God's View of Poverty and the Poor

I'll have his apples once again. We live in a nation with an ever-increasing poverty rate. Many analysts believe that the middle class in the United States particularly is shrinking, as the gap between the wealthiest Americans and the poorest Americans just continues to widen. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, data released on September 13, 2011, the nation's poverty rate rose to 15.1 percent, 46.2 million people in the United States live in poverty, up from 14.3 percent in 2009, and it's at the highest level since 1993. According to the World Bank, which looks at the whole world, not just the United States, it estimates that 1.29 billion, that's with a B, billion people are living in absolute poverty. Now, they define absolute poverty as you basically have your clothes on your back and just a few meager possessions. That's what they consider absolute poverty to be. Of these, 400 million people in absolute poverty lived in India. The United States is a little over 300 million, so that's a lot of people in India. Continuing, 173 million people live in China.

In terms of percentage of regional populations, sub-Saharan Africa, at 47 percent had the highest incidence rate of absolute poverty in 2008. So, we see that we live in a world with a lot of poverty. As a matter of fact, we live in a nation in which I can guarantee because of what Bible prophecy states, we're going to see a lot more poverty even within the United States as wealthy as it is. So, I want to ask a question today. What is God's attitude towards the poor?

When Jesus Christ walked the earth, what was his approach towards poor people? What should a Christian perspective be towards those who are living in poverty? In my 40-plus years in the church, I've heard a lot of different and a variety of comments about the poor. I've heard comments like, well, just ignore the poor because that's the world's problem. That's not the church's problem. I've heard comments like, well, we should only care for the poor in the church and don't worry about the poor who are in the world. I've heard the attitude that there are just so many poor people that anything that you could do would be like a drop of water in the ocean and would have no effect at all. So why even try? But what I want to ask today is, what does the Bible, aside from what human opinions are and human attitudes, what does the Bible tell us about how God views the poor? There's one thing I would like all of us to think about, as in one way, either physically or spiritually, every person in this room came to God in poverty.

Everyone in this room came to God poor, either poor physically or poor in spirit. Sometimes both poor physically and poor in spirit, but every one of us came to God in poverty. Let's go to Deuteronomy 14 and verse 28 and see from the earliest foundation of the Old Covenant that God had a concern about poor people, people who were living in poverty. And he specifically points out individuals that he had a special concern for. Deuteronomy 14 and verse 28.

This was the use of a tithe, a specific use every third year. It said, at the end of every third year, you shall bring out the tithe of your produce of that year and store it up within your gates and the Levite, because he has no portion or inheritance with you. And the stranger, meaning someone who was an alien, who was not a native Israelite, who had migrated or was living in Israel, and the fatherless and the widow who are within your gates may come and eat and be satisfied.

You know, hunger is a terrible thing. When you are hungry, you don't have the energy to think much about God. That's one of the basic needs. Remember Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs? And you can't think about the deeper things in life until you fulfill your need for shelter and food and some of the most basic needs that a human being has. And God said, you do this so that they may come and eat and be satisfied that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hand, which you do.

So this was an instruction. This was a tithe in which the entire working community gave to those that are defined here who were considered poor and had included the stranger, the fatherless and the widows. Now we need to understand that this was not given by a central government to each person. This was within your gates. There's something special that comes from the joy of giving to someone. So this wasn't a central government just handing out things to people. This was the joy that you received by being obedient to God and saying, here, here's something to help you out.

There's a special satisfaction and fulfillment that comes from being a giver individually rather than some bureaucratic government deciding who's worthy and who isn't worthy of receiving some type of aid. So again, this wasn't given by a central government, but by each person individually within your gates or within their local communities, their local cities within Israel, their local villages.

So we see early on here, as early back as Deuteronomy 14, that God has a special concern for the poor. Now we don't do this today because all working people in our form of government today are taxed to do this. We are taxed quite heavily, or quite heavily, in order for us to provide for the needs of people in our country who are poor.

But what are some of the reasons that people are poor? I'd like to cover that for a few minutes. Because there's a tendency sometimes to think that people who are poor are only because of some type of character deficiency. And though that may be one reason, that is a minority of people who are poor. One way that one can become poor is simply old age.

When you get older, your ability to produce an income declines greatly. And depending on how long you live, it's easy to spend all your savings or to outlive the savings that you thought would get you through life, and ultimately you can become poor.

