Warning: Riches In This World Can Rob You Of Riches In Faith

Money is NOT a sin, so having a lot of it is not sinful. But Christians are warned about the power of money and how easy it can pull followers of Jesus Christ away from Him as they put their trust into the false god of riches. The more money, the harder the pull. 

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Podcast 35 Transcript

(This is a computer generated transcript of this podcast.  This is NOT a typed transcript and it has not been edited. Expect grammatical and syntactical errors.)

Hello and good day. This is B. R. Maul, and you are listening to Living God's Way In An Ungodly World. Thanks for joining me. 

Think of that title just for a moment. Living God's Way In An Ungodly World. That is a challenge. And I guess it always has been with God's people. I guess it's our human nature. But let's take a look at the world today and what that means, because the God of the Old Testament is still the same God today. And even though civilization has changed. The human heart has not, and we continue to fight that spiritual warfare against Satan himself, and his demons, and against our own heart, because it is our tendency to roam from our God…but this is an ungodly world.

We can know this by several reasons or ways. First and foremost, God's word itself tells us that we are in the fallen world. But we can also just look around ourselves. And for us born again believers, it's easy to see just how fallen this world really is. For unbelievers, I don't doubt that that goes back and forth, depending how current circumstances are playing out for them personally.

Because, as a citizen of the world, unbelievers, that's how they measure how things are going, by their own self. It's all about the self, it's all about the person, it's all about me. So, some people in this world would say things are going pretty well overall. Living life pretty well, pretty comfortable in today's time with technology. Of course others in this world, the citizens of this world, would in fact complain and say it's very unfair, very unjust, I don't have as much as this person or that person. I deserve a whole lot more. But that's not what I'm referring to when I'm referring to an ungodly world.

I am referring to the pure evil that we see around us and that we read in the news as Jesus speaks about in Matthew 24. You can go see it or read that for yourself, but how people, the love for fellow man is growing colder and colder. Violence is increasing substantially. And no matter how much knowledge we accumulate about God's creation, about this world, it seems to make no difference in the human heart.

Greed still dominates. And God's children, we see that because the Holy Spirit opens our eyes to that. And as we continue to read God's word and pray to him on a daily basis, every day we become a little more like our Savior, Jesus Christ, as our Holy Father sanctifies us and starts taking away the things that used to chain us, that would hold us down, that would keep us from Him.

Things that we used to watch and listen to, and behaviors that we used to have. In time we can look back and see that that has changed and that's part of being born again, being a child of God. So as we continue today Living God's Way In An Ungodly World, we are looking to the book of James, and we're in chapter 1, and today we're going over 9, 10, and 11.

So let me just jump right on in. I am indeed still reading from the New King James Version. That's just my preference. And it reads, verse nine: Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation, but the rich in his humiliation because as a flower of the field, he will pass away for no sooner has the sun risen with a burning hate than it withers the grass. Its flower falls and its beautiful appearance parishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits. James chapter 1 verses 9, 10, and 11. 

So let's back up and cover some ground here because James is opening our eyes in these verses to the effects that money can have, and also to be wary Now, wary isn't the right word. To be mindful of the fact that our lives are indeed very short. And so while we are here in this world, in time itself, we have a limited window, a limited time that's here. And this is addressed directly to believers. For unbelievers, this doesn't apply, because money will indeed, and power, prestige, all that goes with money, will be the ultimate goal in this lifetime, to obtain as much as possible, because there is no other hope.

James knows this. James isn't writing, he's not formulating his letter to speak to unbelievers. This is speaking to brothers and sisters in the faith. Verse 9, when he says let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation. Lowly as in poor. And that's poor financially, not poor in spirit. Poor financially.

And we know this because right away he addresses in verse 10, but the rich in his humiliation. So he addresses the difference in the poor and the rich believer. Now at first a person can read this as he is condemning the rich, that believers who are rich are going to pass away like the flower in the field.

But we need to be mindful of The punctuation, because verse nine, Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation. That's the poor brother, the poor believer, comma, verse ten, But the rich in his humiliation, comma, because as a flower of the field, he will pass away. He being the believer, not just the rich. So, whether we are poor or whether we are rich financially, as believers, the poor should glory in our status, be exalted by the very fact that we are children of God, that we will live in eternity in the presence of God Almighty Himself, and that we will be glorified and made just the way God has intended it all along. 

So the rich, the rich believer, should glory in his humiliation. So what does that mean? It means to be very careful of the fact that a believer who has a lot of money, that money as we know from scripture can be very poisonous, can strip away the very need of God. And even as I was saying that, I realized I worded that wrong.

