I recently heard a story about several guys who were in the locker room of a private exercise club. They were all talking when a cell phone laying on the bench rang. One man picked it up without hesitation, and the following conversation ensued:
"Hello?"
"Honey, It’s me."
"Oh, hi dear!"
"I’m at the mall two blocks from the club. I saw a beautiful mink coat. It is absolutely gorgeous! Can I buy it? It’s only $1,500."
"Well, okay, if you like it that much."
"Thanks! Oh, and I also stopped by the Mercedes dealership and saw the new models. I saw one I really liked. I spoke with the salesman, and he gave me a great price."
"How much?"
"Only $60,000!"
"Okay, but for that price I want it with all the options."
"Great! But before we hang up, there’s something else. It might seem like a lot, but, well, I stopped by to see the real estate agent this morning, and I saw the house we had looked at last year. It’s on sale! Remember? The beachfront property with the pool and the English garden?"
"How much are they asking?"
"Only $450,000! It’s really quite a bargain, and we have that much in the bank accounts to cover it."
"Well then, go ahead and buy it, but make an offer for only $420,000, okay?"
"Okay, sweetie. Thanks! I’ll see you later! I love you!"
"I love you, too." At that the man hung up the cell phone, closed the flap, and raised it in the air. "Does anyone know whose cell phone this is?"
There isn’t a subject on the planet that will get folks more worked up than talking about money. People are very passionate about their material possessions, and when you start to get close to someone’s wallet you are getting very close to their heart. I have to tell you that we preachers often have been intimidated away from preaching about money. It happened so subtly that it slipped up on us. Satan used several things to intimidate us.
- I grew up hearing a preacher apologize for preaching on money. It was a once a year ritual, and every time he did it he began by saying, “You know, I really don’t like to preach about money but this is the Sunday we need to, and it’s important.”
- In the 1980’s several television preachers were exposed as frauds as they raked in millions of dollars at the expense of their viewers. In response preachers backed off.
- Church growth experts recognized the need for Churches to be “seeker sensitive.” That means that we explain things better for people to feel more comfortable. We make our worship services more easily understandable. We make our buildings easy to get around in. When seeker sensitivity has gone bad, it has meant that we should soften our message to appeal to people.
- Since I have been preaching, I have had several people come to me and thank me for not preaching much on money. At times I was tempted to wear it as a badge of honor that money was not very frequently mentioned in my sermons. What I didn’t pay any attention to was the fact that over 1/2 of Jesus parables dealt with proper use of money. I ignored the truth that Jesus said a whole lot more about money than He did about prayer. I failed to notice that Jesus certainly wasn’t very seeker sensitive when he spoke to wealthy people who didn’t have their priorities straight. Unfortunately, my preaching schedule has at times been determined more by the culture we live in than the Christ we serve. I am not alone. As I hear from other preachers, we are all coming to realize our failure here. You see, by being afraid to challenge people’s obsession with material wealth, we have often shirked our responsibility to confront the most prominent idol that Americans bow down before.
I believe that the result of our not addressing ourselves to the issue of money in the church has been tragic. Too often there is not a significant difference between the values of church members and people who don’t know Jesus Christ as Lord. In our culture it is expected that we are to devote ourselves to pursuing “the good life.” It is the American way. (Pause) But it is not God’s way!
In the fifth chapter of James’ letter, there is not a hint of timidity as he challenges his listeners to think very seriously about who or what they worship as god. Now we need to realize that up to this point in his letter, James has been speaking to the Christians he wrote his letter to. From reading the letter it seems that most of them were poor. (Note that in chapter 2 he speaks about the rich oppressors and the way that the church members sometimes showed favoritism to the rich people to try to get something out of them.) But when he comes to the verses we are looking at this morning, it’s almost like he walks over and raises the windows on the church building, then he speaks a little louder so that the rich people down the road who aren’t in worship can hear him. Listen to what he tells them.
Read Text: James 5:1-6
Whoah! Those are some very disturbing and condemning words! And whether they are heard by people who are secure in their wealth or by those who only wish they were wealthy, the result is the same. James wants all of us to recognize that the most important thing in life is not how much money you have.
James is speaking to people who faced a choice between following God or trusting in what money could do for them and they are making the wrong choice. Look at what was going on with them.
- They were stockpiling their money (v. 2-3). People who trust in money for their security can never have enough to make them feel like they are completely secure. The result is usually a growing bank account and a dwindling sense of peace.
- They weren’t paying their employees a fair wage (v. 4). When the bottom line is the only important thing, often people get taken advantage of in the process.
- They were spending their money on material pleasures (v. 5). The rich people were not paying their employees a fair wage, but they were living large themselves. James confronts them with the picture of a cow in the field on market day. That cow thinks life is great with all the grain she has been able to consume. What she doesn’t know is that the purpose of the fattening process is her own destruction.
- They were destroying people with their power and wealth (v. 6). These people knew that money is power, and they used their influence to bring down the people who got in their way.
