Posts Tagged ‘Treasure and Trust’

Bumper Sticker Theology

Posted: October 10, 2011 by Pam Larson in Devotionals/Commentaries
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James 5:2-3 Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten.  Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days.

Dr. Kim Riddlebarger, in a sermon series on James:

The problem is not with wealth itself. Wealth is a gift from God. The problem James is addressing is that sinful men and women often allow wealth and riches to become the be all and end all of life. What such people forget is that riches will not last. Material possessions rot and decay. The finest clothes are eventually consumed by moths. Even precious metals eventually rust and tarnish. James’ warning here echoes the words of Jesus elsewhere. As Jesus himself warns us in Matthew 6:19-21,“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.”

Those who trust in their wealth–rather than grace and mercy of God–will have their arrogance and unbelief exposed for all to see on the day of judgment. As Jesus points out, the rich who were exploiting the poor, have allowed their trust and affections to be tied to their possessions, all the while their hearts have wandered far from the purposes and will of God. Therefore, James reminds the wealthy who were persecuting Christians, that even as their clothes are eaten by moths, and even as their precious metals rust away, that very same corrosion which exposes their folly will be used as evidence against them–a warning which certainly implies the idea of a final judgment, when all that they have accumulated is only so much evidence of their sinful arrogance.

In a very loud echo from Ezekiel 7:19, James warns the wealthy that they will be consumed by fire.  “They cast their silver into the streets, and their gold is like an unclean thing. Their silver and gold are not able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the Lord. They cannot satisfy their hunger or fill their stomachs with it. For it was the stumbling block of their iniquity.” This is the fate of those whose wealth–which is a great blessing from the Lord–blinds them to that which truly lasts, and which is of infinite value–the favor of God in Christ. Instead of seeing wealth as a blessing, and something which can be used to help others in need, James exposes the sin which provokes God’s judgment. “You have laid up treasure in the last days.”

It is important that we not miss the great irony in all of this. The wealthy, those who are being condemned by James, are those people who horde their possessions precisely because they trust in those possessions instead of trusting in the purposes of God. But the wealth they horde will eventually rot away and corrode. Instead of storing up wealth, they are actually storing up God’s wrath, because a day of final judgment is coming. But this is the very thing the wealthy cannot see, because they trust in their wealth to save them from whatever may come to pass. As James will indicate later on in the passage, he clearly believes that he is living in the last days–that the Lord might return at any moment–and in this lies the folly of hoarding personal wealth. Their wealth will be of no value to them whatsoever on the day of judgment, and their wealth (which God has given them) will actually testify against them. James has already warned us that life is short, and that our failure to submit our plans to the will of God is but testimony of our arrogance. So here too James reminds us of the folly of that all too common sentiment expressed in the popular bumper sticker, “He who dies with the most toys wins.”

Piper: Not being afraid magnifies 5 great things about God

Posted: July 23, 2011 by Pam Larson in Devotionals/Commentaries, July, Luke
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John Piper, in a sermon “Magnifying God With Money” from Luke 12:32-34-

The first point of the text (in verse 32) is that God commands us not to fear when it comes to money and things. Don’t worry, don’t be afraid. “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.” But there is another way to say the point that goes deeper. The reason God wants us not to be afraid concerning money and things is because that would magnify five great things about him. Not being afraid would echo how much we treasure these five things about God. In other words, not being afraid would become a beautiful inner act of worship.

First, not being afraid shows that we treasure God as our Shepherd. “Do not be afraid, little flock.” We are his flock and he is our Shepherd. And if he is our Shepherd, then Psalm 23 applies: “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want” – that is, I shall not lack anything I really need. Not fearing magnifies the preciousness of our Shepherd.

Second, not being afraid shows that we treasure God as our Father. “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.” We are not only his little flock; we are also his children, and he is our Father. The significance of that is clear from verse 30, “All these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things.” In other words, your Father really cares and really knows what you need and will work for you to be sure that you have what you need. (Beware of dictating to God what you think “need” is instead of learning what he thinks “need” is!)

