Practical Christianity: Weep and Howl You Rich

Text: James 5:1-6

Theme: The dangers of wealth in the Christian life.

Date: 05/14/23 File name: James10a-2023.wpd ID Number: NT20-05

In his commentary on Matthew, Warren Wiersbe tells an interesting story about William Randolph Hearst. In 1887 Hearst inherited the San Francisco Examiner from his father, and by 1920 was a media titan, owning twenty-eight newspapers across the country, read by over twenty-million people. When he was alive he was one of the wealthiest men in America. One of his passions in life was his art collection. One day Hearst read of a series of painting by one of the great Dutch Masters, and was determined to add them to his own extensive collection. He instructed his art agent to scour the galleries of the world to find them. He was determined to have at any price. After many months of painstaking search, the agent reported that he had indeed found the pieces of art Hearst so desperately wanted. To his amazement his agent told Hearst that the art work already belonged to him and had been stored in one of his warehouses for many years. Hearst had so much treasure stored up that he didn’t even know what belonged to him and what didn’t.

I. GREED IS BASIC TO HUMAN NATURE

ILLUS. After the gospel of redemption, Jesus talked more about money and possessions than any other topic. He taught about our possession in relation to living in the kingdom of God. God’s people are to live differently than the world, and nowhere are we to live more differently than in our relationship to wealth and stuff.

1. here in the first six verses of the 5th chapter of James we find one of the most scathing rebukes to Christians found anywhere in the New Testament

a. it’s so scathing that many scholars are convinced that James is not even writing to Christians at this moment, but the upper-crust of society

1) he’s not ... he is zeroing-in on believers who have wealth, but who have a worldly view about their wealth and not a Christ-like view

2) he’s essentially accusing them of greed

b. notice the warning

“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.” (James 5:1–6, ESV)

a. James is striking out against one of the most common misconceptions — that life equals possessions

b. or that the more possessions a man or woman has, the better life will be

2. James begins this section with come now — it’s a call to pay serious attention to what he is about to say

a. wealthy believers need to seriously evaluate two things: 1) how their wealth is earned, and 2) how their wealth is used

A. RICHES CAN LEAD TO MISERY

1. certainly, not all rich people are controlled by their wealth, not all rich people are greedy, not all rich people are stingy

a. but it’s enough of a problem that James feels like he has to address it

2. look at how James opens this section — weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you (vs. 1)

a. the word miseries is used only twice in the New Testament — it describes overwhelming hardship, trouble, suffering, or distress

b. this can be especially true of those who have received wealth suddenly

ILLUS. Ever since state governments began a wholesale rush to impalement state lotteries (all in the name of funding local school districts), thousands of lives have been changed — often not for the better. Hundreds of people have, in the words of James, wept and howled for the miseries that have come upon them. 1) William Post won $16.2 million dollars in the Pennsylvania lottery, but was $1 million in debt within a year. His former girlfriend sued him for half the winnings, and his own brother hired a hit man to kill him in hopes he’d inherit some of the winnings. He told a reporter, “I wish it never happened. It’s been a total nightmare.” 2) Gerald Muswagon won $10 million in a Canadian lottery. Within seven years he’s blown through it all and then hanged himself. 3) Billie Harrell, a Pentecostal minister, thought his prayers were answered when he won $30 million in the Texas lottery. Things began well. He quit his job at Home Depot and took his family on a vacation. He gave away tens of thousands of dollars to his church and other benevolent causes. He bought cars and homes for friends and family. He gave to the poor. Things soon turned sour, however. His generosity attracted many unscrupulous strangers constantly demanding donations. He was hounded everywhere he went. He made some bad business decisions, and lost much of his new-found fortune overnight. His wife left him. All of this within the span of 12 months. He, too, killed himself. Shortly before his death, he told his accountant, “Winning the lottery is the worst thing that ever happened to me.”

2. now, I already know what some of you are thinking ...

a. “Aw, preacher, I would never have those problems.”

3. are you sure?

