Saint James Baptist Church

Saint James Baptist Church Welcome to our page! We would like to invite you to fellowship with us. We welcome all denominations and all ethnic backgrounds.

Contributing to St James Baptist Church
Use the attached link https://giv.li/oq3cku

08/23/2026

Today's Sermon Text 23 August 2026:STOP RENTING YOUR FAITH
Deuteronomy 28:12 • Matthew 25:14–30 • 2 Timothy 2:2
A Sermon on Moving from Borrowed Faith to Personal Faith
INTRODUCTION — THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF PEOPLE
Good Morning, Beloved.
This Past Friday Night, As She Has Done For The Past Four Years, Sis. Taylor And I Hosted A Gala.
The Gala Was Typical Of Our Lives, Because There Were Two Different Types Of People In The World—And There Were Two Different Types Of People Attending The Gala.
There Are Lenders And There Are Borrowers.
Think About How Common Borrowing Is. As Children, We Had Neighbors Who Would Come Over To Our House And Ask, “Can I Borrow A Cup Of Sugar?” Or “Can I Borrow A Cup Of Flour?”
Out In The Streets, You See Smokers Asking To Borrow A Cigarette. Girlfriends Borrow Dresses. Guys Borrow Jackets. Friends And Relatives Ask To Borrow Money. Somebody May Even Ask To Borrow Your Car.
But There Is One Thing You Very Seldom Hear People Ask To Borrow.
You Rarely Hear Somebody Say, “Can I Borrow Some Wisdom?”
“Can I Borrow Some Understanding?” “Can I Borrow Some Righteousness?” “Can I Borrow Your Prayer Life?” “Can I Borrow Your Faith?”
And Maybe The Reason We Do Not Ask To Borrow Those Things Is Because Spiritual Things Are Supposed To Change Us.
They Can Open Our Eyes. They Can Change Our Direction. They Can Take Us From Being Dependent On Somebody Else's Faith To Developing Faith Of Our Own.
And That Brings Me To The Question I Want To Ask This Morning:
ARE YOU RENTING YOUR FAITH, OR ARE YOU TAKING PERSONAL OWNERSHIP OF YOUR WALK WITH GOD?
Now, Let Me Be Clear. We Do Not Own God. God Owns Everything. We Are Stewards And Managers Of What He Places In Our Hands.
But There Must Come A Point When Your Relationship With God Becomes Personal. You Cannot Live Forever On Mama's Prayers.
You Cannot Live Forever On Daddy's Testimony. You Cannot Live Forever On Grandma's Church Attendance. You Cannot Live Forever On Your Pastor's Faith.
At Some Point, God Wants You To Know Him For Yourself.
1. SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO BORROW BEFORE YOU CAN LEND
There Is Nothing Wrong With Borrowing When You Are In The Process Of Learning, Growing, And Becoming.
A Child Borrows Knowledge From A Parent. A Student Borrows Understanding From A Teacher. A Young Believer Borrows Strength From A Mature Believer. Timothy Received From Paul.
“And The Things That Thou Hast Heard Of Me Among Many Witnesses, The Same Commit Thou To Faithful Men, Who Shall Be Able To Teach Others Also.” — 2 Timothy 2:2
Notice The Movement: Paul Gave To Timothy. Timothy Received From Paul. Timothy Was Then Expected To Give To Somebody Else.
That Is The Kingdom Pattern: RECEIVE. DEVELOP. RELEASE.
God Did Not Bring Mature Believers Into Your Life Merely So You Could Admire Them. He Brought Them Into Your Life So That What They Carry Could Be Deposited Into You.
Maybe Somebody Taught You How To Pray. Maybe Somebody Taught You How To Forgive. Maybe Somebody Taught You How To Stand When Life Got Hard.
Maybe Somebody Showed You What Faith Looks Like When The Doctor Gives A Bad Report, When The Money Gets Tight, When The Family Is In Trouble, Or When The Future Is Uncertain.
Thank God For The People From Whom We Have Borrowed Strength Along The Way.
But Borrowing Is Supposed To Be Temporary. There Ought To Come A Time When What You Borrowed Becomes Something You Can Lend.
You Borrowed Wisdom—Now Give Wisdom. You Borrowed Encouragement—Now Encourage Somebody.
You Borrowed Strength—Now Strengthen Somebody. You Borrowed Faith—Now Become Somebody Else's Evidence That God Is Faithful.
2. GOD BLESSES YOU SO THAT YOU CAN BECOME A BLESSING
“The LORD Shall Open Unto Thee His Good Treasure... And Thou Shalt Lend Unto Many Nations, And Thou Shalt Not Borrow.” — Deuteronomy 28:12
Deuteronomy 28:12 Speaks Within The Covenant Blessings God Gave Israel. The Picture Is One Of Provision And Abundance Rather Than Continual Dependence.
