Materialism Today – Destruction Tomorrow James 5:1-6

• Intro
  • Welcome everyone to Refuge Church
  • So glad y’all are here
  • My name is Michael and I’m the planting pastor here
  • Thank you for joining us as we continue our doubt to devotion series
  • We’ve been walking through the book of James trying to understand what it looks like to become a more devoted Christian
  • The Bible would call this to be sanctified or to become more like Jesus
  • Tonight we are going to talk about wealth, and stuff, and how we get that, and what the Bible has to say about it
  • So open up your Bibles to James chapter 5 (page _____ in the blue Bibles)
  • When I was a 16 I got my drivers license and a car. My parents told me that the car doesn’t fill itself up, get a job if you expect it to go anywhere. So I applied around in my small town and eventually got a job at the local pizza joint. I was sentenced to do dishes for starters. Honestly I think the bosses wanted me to quit. Because buffet night at mazzio’s pizza was killer… 
  • But I did those dishes, and cleaned the food trap, and eventually moved up to cooking pizza, waiting tables, and even all the way to being a closing manager for the store. Which meant I counted the money, prepared the bank deposits, and set the store up for success the next morning.
  • I thought for a busy high school kid I was killing it. For $7.25 an hour. 
  • In one year, I made over $8,000 which was a lot for a high school kid. 
  • I spent about 2 years working there. And when I quit and came to college I had some nice gifts come in. 
  • Now how much money do you think I saved up for school? 2 years of work and some very loving gifts. How much? 
  • Well the total was actually only about $2,000. 
  • Which is crazy considering how much money I made. 
  • Even crazier – I spent that $2,000 by mid October. 3 months after I moved to Memphis…. 
  • I tell you this story to say I have been a fool with money. And tonight in our passage we are going to hear some wisdom from God about wealth, and where we set our treasure. So let’s read James chapter 5 verses 1-6.

Come now, ^xyou rich, weep and howl for the ^ymiseries that are coming upon you. ^{2 z}Your riches have rotted and ^zyour garments are moth-eaten. ³ Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. ^aYou have laid up treasure ^bin the last days. ⁴ Behold, ^cthe wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and ^dthe cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of ^ethe Lord of hosts. ^{5 f}You have lived on the earth in luxury and ^gin self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in ^ha day of slaughter. ⁶ You have condemned and ⁱmurdered ^jthe righteous person. He does not resist you.

• Let’s pray – God you are amazing, and mighty, and you made us in your image. You made us creative, and thoughtful, and gave us a job, to care for the planet, and to fill it with more of your image bearers. And God our work and creativity can lead to wealth, and others creativity and work can lead to many desirable things. But my hope, tonight, is we get an eternal perspective to life. To wealth. To work. And what we chase after. Move in us tonight. In Jesus name. Amen. 
• James Passage
  • The warnings are clear from James
    • Weep and howl for the miseries
    • Riches Rot
    • Your stuff is moth eaten
    • Gold & Silver corroded
  • This is strong and clear pictures
  • Wealth can be bad
  • Why
    • James gives us 2 main ideas
      • Wealth can be a treasure that does not last for eternity
      • And our pursuit of wealth is often riddled with sin & a lack of care for others
      • Johnny Stetson (checks to his house)
  • The phrasing particularly in verse 5 is especially strong
    • Our self indulgence  and satisfaction in money and stuff has fattened our minds and hearts and we willingly in a transe, in a daze of materialism 
    • Wander to the slaughter
    • Eternal destruction
    • For our value and joy is in non-eternal things
    • Things that will be burned in the judgement fire of God at the end of all things
• Money
  • The battle for us tonight as we go from Doubt to Devotion is to gain an eternal perspective about money
  • This won’t be easy to do
  • Our lives are bombarded with advertisements and opportunities to get stuff and gain standing in society
  • Throughout high school we are trained to think we have to go to school to get the right job and get the right income
  • We are trained to think if we don’t attain that collegiate opportunity we have failed
  • We are trained to think fame – in sports, or music, or acting, or politics – that’s the good life. 
  • And a question for us – does that really matter in eternity?
  • I’ll get my electrical cord spool out again. The yellow zip tie is our life. It comes and goes quickly. 
  • In James 4 we learned a few weeks back – that life is like a vapor
  • Like that misty fog in the morning – short – and gone quickly
  • And so this pursuit of money, and stuff – is it really wise living?
  • Well first A few verses about money
  • Turn to 1st Timothy 6 (Page _________) We will read verses 6-10.

