When Rich Christians Continue To Exploit And Discriminate Against The Poor This Demonstrate That Are Not True Followers Of Christ A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. (John 13:34) Love One Another - https://youtube/watch?v=k2ZSOkHZ3jY In James 2:7 the apostle hints to the fact that when we treat those who are created in the image of God badly we are blaspheming. WOW!!! It is so interesting how we can utilize the blessings of God, which doesn’t belong to us, to make ourselves feel better than others. This issue of “selfies” is really a serious problem. We focus so much on our own ideas that we are unwilling to entertain the ideas of others. We continue to feel that because we are rich and increased in good that this gives us the right to exploit the poor that exists among us. This morning God is reminding us that this attitude demonstrates that we have not been with Jesus. Why do you believe God has blessed His people with riches? Some believe that these blessings demonstrate that we are highly favoured. Others believe that these blessings demonstrate that we are the head and not the tail. Do you remember what Jesus said to his disciples when they were jostling to determine who would be greatest in the kingdom of God? Jesus said to his self-centred disciples that greatest in the Kingdom of God will occur when his followers become servants of all. I can just hear some of us saving that we will not serve certain people. We don’t have a problem serving the politician, Prime Minister, President of the General Conference or some rich individual in our community. But serving the vagrant on the street is not something that we would consider doing. He or she is too smelly… How can anyone expect me to touch “those people?” Somehow we have forgotten how our transgressions have made us rotten and stink before God. Somehow we have forgotten that even though we smell stink from the accumulation of our sinfulness, the Svaiour of the world came to this earth and took upon Himself all our “stinking sins” and allowed His blood to wash us and make us clean. You see my friend, unless we allow the Holy Spirit to take full control of every area of our lives we will continue to discriminate against people. We will continue to feel superior. We will never humble ourselves before God so that He can remove the rottenness from our soul. I pray that we will heed the counsel provided by the word of the Lord this morning. I pray that we will learn to kind and affectionate one to another. I pray that we will continue to allow God to change our heart and make it new so that we will stop discriminating against the poor. Very few realize the strength of their love for money until the test is brought to bear upon them. Many who profess to be Christs followers then show that they are unprepared for Heaven. Their works testify that they love wealth more than their neighbor or their God. Like the rich young man, they inquire the way of life; but when it is pointed out and the cost estimated, and they see that the sacrifice of earthly riches is demanded, they decide that Heaven costs too much. The greater the treasures laid up on the earth, the more difficult it is for the possessor to realize that they are not his own, but are lent him to be used to Gods glory. Jesus here improves the opportunity to give his disciples an impressive lesson: Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, that a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of Heaven. 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. {RH, January 15, 1880 par. 3} Here the power of wealth is seen. The influence of the love of money over the human mind is almost paralyzing. Riches infatuate, and cause many who possess them to act as though they were bereft of reason. The more they have of this world, the more they desire. Their fears of coming to want increase with their riches. They have a disposition to hoard up means for the future. They are close and selfish, fearing that God will not provide for them. This class are indeed poor toward God. As their riches have accumulated, they have put their trust in them, and have lost faith in God and his promises. The faithful, trusting poor man becomes rich toward God by judiciously using the little he has in blessing others with his means. He feels that his neighbor has claims upon him that he cannot disregard and yet obey the command of God, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. He considers the salvation of his fellowmen of greater importance than all the gold and silver the world contains. Christ points out the way in which those who have wealth, and yet are not rich toward God, may secure the true riches. He says: Sell that ye have, and give alms; and lay up treasure in Heaven. The remedy he proposes is a transfer of their affections to the eternal inheritance. By investing their means in the cause of God to aid in the salvation of souls, and by relieving the needy, they become rich in good works, and are laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. This will prove a safe investment. But many show by their works that they dare not trust the bank of Heaven. They choose to trust their means in the earth, rather than to send it before them to Heaven. These have a great work to do to overcome covetousness and love of the world. Rich poor men, professing to serve God, are objects of pity. While they profess to know God, in works they deny him. How great is the darkness of such! They profess faith in the truth, but their works do not correspond with their profession. The love of riches makes men selfish, exacting, and overbearing. To obtain wealth by unjust dealing, overreaching in trade, oppressing the widow and the fatherless, or hoarding up riches and neglecting the wants of the needy, will eventually bring the just retribution described by the inspired apostle: The humblest and poorest of the true disciples of Christ who are rich in good works, are more blessed and more precious in the sight of God than the men who boast of their great riches. They are more honorable in the courts of Heaven than the most exalted kings and nobles who are not rich toward God. (Review and Herald, January 15, 1880 – Ellen G. White) The rich and the poor are to be treated alike, with unvarying kindness. (Medical Ministry, pg. 205 – Ellen G. White)
Posted on: Mon, 27 Oct 2014 10:43:46 +0000
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