A Warning for the Rich | A Sermon from James 5:1-6

Introduction
We are now in the last chapter of the Epistle of James.  Lord willing, we will spend 4 more weeks studying this letter that was written by Jesus’ half-brother.  The message today might make you feel uncomfortable.  I want you to know it makes me feel uncomfortable too.  Why?  Because James gives a stern warning to rich people.  And although I don’t consider myself a rich man, I do realize I live in one of the most prosperous nations on the planet. 

According to zippia.com, the USA has the 7^th highest avg annual income in the world - $70,930/year.  Now the average income of the whole world is $9,733/year.  The average annual income in Afghanistan is only $390/year.  So maybe that puts some things in perspective for us.  And God’s Word to us today in James is challenging.

James 5:1-6
¹ Look here, you rich people: Weep and groan with anguish because of all the terrible troubles ahead of you. ² Your wealth is rotting away, and your fine clothes are moth-eaten rags. ³ Your gold and silver are corroded. The very wealth you were counting on will eat away your flesh like fire. This corroded treasure you have hoarded will testify against you on the day of judgment. ⁴ For listen! Hear the cries of the field workers whom you have cheated of their pay. The cries of those who harvest your fields have reached the ears of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

⁵ You have spent your years on earth in luxury, satisfying your every desire. You have fattened yourselves for the day of slaughter. ⁶ You have condemned and killed innocent people,^[a] who do not resist you.

A Warning to the Rich
James speaks to his 1^st century Jewish Christian readers to remind them not to become like the rich and powerful who persecuted them.  Many of his readers may have been wealthy.  Many of them had suffered and lost much wealth at the hands of non-Christians who persecuted them.  And as always, James is very blunt.  He warns the wicked rich using terribly vivid imagery of the troubles the wicked rich will endure.  Your wealth will rot away.  Your fine cloths will be moth eaten rags.
Your silver and gold will corrode.  The wealth you counted in will eat your flesh like fire.
And all your wealth will testify against you in court on Judgment Day.  That makes you squirm in your seat a little bit—if not for yourself, then for anyone who faces it.

Money IS NOT the Root of All Evil
It’s important for me to correct a often misunderstood statement in the Bible.
Contrary to popular belief.  The Bible never says money is the root of all evil.

The verse people misquote to proof-text this is 1 Timothy 6:10, which says, “For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.”  It is the love of money that is the root of all kinds of evil.  That’s an important distinction. 

If you know your Bible, you will realize there were many godly rich people who were part of God’s story.  Abraham is revered as a holy man by three world religions--Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.  Yet Father Abraham was a wealthy nomad who had large flocks of livestock and a the large household of a wealthy man by the standards of his day.  One of Abraham's descendants, Joseph, was part of that wealthy household.  Joseph lost it all when he was sold into slavery by his treacherous brothers, but he eventually rose to power as second in command to Egypt's Pharaoh (who was arguably the wealthiest and most powerful man in the world at that time).  David started out as a lowly shepherd, but then became King of Israel and lived in a palace with the wealth and power of the nation at his disposal.  Then the Bible says David's son, Solomon, was the wealthiest person in the world.  There were also several wealthy people who supported Jesus’ ministry and the Christian church in the New testament – Joseph of Arimathea was a wealthy man who donated a tomb for Christ burial.

There is nothing wrong with having wealth.  It’s how you get your wealth and what you do with it and your attitude about it that matters most.  James warns the rich who got their wealth by unjust means.  Verse 4 says, “Hear the cries of the field workers whom you have cheated of their pay.”  These were people who had little power.  The landowner could promise to pay them a certain wage, but if he decided to cheat them, what recourse did they have?  (There weren't even any labor unions back then.)  And these were also people who lived hand to mouth, so if the landowner didn't pay them on time, they would certainly go hungry.  James says when rich people act like this, God hear the complaints of the people they cheat and He see the rich people's wickedness and He will judge them.

As God’s people, we are to be holy as the Lord is Holy.  What does it mean to be Holy?  It means to be set apart, to be different from the sinful world.  It means to be like God.  

