Welcome to Day 2129 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

James – Wisdom Is Faith in Action 11 – Warnings To The Wealthy – Daily Wisdom

Putnam Church message – 11/21/2021

James: Wisdom Is Faith in Action – Warnings To The Wealthy

We are continuing our series today on the Proverbs of the New Testament, better known as the letter of James. Last we focused on The Perils of Playing God, covering Warnings against Judging Others and Warnings about Self-Confidence. Today, we will explore Warnings to the Wealthy and learn why wealth should not be our primary source of thankfulness.   James 5:1-6 Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days.  Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty.  You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter.  You have condemned and murdered the innocent one, who was not opposing you. Let me take you back about 100 years.  In 1923, an elite group of businessmen met at the luxurious Edgewater Beach Hotel in Chicago. The roster included some of the early twentieth century's most influential, famous, and wealthy moguls. These men were among them:

• Charles M. Schwab—President of Bethlehem Steel Corporation
• Richard Whitney—President of the New York Stock Exchange
• Albert Fall—Secretary of the Interior under President Harding
• Jesse Livermore—Wall Street tycoon
• Ivar Kreuger—Head of a global monopoly of match manufacturers

These heavy hitters controlled more wealth than the total assets of the United States Treasury at the time. Indeed these men would become models of the entrepreneurial spirit and stellar examples of financial success. But fast-forward about twenty-five years or so and look back on the courses of their lives:

• Schwab—died $300,000 in debt in 1939 (nearly 6 million in today’s money)
• Whitney—served time at Sing Sing prison for embezzlement
• Fall—served time for misconduct in office, leaving behind a ruined reputation
• Livermore—committed suicide in 1940, describing himself as “a failure”
• Kreuger—shot himself in 1932 after his global monopoly collapsed

Buried beneath the rubble of humiliation, defeat, crime, sickness, and financial collapse, these men—along with a number of their colleagues—died in a painful, pathetic condition. Their wealth, power, and prestige did nothing to soothe the personal anxiety and guilt they suffered in life. The reality is that great intelligence and hard work can make a person wealthy. But it takes God-given wisdom and supernatural humility to manage wealth and influence. Last week James warned us against playing God instead of submitting to God’s sovereignty (4:11-17). Now, James rails against the pride that so quickly deludes the wealthy of this world (5:1-6). In each case, James encourages God-enabled humility. In this passage, it is essential to note that James is not condemning wealth, nor those who have wealth, but those who abuse it by hoarding it instead of using it to build God’s kingdom.  This concept is essential when applied to individuals who can use their wealth to help or exploit through their control of wealth. James begins by calling his wealthy readers to attention: “Now listen!” He used the exact phrase when addressing the autonomous businessman in 4:13. James almost expects certain people to be so distracted by worldly pursuits that he needs to snap them out of their daze: “Now listen!” In 4:13, he addressed those who spent their days as if God weren’t their Lord. In 5:1, he addresses those who spend their money as if He weren’t their Master. This passage is the first time James has directly addressed wealthy people in his letter. But he has mentioned them twice before. In 1:10-11, “And those who are rich should boast that God has humbled them. They will fade away like a little flower in the field.” And in 2:5-6, “Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren’t they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him?  But you dishonor the poor! Isn’t it the rich who oppress you and drag you into court?” Based on these passages, it would be easy to conclude that James has it in for the rich! One might walk away from James’s apparent ridicule of the rich and conclude that the poor go to heaven while the rich go to hell. But let’s not go there. Scripture teaches it’s not a person’s financial wealth or poverty that determines one’s relationship with God, but the person’s spiritual condition. Being outwardly rich or poor refers to how much of the world’s goods a person has. Inward wealth or poverty refers to a person’s relationship with God and is expressed through love for others. When we look at things this way, there are four classifications. Your bulletin insert shows the four quadrants and may help explain this. I have included a description, a prescription for how to minister to people in each category, and a biblical example or two for each type. Looking at this chart, some may see themselves fitting into the third category—poor in this world, but spiritually rich in Christ. Let me challenge you, though, by suggesting that, for the most part, our definition of “poor” is far different from the Bible’s. Poor people in the Bible were homeless, helpless, destitute, and hopeless. They often had nothing to eat or wear and nowhere to stay. By biblical standards, even most people living by our society’s standard of “poverty” wouldn’t have been regarded as truly “poor.” Possibly some of the homeless in our large cities. The reality is that most of us are blessed with more than we need and are, therefore, in the position to bless others—assuming that we haven’t fallen into the fourth category. James addresses his rebuke to those in the fourth category, the physically rich and spiritually poor. Although believers can be outside God’s will concerning their finances, in 5:1-6, James targets the unbelieving rich who oppress the poor. These are the same people he mentioned in passing in 2:6-7. What does he say to this group? “Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you.” The warning is clear: trusting in the strength of riches instead of trusting in Christ will end in disaster. As Psalm 62:10 says, Don’t make your living by extortion or put your hope in stealing. And if your wealth increases, don’t make it the center of your life. FOUR KINDS OF WEALTH AND POVERTY Physical Condition: Poor and Spiritual Condition: Poor

