiven! That’s easy to say. But you can’t prove it. You can’t show it. You can’t demonstrate it.

So it’s an easy thing to say. But if you say, rise, take up your cot and walk, if the fellow just lies there, you say, no, that guy’s a fraud! But if the guy rises, takes his cot and walks, then you say, oh wait a minute! What’s going on here? There’s power in that man’s word!

So Jesus said, what’s easier to say, your sins are forgiven? Or rise, take up your bed and walk? But that you might know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sin or that you might know that I am God! He then said to the man with the palsy, rise, take up your bed and walk. Now, as far as this man was concerned, who had the palsy, to hear the words, your sins are forgiven. I imagine it caused his heart to leap for joy! Because don’t you know that if you had committed, say the sin of fornication, or you gone to a prostitute, you had contacted syphilis, and you were in the final stages. Of course they didn’t have penicillin and other drugs to treat it in those days, and it went its course until you went insane and died. Don’t you know that as this disease was progressing in his body, that he was tormented and tortured by that experience that he’d had with the prostitute, where he became infected? As he would lie there, day after day, deteriorating, don’t you know that just plagued his mind? Why? How could I have it? That’s was so stupid! Why? Why? Why? It would have just absolutely plagued him. And for Jesus to say, your sin’s are forgiven. This heavy load of guilt, the shame, the disgrace, lifted!

And as David said, oh how happy is the man whose transgression is forgiven, whose sins have been covered!

And so oftentimes in the Scripture, there was a relationship between the sickness and sin.

But that isn’t always so and it is absolutely wrong and ludicrous to make that assumption when a person is sick, that they are suffering as a result of some sin. That it’s some punishment of God for sin in their life.

God help us! If that were so, none of us would be here this morning– We’d all be home sick!!!

16a Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed.

But be careful who you confess them to.

Illustration:

Three pastors had gone on a retreat.

As they were rooming together, they decided, here in James:

1) Confess your faults one to another

2) Pray for one another that you might be healed

The first pastor confessed to a problem with alcohol. And how that he kept a bottle even stashed in his desk at the church. And the real problem that he had with it. The second pastor confessed to a problem that he had with women. He was having an affair. They turned to the third and they said, what about you brother? He said, well, I have a real problem with gossip and I can’t wait to get out of here!

So be careful who you confess to!

And then this glorious promise! This glorious promise—

16b The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

Effective, fervent prayer: “HEART felt PRAYER; The inspired prayer or the prayer of a righteous man wrought by the operation of the Holy Spirit”

The prayer that often rises out of desperation, out of tremendous need. I think, quite often, we’re rather cavalier in our prayer. But it’s the effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man, avails much!

IT’S living a righteous life and PRAYING through our REQUESTS.

Keep on on asking, seeking, knocking !!!!

AVAILS MUCH: Has GREAT EFFECT. Capable of producing GREAT RESULTS!!!

AFFLICTED? pray!!! The Effectual fervent prayer accomplishes MUCH!!! THERE IS POWER IN prayer wrought by the HOLY SPIRIT!

And now to illustrate this—he talks to us about Elijah

17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months.

Elijah was just a PLAIN, ORDINARY person just like us! He wasn’t anything special. He was just an ordinary person with like PASSIONS that we have. That’s what James is telling us here.

Yet he PRAYED EARNESTLY (effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man) that it would not rain

And God withheld the RAIN for 3.5 years!!!

Talk about the POWER of PRAYER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We’re tempted to WRITE it OFF as being ELIJAH;

BUT HE wasn’t anything special!

He had a NATURE just like OURS!!!

Can you begin to see how IMPORTANT & POWERFUL prayer is?!!!

18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.

What was the KEY? PRAYER!The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much…right?!!!

James closes his letter by saying,

19 Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back,

You GO to them; You TALK to them

You PRAY with them; You POINT out where they are going wrong

You TURN them from their ERROR

20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.

Daniel wrote, he that wins souls is wise and shall shine as the stars forever and ever.

James tells you that if you lead a person out of error, one who has strayed from the truth. And another converts him, you’ll save the soul from death, from damnation, and God will wipe away their sins. You cover a multitude of sins.

The blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son,

Cleanses a man from all sins

It covers a multitude of sins.

There is power in prayer and it begins with the prayer of confession and salvation and then followed out by a life lived by faith and daily prayer.

