The Wealth of Allegiance

Welcome:

Well, good morning Lifepoint! Good to be with you again. If we haven’t met yet, my name is Dan and I serve here as the Teaching Pastor for our Worthington Campus.

New Guest Language

If this is your first time...

If you have a bible open with me to James chapter 5. We’re going to be in verses 1-6.

Series Set-Up

We’ve been in this series walking through the New Testament book of James, and what we’ve seen is that James keeps pressing this point: real faith isn’t just belief—it’s allegiance. It’s a loyalty that has to reshape every part of our everyday lives—how we speak, how we build community, and as we'll see today, how we handle our money. The question we keep asking is: What does it really look like to live with full allegiance to Jesus?

Introduction:

In 2010, Sam Polk was 30 years old.

In just eight years, he had gone from a broke, drug-addicted college student who couldn’t hold down a job, to a hedge fund trader on Wall Street taking home a $3.6 million bonus.

On the day bonuses were announced, he said the trading floor felt electric — champagne corks popping, high-fives all around, people checking their phones to see how much they made compared to everyone else. The guy next to him made $10 million. Another made $15.

And Sam remembered thinking, Why not me?

That year, his salary was already more than his parents had earned in their entire lives. He had the luxury apartment, the car, the suit, the success — everything the American Dream promises.

But when the euphoria faded, Sam wrote:

I was angry… because it wasn’t enough. I was 30 years old, no kids, no debt, no philanthropic goals — I just wanted more. I wanted more money for the same reason an alcoholic needs another drink: I was addicted.

Eventually, that sentence became the title of his memoir — Wealth Addict.

And you know, I think Sam Polk is putting his finger on something deeper than just greed. He’s describing what happens when money doesn’t just become something we have, but something we trust. When wealth becomes not a tool we use, but a master we serve.

Because here’s the truth: wealth is not just a resource — it’s a rival. It offers promises. It shapes identity. It demands allegiance.

And that’s what James is going after in this passage — the dark side of wealth. He’s exposing the lie that says, “If I just have enough, I’ll finally be content.”

So this morning, as we turn to James 5, we’re not just talking about wealth — we’re talking about the ways our hearts can get quietly addicted to more.

And we’ll see that true allegiance to Jesus takes a very different approach to our money.

Let me pray, and we’ll get started.

PRAY

Wealth is a ‘Two-Sided Coin’

James is very direct in this passage. But it’s my hope that as we talk about what he says here, we would leave both convicted and hopeful!

Look with me at the beginning of v. 1.

James 5:1 ESV

1 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you.

The obvious question is, ‘Who, exactly, James talking about?’ Who even qualifies as “rich”?

But to answer that, we need to see that the bible has a lot to say about wealth and money...and it’s actually a ‘two-sided’ coin.

Blessings of Wealth

You see, on the one side, wealth is almost always described as a gift from God.

The bible regularly talks about the BLESSING of wealth…

James himself says earlier on: James 1:17

James 1:17 ESV

17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights...

Threat of Wealth

But, more than BLESSING, the Bible talks about the THREAT of wealth!

Jesus says it this way:

Matthew 6:24 ESV

24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

Notice, Jesus doesn't say "You shouldn't serve God and money." He says "You cannot." He sets money up as a rival master. A rival allegiance.

Nobody is NEUTRAL

And here’s the thing…while money might be neutral, nobody is neutral to money. We all have a way we view our wealth and use our money that reveals far more about our hearts, and allegiance, than we think.

So..is James talking about ALL rich people?

He’s talking about the kind of person who has given their allegiance to their wealth. A person who trusts it for their security, uses it for their own self-indulgence, and leverages it for their own power—in other words, a SELFISH WEALTH. And James wants us to hear a sobering warning... that God’s Judgement will fall on the rich who live in allegiance to this Selfish Wealth.

His issue is not with the amount of money, but with the approach to money. And his warning is as much for those with $100 dollars as it is for those with $100,000.

So what does SELFISH WEALTH look like?

Selfish Wealth

James gives us three attributes of SELFISH WEALTH.

Hoarding:

Here’s the first one. Hoarding.

Look with me again at v. 2:

James 5:2–3 ESV

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.

