A Rusty Witness Series

A RUSTY WITNESS

(James 5:1-6 NASB)

[1] Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you.

{2} Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten.

{3} Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you

and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up

your treasure!

{4} Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been

withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting

has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. SAB A OTH

{5} You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have

fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.

{6} You have condemned and put to death the righteous man; he does not resist you.

INTRODUCTION

NEGLECT CAUSES RUST OR TARNISHING. James has in mind some rich persons in the church. They are poor examples of Christians.

James is not condemning rich people or riches but the miss-use of riches .

We need rich people. We need them for there busoness expertise and their concern for the welfare of there fellow man. I never got a job from a poor man. Did you?

Rich men need to work hard at keeping their wealth in perspective. This is what James condenmes. It could even be poor people who covet and abuse money when the have it.

1. A RUSTY WITNESS CAUSED BY . . STORED TREASURE.

2. A RUSTY WITNESS CAUSED BY . . SHOUTING TREASURE.

3. A RUSTY WITNESS CAUSED BY . . SINFUL TREASURE.

1. A RUSTY WITNESS Caused by . . Stored Treasure. v 1-3

A. Stored Treasure has . . Rotted. v 1-2

[1] Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you.

{2} Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten.

v 2 KJV CORRUPTED only time word used in NT Strong’s # 4595 sepo (say’-po); apparently a primary verb; to putrefy, i.e. (figuratively) perish: KJV-- be corrupted. (DIC)

B. Stored Treasure has . . Rusted. v 3 a "Your gold and your silver have rusted;. . . "

v 3 cnakered KJV only time used in NT

Strong’s # 2728 katioo (kat-ee-o’-o); from 2596 and a derivative of 2447; to rust down, i.e. corrode: KJV-- canker.

Strong’s # 2447 ios (ee-os’); perhaps from eimi (to go) or hiemi (to send); rust (as if emitted by metals); also venom (as emitted by serpents): KJV-- poison, rust. (DIC)

v 3 Rust used 3 times 2 times poison

James 3:8 But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. (KJV)

C. Stored Treasure has . . Ratted. v 3 b

". . . and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire.

It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure!

v 3 heaped KJV v 3 Treasure same as Heaped

Strong’s # 2343 thesaurizo (thay-sow-rid’-zo); from 2344; to amass or reserve (literally or figuratively): KJV-- lay up (treasure), (keep) in store, (heap) treasure (together, up).

Strong’s # 2344 thesauros (thay-sow-ros’); from 5087; a deposit, i.e. wealth (literally or figuratively): KJV-- treasure. (DIC)

Strong’s # 5087 tithemi (tith’-ay-mee); a prolonged form of a primary theo (theh’-o) (which is used only as alternate in certain tenses); to place (in the widest application, literally and figuratively; properly,

ILLUSTRATION TOPIC: Harvest INDEX: 3423 SUBTOPIC: Of Sin DATE: 6/1988.24

I don’t know about you, but I weary of the way that the devil continues to portray only the fun side of sin. Sin is fun and pleasurable, but only for a season. It has another ugly side that is carefully hidden by the deceiver himself. I’m referring to the consequences of all sin -- heartache, disappointment, and eventual death.

Consider this recent description of Andy Gibb on the cover of "People Magazine". A superstar at 19, the baby Bee Gee’ had it all but couldn’t handle it. A generous, likable kid, he blew his fortune on cocaine and blamed his troubles on a breakup with Victoria Principal. Trying for a comeback, he died, bankrupt, at 30.

APPLICATION

SOME CHURCHES MORE CONCERNED ABOUT AMOUNT IN TREASURE THAN SOULS

2. A RUSTY WITNESS Caused by. . Shouting Treasure. v 4

A. Shouting Treasure of . . Wages. v 4 a

"Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been

withheld by you, cries out against you; . . . "

v 4 Fraud used 8 times in NT 3 times in this verse kept, back, fraud.

James 5:4 Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth. (KJV)