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“Hold On!”

by Pastor Pete • on 12:03 PM • in James

James 5:7-12

Intro:

A. In Verses 1-6, James has just CONDEMNED the THINKING of the WORLD:

• Those who HOARD what God gives them

o Those who FAIL to PAY PROPER WAGES

 Those who LIVE LUXURIOUSLY

• Those who HARM the JUST

B. The SATANIC thinking of the WORLD says:

“I want it ALL and I want it NOW”

3 of Satan’s primary lies state:

#1. “You’re a Christian, so you should never have to suffer”

#2. “You CAN have a covetous heart & it won’t EFFECT you”

#3. “You CAN have it ALL NOW, and you DON’T have to wait”

C. But notice what James says concerning RICHES and the HEAR and NOW…

James 5:7-12

7a Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord.

A. One of the most difficult traits in the world is patience!

1. We all struggle with having patience

‘Patient’ –

1) To be of a long spirit, not to lose heart

*Don’t become discouraged

2) to persevere patiently and bravely in enduring misfortunes and troubles

* Ties into faith, trust in God’s sovereignty

3) to be patient in bearing the offenses and injuries of others and to be mild and slow in avenging

* Give people the benefit of the doubt

4) to be longsuffering, slow to anger, slow to punish

*Suffer-long; submission to what God is doing in your life)

B. WHO is James speaking to?

1. The BRETHREN

2. Us!

3. We are to be PATIENT

4. We are to PATIENTLY ENDURE what God is doing in our lives

C. FOR HOW LONG?

1. Is there a GOAL

2. or are we just HANGING ON without a FOCUS?

D. James says that we are to BE PATIENT —-

‘UNTIL THE COMING OF THE LORD!’

E. What is the ‘COMING of the LORD?’

1. N.T. refers to BOTH:

a. The RAPTURE of the CHURCH

b. The 2ND COMING of CHRIST

F. Here, James is specifically speaking to us concerning:

1. The RAPTURE of the CHURCH

WE ARE NOT TO BE CAUGHT UP IN THE IMMEDIATE & TEMPORAL SATISFACTION FOUND IN THE RICHES OF THIS WORLD, BUT RATHER WE ARE TO PATIENTLY ENDURE THESE HARD TIMES KNOWING THAT THE RAPTURE WILL HAPPEN VERY QUICKLY

F. What is the RAPTURE all about?

1. Paul gives a GREAT picture of it in —

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

13 But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.

14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.

15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.

16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.

17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up (harpazo/TAKE BY FORCE/ RAPTURED…force suddenly exercised) together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.

18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.

G. We are to be PATIENTLY ENDURING the TRIALS of life;

1. NOT caught up in the THINGS of this WORLD

2. But we are to be ‘CAUGHT UP’ in living for Christ

a. Knowing that the RAPTURE is coming

Matthew 24:32-44

32 “Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near.

33 So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near–at the doors!

34 Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.

35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.

36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.

37 But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.

38 For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark,

39 and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.

40 Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left.

41 Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left.

42 Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.

43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.

44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

H. Apostle Peter also wrote concerning the RETURN of Christ in his epistle:

2 Peter 3:1-9

1 Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder),

2 that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior,

3 knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts,

4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.”

5 For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water,

6 by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water.

7 But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

8 But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

I. The ONLY REASON that the LORD tarries in His Return;

1. Is for the sake of the ELECT

a. (the ELECT TO BE)

J. Paul said that he endured all things for the ‘SAKE OF THE ELECT’

We are to be PATIENTLY waiting for the DAY of the LORD; in contrast to the world who is ENGROSSED in the DECEITFULNESS of RICHES.

“You THEREFORE, do not be ENTANGLED with the AFFAIRS of this world, but PATIENTLY ENDURING for the SAKE of the ELECT (those who are yet to be saved)”

SATAN SAYS:

• “WHY ENDURE TRIALS?!”

• “WHY ENDURE HARDSHIPS?”

• “YOU CAN HAVE IT ALL, AND YOU CAN HAVE IT NOW!”

That’s the TEMPTATION he THREW before Christ in the WILDERNESS

Matthew 4:8-11

Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.

9 And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” (You don’t need to go the way of the CROSS…You can have it all, and you can have it now!)

10 Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ”

11 Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.

