The False Security of Money and Possessions - The Letter of James - James 5:1-6
Outline:
1. The sin of materialism will be judged.
2. The false security of materialism will quickly be exposed.
3. Materialism gives us a sense of power and superiority over others that leads to many other evils.
Scripture References:
- James 5:1-6
- Prov. 10:15
- Prov. 11:4
Application:
- Where does your true sense of security and strength lie today? Is it in the security of God's present care and promises in your life? Or is it in the things you hope to accomplish or acquire?
- What is your view of the rich and powerful? Be honest.
- What is your view of the things and opportunities God has given you? Do you see them as primarily for yourself? Or do you see all you have as a tool to worship God and serve others?
Discussion Questions:
- Why does James include a passage that is addressed to unbelievers? What are the purposes of this passage to all who hear it?
- What is James saying about money and possessions in this passage and what is he NOT saying?
- How are asceticism and materialism similar and how are they different?
- Which of these false ideas is more prevalent in our lives today?
- What is so evil about relying on our money and possessions?
- How does the battle against materialism play out in our lives today? How do we battle against it?
- How does the gospel of Jesus confront AND CURE materialism and asceticism in our hearts?
- How does this passage help us to look out onto the world around us more accurately and correctly?
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Materialism is one of the most destructive forces for human life.
Why is this the case? Because essentially sin is a rebellion against the kingdom of God in our lives. When we seek to build our own little kingdom, the primary thing we’re gonna latch onto material things we can acquire things that make us feel safe and secure.
The Bible speaks about materialism a lot. Money was the subject that Jesus spoke more about than any other subject.
13% of the Bible directly addresses the topic of money and material Possessions
In our passage today, James continues his confrontation of a false philosophy of life. Last week we saw how James confronted the mindset of people who planned their life without reference to God.
They plan their life as if God doesn’t control it, and as if they don’t live daily and full dependence on God sovereign purposes
In this paragraph, James continues the confrontation, but he takes it a little deeper and he takes on a tone that’s a little bit stronger.
James goes all Testament profit on us here and he pronounces a announcement of judgment that comes upon people whose lives are completely submerged and driven by the desires of riches and materialism.
His words here are extremely valuable to all of us today, even if you are not a billionaire who is lying cheating, and abusing other people and living in extravagant luxury
Sin of materialism and wealth is one of the primary gods of our age, and of the western world, in which we live, if we compare our standard of living to the rest of the world today.
This passage helps our hearts and teaches us how to view ourselves as Christians, and how to view the people around us in the world, who live in luxury
1. The sin of materialism will be judged.
"Come now, you rich people, weep and wail over the miseries that are coming on you."
Who is James addressing here?
This is actually something that makes this passage a bit unique.
In the previous passage he is addressing christian merchants and business people who planned on wealth and success without ever thinking about how their life depends on God.
But here, his pronouncement is a lot more harsh and judgmental.
Also, these people he is addressing are clearly oppressing christian people who work for them. you see that in verse 6
Because of this most scholars agree that this section specifically is directed at wealthy and corrupt non christian land owners that the original readers lived under.
As we have mentioned in the past, James was written to christians living during persecution and likely displaced from their original homes.
these kinds of people often ended up working for wealth farm owners for little to no wages.
the ancient near eastern world was a lot more segregated when it came to wealth than our modern western world.
a very tiny fraction of very rich people often controlled the majority of land and power - and the majority of the population was trapped in poverty with no power to get out
These people were very easy to take advantage of.
So as part of his desire to give these christians a sense of justice and hope and encouragement, James takes a moment here to directly speak to these corrupt unbelievers.
This also helps the members of the church who ARE wealthy to listen and think carefully about how they relate their their wealth.
He pronounces judgement on these wealthy ppl
Weep and wail!!!!
This is serious - this is real - this is reality.
Materialism can be deceptive. The psalm we read highlights this
When it comes to how we sin in relation to our stuff - there are two options
Materialism and asceticism.
asceticism is a negative view of material things. Rooted in a false idea of spirituality as being opposite to material things. This idea came from the Greeks who views spirt as good and matter as bad.
Gods creation is good. OT theology shows us that God blessed his ppl and instituted feasts!!
Christians often embrace asceticism - thinking being poor is more spiritual. This is false.
The other extreme however is materialism - making wealth and material things the foundation of our joy and happiness
In our modern western world this is by far our greater danger
We can look at the rich and powerful on social media or tv and we can envy and desire it
But James says this to them - weep and wail!!!
Both materialism and asceticism are rooted in the same sin - the sin to establish our own sense of confidence.
Asceticism builds confidence in self made religion and self control and renunciation.
Materialism builds confidence in amassing our own power with our own hands.
Both of these responses are wrong because they use things to get FURTHER from God.
God's creation is good and it is given to us for fruitful lives of service to God and dominion over creation as those who represent and obey God the Maker of all things.
the things we have are meant to be thankfully enjoyed and used in service to God and others.
2. The false security of materialism will quickly be exposed.
2 Your wealth has rotted and your clothes are moth-eaten. 3 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.
Perhaps the number one reason we fall prey to building our lives around money and possessions is because they give us a sense of security.