God is righteous.  He does not cheat and steal.  He does not mistreat and use people.  Therefore, we must not cheat, steal, and mistreat people either.  We must be kind and generous and gracious, just as God is kind and generous and gracious  We must be fair, just as God is fair.  

My daughter is a waitress.  She usually makes a decent wage, but a good portion of here income comes from tips.  When people don't tip the customary amount, she suffers.  And I know many people say they are god tippers if the wait staff  does a good job.  I understand your sentiment.  But what if God treated you the way you treat your waiter or waitress?  What if God was watching over you looking for any mistake you made as an excuse to withhold blessings from you.  We would all starve to death because we make many mistake.  But that's not how God is.  God is gracious with us and blesses us even when we fail.  We ought to be the same with people in our dealings.  We should seek to be holy as God is holy.

If you read about the heroes of the Bible, the holy ones who had great wealth, you will find that they kind and generous and fair.  They also did not put their trust in their wealth; they depended on the Lord.  King David, who was a powerful king who wrote so many of the Psalms, wrote in Psalm 20:7, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.”
And Solomon, who the Bible says was the richest man who ever lived, wrote in Proverbs 11:28, “Trust in your money and down you go!  But the godly flourish like leaves in spring.”

David and Solomon were wealthy men, but they didn’t trust in the riches to keep them safe.  They knew the Lord was their strength and their shield.  As Americans who live in one of the most prosperous nation in the world, we also must hear and head James’ warning.  Don’t trust in your wealth to keep you safe.  Put your trust in God.  And be very careful not to cheat and steal to gain or increase your wealth.  Be honest.  Be fair.  Be gracious.  And don’t hoard your wealth.  Be generous.  Don’t waste your money in careless living, but also be careful that you aren’t stingy. 

Chick-fil-A vs. McDonald’s
Have you ever noticed the difference in quality between Chick-fil-A and McDonalds.  Chick-fil-A just seems to have better quality food and service.  Chick-fil-A is a company that operates on Christian values.  They make a bold statement about their Christian identity by closing on Sunday.  That means they potentially earn 1/7^th less than McDonalds (who is open seven days a week).  But Chick-fil-A still manages to pay their employees an average of $0.50 more per hour than McDonalds.  Christian values lead Chick-fil-A to care more about their employees and treat them better.  

It’s not so much about our wealth, but our attitudes and values surrounding wealth.  As Christians, we must understand we are blessed so that we can be an blessing.  Our blessings are not just for our own selfish gratification.  Christians are blessed so we can be a blessing.

Hard Times
There is a saying going around that I think makes a lot of sense.  It says that hard times create strong people.  Strong people create good times.  Good times create weak people.   And weak people create hard times.  That seems to be true in my experience.  (And when I say strong or weak people, I’m not talking about physical strength; I’m referring to the strength of a person's character.)  When times are hard, people have to buckle down and live right and work hard to survive.  It builds strong character that improves society and leads to good times.  But when times are good and easy, people tend to get lazy.  And lazy people tend to develop weak character.  They live too high on the hog and their entitlement attitudes lead to hard times.  It’s a cycle I see play out in society and in families. 

Where is our nation in this cycle right now?  It would seem to me that we have been living through some very good times.  We are the 7^th most prosperous nation in the world.  But we are also seeing increasing inflation and times are harder in the past couple years than they have been before.  Perhaps it is because we are getting lazy and are living too high on the hog.  It’s leading to hard times.  I certainly can see in my personal dealings with people in our town that we have too many weak characters who feel too entitled to blessings without having to work for them.  It does not bode well for our community or our nation.

But maybe there is hope!  As Christians we are called to be different, to be holy as God is holy.  We are to be the salt of the earth.  We are to be people of good, strong character and values.  Pray that you are being part of the solution and not living in ways that lead to hard times.  

