March 15th

James 5:1-6

Is the LORD Angry At The Rich

James has addressed:
A warning:  "friendship with the world is enmity with God." When we seek to gain our joy, life, identity, success, etc. from the world we are at odds with God and what He desires to give us. 4:7-8 James says "Submit yourselves therefore to God..." and assures his readers that when you "draw near to God and he will draw near to you”
***James then turns to three things that were getting in the way of trusting fully in God's character and work. The first is the temptation to put down or judge our brothers and sisters. This comes mainly out of jealousy and fear that they are getting a better deal from God than we are, they seem to be having the kind of life we think should be ours.

***The second temptation is to make our own plans, without having God lead. I think we do this either because we think God may not be paying close enough attention, so we need to take care of things ourselves, or because we fear what would happen if we really went with God's will--maybe it wouldn't be what we want to happen right now.

***The third temptation, which we take up today, is to put our trust in our wealth. Money seems like a security, a firm foundation, in this very uncertain world we live in. Wealth, we think, can provide us with options, with protection, with a secure future. We become tempted to hoard it and to be unwilling to share generously, especially with those who helped us acquire this wealth.

James begins this section with the same words that he used to introduce the previous section: "Come now." First it was "you who say..." and now it is "you rich", thus connecting the two sections together. James previously exposes the folly of thinking that we can make plans for the next year of our lives when we don't know about tomorrow and are nothing more than "a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes."

Now James exposes the folly of building your fortress of security out of your wealth. Notice the graphic word pictures James draws for us! He begins by encouraging these wealthy ones in the congregation – or just unbelievers? … who are trusting in their wealth to repent, to turn from counting on their money to give them life, to get them out of their struggles, to give them security. He wants them to "weep and howl" because there are miseries coming on them. These miseries are the consequences of foolishly placing their confidence in their wealth - of hoarding it out of fear. Are these things eternal? Will they last? Are they worthy of this confidence? Can they truly make one secure and well? James is very adamant with his "no" to all these questions. All these things that you stack up and keep as your security will rot and rust away and the rust will be evidence against you. Evidence of what? Evidence of where you were placing your trust and life. Evidence of what you have come to worship.  (the wealthy who lost it all in the 20s threw themselves out of windows on Wall Street!)

Compared to many people in the world, we in America are indeed blessed; in fact, in comparison with most people who live now and who have lived in the past, we are very rich!

1.    God does not condemn the rich for being rich...

Some of the most Godly people in the Bible were rich   E.g., Job, Abraham, Joseph, David, Solomon, Barnabas, Philemon, Lydia

2.    Christ does speak of the difficulty of the rich being saved - cf. Mt 19:23-26

3.    It seems there are times when God is angry at the rich.

4.    Lets look at four questions:

Who is James addressing in this passage? What is in store for these rich people? Why is God so angry at them? What applications can we draw from this passage?

A. ARE THEY CHRISTIANS?

1.    Are these rich Christians who had been guilty of oppressing their brethren?

2.    Consider:   ** They are not addressed as “brethren” as is often done in this epistle - Ja 1:2,19; 2:1, 14; 3:1,10; 4:11 ** Do you see repentance called for?  **The brethren are not addressed until verse 7, in which they are told to be patient in light of what has just been said

B.  RICH UNBELIEVERS...???

1.    Who had been oppressing the Christians - cf. Ja 2:6

2.    This tirade of judgment upon them appears to serve the purpose of comforting the brethren who were being oppressed by them v.7

1.    The Lord has heard their cries - Ja 5:4b

2.    Judgment is coming upon these rich oppressors

C. Therefore the Christians are told to be patient
[But even if this passage does not have direct reference to rich Christians, there are still things to which we should give careful heed.
II. WHAT IS IN STORE FOR THESE RICH OPPRESSORS?

A. MISERIES THAT WILL CAUSE THEM TO “WEEP AND HOWL” (1-3a)

1.    So certain are these miseries to come, that James speaks of them already occurring!

1.    Riches are corrupted

2.    Garments are moth-eaten

3.    Gold and silver are corroded

2.    When this “corrosion” of their riches occurs...

1.    It will serve as a witness against them (that they were guilty of the things that are to mentioned)

2.    It will eat their flesh like fire

1)  The anguish and misery of poverty usually affects the hardest those who were once rich!

2)  Thus, when poverty strikes, it will make them “weep and howl” as though they were on fire!

B. THE MISERIES SPOKEN HERE MAY HAVE REFERENCE TO WHAT LATER OCCURRED IN THE DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM IN A.D. 70...

1.    Not long after this epistle was written, Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans

2.    Many of the rich Jews who had oppressed their Christian brethren literally “weeped and howled”

3.    What they had failed to realize was that they had heaped up treasure “in the last days” (Ja 5:3b)
a. Like the man in the parable of the rich fool (Lk 12:16-21), they thought they were laying up riches for their latter days
b. When in fact, it was the “last days” of the Jewish economy when they were so busy storing up wealth!
c. Like some today, who store up for retirement and then die before they retire!

