James Pt. 9 Are You? James 5:1-12
In Luke 12 Jesus is teaching and preaching the values of the Kingdom of God to large throng of people, so many that the Scripture says they were Stepping on each other to hear Him (12:1) when He is interrupted by a member of his audience. The conversation soon leads to one of the most famous parables Jesus ever told. It begins:
13 Someone in the crowd said to Him, Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me. 14 But He said to him, Man, who appointed Me a judge or arbitrator over you? 15 Then He said to them, Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.
16 And He told them a parable, saying, The land of a rich man was very productive. 17 And he began reasoning to himself, saying, What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops? 18 Then he said, This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.
19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry. 20 But God said to him, You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared? 21 So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.
Our key question tonight is: Am I rich toward God? Are you rich toward God?
According to the Lord we serve, one may be rich in faith or rich in human wealth, but rarely is one truly rich in both. As Jesus also said regarding His Kingdom values in Luke 18:24-25
How hard it is for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.
Does this mean that Christians are to take a vow of poverty? Some have said so. My answer is YES AND NO.
YES, we should make a vow NOT to put our FAITH in money or things.
But NO, things are never the issue. It is always HOW we relate to the things of life, how much importance we give to them.
To quote the Apostle Paul Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.
Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the Treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is LIFE INDEED. (1 Tim. 6:17-19)
There is another great expression, take hold of that which is LIFE INDEED. Obviously, it is not the things of this world, but a Right Relationship with God.
In tonight s passage in the book of James 5:1-12, God teaches us all that there is a very High Cost to Unrighteous Living.
It reads- Come now, you *rich, (*probably NOT Believers, probably the Sadducees. Prior to the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, they were well known for exploiting their positions to oppress the poor.) 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 (Hosts) 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. Not sound so good so far is it? Then turning to the Christians he writes-
7 Therefore be patient, Brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. 8 You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.
9 Do not complain, Brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door. 10 As an example, Brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.
11 We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.
12 But above all, my Brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath; but let your Yes is to be Yes, and your No, No, so that you may not fall under judgment. Great passage! How does it apply to me again?
In context, James is not so much condemning the rich Sadducees, (he is, but that s not his primary goal) as he is trying to encourage the poor, oppressed Brethren.
Remember back in chapter 2 how James reproved the Brethren for [making] distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives? 5 Listen, my beloved Brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?
6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court? This is sort of the flip-side of that passage. And the basic Message is: Exercise Patience.
Someone once said; With the rich and mighty a bit more patience is needed. And our God has said, Do not fear, My Justice will prevail.
Sadly in this life the rich do quite often live by their own set of rules. They often live selfish and ungodly lives, and because they are rich they usually get away with it. They cheat others, not paying them a fair wage or any wages says James. They are not rich toward God.
They have not fixed their hope on God, but on things, and as a result, they have condemned themselves in regards to the judgment. This Ultimate Justice is James, theme. And His Assurance is that God will not fail us.
In contrast to the rich who have fattened their hearts as in the day of slaughter, (5:5b), these Believers are commended to establish their faith or their hearts in Christ, (being strong in the inner man) in light of the return of the Lord.
The fact that Jesus hasn t come yet has given some rich folks the mistaken idea that He s not coming at all. They have abandoned any hope or any faith in God s ultimate justice. Mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, "Where is the promise of His coming? It escapes their notice that the world was destroyed, being flooded with water. But by His Word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. (1 Pet. 3:3b-7)
James word to the Wise Believer- To follow the examples of the unbelievers is to follow them into destruction, RATHER they should remain vigilant, as The Judge of all men is standing at the door, (5:9) as we speak, and His return and Judgment are ever Eminent!
James says, the farmer knows that what he plants in the Spring, cannot be harvested until the Fall. In a similar way what God has promised in the Spring of Jesus Life, He will reap or harvest in the great Fall or Judgment to come. (5:7).
