The Danger of Wealth
Text: James 5:1-6
Core Idea: If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this and that. Then knowing that everything we have is a gift from God, let us live every moment of our lives for His glory – trusting that what He has willed for us is good.
INTRODUCTION
Well, we are going through the Book of James – looking at different ways the gospel impacts our lives. And last week, we were reminded of the danger of forgetting God – making plans and just going about our days without thinking much about God. Then to guard our hearts against this, James invited us to remember God’s sovereign love for us and called us to hold our plans with a very loose grip – trusting that He will work all things for the good of His people (Rom. 8:28). Today, we’ll learn that there’s something else that can cause us to forget God – namely, our wealth. Here, James will expose us to the danger of money and invite us to ask some hard questions – questions that can make us feel uncomfortable and even offended. Then considering this, I have been praying for you this week – that the Spirit of God will help you respond to this message not with defensiveness but with humility. So, with this in mind, let’s open up our Bibles to James 5:1-6. Let me read this for us.
1 Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you. 2 Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. 3 Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. 4 Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. 5 You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and murdered the innocent one, who was not opposing you.
Amen. This is the Word of God for you today.
Before we dive into the passage, it may be helpful for us to determine to whom James was writing this. Yes, it was written to the rich (because that’s what it says in verse 1). But were they Christians or not? In other words, was this a warning to rich believers or a judgment against rich unbelievers? Now, considering that it’s filled with curses and condemnation, many scholars concluded that this must have been written to wealthy unbelievers. But if that was the case, we can’t help but ask, “Why would James all of a sudden address the unbelievers in a letter written to the believers? Well, they argued that it was a way for James to comfort the poor Christians who were being oppressed – because knowing that God hears their cries, knowing that judgment was coming against the rich would’ve strengthened them to persevere. Now, as much as this may be true, let me show you why I think James was actually writing this to rich believers. If you remember, James 4:13 began with these words, “Now listen, you who say.” – and James would go on to address the Christians. Immediately after that passage, listen to the way James 5:1 begins, “Now listen, you rich people.” Now, considering the similarities, wouldn’t it be natural for us to assume that James 5:1-6 is also written to the believers just as it was in the previous passage? In fact, James would go on to address the Christians in verse 7 and onward – we know this because he addresses them as brothers and sisters. Then even more so, wouldn’t it be strange to think that James was abruptly shifting gears just for six verses to target unbelievers who weren’t even in there to listen? All this to say, this passage must have been written for rich believers.
Now, why am I even pointing this out? Because it means that this passage was written not just for the rich believers back then but also for us today. And just in case you don’t perceive yourself as rich – you need to know that no one in this room would be classified as poor by biblical standards. The poor in ancient times didn’t even have the luxury of getting paid every two weeks – they needed to receive their wages daily in order to provide for themselves and their families. It was a matter of life and death for them – which means that if you have access to food, clothing, and shelter, you’re considered wealthy from God’s perspective. All this to say, we cannot tune out from this – God is speaking to us through this passage.
But here’s another important truth to remember. The language of judgment, curses, and condemnation in this text shouldn’t cause us to doubt our salvation but strengthen it. Let me explain. If you are in Christ, you don’t need to question if you’ve lost your place in God’s family because you’ve sinned too much. If you are in Christ, you don’t have to be anxious about how God thinks about you and nervously look for ways to prove yourself to God. In fact, if you are in Christ, you can be absolutely sure that God who called you will keep you to the end not because of your love for God, but because of God’s unshakable love for you. Our God is a God of grace. But at the same time, we must also keep in mind that the certainty of our salvation should never cause us to be lazy and casual in our pursuit of holiness. Jesus died not just to pardon us from the penalty of sin but also to save us from the power of sin – not just to be forgiven but also to be made righteous. Our God is a God of holiness. So, as we study this passage, let’s remember that James wrote this passage to wake us up to the danger of wealth – and cause us to repent if we’re found guilty. In fact, that’s exactly what verse 1 says, “You rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you.” Then let me share three reasons why the rich should weep and wail – why this misery is coming against them.