B. RICHES ARE TEMPORARY

1. James tells them in vs. 2, Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten

a. everything we have, given time, will fade away, rust away, or decay away

2. lets be honest, a lot of people in our society – including many Christians – have a preoccupation with wealth, and things, and possessions

ILLUS. Jeanne E. Arnold, (died just last year - 2022) was an archaeologist who taught in the anthropology department at the University of California, Los Angeles. One of her research projects examined how Americans look at their stuff. She and some fellow researchers visited the homes of 32 typical American families. They followed them for ten years! From that study they wrote a book, Life at Home in the Twenty-First Century. They wanted to look at how people interacted with their environments, and how they used space. They also wanted to look at how dual-income, middle-class families related to their material possessions. They systematically documented the Stuff people own, where they keep it, and how they used it. Their conclusion was that "contemporary U.S. households have more possessions per household than any society in global history." Our homes are cluttered with stuff. One of the researchers called it the “Stuff Paradox.”

a. the bottom line is that not only do Americans have a TON of stuff, but that they feel they have an inadequate amount of stuff

ILLUS. The German philosopher, Immanuel Kant once said, “Give a man everything he desires and yet at this very moment he will feel that everything is not everything.”

“Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."” (Luke 12:15, NIV)

b. the culture at large — and Christians in particular — need to be asking some serious questions ...

1) why do most Americans want so much stuff?

2) why is the typical new house in America built with 5 walk-in closets?

3) why do we have 5 televisions in a house with 3 people?

4) why is the amount of storage space in a house paramount to whether or not someone will buy it?

5) why do one-in-ten American households need to rent a self-storage unit?

c. material things are not bad in themselves, but James echoing the words of his brother Jesus, tells his readers that it’s all going to rot or rust away

3. more importantly is what it might do to your soul

C. RICHES WILL CONSUME YOUR LIFE

1. James writes, Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire

ILLUS. Psychologists who study the impact of wealth on human behavior have found that money can powerfully influence our thoughts and actions in ways that we’re often not aware of. First, the research reveals that wealth can diminish empathy and compassion.

UC Berkeley research found that even fake money could make people behave with less regard for others. Researchers observed that when two students played Monopoly, one having been given a great deal more Monopoly money than the other, the wealthier player expressed initial discomfort, but then went on to act aggressively, taking up more space and moving his pieces more loudly, and even taunting the player with less money.

Second, the research reveals that wealth cause a sense of entitlement. “I’m rich so I deserve the best house, the best car, the best vacations.” Look at what James writes in vs. 5, “You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts.”

Third, studies have found that affluence can lead to moral bankruptcy. The rich are more vulnerable to substance abuse issues.

Forth, the more wealth one has the less likely one is to see a need for religion or spirituality.

D. RICHES WILL MAKE YOU PRESUMPTUOUS

1. the next thing that James writes is, You have laid up treasure in the last days

a. literally, the phrase says, “You have hoarded wealth in the last days”

1) considering that just a couple of verses later James refers to the coming of the Lord, hoarding wealth in the last days is folly

ILLUS. In Luke 12:16-21 Jesus tells the parable of a rich man who experienced a series of abundant crops. He decided to tear down his old barn and build a new bigger barn to store his prosperity. He tells himself “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you.” Jesus concludes the story saying, “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”

2. the rich man’s error is not in building a bigger barn, but his presumption that he has many years, to take it easy

a. he’s failed to include God in his plans ... and that’s presumptuous ... and it what riches can do to you

E. RICHES CAN MAKE YOU DISHONEST

1. James says, “Look, some of you have acculturated your wealth be defrauding others. You’ve kept back an honest day’s wage from your workers”

a. on top of that he writes You have condemned and murdered the righteous person presumably for profit

... If Greed is Basic to Human Nature, then ...

II. GENEROSITY IS BASIC TO A CHRISTLIKE NATURE

1. when it comes to Christian stewardship I've learned an important truth over the years

a. the believer's pocketbook is not the question when it comes to giving back to God

2. it's the believer's heart that is the problem

ILLUS. John Wesley, the 19th century Methodist preacher said this about money, “Make all you can, save all you can, give all you can.” Most of you are familiar with that quote because you’ve heard me use it on any number of occasions. What you may not know is how Wesley came to that conviction. Wesley practiced what he preached, but it took an embarrassing incident to help him understand the importance of radical generosity.

