There is no doubt that James is a book of tough teaching. In fact, I can just imagine there were probably recipients of this letter that were going through some really hard times. Maybe they had endured some persecution. We know that many of them were suffering financially. Life was not easy. And for a brief moment, upon receiving the letter, they may have thought, ¡§Man, this is just the pick-up I needed, right when I needed it.¡¨ Then they started to read.
As they read, some of their elation may have turned to frustration. ¡§Doesn¡¦t he know what we are going through? What is he doing beating us up like this? Talking so harshly to us. Acting like this whole Christian thing is so easy when it is so radical. Can¡¦t he just encourage us a bit?¡¨
I know there are probably people that feel that way on given Sunday mornings. You have had a hard week. Things are not falling in place financially. Relationally, everyone seems to be at odds with you. And you come to church looking for a pick-me-up only to feel like the teaching is hard, and the screws are tightening down harder, and harder.
But all is not gloom. All is not hopeless. Despite how difficult, arduous, and frustrating the battle may seem. . .there is always that hope of that magic day. . .that is only a day away.
(Play video clip from "Annie" showing her signing "Tomorrow")
Annie is the eternal optimist. Her reoccurring promise is that, ¡§The sun will come out tomorrow.¡¨ And while real life is not always as promising as little orphan Annie viewed it, there are times when we just need to take a step back, see the bigger picture, and be reminded that the Son will come out tomorrow, and the future is full of eternal hope.
So we come to James chapter 5, and it is at this point in the letter that James seems to set aside his pastoral robe, and puts on the mantle of a prophet. We will see in a moment that he starts with a harsh rebuke to those who misuse their wealth and the power associated with riches, and then will transition and wrap up this section with the promise of the coming of the Lord.
Remember, being financially well off is probably not the category that most of James readers fall into. In fact, from the perspective of most of his readers, James is talking about those people out there. Those rich elite who are mistreating and manipulating these young believers. Those financial rulers who know who they are, and as a prophet James wants to make sure his readers know, they are going to get theirs. James chapter 5, verse 1 (read through verse 6).
Throughout this letter, James has addressed this issue of money. This reality of the lure, the lust, the desire for financial gain that existed in the world back then, and exists in the world today. Look back with me to chapter one. James 1:9 (read through verse 11).
Remember that passage? James talked about the temporary nature of money. How even the lowly, the poor brother should be able to rejoice in his financial state because the riches of the world are all temporary anyway. In contrast, the lowly believers reward, an eternal reward, will last forever.
Look to chapter 2 (read through verse 8). Remember those verses? James talked about the issue of partiality and favoritism, and gave the ever common example of how we treat those who appear better, who have more, who seem more financially well off, better. And he talked about how that is contrary to the law of God.
Chapter 4 (read through verse 3). James says, ¡§God knows our hearts. He knows that we are motivated by the almighty dollar. He knows we often ask for things for reasons that are not in line with His plan for us, His purpose for us. So we don¡¦t get them.¡¨ James says that this unquenchable desire for things, for financial gain leads to lust, and coveting, and even murder.
Throughout this letter we see this underlying theme of money, and whether we will control it or it will control us. And one more time James wants to make it clear what can happen to those that are rich. To those who have gained wealth, and become consumed with it. It is really a very grotesque and gruesome picture that he describes. First he says. . .
A. RICHES WILL DEVOUR YOU PHYSICALLY
Back in Chapter 5 (read verses 1-3). Look closely at those descriptions. He isn¡¦t saying that this is what will happen. He is describing a present tense state. He says your riches ¡§are¡¨ corrupted. Your garments ¡§are moth-eaten¡¨. Your gold and silver ¡§are¡¨ corroded. Not will be, but currently are.
So he draws this picture of someone who has been so consumed by their riches, by their financial state, that all these possessions have literally deteriorated, and they haven¡¦t even noticed it. And all that is left now is for the corrosions and destruction to consume you like fire. It is like the corrosion from a battery that just spreads, burns, and destroys can even everything in its path.
(Share example of exploded batteries in automobile claims with Nationwide Insurance. How the acid from the battery can etch into the engine block, the manifold, the underside of the hood, and do destruction to areas not hurt by the accident impact.)
You see, consumption with money can cause blindness. In this blindness, everything will begin to deteriorate, and all your possessions will grow old and breakdown in front of you. But because of the blindness that can be caused by riches, you may not even notice that like the acid from a battery it is preparing to consume your flesh, and destroy you physically.