You might have done pretty well your whole life, but as you get into your old age, again, because of your inability to produce an income, you can become poor. Children are at the mercy of their parents' ability to produce an income to meet their needs. When a child's parent is in poverty, this child through no fault of their own becomes impoverished.

I'll tell you a little personal story about myself. My parents were divorced when I was two years old. This was the mid-1950s. There were no government programs. The Great Society of Lyndon Johnson had not happened yet. So my single mother, with three small kids, struggled, worked at a factory at night in order to bring in some type of an income, and during the day tried to force herself to stay awake to try to take care of these three bouncing children that she had. But we relied on family. We couldn't have done it without the help of family.

My grandmother was a big help during that time. Aunts and uncles would give my mother money, and they were a big help at that time. Everyone pulled together, but you see, even though I was a child, I experienced that because of decisions that other people had made. Because of a decision my mother and father had made, through no fault of my own, I experienced what it was like to live as a small child in poverty.

Another reason people become poor is they become disabled. Due to an accident or a disease, many people get to a point where they can no longer work and earn an income for themselves, and they become poor. Another reason is a poor education. In our culture, one's income is dependent on their perceived worth, the society. I want you to notice I used the word perceived because what our society values is greatly distorted. I'll give you an example. In our society, because we're a play society, we hold high value in entertainment.

So therefore, actors are well paid. Athletes, because after all, in all honesty, it's not about sports. Our pro teams are part of an entertainment industry. Our athletes are well paid. Actors are well paid. Performers like singers, professional singers are well paid. Because in our society, that is perceived to be of great value. Now, if one receives a mediocre education because of where they live or the environment they grow up in, it's hard to get a good paying job. If you get that job, it's hard to advance in the company if you do not have a good education. And typically, a person with a poor education is the last one to be hired and the first one to be fired.

A lot of companies today, and this really bothers me, this really eats me, eats me up. A lot of companies today, to even get into the job interview, you have to have a college degree, or they won't even talk to you. And I think that is turning down some incredibly gifted people with great potential. But unfortunately, that is what our culture has degenerated to today because of education. Another reason people become poor are they become a victim of tragedy. They get a serious sudden disease and are no longer able to work. Maybe they have an accident, a terrible automobile accident, or something occurs in their life. I have a friend who's a, for lack of a better phrase, a headhunter. And he had a great life and he got involved in an accident and broke his back and basically lost everything that he had and eventually filed for bankruptcy because of a, he was a victim of a tragedy in his life. And yes, unfortunately, sometimes people are poor because they have a character deficiency. Multiple millions of people don't fall in any of the categories that I just mentioned. And I might add that those categories are legitimate reasons that people may be poor. But millions of others don't fall into those categories I just described. They lack motivation or due to a character flaw they refuse to work. And some of them, frankly, are unemployable because of bad habits that they have. And sadly, millions of Americans have learned to game this system and receive support who are fully capable of earning a living for themselves. But that's not the point of this sermon today. My point is, what is God's attitude towards those who are genuinely poor and living in poverty? Let's go to Leviticus chapter 19 and verse 9. Leviticus chapter 19 and verse 9. So not only did God institute a tithe in order to help those who were poor, he did something else because nutrition is so absolutely important to sustain human life.

He provided another provision. Leviticus chapter 19 and verse 9.

It says, when you reap the harvest of your land, so you're reaping your crops, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest, and you shall not glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather every grape of your vineyard, though you could. You shall leave them for the poor, and this stranger, I am the Lord your God.

So again, God provided another provision to help the poor. And those of us who've studied the Bible are familiar with the fact that Ruth did this to support herself and Naomi by gleaning the wheat field of Boaz. But being poor is far more than just not having enough. It's far more than being physically needy. Unfortunately, there is a, in every culture that I've ever studied and known about, there is a social stigma to being poor. Those who have, consider those who are poor to be somehow inferior, and put a stigma upon them because they are poor. Let's go to Exodus chapter 23 and verse 1. And God understood that because he knows human nature. So when he was establishing the judicial system that Israel would have, God wanted Israel to understand that you have to treat the poor fairly. You can't give them special favors because they're poor. And on the other hand, you cannot pervert judgment and treat them harshly, more harshly than you would anyone else simply because they're poor. Exodus chapter 23 verse 1. Let's read this here. Again, this is regarding the way that you would act in a trial if you were being examined by the elders. You shall not circulate a false report. Do not put your hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness, so don't lie on the witness stand. You shall not follow a crowd to do evil, nor shall you testify in a dispute so as to turn aside after many to pervert justice.

