Introduction:
A. One evening a husband was balancing the checkbook and said to his wife, “You know the old saying, ‘money talks’? Well, ours just said, ’So long!’”
1. I know that we all feel that way sometimes, don’t we?
2. The world we live in runs on money, and it seems that we never have enough of it.
B. Understanding the way money works and having the right perspective on it is not always easy.
1. One day a mother stopped at her local bank and allowed her 6 year-old daughter to help her push the proper buttons at the ATM.
2. When the money came out of the machine the little girl squealed with excitement and said, “Look, Mommy, we won!”
3. We all know that that is not the way it works! Even though we may wish it did!
C. The rich are very often the objects of other people’s envy.
1. They drive expensive cars, live in mansions, wear custom-tailored clothes, flash expensive jewelry and travel to exotic places.
2. We sometimes look at them and wish we could swap places.
3. But listen to the words of some people who have a lot of money.
4. Listen to this quote from H. Ross Perot published in Fortune Magazine, “Remember, if you get real lucky, if you make a lot of money, if you go out and buy a lot of stuff –it’s gonna break. You got your biggest, fanciest mansion in the world. It has air conditioning. It’s got a pool. Just think of all the pumps that are going to go out. Or go to a yacht basin in any place in the world. Nobody is smiling, and I’ll tell you why. Something broke that morning. The generator’s out; the microwave doesn’t work…Things just don’t mean happiness.”
5. The American dream may be simply that – a dream - just ask actor Brad Pitt, who said this in an interview for the Rolling Stone: “Once you got everything, then you’re just left with yourself…it doesn’t help you sleep any better, and you don’t wake up any better because of it.”
6. Truth is: Material wealth never satisfies the soul!
D. We might fantasize about what it would be like to live like the rich and famous, but we need to realize that the unqualified yearning for money and the things it can buy is spiritually dangerous.
1. When we read our Bibles, we notice that the rich are often the objects of divine scorn and condemnation.
2. Luke 6:24-25 reads, “But woe to you that are rich, for you have already received your comfort. Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.”
3. In Luke 18:24, Jesus said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
E. The point of such stinging rebukes is not to teach that it is a sin to be rich, nor is there automatic merit in being poor, but that there is spiritual danger to be avoided regarding money.
1. The Bible tells us that it is God who gives His people the ability to achieve wealth (Deut. 8:18), and it is God who sometimes shows the sign of His special favor upon an individual by giving them an abundant increase of wealth (just take Abraham as an example).
2. The Bible also declares that poverty is sometimes caused by laziness and forbids the church to assist a person in such circumstances (2 Thess. 3:10).
3. So, what, then, is the main point that God wants us to know about earthly riches?
4. It is simply that we are not to put our trust in riches, but to put our trust in the God who gives all things.
5. Proverbs 11:28, “Whoever trusts in his riches will fall.”
6. This was the gist of Jesus’ teaching when he said, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Mt. 6:19-20)
F. As we turn to James 5:1-6, we hear James making some of the same points that Jesus did.
1. And it becomes more than apparent that James was not criticizing the rich just because they were rich.
2. There is the presumption and the accusation that they had made their money inappropriately and that they had used it selfishly.
3. Riches can be a blessing, or riches can be a terrible curse.
4. It all depends on how riches are acquired, our attitudes towards them, and how they are spent.
G. It has been said that you can classify all people economically and spiritually according to four major categories.
1. There are those who are poor economically and poor spiritually. (most of the world)
2. There are those who are rich economically and poor spiritually. (most of the rich and famous)
3. There are those who are poor economically and rich spiritually.(probably some of us)
4. There are those who are rich economically and rich spiritually. (probably the smallest group)
H. When I use the terms “poor” and “rich” those are relative terms.
1. We might be thinking that neither of them apply to us.
2. Or we might be thinking that one does apply, but in reality we might be mistaken.
3. For instance: We might be thinking that we are in the “poor” category, and yet we cannot remember the last time we were significantly hungry and could do nothing about it.
4. It is easy to forget that just by being born in this country, we are automatically rich by comparison to the majority of the rest of the world.
5. I’ve used this story before about a young girl who attended an exclusive school for children of movie stars, producers and directors in Hollywood.
a. She and her class were asked to write a composition on the subject of poverty.
a. This is the way her paper began, “Once there was a poor little girl. Her father was poor. Her mother was poor. Her governess was poor. Her butler and chauffeur were poor. In fact, everybody in the whole house was very, very poor.”
6. Can you see how relative these matters are?
7. Two different people can look at the same family and one will think the family is rich, and the other by comparison may say that the family is poor.