Third, not being afraid shows that we treasure God as King. “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.” He can give us the “kingdom” because he is the King. This adds a tremendous element of power to the one who provides for us. “Shepherd” connotes protection and provision. “Father” connotes love and tenderness and authority and provision and guidance. “King” connotes power and sovereignty and wealth. So if we will trust God as Shepherd and Father and King, and not be afraid about money and things, then we will show how real and precious God is to us in all these ways. God will be worshipped.

Fourth, not being afraid shows how free and generous God is. “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.” Notice, he gives the kingdom. He doesn’t sell the kingdom or rent the kingdom or lease the kingdom. He gives it. He is infinitely wealthy and does not need our payments. Anything we would try to give him would already be his anyway. “What do you have that you did not receive?” (1 Corinthians 4:7). So God is generous and free with his bounty. And this is what we magnify about him when we are not afraid but trust him with our needs.

Finally, not being afraid shows that we treasure God as happy. “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.” It is “good pleasure.” It “pleases” him to give you the kingdom. He wants to do this. It makes him glad to do it. Not all of us had fathers like this – who loved to give us things, who were made happy by giving instead of getting. But that does not matter, because now you can have such a Father, and Shepherd, and King. Trust him as your Father through the reconciling work of Jesus, and you will find him to be your Father.

So the first point from this text is that we should treasure God as our Shepherd and Father and King who is generous and happy to give us the kingdom of God – to give us heaven, to give us eternal life and joy, and everything we need to get there. If we treasure God in this way – if we trust him – we will be fearless and God will be worshipped.

He who dies with the most toys wins?

Posted: October 10, 2010 by Pam Larson in Devotionals/Commentaries, James, October
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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James 5:2-3 Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten.  Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days.

Dr. Kim Riddlebarger, in a sermon series on James:

The problem is not with wealth itself. Wealth is a gift from God. The problem James is addressing is that sinful men and women often allow wealth and riches to become the be all and end all of life. What such people forget is that riches will not last. Material possessions rot and decay. The finest clothes are eventually consumed by moths. Even precious metals eventually rust and tarnish. James’ warning here echoes the words of Jesus elsewhere. As Jesus himself warns us in Matthew 6:19-21,“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.”

most_toysThose who trust in their wealth–rather than grace and mercy of God–will have their arrogance and unbelief exposed for all to see on the day of judgment. As Jesus points out, the rich who were exploiting the poor, have allowed their trust and affections to be tied to their possessions, all the while their hearts have wandered far from the purposes and will of God. Therefore, James reminds the wealthy who were persecuting Christians, that even as their clothes are eaten by moths, and even as their precious metals rust away, that very same corrosion which exposes their folly will be used as evidence against them–a warning which certainly implies the idea of a final judgment, when all that they have accumulated is only so much evidence of their sinful arrogance.

In a very loud echo from Ezekiel 7:19, James warns the wealthy that they will be consumed by fire.  “They cast their silver into the streets, and their gold is like an unclean thing. Their silver and gold are not able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the Lord. They cannot satisfy their hunger or fill their stomachs with it. For it was the stumbling block of their iniquity.” This is the fate of those whose wealth–which is a great blessing from the Lord–blinds them to that which truly lasts, and which is of infinite value–the favor of God in Christ. Instead of seeing wealth as a blessing, and something which can be used to help others in need, James exposes the sin which provokes God’s judgment. “You have laid up treasure in the last days.”

It is important that we not miss the great irony in all of this. The wealthy, those who are being condemned by James, are those people who horde their possessions precisely because they trust in those possessions instead of trusting in the purposes of God. But the wealth they horde will eventually rot away and corrode. Instead of storing up wealth, they are actually storing up God’s wrath, because a day of final judgment is coming. But this is the very thing the wealthy cannot see, because they trust in their wealth to save them from whatever may come to pass. As James will indicate later on in the passage, he clearly believes that he is living in the last days–that the Lord might return at any moment–and in this lies the folly of hoarding personal wealth. Their wealth will be of no value to them whatsoever on the day of judgment, and their wealth (which God has given them) will actually testify against them. James has already warned us that life is short, and that our failure to submit our plans to the will of God is but testimony of our arrogance. So here too James reminds us of the folly of that all too common sentiment expressed in the popular bumper sticker, “He who dies with the most toys wins.”