The Principle Is Bigger Than Money. God Wants To Move Us From Dependency To Capacity.
From Always Needing Encouragement To Becoming An Encourager. From Always Needing Prayer To Becoming A Person Who Prays For Others.
From Always Needing Somebody To Teach Us To Becoming Somebody Who Can Teach Somebody Else.
From Always Needing Somebody Else's Faith To Becoming Somebody Whose Faith Strengthens Somebody Else.
God Does Not Bless You Merely To Make You Comfortable. He Blesses You To Make You Useful.
And That Is Why Stewardship Matters.
Everything We Have Ultimately Belongs To God—Our Money, Our Time, Our Abilities, Our Influence, Our Opportunities, And Our Spiritual Gifts.
“As Every Man Hath Received The Gift, Even So Minister The Same One To Another, As Good Stewards Of The Manifold Grace Of God.” — 1 Peter 4:10
A Steward Does Not Ask, “How Much Can I Keep?” A Steward Asks, “What Does The Owner Want Me To Do With What He Placed In My Hands?”
When You Realize That God Owns It All, Anxiety Begins To Lose Its Grip. You Do Not Have To Hoard Everything. You Can Manage God's Blessings With Open Hands And Use Them For His Glory And For The Good Of Others.
3. STOP RENTING YOUR FAITH
Think About The Difference Between Renting And Owning.
A Renter May Look At A Property And Say, “It's Not Mine.” If Something Breaks, Call The Landlord. If The Carpet Is Damaged, Somebody Else Will Deal With It. If The Wall Needs Painting, Somebody Else Is Responsible.
But When You Own Something, You Look At It Differently.
You Invest In It. You Protect It. You Maintain It. You Improve It. You Care About Its Condition Because It Belongs To You.
Now Apply That Spiritually. Some Believers Are Living On Rented Faith. Mama Prayed, So They Do Not Pray. Daddy Knew The Bible, So They Do Not Study The Bible.
Grandma Went To Church, So They Think Church Attendance Is Enough. Their Pastor Has Faith, So They Ride On The Pastor's Spirituality.
Their Spouse Is Spiritual, So They Depend On Their Spouse's Relationship With God. They Know What Somebody Else's God Did, But They Have Not Developed A Testimony Of What God Has Done In Them.
There Is A Difference Between Knowing About God And Knowing God. There Is A Difference Between Hearing Somebody Else's Testimony And Having Your Own Testimony.
There Is A Difference Between Admiring Somebody Else's Faith And Developing Faith Of Your Own.
You May Have Inherited A Religious Tradition, But You Must Develop A Personal Relationship. At Some Point, God Asks, “What Have I Done In YOU?”
4. WHAT GOD PUTS IN YOUR HANDS, HE EXPECTS YOU TO DEVELOP
Matthew 25:14–30 — The Parable Of The Talents
Jesus Tells The Story Of A Master Who Entrusts His Servants With Resources. They Do Not All Receive The Same Amount, But Every Servant Receives Something.
The Master Then Leaves And Later Returns To Settle Accounts. The Issue Is Not Whether Every Servant Received The Same Thing.
The Issue Is What Each Servant Did With What He Received. The Third Servant Buried His Talent. He Did Not Lose It In The Marketplace.
He Did Not Spend It. He Did Not Give It Away. He Simply Buried It. And That Is A Danger For Believers.
You Can Receive Something From God And Never Develop It. You Can Sit In Church For Twenty Years And Never Mature Spiritually.
You Can Hear Sermons For Decades And Never Become A Sermon To Somebody Else. You Can Receive Encouragement For Years And Never Become An Encourager.
You Can Watch People Serve God And Never Discover What God Wants To Do Through You. The Question Is Not, “What Did God Give Somebody Else?”
The Question Is, “What Did God Put In MY Hands?”
And Then The Next Question Is, “What Am I Doing With It?”
5. YOUR FAITH MUST BECOME YOUR OWN
There Is A Season When Your Faith Is Strengthened By The Faith Of Others. That Is Part Of Christian Community.
We Need One Another. We Need Teachers. We Need Pastors. We Need Mentors. We Need Mothers And Fathers In The Faith.
We Need Brothers And Sisters Who Can Stand With Us When Our Knees Are Weak. But Christian Maturity Means That What You Receive From Others Becomes Rooted In Your Own Relationship With Jesus Christ.
You Cannot Pray Only When Somebody Else Tells You To Pray. You Cannot Worship Only When The Music Moves You.
