The Danger of Wealth in the Wrong Hands

Offering Devotion

Our commitment and agreement concerning the application of Scriptures.

We engage, therefore, by the aid of the Holy Spirit, to walk together in Christian love, to strive for the advancement of this Church in knowledge, holiness and comfort; to promote its prosperity and spirituality; to sustain its worship, ordinances, discipline and doctrines; to contribute cheerfully and regularly to the support of the ministry, the expenses of the Church, and the spread of the Gospel through all nations.

Not a trend, or passing fade.

Obedience to the Scripture.

Resolution of how we will go about this in the care of our covenant member missionaries.

It is our joyful labor as a church to develop, send, and care for covenant members in a worthy manner.

Their is a financial aspect to each of those commitments. Develop, Send, and Care

We do this joyfully as unto the Lord. 3 John 6 “6 Which have borne witness of thy charity before the church: whom if thou bring forward on their journey after a godly sort, thou shalt do well:”

We are blessed to be the Sending Church or Home Church for 28 Families

Grand privilege, and great responsibility; churches will learn in prayer letter about Olivia being diagnosed with Addisons disease by then we know about it and know who they need to talk to when they are home on furlough.

Around 3,000 churches help us send and keep them on the field. Big operation. We are blessed with help from VBM.

We have many good strategic partners in the work.

Other families from churches of like faith have come alongside to help.

Ministries have been developed to help meet certain needs and opportunities of our missionaries; MMO as an example.

We are to develop a strategy for greater involvement in reaching the world with the Gospel and take it to the Lord in prayer.

Question begun to ask myself in several areas. What exactly are we asking God for?

This is not a prophecy but it is a prayer based upon our desire to be “develop, send, and care” for our missionaries in a worthy manner.

Be a church that is knows we are sent. Reestablish the pattern of our teens and adults going on missions trips.

Examples of Projects:

In Chile the Shreves just renovated a back patio area to allow for more seating.

The boys home in South Africa can have kids come in quickly and have unexpected needs.

There are challenges the families face that we are positioned to help them and encourage them.

Special opportunities show up and we could have the margins to meet the need.

These things come before the church. Not just for approval but for prayer and rejoicing in our shared effort to care.

During Missions Conference we will show you an new online, resource to read all the latest Letters from our Missionaries

Introduction

James 5:1–6 (KJV)

1 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.

2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.

3 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.

4 Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.

5 Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter.

6 Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you.

Two weeks ago: We saw that how we speak of others can demonstrate a critical spirit.

Last week: We saw that God care about how we speak about His role in our life publically.

The fleeting nature of life and our uncertainty about tomorrow should keep us humble. v.14

Even with our limitations, we often drift into godless planning, and this is evil. v. 13, 16a

We should speak and live with a humble awareness of God's will for our lives. v. 15

Today: Listen as the rich: recognize wealth's danger and guard against its deception."

This morning I coordinated with our security team.

Meddling with your words and time can bring resistance. Talking about your money can be dangerous.

Having been so focused on the next passage and wanting to know its implications for us as a church, I had almost overlooked this passage.

Why is this? We need God given breath to speak, we only have the time God gives us, but somehow we believe we are the creator of our own wealth.

Listen to this passage as rich people.

Acknowledge the danger of wealth in sinful hands.

Guard against the deception of wealth that blinds us to eternal matters.

We should consider how, where, and when was this letter first received?

It would have been heard.

Challenge to listen to it this week.

Colossians 4:16 “16 And when this epistle is read among you, cause that it be read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and that ye likewise read the epistle from Laodicea.”

The letter would have be sent to the Jews scattered abroad.

There is a couple of options of when they were scattered and pushed out of Jerusalem.

Acts 8:1 “1 And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.”

For the Jew, Jerusalem was the center of their world and the Temple sat in the center of Jerusalem; the Temple was the hinge upon which their entire life turned. To be driven from Jerusalem and the Temple meant that these Jewish believers felt like they were no longer living in their home.

Two groups would have heard this read.

Rich Men

v. 1 Listen up rich man who handles wealth sinfully. / No use of the word “brother” here in 6 verses.

Even if this section is addressed to the unbelieving rich, we are not immune to the warnings & temptations described in these verses.

It might have been awkward when the boss or landowner walked in before the reading of the letter.

Brethren who need to be patient

v. 7 We will see that those effected by the sinful should listen and be patient. James 5:7 “7 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord.”

