Money Talks: What Does Yours Say

James 5:1–6 ESV

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.

A comedian once said, “that if money talks, all it ever says to me is goodbye.”

Introduction: Money Talks

You can tell a lot about a man by where his money goes.

You don't have to ask him what he loves. Look at his checkbook. Look at his bank account. Look at what he spends his money on.

Money talks.

And James 5 is a warning to people whose money was talking—and what it was saying wasn't good.

James isn't simply talking about rich people. He's talking about people who had an earthly perspective. They were living as though this life was all there was.

But for a Christian, this life isn't the finish line.

Jesus is coming again.

And how we believe that truth determines how we handle what God has put in our hands.

1. An Earthly View Says, “Get All You Can.”

James 5:1–3

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

James describes people who had accumulated wealth, but they had forgotten that their wealth was temporary.

Verse 2 says:

“Your riches have rotted…”

And verse 3 says:

“Your gold and silver have corroded…”

Greek: thēsaurizō

This means “to store up, accumulate, treasure.”

There's nothing wrong with saving money.

There's nothing wrong with owning land.

There's nothing wrong with having a successful business or a profitable ranch.

The problem comes when earthly accumulation becomes our life's purpose.

Jesus said:

Matthew 6:19–20

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth… but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.”

Here's the question:

Am I storing up for earth—or am I storing up for eternity?

If I believe Jesus could return at any moment, that changes how I look at my money.

2. An Eternal View Says, “Everything I Have Belongs to God.”

The story of the man and the cat in NYC.

(“When you know what I know, you can afford to be generous.”)

David understood this.

1 Chronicles 29:11–12

“All that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours… Both riches and honor come from you.”

Everything we have ultimately came from God.

Your ability to work came from God.

Your health and strength came from God.

The land belongs to God.

The cattle belong to God.

The paycheck belongs to God.

And that includes the 10% we call the tithe.

Tithing isn't about God needing our money.

God doesn't need our money.

Tithing is about teaching us that God comes first.

Proverbs 3:9

“Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce.”

Notice the word “first.”

God isn't supposed to get whatever happens to be left over.

God gets the first and the best.

3. Tithing Is an Eternal Investment

Matthew 6:20–21

“Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven… For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Jesus connects treasure and heart.

Where your money goes reveals where your heart is.

If everything goes toward making my earthly life more comfortable, my heart is probably focused on earth.

But when I give toward the Gospel, missions, ministry, helping people, reaching the lost, and building God's Kingdom, my money begins to reflect an eternal perspective.

Cowboy illustration:

A rancher doesn't plant a field expecting to harvest it the same afternoon.

He puts seed in the ground because he believes there will be a harvest.

Giving is an act of faith.

We give today because we believe God is doing something eternal with what we place in His hands.

4. An Earthly View Makes Money Our Master

James 5:4–6

James condemns people who became wealthy by exploiting others.

Verse 4 says:

“The wages of the laborers… which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you.”

Greek: apostereō

“To deprive, defraud, rob, or keep back what is owed.”

Their money had become more important than people.

That's what happens when money becomes our master.

Jesus said:

Matthew 6:24

“You cannot serve God and money.”

Money makes a great servant.

It makes a terrible god.

If money controls our decisions, our priorities, our generosity, and our obedience, then money isn't serving us anymore.

We're serving it.

5. The Second Coming Changes How We Give

James 5 is pointing us toward judgment.

The question isn't simply, “How much money do I have?”

The question is:

“What will I do with what God gave me when I stand before Jesus?”

James 5:7–8, immediately following our passage:

“Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord… You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.”

James connects how we live today with the fact that Jesus is coming.

That's our motivation.

We're not giving because we're trying to buy God's favor.

We're not giving because we're trying to earn salvation.

We're giving because we've already been saved by grace.

And we want our lives—including our finances—to honor the One who saved us.

6. So What Does Your Money Say?

If your money could talk this morning, what would it say?

Would it say:

“I belong to me.”

Or would it say:

“I belong to God.”

Would it say:

“I'm building my kingdom.”

Or:

“I'm investing in God's Kingdom.”

Would it say:

“I need more.”

Or:

“God has given me enough to be generous.”

2 Corinthians 9:6–7

“Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly… Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

Christian giving isn't supposed to be manipulation.

It's supposed to be worship.

Conclusion: Money Talks—Make Yours Tell the Truth

Cowboys understand the importance of knowing where you're headed.

If you're riding toward the wrong place, it doesn't matter how fast you're going.

Your destination is wrong.

The same is true spiritually.

If I'm living for this world, I'll spend my money on this world.

But if I'm living for eternity, I'll begin asking:

“How can God use what He's given me?”

Jesus is coming again.

One day this ranch will belong to somebody else.

One day somebody else will drive that pickup.

Somebody else will sit in that saddle.

Somebody else will have your tools.

And somebody else will have your bank account.

But what you invested in the Kingdom of God will still matter.

Matthew 6:21

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

So don't just ask, “Where is my money going?”

Ask:

“Where is my heart going?”

Because money talks.

And when Jesus comes again, let's make sure our money has been telling the story of a heart that belonged to Him.

Work hard. Give faithfully. Live generously. Keep your eyes on eternity.

And when Jesus comes, may He find us investing in His Kingdom—not just spending on ourselves.