But ^bgodliness ^cwith contentment is great gain, ⁷ for ^dwe brought nothing into the world, and³ we cannot take anything out of the world. ⁸ But ^eif we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. ⁹ But ^fthose who desire to be rich fall into temptation, ^ginto a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that ^hplunge people into ruin and destruction. ¹⁰ For the love of money is a root of ⁱall kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

• First I think its important to understand what contentment is – A state of happiness and satisfaction
• It’s the answer to how are you doing? ‘I’m good’ 
• Now beyond that – i think we need to really dive into what is the sin
• It isn’t money
• Look closely at verse 9 & 10
• The desiring to be rich
• It is the love of money
• Its the ‘craving’ 
• That’s what gets us into trouble
• Now we have to be careful as we ride the pendulum back and forth regarding money
• Because we can see this – and go well i need to sell everything and be a bum for Jesus
• Turn to 2 thessalonians 3 (page _________)  and we will ready oversees 6-10

Now we command you, brothers, ^sin the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, ^tthat you keep away from any ^ubrother ^vwho is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us. ⁷ For you yourselves know ^whow you ought to imitate us, because ^xwe were not idle when we were with you, ⁸ nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but ^ywith toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you. ⁹ It was ^znot because we do not have that right, but to give you in ourselves ^aan example to imitate. ¹⁰ For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: ^bIf anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.

• So we had the 1 extreme end of the pendulum swing – don’t crave, desire, and love money
• Here’s the warning against the other extreme – don’t become idle, or lazy
• The blunt truth in verse 10 is – don’t work – don’t eat
• But what if we are content – and are not lazy – and have extra cash on hand – what do we do then
  • There’s balance again to be found in the Word of God
  • Turn to Mark chapter 14 (page _________) 

And while he was at ^cBethany in the house of Simon the leper,¹ as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head. ⁴ There were some who said to themselves indignantly, “Why was the ointment wasted like that? ⁵ For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii² and ^dgiven to the poor.” And they ^escolded her. ⁶ But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. ⁷ For ^fyou always have the poor with you, and whenever ^gyou want, you can do good for them. But ^hyou will not always have me.

• So we have an extreme here – 
• I’ve heard many people use this verse to the extreme 
• And say well the poor will always be with you so hold onto your money tight, your church’s money tight, and never do any sort of ministering
• The poor will always be with you. Don’t go out of the way for the hungry, the homeless, the hurting.
• And that extreme stance leads to never going out of the way for the hungry, the homeless, the hurting.
• But this  is out of balance because scripture also says in Matthew 25:41-46 (Page _________)
• This is a great warning from Jesus himself

Then he will say to those on his left, ^e‘Depart from me, you ^fcursed, into ^gthe eternal fire prepared for ^hthe devil and his angels. ⁴² For ⁱI was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ ⁴⁴ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ ⁴⁵ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, ^jyou did not do it to me.’ ⁴⁶ And these will go away ^kinto eternal punishment, but the righteous ^kinto ^leternal life.

• Harsh words from Jesus – our lord & savior
• Harsh and honest words
• Meant to balance us out
• Ministering to and tangibly helping
  • Its like our friend Doug – who is on vacation this weekend – people don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care
• So tangibly helping
• Meaning helping in a way – that people can see, can touch, can smell
• You see scripture is clear – we can be out of balance 
• Craving Wealth – Sinful and out of balance
• Becoming a bum for Jesus – Sinful and out of balance
• Never caring for the hungry, hurting, and homeless – Sinful and out of balance
• Only caring for the hungry, hurting, and homeless and forgetting the preeminence and glory of Jesus – Sinful and out of balance
• So how do we find balance?
• Let me illustrate the goal