He’s talking about people who take what they have and just keep amassing it…it’s people who keep, “laying up treasures in the last days”...in the original language, this is a word that means “putting something in a storehouse”.

In other words, they are just slowly compiling their money because it’s THEIRS! And James wants us to see that this hoarding of wealth is actually repulsive.

Have you seen that show ‘Hoarders’? It's often heartbreaking. You see homes where the situation has become so overwhelming that a special team has to come in wearing Hazmat suits, not just because of the sheer volume, but because of the decay and dangerous conditions that have built up. The show is designed to make you feel the tragedy and the sheer weight of the hoard itself, right?

See, this is exactly what James is trying to get across! He uses the same imagery—riches that have rotted , garments that are moth-eaten , gold that has corroded. He wants us to be repulsed by the decay of hoarded wealth!

And not only that, James’ point is that there is a coming judgement from God on the one who hoards their wealth like this!

But, why? Why does God care so much about this? Why does James come down so hard on “hoarding wealth?”

It’s because hoarding wealth reveals what we actually believe about God.

It usually starts with a thought that sounds perfectly responsible: “I just need to make sure I have a ‘safety net’ in case something happens.”

But if we dig just a little deeper, that rationalization is often rooted in a very real, gnawing fear: “What if I lose my job? What if I get that medical diagnosis? What if the economy crashes? When it all falls apart, who is really going to take care of me and my family?”

And if we dig a little more, it’s quiet confession: “God, I believe you can provide, but I actually believe my money will provide. This is my real savior.”

You see, we don't just HOARD money; we give it our allegiance.

So what’s the big deal?

James says the reason God is so offended by this is BECAUSE IT’S NOT...OURS...TO HOARD!

Transition:

But it doesn’t just show itself in HOARDING, it also shows itself in how you obtain your wealth--and James calls out the practice of obtaining wealth by cheating others out of theirs.

Cheating:

Look with me at v. 4:

James 5:4 ESV

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.

James is describing a practice that was common in his day--you’d have wealthy landowners that would come in a hire people to work their fields but their pay was either never given or they were paid just enough to keep them in a cycle of poverty--that they would be utterly dependent on the landowners for their income.

And here’s what James is calling out as the second mark of Selfish Wealth: making money by cheating others out of theirs.

In other words, as a follower of Jesus, how you make money...matters.

And let’s be careful, because I think it is particularly easy to look at what James is saying here—about wealthy landowners and harvesters—and whole-heartedly agree, and yet not even recognize how we might participate in systems that function in a very similar way. James is describing a system where the "haves" get to enjoy their luxury precisely because the "have-nots" are being denied a just wage for their work.

Think about our modern world.

Consider the "gig economy." We love the convenience of tapping a button for food, groceries, or a ride. But many workers are classified as "independent contractors," meaning no stable wage, health insurance, or benefits. Is our convenience and low price only possible because they’re kept in economic precarity? Who is really paying the cost?

Or take "fast fashion." A $15 t-shirt seems like a great deal, but often it comes from long, opaque supply chains where garment workers—modern "harvesters"—earn pennies in unsafe conditions. Our luxury may be built on their exploitation.

Friends, I’m not here to tell you which apps to delete or stores to avoid. The point is this: our allegiance to King Jesus must shape how we live economically. We are called to notice, wrestle with, and respond to these realities—not ignore them.

And listen, I know our ears are so tuned to the modern American political narrative that it's very easy to hear this only in political terms.

It's easy to hear it as a "talking point" from one side or the other and, in doing so, keep this at arm's length. But James is not making a political argument; it's a theological one.

This is about our allegiance. He’s forcing us to ask if our primary loyalty is to an economic system…a political party... or if our allegiance is to King Jesus.

Look at how James ends v. 4:

James 5:4 ESV

4...and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.

That is a political and military title. It means "The Lord of Armies." This is a warning from James. He's saying the cries of the exploited delivery driver and the underpaid garment worker have reached the true King. And our King, who has a special allegiance to the poor and the oppressed, will respond. He does not turn a blind eye to this injustice.

Transition:

But James doesn’t even end there...he gives us a third mark of selfish wealth.

Self-Indulging:

Look with me at v. 5:

James 5:5 ESV

5 You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.

The last mark of Selfish Wealth is: Self Indulgence.