· THEY ARE HOARDING WEALTH IN THE LAST DAYS
· THEY HAVE DEFRAUDED THEIR WORKERS
· THEY ARE LIVING IN LUXURY AND SELF-INDULGENCE
1) THEY ARE HOARDING WEALTH IN THE LAST DAYS
Verse 2, “Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days.” James tells us that they have selfishly hoarded their wealth rather than wisely stewarding them. Now, I think it’s important to first point out that being rich is not a sin. We know this to be true because many of the faith heroes in the Bible were incredibly wealthy – Job, Abraham, Joseph, David, Solomon, and more. In fact, the Bible teaches us that money can be a blessing. How? First, money can act as a window through which we see the goodness of God. If we think with humility, we’ll recognize that every good thing in life (which obviously includes money) is the result of God’s loving kindness to us. Nothing we have is deserved. Then we should never have a heart of entitlement when it comes to money – it should always remind us of God’s grace and faithfulness in our lives. Second, money can act as a window through which we see what rules our hearts. Let’s say that you’ve got some extra income this month. What’s the first thing that comes to your mind? What do you dream of doing with that money? Now, I’m not implying that you can never use that money for yourself – but do you ever pause to pray if this could be used for God’s purposes and pleasure? Money can be a very accurate reflection of what’s truly important to us. Then knowing this, money is a blessing in that it can expose us to our temptations and provide an opportunity to reorient ourselves to God. Third, money can be a means of responding to the needs of others. This may be obvious but it’s worth noting that money can be used to support an individual who’s suffering, provide for a family that’s struggling, or accomplish great things to advance the Kingdom of God. There are countless ways that money can be a blessing to our lives – which is why the problem with money is not about having too much or too little. The problem always lies in the heart.
The problem is the love of money – this lust and obsession for money, which often leads to hoarding. That’s what we see in this passage. The rich didn’t use their money to do good or help people – but they just sat on it as a source of security despite the fact that this world is only temporary. Verse 3, “You have hoarded wealth in the last days.” They lived as if they weren’t going to die. They lived as if they weren’t accountable to God. But James gives us two reasons why the love of money, the hoarding of wealth is foolish. First, their wealth is fleeting. Take a look at what happened to the wealth that they hoarded – their money has rotted, their clothes have been eaten by moths, and their gold and silver are rusted. In other words, they’re temporary. In light of eternity, they’re of no value – which means that the wealth they gloried in, trusted in, will become absolutely worthless. No wonder Jesus said in Matthew 6:19-21, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Did Jesus say this because earthly treasures are bad? No. He said this because they won’t last. No matter how valuable it may be now, sooner or later, it will be lost. Let’s say that you were visiting the CNE – and you had just exchanged a lot of money to get tickets to go on some rides. Now, if you found out that it was just an hour before closing, wouldn’t you go all out to spend all your tickets? You’ll go on any rides that you see – and you might even pay for your friends too. Why? Because those tickets will be absolutely worthless when the carnival ends. But James tells us that that’s exactly what these people were doing. Even though their earthly wealth would ultimately become worthless, they were selfishly hoarding it. Brothers and sisters, we must remember that we simply cannot understand and live out God’s plan for us and our money if we’re not living with eternity in view. Without this perspective, we will always live as if this moment is all there is. But if we live in the light of eternity, we’ll joyfully invest in the things of eternal significance. God-honoring stewardship and sacrifice only make sense if you have eternity in view. Then are you regularly reminding yourself that this life isn’t all there is – and that there is this glorious life that is coming? Without this, we’ll continue to hoard.
Second, their wealth will testify against them. In other words, their rotting wealth will become undeniable evidence that they’ve been consumed by greed. And worst of all, their money won’t be able to save them from the wrath of God. In fact, they won’t just lose everything – they’ll be devoured by the judgment of God. Think of it like this. When their wealth rotted, their souls rotted with it too. No wonder James shares that the love of money, the hoarding of wealth is absolutely foolish.
Then let’s take a moment to examine ourselves – to watch out so that we won’t fall into this temptation. How are you stewarding your wealth? Are you quick to hoard or quick to give generously to the advancement of the gospel and the needs of others? What does your spending reveal about who you are and what you worship? How are you storing up for yourself treasures in heaven? Brothers and sisters, let’s not make something good to be the ultimate thing. Let’s learn to see our money as a tool that can be used by God to do great things for His Kingdom.
