You Rich People

13. James then tells them four things they did wrong. Remember, wealth in itself is not wrong, but our attitudes and actions regarding wealth.

14. First, at end of vs. 4 - he says that they hoarded their wealth in the last days. At a time when the coming of the Lord was thought to be imminent they accumulated more and more just for the sake of accumulating. Their thoughts should have been toward the life to come rather than this temporary, short life. They were placing their trust in their bank accounts and pension plans rather than in God. The more they had, the more secure they felt. That is why so many rich people work so hard at becoming even richer. That which was a means to provide for life, for others and for God became an end in itself.

15. Like a person who wants to serve the Lord. He believes God has called him to a ministry to help those in need and to save souls. He are sincere and work hard and God blesses his ministry. It grows and now he needs to build a church. The focus is now on fund raising and promoting and actually building this new structure. Soon there is no more time to care for some of those in need. The focus has turned from using the church for ministry to that of maintaining and building the church. If this building becomes more important than the preaching and teaching of the gospel and of reaching out in love, we have a problem, similar to those rich who are being condemned.

16. This is a real danger, as studies have shown an decreasing % of churches budgets going to missions and an increasing % going to buildings and maintenance. Money is a means to an end - to be used for God and often it becomes an end in itself and then one is never satisfied. List of worlds riches people - no. 5 jealous of no.1. Therefor must accumulate more, get higher up the list.

17. The second sin is about how they got their wealth.

James 5:4 Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty.

They desire to reinvest or get ahead or hoard meant that they failed to pay their workers. The ones who needed the money the most to feed their families were not paid. I remember working for a small company for 6 months. Often not enough money in bank for paychecks. Owner more concerned with paying his American Express so he could do more travelling.

18. The wealth they had meant so much to the rich, they were not even willing to part with it to pay those who needed it. And their cries went up to God and reached His ears. In other words it was their cries which prompted God to action. He has always judged the oppressors. Just read through the OT book of Amos and other prohets.

19. He is the Lord Almighty. He is powerful and He will act in a mighty way against them. They though they may have succeeded in cheating others, but they have not deceived God and He will do something about it.

20. Their third wrong was that they lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. They fattened themselves in the day of slaughter. They lived for their wealth rather than for God. They were hedonists who sought one pleasure after another. And there are not many pleasures that money cannot buy. But these pleasures do not last.