Part 12: True Faith Has the Right Attitude Toward Wealth

Introduction

Howard Hughes (1905-1976), who lived in the early to mid-twentieth century, was an engineer, aviator, and movie producer. His father became a millionaire when he was young, and after his father died, he inherited all his father’s wealth and oil buisness.

One of the things he was known for was establishing Hughes aircraft company, which eventually became Raytheon, an aerospace and defense company.

In an airplane he designed, he broke the record of flying around the earth at 91 hours and 14 minutes.

Howard Hughes was also known for ground-breaking Hollywood movies, like Hell’s Angels and Scarface.

To say that Howard Hughes was wealth would be an understatement. In today’s money, his assets in all were worth $11B.

But an uncanny thing happened as Hughes grew older. He began to isolate himself more and more, preferring often to be locked up in dark hotel rooms with the curtains drawn. He worked days without eating or sleeping. He had nearly no visitors. As time went on, he became more physically and mentally unhealthy. Eventually, he had to be taken to a hospital to be treated. Unfortunately, he died in plane crash being transported to the hospital.

It is probably safe to say that Hughes attitude toward wealth was not a healthy, godly one. His fame and especially his wealth led to a state of misery.

As we continue our series in James, James now takes on how true faith ought to view wealth. As Christians, he says, true faith must have the right attitude toward riches.

He begins by warning his audience that wealth can make a person miserable:

1. Wealth Can Make One Miserable (5:1-3)

James 5:1 NASB95

Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you.

“weep” = lament, be in distress by crying

“howl” = lit. cry out loud

“miseries” = a state of ill-being due to affliction or misfortune [Lexham]

This is an ironic statement. We often think of the wealthy as being in a state of well-being, not ill-being. Are we not told—either explicitly or implicitly—that if we make enough money we will be happy, secure, and fulfilled?

And we all need to stop for a moment here and take this seriously. When I just stated how we often think that if we make enough money we will be happy, secure, and fulfilled, probably a number of us thought, “Well, there is some truth to this.” Stop right there. If you thought this, then you need to listen this morning to what James is saying. You have a problem, even if you think a little bit that wealth is some type of security.

But here James is telling us the opposite is true. If your attitude toward wealth and money is one of pride and security, then you are actually going to be miserable.

Note: James is saying these miseries “are coming upon you.” This is present tense. These wealthy people whom James is talking to are experiencing misery because of their wealth.

Why? Because their riches are presently rotting:

Riches Rot

James 5:2–3 NASB95

Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure!

Notice the past tense here: those who have the wrong attitude toward wealth, their riches “have rotted. Their garments have been moth-eaten. Your gold and your silver have rusted.”

In other words, their riches are already worthless. Another sort of irony: the very thing that the wealthy believe to give them security and contentment is worthless.

It is worthless to their soul; worthless to their salvation; worthless to their ultimate security, meaning, and purpose.

Kurt Richardson, commentator:

James (1) The Misery of Hoarding (5:1–3)

Trusting in wealth because it supposedly “retains its value” is trusting in a charade. The rituals of amassing wealth and curating precious objects are really a dance of death. Trusting in wealth is then a damaging and degrading attitude.

Moreover, there will come a time when these riches will act as a testimony against those who trust in riches:

Rotted Riches Testify Against the Rich

James 5:3 NASB95

Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure!

I.e., the worthlessness and valuelessness of wealth will be seen clearly when eternity is ushered in. Those who have put their trust, confidence in their riches will be left empty-handed as their money and stuff turn to ash and blow away.

And to do this in the last days as we anticipate the return of Jesus!

“It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasures!?!?”

Illustration

Andy Griffith show: episode about an older gentleman, Frank Myers, who lives in a rundown house on the street leading into Mayberry. He doesn’t pay his taxes to the town and so the town decides to evict him so they can tear down his house.

Andy goes to serve the eviction notice to Frank, and during the episode they find a $100 bond now worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. So, instead of Frank owing back taxes, the town now owes him hundreds of thousands of dollars. But the town does not have enough money to pay Frank.

In the midst of all the turmoil of how to pay Frank, Frank goes on a shopping spree. . . .

Toward the end of the episode, the banker of Mayberry eventually decides to take a closer look at the bond. He notices that the bond was issued during the Confederacy, and so it must be paid in Confederate money. Of course, this is impossible and so the bond is actually worthless. Frank is left where he began: in a run down house with no money and he has to return all the things he bought in anticipation of receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars.