You Cannot Read The Bible Only When The Preacher Gives You A Passage. You Cannot Trust God Only When Somebody Else Is Standing Beside You.
There Comes A Moment When You Have To Say, “Lord, I Know You For Myself.”
Not Because Mama Knew Him. Not Because Daddy Knew Him. Not Because Grandma Knew Him. Not Because The Pastor Knows Him.
But Because YOU Have Walked With Him. YOU Have Prayed To Him. YOU Have Seen Him Make A Way.
YOU Have Experienced His Grace. YOU Have Discovered That He Is Faithful.
That Is When Faith Stops Being Rented And Becomes Personal.
6. FROM BORROWER TO LENDER
Here Is The Transition God Wants To Make In Every Believer.
You May Start As A Borrower, But You Are Not Supposed To Stay There.
You Borrow Wisdom—Then You Become Wise Enough To Help Somebody Else.
You Borrow Strength—Then You Become Strong Enough To Strengthen Somebody Else.
You Borrow Encouragement—Then You Become An Encourager.
You Borrow Somebody Else's Testimony—Then God Gives You Your Own Testimony.
You Receive From One Generation—Then You Pour Into The Next Generation.
This Is How Faith Continues. This Is How Families Are Strengthened. This Is How Churches Grow. This Is How Ministry Continues.
This Is How The Kingdom Advances. Paul Poured Into Timothy. Timothy Was Expected To Pour Into Faithful People.
Those Faithful People Were Expected To Teach Others. The Blessing Was Never Supposed To Stop With Timothy.
And What God Has Put Into You Is Not Supposed To Stop With You.
CONCLUSION — DON'T DIE WITH WHAT WAS INVESTED IN YOU
Let Me Bring This Home.
Some Of You Are Here Today Because Somebody Else Prayed For You. Somebody Else Believed In You. Somebody Else Encouraged You.
Somebody Else Taught You. Somebody Else Stood Beside You. Somebody Else Helped You See What You Could Not See For Yourself. And You Ought To Thank God For Them.
But Do Not Die With What They Invested In You. Take What God Has Given You. Develop It. Strengthen It. Use It. And Put It Into Somebody Else.
You May Have Borrowed Faith When You Were Young.
You May Have Borrowed Somebody Else's Prayers When You Were Struggling.
You May Have Borrowed Somebody Else's Strength When You Were Weak.
You May Have Borrowed Somebody Else's Wisdom When You Did Not Know What To Do.
And Thank God For Every Person He Used To Help You Get Here.
But There Comes A Time When God Says: “Now It's Your Turn.”
Now You Pray. Now You Study. Now You Believe. Now You Stand. Now You Serve. Now You Witness. Now You Become The Lender.
Because Somebody Is Coming Behind You Who Needs What God Has Put Inside You.
God Allows Us To Be Borrowers For A Season So That We Can Become Lenders For A Lifetime. You Borrowed Wisdom—Now Give Wisdom.
You Borrowed Strength—Now Strengthen Somebody Else.
You Borrowed Encouragement—Now Encourage Somebody Else.
You Borrowed Faith—Now Become Somebody Else's Evidence That God Is Faithful.
You Borrowed From The Generation Before You—Now Leave Something For The Generation Coming Behind You.
Don't Die With What Somebody Else Invested In You.
Take What God Has Given You, Develop It, And Put It Back Into Somebody Else.
ALTAR CALL — MAKE YOUR FAITH PERSONAL
Today, God May Be Calling You To Stop Depending On Borrowed Faith.
Maybe You Have Been Around Faith, But You Have Never Truly Surrendered Your Life To Jesus Christ.
Maybe You Have Been Depending On Somebody Else's Prayers.
Maybe You Have Been Attending Church Without Developing Your Own Relationship With God.
Maybe You Know Scripture, But You Have Not Allowed Scripture To Transform Your Life.
Today Is The Day To Make Your Faith Personal. You Do Not Have To Live On Somebody Else's Testimony.
You Do Not Have To Live On Somebody Else's Prayers. You Do Not Have To Live On Borrowed Faith.
Come To Jesus For Yourself. Trust Him For Yourself. Follow Him For Yourself. Serve Him For Yourself.
And Then Let Your Life Become A Blessing To Somebody Else. The Lord Has Put Something In Your Hands.
The Question Is: WHAT WILL YOU DO WITH IT?
Stop Renting Your Faith. Take Personal Responsibility For Your Walk With God.
Develop What He Has Entrusted To You.
And Become The Lender—The Person Through Whom God Can Pour His Blessings Into Somebody Else's Life.

