Fracture
Part 11- Show Me The Money?
James 5:1-6 was the inspiration this morning for where I am going but I will not be spending much time there today as I felt like Wednesday morning I needed to change up my message from what it was originally going to be about. I want to talk about what is going on around us right now as Americans. We just can’t seem to escape bad news these days. Tragic deaths, high unemployment rate, trillion dollar deficits, empty political promises, wars, bailout plans, layoffs. We are being hit here in our own town as businesses are beginning to close. GM employees aren’t working, real estate agents are struggling to find closings, and new residential housing seems to have come to a complete halt. I see many of you struggling right now financially. You don’t know if you’ll be able to pay your mortgage next month. Some of you are probably nervous about whether you’ll have a job next month. Some of you are desperate for work now. It is a scary time filled with incredible uncertainty.
What is so interesting to me is that just 4 ½ years ago things looked completely different. When I interviewed to become the youth pastor here I remember Gary and Becky driving us around town showing us all the new housing going up, new businesses were beginning, there were a lot more stores at the outlet mall. Real estate was a seller’s market and population was growing. Everything seemed great.
But now everything doesn’t seem that great. I believe America is in a period of a great awakening. We are being awakened to the reality that America is not invincible. That our government doesn’t have all the answers, and that money doesn’t solve all the problems. It’s always during a period of time like we are in that church attendance begins to rise. People are searching for answers as to why they lost their job, why they lost their home, why they can’t pay their bills, why someone had to get sick or tragically die.
Sometimes I think they want me to say, “Well if you do step 1,2,3 then you’ll get your job back, your house back, your life back.” But that wouldn’t be true. There are no steps I can give you and there is no action you can take that will guarantee that your life will go back to the way it was or get better. And let me ask you this “Is that necessarily a bad thing?” Is it necessarily bad to struggle? Is it bad to feel the pressure of life once in a while? I don’t think it is. I don’t look forward to struggling any more than you and myself and Taylor have made cutbacks just like you have to save money and pay off debt quicker.
I think what we are going through is not all bad, but in fact I think it can be good for us. Here is why I think this way…when we face the tragedies of life, the difficulties of life we have to come to grips with what we truly have faith in. Do we really trust God or do we trust money? Is my hope really in him as I say it is or are all my hopes, dreams, happiness and ambitions in that next paycheck?
Americans get to live in la la land. Even with what we are going through right now we are still better off than 95% of the world. We still continue to be the wealthiest nation, we still shop till we drop at Christmas time, and we still have cars and homes or even if we lose our home will have someplace to live. We are not even close to suffering. Not even close. We are so used to such a high standard of living and being wealthy that we have developed an attitude of entitlement. We have such arrogance to believe we deserve to have what we do. We deserve to be paid a lot of money, we deserve the right to own a home or to own a car or to go to college. In reality we don’t deserve anything. Do you remember what James says we are? A mist. In the scope of eternity, in the realm of eternity we are absolutely nothing. We deserve nothing and we are entitled to nothing.
The only thing we truly deserve is hell. That is it. Why would I say that? We deserve it because we are so selfish that we only go to God when times are bad. Church attendance may rise during a crisis but once this crisis has passed and people go back to work and money begins to flow again that attendance will drop, no question. We only want God when it’s convenient and we blame God when troubles come.
We don’t really put our faith in God; we put our faith in money. We love money. Money is why we wake up in the morning. We have to make it or we don’t survive. But somewhere along the way it becomes more than just a tool for survival. It eventually becomes our drive in life. Everything we do, every decision we make revolves around money. Even as we want to step out in faith as a church and take some risk for God to advance His Kingdom it is inevitable the first question will be, “How much will it cost?” And we base our decisions as church leaders and pastors not on what God is calling us to do and just doing it and having faith that he will provide but we base whether or not we will do something off how much money we have. And when the money runs out we run to God, not for salvation, not for repentance but to ask Him to get the money flowing again. Guys, people are in love with the wrong thing. Our government thinks firing up the printing presses and printing more money is going to solve all our problems, but I would say they are only creating more. It might solve our problems for a time, but what will Paige and Kobe have to face as adults because of our shortsightedness. How will my grandchildren suffer because of our greed? That is my problem with many politicians. They say they have America’s best interest at heart but in reality they only have their own best interest at heart. Most politicians don’t look 30 years down the road. Most of them fail to see past the next election. They don’t want to lose their jobs so they make shortsighted decisions that will hurt our kids but will help keep their jobs.
We don’t need to print more money, we need to get on our knees and repent. We need to recognize that Christ is King that salvation is all that matters in this life and that putting our hope and faith in paper only leads to physical and spiritual death. If you love money you will suffer. If you put your faith in money you will be judged. If you only go to God and get angry and cast blame and try to talk him into getting the money flowing again you will face serious consequences. Life is not about how much money you have. Life is not even about whether you live in a home or live on the street, whether you eat at 5 star restaurants or eat out of the trash, life is about giving all that I am and all that I have to Jesus Christ. Completely dedicating my entire life to Him. To serve him and be faithful in the best of times and in the worst of times. That is it. Everything else about this life is meaningless.
