SERIES: The Book of James
TEXT: James 5:1-6
MESSAGE: “The Truth About Wealth”
Q: What do you aspire for?
“A new study shows that…millennials and Gen Z generations are obsessed with the idea of being rich…The study found that 27% of Americans (admitted) they’re obsessed with being rich. This was especially true for younger generations with 44% of Gen Z and 46% of millennials…They also found that nearly 30% of Americans experience money dysmorphia.The phenomenon occurs when people feel insecure about their financial standing, no matter the reality of their situation.” — Stephanie Weaver
“Money dysmorphia is kind of like today’s version of keeping up with the Joneses…A lot of people are examining their finances and comparing themselves to their peers, people on social media, and even celebrities, which is bringing up feelings of inadequacy.” — Courtney Alev
v. 1 — “Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you.”
TEXT: James 5:1-6
Q: What can we learn about wealth from today’s passage?
We learn three truths: (1. The Insecurity of Excess 2. The Consequence of self-indulgence 3. The God Who Hears)
1. The Insecurity of Excess (v. 1-3)
“Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. 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.”
Philippians 2:12–13: “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”
“Some have pointed out that this is not possible because gold doesn’t corrode like iron does. But that’s the point: James is saying that even that which you think is the surest use of money in this world is wasting away. You have hoarded and built bigger barns for all of your excess, but a day is coming when it is all going to burn up in the fire, and you will burn up with it.” — David Platt
“…each one’s work will become obvious. For the day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire; the fire will test the quality of each one’s work.” — 1 Corinthians 3:13
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves 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.” — Matthew 6:19-20
2. The Consequence of Self-Indulgence (v. 5)
“You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.”
“But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.” — 1 Timothy 6:9-10
3. The God Who Hears (v. 4; 6)
“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…You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you.”
Proverbs 11:10 — “When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices.” The word for “righteous” is the word “tsaddiyq.” It’s a word used throughout the OT to describe people who are “the doers of justice, have a moral compass, integrity”
“The tsaddiqim, the righteous, are defined as those who are so in love with God and His Kingdom that they steward everything they have been given— their assets, their social position, their vocational skills, their power, their gifts, their prosperity—not for self-enrichment, not for the purpose of self-aggrandizement, but for the common good…By the way the tsaddiqim steward their gifts, they make life better for everyone.”— Amy Sherman
Takeaways: How can we apply this?
1. How are you stewarding what God has given you?
2. Where is the excess in your life?
3. Would you ask God for a repentant heart?
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” — Psalm 51:10
“When asking God for protection from the injustice that comes to you, repent of all the injustice that comes from you.” — Granville Sharp
“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.” — 2 Corinthians 8:9