08/13/2026

THE MAN OF GOD AND HIS MONEY

“Flee, Pursue, Fight, and Hold On”

1 Timothy 6:11–14

St James Baptist Bible Study 12 Aug 2026
Good evening, Beloved.
Tonight, I want to begin with a question that was asked of me while we were on vacation.
My cousin asked me a question.
She said, “What does it mean when the Bible says it is difficult for a rich man to enter heaven? What about the camel going through the eye of a needle?”
That question immediately got me thinking about something we see in the church and in our culture today.
We live in a world that often measures success by what a person possesses.
How much money do you make? What kind of house do you live in? What kind of car do you drive? What clothes do you wear?
How successful is your business? How large is your church? How many people follow you? And, unfortunately, sometimes we judge preachers by those same standards.
If a preacher has a nice house, people may say, “He must be doing well.” If he drives an expensive automobile, people may say, “God has really blessed him.”
But if another preacher is struggling financially, sometimes people look at him as though something must be wrong. Let me say something clearly tonight:
There is nothing inherently sinful about a preacher having money. There is nothing wrong with a minister owning a nice home.
There is nothing wrong with having investments. There is nothing wrong with being financially successful.
The Bible does not teach that poverty automatically makes somebody holy, nor does it teach that wealth automatically makes somebody sinful. The issue is not simply what you have. The issue is what has you.
Money can be a blessing. Money can be a tool. Money can be used to feed people. Money can provide shelter. Money can educate children.
Money can support ministry. Money can help the poor. Money can build churches. Money can send missionaries. Money can accomplish tremendous good.
But money can also become an idol.
And when money moves from being in your hand to being in your heart, it becomes dangerous. That is where Paul takes us in 1 Timothy chapter 6.

THE CONTEXT

Last time we met, we talked about 1 Timothy 6:10: “For the love of money is the root of all evil…”
We made an important distinction. Paul did not say: “Money is the root of all evil.”
He said: “The love of money is the root of all evil.” Money is not the problem. The love of money is the problem.
Money is a tool. But when we begin to love the tool more than the One who gave us the ability to use it, we have a problem.
And Paul now moves from warning Timothy about the danger to telling Timothy what he must do.
He gives Timothy four commands:
Flee. Pursue. Fight. Hold on.
And those four words provide our lesson tonight.

I. FLEE — RUN FROM WHAT CAN DESTROY YOU

1 Timothy 6:11

“But thou, O man of God, flee these things…”
Notice the first thing Paul calls Timothy.
He calls him:
“O man of God.”
That is significant.
Timothy is not simply a young man.
He is not simply a church worker.
He is not simply a preacher.
He is identified as a man of God.
And being a man of God means that Timothy’s life must be different from the world around him.
Paul has just described people who had corrupted their understanding of godliness.
They were fascinated with controversy.
They were obsessed with disputes.
They were using religion as a means of personal gain.
And Paul says to Timothy:
“But thou…”
In other words:
You be different.
You don’t follow that path.
You don’t allow money to become your motivation.
You don’t allow ministry to become a means of personal enrichment.
You flee these things.