Ecclesiastes 1:2-11 says, “Everything is meaningless,” says the Teacher, “completely meaningless!” 3 What do people get for all their hard work under the sun? 4 Generations come and generations go, but the earth never changes. 5 The sun rises and the sun sets, then hurries around to rise again. 6 The wind blows south, and then turns north. Around and around it goes, blowing in circles. 7 Rivers run into the sea, but the sea is never full. Then the water returns again to the rivers and flows out again to the sea. 8 Everything is wearisome beyond description. No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content. 9 History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new. 10 Sometimes people say, “Here is something new!” But actually it is old; nothing is ever truly new. 11 We don’t remember what happened in the past, and in future generations, no one will remember what we are doing now.
What we think is so important in life right now probably isn’t that important. Government could bail us out, jobs could flow again and money could be back in the bank but we will never be content. And this a great danger of loving money. We are only happy until the next crisis. Don’t get me wrong. I have no problem with money. Money in and of itself is not evil. Money is just printed-paper. Nothing special to it. It is the love of money that is evil. Our love for money brings false hope. When we believe that just a little bit more money would make you happy, even just enough to be secure would make you happy, and then you are putting hope into the wrong thing. You are seeking for happiness in the wrong thing.
I think people are praying for the wrong things. We are praying for God to solve our problems. You might be praying, “God all I want is a job, all I want is money to pay my mortgage, all I want is to pay my car payment.” That is not necessarily bad things to pray for but what we should be praying is, “Father all glory and honor go to you. You are the alpha and omega, the beginning and the end, you alone are powerful, you alone are righteous, you alone are worthy, you alone deserve praise and glory. Father grant me faith that I might endure. Grant me wisdom that I might make decisions that glorify you. Grant me favor that you would use me in my suffering that others would see Jesus in me and that salvation would come to the lost. Father, if in my suffering I can be a testimony to your amazing love and grace and my testimony of suffering can be used to build the kingdom then so be it. Father if in bringing me out of my struggles can bring honor and glory to your name; if supplying my needs by providing a new job or supplying money to pay my bills will bring glory to you then so be it. But father grant me faith to praise you, to trust you, to hope in you alone regardless of what happens.”
In good and bad times that must be our prayer. Trust, faith, obedience, love. In our most difficult hours we so quickly develop short-term memory loss and forget how God has provided for us in the past. If God has provided for us in the past why would He not do so today? And if we lose our home and lose our job or tragically lose a loved one why would we believe God loves us less? Why would we all of a sudden change our minds and one day say, “God is great, God is good and awesome” and then when difficulty comes we immediately think, “God doesn’t love me. God’s not there.” Why would God love you one day and not the other? That doesn’t make sense. Especially since His word says in Hebrews 13:5-8, “Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” 6 So we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?” 7 Remember your leaders who taught you the word of God. Think of all the good that has come from their lives, and follow the example of their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. God loves us despite how we treat Him, for-ev-er. When we hurt God hurts for us. He hurts because he wants us to live for Him, to worship him, to trust and obey him. Charles Spurgeon writes…
“There is One who cares for you. His eye is fixed on you, His heart beats with pity for your woe, and His omnipotent hand shall bring you the needed help. The darkest cloud shall scatter itself in showers of mercy. He, if you are one of His family, will bind up your wounds and heal your broken heart. Do not doubt His grace because of your tribulation, but believe that He loves you as much in seasons of trouble as in times of happiness. If God cares for you, why do you need to care too? Can you trust Him for your soul and not your body? He has never refused to bear your burdens; He has never fainted under their weight. Come, then, soul! Say good-bye to anxiety and leave all your concerns in the hand of a gracious God.” Charles Spurgeon
Charles Spurgeon wrote this message based on the scripture found in I Peter 5 which says, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11 To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen. I Peter 5:6-11
There is nothing the devil wants to see more than a doubting believer. When you doubt the faithfulness of God then you become vulnerable to falling prey to the temptations of the world. You fall vulnerable to the temptation of the love of money. To anger, to doubt, to frustration, guilt, feelings of failure, bitterness, and jealousy. That is exactly what we cannot do as the people of God, especially now during a dark time for America. The church must be a beacon of hope for all people. I can’t solve your money problems, but I can give you something greater than money. I can show you what it means to have a relationship with Jesus Christ. I can show you what it means to obtain a peace that passes all understanding. I can show you what it means to have hope and joy and faith that no tragedy can crack and break. “Well but faith isn’t going to pay my bills, it’s not going to put food on the table.” Maybe not. But that’s not the point. The point is to lean on God completely regardless of what happens. Psalm 62 says that He alone is our rock, he is our refuge. When our enemies rise against us God is the one who will defeat them.