2) THEY HAVE DEFRAUDED THEIR WORKERS
Verse 4, “Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty.” James tells us that their greed not only caused their souls to rot but also to exploit the poor. As I mentioned before, these laborers needed to receive their pay at the end of each day so that they might provide for themselves and their families. Now, the work in the field must not have been easy – it must have been brutal and exhausting considering that everything had to be done by hand. They had no machines to do their jobs. But they persevered knowing that this was directly connected to their survival. And yet, they had to go home empty-handed because the rich held back their wages again. The rich had no compassion for the weak and they had no fear of God – they were hoarding at the cost of the poor even though they knew that it was a direct violation of God’s law. Deuteronomy 24:14-15 says, “Do not take advantage of a hired worker who is poor and needy, whether that worker is a fellow Israelite or a foreigner residing in one of your towns. Pay them their wages each day before sunset, because they are poor and are counting on it. Otherwise they may cry to the LORD against you, and you will be guilty of sin.” And that’s exactly what was happening here. The poor began to cry out – and James tells us that God heard their prayers. Now, it’s so easy to miss this but look at the title that James chose to describe God – he refers to God as the Lord Almighty. In Greek, this word literally means “the Lord of the heavenly armies.” Think about that image. God is the holy warrior who commands countless legions of angels – and this God was ready to go to war against the rich. They were abusing the helpless – but now, they’ll become helpless against God. No wonder they were called to weep and wail.
James wants us to know that when we love money, it distorts our relationship with others. Our greed causes us to look down on others and take advantage of them for our own gain. Our greed causes us to show favoritism toward the ones who are rich while treating the poor with disdain. But we must remember that regardless of our financial situations, all of us are made in the image of God – made to reflect His glory. Not just that, all of us are also sinners in desperate need of redemption. Then we must not allow money to redefine the way we view others. We must guard our hearts from this kind of prideful attitude so that we won’t use people but love them.
Then what does this mean for us? How can we apply this to our lives? One practical thing we can do is to pay back the money we owe as soon as possible, especially if we have the means to do so. Proverbs 3:27-28 says, “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act. Do not say to your neighbor, ‘Come back tomorrow and I’ll give it to you’ – when you already have it with you.” If we’re sitting on the money that we owe just because we don’t want to cut into ourselves, just because we don’t want to sacrifice our lifestyle, then we’re no different from the rich who failed to pay their laborers. Instead, we ought to give back what we owe. But more importantly, we ought to give generously to bless others. Last week, James said, “Hold on loosely to your plans.” Today, James is saying, “Hold on loosely to your wealth.” Then in light of the gospel truth, let’s learn to give radically and cheerfully. Randy Alcorn said, “God prospers me not to raise my standard of living but to raise my standard of giving. God gives us more money than we need so that we can give generously.” Then I pray that all of us would experience the liberating joy of generosity knowing that it really is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:25). Let’s learn to invest in others. Knowing that we’re just a mist that appears and quickly vanishes, may we learn to use our money to heal, empower, and bless the people God places in our lives.
3) THEY ARE LIVING IN LUXURY AND SELF-INDULGENCE
Verse 5, “You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter.” James tells us that they have imposed hardship on the poor while selfishly indulging in luxury for themselves. They had the means to pay these harvesters what they were owed – but for their own personal gain, they refused to give it away. In other words, everything was all about them. They put themselves at the center of their universe. This is so important to see because it shows that our love of money simply exposes the love that we have for ourselves. When we love ourselves, we will love money because it makes us feel better about ourselves, because it changes how others look at us, and worst of all, because we have the means to now make life about ourselves and live as if God doesn’t exist. And what makes this even scarier is the fact that the sin of greed is not easily identified. It can destroy our lives without us even knowing because it can masquerade in so many different ways. But at the end of it all, our love of money will one day push God out of our hearts. We’ll no longer be shaped by God’s glory, God’s will, and God’s grace but by our own cravings, plans, and rules. That’s what the love of money does to us – it draws us into a dangerous world of self-glory.