So don't lack integrity or honesty in what you're saying. Verse 3. You shall not show partiality to a poor man in his dispute. So you shouldn't say to yourself, well, because this person is poor, we'll have special rules. Verse 4. If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again. Once again, this is talking about the importance of loving your brother and being just. If you have an enemy and his donkey gets loose and starts walking away, what's the natural human reaction? Good! I hope that donkey goes so far away that he never finds that donkey, right? But God says, no, you should run there and you should get the reins of that donkey and you should take that donkey and bring it back to your enemy. Verse 5. If you see the donkey of the one who hates you lying under its burden, if it has so much, that donkey has so much weight on its back, that it literally falls to the ground and you would refrain from helping it, you would, your first reaction is, well, good, I hope that donkey broke his leg. I hope that guy is out of donkey. You shall surely help him with it. And then verse 6. You shall not pervert the judgment of the poor in his dispute. So you shouldn't give favoritism to the poor, neither should you pervert judgment for the poor and treat them harshly simply because they're poor.

Because being poor tends to carry a social stigma. And what do we find in the United States today? We often find that justice is very harsh on the poor compared to other people. I'm sorry, it just is.

The poor have to rely on court-appointed attorneys, who sometimes are not, you know, the best kinds of attorneys to have in those situations. The wealthy are able to hire the best attorney that money can buy. The poor tend to receive maximum sentences because they have very few advocates in their behalf. On the other hand, white-collar criminals, say the man who built a couple hundred thousand dollars out of retirees because he's a scoundrel, he oftentimes will get a lesser sentence than someone who goes into a 7-11 and just steals some booze or a loaf of bread or whatever.

The one with white-collar crime often is treated with kid gloves, sometimes just house arrest or paying a fine and someone else who literally steals something ends up going to prison. So we have this very type of perversion of judgment that goes on in our nation today. So these were warnings that God gave to ancient Israel. Did ancient Israel live up to those warnings? Were they concerned about the poor? Well, let's see. Let's go to Isaiah chapter 3 and beginning in verse 11. Isaiah chapter 3 and verse 11. Let's see what the prophets said here. We're going to see that Israel and Judah did not live up to these standards and the prophets themselves took note of it and condemned their culture for doing certain things. Isaiah chapter 3 and verse 11.

The prophet Isaiah was inspired to write, Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him, for the reward of his hand shall be given him.

As for my people, children are their oppressors and women rule over them. You know, a lot of people define this simply as a leadership issue. I can tell you, going back to my situation, being raised for a period of my life by a single mom, that because my father was the kind of person that he was, she ruled the family she was forced to. She was a single mother, and I can tell you that her three children were her oppressors because oftentimes we were out of control.

She was trying to do the best that she could under a unique situation, and we were out of control. He says, oh my people, those who lead you cause you to err. They say it's not important to have families that are composed of a husband and wife and children being raised mutually by a husband and wife who love each other. That's not necessary. We'll redefine what a family is.

So those who lead you cause you to err and destroy the way of your paths. The Lord stands up to plead. He stands to judge the people. The Lord will enter into judgment with the elders of his people and his princes. So here's the condemnation that God has for the politicians that are in our nation today. That is the elders and the princes. You have eaten up the vineyard, the plunder of the poor is in your houses. He's saying all you do is manipulate the poor. You're not really concerned about those who are living in poverty. It's all a political game to you. It's all about manipulating people to get out of them something that you want. Verse 15, What do you mean by crushing my people and grinding the faces of the poor? says the Lord God of Hosts.

God says you haven't helped those. You're not helping those who truly are in poverty.

You're not helping them to get out of poverty. You're not improving their lives.

You're just manipulating them. You are just using them for your own political gain.

They're just pawns for you. And all you do is take and take and take and keep people poor, because that's your goal. Many politicians want to keep the poor depending on the government forever. When you have people addicted to government programs, you can control them. And don't ever think that any human government is benevolent. All human governments exist for one reason, my friends. That is to control your life. And don't ever let anyone convince you otherwise.

And the same kind of problems that existed that Isaiah condemned many, many years ago continue to exist today. And I'll give you an example.

In the last few years, we had something that was exposed called subprime loans.

What were subprime loans? They were loans that were given to poor people. And basically it said, we're going to give you an automatic interest rate. We're going to subsidize and give you this artificially low rate to get you into this home.