I. But getting back to the verses in James, we see that James wants to impress two important truths upon us.
1. First, James wants us to see the ultimate worthlessness of earthly riches and so he talks about the miseries of materialism.
2. Second, James wants us to see the depravity of the soul which results when a person puts his or her trust in riches rather than in God and so he talks about the sins of materialism.
I. The Miseries of Materialism
A. James 5:1 begins: Come now, you rich people, weep and wail over the miseries that are coming on you.
1. Who are the rich people being addressed by James? Are they Christians or non-Christians?
2. Most likely, they are non-Christians - James does not call them “brethren,” but simply addresses them as “you rich people.”
3. But someone might ask, “But if this letter is written to Christians, then why would he give a stern rebuke to non-Christian rich people?”
4. The answer is: The rich are so severely denounced so that Christians will be warned against envying them and trying to be like them.
B. The rich may seem very comfortable and secure.
1. Their lifestyles may include all the luxuries that anyone could possibly imagine.
2. But if the non-Christian rich people knew what “misery” was ahead of them they would “weep and wail.”
3. In verse 5, James used the vivid illustration of an animal fattened for the day of slaughter: You have lived luxuriously on the earth and have indulged yourselves. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.”
4. Picture a cow or a pig, truly “pigging out,” happy as can be, gorging themselves on the abundance of food set before them.
5. The animal might think that the food is provided for their enjoyment, but in reality, it is only leading to their demise – they are being fattened for the day of slaughter.
6. Whatever other calamities may have been implied in James’ original statement here, it is certain that the destruction of these people in the day of final Judgment was included.
7. In spite of the fact that money will buy many things, it will not buy one’s spiritual security when he or she stands before the Judge of Heaven and Earth.
C. In verses 2 and 3, James continues his critique of the rich: Your wealth has rotted and your clothes are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have stored up treasure in the last days.
1. I like the NIV’s translation of the last sentence: “You have hoarded wealth in the last days.”
2. In ancient times, wealth fell into three main categories: foodstuffs, expensive apparel, and precious metals.
3. So, James addressed the impermanence of each category.
a. The highly perishable “riches” of food and grain would rot.
b. The expensive “clothes” would be eaten by moths.
c. And their precious “gold” and “silver,” though these metals do not actually rust, would deteriorate in beauty and value - they lose their luster.
4. James concluded that their corrosion would “witness against you” that you have placed your trust in the wrong things.
5. And, James added, the loss of these things would “eat your flesh like fire.”
a. That is, it would bring complete ruin upon the people who had put their confidence in them, for they had nothing else on which to rely.
6. As we see, nothing complimentary is intended or implied by any of these statements.
7. What awaits those who put their trust in things is only misery and destruction.
8. Those are the miseries of materialism.
II. The Sins of Materialism
A. As you well know, there are some terrible sins frequently associated with materialism.
1. Paul wrote to Timothy warning him, “People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” (1 Tim. 6:9-10)
2. James identifies and comments on three of these sins in verses 4-6: Look! The pay that you withheld from the workers who mowed your fields cries out, and the outcry of the harvesters has reached the ears of the Lord of Armies. You have lived luxuriously on the earth and have indulged yourselves. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned, you have murdered the righteous, who does not resist you.
B. The first sin of materialism that James identifies is INJUSTICE.
1. The person who agrees to pay another to do a particular job for him is under condemnation if he does not pay the person in a fair manner.
2. Under the Law of Moses, an employer was not allowed to hold a poor man’s wages past sundown (Dt. 24:14-15).
3. The prophets Jeremiah and Malachi pronounced divine judgment against those who oppressed hired servants or refused to pay wages justly earned (Jer. 22:13; Mal. 3:5).
4. The person who loves money and who is concerned only about personal profits does not hesitate to ignore these warnings against injustice to his employees.
5. Therefore, many people are forced to work under unsafe conditions, are forced to accept shamefully low wages, and are forced to suffer other wrongs at the hands of unprincipled employers.
6. Certainly labor movements and federal laws have corrected many injustices, but not all of them.
7. Many of the working poor in our country continue to suffer because of low wages and the absence of benefits.
8. There continues to be inequality in pay between people of different races and genders.
9. Those of us who are employers need to think long and hard about how we are treating our employees.
10. And those of us who spend our money, need to consider the track record of the companies we do business with, and how generous we are when we have an opportunity to reward good work – like the server at the restaurant, or the repair person we hire.
