Sermon Tone Analysis

Temporary Wealth | James 5:1-6

If you have your bibles or devices, we will be in James 5:1-6 this morning.

James is found after Hebrews and before the Peters towards the end of your bibles.

I want to begin this morning by asking you a question [disclaimer - you don't have to answer audibly]: "Are you rich?" How would you respond?

If you search online, there are calculators that will tell you how "rich" you are compared to the rest of the world.

Here are some findings from 2018 that are quite interesting:

If you make $60,000 a year, you are in the upper .2% of everyone in the world.

If you make $50,000, you're in the upper .3%.

If you make $40,000, you're in the upper .6%.

Suppose we drop the figure down to $20,000 a year.

That puts you in the upper 4%.

That means you make more than 96% of the people in the world.

Let's go down to $10,000 a year.

That puts you in the upper 16%.

You make more than 84% of the people in the world.

The average American household has an annual income of around $65,000.

This obviously varies greatly by region and by population group, but we can use it as a starting point.

If you live in the United States, you should be glad because you're in the upper 1% of world income.

[In other words,] we're rich.

We may not feel rich (we probably don't), [especially when] we approach tax time in the US, we may feel pinched and squeezed and frustrated.

But in absolute terms, we're rich.

If you have a . . .

Cell phone, computer, home, bed, closet full of clothes, car ... you're rich.

Interesting data, isn't it?

Fascinating stuff.

In our passage today, James is going to address ... you guessed it, the rich.

Join me in your bibles or on the screen as we read the first six verses of chapter five:

1 COME NOW, YOU RICH, WEEP AND HOWL FOR THE MISERIES THAT ARE COMING UPON YOU.

2 YOUR RICHES HAVE ROTTED AND YOUR GARMENTS ARE MOTH-EATEN.

3 YOUR GOLD AND SILVER HAVE CORRODED, AND THEIR CORROSION WILL BE EVIDENCE AGAINST YOU AND WILL EAT YOUR FLESH LIKE FIRE.

YOU HAVE LAID UP TREASURE IN THE LAST DAYS.

4 BEHOLD, THE WAGES OF THE LABORERS WHO MOWED YOUR FIELDS, WHICH YOU KEPT BACK BY FRAUD, ARE CRYING OUT AGAINST YOU, AND THE CRIES OF THE HARVESTERS HAVE REACHED THE EARS OF THE LORD OF HOSTS.

5 YOU HAVE LIVED ON THE EARTH IN LUXURY AND IN SELF-INDULGENCE.

YOU HAVE FATTENED YOUR HEARTS IN A DAY OF SLAUGHTER.

6 YOU HAVE CONDEMNED AND MURDERED THE RIGHTEOUS PERSON.

HE DOES NOT RESIST YOU.

Did I mention that today's passage was not about sunshine and butterflies?

Last week, we briefly addressed the possibility that James used our text from last week as a possible illustration, rather than an actual event that he was addressing.

I think it is fair to make that same judgement here.

One reason is the use of the phrase "come now," which seems to connect these two sections.

Another reason that I say that is because we must remember who James' audience was.

To do that, let's go all the way back to James 1:1, where James states, JAMES, A SERVANT OF GOD AND OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, TO THE TWELVE TRIBES IN THE DISPERSION: GREETINGS.

In the very next verse, James addresses the "brothers" or "brethren."

This continues throughout the letter, 1:19, 2:1, 2:14, 3:1 and so forth.

Seemingly, every time James shifts to the next topic, he re-addresses the intended audience, the brothers.

In other words, this letter is written to the Jewish Christians of his day.

When we got to our passage last week, and then again, this morning, he does not address the brothers, rather we see two bookends in 4:11 and 5:7 of when he addresses and then re-addresses the brothers.

So, what does this mean?

It could mean that, one, James is addressing a well-known social evil that occurred during the time of James.

The other possibility, which I briefly touched on last week is that he may be using this as an illustration to the worldliness that these Christians were flirting with.

It is also noteworthy that when we take this section along with James 2:1-13, it seems that these Christians had the propensity to favor wealth or wealthy people.

John MacArthur says that James is addressing those people who "play church," which could be possible, as there are non-Christians that go to church.

Why is this important?