One of the best examples of this, most everyone has heard of. Now made famous once again by the movie ¡§The Aviator¡¨, it is the story of Howard Hughes. At one time Howard Hughes was the richest man in the world, but all he ever wanted in life was more. He wanted more money, so he built a billion-dollar pile of assets. He wanted fame, so he broke into the Hollywood scene and became a filmmaker and star. He wanted pleasure, so he paid handsome sums to indulge his every sexual urge. He wanted thrills, so he designed, built, and piloted the fastest aircraft in the world. He wanted power, so he secretly dealt political favors and virtually made two U.S. presidents his pawns.
All he ever wanted was more. And he concluded his life emaciated; colorless; sunken chest; fingernails in grotesque, inches-long corkscrews; rotting, black teeth; tumors; innumerable needle marks from his drug addiction. His riches were corrupted, his garments were moth-eaten, his gold and silver were corroded, and their corrosion witnessed against him and devoured him. In his desire to become so great, he didn¡¦t even see what he had become. He died a billionaire junkie, insane by any and all reasonable standards.
James warns his readers. You want some hope? You want a promise for tomorrow? A promise of a better life? Be careful. Don¡¦t get sucked into thinking you will find it in riches, and in the very people you envy. Riches will figuratively and possibly even literally devour you physically.
Look what else riches will do. Verse 4 (read). James describes a reality that so often happens whereby. . .
B. RICHES WILL DEVOUR YOUR INTEGRITY
One of the things you learn in corporate management is that no one is ever paid enough. The only employee I can ever remember managing at Nationwide who was content with his wages was Lake Wykle. And when we hired Lake he was a college graduate working as a West Virginia prison guard. So we were pretty much guaranteed his happiness regardless of what we paid him! But more times than not, people were just crying out for fairer wages. For a greater share in the profit.
James gives the example of the master, the boss, the one who hires others to work for them. This guy may not have only been paying an unfair wage, but he wasn¡¦t even paying it all the time. So his laborers are crying out cries of injustice. He was even holding back some of the wages that had been earned. He had been frauding those very people who came out and worked his fields and made him a profit. So James says, ¡§Those people who have been working for you. Those individuals you have been skimping on. Holding back on. Their cries of injustice will reach the Lord, and when they do, it will be time to pay up for your dishonesty.¡¨
In the Disney film Aladdin, one of the characters asks, "You¡¦ve heard of the Golden Rule, boy? He who has the gold makes the rules." Often having the gold, causes us to make our own rules, and devours our Christian integrity. We think we can hide a little here and there in our taxes. We think we can hold back a little here and there in our tithes.
There are only two examples given in the New Testament church of people within the church who struggled with financial integrity. And we learn in Acts chapter 5 that both of them were carried out feet first.
The day that James¡¦ readers were living in was so bad that in verse six we will see James communicate his awareness that the rich are even using their wealth to influence the decisions of authorities, to have their enemies condemned, and even to put people they don¡¦t like to death. That¡¦s what riches do to people. They devour your integrity.
Than James takes this teaching one step further. Verse 5 (read through verse 6). James says. . .
C. RICHES WILL DEVOUR YOUR HEART
Matthew 6:21 says, ¡§For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.¡¨ You can argue that, you can say that my heart doesn¡¦t lie with my treasure, they are separate, they don¡¦t go together. But you aren¡¦t arguing with me. You are arguing with the words of Jesus. ¡§Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.¡¨
The more you hoard. The more you store up. The more you are driven by riches. James says, that is like the cattle that they fattened up for the purpose of slaughtering. The cow just eats away. Has no idea that he is dooming himself with every bite. ¡§Man, this taste great. This guy must really love me. Keep bringing it on farmer man.¡¨ Just being fattened for the slaughter.
Likewise is the person that just keeps satisfying their worldly appetite. They are moving closer, and closer to the complete destruction of their heart and soul.
A pretty bleak picture of the effects of money. But then we come again to one of my favorite words in the book of James. Therefore. James always seems to provide us that help in figuring out exactly what he is trying to say. Verse 7 (read through verse 8a).
Why did James paint such a gruesome, harsh, aggressive picture? If the point of this section of his letter is to be patient, to wait for the coming of the Lord, why did he need those lashing, prophetic verses? I think for two reasons.
1. He wanted to warn believers against falling for the trap
of financial consumption.
He wanted to make sure they understood, ¡§Yea, I know you don¡¦t have as much as those around you. I know that your faith is costing you in this society. I know that you are not prospering with material possessions like your neighbors because you have chosen to live by a different standard. But don¡¦t give in. It isn¡¦t worth it.¡¨
Ever been there? I have. The lure of money. The lust for possessions. The pride to live as well as friends and neighbors. It results in you buying things that you can¡¦t afford. It results in you having to rob God of His tithe so you can pay the bills for those things you can¡¦t afford. It can even result in you despising the command to tithe!