Satan uses the SAME LIES on us, as he used when tempting the Lord Jesus Christ: “You CAN HAVE the GLORY without the CROSS”

BUT THAT IS A LIE FROM THE PIT OF HELL…

JESUS did not experience the GLORY until AFTER the CROSS

Just as with us…we must SUFFER a while NOW; and we shall be GLORIFIED together with HIM IN the END

We also see this DEMONSTRATED in the life of MOSES:

Hebrews 11:23-27

23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king’s command.

24 By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter,

25 choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin,

26 esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward.

27 By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible.

K. SO JAMES TELLS US BELIEVERS, TO—

‘BE PATIENT’ brethren, until the coming of the LORD—-

7b See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain.

A. When a FARMER PLANTS his seed;

1. He does not go out the next day looking for FRUIT

2. It takes many months for the FRUIT TO APPEAR

B. It’s the SAME TRUTH in our SPIRITUAL LIVES

1. Though we may be in the midst of VERY DIFFICULT times

2. It takes time for God to DEVELOP SPIRITUAL FRUIT in our LIVES!

3. NO FRUIT appears over night

C. Notice here, James refers to the FRUIT as ‘PRECIOUS FRUIT’

1. What is God doing w/in our lives as we PATIENTLY ENDURE…

GOD IS PRODUCING—PRECIOUS FRUIT within our lives!!!!

GOD IS PRODUCING FRUIT…THAT NO MONEY CAN BUY!!!!

That’s the GREATER TREASURE; and that’s why James says “DON’T GET CAUGHT UP in WRONG VALUES!”

“Don’t WASTE your life pursing TEMPORAL TREASURES, seek that which is ETERNAL……….THE PRECIOUS FRUIT of SPIRITUAL MATURITY!!!!!”

D. The Work that God is doing IN US –

1. During our TIMES of PATIENTLY enduring;

a. Is ETERNAL!

2. God is PRODUCING ETERNAL FRUIT!

In reference to MONEY/POSSESSIONS, they say “you can’t take it with you.”

BUT! In regards to ETERNAL FRUIT…”YOU CAN TAKE IT WITH YOU!!!”

Over the 40 years that I have been saved; many Christians that I have known have RUN from their trials and as a result- MISSED the PRECIOUS FRUIT of maturing!

But in my life, as I have endured and not run, God has been producing the PRECIOUS FRUIT that CANNOT be bought with any amount of MONEY!!!

In fact, as we PATIENTLY ENDURE the trials of life; we are STORING UP TREASURES in heaven!

ILLUSTRATION:

O.T. prophecy was that in the rebuilding of the Temple, there would be no sound heard in Jerusalem. That seemed impossible due to the size of the stones that were used. But in the rebuilding all the work was done in a rock quarry, several miles out of Jerusalem, and when the stones were hauled to Jerusalem, they were so perfectly cut, that you couldn’t fit a butter knife between these stones. So they assembled these stones without a single hammer. The Apostle Peter said –

1 Peter 2:1-5

1 Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking,

2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,

3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

4 Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious,

5 you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

We as believers are LIVING STONES that one day, God is going to assemble into His eternal TEMPLE…

And guess where the ROCK QUARRY IS???

You’re living in it!!! It’s this world, it’s your life right now. God is CHISELING OFF all the ROUGH EDGES as the Master builder PREPARING us for OUR ETERNAL HOME!

Now’s the WORK and the NOISE and the BUILDING…

BUT THE DAY IS COMING WHEN THE WORK WILL BE DONE, AND THE ASSEMBLING WILL BEGIN…

GOD HIMSELF will ASSEMBLE all the PRECIOUS FRUIT that He has produced within our lives…

AS WE PATIENTLY ENDURED…WAITING for the ‘DAY OF THE LORD!’

God Also promises the EARLY and the LATTER RAIN…

* The SPRING RAIN that GERMINATES the SEED

* The LATTER RAIN that brings the FRUIT to MATURITY

ILLUSTRATION:

We have an APPLE TREE in our back yard; and last year we WATERED IT SEVERAL TIMES each week and at the end of the season, it PRODUCED MUCH FRUIT.

This year we had a WET SPRING and we DIDN’T WATER it at all. In the SPRING, the FRUIT GERMINATED and began to GROW; but because of a LACK of LATTER RAIN, nearly NONE of the APPLES MATURED. 99% WILTED and fell to the GROUND because they had NO LATTER RAINS!

God promise, NOT ONLY to GERMINATE our SEED at the TIME OF SALVATION;

But ALSO to bring the LATTER RAINS that will BRING OUR FRUIT to MATURITY—–to produce the PRECIOUS FRUIT!!!