Conclusion
Remember Jesus Christ, who is the King of kings and Lord of lords.  If anyone was entitled to take it easy and live well, it was Jesus.  Yet Christ left the glory of heaven and humbled himself as a slave and even laid down His sacred life for us.  He came not to be served, but to serve.  And we who follow Him as Lord are called to do the same—to live selflessly, to give sacrificially, to be a gracious blessing to people (not because they deserve it, but simple out of an abundance of grace). 

Every time we celebrate Holy Communion, it is a reminder of how Christ laid down His life for us.  His sacrifice gives us life and strength.  Let’s remember to live for Him because He died for us.  It will make our lives and the lives of everyone around us better.

Ask, Seek, Knock

Introduction
As we transition from the sacrament of infant baptism, a symbol of new beginnings and divine promise, we're reminded of our own spiritual journey. Baptism invites us into a life of asking, seeking, and knocking, a theme we'll explore further in today's sermon.  Open your hearts to the transformative power of faith as we remember the teachings of Jesus from the Sermon on the Mount and consider how they speak to us at every stage of our spiritual journey.

Slides – Matthew 7:7-11
⁷ “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

⁹ “You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? ¹⁰ Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! ¹¹ So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.

Ask, Seek, Knock
Jesus says:  Ask, Seek, Knock.  When it comes to the most important things in life—like your goals, your dreams, your family, your physical and spiritual well-being—you have to have humility, commitment, and persistence.  God requires it for the deepest blessings of His Kingdom.  It’s not because God is stingy.  He wants to reward you.  But your cannot handle the deepest blessings of God’s Kingdom” until you are ready for them.  Asking, seeking, knocking prepares you to receive what God wants to give you.

Wise parents do the same thing with their kids.  They don’t just give whatever their kids ask for.  Just because your 7-year-old son wants to drive a car, you don’t let them.  You might set them in your lap and let them drive around an empty parking lot for fun, but a 7-year-old is not ready to drive on their own yet.

Good parents encourage their kids to persist and develop and prove they are responsible before they give them something for which they aren't ready.

Fred Stokes
I’m pumped about our guest speaker for Super Bowl Sunday next week.  Fred Stokes, is a former defensive end who played for the Washington Redskins (now known as the Washington Commanders).  His life exemplifies Jesus lesson about asking, seeking, and knocking.  Fred grew up in poverty in rural Georgia and faced numerous challenges early in life. This fueled his desire to ask God for a better life and success.

Stokes went to college at Georgia Southern University.  He was not a highly touted prospect for the NFL, but he sought to improve, to make his mark, and to achieve his dream, despite the odds being against him.

Stokes was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in the twelfth round of the 1987 NFL Draft. However, his early years in the NFL were marked by injuries and limited playing time. But He didn’t give up.  He persistently “knocked” at the door success despite the setbacks.

Stokes' perseverance paid off when he joined the Washington Redskins. He became an integral part of the team's defense and played a key role in their 1992 Super Bowl victory. The door of success finally opened for him.  Stokes' journey from a challenging childhood to a Super Bowl champion is a testament to determination, hard work, and faith. It illustrates how asking for a better life, seeking it through relentless effort, and knocking on the doors of opportunity, despite obstacles, can lead to success and fulfillment.

Ask
Jesus said “Keep on asking…”  Asking emphasizes humility.  We ask for help.  It’s a recognition that we need something.  We don’t know how to do something.  We are lost and need directions.  We’re not strong enough.  We’re worried and need peace and comfort.  And so we have to ask for help.  I hate to ask for help.  I’ve always been very independent and I just want to be able to do it myself—and I can do most things myself.  But Jesus has taught me over the years to get over it.  I need to ask for help.  He has a sense of humor too, because He made me a pastor and it’s my job to ask people for help…  God wants to give you deeper blessings than you can even imagine.  So, keep on asking.

Seek
Jesus said, “Keep on seeking.”  You’ve got to get out there and do your part to actively pursue God’s will and wisdom.  It's not just about finding answers but about growing closer to God.  It is often as we seek and pursue God that we build the spiritual muscles we need to hold the blessing God intends to give us. 

Knock
Jesus said, “Keep on knocking.”  Knocking represents persistence in our spiritual pursuit.  Don’t give up if the door doesn’t open right away.  Keep on knocking.