And then every year we're going to increase your interest rate 2 percent. And then the second year another 2 percent. And then next year another 2 percent. And we're going to own you because you can't keep up with it. And people were manipulated. People weren't, it wasn't explained to them clearly, just how much they were being abused and manipulated. And it caused part of the economic problems that we have today were due to subprime loans. Those were loans that were specifically geared towards manipulating those who are poor. Let's see another comment from the prophet Ezekiel towards the nation of Israel and Judah. Ezekiel 16 and verse 48. Ezekiel 16 and verse 48.

You know, a people had degenerated to a great degree when it gets to the point when God refers to his nations as Sodom.

As I live, says the Lord God, neither your sister Sodom nor her daughters have done as you and your daughters have done. Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom. She and her family had pride. Is there pride in the American culture? You know, we have the entire magazines that are just all about celebrity. We had these TV shows, a half hour of celebrity. Who did what in Hollywood today? Right? Does America have pride? Fullness of food. Could the average American, you know, probably shed a few pounds and it wouldn't hurt them at all? Fullness of food and abundance of idleness. All the wonderful little toys that anyone could ever want. Abundance of idleness. But here's the key. Neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. You did nothing to help them stop being poor and needy. You were satisfied that they were poor and needy. Your political leaders wanted to keep them poor and needy. The business elites wanted to keep them poor and needy because they could be milked like a cow and what little they had could be taken away from them. Well, we know, of course, that in time, Israel and Judah went into captivity because they broke the covenant relationship with God. And that covenant relationship included an effort by the nation to truly care for those who were in genuine poverty. And they didn't live up to any part of their covenant and so God allowed them to go into captivity. But in the process of time, the fulfilled prophecy, Jesus Christ became a man and he walked on earth. So I want to ask this question. Was his attitude towards the poor any different than the attitude that we find that God gave in the Old Testament? Let's find out. Matthew 11, verses 1-6. See, one of the very first things that he did. A question from John the Baptist. As his career is wrapping up, as his career is ending, he wanted to know something from Christ. He had a question for Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ said, this is how you will know that I am the one who was spoken of.

I am the anointed one. I am the one who was prophesied of. Matthew 11, verses 1. Now came to pass when Jesus finished commanding his twelve disciples that he departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities. When John heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to him, are you the coming one or do we look for another? And Jesus answered and said to them, go and tell John the things which you hear and see. The blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the good news preached to them. And then he says something interesting in verse six. And blessed is he who is not offended because of me. Blessed is that person who is not offended because I care for these people.

You see, they're not the most attractive in the society. They're not well off. They don't appear to have much to give, Jesus said, and people will criticize me for spending so much time in this part of our culture. He said, but blessed is he who is not offended because of what I do. I want you to notice that the proof that Jesus gives that he's the appointed Messiah is that he heals and preaches the gospel to the poor. By the way, I have a question for you. What social status do you think the blind fell in? In an agrarian society, if you were blind, do you think you could make much of a living? The blind were poor. What kind of social status do you think the lame fell in at this time in history? They were poor. What type of social status do you think lepers, someone who was ostracized and kept outside of the normal community because they had a disease that was disfiguring, what social economic status do you think they fell into? They were poor. And if you couldn't hear, therefore it certainly limited your ability to make a living and be a productive member of an agricultural society, what social status do you think you fell in? You were poor.

So we need to understand that Christ said that a person is blessed who is not offended by his concern and care for these needy people. Now let's go to Matthew 19, verse 16.

A very powerful scripture in which a young man asks Jesus Christ, what do I have to do to be perfect? And Jesus gives him an example. Now this isn't something that you and I should do because this man was being offered an apostleship. He was being offered the ability of being called at that minute and literally being one of the original disciples, mentored personally by Jesus Christ. But it's interesting that Jesus obviously tells him to do something that was important to Jesus Christ. Let's see what that was. And behold, one came to him again, we're in Matthew 19, 16, and said to him, good teacher, what good thing shall I do to have eternal life?

