Pro-Vision. James 5:1-6 WBC 16/11/03am
Paul Harvey told about a 3-year-old boy who went to the grocery store with his mother. Before they entered the grocery store she said to him, "Now you’re not going to get any chocolate chip cookies, so don’t even ask."
She put him up in the cart & he sat in the little child’s seat while she wheeled down the aisles. He was doing just fine until they came to the cookie section. He saw the chocolate chip cookies & he stood up in the seat & said, “Mom, can I have some chocolate chip cookies?” She said, “I told you not even to ask. You’re not going to get any at all.” So he sat back down.
They continued down the aisles, but in their search for certain items they ended up back in the cookie aisle. “Mom, can I please have some chocolate chip cookies?” She said, “I told you that you can’t have any. Now sit down & be quiet.”
Finally, they were approaching the checkout lane. The little boy sensed that this may be his last chance. So just before they got to the line, he stood up on the seat of the cart & shouted in his loudest voice, “In the name of Jesus, may I have some chocolate chip cookies?” And everybody round about just laughed. Some even applauded. And, according to Paul Harvey, due to the generosity of the other shoppers, the little boy & his mother left with 23 boxes of chocolate chip cookies.
Provision. Mammon. Money
INTRODUCTION
Good old James! Bit hard hitting, eh?
Is this to Christians?!
- unsure. Certainly the letter, ‘sermon’ is to Christians
o so ‘why preach to those not present’?
o however- these folks may well be unbelievers- who fed the ‘unprotesting’ Xians to the lions
6 You have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you.
- = like Jas is preaching and talks over cong. & opens the windows
But who am I to argue with God’s word. Christians were meant to listen to this. We need to, as well, & understand because
- money is such a POWER!
- Let me clarify- IT’S not evil. Rather
o Love of it (1 tim 6:10) and poor.. wrong use is:
§ See it in the a divorce- vitriolic over money
§ The incredibly long hours people work
- it’s a power in our society
o who wants to be a millionaire? Forget it for an instant- I do!
- It’s a power to us Christians
o Has power to destroy our soul OR build the kingdom
o Xians often stall, stagnate, because of THIS issue
Anyway- what’s the root problem with these guys (Xian or not)?
- all about self. All being used for self
- their self-identity, security, significance… trust is in mammon, money
Whereas these things are PRO-VISION:
- God’s provision for the vision
ON EARTH v5-6
Speaks about “luxury and ‘self-indulgence’
- ‘Luxury’ is not speaking against pleasure… good things!
o Jesus had a luxury inner garment
- The word means ‘extravagant’ comfort. Stressing ‘softness of luxury’
Similarly- ‘pleasure’ (NIV Self-indulgence) is talking about going beyond pleasure into vice
- there being no restraints or self-denial, whatsoever
- no resistance when there’s a hint of comfort & enjoyment on offer
Irrespective of others and their needs
- sense of ‘fattening self in the day of slaughter’
- picking over the bodies for clothes, a belt, food, money
… and going home rejoicing
- blissfully, selectively, blind to the cost for others
How do WE apply this?
- enjoy life. Be grateful. ACCEPT God’s provision with out GUILT. (God’s grace & love is the motivation for us)
o and along with it the big or small responsibility of stewardship (using it wisely)
But don’t ‘have to HAVE’ everything. You don’t!
- live WITHIN your means. Simply.
- Restrain yourself for the sake of others:
o Cars- use less (cycle!)
o Money – give a chunk of your ‘tithe’ (more in a minute)… or above that… to the poor
§ Tear Fund. Support a child.
§ Appeals. Kosovo.
o Time… as well
Truly- it is more blessed to give than to receive
- some of us need to move on by getting serious over this
o (me, 3.5 years ago deciding to do so in Majorca)
- it is PRO-VISION rather than just the PRO-DUCTION of our efforts
AT WORK v4
I know we don’t sin in the commission of murder these folks are accused of
- but this covers what we CAN fall into: OMISSION
- forgetting to pay the right wages… a debt etc
I must admit – I’ve almost found myself omitting ‘deliberately’ in the past
- leave the note somewhere I know I’ll forget! (wrt God)
Every honourable debt must be paid
- first to God
- then to authorities and employees, people etc
o and if it’s ‘work’: our wages must be fair, not exploitative
There’s the sense, here, of employees having the right of appeal to a higher boss: the ‘Lord Almighty’
IN HEAVEN v1-3
Again, here, nothing wrong with all these good things
- rather = hoarding! Storing up for self
o … or for the moths
§ what’s the point of that, then?!