We are anxious and stressed when we have a hard time figuring out how we will pay the bills.
But when we see that we have plenty - there is a an ease of heart and spirit that takes over.
A sense of well being. A sense of energy.
I always love to bring the example of how even our sense of energy is often a subjective mindset rather than a physical state.
You may feel exhausted and burned out from a very hard week of work. Your mind feels so worn out. You are grumpy with the kids or with your family - and you tell yourself its because its been a tough week and you are only human.
But how would you feel if in that moment you were handed 1,000,000 dollars? Like someone told you won something and you look at your accounts and sure enough SIX ZEROS!!
you would probably (hopefully) quickly clear out your credit cards and debits - and seeing that didn't even make a DENT in your account - you are washed over a sense of lightness, joy and energy!!
We have forgotten all about he fatigue and exhaustion and mental stupor you felt only minutes before. what happened to it??
Money and possessions have great power to give a false sense of security and power.
Prov. 10:15
"The wealth of the rich is his fortified city..."
The fundamental posture of unbelief is to have security without God. To have a sense of control and power in life without reference to our Creator.
It is to extinguish that feeling of DEPENDENCE upon another - the One who made us.
James points right into this impulse and says that everything that a person works for when he seeks to puts his trust in money or things - is false hope.
"your wealth has rotted and your clothes are moth-eaten..."
He speaks in the present tense, as if it is already happening.
"what do you mean James? my clothes are doin just fine - and my dollar bills are still there in the bank lookin happy"
No - but the CONFIDENCE that those things gives you is rotting because it was never a real sense of peace and security.
Yaro mentioned to me a few weeks ago how he was talking to his dad about the challenges of family life and paying bills and planning ahead and hopefully getting to a place of stability.
And his dad made the remark, "Stability is an illusion."
Lets get back to our analogy from before - your previously sad and evening has turned into a celebration - you've popped open a bottle of, we a baptists so its most likely not champagne - a bottle of Martinelli's and you are having a great time.
And then you get a call that someone you love very much has gotten in a car crash and died.
(sorry its a rough evening!)
How does the news of a death of a loved one change your view of your newly acquired wealth??
All of a sudden it does not matter at all.
your life is devastated by pain and loss - and no amount of money can help with that.
James is trying to make this point - the stability and power your wealth gives is FAKE. Everything can change in an instant - and you have spent all the time pursuing something that does not deliver.
3 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.
Here James adds another element - here is the reason why wealth can't give you real security - because the security that you are after is a security that is eternal.
All our lives is lived out in accountability to GOD and there is coming a day when we ALL stand before him to give an account.
James says in the day of judgement, when you should have spent all your energy investing into eternal things - you have put all your mind to worldly pleasures - and you have NOTHING to cling to when you stand before God.
In this sense, your very own riches become the thing that speaks to your guilt. you have lived in God's world and you have used his good gifts to drown out the need in your soul for his salvation and forgiveness and restoration that only HE can give.
Prov. 11:4
"Wealth is not profitable on a day of wrath, but righteousness rescues from death."
Wealth is not evil, possession are not evil.
What is evil is that lie that takes over our hearts so easily that says - if only I had that, I would be good.
this is evil because is actively leads you away from knowing, relying and walking in the power of your heavenly Father.
3. Materialism gives us a sense of power and superiority over others that leads to many other evils.
4 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.
5 You have lived luxuriously on the earth and have indulged yourselves. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned, you have murdered the righteous, who does not resist you.
No only does the sin of loving money and possessions lead away from depending on God - it also leads to abuse of others and evils that we otherwise would not have considered doing.
The more power a sinful human being gets, the more power he wants and the more he will do to get it and protect it at all costs.
back to the money scenario - its the wrong account and you have to return it.
examples:
- people not paying others for work done
- Lying on taxes
- Using ministry money for personal agendas
- the temptation for dishonesty in order to gain something
More power has more potential to bring out more evil from the human heart
Its amazing to see that the way that our God entered the world to save us from our sins - he came having nothing and boasting no power or wealth or status.
And in living a life of speaking the truth to the people he came to save - its is the wealthy and powerful that were MOST enraged by his work.
In his suffering he exposed the evil of sin and he made a preliminary judgement of sin and evil as he rose victorious over the grave.
Jesus who died for our sins has conquered sin and death and now sits exalted to the ultimate seat of power over the universe - as King of kings and Lord of lords.
And this means that the timer on all evil is ticking.
This is also the hope that James gives.
All evil, all abuse, all perversion of justice - ALL OF IT WILL VERY SOON BE JUDGED
This is the foundation of our hope.
This is where we anchor ourselves - not in a desire to establish our own security - and not in a desire to avenge all the injustice we have experienced or witnessed.
Application:
- Where does your true sense of security and strength lie today? Is it in the security of God's present care and promises in your life? Or is it in the things you hope to accomplish or acquire?
- What is your view of the rich and powerful? Be honest.
- What is your view of the things and opportunities God has given you? Do you see them as primarily for yourself? Or do you see all you have as a tool to worship God and serve others?