Ever been there? I have. I have looked at other people and thought, ¡§Man. Look what it is like when you don¡¦t tithe. Look at all that extra money you have available to you for so many things.¡¨ My largest total compensation statement from Nationwide Insurance for a calendar year was just over $100,000.00. Just think about that. A tithe of that is at least $10,000. There are a lot of things you can do with $10,000. That year we actually had made some missions commitments, gave to some special offerings, and were actually closer to 15% with our giving.
Man. I could have driven a better car. Had a bigger TV. Wore t-shirts that cost $40 because they have some strange behaving designer¡¦s name on them. Could have done a lot with that money.
And some times it is difficult not to think those thoughts, and even verbalize them. It isn¡¦t fair God. I have less, because I¡¦m obeying you more. That is the trap of the lure for financial consumption.
But James says he wants them to be patient, and he knows one of the greatest traps to patience is to attempt to solve your own problems through money. He says, ¡§Slow down. Just like the farmer plants the seed, and has to wait. May not see anything for some time. But can¡¦t dig into the ground and disrupt the seed. Has to patiently await the appearance of the fruit. Likewise, don¡¦t get in a hurry and look to money to be a quick fix to your problems.¡¨
You may have heard the example of the woman that took her credit cards, and put them in a big bowl of water, and then stuck them in the freezer. Now whenever she wants to buy something, she has to put out the block of ice, and wait for the credit card to be freed by the melting of the ice. Forced patience.
We have a garden this year. It is tough to be patient. I want to pick the tomatoes, the peppers, pull up the onions before they are ready. But James says you have to be patient like a farmer. Wait until the rains have come. Wait until the fruit is ready. Don¡¦t be so quick to desire the things of this world.
Remember the words James has used throughout this book: envy, covet, lust. He knows that there is a pull towards the riches. Americans in 2005 are not the first to long for the bling-bling. But he wants to make sure that his readers both then and today know that it is a trap.
But I think there is a second aspect to it. Not only does he want to warn them against falling for the trap of financial consumption, but he also wants to assure them that. . .
2. Judgment is coming.
Today, it seems like the ungodly always win. Today it seems like the dishonest, the compromisers, the ones who live without standards always get ahead. But the Son will come out tomorrow, and when He does, those who have endured will experience His mercy and compassion. Verse 11 (read).
Remember Job? Lost all of his riches and financial gain. In the end, God was faithful. The Lord was compassionate and merciful. So James wants to let his readers know that you may feel like we are losing the war. You may feel like the unjust prosper while the just go unrewarded. But judgment is coming. The Son will come out tomorrow. Christ will return.
Did you know that the return of Christ is one of the most frequent subjects of prophecy?
One out of every 30 verses in the Bible mentions the subject of Christ¡¦s return or the end of time.
Of the 216 chapters in the New Testament, there are over 300 references to Christ¡¦s return, and only 4 of the 27 books of the New Testament fail to mention His return.
The Son will come out tomorrow. It is one of the most promised events in history. The most common word for the coming of Christ in the New Testament is parousia. It indicates a nearness and personal presence, the fact that the person is with you. That is what awaits us, tomorrow. The bodily, personal return of Christ, at which time He will be with us and we will be with Him.
It¡¦s going to happen, so James says we need to be ready for it. We need to live accordingly. That is the point of this passage. Because financial pursuit is temporary and destructive, because judgment is coming when the Lord returns. . .therefore (verse 7 through 12).
Knowing that the riches are temporary. Knowing that those who are using money to lord over us, to manipulate us, to belittle us are going to have to face the judgment of the Lord some day. How should that impact our lives today? James gives us a couple pieces of advice. The first. . .
A. BE PATIENT
This word for being patient carries this idea with it of having a long spirit. One that does not quickly tire or give up. One that is suited to long suffering. The spirit of a University of Kentucky football fan. Able to endure long periods of suffering. It is quite the contrast to the financial pull of an immediate gratification society.
We want fast food, fast cars, fast internet access. I¡¦ll confess it, I struggle with high-speed internet envy. I¡¦m one of those dinosaurs still on dial-up. We want everything fast. Fast grocery check out, fast commutes, fast church services.
But Gordon MacDonald writes, "It makes little difference how fast you are in the 100 meters when the race is 400 meters long." Be patient.
I read the other day that The Christian Examiner estimated last year between 1,400 and 1,600 spiritual leaders leave the ministry every month. I think for many of them, it has a bit something to do with patience. With having a long spirit. Sometimes ministers leave the ministry because things just weren¡¦t playing out fast enough for them. Church wasn¡¦t growing fast enough, money wasn¡¦t coming in fast enough, people weren¡¦t getting it fast enough.