Stripping away the knowledge of, and the fact of, we need God. Because money can become our security. Of course, we always need God. We need Him for everything, every breath we take. And it doesn't matter how much money, or little money. But that's why, if we have a lot of money as a believer, we need to be very mindful of that, and allow humiliation to guide us, so we don't get over our head.

But if we are poor, and we don't have much finances, all the more reason to look upon the fact that when time itself is done, because yes Christian, time will be done. And the end of time is coming, I'm not saying that's tomorrow, or I'm not trying to say in any time could be tomorrow. That would be great, but it's coming.

And we know that someday that time when God eliminates everything other than his children and remakes everything so it is completely without sin, then eternity starts. Okay, so bear with me. Let me go back once again, verse nine, Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation, the very fact that he's a child of God, comma, but the rich in his humiliation.

So the rich, having that comfort of not having to face physical needs, needs to grab on to humiliation, and constantly remind him or herself. That they are a child of God and it is God himself that gives everything, comma, because as a flower of the field, he will pass away in verse 11 goes on to say more about that.

For no sooner has the sun risen with the burning heat than it withers the grass. It's flower falls and it's beautiful appearance parishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits. That's the end of verse 11. 

That's interesting because James, at this point in time, does single out the wealthy believer in reminding the wealthy believer that they will fade away in his pursuits.

But I'll come back to that. So let's back up now to the very fact that we have the analogy of the flower of the field will pass away. That the sun comes up withers the grass and we have several other locations in God's Word that uses the same illustration that people are our bodies are mortal bodies are like grass.

So let's take a look at a couple of those. Turn, if you can, to the book of Isaiah, chapter 40, and I'll start with verse 6b and go through 8. Isaiah 40, 6b, 7 and 8. It reads, All flesh is grass. There you have it. Right away. Flesh is grass. And all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, because the breath of the Lord blows upon it. Surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever. 

Hmm, there you go. So our bodies, our little lives here, are so temporary. But we are reminded that our Heavenly Father is not. And that it is His power that gives and takes away. Verse 7, the grass withers, the flower fades.

Because the breath of the Lord blows upon it. It is because the Lord sustains, gives life, and takes it away. He sets everything in motion, and with merely His breath. And then we're reminded in Isaiah, verse 8 of chapter 40, The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.

Everything else someday will indeed burn. We know that going by God's word. He used a flood the first time to completely wash away the gunk, leaving just Noah and his family and the animals on the ark to start all over. 

But the next time, everything is going to burn. I find that rather interesting, because washing something...we can really clean something up, right? We wash our dishes, we wash our clothes, wash our cars, whatever it might be. Wash the table when we're done eating, and we have water that will do that. Water will take that dirt and dust and grime and wash it. Now the interesting thing is though, have you ever tried using water by itself to get something like grease off of something?

You're done with a frying pan, made some good fried potatoes, and you're washing it and let's just say, Oops, I don't have any more soap. So we just use some really hot water. That's tough. Now take that same frying pan, and hold it over an open flame, a large flame. That'll burn right off. That grease will burn and drip off, and eventually, that's it.

So I find that interesting, but I digress, so I'll continue. Another place that we can look is Psalm 103, verses 15 and 16. As for man, his days are like grass, as a flower the field, so he flourishes. For the wind passes over it. And it is gone and its place remembers it no more. So our days, our life here, once again is compared to the grass.

And our lives are like a flower, a wild flower, it says as a flower of the field. So a wild flower, and it grows a flower blooms, and some of those wild flowers are just beautiful, absolutely beautiful, and it flourishes. But then the wind comes, passes over it, comes quickly, and just like that it's gone. And we're reminded here, in this psalm, that in addition to being gone, we're also reminded, and its place remembers it no more.

That wild flower that eventually wilts away, falls down to the ground, burns up in the heat, decays, and just becomes part of the soil, it's not remembered. And here's a friendly reminder, out of love, one that we often don't want to hear, but should be reminded of, and that is when we are gone, when our bodies expire, when we wither away, it won't take long either, we will not be remembered as well.

I'm sure there's some gasps there. What? Oh, no, no, no. I'll never forget my loved one. Oh, no, no, no. I'll, no one will ever forget me. Well, part of that is true. We ourselves will not forget those loved ones that are near and dear to us, that have shared the time here on Earth. But I can prove it. It only takes two generations to be forgotten.