And he said, why do you call me good there? No one is good but one. That is God. He's just basically saying, be careful not to put any religious person on a pedestal and to give them qualities and titles they don't deserve or have. But if you will enter into life, keep the commandments. And he said to him, the young man said, which ones? And Jesus begins to tell him all the commandments related to loving your neighbor. You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness, honor your father and your mother. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. And the young man said to him, all these things I have kept from my youth, what do I still lack? We need to understand that this young man kept the law. He was already fulfilling his side obligations. So he says, what else do I need to do? What do I lack? And Jesus said to him, if you want to be perfect, go out and sell what you have and give it to... notice he doesn't say give it to me. He says give it to the poor.

And you will have treasure in heaven and come and follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. So please understand again that this young man kept the law. He was already certainly meeting his tithing obligations. But because Jesus Christ wasn't greedy or selfish or money-grubbing, he didn't tell the young man to give the money to him. He told him to give it to the poor because he understood that his God, the young man's God, was his wealth, was his great wealth. Well, we shouldn't forget that of all the examples that Jesus, the good causes that Jesus told him, that he could give his money to the one that Jesus Christ chose was to give your money to the poor. You see, brethren, the absolute truth is that Jesus Christ came primarily to serve the poor. He came to serve the physically poor and he came to serve those who are poor in spirit, the spiritually poor. Do you know what is even more needy than living in physical poverty? What's more needy than living in spiritual poverty or in physical poverty is spiritual poverty, being blinded and not understanding God's way of life. Let's go to Luke chapter 14. I'd like to explain a parable in which Jesus expounds upon this. Luke chapter 14 and verse 16, a parable that we don't look at very often, but it's very powerful, and it ties in with our message today. Luke chapter 14 and verse 16.

Luke records, then he said to him, a certain man gave a great supper and invited many.

And he sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, come, for all things are now ready. The certain man, the master of the house is God the Father. The servant in this parable is Jesus Christ himself. Come, for all things are now ready. We are the final phase, beginning to preach the gospel and open up the understanding of God's way of life through the preaching of the gospel. Verse 18, but they all went with one accord and began to make excuses. The first said to him, I've bought a piece of ground and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused. Another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen and I'm going to test them. I ask you to have me excused. Still another said, I have married a wife and therefore I cannot come. So that servant came and reported these things to his master. So again, in this parable, the master of the house is God the Father, who desires to call people to his way of life. The servant is Jesus Christ, who came to proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God. I want you to notice the response that God gets from those who are comfortable and distracted by physical things in their lives. Not now. Sorry. Don't have time.

I'm too busy. I got other stuff going on, God. Sorry. Verse 21, then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind. And the servant said, Master, it is done as you commanded, and there is still room. You see, the meaning of the parable is that the Jewish leaders were not interested in the gospel message. They were too much into materialism. All they wanted to do was stay where they were at. They just wanted to continue to control the people and have their false titles of prestige. That's all that they were concerned about. But the truth is that we need to understand is that God decided to call the physically impoverished and the spiritually impoverished who were willing to respond to God's calling. That's you and I.

Some in this room were both physically poor and spiritually poor when God called you into his faith. Others of you were just spiritually poor when God called you into the faith. What did you have in common? You were hungering for the kingdom of God. I don't want you to notice what the rest of this verse says because it talks about the great white throne judgment. We know it is the last great day when everyone who has ever lived will be resurrected from the dead and given their first opportunity to understand God's way of life. Let's pick it up here in verse 23. Then the master said to the servant, Go out to the high waves and hedges and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. He said, Go out and call everybody in the streets, everybody out there, that my house may be filled. And that will occur during that day that we celebrate and look forward to known as the last great day. For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.

Those Jewish leaders who were alive at his time, they had their one chance for salvation and they let it pass by. They took it for granted. They made excuses. They were unwilling to be humble and to yield and to repent. This last year we had a number of Kingdom of God seminars locally and I had access to the subscribers list of the Kingdom of God seminars. Approximately 1,600 people in Greater Cleveland. And I have to tell you just by looking at the addresses that many of the people who are at least interested enough to want to know more about God are impoverished physically. They're poor. But that's okay because that's what the Kingdom of God is about.

And it's also about those who were poor in spirit. And we don't do things because we want to get something from someone. We do things and we give knowing that in many cases those people will never be able to give back to us. And that's okay because that's what preaching the Gospel is all about.

Let's go to Mark chapter 14 and beginning in verse 1. I wanted to go and take a look at this Scripture because unfortunately I have heard ministers in the past totally distort and warp the meaning of this Scripture. So I thought it needs to be covered. Mark chapter 14 beginning in verse 1.

Mark writes, after two days it was the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the Chief Priest and the scribes sought how they might take him by trickery and put him to death.