It’s the approach to wealth of taking what we have and not just hoarding it for ourselves, but using it for ourselves.

It’s when we see what we have as something intended really only for our care and for our provision. That our money is intended for our comfort and joy. And so we spend. Not because we need, but because we want and oftentimes for no other reason than because we want it.

But again, I think we need to ask the question, what’s the big deal here?

When I was in middle school, every year around Christmas time, a company would come in and set up shop in the gym to sell toys and other kinds of Christmas gifts so that we could buy presents for friends and family. And the thought was that this would be a fun way to teach kids about spending money and some basic budgeting.

Most of the shop was made up of junk that cost anywhere from 50 cents to a dollar. But there were always a few things that were like actual toys...things you could play with for longer than an hour without breaking.

The first year, I remember telling my mom and dad about this shop--and asking them over and over again for some money that I could use to buy gifts--and my dad ended up giving me a $20.

And going through the shop, I remember trying to find all these gifts for my friends and family...counting up to make sure I had enough money to cover everything--but when I got to the end of the line, they had a NERF football...it wasn’t a knock-off, it was legit. $17 dollars. And I froze.

I started evaluating my friends…who really earned their gift this year?

And I came home after school that day and my mom asked to see what I had gotten for everyone. And I’ll never forget pulling 3 gifts. A pen for my mom that said “#1 Mom” and pen for my dad that said “#1 Dad”...and the NERF football for myself.

And I remember my mom and dad explaining to me that what I had done was wrong--not because I didn’t get them a good enough gift...but because that wasn’t why they had given me the money.

And I'd love to say I outgrew that 12-year-old boy. But what’s really going on in my heart of hearts as I’m wandering through my Amazon app? I may not be looking for a new Nerf ball, but that same desire is still there! I get an email everyday from Amazon showing me what books are on sale and every day, I’m like “Yes, I really do need another book on some niche world war 2 battle...”

My point is, how often do we end up taking the same approach with our money today...having the same attitude with our heavenly Father...even in small ways?

Friends, in the same way--the reason God is so offended by our Self Indulgence is BECAUSE IT’S NOT OUR MONEY TO INDULGE! Our happiness is not why he’s entrusted it to us...our comfort is not why he’s entrusted it to us!

Cultural Lie

You see, friends, when we look at what James says here, what becomes clear is that the reason Wealth is such a THREAT is because it’s so easy to give it our allegiance.

The things James describes—Hoarding our security, Cheating for our gain, Indulging for our comfort—are not just three separate habits. They are the symptoms of a single, deeper disease. It’s the "wealth addiction" that Sam Polk described. It’s a rival allegiance that, as Jesus warned, becomes a rival master.

And this master is a cruel one. It promises freedom and joy, but as Sam Polk’s story shows, it only delivers addiction and anxiety. It’s a prison where the walls are built from our own fear. It’s what some have called, “golden handcuffs” that whisper, "You're safe," while never, ever letting you be free. It’s a system where $3.6 million is not enough... and $10 million is not enough... because enough is always just one more transaction away.

And the reality is, because James is talking about an allegiance and not an amount, ALL of us are susceptible to this. All of us have felt that pull. Friends...this is our sin. And all of us, on our own, are trapped in this transactional system. And if we follow what James says, we are confronted with the truth that ALL selfish wealth... while promising joy, will ultimately end in judgment and our despair!

Gospel: Freedom from a Rival King

But this is why the Gospel—the good news about Jesus—is not just the entry point to the Christian life; it is the key to this prison.

James comes down so hard on this rival allegiance to wealth because it is fundamentally opposed to allegiance to King Jesus! Why? Because the whole story of the Gospel is not just that God is GENEROUS where we have been selfish. It's that God is a LIBERATOR where we have been enslaved.

He has come to break the addiction.

The Gospel reminds us that Jesus lived the selfless life that we failed to live. He was the one who was perfectly obedient. And in the ultimate display of his selflessness, he confronted our rival master head-on. On the cross, Jesus didn't just die for our sins of Hoarding, Cheating, and Self-Indulging. He died to break the power of our rival king. He shattered the golden handcuffs.