SOMETIMES SPIRITUAL WISDOM MEANS RUNNING

We often talk about standing.
Stand firm.
Stand strong.
Stand your ground.
And there are times when we absolutely must stand. But there are some things the Bible doesn’t tell us to stand around and fight. The Bible tells us to flee.
Joseph didn’t stand around and negotiate with Potiphar’s wife. He ran.
Paul tells Timothy: Flee these things.
There are some temptations you don’t defeat by seeing how close you can get to them. You defeat them by getting away from them.
· Don’t flirt with greed.
· Don’t play with materialism.
· Don’t convince yourself that you are immune to temptation.
Flee.
Let me give you an illustration.
Several years ago, I was at a football game. As the crowd was leaving the stadium, I noticed a young man walking out. As he walked, he was flipping a coin.
He flipped it up in the air. He caught it. He flipped it again. He caught it. Finally, on one of the flips, he didn’t catch it. The coin hit the ground and rolled away. And instead of stopping to pick it up, he just kept walking.
I went over and picked it up. When I looked at it, I realized it was a Susan B. Anthony dollar. Now, to him, apparently, that dollar wasn’t worth stopping for.
But to me, it had value. And that illustrates something about money. Money has value. But money is a tool.
Think about a shovel. A shovel is a tool. A hoe is a tool. A lawn mower is a tool.
If you don’t use the lawn mower, your grass is going to grow. The lawn mower has a purpose. But nobody falls in love with the lawn mower.
Nobody worships the shovel. Nobody builds their identity around a hoe. You use the tool to accomplish a purpose.
Money is supposed to function the same way. We should use money. But we should never allow money to use us.

THE DANGER IS WHEN MONEY BECOMES THE MASTER

When you love money, money changes your behavior. You begin to think: How can I get more?
Then: How can I keep what I have?
Then: How can I get even more?
And eventually: What am I willing to compromise to get it?
That’s when money becomes dangerous. A person who loves money may lie for money. Cheat for money. Manipulate people for money. Compromise for money. Exploit people for money. Even compromise their ministry for money.
And that is exactly why Paul tells Timothy: Flee.

2. PURSUE — CHASE WHAT MAKES YOU MORE LIKE CHRIST

Paul doesn’t stop with: “Flee.”
He says: “…and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.”
This is powerful.
Paul gives Timothy something to run from, but he also gives him something to run toward. Because you cannot simply empty your life of one pursuit. You have to replace it with another.
Just like a dog who chaess one car will chase another. It you spouse has a spirit of chasing the opposite S*x: Than Houston We have a problem!
If all you do is say: “I’m not going to love money,” Than what are you going to love?
Paul says:
Pursue righteousness.
Pursue godliness.
Pursue faith.
Pursue love.
Pursue patience.
Pursue meekness.

1. PURSUE RIGHTEOUSNESS

Righteousness means living rightly before God. Not simply looking right. Not appearing right. But actually seeking to live according to God’s will.
The world may ask: “How much did you make?”
God asks: “How did you live?”
The world may ask: “What did you acquire?”
God asks: “What kind of person did you become?”

2. PURSUE GODLINESS

Godliness means that our lives should reflect the character of the God we serve. A preacher should not merely preach about God. The preacher should pursue becoming more like Christ.
We cannot preach humility and live in pride. We cannot preach generosity and live in greed. We cannot preach faith and live controlled by fear.
We cannot preach contentment while constantly chasing the next possession. Our life must agree with our message.

3. PURSUE FAITH

Faith means trusting God. The Pursuit of money can become dangerous because it can give us the illusion of security.
If we have enough money in the bank, we feel safe. If we have enough investments, we feel safe. If we have enough possessions, we feel safe.
But the man of God says: My ultimate security is not in what I possess. My security is in God.

4. PURSUE LOVE

Love changes the way we use money. If I love God and love people, I cannot look at everything through the question: “What can I get?”
I begin asking: “How can I help?”
Money in the hands of someone who loves God can become a blessing.

5. PURSUE PATIENCE

We live in a culture of instant gratification. We want it now. We want the promotion now. We want the blessing now. We want the house now. We want the car now. We want success now.
But sometimes God says: Wait.
And patience teaches us that we don’t have to manipulate circumstances to get what God has not yet given us.