Philippians 1:6

6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

So what does James instruct us to do???? ————————-

8 You also be patient.

GOD BROUGHT THE EARLY RAIN; AND HE WILL BRING THE LATTER RAIN, BUT WE MUST BE PATIENT!!!!

“Flee youthful lusts; be SEPARATE from the world; live in sanctification; PATIENTLY ‘REMAINING UNDER’ our TRIALS as we WAIT for the LATTER RAIN!!!!!……………

FOR EVERYONE who will PATIENTLY ENDURE……….GOD PROMISES that He WILL bring the LATTER RAIN which guarantees the PRECIOUS FRUIT!!!!

LITERALLY – “TO HAVE PATIENCE”

A. Somebody once said “Well don’t pray for patience, because then the trials set in!”

1. But what they didn’t understand is that-

a. PATIENCE is a FRUIT of the SPIRIT!

Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

B. If God has CALLED us to ‘BE / HAVE PATIENCE’…

1. Then it means that He also has PROVIDED the POWER to be –

a. LONG SUFFERING!

C. When we were YOUNGER in the LORD…we were LESS PATIENT

1. But as we GROW and MATURE, we BECOME more PATIENT

A child cannot wait for anything, but as he grows, he learns by experience to DEVELOP PATIENCE.

8b Establish your hearts (BE CONFIDENT — your patience is NOT in VAIN!), for the coming of the Lord is at hand.

‘ESTABLISH’ -

I think can also refer to ‘GUARD our HEARTS DURING OUR TRIALS’

I need the FRUIT of the Spirit—LOVE—during my TRIALS to GUARD my HEART, my THOUGHTS, and my WORDS…

LOOK at how James ties this idea of ‘ESTABLISHING our HEARTS’ into verse 9…

9 Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door!

I THINK THE DIRECT TIE BETWEEN THESE VERSES IS:

“If we DON’T ESTABLISH our hearts on the thoughts of God…we will GRUMBLE against one another during our TRIALS….”

BUT….

“If we DO ESTABLISH our hearts on the WORD of GOD; then we will not be as likely to GRUMBLE against one another during our TRIALS”

We’ve got to GUARD our HEARTS through PATIENCE while God is in the PROCESS OF bringing the LATTER RAINS, lest our hearts become filled with DISCONTENT and we end up GRUMBLING against one another…

Thereby SPOILING the PRECIOUS FRUIT of MATURITY

“It is a curious twist of human nature that in times of pressure we build up wrath against hose we love the most…hence the warning here” (Believer’s Bible Commentary)

10 My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience.

A. One of the BEST WAYS to be ENCOURAGED during a TRIAL is to –

1. FIND a MENTOR!!!!

2. someone who has ALREADY BEEN through –

a. What you are going through!

B. And one of the BEST WAYS to do that is through the WORD OF GOD!!!

1. JOURNALING

2. Allowing God’s MEN / WOMEN to MENTOR us in our daily struggles

C. if you want to find:

1. A quick list of MENTORS who’ve PATIENTLY endured before us…

A. Then read HEBREWS 11— the ‘Hall of Faith!’

D. One of Satan’s biggest LIES during our TRIALS IS:

“THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE; YOU’LL NEVER GET THROUGH THIS; HOW CAN GOD EVER EXPECT YOU TO BE PATIENT IN THIS?!”

****Mentors PROVE that it can be DONE, and the not only ENCOURAGE US to REMAIN PATIENT, but they show us how to be VICTORIOUS!

11 Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord–that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.

A. Great prophets like ISAIAH, JEREMIAH, DANIEL endured great trials

1. And we CALL THEM BLESSED!

a. They were RIGHT and the world was WRONG!

B. What we must remember is that while they went through great trials;

1. They ENDURED with PATIENCE

2. So God calls the BLESSED

If we want to be BLESSED, then we too must ENDURE PATIENTLY

C. Few men in history have ever suffered so much as JOB in so little time!

1. Yet he NEVER CURSED GOD

2. Nor TURNED from Him

DID GOD REWARD JOB FOR PATIENTLY ENDURING?

YES!!!——–IN THE END, GOD GAVE JOB TWICE AS MUCH AS HE HAD BEFORE HIS TRIALS BEGAN

D. The REWARD came, ONLY at the END of the TRIAL

1. AFTER…Job had PATIENTLY endured

2. Allowing God’s work to have it’s PERFECT RESULT

12 But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your “Yes,” be “Yes,” and your “No,” “No,” lest you fall into judgment.