I¡¦ll be honest with you. This is an area where Satan really likes to tempt me. ¡§Come on Chip. You are nearing the end of two years at SWC. It isn¡¦t happening. Just look around you. This just isn¡¦t going to work. It will take forever to turn this ship around.¡¨ But God says, ¡§Be patient.¡¨
Sometimes people leave the ministry because things just aren¡¦t playing out fast enough for their congregations. I am constantly reminded, as I read book after book after book regarding leadership and church growth. The successful, vibrant, healthy churches. . .almost across the board. . .were patient. Five to seven years of establishing a foundation. Five to seven years of tough times. Five to seven years of getting used to each other ¡V pastor and congregation ¡V farmers waiting for rain. James says as Christians, we are to be patient. Slow to tire. Slow to give up.
Second, James says. . .
B. DO NOT GRUMBLE WITH EACH OTHER
It¡¦s there in verse 9. One translation uses the word there of groaning. Another of protesting with each other. (Example of the 1700 naval vessels like those shown in A&E’s series - Horatio Hornblower.) These old wooden sailing ships used to creak and groan as their timbers rubbed against one another. Generally, the more rough the seas, the more the timbers groaned, protested, grumbled against the others.
That is the idea verse 9 conveys. When our lives encounter trials and stress, we often get impatient with those closest to us. We grumble and complain. We get restless and intolerant. We forget that we are all struggling against the same storm, enduring the same difficulties, and going through the same stressful circumstances.
(Example of sleeping the past three weeks at in-laws, and at kid’s camp cabin.) These were groaning, grumbling venues for sleep. Sometimes God¡¦s people become the same way. It starts with impatience, and moves to grumbling and complaining with those closest to us.
So James says we need to be patient, we shouldn¡¦t grumble with each other, and like the prophets before us, we should. . .
C. BE WILLING TO SUFFER
Look at what James reminds his readers of. There in verse 9, ¡§The Judge is standing at the door.¡¨ Then in verse 10 he says (read). Remember the example of the prophets who were willing to suffer. The prophets knew who their judge was. They didn¡¦t have to answer to the world. So they could declare their prophetic word, as unpopular as it was, and be willing to suffer the consequences. They knew there was only one Judge they had to answer to.
Once upon a baseball game, years ago, Babe Ruth was at bat and Babe Pinelli was the umpire behind the plate. The first pitch was a swing and a miss, as was the second pitch. That great home run hitter Babe Ruth dug in for the next pitch. The pitcher wound up and delivered, and Ruth didn¡¦t move. From behind the plate the umpire cried out, "Strike three!"
Ruth got in Pinelli’s face and said, "There’s 40,000 people here who know that last one was a ball, tomato head." Pinelli took a look around the stadium, then responded to Ruth, "Maybe so, but mine is the only opinion that counts. The batter’s out!"
No matter what you think, no matter what anyone in the world thinks - God’s opinion is the only one that matters. He will be the Judge, so be willing to suffer the persecution of those in the world who are choosing to judge by a different standard.
Above all, James says, most importantly. . .
D. CONTINUE TO LIVE WITH INTEGRITY
Verse 12 (read). There are times when it seems the world is against us, God doesn¡¦t care, and the short end of the stick has your name written all over it. But as Rick Warren has said, ¡§A very important test is how you act when you can’t feel God’s presence in your life.¡¨
James writes, ¡§The Son will come out tomorrow, but in the mean time, we need to keep living within integrity.¡¨ We need to be people of our word. Let your yes be yes, your no be no. Live life with integrity.
You know, our words can get us in all kinds of trouble. Think about all the violations of integrity that we hear almost everyday. Heard any of these? Said any of these?
„X The check is in the mail.
„X I’ll start my diet tomorrow.
„X Give me your number and the doctor will call you right back.
„X One size fits all.
„X This offer limited to the first 100 people who call in.
„X Leave your resume and we’ll keep it on file.
„X This hurts me more than it hurts you.
„X I just need five minutes of your time.
„X Your table will be ready in a few minutes.
„X Open wide, it won’t hurt a bit.
„X Let’s have lunch sometime.
Phrases just roll off our tongue, often without any intention of living up to them. But in the midst of such times when integrity means so little in our society, James says that until that day of judgment, live with integrity. Live up to your word.
Riches are not the answer. Financial aggression is not the answer in tough times for believers. Staying the course, believing in the coming day of the Lord is. The Son will come out tomorrow. How will you live until then? A prophetic word in the midst of a difficult letter. Practical stuff. Applicable today.
Let¡¦s pray.