• Description: Having few of the world’s goods and not living in God’s love, the doubly poor are most miserable.
• Prescription: Provide essential physical needs to express God’s love; for unbelievers, point them to salvation in Christ; for believers, exhort them to trust in Christ to provide both physically and spiritually.
• Biblical Example: Those who are both physically and spiritually afflicted (Isa. 61:1).

  Physical Condition: Rich and Spiritual Condition: Rich

• Description: Having been blessed with both material wealth and heavenly riches, the doubly rich use their prosperity to help others.
• Prescription: Provide opportunities for giving and serving others with time and resources.
• Biblical Example: Job before and after his trials (Job 1:1-3; 42:10); Joseph of Arimathea (Matt. 27:57).

Physical Condition: Poor - Spiritual Condition: Rich

• Description: Having few of the world’s goods, the externally poor are often in need of food, clothing, and shelter, but they have a strong faith and often give what little they have.
• Prescription: Provide essential physical needs and give opportunities to minister to the spiritual needs of others.
• Biblical Example: The poor widow (Mark 12:42-44); the poor of this world who are rich in faith (Jas. 2:5); the church in Smyrna (Rev. 2:9).

Physical Condition: Rich and Spiritual Condition: Poor

• Description: Having an abundance of the world’s goods, the spiritually poor forget that their blessings come from God in order to bless others.
• Prescription: Provide correction; for unbelievers, encourage them to trust in Christ instead of riches; for believers, encourage them to submit their wealth to the lordship of Christ.
• Biblical Example: Unbeliever: the rich young ruler (Mark 10:21) Believers: the church of Laodicea (Rev. 3:17).