A. Don’t let your EMOTIONS rule your mouth during your TRIALS

1. We need to guard what comes out of our mouths…

2. Especially when we are UNDER PRESSURE / STRESS

I think that one of the hardest things to do when the heat is on, is to guard our tongues! It’s so easy to say something that we don’t mean and later regret.

I believe if we will: ESTABLISH OUR HEARTS (V.8), then God will GUARD our mouths

CONCLUSION:

Be patient brethren, Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand…

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“The Rich & Their Coming Remorse”

by Pastor Pete • on 8:37 PM • in James

James 5:1-6 (Part 2)

INTRO:

1. Last week we began our study in James 5:1-6

A. And we LOOKED AT TWO of the FOUR —

a. CARDINAL SINS of the RICH

2. In Verse 1 James said:

James 5:1-6

Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you!

*WHO are the RICH?

1. Normally, it’s easy to envision some SAUDI shiek!

2. But according to world standards…

3. WE AMERICANS are the ones who are THE RICH!

“If you are an Americans, then you are more wealthy than 80 % of the REST of the WORLD! To live in AMERICA, the rest of the world considers us RICH!”

Somebody sent me this great QUOTE in an EMAIL last week after hearing my message on line, they quoted—

Matthew 19:23-24

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man (American) to enter the kingdom of heaven.

24 And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man (American) to enter the kingdom of God.”

Matthew 6:24

24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

NOBODY can LIVE for the TREASURES of this WORLD and for the LORD at the SAME TIME…it’s IMPOSSIBLE.

You are EITHER living for GOD or LIVING for the THINGS of this WORLD…

NOBODY can SERVE two masters…

Problem is, so many Christians are SO CARNAL, that they don’t even realize that they are SERVING worldly values and IDEALS.

They don’t really REALIZE that with THEIR LIPS, they say they LOVE GOD, but with their LIVES, they are LIVING for this WORLD.

J. In Verse 2, James went and gave us the 1^st of 4 —

(CARDINAL SINS of the RICH)

#1. HOARDING

2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten.

A. There is a TIME and a PLACE to INVEST what God has given us

1. He PLACES TREASURES in our HANDS for ONLY a SEASON

B. Once that SEASON is OVER –

1. If we have FAILED to INVEST our STEWARDSHIP in eternity

2. It’s TOO LATE

C. You and I will NEVER be allowed to –

1. Come back to THIS SIDE of ETERNITY and

2. DO with our FINANCES what we should be DOING NOW

D. I think of LAZARUS and the RICH MAN, in –

Luke 16:19-31

19 “There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day.

20 But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate,

21 desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.

22 So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried.

23 And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

24 Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’

25 But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented.

26 And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’

27 Then he said, ‘I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house,

28 for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.’

29 Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’

30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’

31 But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’ “

E. NONE of us will be ABLE to RETURN to this LIFE

1. Once GOD CALLS us HOME — it’s over

Hebrews 9:27

And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,

F. The CALL of GOD upon every one of our lives this morning is:

1. ‘DON’T WASTE YOUR LIFE PURSUING RICHES’

Wealth is a MIRAGE. You never really attain unto a true FULFILLMENT. You always are CHASING the POT OF GOLD at the END of the RAINBOW. And you just NEVER QUIT get there.

Once you achieve your goal, if WEALTH is your GOAL; then you’ll never really be SATISFIED. You’ll always want MORE and MORE. Enough is NEVER ENOUGH.

And so SATAN snares MANY CHRISTIANS into wasting their lives, chasing this FLEETING VAPOR!

Matthew 16:24-28

24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.

The TRUE MEANING to life is not found in TREASURE/wealth. It’s found in LOSING your life FOR the sake of JESUS CHRIST!

You see, people who are the COVETOUS/ HOARDER type are never really satisfied.

There is NO MEANING to life, even as a CHRISTIAN, unless you’ve DIED to yourself and are LIVING for CHRIST.

You can see this in:

* FINANCES

* TIME

* PERSONAL VALUES

25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.

26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

27 For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.

28 Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”

* I’d say, ‘I think that there are some sitting here who will not die, until you see the return of Jesus Christ!’

G. Concerning HOARDING

1. James also went on to say in verse 3 —

3 Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days.