James primary concern is “to dissuade hesitant Christians from falling into a foolish attitude of envy toward the powers and privileges which wealth seems to confer on those who posses it.” - Mitton

Lord willing, we will look at this in three weeks.

1. Listen to the cautionary tale for rich men.

James 5:1 “1 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.”

A. The question isn’t if we are rich.

Realization that I had made it to a place of wealth. Rye chips.

What it takes to put us in the top 2%

clean water

food

sufficient clothes

a roof over our head at night

a means of transportation (even if it’s public)

access to a trained doctor

If you object and say “that isn’t what I am considering. I am not considering myself in regard to the other people around the world. Then I want you to know that sins needs to be addressed today. That is the heart of a sinfully, rich person.

B. The question is what manner of rich person will we be.

Our culture tells us that wealth is the key to happiness.

We are accustomed to think of wealth as a blessing.

God is saying to us right now, “Wealth? Beware. It’s dangerous to others and it’s dangerous to you.”

Misuses of wealth seen in this portion of Scripture.

James is not opposed to them simply because they are wealthy; the evils they are guilty of establish their ungodly character

Blind spots.  Slavery. Those who attended church and Bible study. There pursuit of wealth made them blind to their sinful actions.

1. Hoarding. v.2-3

2. Defrauding v. 4

3. Self-Indulging v. 5

4. Oppressing v. 6

Not sure how much of this is happening among us.

On average church going, American give about 2.5% to charitable causes related to the church.

Average church is giving less that 5% to ministry around the world

C. We need to be aware of the warning label that comes with riches.

Those who have nothing more than their riches will have misery waiting for them.

James 5:1 “1 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.”

“Weep and howl” is not a call for repentance, as in 4:9, but indicates the response of despair these rich men will have when the judgment strikes.

The catastrophe of coming judgment should cause a response now.

So busy gathering up stuff for this life, they gave no coern for the world to come.

It is quite possible to see a preliminary fulfillment of the picture in the destruction of Jerusalem.

James looks with divine foresight and sees the dark hurricane cloud of the Day of the Lord about to strike them down. - International Commentary

Our wealth has become worthless.

James 5:2–3 “2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten. 3 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.”

Wealth see in 3 main areas: food, garments, and metals. (bling)

AND Their flesh will be eaten away as well, implying how closely they linked their lives and aspirations with their wealth

On that day the riches we hold onto so tightly will do nothing to protect us from the wrath of God. That is why we sing. My wealth is in the cross

The wrong use of wealth has eternal ramifications.

James 5:4 “4 Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.”

Their activity of heaping up earthly goods expressed a self-sufficient, this-worldly attitude that contradicted a vital sense of dependence on and accountability to God.

After the last days comes a meeting with the Lord of hosts.

The way you use riches here will have ramifications far beyond here.

2. Acknowledge the danger of wealth in sinful hands.

As we see what wealth does in the hands of sinful men we must look at our uses of wealth and ask ourselves, what kind of rich man am I?

A. Wealth in the hands of sinful people holds onto more than they need.

James 5:3 “3 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.”

There is a difference between gathering in the harvest and hoarding.

We are told to learn from the ant. Proverbs 6:6–8 “6 Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: 7 Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, 8 Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.”

We are told be learn from the foolish man. Luke 12:20–21 “20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? 21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

The difference isn’t seen in the math but the motive.

The ant saves for a reasonable anticipated need in the future

The man hoards. This is success in our culture. This is the dream for which we should live: make money, store it up, so that when you’re older you can relax, eat, drink and be merry.

Planned selfishness is not sanctified just because it is postponed.

B. Wealth in the hands of sinful people neglects the needs of others.

James 5:3 “3 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.”

We are not the only ones living in the last days.

Wednesday we determined that God’s Word teaches us we are to remind each other of the Lord’s return when we meet. Hebrews 10:25 “25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”

In our small circles we speak about the signs of the second coming of Jesus when an estimated 3 billion people have never heard of His first coming.

Astonishing we see the last days upon us, and it does not motivate us to use everything around us to help everyone we can be prepared.

Transition: Do you see the danger of wealth in your hands in your neglect for others in desperate spiritual need?

C. Wealth in the hands of sinful people pushes others down.

James 5:4 “4 Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.”

What a sobering thought! People are calling out to God because of our treatment of them.

We heard of this in the story of Pharoah and the children of Israel. Exodus 3:7 “7 And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;”

Are there any voices calling out to God because of you? Could we be supporting the taskmasters?