I think, as we've seen with this entire letter so far, James is allowing the reader(s) to understand what true faith is.

Way back, when we opened our series, we determined that while James' letter didn't have a lot of doctrine, like we see with Paul's letters, for example, we see that he, "instead focuses on how that [known] doctrine ought to impact the way that his audience lived their lives on a daily basis."

Which is "why we've titled this series "Faith Works" because [we have been focusing] on how our faith ought to impact the way that faith should work in our lives."

So, regardless of if these last two sections were written for specific people, or an illustration to address some of the cultural norms of the times, there is still a lesson for us.

Let's review that first by looking at our main idea:

The Lord will judge the rich in eternity for how they

handle their temporary wealth.

First let's discuss, WHAT THIS PASSAGE IS NOT SAYING:

* It is not "bad" to be rich.

o Consider what we read in Proverbs 10:22; THE BLESSING OF THE LORD MAKES RICH, AND HE ADDS NO SORROW WITH IT.

o James is speaking to what the rich do with what they have.

So, WHAT WERE THE RICH DOING?

* They were hoarding their wealth (vv.

2-3)

* The NET Bible translation says the end of verse 3 could be rendered "hoarded up treasure for the last days"

* We see that they hoarded their "riches," "garments" and their "gold and silver"

o The riches here refer to all their possessions.

Some have stated that it relates to their grain, which can rot away.

o The garments are the overflowing closets that have just gone to waste.

* There's a neat "life hack" out there that says to turn your hangers the opposite way in your closets, then when you wear that item, you turn your hanger back the other way.

After a set period of time, if there are items that are left unturned, then you have not worn them, and they should be donated.

* Truth be told, this is a "first world problem."

In James' day, most people had only what was on their backs.

o Regarding the gold and silver.

* Technically speaking, gold and silver do not corrode.

This statement by James is "paradoxical, emphasizing that even incorruptible commodities are destined to perish"

* What this statement does is illustrate their utter worthlessness because it is only temporary.

* In what way does hoarding benefit others?

Next ...

* They were holding back wages (4)

* Here's another possible connection to the last section (4:13-17), where James spoke to the businessmen

* As Jews, they would be very familiar with this passage from Deuteronomy 24: 14 "YOU SHALL NOT OPPRESS A HIRED WORKER WHO IS POOR AND NEEDY, WHETHER HE IS ONE OF YOUR BROTHERS OR ONE OF THE SOJOURNERS WHO ARE IN YOUR LAND WITHIN YOUR TOWNS.

15 YOU SHALL GIVE HIM HIS WAGES ON THE SAME DAY, BEFORE THE SUN SETS (FOR HE IS POOR AND COUNTS ON IT), LEST HE CRY AGAINST YOU TO THE LORD, AND YOU BE GUILTY OF SIN.

* Notice the strong language from James here, they held back their wages fraudulently.

o Someone shared recently about having to cut ties with a local business because they not only hired illegal immigrants to do some work for them, but they also didn't pay them what they earned, even going as far as to threaten reporting them to the authorities.

This is a dishonest way of doing business, on multiple accounts.

* Holding back wages from those who earned it only benefits self.

Which leads to ...

* They lived selfishly (5)

* Just a few chapters ago, we read these words from James (2:15-16): 15 IF A BROTHER OR SISTER IS POORLY CLOTHED AND LACKING IN DAILY FOOD, 16 AND ONE OF YOU SAYS TO THEM, "GO IN PEACE, BE WARMED AND FILLED," WITHOUT GIVING THEM THE THINGS NEEDED FOR THE BODY, WHAT GOOD IS THAT?

* There was an expectation, due to cultural norms, and due to their relationship as brothers (and sisters) to care for one another.

Another call back to the beginning of chapter 2 where James accused some in the church of being partial.

* This shows us that there are both poor and rich among the believers here.

* This verse also calls to this idea of showing off their wealth.

I think it was Dave Ramsey, the financial expert, who said that many millionaires drive a 4-year-old car that is completely paid off.

* The picture we get here are those modern day celebrities who have multiple luxury vehicles, and homes, and flash their money around.

Don't get me wrong, there are some good ones out there, but many are only out for themselves.

That's the type of "rich" that James is addressing here.