A. Again, the BEMA SEAT JUDGMENT will be –

1. A TIME OF GREAT TEARS FOR MANY BELIEVERS

a. (James says WEEPING and HOWLING)

B. For MANY CHRISTIANS,

1. I believe that that will be the 1^st time that –

a. They really REALIZE how much they WASTED THIS LIFE

HOARDING is a FORM of COVETOUSNESS

COVETOUS PEOPLE are HOARDERS

* What’s the difference between a HOARDER/COVETOUS person…and a CONSERVATIVE person? Is there a difference?

HOARDER/COVETOUS is CHEAP; frugal; don’t spend money on themselves or anyone else.

While a CONSERVATIVE person is like the PROVERBS 31 woman—wise is the use of money and GENEROUS in HELPING OTHERS with what God has placed in their possession.

C. the 2^ND CARDINAL SIN of the RICH is

#2. Acquiring Wealth by failure to pay proper wages

4 Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.

A. A lot of WEALTHY EMPLOYERS got their RICHES by -

1. DISHONEST GAIN

2. They FAILED to PAY their EMPLOYEES a PROPER WAGE

B. I think that what James is talking about here goes beyond—

1. Employer / employee relationship to:

a. Cheating on Income Tax

b. Weights and Measures

c. Bribing local officials

d. Falsifying Expense accounts

C. ANYTIME we profit from DISHONEST GAIN;

1. We are SINNING against God!

‘At the end of the day, we may end up with more $ in our pocket, but if it was acquired by NOT PAYING our fair share, it is a sin against God, and He hears the cries of those you take advantage of.’

(PART 2)

D. The 3^RD CARDINAL SIN of the RICH is

#3. LUXURIOUS LIVING

5 You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter.

A. What is LUXURIOUS LIVING?

* Expensive JEWELRY

* Elegant CLOTHING

* Epicurean FOODS

* PALATIAL homes

The WORD OF GOD says that it is a SIN to live a lifestyle of SELF-INDULGENCE, when the rest of the world lives in DESPERATE need

William McDonald writes:

“How can we justify the affluence and extravagance of the church and of Christian people? We live in a world where thousands die daily of starvation. Over ½ the world’s population has never heard of the Lord Jesus Christ. In such a world, how can we justify our sports cars, limousines, speed boats? How can we spend the Lord’s money in expensive hotels, in high-class restaurants, in any form of self-indulgence?

The clear teaching of the Scriptures, the appalling need of the world, the example of the Savior, and the simple instinct of compassion tell us that it is wrong to live in comfort, luxury, and ease as long as there is a single soul who has not heard the gospel.

Those who live in pleasure and are unrestrained in luxury are likened to those who nourish their hearts as in a day of slaughter-like animals, fattening themselves just before their execution, or like soldiers who spend their time looting when others are perishing around them.

B. God never gives RICHES to be WASTED on LUXURIOUS living;

1. Or to be HOARDED

C. Everything that God places within our STEWARDSHIP is to be:

1. INVESTED BACK INTO the KINGDOM of God

D. Every DOLLAR we EARN, must be made HONESTLY;

1. And SPENT with the KNOWLEDGE of knowing that ONE DAY –

a. We will give an ACCOUNT for it

Many people make a LOT OF MONEY and the WASTE it on THEMSELVES, living in the LAP of LUXURY.

Those who SQUANDER their WEALTH LIVING in LUXURY will one day STAND in SORROW before GOD

E. This past week in ACTS 4, we all read in our JOURNALING:

Acts 4:32-35

32 Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common.

33 And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all.

34 Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, (genuine Christianity is generosity!)

35 and laid them at the apostles’ feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need.

CHRISTIANITY is NOT about being CHEAP; Nor is it about HOARDING; Nor is it about living a LIFE OF LUXURY.

Christianity is all about GIVING YOURSELF AWAY to JESUS CHRIST and a LIFESTYLE of SERVING and HELPING others

That’s why when Jesus told the RICH YOUNG RULE to “GO and SELL all that you have and GIVE IT TOO the POOR”, he couldn’t do it; because FOLLOWING CHRIST is all about GIVING UP THIS LIFE in EXCHANGE for the LIFE to COME.

F. The 4^th and FINAL CARDINAL SIN of the RICH James lists is they:

#4. CONDEMN & MURDER THE JUST

6 You have condemned, you have murdered the just; he does not resist you.

A. The rich will give an account one day for having abused the POOR

1. The rich murder the just by:

a. OVERWORKING them & UNDER PAYING them

B. The INNOCENT offer no RESISTANCE

1. To protest might end in BRUTALITY, PERSECUTION

2. Or being LET GO from their JOB

CONCLUSION:

What are some of the ways that we can be RICH?