It is not just a war bond issued during the Confederacy that is worthless, it is all money and riches. Just like Frank, we really have nothing and we are going to leave this world with nothing.

Application

How much do we trust in our wealth?

Extreme’s song “Money (In God We Trust)”:

[Verse 1: Gary Cherone] Now I lay, I lay me down to sleep Alleluia, almighty dollar I pray the Lord, afford my roll to keep Alleluia, almighty dollar [Refrain: Cherone, Nuno Bettencourt and Pat Badger] Money I need more money Just a little more money I said I need more money, yeah yeah (Money) Money (I need more money) I need more money (Just a little more money) Just a little more money (I need more money) Yeah, I need more money [Pre-Chorus: Cherone, Bettencourt and Badger] And give us these days Our daily bread Only you we pray Almighty dollar [Chorus: Cherone, Bettencourt and Badger] (Money) My personal savior (Money) Oh, material lust (Money) Life's only treasure (Money), In God we trust

Douglas Moo:

The Letter of James B. Misusing Wealth and Power Brings God’s Judgment (5:1–6)

In the Western world, where amassing material wealth is not only condoned but admired, we Christians need to come to grips with this point in James and ask ourselves seriously: When do we have too much?

Do we truly trust in God, or do we actually trust in our wealth? If we truly have faith in Christ, we will have an attitude that acknowledges and leads to a life that reflects the transience and temporal nature of wealth.

James now turns to discuss the dangers of putting one’s trust in wealth:

2. Wealth Can Make You Hoard Money (5:4)

James 5:4 NASB95

Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.

Withholding Pay from Employees

In the time when James wrote this letter, the wealthy often had workers they would hire to harvest their fields. Evidently, many of them failed to pay their workers. They decided to hold, or hoard, their money and keep their workers poor.

One of the greatest temptations for wealthy people is to hoard their money—to invest and store it up in numerous accounts and then defraud others who work for them or even withhold from those in need.

God had warned in the OT:

Deuteronomy 24:14–15 “You shall not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, whether he is one of your countrymen or one of your aliens who is in your land in your towns. You shall give him his wages on his day before the sun sets, for he is poor and sets his heart on it; so that he will not cry against you to the Lord and it become sin in you.”

Jesus taught a parable in the NT about the danger of hoarding riches:

Luke 12:16–21 “And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive. “And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ “Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. ‘And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.” ’ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’ “So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.””

Wealth was meant to be an aid to live life, not something to put one’s trust in and be lazy. Wealth is not meant to be hoarded, especially keeping in from paying one’s workers.

But God hears their cry:

God Hears Their Cry

“The outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.”

“Lord of Sabaoth” => NIV: “Lord Almighty”; Others: “Lord of Hosts”

NLT captures it best: “Lord of Heaven’s armies”

Idea: The Lord of Heaven’s armies will defend and fight for those who are defrauded by the rich. Judgment will come upon those with a sinful attitude toward wealth.

Application

What is our attitude toward wealth?

We can often tell by whether we hoard it or not, whether we have tight fists around it and unwilling to help others with it.

I once knew of a church who had a young minister who was just starting out, and he was making a very, very low wage. The church one day decided to begin a rather small building project, but still an investment of about $30k. The church was aware of this young minister’s financial struggles, but decided to invest the tens of thousands of dollars on a small building project. (No, I’m not talking about me and my situation here at LCC.)

I knew of another church that had a church member who struggled with a medical condition. They cut her a one-time check for about $500 and spend about $35k on a stained glass window.

Hoarding? Perhaps not. Failing to help the poor? Probably.

Despite all this, God still hears their cry and he will defend them.

There is also another danger of putting one’s trust in wealth:

3. Wealth Can Make You Self-Indulgent (5:5)

James 5:5 NASB95

You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.

James continues the injurious punches: the wealthy have their pleasure now, but later they will be condemned.

Seeking Luxury

Another way to put what James is saying here: the rich have so much wealth they do not know what to do with it. Putting one’s trust in wealth often leads to self-indulgence—living a life of luxury, literally: “indulgence of bodily appetites.” [Lexham word study]

“luxurious” and “wanton pleasure” are two different words in the original language here: meant to emphasize the overabundance of self-indulgence and self-gratification.

What can and often occurs when putting trust in wealth is one finds not fulfillment but continual emptiness. In turn, this often drives one to seek out self-indulgent pleasures, sexual or otherwise.

We probably recognize the most obvious examples of this coming from Hollywood types.