[The miseries that came upon these rich people were terrible indeed (as described by Flavius Josephus, an eyewitness of the destruction of Jerusalem). Even if it did not come in the destruction of Jerusalem, it certainly came upon them when they died, as it did upon the rich man in the story of the rich man and Lazarus (Lk 16:19-31)! This leads us to the third question...]
III. WHY IS GOD SO ANGRY with THESE RICH PEOPLE?
A. BECAUSE  OF HOW THEY GOT THEIR WEALTH...

1.    It was through wicked means - Ja 5:4

2.    Specifically, by withholding wages from those who had worked for them

3.    Just as some people today get rich through dishonest schemes or unjust labor practices!

4.    about these rich people's dealing with those who work for them. They are reluctant to share the wealth with those that directly helped them acquire it; they desire to keep as much of it for themselves as they possibly can. James says there are  consequences. What has been done will not remain hidden forever. The injustice done to fellow human beings will be exposed. For those who are the guilty wealthy this is meant to bring about repentance and renewed trust in God. For those who are cheated by others, who are exploited by those attempting to acquire and hoard wealth, this is a note of hope. He is their advocate. God is not absent. He sees and knows the injustices of this world and is committed to setting things right. They (and we) may have to wait a long time to see the justice of God worked out, but we can know that it will happen. Out of faith we can participate in this process here and now, but the final and complete work belongs to our heavenly Father. Only He sees and knows everything and only He can bring about deep and true healing, restoration, and reconciliation.

B. BECAUSE OF HOW THEY USED THEIR WEALTH...

1.    They hoarded their wealth - Ja 5:3b

2.    They spent it on themselves with pleasures and luxury - Ja 5:5 (fattening themselves like cows for the slaughter!)

3.    They used the power that comes with wealth to oppress “the just”  v.6

 [The manner in which they got their wealth and used it caused those who were oppressed to cry out, and the Lord heard their prayers (Ja 5:4). Now, God who is just is about to bring judgment upon these rich oppressors! ]

In verse 5, James describes these wealthy people as ones who "have lived on the earth in luxury and in pleasure..." These are people who have made it their top aim to avoid all suffering if possible, to have themselves pampered and indulged. They are the center of their own world, and their pleasure is their only aim. They have attempted to belong to this earth, to establish their home, their life, and their identity here, as if this was their true home. They are ignoring all the signs that indicate we were made for a home somewhere else. James warns them strongly of the consequence of living this way. Indulging oneself, blessing only yourself, leads not to life, but to death. The protective, selfish, grasping self cannot survive, cannot receive the greater, richer life it was created for. It will go the way of all sin--it will be destroyed so that nothing is left to get in the way of the full, complete, living life Jesus came to give us.

Lastly, James accuses these people of condemning, killing the "righteous man" and this one "does not resist you." What is he talking about? Well, it seems to parallel his comments earlier in v. 4 about the laborers who were exploited. Here also, there is someone who is taken advantage of, indeed who is disposed of for the advantage or convenience of the wealthy. This person is described as "righteous." It could be that the rich were tempted to view themselves as the blessed of God because of their wealth and so they were the “righteous ones.” If so, then James is setting the record straight. The one or ones they have condemned were not deserving of this condemnation, they were righteous. Further, no resistance was put up to this injustice done against him or them.

You can't look at this description of the righteous man, who does not resist and not think of Christ. He is ultimately The Righteous Man, the only truly righteous One--living in right relationship with His heavenly Father. And He was condemned and killed, by us!, and did not resist in order to give us life.  Is James saying, that this kind of living for oneself, this building and hoarding of wealth, the refusal to be a channel of blessing but rather only to bless yourself is what killed the righteous One, Jesus. Certainly this terrible self-centeredness is what He came to destroy and rescue us from.

Living here on this earth is hard and often very painful, there is no doubt about it. Often when we struggle, we long for the difficult circumstances to be over. We are almost "holding our breaths" until we can "enjoy" life again. God does not seem to be present and active because the struggle doesn't resolve the way we want or just goes on with no clear end in sight. And at these times we wrestle with the desire to cling to something other than God--something which seems to guarantee security or the alleviation of our sufferings more quickly or at least to simply feel superior to others.

James understands this struggle and wants to help his readers to continue to hand their whole lives over to the "Father of lights"(1:17) James deals with these three temptations we face when in the midst of trials, which is really to say in the midst of living in this broken world. But even in discussing these temptations, James always brings them back to their heavenly Father, reminding them of who He is. In 4:11 and 12, James reminds them they can turn from judging and speaking evil against one another because God is the One who is our judge, the only One who truly knows us and knows our brothers and sisters. We cannot see all that He can see. How silly of us then to speak a word of judgment on another.