* FINANCES (obviously)

* How, where, on what we spend our money

* TIME

* Rich in Time, LOT of EXTRA TIME to spend

* Where do you spend it?

* Do you waste your EXTRA TIME on self?

* Or, EXTRA TIME…SEEK to serve/help others?

* GIFTS / ABILITIES

* The greater your GIFTS, the greater your

responsibility is to God

Any and ALL of these areas of our lives we can:

HOARD or WASTE on ourselves

James says: “Come now you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you!”

Let’s NOT WASTE our lives ANY LONGER!

If you have thus far wasted the TREASURES that God has given you; REPENT and CHANGE today!

GO AND SELL everything in your life that keeps you from BEING A DEVOTED FOLLOWER of JESUS CHRIST, give the PROCEEDS to the POOR, and FOLLOW JESUS CHRIST!

4 Cardinal sins of the rich:

#1. Hoarding

#2. Failure to Pay proper Wages

#3. Luxurious Living

#4. Harm the Just

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“The Rich and Their Coming Remorse”

by Pastor Pete • on 7:43 PM • in James

James 5:1-6

Intro:

Somebody once asked J.D. Rockefeller:

“How much money will it take to satisfy you?”

To which he replied:

“Just a little bit more”

Isn’t that the way it is with money?

It ALWAYS takes ‘JUST A LITTLE BIT MORE’ to satisfy you

“Enough is never enough”

Once you achieve your financial goals, it’s never enough;

It ALWAYS takes just a little bit more

James chapter 5 now;
- James launches into a denunciation of the sins of the rich

If you have a PROBLEM with CONVICTION, you might want to LEAVE right about now!

A lot of people might at this point think:

“OK, GREAT! Let’s focus on the RICH and the WEALTHY people, because I’m not one of them…yet in accordance with WORLD STANDARDS, over 80% of American’s have more than 90% of the rest of the world. So based on world standards, most of us are rich. If you live in America, you ARE RICH!”

James’ denunciation is so strong that these verses are seldom preached on

James is really playing the role of a prophet of social justice

He cries out against the failure of the rich to use their money for the alleviation of human need

He condemns EMPLOYERS who have become rich by exploiting their EMPLOYEES

He rebukes EMPLOYERS for their self-indulgence and luxurious living

* Many employers take advantage of their employees by –

* Not paying them sufficiently

* Many EMPLOYERS feel that this is their ENTITLEMENT

* That they are really doing their employees a favor by –

** ‘giving them a job in a bad economy’

I believe that much of the DECADENT lifestyles today being lived by many EMPLOYERS comes at the expense of their employees are not being paid a fair wage, and today JAMES condemns this treatment.

James also will deal with the Employer who makes very good money, yet fails to use his money to help others in need.

So EMPLOYERS will be hit TWICE:

* Once for NOT PAYING their EMPLOYEES adequate WAGES

* Once for NOT USING the money they MAKE to HELP OTHERS

James pictures the rich as arrogant oppressors of the righteous

James 5:1

Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you!

A. James now begins chapter 5, with this summons for the wealthy to –

“Weep and howl, because the miseries which they were about to experience, Soon they would meet God and then they’d be filled with shame and remorse

B. They would see that they have been unfaithful stewards

1. James says that —

They wILL wail over the opportunities they had missed; They would mourn over their covetousness and selfishness; They would be convicted about their unfair employment practices

They would see the sin of seeking security in material things rather than in the Lord, and they would weep many tears over the way they had indulged themselves to the full. – William McDonald

James now lists the -

4 cardinal sins of the rich:

1. The 1^st sin James deals with is found in vv. 2-3

#1. Hoarding Wealth

2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten.

3. Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days.

Many Christians today are living JUST LIKE the WORLD and they are ‘HEAPING UP TREASURES’ in these LAST DAYS

Somebody once said: “He who dies with the most toys, wins”

But the bible teaches just the OPPOSITE:

“He who dies with many RICHES and MUCH WEALTH will have the greater judgment!”

* SATAN does NOT want YOU to KNOW these TRUTHS. He wants you to WASTE YOUR LIFE pursuing TREASURES / PLEASURES and INDULGING yourself in a WANTON/GLUTTONOUS lifestyle, because HE KNOWS that at the day of JUDGMENT, the CORROSION of the MASS of WEALTH and THINGS you have ACCUMULATED for yourself will BEAR WITNESS AGAINST YOU!