But they said not during the feast lest there be an uproar of the people.

And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper he sat at the table and a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard and she broke the flask and poured it on his head.

But there were some who were indignant among themselves. This happened to be Judas Iscariot, was one of them, by the way, that said, why was this fragrant oil wasted? For it might have been sold for more than 300 denarii and given to the poor and they criticized her sharply. Well, in reality, Judas Iscariot didn't care for the poor. He was the accountant of the group and as John said in another writing, he was a thief. So it wasn't the poor that he was concerned about. It was how he could get his hands on that 300 denarii. And Jesus said, let her alone and why do you trouble her for she has done a good work for me. In verse 7. For you have the poor with you always and whenever you wish you may do them good but me you do not have always. She has done what she could. She has come beforehand to anoint my body for burial. Surely I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as memorial to her. Fulfilling the prophecy of Jesus Christ, we did it again right now. This was a memorial to that wonderful action that that woman performed. But sadly, I've heard ministers read this verse in the past and use it as a justification not to be concerned with the poor. And their reasoning is this statement of Christ in verse 7. For you have the poor with you always. As if because there are just so many poor people. Don't even try. Don't even care. Don't even be concerned with making an effort. But in context, Jesus was saying that you know what? You have plenty of time to be concerned about the poor and you should be. But right now, the Son of God is among you for just a limited amount of time.

So focus on my message and what I'm telling you right now because you'll have plenty of time to be concerned about the poor. Let's see another example of what must have been a common practice of Jesus Christ because of what the disciples thought. John chapter 13 and verse 23. This is the very final Passover observance of Jesus Christ. Now these are smart men and Jesus is going to say something and Judas Iscariot is going to leave and they're going to assume the Judas Iscariot was sent on a mission because of what they have seen happen before in that kind of a situation.

John chapter 13 and verse 23. We read most of this. I think it was last Sabbath so I won't go into it in great detail. Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom, one of his disciples whom Jesus loved, that was John. Simon Peter therefore motioned him to ask what was of whom he spoke, then leaning back on Jesus' press. He said, "'Lord, is it I?' And Jesus answered, "'It is he to whom I give a piece of bread when I have dipped it.' And having dipped in the bread, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the Son of Simon. Now after the piece of bread, Satan entered him. Then Jesus said to him, "'What you do, do quickly.' But no one at the table knew for what reason he had said this to him." We're going to focus in on verse 29. Now some thought, why would they just assume these things? Because they had witnessed these examples being done in the past. Some thought, because Judas had the money box, that Jesus had said to him, "'Buy those things we need for the feast.'" Why would they have thought that? Because in preparation of every feast, they obviously had seen Jesus instruct Judas to go out and buy the provisions for 12 men and other supporters so that we can observe the feast together and we can spend some time together. "'Buy those things we need for the feast.'" Or here's something else that some thought, that he should give something to the poor.

Now why would they have thought and assumed that that's why Jesus Christ sent Judas Iscariot out?

It's because they had seen that example from Jesus Christ in the past. It's very possible.

That during the Holy Days, it was just custom to give something financially to help the poor.

So I think we've seen by a number of scriptures here the example of Jesus Christ and his concern for poor people. Now did the other disciples believe the same thing? Or maybe they just changed the doctrine when Jesus ascended to heaven. Maybe they just changed the doctrine of the church. Let's go to Galatians chapter 2 and verse 6 and see an episode in which after 14 years Paul decides to go to Jerusalem with Barnabas and make sure that he and the original disciples are all on the same page. That they're all preaching the same message.

That they're all together on what they're doing and working in harmony. And this was very important because Paul was often isolated in the gentile world of the Roman Empire. Galatians chapter 2 and verse 6. It says, but from those who seem to be something, he's talking about those who mean that in Jerusalem are the leaders, but from those who seem to be something, whatever they were, it makes no difference to me. For God shows personal favoritism to no man. For those who seem to be something added nothing to me. But on the contrary, when they saw that the gospel for the uncircumcised had been committed to me as the gospel for the circumcised was to Peter, for he worked effectively in Peter, for the apostleship to the circumcised also worked effectively in me towards the gentiles. Verse 9, and when James and Cephas, another name for Peter and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that had been given to me, they gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship. As we would say in today's binocular high fives. We're all on the same page. We're all doing the same work. We're all following Jesus Christ.