In 4:13-17 the reason we can turn from trusting in our own plans is because God knows the future--He is the One who holds it. Next to His solid reality, we are "mists." Finally in today's section, God is the one who is listening to the cries of those treated unjustly. He is never unaware and He is concerned about setting things right. That isn't just what He sometimes does, that is Who He is!

What we need to remember in the midst of longsuffering is that our true heavenly Father knows us, sees us, and is at work to bring about our best. Whatever He is allowing in our lives, He allows it only to redeem it and to redeem us through this time. He holds us and others, our futures and our wealth, in His hands. They are ultimately not in ours. So we can turn again to Him, ready to experience His peace and joy in whatever circumstances we find ourselves dealing with now.

It is right to long for suffering to end because someday it will end once and for all--it will not be a part of the full, rich life we are being prepared to enjoy in and with Him. So our longings, now are not really just to have our momentary struggles ended. Our longings are really for the deep love and belonging we were created for by God. Those longings will not and cannot be fully met here. That is the lesson we continually have to learn. Yet even in our current struggles we can find joy and even count on joy because we anticipate God's leading us through them to that final fullness of life, where we are "perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." Hold on to my own small momentary expectations in the face of that greater final joy? Thank God that He is helping us to grow all the time in our ability to count on Him and the future He has promised

WHAT APPLICATIONS CAN WE DRAW?

A.   WE NEED TO BE CAREFUL HOW WE OBTAIN OUR WEALTH...

IN Business:  The profit motive is a necessity and the free market system wouldn’t survive without it.  However, when there is a character deficit the profit motive can morph into a very ugly thing we call GREED.  The unsurpassed antidote for greed is giving.

A fortune made by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor and a deadly snare.  Proverbs 21:6

1.    To do so at the expense of others will bring God’s wrath upon us! - Deut 24:14,15

2.    It is wrong to think that success can only come by stepping on others

3.    This might be an appropriate place to add what we learn from Paul in 1 Ti 6:9-10

1.    It is not riches that are wrong, but the desire (attitude) to be rich that is wrought with danger!

2.    Riches are not wrong if they are the byproduct of our endeavors, and not the goal

1)  I.e., one may desire to be a doctor to help the sick, or a plumber because of one’s skill or interest in such matters, and receive riches as a byproduct because of the value society might place on such services

2)  But to enter such professions solely because one’s goal is to get rich thereby, then we are ensnared by the love of money!

4.    So how do we obtain our wealth?

1.    Do it honestly and in compensation for a job well done, God is pleased.

2.    If we do it by hurting others and by making wealth our primary object, then we are in danger of God’s wrath!

B. WE NEED TO BE CAREFUL HOW WE USE OUR WEALTH...

1.    To spend it on luxurious living when others are suffering...

1.    Is exactly what James has described in this passage

2.    Is an indication of the lack of the love of God - 1 Jn 3:17

2.    According to the New Testament, the purpose of working is not to obtain wealth for our own gratification, but to help those less fortunate!

1.    As commanded by Paul - Ep 4:28; 1 Ti 6:17-19

2.    As exemplified by Paul - Ac 20:34-35

CONCLUSION

1.    Living in the country and society in which we do, we have much for which to be thankful

2.    But we also have much of which we need to beware...

* We live in a society where it is quite easy to become wealthy

* We live in a society where covetousness or the desire to be rich are not considered sins

                     * We live in a society where heaping up treasures for our own gratification is considered an inalienable right!
 It is easy to be influenced by these values!

Perhaps we need to ask ourselves constantly: Are we laying up treasure in heaven, or on earth?

1.    Those who lay up treasure in heaven are those who use their wealth to do good and help the poor and less fortunate - Mt 19:21; 1 Ti 6:18-19

2.    Those who lay up treasure on earth are actually storing up for themselves miseries and wrath!

1)  Miseries...when their wealth fails them in their time of true need

2)  Wrath and/or discipline...from God in the Day of wrath or if you are a Christian – dealing with you now!

These are sobering thoughts worthy of our careful consideration. Have you even begun to lay up treasure in heaven by obeying the gospel of Christ?
These are the Key beliefs presented throughout the Word:

1)   For true success, learn what the Bible has to say about money—over 500 verses.152) 

2)   Distinguish between an honest profit motive and greed. 3)

3)   Become a giver, not a taker.  The antidote for greed is giving and gratitude.

4)  Protect against the “love of money” -- the desire to be rich is a trap.

                             5)  Money is not a sign of Godliness—the true                   blessing of the Lord is contentment.
                              6)  Trust the Lord for your income.  It is ultimately Him who pays you!  (Col. 3:24)
                              7)  Pay your taxes cheerfully!
                              8)  Cap your lifestyle and give away the surplus
                              9)  Focus on true riches
So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?  Luke 16:11
The trustworthy will get a rich reward.  But the person who wants to get rich quick will only get into trouble.  Proverbs 28:20

Tell those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which will soon be gone. But their trust should be in the living God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment.  I Timothy 6