Again, if God loved us enough to send his son to die on a cross why would he not care enough to help meet your most basic needs. Food? All of you look fine. Shelter? Anybody sleep on the street last night? No? Some people did. Clothes? None of you are naked right now. Thankfully. You know some of the happiest people I have met in this world are the ones who literally had nothing but God. They literally owned nothing. When Eric and I went to Mexico these people had nothing. Barely had clothes, slept in tin shacks, ate what they could grow. No indoor plumbing, no hot showers, no flat screen TV’s, no McDonalds, no Taco Bell, no old navy or dilliards or movie theaters, bowling alleys or malls, no internet and cell phones. Nothing. And they were the happiest and most generous people I have ever met because they got it. All that mattered in life was Jesus. Faith in Jesus. Trust in Jesus. Hope in Jesus. I think every American Christian needs to go on an oversees or inner city missions trip or an Indian reservation to experience how much we live in la la land. When you see genuine joy in the midst of complete poverty first hand and you come home to America its hard not to be embarrassed and a little ashamed about how wasteful we are, how ungrateful we are, how selfish we are and how immensely greedy we are. All that matters is Jesus. (Houston customs- teenage girl trashing another girl’s clothes)
With God we are more than conquerors because Christ has overcome the world. Paul writes in Romans, “If God is for us, who can be against us.” Can anything separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us” Romans 8:31,35-37. And if Christ has overcome the world surely he can provide for your most basic needs. Does that mean your standard of living falls? Probably. A lot of pride has to be swallowed in difficult economic times. You may have to quit eating out, cut back on groceries, eliminate luxuries like TV and Internet and cell phone or even sell a car. But the advantage that every person has in this room over the rest of the world is that we have each other. And all of us have faith in something bigger than bailout plans. That is something that was very important to the people of these remote villages in Mexico. Community was absolutely vital. Their joy was found in Christ and working together to help each other survive was essential. People gave to other people in order to live.
And this is how we will survive difficult economic times. You might lose your home, but you know what? God has provided a church family for you who will take you in while you get back on your feet. Just the needs that we can meet as a small church of 200 are pretty astounding. You might need some car repairs, you might need electrical work done on your home, or roofing, or drywall, or painting. You might need help with real estate or medical questions. You might need a massage or help buying a car. You might need a plumber or a Mr. fix it handyman, glass or a haircut. You might need tutoring help, tax help, or a veterinarian. You might need some computer help and for some reason if you need a corporate jet pilot or a cafeteria lunch lady we got some of those too. We have ALL of that in this little church and much more. And in the darkest times we are to use our God given talents to take care of each other. We are to help all who have need. That is how we survive. That will give us hope to know we can make it. Even if you lose your home, lose your car; lose your job you can rejoice because God is faithful. Salvation is still mine; I still have something better waiting for me when I leave this world. And while I am here I can rejoice that God has provided for me a church family filled with incredible talent that can help meet my needs and I can help meet theirs. All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper, and to prayer. 43 A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. 44 And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. 45 They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. 46 They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity 47 all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved. Acts 2:42-47
You can’t tell me you’re a Christian but that church doesn’t matter. My friend’s church mattered big time to Christ so it better well matter to you. We are a community of believers, banded together. We must help one another survive. No one gets left behind. We must hold each other accountable. Weep with our brothers and sisters or rejoice with them. Use our talents to meet needs and even be willing to sell our own possessions to help another. We must preach the Good News of Jesus Christ and God will add to our fellowship everyday.
God never promised life would be easy. He never promised he would give us everything we want. He never promised to maintain our expected standard of living. He never promised we wouldn’t lose everything we have worked for. What God promises is that if we turn to him, trust in him, believe in him we will have eternal life. What we suffer now is only temporary to what is to come. I Peter 5:10 says, “10And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.”
We are going to struggle. It’s a given. It’s a fact of life. The American church is going to see a greater amount of persecution. If you don’t see that now then you’re probably living in a cave. It is happening. Even if you don’t see it now or believe it you need church more than you think you do. We need each other more now than we probably even realize. Our love for money is what got us into this mess and now we need to repent of that and start leaning on the promises of God more now than ever before. His promises are painfully clear.
Would you stand please? I want to close today by reminding you of just a few of God’s promises. There are literally hundreds of them but I want to give you 12. With God we have the promise of….
God’s presence -- Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” Hebrews 13:5
God’s protection -- He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken. Psalm 62:6
God’s power -- "I will strengthen you" (Isa. 41:10)
God’s provision -- "I will help you" (Isa. 41:10)
God’s leading -- After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice. John 10:4
God’s purposes -- For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
God’s rest -- "Come to Me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. (Matt. 11:28)
God’s cleansing -- "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9)
God’s goodness -- "No good thing will He withhold from them that work uprightly" (Psalm 84:11)
God’s faithfulness -- "The Lord will not forsake His people for His great name’s sake" (1 Sam. 12:22)
God’s guidance -- He leads the humble in doing right, teaching them his way. (Psalm 25:9)
God’s wise plan -- "All things work together for good to them that love God" (Rom. 8:28)