6. PURSUE MEEKNESS

The World will tell you that Meekness is not weakness. For a Christian, Meekness is strength under control. It means I don’t have to prove myself.
I don’t have to impress everybody. I don’t have to show everybody what I have. I don’t have to compete with everybody. I can simply be faithful to God.

III. FIGHT — STAND FOR THE FAITH

1 Timothy 6:12

“Fight the good fight of faith…”
Now Paul changes the picture.
First: Flee. Then: Pursue. Now: Fight.
The Christian life is not a spectator sport. There is a fight involved.
Paul doesn’t say: “Fight everybody.”
He says: “Fight the good fight of faith.”

WHAT ARE WE FIGHTING?

We are fighting to maintain our faith in a world that constantly challenges it.
We are fighting against:
· greed,
· pride,
· temptation,
· false doctrine,
· compromise,
· materialism,
· selfish ambition,
· discouragement,
· and the temptation to measure our worth by worldly success.
The devil would love to convince the servant of God that success is measured by possessions.
But Paul says: Fight the good fight of faith.
Don’t let the world determine your values. Don’t let money determine your worth. Don’t let possessions determine your identity. Don’t let success determine your faithfulness.

MINISTRY AND MONEY

This is where I want us to be especially careful. There is nothing wrong with ministers being financially blessed.
Paul himself teaches that those who labor in the gospel have a legitimate right to receive material support.
The problem is when the ministry becomes a business rather than a calling.
When the preacher begins asking: “How much can I make from this?” instead of: “How can I serve God’s people?” we have crossed a dangerous line.
The question isn’t: “Does the preacher have money?”
The better questions are: Where did it come from? Does it control him? Can he give it away? Does he use it to bless others?
Would he obey God if obedience cost him financially? Is Christ still Lord when money is involved?
Here’s the question I would put on the board tonight:
DO I HAVE MONEY, OR DOES MONEY HAVE ME? There is a difference.

IV. HOLD ON — TAKE HOLD OF ETERNAL LIFE

1 Timothy 6:12

Paul continues: “…lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.”
Paul tells Timothy to take hold.
Because Timothy as well as All of US have something greater than anything money could purchase. He had eternal life.
Money can buy a house. But it cannot buy a home in heaven.
Money can buy medicine. But it cannot buy eternal life.
Money can buy education. But it cannot purchase wisdom.
Money can buy comfort. But it cannot purchase peace with God.
Money can buy a seat in a stadium. But it cannot buy a seat at the marriage supper of the Lamb.
Money has limits. Eternity does not.
Now let’s come back to the question my cousin asked.
Jesus said: “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.”
Jesus was not teaching that every wealthy person is condemned. The Bible itself gives us wealthy people who faithfully served God.
Abraham had great possessions. Job was wealthy. Joseph of Arimathea was a wealthy disciple who provided a tomb for Jesus.
The problem isn’t simply possessing wealth.
The problem is allowing wealth to possess you. Jesus’ statement emphasizes the spiritual danger of trusting riches.
And the disciples responded: “Who then can be saved?”
Jesus answered: “With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.”
That is important. Salvation is not something our money can purchase.
It doesn’t matter how rich you are. It doesn’t matter how poor you are.
It doesn’t matter how educated you are. It doesn’t matter how influential you are.
We all come to God the same way.
By grace. Through faith. Because of Jesus Christ.

V. HOLD ON UNTIL JESUS COMES

Now look at verse 14:
“That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Paul gives Timothy a deadline. Until Jesus comes.
That means this isn’t something you do for a season. You don’t stay faithful until you become successful.
You don’t stay faithful until you become comfortable. You don’t stay faithful until you get the position you wanted.
You don’t stay faithful until everybody recognizes you. You stay faithful: Until Jesus comes.

THE WORLD MEASURES SUCCESS DIFFERENTLY

The world may measure a preacher by:
· the size of the congregation,
· the size of the offering,
· the size of the building,
· the size of the house,
· the vehicle he drives,
· the clothes he wears,
· the number of social-media followers,
· the conferences he attends,
· or the people who know his name.
But God measures differently.
God asks: Were you faithful? Did you preach the truth? Did you love My people?
Did you care for the hurting? Did you protect the flock? Did you remain humble? Did you resist temptation?
Did you use what I gave you for My glory? Did you keep the faith?