Have you ever had that awkward moment when you go to someone’s house and knock on the door and they don’t answer right away.  I used to deliver pizzas back before everyone had GPS.  You would get the address, look on a map, and then go out to find the house and deliver the pizza.  Sometimes the address wasn't clearly marked on a house.  You might be 95% sure it was the right house, but you would knock on the door and not know until someone answered the door.  Sometimes you had to knock two or three times before the came to the door.  It was awkward, but you couldn't just leave. Your job was to keep knocking until your delivered the pizza to the right person.  When it comes to the blessings of God's Kingdom, you have to keep on knocking with that same persistent determination.  It is good to know that Jesus is knocking on your door too.  In Revelation 3:20, Jesus says, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears me and opens the door, I will come in and we will share a meal together."

God is a Good, Good Father
Jesus calls God our Heavenly Father, and compares Him to our earthly parents.  Most earthly parents—even the poorest examples—know how to give good gifts to their kids.  They feed them, shelter them, clothe them.  Although people are flawed and sinful, our heavenly Father is perfect love and full of wisdom and power.  He knows what we need before we even ask and has all the power of the universe at His disposal.  He will bless you, but you must get ready first.  So keep on asking, seeking, knocking so you will be ready.

Slide – Holy Communion with Guided Meditation
We had the privilege of sharing the sacrament of Holy Communion at my church Sunday.   Here is a meditation I guided them through.  Perhaps this will be useful for your too.
Relax with your eyes open and contemplate the sacrament of Holy Communion.
Breathe deeply as we rest in God’s grace.  Inhale peace.  Exhale any distractions.
Reflect on the grace of Jesus' invitation to us, an invitation to ask, to seek, to knock.

On the night Christ gave Himself up for us,
He shared His last meal with the Disciples before the crucifixion.

The Bread:  He took the bread, broke it, and asked the Lord to bless it.
Then He gave it to His Disciples and said, “Take and eat.  This is my body given for you.”
In the quiet of this sacred time, present your requests to God.
Ask Him for what you need.
Let the bread of Holy Communion remind you of God's readiness to provide everything you need.

The Cup:  After the meal, Jesus took the cup, raised it to heaven, and asked the Lord to bless it.
He gave it to His disciples and said,
“This is my blood, which confirms the New Covenant between God and His people. 
It is poured out for you and for many, for the forgiveness of sins."
Take a moment to meditate on what it means to seek God.
Imagine yourself drawing closer to the heart of Jesus,
seeking His wisdom and presence in every aspect of your life.

Receiving:  Envision yourself knocking on the door of God’s kingdom.
Feel the door of God’s blessings opening to you, inviting you into a deeper communion with Christ.

2024 State of the Communion Address

Introduction
As is our tradition each year at this time of the year, I want to review highlights and achievements of our church over the past year and also look forward to what I think should be our priorities for the coming year.  But, this is also a sermon.  It is a chance for me to share the Word of God in Holy Scripture and encourage you in your personal faith.  So I want to begin with the Scripture God placed on my heart today, something I believe should always guide Christians, and something I believe we should pay particular attention to this 2,024^th year of our Lord.

John 1:1-5
¹ “I tell you the truth, anyone who sneaks over the wall of a sheepfold, rather than going through the gate, must surely be a thief and a robber! ² But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. ³ The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁴ After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice. ⁵ They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t know his voice.”

Listening to God’s Voice
I have been listening to God’s voice extra careful over the last month.  I always do this time of year as I consider what God want me to do and what God wants our church to do in the coming year.  And especially, since we have just completely the hard work to disaffiliate from the UMC and begin a new chapter in our the life of our church, I have been especially attentive to God’s voice asking: “Lord, what do you want for Your church at Pleasant Grove this year?”  And I have taken time to be alone, to be quiet, and to pray.  And I have been listening for God’s voice to answer and lead us. 
But how do I know if the voice that answers is God’s?  How can any of us know?