MT 6:19 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
In fact- Jesus’ words are behind this passage
- ‘have hoarded wealth in the last days’
o in prospect of heaven… as your eternal security
… and what a waste that is!
Before her death in 1997, Jeanne Calment was the oldest living human whose age could be verified by official documentation. This remarkable French lady claimed she owed her longevity to chocolate, olive oil, and port wine. On her one hundred and twentieth birthday celebration, someone asked Ms. Calment, "What is your vision of the future?"
With a twinkle in her eye, Ms. Calment replied, "Very brief.
-
o Even silver and gold have corroded
§ Worse still, they ‘cry out’… testify… “we were meant for better things than this!”
You see, these things are meant for
- God’s provision
- Storing up treasures in heaven (“where moth and rust”)
- Illustr: Peter Vardy (son of Reg Vardy car sales)- started 2 schools, countless projects… church stuff (plus sponsored Sunderland football team!)
God gives them for a purpose. His purpose.
And you CAN take it with you! I know a way that when you get to heaven your money will be there! You’ll get there and there’ll be
- people you helped who had Aids, and were helped by a doctor you trained, and were healed in a hospital you built in Nyankune
o because you gave money to Jo & Lyn Lusi
- people who went on holiday and met Jesus rather than a club 18-30 girl/boy because you gave to the Vaux’s
- people from Syria and Lebanon – because you gave to Ian and Emma Pickett
- folks galore from Alpha
o because you prayed. Paid for a celebration supper meal that was good rather than ‘typically Christian’.
§ Enabled people to go on the Alpha conf
o Gave each attender a cool Bible
Share Damaris stats on the change in our culture.
- into the pro-vision for this? (http://www.damaris.org/content/content.php?type=5&id=41)
Friends- years ago we had a vision of this being a church without walls
- people to Jesus> maturity> God to the world
o = bringing folks in, healing them up, sending them out
- but last summer we really had to scrape the barrel for those we were sending out on short-term mission
o scraping for Peter Lockhart and Latin Link
- Neil Simpson is training to be ordained as an evangelist in the BU
o but can only help him if our missionaries need less….
… and there’s at least one other who we will be needing to send to theological college to train before too long (I reckon! Yipee!)
- and there’s a whole harvest of older folks around here that we’re not reaching… that we are going to look into
o if that happens we will need PRO-Vision
and you know what. I know it’ll be there for all God calls us to
And there’s this building. Nice, eh?
- but I’d LOVE seekers to come inside and say ‘oh my word, it’s beautiful’
- Sean said : "Why on earth would a normal person want to come into a building like this…. they’d rather go play football"
So- can I be really blunt (at request of my LT a while ago)?
- give you the ‘sermon on the amount’… & how to master this beast
See what God has given you as pro-vision
- in OT required 10% of INCOME to be given to God’s work
o NT= grace, not law. Principle applies- but be prepared to give ANYTHING he tells you
- Give 10% (and more if God tells you, needs arise)
- Give to God first! Firstfruits- not fag-end
- I suggest you give minimum 5% to your local place of worship, and then keep the rest to be
o Flexible, open, global, mission-minded & compassionate as God prompts you and circumstances arise
- Give after consideration and ‘wisely’. STO and Gift Aid
- Give secretly: whenever possible, unless you really feel the person needs to know for THEIR encouragement’s sake
Mt 6:3 “do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
o I want to be rewarded, don’t you!?
o Just to let you know: none of us staff know who gives what. Only Treasurer (Alan) and Gift Aid Sec (Ann) know
- Give JOYFULLY! Because of what God has done for you! Because of HIS indescribable gift. Because of the difference you can make. Because of pro-vision
- (if you give grudgingly or guiltily best not to give at all. Seriously)
2CO 9:6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 9 As it is written:
"He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever."
2CO 9:10 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
2CO 9:12 This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. 13 Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. 14 And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. 15 Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!