C. The second sin of materialism that James identifies is SELFISHNESS.
1. Verse 5 pictures materialistic people and their desire for luxury and self-indulgence.
2. They flagrantly forget and ignore the needs of others in order to gratify their own lusts.
3. This brings to mind the story of the rich man and Lazarus that Jesus tells in Luke 16.
a. Jesus said: “There was a rich man who would dress in purple and fine linen, feasting lavishly every day. But a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, was lying at his gate. He longed to be filled with what fell from the rich man’s table, but instead the dogs would come and lick his sores.” (Luke 16:19-21)
b. There was the rich man living the good life in his luxurious home in his gated community.
c. But just outside his gate was Lazarus, a very poor and sick man.
d. Sadly, the rich man had no concern for Lazarus and didn’t do anything to help him.
4. It is so easy for us to end up acting just like the rich man who had no concern for the poor man and who selfishly spent his money only on himself – his designer clothes and expensive food.
5. No matter how much or how little money we have, do we spend it all on ourselves?
6. Or do we have a heart for others and a desire to share some of what we have, even as little as it might be.
7. Although we might be challenged to think how best to help the person standing on the street corner asking for money, I hope we will develop a heart of compassion, and will make sure to give to help the poor – that money might best be given through our church or other agencies.
8. In the parable of the Sower, Jesus warned us, “The worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.” (Mk. 4:19)
9. Let’s make sure that materialism doesn’t choke the Word of God in our lives, but let’s allow the Word to help us grow and therefore make us fruitful.
D. The final sin James identifies that is frequently associated with materialism is MURDER.
1. Those who would unjustly deny a person his wages in order to live in selfish pleasure could easily become involved in actual murder in order to steal another person’s money or property.
2. The wicked and selfish King Ahab desperately wanted Naboth’s fine vineyard, and after throwing a pitty party when Naboth wouldn’t sell it to him, Queen Jezebel had Naboth murdered so that her husband could have the vineyard. (1 Kings 21)
3. The same kinds of things happen every day in our country.
4. The notorious drug trafficking which makes daily headlines is nothing less than evil, selfish people willing to kill others for the sake of money.
5. Rich corporation owners have often gotten rich peddling products that harm others, or produce pollution that brings sickness and death – cigarettes, toxic chemical dumping, asbestos, etc.
6. But there are other ways to “murder” people without actually killing them.
a. There was an old Jewish saying that said “to cheat a poor man and take away his living is to murder him.”
b. To take away the things that are necessary for him and his family to live, is to ultimately take his life from him.
7. Sadly, James points out that some of the people whom the rich had condemned and murdered were the righteous – good and godly people who were not a problem for them.
a. It is one thing for someone to lose their life in the dog-eat-dog world of crime or corporate corruption, but it is something altogether different for the innocent and righteous to be lost in the crossfire.
b. In the verses we will look at in our next sermon, James will have some important advice about how to live with and handle these kinds of injustices, so we can look forward to that.
E. But for today, these are some of the sins associated with materialism – injustice, selfishness, and murder.
1. And just because we may not have a lot of money doesn’t mean that we are not materialistic.
2. These are sins that all of us must diligently avoid.
Conclusion:
A. There are many religious people in our country who are very concerned over the present moral decline of our nation and the world.
1. Many speak out against things such as drugs, illicit sex, and abortion, but few if any speak out against greed and materialism.
2. It seems that many of us have just accepted covetousness as an inherent part of American life.
3. But this is not acceptable in the sight of God - God views covetousness as a grievous evil.
4. God’s severity toward the sin of covetousness is seen in the fact that he struck both Ananias and Sapphira dead because of it (Acts 5:1-10)
5. Paul commanded the saints at Corinth to withdraw from and refuse even to eat with any brother in that church who was greedy (1 Cor. 5:11).
6. Do we take the sin of greed that seriously?
B. Money can buy a lot of things, but it can’t buy everything.
1. It can’t buy health and happiness.
2. It can’t buy a good name.
3. It can’t buy trust and respect.
4. It can’t buy love.
5. Most importantly, it can’t buy God’s favor nor a home in heaven.
C. One thing that money does is that it talks…it shouts.
1. What we do with our money says an awful lot about what is in our hearts and on our minds.
2. What we do with our money declares what we value and love.
3. So, what is your use of money saying about you?
4. Is your use of money testifying against you?
5. Is it saying that you are cheating and exploiting others?
6. Is it saying that you are greedy and selfish?
7. Or is it saying that you are compassionate, generous and rich toward God?
8. Money talks, let’s live in a way that our money says we love and trust God!
Resources:
• What Christian Living is All About, by Rubel Shelly, 20th Century Christian, Copyright 1974, 1989, pages 93-102
• “Money Talks” Sermon by David Owens, 2006.