He adds, you remember Job. Do you remember how he endured his trials, trusting that no matter how bad it got, God would in the end, act in his best interest (Job 42:10-17)? The same God of Compassion and Mercy is in Heaven today. He will reward you Faithfully in the Judgment, says James.
Until then, remain patient. God knows every heart. God knows who is and who is not Rich Toward Him.
God has promised that one day three witness will testify against those who oppress them. They are RUST, GREED and their *CORRUPTION against widows. (*The very opposite of Pure Religion).
The money they used to curry men s favor and grease the wheels of earthly prosperity, will be useless in buying God s favor, or influencing His justice. It will rust in importance in the Judgment.
And as for their Greed, Our God will not forget this either. Since they have been so ungenerous with others, God cannot, will not be generous with them. Since they withheld their treasures on earth, God will withhold His Treasures above.
And as for the oppression of the widowed, which again James said is ANTI-CHIRIST or ANTI-RELIGION, this sin too will meet with God s perfect justice. They will soon be fatherless when they are condemned to a fiery Hell from which God The Father Himself cannot be reached
And in terms of the pain and persecution they brought upon of others for however many years, this will be multiplied many times over in terms of the pain and sorrow, and they will experience their punishment for eternity. Romans 12:19b VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY, says the Lord. (Deut. 32:35)
So, do not fear and do not fret, there is JUSTICE in this universe and HIS name is GOD. Therefore, when you do seek God, seek Him honestly and faithfully. Be as genuinely honest toward God -as these rich folks were desperately dishonest toward Him.
So, In James words- 12 But above all, my Brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath; but your Yes is to be Yes, and your No, No, so that you may not fall under Judgment. Matt 5:34a But I say to you, make no oath at all
James ends by quoting [or at least referencing] Jesus in Matt. 5:33-37. The key here is that along with their rusted values, greedy choices and corrupted behavior, the rich here were also notorious liars. They lied to men and God. But James plea is not be like them. To instead be circumspect in their language. To speak faithfully and honestly.
There was a time when a man s word was his bond. That day has passed for most men. But as for the Christian, it should still be true If a Christian says Yes, or No according to James, that should be it.
Back in James 1:17 we read that, Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. That last expression means that God does not say one thing but mean another.
The actual word turning is from the Greek entrōpe, which means confusion or even shame in the Greek. The same idea is conveyed here. We are never to speak shamefully or dishonestly. We Don t SPIN the Truth.
We Speak the Truth in Love (Eph. 4:15) and we don t have to take oaths because our Christian commitment is our oath. Our Oath Not Needed
In context, what James is saying is that when dealing with the rich, one might be tempted to be less than truthful, one might not be as honest as John the Baptizer was in regard to Herod and Herodias. Mark 6:20 indicates that Herod respected John, knowing him to be a just and holy man
Not even a Herod could not completely disregard such an honest man.
It s not just our own individual character that s at stake here The world will judge the church by its membership. Christ Himself will be viewed in light of His people s behavior (good or bad).
Will we, like the world, live selfishly, greedily, and unfairly? Will we seek riches for riches sake and trust in them as our strength and stay?
Or will we chose to be Rich toward God? Will we live for God and for Christ and be consistent in our faith? Will we, in the words of James- be doers of the Word, showing our faith by my works? Will we prove to be God s children by being wise and understanding?
Will we show our faith by our good behavior done in the gentleness of wisdom? Will we live purely, and peaceably, gently, and reasonably? Will we be full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy?
Or will we follow the pattern of the world and be like the Sadducees and all those who trust in their riches and in themselves? Prov. 11:28 He who trusts in his riches will surely fall.
Let us then, Draw near to God and He will draw near to us. Let us cleanse our hands and purify our hearts, and not be double-minded. 9 But be miserable and mourn and weep for our sins; Humbling ourselves in the presence of the Lord.
These are not just platitudes. This is Pure Religion. Is it Your Religion?