That's all it takes. Try to remember a great grandparent. Do you think of your great grandparents throughout the day? You miss them so much, you just can't live without your great grandparents? Now Christian, I'm not belittling whatsoever your great grandparents. The point I'm trying to make is, we don't remember them.

So it doesn't take long at all. In time, we continue on. Life moves on. And yes, we do remember our loved ones. But with every passing month, every passing year, we still live on. We still move on. And for those we have shared the time together here, yes, that can leave a gaping hole, but like the grass and like the flower that wither and is soon forgotten, it only takes another generation.

Someone's looking at a picture of you saying, Oh yeah, that was my dad. My great grandpa, that was my great aunt, or even grandparent for some. Yeah, I remember my grandma just a little bit. I was pretty small, and I guess she passed away. I can't remember when she passed away, but that's what it ends up being.

And beloved, that's part of life. It really is. So don't be saddened by that, because in eternity, well, we have that. That's just in this linear time right now. And in this passage then that James is talking about, it's all the more reason. It's a good reminder that whether we are poor or rich, it makes no difference how much money a person has that makes a difference here and now in this short linear time that we have.

So the money itself plays no part in it. And I say no part because it is what we do with the things that God gave us that makes a difference. It's not the money itself. There are plenty of people who have little money but do great things with their time, their talent. And have moved the lives of those God has placed around them.

So James reminds us then in verse 10b, because as a flower of the field, he will pass away. That is both poor and rich alike. Verse 11, for no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass. Its flower falls and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits.

So why did James now, in this verse, point directly to the rich? The rich believer. Take this as a warning, a caution perhaps. That we have to be mindful that the Lord does indeed bless a child of God. Blesses a believer with finances to do the work. First, keep in mind, beloved, that how little or how much a money has, has nothing to do with the reflection of God's love.

He doesn't measure things that way. At times, our greed can and will want more, and then sometimes we'll feel like we're not as loved because we don't have as much, and that's just, again, our worldly side. That's the flesh fighting against the spirit. But God will give the gift of money to be used as the tool to do his work.

But we are warned because it's the rich person. Who can quickly forget about really what God has in store for them, what they are doing. And I'm talking to believers because this is already assumed for non-believers, whether they're rich or poor. They're going to try to get everything in anything they can.

Knowing this is as good as it gets. But believers, we have to be careful, beloved, that we don't get so busy in our pursuits, as James puts it, because he says the rich man, the rich person also will fade away in his pursuits in the middle of doing what we think is so great and so grand and accumulation of wealth and we feel that we are just rocking the world and we may be, but just in the blink of an eye, it's over for us.

And so we can't get caught up with money. We must be very careful. Turn with me to 1 Timothy chapter 6. 1 Timothy chapter 6. Let's look at verse 10. It reads, For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith. And their greediness pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

So that's why James is reminding the rich person that even amidst your pursuit, something that we think is so important that can't go on without us. There are some wonderful and fabulous brothers and sisters out there who are making a difference on what we can see as a grand scale of things. They're in the media. They have wonderful ministries. I love some of them. Dr. David Jeremiah is one of them. I also like Jack Hibbs Dr. Charles Stanley He's no longer with us, but he had made such a huge difference and his ministry continues to make a great difference. Greg Laurie is another one as well.

These are magnificent brothers who have made a huge difference. And I say from what we can see because we can't see what we have all done. That's why we are to treat everybody around us with love. After all, we are commanded first and foremost to love our Lord, our God, with all of our heart. With all of our soul and with all of our mind, and second to that, to love our neighbor, that's everyone else as ourself, love.

So we are to do that. Why is that? Because we may not be able to see that by just that kind, that act of kindness that we extend to somebody can really change somebody. And that somebody may end up becoming a born again believer, and they themselves. A chain reaction end up leading so many more to Christ.

It'll be interesting when we get to heaven, if we're shared that information, just how much just sharing the gospel with other people, to witnessing to other people what Christ has done in our lives, what that will do, what effect that is have. I mean, think of all the pastors in the past who have led so many to Christ.

And they all have a story at one point or another where they were not born again. Everybody, everybody needs to be born again. These men and women alike who have dedicated their lives to serving God, to serving people and loving them and leading people to Christ. They all say the same thing. That it was a certain moment in time that someone had said something or did something truly impacted their being.

