Rich in Faith

Good morning and welcome in. Today we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture from the book of James.

James 2:1-6

My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.  For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool:  Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?  

Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?  But ye have despised the poor…….

In this passage, the Apostle begins by teaching us that there were certain people in the church who were treating others differently just because of their social standing.  They showed respect to those who had money, treating them very well, but then they despised the poor. The Lord Jesus taught that we are not supposed to judge by appearance, but this is exactly what was going on among them.

John 7:24 – Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.

1 Samuel 16:7 – But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.

When you respect somebody it means to feel or show honor or esteem for them.  Human nature has a desire to show respect to those who have wealth, while the poor are looked down upon and even hated by the world.

Proverbs 14:20  The poor is hated even of his own neighbour: but the rich hath many friends.

Proverbs 19:4  Wealth maketh many friends; but the poor is separated from his neighbour.

What they were doing was showing partiality in the church based on someone’s income and wealth.  Partiality is unfair bias in favor of one thing or person compared with another and showing favoritism.  It’s treating somebody worse than another simply because of the cleanliness of their clothes, or the inexpensive wedding ring on their finger.  This happens all the time in the world, but it’s not supposed to be going on in the church.  The Apostle refers to these kinds of things as evil thoughts.

God has chosen the poor of this world rich in faith.

Luke 6:20 – And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God.

Voluntarily choosing to live a life of poverty while here upon the Earth brings a lot of opportunity to seek after the things of God. This is what the apostles did when they left their earthly jobs.  This is what Moses did when he walked off on all the treasures and the riches of Egypt.  Instead of seeking after earthly treasures, we can focus our attention on seeking after spiritual ones instead.  Instead of being filled with earthly riches we can become rich in faith.

Matt 19:21-24 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.  But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.  

Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.  And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

The Lord Jesus wanted this man to follow him, but the problem was, he loved his possessions more.  His love of money and possessions caused him to lament at the thought of letting them go, even to help those who were less fortunate.  This is why the love of money is the root of all evil.  

1 Tim 6:6-10 But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

The love of money is like a snare that slowly chokes a person’s relationship with God and His Holy Word.  

Mark 4:18-19 And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.

There are many people who look 40 years down the road at retirement some day, instead of looking at today.  When you are content with your food and your clothes you don’t have to look that far down the road.  It’s the covetous desire in a person’s heart for earthly gain that blinds them from spiritual truth and a God seeking heart.

Luke 12:13-15 And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me.  And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you?  And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

Covetous is defined as having an inordinate desire or a craving for wealth or possessions.  Each of us were born into this world with nothing and that’s the way that we will leave.  Instead of focusing on wealth and riches, we need to be content with our food and clothes.  God took the Israelites out into the desert and provided the simple things that they needed.  It’s the rapacious desire for more that takes our eyes off God and His Word.  The disciples willingly became poor so that they would have more time available to preach God’s Word to the people.  They were giving the church the abundance of their spiritual riches and knowledge in Christ.

2 Corinthians 6:10 – As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.

Our Lord Jesus Christ is the greatest example who left everything behind in heaven and became poor physically so that we could grow spiritually.

2 Cor 8:9 For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.

So remember, it is those who are physically poor and needy in this world that God fills up with Spiritual treasures and faith.  You can’t love both God and mammon.  Whatever you seek after is what you will be filled up with, whether its a big house and a large bank account, or the true riches that extend into eternity itself… found in our Lord Jesus Christ and His Word.

It all comes down to your decision.  Do you want to be rich?…..

……Rich in faith?

Let’s think about those things for today and Lord willing we can talk some more tomorrow. Till then, bye-bye everybody.❤️

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