A Man and His Money (0529)

####Sermon Overview
Scripture Passage: James 1:9-12

One of the biggest tests of a man’s character is his relationship with money.

Money can buy almost anything but happiness, but when given too much control, it can divide families and destroy marriages. What does the Bible say about a man and his money?

It has less to do with how much you have, and more to do with your posture toward it.

The Book of James offers counter-cultural advice on how a man can pass the test of his money:

if you are poor, consider yourself exalted. If you are rich, remain humbled by your blessings.

If you are a Christian living in poverty, you have reason to celebrate, because in the Lord Jesus Christ, you are highly exalted, and rich in all things money cannot buy.

If you are a Christian who has been blessed with riches, you have a reason to be humbled, because in spite of your riches, you have found the Lord Jesus Christ and this is something that not many rich men do. You, too, are very rich, not because of the money in the bank, but because of Christ in your heart.

Adrian Rogers says, “No longer do you have your outlook geared to things that you can weigh and see and feel and touch and count and take to the bank. You want to know how rich you really are? Add up everything that you have that money cannot buy and that death cannot take away.”

And what happens if your circumstances change drastically? If you lose everything or you gain it, what do you become?

The Book of James says that tribulation works patience and endurance. We need to be tested that we might learn to be steadfast. We must make up our minds now that when the test of life come, we will stick it out.

How can we live this kind of life where we are not pressed in by materialism and consumerism like everybody else around us? Love the Lord; when a man loves God, he doesn’t have to be tied to this world or his own money.

####Apply it to your life
How are you and your money? How much power over your identity have you given your finances? Think about this today. Pray for wisdom and discernment as you find your wealth is Christ alone.