But that’s not all. Verse 6, “You have condemned and murdered the innocent one, who was not opposing you.” At first glance, it seems like James was just exposing them to their cruelty – showing that the rich were either directly or indirectly responsible for the death of these innocent laborers. Directly in the sense that the rich were taking the poor to court, accusing them of false charges, and putting them in prison – resulting in their deaths. Or indirectly in the sense that they were struggling with sickness and starvation because the rich had failed to pay them – also resulting in their deaths. Now, I have no doubt that this was true – the rich were responsible for their deaths. But if you read this very carefully, you’ll notice that it doesn’t say the rich have condemned and murdered the innocent ones but the innocent one – it’s singular. And it doesn’t say that this innocent one could not oppose them but was not opposing them – this individual wasn’t powerless to resist but He voluntarily became vulnerable, breakable, and killable. Do you see that? Then why does James say this? Because he wants the readers to know that what they have done against the poor has ultimately killed Jesus Christ, the innocent and righteous One. Jesus said in Matthew 26:41-46, “The King said to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave Me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite Me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe Me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after Me.’ Then they will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help You?’ And He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me.’ Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” When we hoard our wealth and fail to help the poor, fail to act justly, we’re actually failing Jesus – we’re sinning against Him. Brothers and sisters, I pray that you would have the eyes to see how serious and weighty this issue is to God – to see that it was our lust for money that has ultimately pushed Jesus to His death. Jesus Christ is the only innocent and righteous One – and yet He was oppressed. He simply came to do the work of the Father, but we paid Him with lashes, a crown of thorns, and a cross. But what He didn’t do was resist – He didn’t open His mouth to defend Himself. He silently received the wrath of God on our behalf so that we won’t have to. He died like a lamb to the slaughter so that we would receive life and this unimaginable riches in Him.
Then brothers and sisters, let’s remember that because of His grace, we now have the power to say no to sin and say yes to godly living. When Jesus died for us, we were freed from the shackles of greed and materialism – and it became possible for us to use our wealth to advance His Kingdom and bless others. Then my prayer for you today is that you’ll freshly experience His grace again. Grace will humble us to see that it’s not all about us. Grace will cause us to love the King rather than wanting to be a king. Grace will enable us to invest in eternal things rather than the temporary pleasures of this world. Grace will turn an entitled person into a thankful one. Grace will transform a demanding person into a content one. Grace will enable us to be compassionate – to see and care for the needs of others instead of being consumed by our own desires. But the best thing about grace is that it will never give up on us – grace will expose us again, convict us again, forgive us again, empower us again, and cover us with His love again so that we may remember who God is and who we are in Christ. And only by grace, we will take one more step toward becoming the people that God promises us to be.
Let me end with this. Do you remember the woman who poured an extremely expensive perfume on Jesus’ head? Mark told us that this was worth more than a whole year’s wages – which meant that this must have been her life savings. And yet she had the faith to “waste” it on Jesus – she didn’t hold anything back. Why? Because she knew the worth of Jesus. So, she gave away everything to Jesus not to get something back but purely out of her reverence and affection for Him. But in contrast, Judas went out to sell Jesus just for 30 pieces of silver. That’s all it took for him to betray Jesus. Unlike the woman, Judas was in awe of money. This is incredibly tragic knowing that Judas did life with Jesus for three years – he was in close proximity to Him. And yet he was blinded from seeing the true worth of Jesus. Then I wonder if James is asking all of us, “What kind of heart do you have for the Lord today? Are you truly in awe of the Lord today? Or are you constantly calculating – measuring if Jesus really is worth your devotion?” Brothers and sisters, I pray that you would have the eyes to see Jesus’ true worth because this is the only way to free yourselves from the love of money.
CONCLUSION
Lighthouse family, money is a powerful thing – it can be a tool in the hands of our gracious God, or it can be a doorway to dangerous and evil things. Then may our hearts be captivated by the beauty of Christ today so that we would be made free to use money not for our own personal gains but for the glory of God and the blessings of others.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1) What does your spending reveal about who you are and what you worship? Are you quick to hoard or quick to give generously to the advance of the gospel and the needs of others? Do you joyfully invest in the things of eternal significance? How are you storing up for yourself treasures in heaven?
2) Have you ever done something for the Lord that really cost you? Was there a time when you had to alter your lifestyle in order to give to the Lord? How can the gospel help us do that?
3) Are you generous with the resources God has given you? In what areas would you like to grow in generosity? What is one thing you will do as a result of studying this passage?