James 1:12-16

² God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. ¹³ And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else. ¹⁴ Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. ¹⁵ These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death. ¹⁶ So don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters.

So far in our series, “The Litmus Test for Life” we have seen not only the purpose of tests, to purify and grow us, but also the product, what God wants to produce in our lives through tests, perseverance and perfection. Last time James taught us NOT to put our trust in treasures during trying times, and the importance of having a proper perspective on possessions, because our view of money determines the  value we place on it. Now in verses 12 through 16 James is going to talk to us about “Problems in Times of Testing” but interestingly he starts this section on problems with a:

1. Promise – VS 12

Why does James start talking about the problems in times of testing with a promise? Because he is preparing us for the problems by providing a proper perspective. That while we will encounter problems in this life God has a plan. James is calling us to focus on the promise not the problems. What is the promise? “God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.” James reveals both the promise and the prize. The promise is to those who love God and the prize is the crown of life. It’s your love for the Lord that blesses your life. So how do we love the Lord, through obedience. Jesus said in John 14:15 “If you love me, obey my commandments.” That means trusting God enough to take the test. Are you learning to embrace the tests or looking to escaping the tests? The love that Jesus talks about here is not based on feelings but on faith. Today we have fooled ourselves into believing that love is based on a feeling, so we find ourselves falling into and out of love. Most marriages fail because we have built them on a foundation of feeling instead of faith. In marriage God calls us to a covenant commitment, not a coveting commitment. A covenant commitment is based on God’s Will, where a coveting commitment is based on my wants. Why does a feeling-based marriage fail and a faith based one flourish? Because Faith focuses on the Father where feelings focus on me. God’s goal in marriage is for 2 to become 1 but as long as the foundation is built solely on feelings then it will always be built and bound together by 2, my feelings and my spouses’ feelings. But a faith focused marriage gives us both a single focus, God the Father. Why do we need to follow Jesus by faith, because feelings can fade and because feelings are not always factual. What about you are you living an obedient life by trusting God and taking the tests or trying to flee or fake the tests? Are you obeying or objecting? Now it’s important to note that obedience is not obligation. Obligation says I have to, where Obedience says I get to. Love follows even when the feelings fade, which is critical because tests have a way of tempering our feelings. So, let me ask you is your goal loving God? Is your primary purpose to please God or to please people? Are you living your life for an audience or for the Almighty? Most of us fail to live for an audience of One. We become people pleasers instead of lovers of the Lord. One of the reasons so many people are worn out is that they have become people pleasers first and God pleasers second. Remember you are running to please Christ not a crowd. Notice that we are blessed with both an eternal reward and a present reward. Your eternal reward is the crown of life. Your present reward is the hope of God’s promise. The security that comes from knowing you’re in His will and that you’re pleasing Him with your obedience. Your eternal reward requires both patience and persistence, our problem is that we are not very persistent people. When we encounter a problem, we tend to give up, instead of give it to God. We need to develop persistence which James has already told us is the product of testing. Unfortunately, many of us have let the problems cloud promise. We are focused on the crud in life instead of the crown of life. The secret to focusing on the crown of life is to focus on Christ, the Lord of life. We need to focus on the person not just the prize. Otherwise you will be motivated by obligation instead of obedience. When we stop focusing on the person of Christ, we end up getting caught up in the problems of life. What you give priority to will become preeminent in your life. So, let me ask you are you giving priority to the problems or to God’s promises?

Matthew 6:19-24

¹⁹ “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.²² “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. ²³ But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! ²⁴ “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

After the heart test comes to the head and the third test:

3. The Mind Test.

The third test asks the question, “Where is your focus?” and is found in verses 22-23: “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” Jesus is saying that there are only two possible ways to look at things, through the lens of light and darkness. If our minds focus only on earthly things life will become cloudy and dark. When money becomes our #1 obsession, it will put blinders on our eyes and ruin our spiritual life. But when our mind is focused on how we can deposit treasures in heaven it will light up our life. We will start to look for opportunities to serve instead of being selfish.  Are you letting cash or Christ consume your thoughts? Is your thinking clear or cloudy? Are you focused on giving or on getting? Last but not least is:

4. The Master Test.

The fourth and final test focuses on our will and asks the question: “Whom do you serve?” Verse 24: “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.” To “serve” means that we’ve made a choice to engage our wills. If we’re not careful our emotions will affect our minds, which in turn can cause our wills to focus on money more than the Master. The word Jesus uses here for money is the word, “Mammon,” which is a proper noun, or a name. Jesus viewed Money as a rival for preeminence. An attachment to money leads to a detachment from God. Money fights for supremacy in our lives. One of the reasons we turn to and trust in money especially in trying times is because money has many of the characteristics of a deity. It promises security, freedom and power. But only one master can win out, and the master that wins will be the One we serve. Money is a wonderful servant but a lousy master, and it will be one or the other in your life, either you will serve money or it will serve you. To be a committed follower of Christ is not merely a matter of the emotions but also of our minds and wills. We are not following by feeling but by faith. To love God requires service and even sacrifice and this type of allegiance cannot be rendered to two parties. Whatever we devote ourselves to will become our God. How we manage money reveals where our loyalties lie. Jesus reminds us that money is not just a neutral medium of exchange, but a “power” with a life of its own which seeks to control, and even consume us. The goal of this Money Master is total domination of your value system. Jesus doesn’t say “you better not” He says, “you cannot serve both God and money.” Jesus words are disturbing for He says, if you love money, you will end up hating God. If you are devoted to the pursuit of possessions, you will find yourself despising the things of God. While we want to make it about the amount, how much we have, Jesus focuses on our attitude. Do you have a right attitude or a rotten attitude, a giving attitude or a grabbing one? How do you know when you have a Right Attitude, you see Giving as:

A Priority Not a Problem… A matter of Willingness not Wealth…A matter of Opportunity not Obligation. You see there are 3 Types of Givers –

Little – You ought to (obligation)

Legal – You have to (law)

Liberal – You want to (grace)

Are you a little, legal or liberal giver? The goal is not grabbing as much as we can but giving God all the glory we can. Where are you investing His possessions so that it points people to God? We need to take this four-part test on a regular basis:

1. The Durability Test. How long will my things last? Are they temporary or will they last forever in heaven?
2. The Heart Test. Where am I investing my time and money? What excites me the most, earth or heaven? Which place makes my heart beat faster?
3. The Mind Test. Where do I focus my goals? Am I committed to materialism or spirituality? Do I operate according to God’s priorities, or my own?
4. The Master Test. Is Jesus my master or is something, or someone, else? Will I serve money on earth and allow it to be my god, or will I serve God in heaven with my treasures, which are really His in the first place?