Jesus uses an illustration to remind people how to listen to God’s voice and ignore all the others.
The people who lived in Jesus’ day had one of the same problems we have today: there were so many voices claiming to speak for God.  The Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Zealot religious radicals, the hippy Essenes who wanted to abandon society all together.  Then there were the politicians, the Greek philosophers, and the Romans occupiers.  Everyone had an opinion to share.  And all these voices swirling around were so confusing.  Do you ever feel like that?  Do you ever wonder how you can really know what God wants you to do?  How do you cut through all the clutter to get to the Truth?

Jesus says, “He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice.”  This should be our main priority this year:  to know and listen to our Shephard’s voice.

And I want to suggest some ways you can tune in to hear God’s voice among all the distractions.

Prayer
You have to get near God to hear God.  And prayer is one of the chief ways you know you spend time with God.  Prayer is talking to God—and you don’t have to be all fancy.  Just talk.  Sometimes, prayer isn’t saying anything at all, but maybe just intentionally sitting quietly with God.  Prayer is essential for Christians.  It is our simplest way to connect with God.

I’m going down today after church to visit my Mom.  I try to call my mom every week.  By talking to her regularly, I stay in touch and know what’s going on with her.  But, my mom lives with my sister.  She’s there with her every day.  Katie knows what’s really going on with Mom way better than I do, because I only talk to her once a week.

If you want to know God voice, you’ve got to spend time with Him in prayer. If you only pray when you have a problem, you will not be very accustomed to God's presence.  But if you talked to Him all the time in prayer, you will be much more in tune with His voice.  You will know all about what He is up to and will more easily be able to tune in to His guidance.

Scripture
Scripture is another way we get near God to hear God.  Scripture is the primary way God speaks to His people.  Whereas prayer can often feel fuzzy and intangible, Scripture is solid and unchangeable.  Scripture is the foundation of all true Christian belied and practice.  The Bible tells you who God is and what He expects from you—how you are live and what you are to do.

Scripture and prayer go together.  We speak to God through prayer.  God speaks to us through the Bible.  The more you read Scripture, the easier it is to know the difference between random thoughts and insights and the true voice of God trying to lead you.

Plug in with God’s People
Another essential way we get near God to hear God is by plugging in with God’s people.  Being a Christian who follows Jesus is never something we do all by ourselves.  Jesus called 12 disciples to follow Him.  They did it in a group setting.  And that’s how we follow Jesus too.  Trying to follow Jesus all by yourself without a being part of a church community can be downright dangerous.  But when we plug in with God’s people, God speaks to us and leads us.

Hear at Pleasant Grove, there are a number of ways to plug in.  There is public worship.  But you must go deeper.  You need to be part of a small group.  We offer ways to get plugged in:  Wednesday night dinner, Thursday morning bible study, Sunday school, youth, children, Elizabeth Circle, sack lunch… 

I want to implore you to get accustomed to hearing God’s voice this year through Prayer, Scripture, and by plugging in with God’s people at church.

Review of 2023
2023 was a hard year, but God was good.  The whole year, it felt to me like we were the Israelites trying to escape from slavery Egypt.  The United Methodist denominational leadership didn’t want to let us go, even though we heard God’s voice clearly telling us it was time to leave that denomination.  And when the Bishop “paused” disaffiliation.  It seemed it would be impossible to get out of Egypt.  But God was our deliverer.  He “parted the Red Sea” so we could leave.  And God was with us as we “walked through the wilderness” of raising money to pay the disaffiliation fees and doing all the legal work required to change.  In may ways it was weary and tiresome work—but all done with great hopes for a new Promised future.

We also saw the Hand of God moving in many ways.  Even in the desert, I saw water flowing and flowers blooming.

We started out the year with a positive--with the infant baptism of Robin Starling.  It was a sign of things to come.  Through the year we had seven people publicly profess their faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.  And we added ten new people to our membership rolls--the largest increase since 2019 (pre-COVID).