I don’t know what it is about SATAN and MONEY, but there is a VERY CLOSE TIE there, and he DESPERATELY wants you to WASTE YOUR LIFE pursuing VANITIES and MOTH EATEN TREASURES.

Psalms 127:1-2

1 (Solomon said:) Unless the Lord builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the Lord guards the city, The watchman stays awake in vain.

2 It is vain for you to rise up early, To sit up late, To eat the bread of sorrows; For so He gives His beloved sleep.

All that HARD WORK and all those LONG HOURS you put in at WORK…they are WORTHLESS unless you are A WISE STEWARD

Notice the 1^st thing James says here in VERSE 2:

“Your riches are as good as ruined”

“All those cloths that you’ve been HOARDING, they are MOTH EATEN. All your GOLD and SILVER that you’ve HOARDED, it is TARNISHED…and in fact the VERY TARNISH on your GOLD and SILVER———PROVE that YOU were a HOARDER”

*Gold and Silver that is KEPT MOVING cannot CORRODE

*Clothing that is USED and GIVEN AWAY has a longer LIFE SPAN than clothing that is HOARDED

Many Christians today, cling to their wealth instead of TRUSTING in the LORD; and one day before the JUDGMENT SEAT, their MOTH EATEN cloths and TARNISHED GOLD will TESTIFY AGAINST THEM – they HOARDED the possessions they were ENTRUSTED

It’s INTERESTING:

The VERY TREASURES that so many people HOARD today, will in ETERNITY, be the VERY THING that TESTIFIES against them.

They WONT be able to GET FAR enough away from all they HOARDED. Instead of looking back on having been a FAITHFUL STEWART of God’s things…

They will be ashamed that they were so SELF-CENTERED/ selfish. And they WASTED the opportunities to GIVE to others what God had merely ENTRUSTED to them

The WORLD and SATAN tells us:

“Get ALL you can; KEEP all you can — LET OTHERS FEND for themselves”

Yet GOD SAYS:

“The day is coming RICH MAN (person w/ abundance) when you will STAND before the LORD OF HOSTS and give an ACCOUNT of all that HE HAS ENTRUSTED YOU.

Those ‘THINGS’, those ‘POSSESSION’, that ‘MONEY’ is NOT YOURS to do with what you will; It ALL BELONGS to GOD, and one day VERY SOON, we will EACH GIVE AN ACCOUNT of how we used it

When God gives us a PAY CHECK; the SELFISH-HOARDER says:

“What can I do to make MY LIFE BETTER?”

“How can I spend this money on MYSELF?”

RATHER than to say:

“LORD, this pay check is 100% YOURS. Help me to be wise in its use”

When we TITHE 10% of our INCOME; the other 90% STILL BELONGS TO GOD; we are merely STEWARDS over it

God does NOT allow for ANYONE to become RICH for the PURPOSE of SELF INDULGENCE or to live a decadent lifestyle!

As long as there are people on the face of the earth that have never heard the gospel; and people who are starving; and people who are homeless—–i do not believe that anyone has the right to live in decadence

God doesn’t say “Here’s a SURPLUS beyond all your NEEDS, see if you can WASTE it on YOURSELF; or HOARD IT”

“If you have to CHEAT someone else to GET AHEAD, just know that NO MATTER HOW MUCH MONEY you make, IT will NEVER BE BLESSED by God!” (even if you tithe off of it)

Whatever God puts in our hand, is ALWAYS for the EXCLUSIVE purpose of STEWARDSHIP….

One day when we stand before the LORD, He’s going to ask each one of us:

“WHAT DID YOU DO WITH THE RESOURCES that I ENTRUSTED TO YOU?”

Luke 16:1-13

1 He also said to His disciples: “There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was wasting his goods.

2 So he called him and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.’

3 Then the steward said within himself, ‘What shall I do? For my master is taking the stewardship away from me. I cannot dig; I am ashamed to beg.

4 I have resolved what to do, that when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.’

5 So he called every one of his master’s debtors to him, and said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’

6 And he said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ So he said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’

7 Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ So he said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ And he said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’

8 So the master commended the unjust steward because he had dealt shrewdly. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light.

9 And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home.

10 He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.

11 Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?

12 And if you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own?

13 No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

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