So they gave us the right hand of fellowship that we should go to the gentiles and they to the circumcised. In verse 10, they desired only that we should remember the poor.

The very thing which I was eager to do, Paul says. So were the disciples in Jerusalem, the original apostles of Jesus Christ concerned that the needs of the poor were being helped in this context of the church? And certainly we have to begin with the household of God.

Were they concerned about the poor? You bet they were. Was the apostle Paul concerned about the poor? You bet he was. I'm going to read verse 10 from the new century version. The only thing they asked us to remember was to help the poor, something I really wanted to do. So I want you to notice that the leading disciples all had the same concern, helping the poor. Obviously, the poor in the congregations and also the poor in general, like Jesus Christ had. When Jesus Christ preached the gospel and he served the poor, he didn't say to them, excuse me, are you a member of the church? Sorry. Don't have time. Are you a member? Sorry. No, he went out and helped everyone whom he possibly could with what resources that he individually had. He did not make a distinction, even though obviously, as we'll see in the scripture, that our priority should be towards the poor in the church. Let's go now to Galatians chapter 6 and read that. Galatians chapter 6 and verse 10. Paul writes, therefore, as we have opportunity. So notice he's not saying that we have to be like that young man. It's all that we have to give to the poor, but as we have opportunity, that opportunity may be a blessing in which we receive some money and we want to give it to share our blessing with someone else. That opportunity may be suddenly we have more time than we've ever had before and we can help out at a food bank and distribute food to people who are poor. Whatever it may be, therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially those who are of the household of faith. I want you to notice he doesn't say, let us do good only to those who are of the household of faith. He says, let us do good to all, especially in priority, those who are of the household of faith. So again, Paul isn't suggesting that we sell all we have and give to the poor. We know, and as I mentioned earlier, in Matthew 19, Jesus was offering something very special to that young man. Now, for the sake of time today, we can't go to Romans 15, but if we did, you would see that Paul was rather proud of the fact that he was going to go to Jerusalem to help the poor among the saints. He had collected fruits and other material things from Macedonia and from Achaia, and he wanted to help those who were poor saints in Jerusalem. That was a wonderful example. Now, I'm going to do a contrast. What's really a poor example? We're going to read this in James chapter 2 and verse 1, and I'm going to be very candid with you here because I believe that in times in the Church of God, I have witnessed this sin.

I have witnessed the condescending attitudes that people have had toward the poor.

James chapter 2, beginning in verse 1.

James writes, My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. He's going to give an example. For if there should come into your assembly, if someone walks through that door in the back of this hall, a man with gold rings, fine apparel, three-piece suit, nice tie, and there should come in a poor man in filthy clothes, holes in his jeans, just filthy. And you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes, and you say to him, You sit here in a good place. That's great. You sit over here next to Frank. Good for you. And then you say to the one who came in with filthy clothes, You're going to have to sit next to Mr. Weber in the back of the hall. You sit back there next to Mr. Weber. So you sit here in a good place, and you say to the poor man, You stand there, or you sit here at my footstool. I'm so superior. You just sit at my feet, like the RCA Victor dog, and cuddle up because of the way that you were dressed. Verse 4, Have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?

Haven't you judged this person only on the outside, and you haven't taken the time to look into their heart and see who and what they really are? Listen, my beloved brethren, has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him. Every one of us who came into this church were either in spiritual poverty or physical poverty. Each and every one of us, because the poor of this world are to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom of God. Verse 6, But you have dishonored the poor and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him. But you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts? Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called? If you really fulfill the royal law according to Scripture, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. You do well. But here's what He says in verse 9, But if you show partiality, you commit sin. If you say to yourself if that person walks through the door and you say to yourself that person's scruffy, that person looks like a bum, that person looks like a hobo, and you don't go and spend time and talk to that person and welcome them as much as someone who walks through that door in a three-piece suit who just parked to their BMW outside, then that is partiality. And James says, You commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever shall keep the whole law and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. So, brethren, we have to be very careful not to judge visitors who come among us simply because on the outside they may dress in a way that's not part of our church culture or maybe they dress in a way in which their clothes are filthy. Many will come and visit us for the first time. They'll be dressed casually. Sometimes they'll have ragged clothes. We need to be careful not to treat them like they're inferior or some type of subclass of human being because they're dressed that way. If you and I are setting the right kind of positive examples, then I absolutely guarantee you that they will slowly change how they appear after they've attended church for a while. I've seen that hundreds of times over the years, how someone will slowly change and improve their appearance because they are fellowshiping with God's people. That's the way it should be. But the judgment, the evil in our heart in which we show partiality, in which we're condemning or judging someone because of what's on the outside, isn't right. Let's drop down to verse 14. James says, what does it profit, my brother? If someone says he has faith and does not have works, can faith save him if a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, be hungry? And one of you says to him, depart in peace, be warmed and filled. I'm sure going to pray for you. Have a nice day. I'm going to add you onto my prayer list.