Outreach to Kids
Our sack lunch program continued to flourish—sharing blessings with the children of our community through PGE and White’s Pediatrics.  We also helped with other needs like school supplies and improvements to the playground at PGE.  We also packed over 100 boxes for Operation Christmas Child.  Thanks to Susan Cooksey, Tom and Sherry, And Becky Haley, and all our faithful, dedicated volunteers!  (We could use a few more!)

Children’s Ministry
Our children’s ministry has flourished under the capable leadership of Melissa Starling.  One year ago, before Melissa took over leadership of the program, our children's ministry was floundering.  We needed volunteers. We needed new leadership.  We needed excitement.  Melissa has helped bring all of that since she started at the end of January last year.  Last Sunday we had 9 children at the altar for the children’s moment.  And the kids have been active and growing all year long.  Consistent

weekly classes, Sunday school, children’s church, nursery, Easter Egg hunt, VBS, Trunk or Treat.  And they even did a Christmas program and went Christmas caroling to shit-ins in December.  And I don’t want to pass up the opportunity to thank Melissa, and also Sydney Harris who we hired to teach kids on Wednesday nights.  This frees up Melissa to focus on teaching on Sunday mornings and to coordinating all the children's activities.  And the kids love Sydney on Wednesday night. 

Youth Ministry
We are blessed to have Amy Harris leading our youth ministry. We are all blessed to hear her brief, inspirational messages “to the youth” each Sunday morning, but she loves, leads, and inspires the youth each week on Wednesday nights and also helps teach youth Sunday school classes with Debra Sloan, and McKenzie Marlow.

Some of the special events Amy coordinaed for out youth were volunteering with special needs kids at the Miracle League, handing out free hot chocolate at the Dalton Christmas parade, and taking our youth to Fields of Faith.  She took the youth on a beach trip this summer, coordinated 2 yard sales, one of which was use to fund a o Christmas outreach t help families in need.  What were you doing Christmas Eve and Christmas day?  Amy was delivering assistance to families on both days.  And Amy is always the biggest helper with anything that needs to be done--even with things not associated with the youth.  And I would also be remiss if I didn't talk about some people who have been volunteering on Wednesday nights to help shepherd the youth as Amy teaches--Ricky Stack, Mike Wilson, Scott Denson, and DJ Seifert

 

Music Ministry
Another thing that I am particularly proud of is our music program at Pleasant Grove. David is humble and he doesn’t like to be pointed out, but I would be remiss if I didn’t share what a great job David does to help us have a great music program.  He makes sure we have great music throughout the year – including original music, horn and instruments, solos, and special guests musicians. 

And one thing David really focused on in 2024 was getting people involved, even people who don't sing.  David found was to include non-musicians in our Easter and Christmas cantatas.  Plus, we had a Contemporary Christmas Program, choir music at the Christmas Eve service, and contemporary music from the praise band throughout the year.  David has helped Pleasant Grove do something that many churches in our area are moving away from--having a great choir and choral music.  So many people stereotypically say, "The younger generation only wants contemporary music."  But that's not true.  If you ask many in the younger generations (like my own daughter), they will tell you they prefer hymns and choral music in worship.  So, David has helped us have both great contemporary music and great choral music and hymns.

Operation Mercy Drops

Our innovative outreach program, Operation Mercy Drops,  was a blessing to our community, helping so many.  We gave away 12 grants to people our church members sponsored in 2023.  These helped with a variety of needs like hardships--helping families with medical emergencies our when a house burned as will as honoring people who are doing great work in the community or helping charitable organizations continue to do good work to help people.  The funding for OMD was originally intended to last for 12 months.  However, generous donations extended the program out for three years.  Unfortunately, funding for OMD is now depleted (unless you decide you want to continue to program with your new funding).

Look Forward to 2024
As I said in the beginning, we need to focus on following God’s voice.  And we will know God’s voice through prayer, Scripture, and by plugging in with God’s people at church.  As I’ve heard God’s voice, He’s shared that we can be excited about what’s coming this year.  The hard work of the past year is paying off and we will see more blessings in 2024.

I also want to share some specific things we are working on or that I want to see this year.