It was the winter of 1730. Wesley was a successful professor at Oxford University. Having moved into a more spacious apartment he was redecorating with new furniture and fixtures. He had just returned from purchasing some paintings for his room when one of the chambermaids came to his door. It was bitterly cold that day, and he noticed she had nothing but a thin linen wrap to wear over her dress. He reached into his pocket, intending to give her money to go buy a coat with. He did not have enough to do so. He became convicted that he had spent his money solely on his own pleasure which left him nothing with which to help a truly needy person. He resolved never to let it happen again.

Wesley went on to limit his expenses so he would have more to give away. In 1731 Wesley’s income was £30 (a ‘Pound’ referring to the currency of Great Britain). £30 in 1731 would be the equivalent of about $64,000 in today’s American currency. That year he earned £30, and he lived on £28 — about $60,000 and gave away £2 — or about $4000. In 1732 his income doubled, but he continued to live on £28 a year, and gave the rest away. In 1733, his income went to £90 a year (about $192,000). Once again, he continued to live on £28, and gave away £62. In 1734 Wesley was making the princely sum of £120, or about $256,000 in today’s American currency. He was still living on £28 a year and gave away £92 — almost $200,000. Now that’s radical generosity!

Wesley preached that Christians should not merely tithe, but give away all extra income once the family had been provided for and one’s creditors paid. He believed that with increasing income, the Christian’s standard of giving should increase, not their standard of living. Wesley lived out the spirit of this morning’s text.

5. we’re amazed, but the story illustrates a point ... God calls Christians to a radical generosity that is the product of grace

A. KEEPING IS THE NATURAL INSTINCT, GIVING IS CHRIST-LIKE VIRTUE

1. in 2 Corinthians 9:7 the Apostle Paul wrote, The Lord loves a cheerful giver

a. the Bible teaches us to be cheerful and abundant givers

“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” (2 Corinthians 9:6–8, NIV84)

b. God is delighted with the person whose heart is in his gift

2. radical generosity comes from a heart that has been radically changed by God because of His radical love toward us in Christ

a. in vs. 7 Paul instructs the Corinthian believers to give based on a heart decision ... Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give

b. in vs. 8 he reminds the Corinthian believers that God’s abounding grace can’t be out done ... God is able to make all grace abound to you

1) the word abound in vs. 8 literally means to superabound in both quantity and quality

2) God’s grace is excessive and more than enough to spare

c. grace and radical generosity always go together, the former always producing the latter, and the latter always an indication of the former

d. over the years I’ve discovered that there are four motivations in Christian giving

1) 1st, some Christians give out of a sense of law and duty

a) their attitude is, “God is going to ‘get me’ if I don’t.”

2) 2nd, some Christians give out of a sense of loyalty and dedication

a) their attitude is, “This is my church, and I must help support it”

3) 3rd, some Christians give out of a sense of reciprocity

a) their attitude is, “If I give X-amount, God will bless me with X-amount.”

4) 4th, some Christians give out of a deep sense of love because of the grace they’ve received in Christ

a) their attitude is, “With all that Jesus has done for me, how can I do less then give him the first fruits of my life?”

3. like Ebenezer Scrooge believers have had a conversion that comes, not from three ghosts, but one Holy Spirit who converts us and changes us giving us a new heart that leads to a radical generosity that seeks to meet the needs of others through our liberality

ILLUS. Our early Puritan forefathers held the conviction that money is a social good, not a private possession. Its main purpose is the welfare of everyone in society, not the personal pleasure of the person who happens to have control over it. Money, they believed, exists “for the glory of God and the good of others.” One Puritan preacher told his congregation: “If a believer uses their wealth for God, and for charitable uses, there is no man that taketh a righter course.”

a. that’s a radical idea in 21st century America – but thoroughly Biblical