James 5:1-6
Notes
Transcript
Handout
So far we talked about trials in , works in , the tongue and wisdom in , Conflict and Judging in so on to and the plight of the rich.
, works in
, works in
, the tongue and wisdom in , Conflict and Judging in so on to James 5
1 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! 2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten.
3 Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days.
, the tongue and wisdom in
, the tongue and wisdom in
4 Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.
5 You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned, you have murdered the just; he does not resist you.
, now lets see what
, now lets see what
Really Pastor Matt....can this be any more down?
I really was dreading this one but them as I got into it and let the Holy Spirit have his was and I got out of his way I think I wrote my for commentary on a section of scriptures.
So here we go. There are verses and passages in the Bible that we just don't want to deal with but we cant just ignore them because they are hard or uncomfortable. So if you have avoided James in the past there will be no avoiding it now and especially chapter 5.
has in store for us tonight.
has in store for us tonight.
Now remember when doing exegesis and interpretation of scripture to focus on context, context, context. Some scripture an stand more alone than others but this section has to be taken with the whole of James in mind.
We just stated out with what each chapter of James was talking about. Trials in , works in , the tongue and wisdom in , Conflict and Judging in and the plight of the rich in .
Everything is other centered and not egocentric. We are in Roman Culture where what you do is all that matters and you more power and money you get the greater you are. The Romans did this by stepping on other to get tot the top.
So this new Gospel of Jesus Christ in in direct conflict to the Roman culture and we have to understand this concept when looking at what James is saying.
James unlike other bible writers took off the sensitivity glove and just blast his doctrine out.
Look back at the second thing James said after the greeting and counting your trials joy was the perspective of the rich and the poor....remember context, context, context.
9 Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation, 10 but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away.
11 For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits.
So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits.
James is telling the rich to be humble because it will all fade away someday.
The Church and people James is talking to must have been oppressed and treated bad by the rich Romans and possibly a few new converts with money that hadn't got with the program completely yet and may have still been acting like they are Roman instead of Christian.
So understanding that, when James starts out by telling the church to count it all Joy when you fall into diverse temptations . the trials are the oppression that is being deal out by the rich.
Most of James’s denunciation takes the form of an Old Testament prophetic judgment oracle, paralleled also in some Jewish wisdom and apocalyptic texts. His prophecy was timely; several years later the Jewish aristocracy was virtually obliterated in the revolt against Rome.
With that as the back drop let go back to chapter 5 and see what the message is and who it is directed at. James started out in chapter one with a statement on the rich and he end the book in chapter 5 with a statement on the rich.
1 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you!
This is a continuation of the James condemnation of the rich from Chapter 4:13. Making plans with their riches with no thought of the Lord.
While James makes no differentiation and appears to call out all rich the saved and the unsaved. The of subjects of his condemnation was the way in which the rich used the money in respect to other people.
That leads me to believe that the rich are not the actual subject of the scorn but the rich that take no though of other people. Remember the love of Money is the root of all evil not the money.
That is why s so condemning here of the rich.
10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
The early church was to share all their possession and this was not happening at this church. James was condemning evil.
I & II Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James Critical and Exegetical Notes
Howl.—Only used here in the New Testament, but found in Isa. 13:6, 14:31, 15:3; “weep with howling,” a desperate form of distress. Illustrate by the woes that came on the rich in connection with the siege of Jerusalem.
While James is condemning the rich the other audience is the the oppressed people and James is giving them hope and a reminder that all bad deeds will be judged just hold on. Count it all Joy...
twhat these peopl edo with thier riches is clearly teh
While James is condemning the rich the other audience is the the oppressed people and James is giving them hope and a reminder that all bad deeds will be judged just hold on. Count it all Joy...
While James is condemning the rich the other audience is the the oppressed people and James is giving them hope and a reminder that all bad deeds will be judged just hold on. Count it all Joy...
in he is telling the rich to start wailing because there money id not gone yet but it will be and they might as well start crying now. James is handing out crying towels at this point.
2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten.
James starts to explain what is going to happen to their riches. But wait this sound familiar oh yeah it is. Lets look at Matt.
20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
James was condemning the rich because they put their trust in the their riches and their focus was on earthy pleasure not heavenly thing. They did not use their wealth for the kingdom
James was condemning the rich because they put their trust in the their riches and their focus was on earthy pleasure not heavenly thing. They did not use their wealth for the kingdom
Instead of sharing their possessions there stocked them up.
3 Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days.
The more you have the more you have to fix. When you hoard things you stockpile items you treasure. You think you cant live without them. But in the end they just rot and corrode away.
Lets look back at Matthew
21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
The issue here is they heaped up treasure in the last days so their heart was there instead of focused on God. The last days if your heart is not right then you burn in fire like verse 3 states.
This would be a good place for a rabbit trail about chasing the almighty dollar at the expense of your family and even worse the expense of your salvation.
26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
Matthew, Mark and Luke all have this verse in their gospels but people continue to think making money is more important than going to church and having a relationship with Christ. There again the love of money the root of all evil.
4 Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.
Here we are getting at the heart of the heart issue. If it wasn't bad enough that they didn't share their wealth and use it for the kingdom, they got richer by not paying the labors.
The end of verse 4 says the Lord hears the cry of the oppressed. God knows all and if you think you can hide from God you may want to talk to Jonah who tried to run to the end of the world.
Or listen the works of David in the psalms.
8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
You can’t hide from God nor can you keep your sins secrete from God.
23 But if you do not do so, then take note, you have sinned against the Lord; and be sure your sin will find you out.
5 You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter.
On to verse 5:
5 You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter.
Once again I don't the real issue here is the pleasure and luxury but living that way while you community is starving and in need of basic survival needs.
If God had blessed you financially then we have a responsibility to help when we can. I get it we cant end hunger worldwide but we can help a brother or sister in need.
Who should we help as there are so many in need.
10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.
8 But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
Start by taking care of your family the then the church.
Now some people go to the extreme to help at the expense of his family.
Pastor in Biloxi example.
Get with Pastor Matt as there are always family in need of assistance and be a blessing to the kingdom of God.
Lets take closer look at the analogy used here at the end of verse 5
5 You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter.
You will probably miss this if you are not a familiar with the cattle business. The picture that is being portrayed is like the day of slaughter.
Cattle go to the feed lot a month or two before the auction. They are put in pens and feed corn and protein to put weight on them. They are keep in small stall so they cant walk around. All they do is literally stand and eat until they are sod at auction to be slaughtered.
The pleasure and luxury is this kind of selfish just filling your face while other go hungry around you. To include the people working for you and the people at church with you.
God is not against money are good thinks but he is against gluttony and hoarding and selfishness.
Hoarders - we all know that person - expound
6 You have condemned, you have murdered the just; he does not resist you.
James closed this section wrapping up the issue of the heart of the rich. They condemned, and murdered but they people did not resist. But rest assured God has not forgotten and this section is not the oppressed but to the rich that judgment is coming.
9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
So what are some takeaways from this lesson?
Rich oppressors will be judge
- Rich oppressor will be judge.
Riches don’t last forever
Riches gained in deceit will witness against you
Lust for riches in evil
Hording riches can keep you from heaven
Deceit will be judged
God will revenge the oppressed
So we talked a lot about money and riches, so what should we do with riches.
Use Money handout
Now next session Pastor Dave will pick up at verse 7 but realize verse 7 starts with therefore so you have to ask what is the therefore, there for…I have told you the there and Pastor Dave will get to tell you the for.
You will need to remember what we talked about tonight as it is the reason and basis for Pastor Dave will teach next time.