New Hymn
The old United Methodist Hymnals were given back to the UMC as part of our disaffilation agreement.  However, that hymnal was over 40 years old and out of date.  We are getting a new hymnal in 2024.  We've already ordered 20 for the choir, and we will give our members a chance to order one in memory or in honor of someone soon.  Our sanctuary will be filled with hymnals.  And the one we've chosen, "Our Great Redeemers Praise", is a great hymnal.  It may be one of the most comprehensive hymnals published in decades and it will be an upgrade from the hymnal we were using before.  While many churches are moving away from hymnals, Pleasant Grove is going to upgrade and show our commitment to this ancient but still greatly relevant form of worship.  How exciting!

New Church Directory
We will publish a new church pictorial directory in 2024.  Our current directory is way out of date.  In fact, we were preparing to update the directory in 2020 when the pandemic hit.  This year, we are committed to finally publishing and new one so all the members of our church are properly listed so we can keep in touch and know all our church family.

Clean Up Membership Roll
We are going to clean up our church membership roll in 2024.  We have already done a great amount of work to convert our old handwritten membership books into an electronic database  This was invaluable as we went through the disaffiliation process with the UMC.  Volunteers were essential in this work.  Walker England and Matthew Head helped enter some of the names.  But the chief worker in this process was Donna Phillips, who entered 95% of the names.  Thank you Donna Phillips! 

Now that the membership roll is in electronic format, it will be much easier to audit the rolls and remove persons who have moved away, joined other churches, or who have passed away and are no longer living members of congregation.  We will do this work in 2024. 

Get Excited for 2024!
I want to encourage you to be excited about what’s happening.  We are part of a new Global Methodism Movement.  God is moving in Methodism—not just in our church, but all around the world!  That’s exciting!  We get to be part of something great!  Let’s get motivated!  Let’s get involved and be part of what God is doing!

Get excited about our church! Invite people to come and be part of the great things we are doing! 
Get excited about our music!  (We do praise music and choir and we’re getting a new hymnal!)  
Get excited about our children’s ministry!  Our youth ministry!
Get excited about our ministry with adults!  Our fellowship! 
Get Our incredible outreach to help our community! (And even the world – Pakistan!)
Get excited about how we stand upon the Truth of God’s Word
        and yet also love and accept everyone!

In 2024, we are following the voice of the Great Shepherd
        and we can be a place for others to follow Him too. 

 

Did Jesus Really Mean We Can't Judge People At All?

Introduction
When I arrived at church early Sunday morning, I was surprised to find a pickup truck parked crooked across the space where I normally park.  I thought it was sort of odd because no one is usually at church that early and people don't normally park in that spot.  Furthermore, the truck was taking up 2 spaces.  As I wondered what was going on and also noticed the lights inside the church were not on yet, our sound technician came walking out toward me and said, "Hey Chris.  I got here early to turn on the organ for Sarah (his wife).  It acts funny if it doesn't have a couple hours to warm up.  I wasn't sleeping well and decided to come on down and turn it on."

I'm gad I didn't judge Bobby for parking so badly this morning before I found out the whole story.  He wasn't worried about parking properly.  No one else was going to be at church and he would only be there a couple minutes.  So he just pulled in real quickly.  He's such a good husband to help out his wife like that--and to help out the church so we have a good sounding organ in worship.

Meanwhile, I go on in to my office and realize, I've had a small piece of toilet paper stuck to my chin the whole time I was talking to Bobby.  I nicked my chin shaving that morning and used the toilet paper to stem the blood.  I didn't expect to see anyone at church so early and didn't think about the toilet paper stuck to my chin as I was talking to Bobby.  Bobby never said anything about it.  I'm glad he didn't judge me either!

Matthew 7:1-5
¹ “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. ² For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.

³ “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? ⁴ How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? ⁵ Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.

Judging vs. Being Judgmental
Jesus words here are often misused and misunderstood.  Saying defensively, “Judge not lest ye be judged!” has become a common comeback when people get challenged on their bad behavior.  Did Jesus really mean we can’t call people out on their bad behavior or even make judgments of any kind? 