Sex:

February 2020 issue of People magazine:

Gene Simmons, singer for Kiss back in the day, said he had sex with more than 5000 women in his life.

Charlie Sheen > 5000 women

Wilt Chamberlin (NBA Hall of Famer) > 20,000 women; 1.2 women/day since he was 15.

Maria Carey said she has had sexual relations with 5 people in her life. She referred to herself as a “prude.”

Died from drug overdose:

Marilyn Monroe: Died from a suspected sleeping pill overdose at age 36.

Elvis Presley: Allegedly suffered a heart attack while on numerous prescription pills at age 42.

Whitney Houston: Drowned while under the influence of cocaine and other drugs at age 48.

Kurt Cobain: Died from a heroin and Valium overdose at age 27

Chris Farley: Died from a mixture of heroin, cocaine, and morphine at age 33.

Michael Jackson, Prince, etc.

More often than not, those who put trust in wealth end up miserable from their self-indulgence. Or as James also puts it: they end up miserable from “fattening their hearts.”

Filling Your Own Heart

James 5:5 NASB95

. . . You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.

“day of slaughter” = the last days, judgment that is imminent when Jesus returns

Revelation 19:17–21 NASB95

Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds which fly in midheaven, “Come, assemble for the great supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them and the flesh of all men, both free men and slaves, and small and great.” And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh.

Judgement is pictured as a slaughter of and a feast on the evil. This is the judgment of Christ at his return. James is telling us, them, that if our attitude is one of trust and pride in our wealth, then we have nothing to look forward to but condemnation.

Douglas Moo:

The Letter of James B. Misusing Wealth and Power Brings God’s Judgment (5:1–6)

James’s point then, as in v. 3, is that the rich are selfishly and ignorantly going about accumulating wealth for themselves and wastefully spending it on their own pleasures in the very day when God’s judgment is imminently threatened. The “last days” have already begun; the judgment could break in at any time—yet the rich, instead of acting to avoid that judgment, are, by their selfish indulgence, incurring greater guilt. They are like cattle being fattened for the kill.

Finally, James discusses one last misery or danger of putting one’s trust in wealth:

4. Wealth Can Make You Hurt Others (5:6)

James 5:6 NASB95

You have condemned and put to death the righteous man; he does not resist you.

First, he says you hurt others:

By Condemning

“to pronounce guilt and a punitive sentence on someone”

Here, as in other places of the Bible, condemning the righteous man conveys that idea that they treat the innocent with contempt. The rich who place confidence and trust in their wealth pronounce innocent people guilty of all kinds of things, and treat them horribly.

How often do we hear how the poor are just lazy, promiscuous, alcoholics, drug addicts, irresponsible, and much more? Is it true that some are? Sure. But so are many rich people. If the old adage, “up all night, sleep all day” means anything, surely it describes some of the wealthy who do nothing but party all night and sleep all day—an irresponsible, lazy lifestyle.

But this does not mean that every wealthy person is this way, does it? It bears repeating: wealth in and of itself does not mean the wealthy will inevitably hurt others. It’s the wealthy people who put trust and confidence in their wealth who hurt others. Just as we need to avoid the sin of boasting in our wealth, we must also avoid sinning against the rich by having a poor attitude toward them. They are not all thieves and feeding off of the poor.

True faith has the right attitude toward wealth in every aspect.

James concludes with one final danger of putting one’s trust in wealth:

By Committing Murder

“You have condemned and put to death the righteous man; he does not resist you.”

This sounds rather drastic. How can James say that those who put faith in their wealth actually commit the murder of righteous people?

The connection is not too difficult to make: when the rich withhold the poor’s pay and hoard their own wealth, the practical consequence can be death by starvation.

Jewish tradition: Sirach 34:26–27 “To take away a neighbor’s living is to commit murder; to deprive an employee of wages is to shed blood.”

And the poor often have no recourse against the rich: “he does not resist you.” The poor have no way to overcome the effects of the oppression of the wealthy.

The person with true faith, however, uses his money to help others not hurt them.

Conclusion

Wealth can make a person miserable. It can lead to self-indulgence and hurting others. It can be a temptation to store up more and more and withhold it from others and even defrauding others.

But true faith has the right attitude toward wealth. We who are rich put our faith in Christ. And when we do this, we love God and our neighbors, both rich and poor. We who are rich then help the poor.

Listen closely to what Paul wrote to Timothy:

1 Timothy 6:6–12 NASB95

But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.