A Man and His Money
James Merritt
James 5:1-8
Introduction
1. Dr. W. A. Criswell, pastor of the first Baptist church of Dallas, Texas, tells a humorous story one time of a man who was coming down to be baptized. When he got almost into the water he stopped and said, ''wait a minute, dr. Criswell, I forgot to take out my billfold.'' dr. Criswell said before he could say another word he jerked him into the water, baptized him and said, ''thank you, my brother, all of my life I've wanted to baptize a man's billfold.''
2. Well I believe that James could relate to that. For James knew very well that you can measure a man by his attitude toward money, and especially his money. Dr. Billy Graham once said, ''if a person gets his attitude toward money straight, it will help straighten out almost every other area in his life.''
3. We measure men by the money they make. But God measures men by the way they make money.
4. Do you know what I believe is ruining America today? I do not believe it is adversity, but rather prosperity. As a matter of fact, if you will notice more people are ruined by prosperity than by adversity. It is prosperity and the desire for prosperity - that is the source of much iniquity and immorality.
5. James is dealing here with the prosperous, with those that we would call rich. But the problem with these rich people was not that they had money in their hands, but rather that they had money in their hearts.
6. I want to make something very plain at the be- ginning of this message, lest I be misunderstood. There is nothing wrong with being rich. This passage - is not a warning about money as such. Money, in and of itself, is neither good nor bad, contrary to popular opinion, the bible does not say ''that money is the root of all evil,'' the bible says that ''the love of money is the root of all evil.'' (1 Tim. 6:10) it is possible for a poor man who has no money to love money. It is also possible for a rich man who has much mon ...
James Merritt
James 5:1-8
Introduction
1. Dr. W. A. Criswell, pastor of the first Baptist church of Dallas, Texas, tells a humorous story one time of a man who was coming down to be baptized. When he got almost into the water he stopped and said, ''wait a minute, dr. Criswell, I forgot to take out my billfold.'' dr. Criswell said before he could say another word he jerked him into the water, baptized him and said, ''thank you, my brother, all of my life I've wanted to baptize a man's billfold.''
2. Well I believe that James could relate to that. For James knew very well that you can measure a man by his attitude toward money, and especially his money. Dr. Billy Graham once said, ''if a person gets his attitude toward money straight, it will help straighten out almost every other area in his life.''
3. We measure men by the money they make. But God measures men by the way they make money.
4. Do you know what I believe is ruining America today? I do not believe it is adversity, but rather prosperity. As a matter of fact, if you will notice more people are ruined by prosperity than by adversity. It is prosperity and the desire for prosperity - that is the source of much iniquity and immorality.
5. James is dealing here with the prosperous, with those that we would call rich. But the problem with these rich people was not that they had money in their hands, but rather that they had money in their hearts.
6. I want to make something very plain at the be- ginning of this message, lest I be misunderstood. There is nothing wrong with being rich. This passage - is not a warning about money as such. Money, in and of itself, is neither good nor bad, contrary to popular opinion, the bible does not say ''that money is the root of all evil,'' the bible says that ''the love of money is the root of all evil.'' (1 Tim. 6:10) it is possible for a poor man who has no money to love money. It is also possible for a rich man who has much mon ...
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