THE MAN OF GOD’S GREATEST POSSESSION

The greatest possession of the man of God isn’t his money. It isn’t his house. It isn’t his car. It isn’t his position. It isn’t his title. It isn’t his church. It isn’t his reputation.
His greatest possession is his relationship with God. And that relationship is worth more than anything money can buy.

FOUR WORDS TO REMEMBER

Tonight, I want us to remember four words.

1. FLEE

Run from whatever can corrupt your heart. Don’t play with greed. Don’t entertain materialism. Don’t allow money to become your master.

2. PURSUE

Chase after what makes you more like Christ.
Pursue: Righteousness. Godliness. Faith. Love. Patience. Meekness.

3. FIGHT

Fight the good fight of faith.
Don’t allow the world to redefine your values. Don’t compromise your convictions. Don’t surrender your calling. Don’t trade eternal things for temporary rewards.

4. HOLD ON

Hold on to eternal life. Hold on to your faith. Hold on to your calling. Hold on to your integrity. Hold on to your testimony. Hold on until Jesus comes.
Beloved, we need to be careful about how we judge people. We should not assume that someone is ungodly because they have money.
And we should not assume that someone is godly because they are poor. Neither poverty nor wealth automatically makes a person righteous.
Character matters….Faithfulness matters…..Integrity matters. Our relationship with God matters.
We also need to be careful about how we measure our ministers. Don’t make a preacher’s possessions the evidence of his anointing.
Don’t assume that a large church automatically means a faithful pastor. Don’t assume that a small church means an unsuccessful pastor.
Don’t confuse prosperity with God’s approval. And don’t confuse financial struggle with God’s rejection.
Sometimes God’s greatest servants have very little materially.Sometimes God’s servants have much.
The question is not simply: “What does he have?” The question is: “Who has his heart?”

As I Close: Let me go back to that young man at the football game.

He flipped that coin. It fell. It rolled away. And he kept walking. He didn’t think it was worth stopping to pick up.
I picked it up. And that little moment reminds me of something. We need to know what is valuable.
Money has value. But money is not ultimate. Money can help us. Money can serve us. Money can bless others.
But money cannot save us. Money cannot forgive us. Money cannot give us eternal life. Money cannot replace God.
Paul tells Timothy:
Flee. Run from the things that can corrupt your heart.
Pursue. Chase after righteousness and godliness.
Fight. Fight the good fight of faith.
Hold on. Take hold of eternal life and remain faithful until Jesus comes.
And that’s the message for every believer tonight:
Don’t let temporary possessions cause you to lose sight of eternal promises.
Don’t spend your whole life accumulating things that you cannot take with you and neglect the soul that will live forever.
Don’t let money become your master. Use it. Manage it. Give it. Bless somebody with it. Support the work of God with it.
But don’t worship it. Money is a tool. God is the Master.
And when the choice comes between keeping your money and keeping your integrity—keep your integrity.
When the choice comes between pleasing people and pleasing God—please God.
When the choice comes between temporary gain and eternal life—choose eternity.
Because one day the money will be gone. The house will be gone. The car will be gone. The possessions will be gone. The titles will be gone.
But your relationship with God will still matter.
So, Beloved: Flee. Pursue. Fight. Hold on.
And whatever you do—don’t let go of Jesus.

CLOSING PRAYER

Father, we thank You tonight for Your Word. Thank You for reminding us that money is a tool, but it must never become our master.
Give us wisdom to manage what You place in our hands. Give us generosity to bless others. Give us discernment to recognize the danger of greed.
Give Your ministers integrity. Keep us from allowing possessions, position, recognition, or success to become more important than You.
Teach us to flee what is dangerous. Teach us to pursue righteousness. Teach us to fight the good fight of faith. And help us to hold on to eternal life.
When we are tempted, strengthen us. When we are discouraged, encourage us. When we are blessed, keep us humble.
When we have little, keep us faithful. And when we have much, remind us that everything belongs to You.
Help us to remain faithful until the appearing of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Address

Lawton, OK
73505

Opening Hours

Monday 6pm - 7pm
Wednesday 6pm - 7pm
Sunday 11am - 1:15pm

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Saint James Baptist Church posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Place Of Worship

Send a message to Saint James Baptist Church:

Shortcuts

Share

Category