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OF RICHES & RIGHTEOUSNESS. James 5:1-8. 11/10/2024. #18.
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. 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. 7 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. 8 You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.
1. A rant against the rich
a. It appears that James labels all wealthy people as evil, but such is not the case
a1. Abraham, Joseph, and Job were all wealthy
a2. Wealth is not the issue, but its usage is
b. There is a debate whether the rich were believers
a1. James 2 James admonished wealthier saints to help their poorer brethren
a2. I Corinthians 11 Paul condemned wealthier saints for not sharing with their poorer brethren
a3. Since these rich men are not addressed as brethren, many believe that this is a condemnation against rich pagans and a warning to believers not to imitate them
c. James calls upon the unrighteous rich to weep for themselves for the judgment to come (Luke 12)
d. 4 charges are laid against the selfish rich:
a1. HOARDING – they can’t keep their wealth (gold will tarnish, crops rot, garments will be eaten by moths, and all will vanish)
a2. FRAUD – the rich cheated their employees (withholding what is owed is sin)
b1. We owe our offerings to God, taxes to the government, provision to our families, payment to those who owe $ by loan or services and help to those in need)
b2. To withhold in any area of our obligations is sin
a3. LUXURY – self-indulgence is sinful
b1. We are stewards of what God has allowed us to possess
b2. There is nothing wrong with having quality things or enjoying diversions
b3. Overindulgence robs from God, for he has given us control over our wealth to use for his glory, not waste
a4. MURDER – whether literal or figurative, it is the corrupt wealthy who cheat the poor, take them to court, and abuse them (James 2)
b1. The poor can’t resist the powerful
b2. Via lack of compassion, the self-indulgent rich allow abuse and are guilty
2. Payment on the way
a. James warns the decadent that judgment comes
a1. As with the rich man in Jesus’s parable
a2. Their wealth testifies against them
a3. The rich young ruler left Jesus
a4. The soul of the man tested in Luke 12 was required of him as he hoarded his bounty
b. The decadent are to be pitied; not envied
3. Patience rewards the faithful
a. Jam. urges believers to be patient
a1. We don’t reap eternal rewards on earth
a2. Romans 8:18-25 – the trials, indignations, pain, abuse, persecution, injury, suffering, and grief we suffer now will be worth it
b. The farmer waits patiently for the crop through flood, drought, and blight for an expectant harvest
c. Rewards of the faithful can’t tarnish, mold, or rot
d. To suffer loss for Christ is great gain in eternity
Key passage: Romans 8:18-25 18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 19 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; 21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of [a]corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. 23 Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. 24 For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.