Well, that's good. That's fine. But where are the works? I mean, aside from happy thoughts, where are the works? He says, but if you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? So what is the conclusion of the matter of our sermon today?

Living in poverty is a constant struggle. People face enough obstacles when they live in physical poverty. Usually their self-worth is taken a beating. They don't have many opportunities.

Many times they are frustrated. They are struggling with issues that they don't even know where to begin to help themselves. There are financial limitations and a social stigma attached to being poor. As Christians, we should be sympathetic to the plight of the poor. We shouldn't just knee-jerk judge them. We shouldn't look down upon them as inferior. We shouldn't despise them.

We should not be mocking them either in church or privately in our own lives or our own homes.

We should be sympathetic. And we should look at their hearts and not just their mere physical circumstances. The second conclusion to the matter is to pray for the poor is a good thing. And we should do that. And we know that the only permanent solution to poverty is the Kingdom of God. But in the meantime, using Paul's phrase, therefore, as you have opportunity, we need to do what we can. I'm not suggesting you take a second mortgage on your home. I'm not suggesting you sell your car and give all the proceeds to the poor. What I am suggesting that we do is change our attitudes and stop judging on the outside and look at the hearts. And as we have opportunity, as we are blessed financially, then maybe the way that we can serve are to help those organizations that those charities and those foundations that were established to help the poor. If you don't have any money but you have time, maybe you're retired, or maybe your situation allows you to have more time than you ever had before, virtually every food bank, Cuyahoga County, Lorraine County, Medina County, are looking every week for volunteers to come and unload boxes and distribute food to people who are showing up there, who are genuinely living in poverty and need help. You may not have money, but you might have two hours a week in which you can give if you have the opportunity to do good to all, as Paul said in Galatians chapter 6. Let's go to Isaiah chapter 11, our final scripture. As James said, let's do some good works to help the needy as we have opportunity.

Isaiah chapter 11, beginning in verse 1, we all look forward to a time when the true poverty of this world will end. People will not live in poverty because of old age, because they'll live in a world in which they have strength and they're vital, and they don't suffer the ravages of old age.

Children will no longer be at the mercy of their parents because their parents will have been educated, their parents will live in harmony and be able to provide for their children.

People won't be poor because they're disabled, because they will be healed.

People won't be poor because of poor education, because everyone will have an opportunity to have a quality education in the kingdom of God. People will no longer be victims of tragedy, because tragedies won't occur in the kingdom of God, and if something unkind or hurtful happens, they will be healed. They will be taken care of. And people will no longer be poor because of character deficiencies, because they will be taught better. If needed, they will be disciplined, but they will learn to be motivated. They will learn to be productive. They will learn to serve and care and provide for their own needs and the needs of others. That's the kind of world that we certainly can look forward to. Isaiah 11, beginning in verse 1, Then shall come forth a rod of the stem of Jesse, and the branch shall grow out of his roots. The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might. Talking about the return of Christ.

The Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. His delight is in the fear of the Lord, and he shall not judge by the sight of his eyes. He's just not going to judge by the outside.

He's not going to judge just simply by what his eyes see, nor decide by the hearing of his ears. He's not going to judge simply because someone told him something about someone else, but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and he'll help them. And going far beyond just providing them something to eat or clothing, they will be taught how they no longer have to live in poverty and decide with equity for the meek of the earth. So this is prophecy. Here is a time we can all look forward to, and we can all pray about a time when everyone will have abundance and blessings in the kingdom of God. But I want to encourage every one of us, brethren, to have the right biblical approach towards those who are poor. Let's not bring a curse on ourselves as individuals or a curse on the Church of God by despising, by demeaning, those who are poor. If we have the right attitude like Jesus Christ had, and the right attitude like Paul had in the original disciples, then God will bless us and he'll bless his Church because of our fine example and because of our obedience to him.

Have a wonderful supper.