Now at this point we need to recognize something. The Bible never condemns anyone simply for being wealthy. It is not a sin to be rich. Some of God’s most honored servants were wealthy. Abraham, Job, David, Joseph of Arimethea were all rich people who were served God with their wealth. But what the Bible does condemn is the practice of trusting in wealth rather than trusting in God. You see, it is very easy to think that if you just had enough money, you could become untouchable. It is possible to believe that money can buy you anything, health, satisfaction, and peace. You don’t have to be rich to think that. You can turn on the television to watch some of the info-mercials where they are trying to get you to learn how to buy and sell real estate to make a fortune, and they are trying to convince you “This is the way to lasting peace and security.”
The reason James is coming down so hard on the rich is that he is trying to shake them out of their sense of security. He is challenging their faith in their wealth to try to get them to place their faith in someone that can really make them secure. Hoarded riches and the power that comes from wealth won’t get you anywhere in the eternal scheme of things. James is trying to get these rich people to trade in their false sense of security for something that is real, something that will last forever.
How many of you remember the old game show “Let’s Make A Deal?” I think you can still catch an episode or two if you have cable or a satellite and can find the Game Show channel. On that show audience members would dress up as turkeys or Mother Goose characters or in some other crazy costume, all with the goal of gaining the attention of the show’s host, Monty Hall. They bounced and squealed until Monty’s attention fixed on them, then the games would begin. The contestant would be offered $50 to produce a hairpin or a grapefruit. Then, through a series of transactions and choices, that contestant could trade and deal their way into or out of a stockpile of goods. By choosing door #1 Little Miss Muffett could get new living room furniture, or she might get a bucket of curds and whey. It was the chance of gaining more than you lost or losing everything that you had gained that made the show entertaining.
When I read about the encounter Jesus had with a man in Mark 10, I am reminded of that old game show. When you read the same story in three of the gospels, there are a variety of adjectives used to describe the guy Jesus met. Matthew tells us he’s young. Luke describes him as a ruler. All 3 highlight his wealth. Today we most often combine their descriptions and label him the “Rich Young Ruler.” Money, youth and power; that’s a pretty powerful combination for any one person to possess.
Mark tells us that one day this guy ran up to Jesus, fell to his knees and asked “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life.” You have to wonder about the drama of it all. As we will soon learn, it almost seems as though the man is more interested in proclaiming who he is and what he has done than in finding out what else there is to do.
In reply though, Jesus expresses a word of caution about calling anyone “good.” He points out that only God is truly good. Jesus then offered the young man a laundry list of the commandments which God has given to be followed: Don’t murder, don’t commit adultery, don’t steal, lie or cheat, and take care of your parents. It was one of those “keep your nose clean” kind of lists that Jesus knew nobody could possibly keep perfectly. Surprisingly, the young man was satisfied with his own ability to keep his nose out of trouble, and he responded confidently that in his 30 or so years he had been a good rich young man. Jesus loved him too much to let him get by with that kind of false belief, so he raised the bar a little.
“One thing you lack.” He said. “Go, sell your Jaguar and your mansion with the pool. Clean the Armani’s out of your closet, give the proceeds to the poor and invest yourself in heavenly treasure. Then you won’t have any reason to stay around here so you can come and follow me.” It was a bold choice that Jesus offered the man. Here was his chance to trade his fist full of cash for the unlimited potential behind door #1.
The Bible doesn’t say how long that rich young man pondered the choice. Maybe he wondered for a moment what it would be like to wake up and not have to check the overseas market first thing. For a split second it must have sounded appealing to not have to worry about wintering the yacht and making the payroll. We don’t know how long he took, but Mark records, “the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.” I wonder if that was the first time his great wealth had made him sad?
It could be that when his head dropped he caught sight of the Rolex his daddy had given him. What would become of the family fortune? What would his friends at the club think? For whatever reason, the rich young ruler was so possessed by his wealth and power that he decided to keep the $50 he had in his hand rather than risk it on the unproven riches behind the door that Jesus offered.
When Jesus saw the choice the rich young man made, he shook his head and in frustration mumbled that it was easier to get a camel through the eye of a needle than to get a rich person to choose the narrow door that he offered. When the disciples questioned him a little more, He was a little more optimistic. “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”
The late Francis Schaeffer was an insightful student of our culture. Just before he died he said, “It is my observation that Americans are driven by two things—that we are driven by affluence and personal peace.” To put it in more common terms, what makes the American culture tick is the drive for cash and comfort. Now understand, I have nothing against cash and comfort. Compared to poverty and pain, cash and comfort are great. The rub comes along when you have to choose between cash and comfort and following Christ.
What James is saying in chapter 5:1-6 is that if you have to choose between investing your money in the Kingdom of God or building a bigger bank account, invest in the things that will last forever. James tells business owners that if you have to choose between increasing your company’s assets or giving your employees a fair wage, take care of your employees. He says that rather than investing your wealth in luxuries that will break down or increase your frustration, invest your wealth in the things that will truly give you peace and security for eternity.
As James sends his words out to those rich people who might be listening, or to those who want to be rich that are sitting right in front of him, he is telling us all; “If you have to choose between cash and comfort or Christ, always choose Christ!” Remember, it is only when we choose Christ over the things of this world that we come to know peace and security and hope that can never be taken away from us.