The cries go to the ears of the Lord of hosts whom we will one day stand before.

This means we all need to humbly and honestly ask is there any way in which wealth in our hands is leading to injustice or oppression of others?

This may be something you have not really considered. It has really caused me to consider purchases.

We make a big deal of casting a conservative, pro-life vote in November (as we should), but we make thousands of other decision throughout that are inconsistent with who and what we say we support.

This deserves longer than a fewer minutes of contemplation at the end of this service.

If me telling you that abortion is murder and an incredible plight upon our nation causes us to lose our tax exempt status as a church. I’ll continue to preach it and you keep saying “amen” regardless how it effects your bottom line. Because we know our financial bottom line ultimately is not he bottom line. We live the line we will stand in someday to meet God face to face.

3. Guard against the deception of wealth that blinds us to eternal matters.

James 5:5 “5 Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter.”

A. What a horrible epitath for life.

Here lies Trent Cornwell “He live in pleasure on this earth.”

The American dream makes sense if America is all there is. But God is shouting, “It’s not!”

If there was no resurrection our plan should be to eat, drink, and be merry. 1 Corinthians 15:32 “32 If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die.”

We are undecided on which world we want to arrange our lives for.

Let me use this illustration that comes from Randy Alcorn’s book Money, Possessions and Eternity.

“Imagine you’re alive at the end of the Civil War in the United States. You’re living in the south, but you’re a northerner. Your plan is to move back north as soon as the war is over. While in the south, you’ve accumulated lots of Confederate currency. Now, suppose you know for a fact that the north is going to win the war, and the end is imminent. What will you do with your Confederate currency?

If you’re smart, there’s only one answer. You immediately cash in your Confederate currency for U.S. currency, the only money that will have value once the war is over. You will keep only enough Confederate currency to meet your short-term needs.

As believers, we have inside knowledge of a coming change in the worldwide economic situation. The currency of this world will be worthless at our death or Christ’s return, both of which are immanent. This knowledge should radically affect our investment strategy. For us to accumulate vast earthly treasures in the face of the inevitable future is equivalent to stockpiling Confederate money. It’s not just wrong; it’s stupid.”

B. Wealth can bring us great pleasure on earth, but earth is not all there is.

James 5:5 “5 Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter.”

When wealth is only used to meet our selfish desires we are in a dangerous place.

The more you indulge yourself, the more you destroy your soul. It leads to self-destruction.

Remember the fatted calf in the story of the Prodigal Son. That could be us in the story; gorging on food, unaware that you’re about to be slaughtered.

Overfed and under-concern.

Ezekiel 16:49 “49 Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.”

A description of people who have so much and spend so little on the poor and needy.

We should ask ourselves if we are being inconsistent with what we profess to be true.

We give something on occasion.

Why?

Is it based upon the knowledge Christ is risen from the dead.

Or maybe it isn’t really given for the good others or His glory, but it is a form of purchasing absolution so we can enjoy our other 98%

Maybe we are being consistent in all the wrong ways.

Remember, I am a rich man. But what can of rich man will I be?

C. When we are not blinded by wealth we can wait patiently

James 5:7–8 “7 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. 8 Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.”

A proper understanding of life, eternity, and what truly matters allows us to wait patiently as a good farmer.

We are not to feel the blinding power of wealth and envy.

Psalm 73:7–17 “7 Their eyes stand out with fatness: they have more than heart could wish. 8 They are corrupt, and speak wickedly concerning oppression: they speak loftily. 9 They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walketh through the earth. 10 Therefore his people return hither: and waters of a full cup are wrung out to them. 11 And they say, How doth God know? and is there knowledge in the most High? 12 Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches. 13 Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency. 14 For all the day long have I been plagued, and chastened every morning. 15 If I say, I will speak thus; behold, I should offend against the generation of thy children. 16 When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me; 17 Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.”

Today we have seen the end of the unbelieving rich man.

We want nothing of his life to come, so we should want nothing of his life in the present.

Time of Response

The Gospel - You and I have been made rich

2 Corinthians 8:9 “9 For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.”

We need reflect upon our deep poverty we sat in as Jesus left the glory of Heaven.

He came taking off what rightfully belong to Him to reach down to us.

Most incredible vivid picture of taking what was His and giving it to us so that we could have life eternal.

Some of you may sit in deep, spiritual poverty today.

Gospel Implications -

Based upon what you know about eternity should you change your saving or spending habits? 

Is the Holy Spirit leading you to give more to that which is eternal?