But even more than that, he rose again from the dead, launching a whole new economy into the world—not an economy of transactions, but an economy of grace. He offers the promise of New Life and a restored relationship with God, for anyone who would TRUST in Him—anyone who would transfer their allegiance from their wealth to Him.

This is the freedom the Gospel offers! A life that doesn't await judgment, but one that right now can experience the fullness of joy, satisfaction, and hope that WEALTH CAN NEVER BRING! And all this is found, finally and perfectly, not in a relationship with money, but with Jesus.

An Invitation to Allegiance

And this is the invitation of the Gospel for every single one of us this morning.

If you are here today and you are not a follower of Jesus, you know what it's like to be trapped in that anxious, transactional system. You know what it's like to live for your own security and still feel insecure. The invitation for you is to repent—to turn away from your rival allegiance to yourself and your money—and to believe: to transfer your full trust, your loyalty, your allegiance, to the one true King, Jesus, who gave himself for you.

And for those of us who are already followers, this is our chance to re-pledge our allegiance in this one specific, powerful area. It’s a chance to confess the places where we've let fear drive us back to our old master, and to be set free all over again by the grace of our King.

This is the freedom the Gospel offers. Not just forgiveness for our sin, but freedom from its slavery.

So What

You see, James isn’t just calling us to think differently about wealth…he’s calling us to live differently because of our allegiance to Jesus.

The question underneath all of this is about trust. Who do I really believe takes care of me? Where do I really run for security?

For many of us, wealth has quietly taken the seat of trust that belongs to our King. And James won’t let us stay there—because misplaced trust always becomes misplaced allegiance.

So when we talk about money or possessions, we’re not really talking about budgets and bank accounts.

We’re talking about discipleship.

We’re talking about what it means to belong fully to King Jesus in a world that trains us to belong to ourselves.

And that’s why this next part matters. Because the same Gospel that frees us from wealth’s grip also empowers us to live differently—to live as stewards of what’s been entrusted to us.

Stewardship

The Gospel that frees us from our allegiance to wealth is the same Gospel that empowers us to practice stewardship with our wealth.

And let’s be clear: Stewardship is not the same thing as generosity.

Generosity says, “This is mine, and I’m choosing to give some away.” Stewardship says, “This was never mine to begin with—it belongs to my King.”

Generosity starts with ownership. Stewardship starts with allegiance.

And that changes everything. If I belong to Jesus, then so does everything I have. I’m not the owner; I’m the manager. I don’t just decide what to give—I discern how to handle all of it in a way that reflects His priorities.

So what does that actually look like?

We reframe the primary question.

The transactional world asks, “How much of my money am I supposed to give?” That question assumes ownership.

Allegiance flips the question on its head. The steward asks, “God, since it’s all Yours, how much of Your money do You want me to keep for my needs?”

That’s a radically different starting point. It forces us to see our spending, saving, and giving as acts of worship—spiritual decisions that reveal our allegiance, not just financial ones.

We give our first fruits, not our leftovers.

The world teaches us to pay our bills, cover our wants, fill our safety net, and then see what’s left to give.

But stewardship means giving to the King first.

It’s not about guilt—it’s about formation. It’s the practice of declaring every month: “This belongs to my King.” Before fear and comfort can take the first word, we let Jesus have it.

We learn to practice contentment.

Sam Polk’s story reminds us that the line called “enough” always moves. But when our hearts rest in the work of Jesus, we’re freed to see what we already have as sufficient grace.

That’s where stewardship starts to overflow. It’s not forced—it’s responsive.

And for many of us, that’s where this becomes real—because one of the most tangible ways we live out allegiance together is through our shared life in the church.

When we give—our money, our time, our energy—we’re participating in what our King is doing in and through His people. Not because the church needs our money, but because we need to remember who our King is.

Every act of faithful stewardship—becomes a quiet declaration of trust: “My allegiance is to Jesus.”

So here’s the invitation: What would it look like this week to take one step toward living as a steward, not an owner?

Maybe it’s setting aside your first fruits. Maybe it’s asking God to teach you contentment. Maybe it’s simply praying, “Lord, everything I have is Yours—show me how to use it for You.”

That’s the slow, joyful work of rejecting selfish wealth and training our hearts in allegiance to King Jesus.

Would you pray with me?