And that was the spark that started the fire, the flame of passion in their hearts. So, this is why we need to be so careful, because the love of money can rob us of such blessings. And, as Paul told Timothy, that the greediness, it pierced themselves through with many sorrows. What could have been a life of loving other people, living a fulfilled life of faith and love and hope, suddenly is drowned out with greed and sorrow of loneliness and bitterness. And James is pointing to that. He's reminding us. In chapter 11, that first and foremost, it doesn't matter how much money you have, little or a lot, we all are going to die. Our lives are quite minute here. Money has nothing to do with it.

But then he does take that extra moment to remind those who do have money, be very careful. Now, before I end, beloved, there is something that I need to remind you of, and that is, remember, we cannot lose our salvation. This is so important because there is false doctrine out there. That continues to drive this in the hearts of millions of people that you can lose your salvation as if there's some sin out there that Christ did not cover with his blood and a person can lose their salvation.

I'm telling you right now, it is impossible. You cannot ever lose your salvation. The only thing that would happen is if a person never had it, but then you can't lose something you don't have. But this is proof. In 1 Timothy, for the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith.

In their greediness and pierce themselves through with many sorrows. What this is saying, beloved, is we can be robbed of the blessings that the Holy Father wants to give to you. If we take our eyes off of Him and put it into our money, put it into our stuff, put it into our house, put it into our cars, into our vacations, into whatever it might be that we think money is giving us, but money is only a tool. Look at Ephesians 1, Ephesians chapter 1, verses 13 and 14. In him you also trusted after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise Who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession to the praise of his glory. 

There you have it. You can never, never lose your salvation. A person can go through life thinking they have salvation. They can go through life deceived, placing all of their confidence in their baptism as an infant. A baptism even not as an infant, those who just think that even as an adult, if I'm baptized, I'm born again. Baptism doesn't do it. Nothing does it. It is only the blood of Christ, and that is believing in one's heart that Christ died for them. And knowing that God raised Jesus from the dead. That is the only way.

And with that, one repents, realizes I'm a sinner, and sees it and embraces Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. That is it. Let me go through this one more time. I'm not going to break this down. I have before and I will again. But I do want to emphasize some important words here. So bear with me, I'm going to read it one more time.

Ephesians 1, 13 In Him, and that's Jesus, you also trusted. Notice how you trusted after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, a person hears from the word of God, the word of truth and the gospel, and a person is trusted moving on in whom also having believed so you trusted and you believed with that you were sealed you were sealed With the Holy Spirit of promise.

You are sealed, beloved. The Holy Spirit seals you. The power of God. seals you. And there's a promise in that. Who is the guarantee of our inheritance. The Holy Spirit is the guarantee of our, our inheritance. What is that inheritance? It's the guarantee of our inheritance, and that is eternity in heaven, in the presence of the Holy God.

And it says here, not only are you sealed, but He is the guarantee. He guarantees us of our inheritance. Does God lie? No. Can God be duped? No. So when God seals you, when God guarantees, that's it. It's a done deal. Who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession. What does that part mean?

Until the redemption, until He, Jesus, redeems His purchased possession. And that's you, Christian. You and me are the purchased possession. His blood paid our debt. He has bought us. He owns us. Thank the good Lord He owns us. And so that Holy Spirit keeps us sealed, and is the guarantee until Christ comes back to redeem what He has purchased.

Like a coupon, right? When we go to the store to redeem a coupon, what are we doing? We're saying, Hey, I have this here. And so this is mine. I'm going to hear I'm here for it now. And we take that with us. And that's, of course. When Jesus comes back. So with that, beloved, yes, we need to be very careful that the love of money does not take our eyes off of our Heavenly Father.

But with that, even with the warnings that James is giving us, James also knows that that cannot take away our salvation. But with that, think about what it can take away. All the joy in this moment of time, it can blind us of our hope, and suddenly a Christian can look no different than an unbeliever, than a child of Satan, somebody who is of this world.

Because after all, we are all following either God or Satan, and I'll talk more about that another time. But there is no in between. Jesus made it clear we are either with him or we are against him. There is no in between. So even if you can't lose your salvation, why would anybody want to look just like those of this world and forget about all the promises God has given us?

Does that make sense to you? Beloved, thank you so much for joining me today. And join me next week, God willing, as we continue in the book of James. I pray that all is going well with your walk with the Lord. Remember, Beloved, to read his word daily. Pray to him. Spend that time with him as you do others that you love so much in your life, because he loves you so much.

If you have any questions, anything I can help you with, if I can pray for you, please go to my website. The website is www. brmaul. com And click on contact. Put your email in there and there's a spot I do believe where you can make a comment or question and I'll get back to you.

So until next time,

God bless.

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