Absolutely not.  In fact, if you skip down just a few more verses in this same chapter, Jesus teaches people how to judge if someone is a false prophet.  He says you judge them by their actions.  There’s a difference between judgement and being judgmental.

Good judgment is a virtue the Bible applauds, and it is a valuable asset in life.  We need to use good judgment.  When a boy wants to date your daughter, you definitely need good judgment.  If the boy shows up acting high and wearing a t-shirt with a pot leaf on the front, good judgment says, "This boy is not taking my daughter out on a date!"  You have to have wisdom in like, which include using good judgment about people and situations.  Good judgment is based on facts about people’s behavior.  

Being judgmental is rushing to judge someone negatively based on limited information.  If you notice someone has parked their truck crooked.  Well, that’s a fact.  You can see the fact and know it.  But you need more information to make a good judgment about why the truck is parked crooked.  But the judgmental person won’t wait for more information.  They rush to judgment.  They might say:  “The person who parked that crooked is a bad driver or is inconsiderate or must be drunk.”  And when we are judgmental, there’s often a feeling of superiority attached to it.  We might say, “I would never park like that.  I'm not that kind of person.”

The meaning of Jesus teaching in Matthew 7:1-5 should be clear.  Don’t be judgmental.  He even uses a funny illustration to drive home the point. “Why worry about the speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own eye?”

We all have issues.  We are gracious with ourselves when it comes to our own faults, but we might not extend the same grace to others.  “My problems aren’t that bad because…  I have a reason for this bad behavior.  If people understood, they would excuse me.  But my neighbor’s behavior is truly annoying, disappointing, or appalling…”

Jesus points out vividly that our sins are no small thing.  How did He describe them?  He said they are like a “log in your eye”.  If you saw someone with a log in their eye, you would immediately call 911 and rush them to the hospital.  And that's the way Jesus described our spiritual condition!

Our sin is so rancorous it required Jesus to die for us on the cross.  That’s serious. But often, we would rather worry about everyone else’s sin than come to terms with our own.  It’s more comfortable to focus on everyone else’s sin than deal with our own.  But Jesus reminds us, we have a serious problem.  We need to be taken to a spiritual emergency room, not be worrying about the specks in our neighbor's eye.

Warning
Jesus gives a stern warning. He said, “The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.” This has at least 2 ramifications for your life. One for now. One for later.  If you are gracious, think the best of people, and give them the benefit of the doubt, people tend to be gracious with you too.  But if you are overly critical of others, you may be over-critical of you.  So there is an immediate benefit if you have a generous spirit with others.  

But there may be consequences for being judgmental later too.  We will all stand before Jesus one day.  As the Apostles' Creed says, "We believe Jesus will come again to judge the living and the dead..."  Now that’s a sobering thought.  Especially when you consider Jesus words: “The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.”  How do you think Jesus will take it if you have been judgmental all your life with other people?  Why should he be gracious about your faults if you have refused to be gracious with others?

Conclusion
Now back to the log in your eye.  What can you do about that?  That’s why Jesus came.  I mean, you’ve got a log in your eye!  I’m not judging you.  I’ve got one in my eye too.  What are we gonna do about these logs sticking in our eyes!  That’s why Jesus came.

Here's the biggest log – Sin!  Not sins.  Sins are the bad things we do.  But the SIN is  rejection of God.  It is the attitude from which all the other bad behaviors flow.  We have turned away from God.  We don't not want Him to be in charge of our lives.  We want to live however we want to live.  We put ourselves above God.  That is the Sin that leads to all the other sins.  And Paul tells us in the letter to the Romans:
All have sinned and fallen short of God’s glorious standard.  
And the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ our Lord.
So call upon Jesus and be saved.  Believe Him in your heart and confess He is Lord with your words.
Take up your cross and each day and follow Him.

Jesus can remove the log from your eye (and from your neighbor's) if we will let Him.  But we have to repent, turn away from our sin, and let Him heal us.  Won't you do that today?