• Pendulum balance
  • When I was a kid I played a game called NFL blitz. Part of the game was field goal kicking. And they way this happened in the game was an arrow pointed left and then bounced back to the right and you had ot press the right button at the right time to kick the field goal straight. (illustrate)
  • This was hard to do – until I found a Cheat code – kick straight – it locked the arrow right in the center
  • When it comes to wealth and materialism
  • The Bible is our cheat code
  • The path to finding our balance.
• The phrase Treasures in heaven comes to mind
  • Let’s try to understand that. Turn to Matthew 6 on page _________

“”Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭19‬-‭21‬ 

• Here we see an echo of James – really James is echoing this.
• So the point is lay up treasures in heaven
• Where treasure is eternal
• We need to remember that eternity has been placed by our creator in every image bearers heart
• And so to store up treasures in heaven – isn’t too foreign
• There is an idea in everyone of what’s the point of life
• What’s the meaning of life
• There’s got to be something more, something deeper, something bigger
• And that something is a relationship with God
• That though our sin broke it
• He fixed through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus
• SO that for everyone who puts their faith and trust in the person and work of Jesus
• They will be saved – and brought into right relationship with God
• And that relationship – from the moment of faith on
• Will be one that changes every aspect of life
• Including wealth & work
• So have you put your faith in Jesus?
• You can do that tonight.
• Talk to me about it while we eat together. 
• Its a beautiful thing.
• Now when we put our faith in Jesus – those who help us grow from baby believer ot teenager believer and beyond – are commanded to teach all that God commands. 
• And all that God commands includes this snippet about working in Colossionas 3 on page _______________

Verse 23 says Whatever you do, work heartily, ^zas for the Lord and not for men

• This verse is in a section about how our homes should operate
• And the reality is – whatever we do – we should do it as if Jesus were next to us the entire day
• This idea is kind of like when you say a bad word and someone says you kiss your momma with that mouth – the idea is how can we kiss mom one minute and then use bad language or use our words to cut
• So in regards to working
• Whether your a plumber or a pizza guy
• Washing dishes or washing tools in an operating room
• Performing surgery or performing music
• Whatever it is do it as if Jesus were your boss
• And so we work hard
• And work honestly
• And then we use our income – the money we make
• For the Kingdom of God.
• And in so doing, we store up treasures in heaven. 
• What does this look like? Turn to 2 Timothy 4 on page _________

“For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.”

‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭4‬:‭6‬-‭8‬

• Paul here is speaking – he says he fought the fight
• He finished the race
• He kept the faith
• What was his fight? What was his race?
• Turn to Acts 9 on page ___________________

“But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭9‬:‭15‬

• Paul was to race to take the name of Jesus to the Gentiles (non-Jews), Kings, & Israelites
• And this Paul did – while also making tents to help put food on his own table
• Til he died
• And so to are we
• Because the news we have – is great
• Better than anything money can buy
• And we ought to share this news – as we work unto the Lord
• In school
• In life
• At work
• At home
• Sharing the hope of Jesus
• And investing our time, our talent, and our treasure in growing the kingdom of heaven
• Why? Because we care enough to warn of hell & invite to heaven
• As Spurgeon said ‘‘If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our dead bodies. And if they perish, let them perish with our arms wrapped about their knees, imploring them to stay. If Hell must be filled, let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go unwarned and unprayed for.’
• This is how we find balance in our wealth
• We work hard for it, as if Jesus were next to us
• And then we invest in Kingdom work – first by inviting people to hear about Jesus and secondly, giving God back some of what he has blessed us with – so the Gospel can go.
• This is storing up treasures in heaven.

1. Who is the oldest person you know? How old are they?
   1. Can you imagine being that age?
2. What do you want to be when you grow up? Why? (And yes this can be answered by old people – think dream job, business venture, or retirement lifestyle)
3. Do you find yourself craving wealth and stuff?
4. Why do you think we crave things? 
5. Are you a Penny pincher or generous person naturally? 
6. Why do you think it’s difficult to find balance when it comes to wealth? 
7. What do you think of treasures in heaven? (Reread 2 Tim 4:6-8)
8. The idea of being poured out for the Kingdom, how does that make you feel?
9. How can we pray for you to find balance in wealth and materialism? (Prayer prompt)
10. How can we pray for your pouring out to minister to others?
11. How can we pray for you generally?