After that general rebuke, James turns to some specific reasons for it. James paints a grim picture of the wealthy unbelievers’ dark spiritual condition. And along the way, he also points out the divine retribution for this behavior. First, James rebukes the rich because they are guilty of hoarding their riches (5:2-3), not that they had riches. In those days, people could display their wealth in three ways: feasting lavishly, dressing extravagantly, and spending wildly. (Some things never change!) James targets these three areas of the flamboyant lifestyle of the rich, pointing out how foolish it is to center their lives on these things. As a result, food spoils over time, and with disuse, garments get eaten by moths, and precious metals tarnish. Second, James rebukes the rich because they are guilty of cheating others (5:4). Instead of giving a fair wage to those who worked their fields, the rich cheated them. One sign of the selfish rich is their reluctance to pay their bills. During the financial crisis that began in 2008, the world witnessed numerous superrich reward themselves with bonuses while their employees lost their jobs. It’s an unbelievable reality that some of the greediest people are also some of the wealthiest—and some of the most generous people will give away their last dime! Third, James rebukes the rich because they are guilty of a selfish lifestyle (5:5). The wealthy wicked lived in the lap of luxury, indulging in pleasures and fattening not just their bellies, but their hearts, too! James paints a picture of a person trying to satisfy the deepest longings of his heart with an extravagant lifestyle. Like a pig being fattened for slaughter, these wealthy don’t even know that as they selfishly gorge themselves on the pleasures of life, they are eating and drinking judgment upon themselves. Fourth, James rebukes the rich because they are guilty of taking unfair advantage of the righteous (5:6). Echoing a charge mentioned in 2:6, James takes his rebuke to the highest level. The rich are guilty of judging and putting to death the “righteous.” The word “righteous” is singular, referring to a kind of person—the righteous one. This category would include not only Jesus, the ultimate Righteous One but also all those believers who, like their Lord, endured condemnation and martyrdom for their faith—all at the hands of rich, powerful oppressors. It includes all the righteous people who are treated brutally by wealthy unbelievers. Application: James 5:1-6 Strong Words to the Wealthy As we’ve seen, James uses some sharp words for the wicked, reserving some of his severest warnings for those who are physically wealthy but spiritually poor. Before we shrug our shoulders at this warning and pretend we are exempt, we would be wise to recall some practical principles for all believers to follow. First, hoarded riches reap miserable dividends (5:1-3). If you look into the face of the unsaved wealthy today, more often than not, you’ll see stress, worry, bitterness, and emptiness. Wealthy people finally discover that money can’t purchase happiness; on the contrary, it often brings despair. Third, no amount of wealth will prevent a terminal disease or stop death. Second, riches provide no relief in eternity (5:3). Proverbs 11:4 says, “Riches won’t help on the day of judgment, but right living can save you from death.” A day is coming, says James, when the Trustworthy Accountant will conduct His audit. On that day, the unsaved rich will be handed a bill they can’t pay, and all their earthly treasures will be like ashes blowing in the wind. Only God’s righteousness—the free gift of faith in Jesus Christ—rescues a person on the Day of Judgment. Third, unjust acts of the unsaved are not forgotten (5:4). James says, that “The cries of those who harvest your fields have reached the ears of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.” It refers to God as the Judge who wages war against His enemies (Isaiah 2:12). James’s Jewish audience would have been familiar with this title since it was borrowed from their native Hebrew language and culture. And they would have caught its allusion to the coming end-times judgment. Just as the voices of the oppressed Hebrews enslaved in Egypt reached God and brought His judgments (Exodus 2:23-25), so God hears the voices of today’s oppressed people. Fourth, a lack of judgment on the wealthy today does not mean a lack of judgment on the wealthy tomorrow (5:1-6). Throughout this passage, James holds the warning of end-times judgment over the pretty heads of the tycoons. The believer’s judgment is behind him—Christ bore the full punishment of death, paying for all our sins on the cross. Romans 8:1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. But the unbeliever’s judgment is ahead of him and lasts for all eternity. Thus, for a season, it may appear that the wicked get away with prospering at the expense of others, but in the end, their evil deeds will be remembered. If James illustrates the extreme examples to avoid, Paul’s first letter to Timothy gives us two principles to follow. First, God’s concern is not with actual wealth, which is neutral, but with our attitudes toward wealth (1 Timothy 6:8-10). “So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content. But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.” Second, God is not against wealthy people, but against their misguided priorities (1 Timothy 6:17-19). Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. By doing this, they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life. If we keep our attitudes correct and maintain proper priorities, we won’t be led astray by riches and become spiritual paupers. But this attitude toward riches can only come from a God-given humility in our hearts with Thanksgiving. The cure for the pride and arrogance of wealth is the work of the Spirit. O God our creator, Who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Let those of us who have much and those who have little gather at the welcoming table of the Lord. At this blessed feast, may rich and poor alike remember that we are called to serve one another and to walk together in God’s gracious world. Thank you so much for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and, most importantly, your friend as I serve you through this Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal. As we take this trek together, let us always:

1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
2. Love Unconditionally
3. Listen Intentionally
4. Learn Continuously
5. Lend to others Generously
6. Lead with Integrity
7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

I am Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Everyday! See you next time for more wisdom from God’s Word!