Watch Queue Queue The rich know how to use their cash to bend the legal system in their direction. Truly, as it hath been said, our wealth is like our shoes; if too small, they will gall and pinch us, but if too large, they will cause us to stumble and to trip. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. The rich know how to use their cash to bend the legal system in their direction. For one thing, “rich” is a relative term. Money is the currency of life. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Unfortunately for those who think like that, a day of slaughter is coming, and God will start with the rich pigs. 1 Come now, x you rich, weep and howl for the y miseries that are coming upon you. 5 Look here, you rich people: Weep and groan with anguish because of all the terrible troubles ahead of you. God is certain. You were rich or you were poor. Money is life, and life is money. “They used their money to help others.”. You can easily find cross-references with online tools like biblestudytools.com and sometimes even in the back of your Bible. This obviously varies greatly by region and by population group, but we can use it as a starting point. Man is prone to look upon that which is seen — that which is tangible, and therefore place his trust in these things instead of the unseen, eternal God. 5 Come now, you rich people, weep and wail over the miseries that are coming on you. It is a scathing indictment of the rich. When they scourged him, he didn’t retaliate. It will be admitted that riches will provide many comforts and exempt people from many of the problems that confront the poor; but people greatly err when they allow material things to supplant God in their lives. Cell phone, “Living in pleasure on earth” “nourishing your hearts,” “eating, drinking, and making merry” “are expressions which depict a life that has no trust in God. Abraham, Solomon, Job) but not one of them sought to be rich. Sometimes you’ll be a better Christian by not saying anything at all. Bible verses about Being Rich. 5 Come now, you rich!              who mowed your fields, I am struck by what James says in verse 1 about our money testifying about us in the last day. Are those five bills evil in themselves? And a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man’s table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores. (2) These warnings are far us even if we are classified as “poor” and only have very few material things. do good, be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate.” Trusting in riches instead of God is to trust in that which is not a sure source of good. They rationalized their sin by saying, “It’s a dog-eat-dog world. You find out what you believe when others mistreat you. Hold lightly what you value greatly because it isn’t yours anyway. Whereas James has given us many practical examples of how to live out our faith, he now gives a stern warning in a different type of language. Only some representative examples can be given. Money makes us think we can get away with anything. Warning to the Rich Dan Lee James 4:13 - 5:6 | December 2, 2018 James continues his no-nonsense approach to the difference Jesus makes in the life of a believer. That means you make more than 96% of the people in the world. Or he says, “The check is in the mail,” but he doesn’t mean it. He does not resist you” (v. 6). In this case, the rich men James is talking about had fattened themselves at the expense of their workers. Because the rich have lived in luxury, they have fattened their hearts in a day of slaughter. We all know how this story ends. Whoever oppresses the poor to increase his own wealth, or gives to the rich, will only come to poverty. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. 1 Timothy 6:17 "Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy" (1 Tim 6:17) What comes to mind when you think of rich people? Inductive Bible of Jesus' parable of the rich fool in Luke 12:16-21. They can turn the truth upside down so the poor man has no chance. In this way, the poor as well as the rich can be guilty of the same evil. While that statement sounds uber-spiritual, does have a hint of truth to it, and would look great emblazoned on a fairtrade t-shirt, … James 1:10-11. and the rich man is to glory in his humiliation, because like flowering grass he will pass away. A finely dressed man? They have no moral value. Come back and work for me tomorrow.” Same thing happens on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Their miseries were sure to come because their silver and gold was rusted, their garments moth-eaten, and many just ones had been made to suffer by their fraud and lack of mercy. Billy Graham remarked that he had never seen a Brinks truck following a hearse. James 5 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) Warning to the Rich 5 Come now, you rich people! Bible > Sermons > James 5:1-6. 3 Your gold and silver have rusted and their rust will be a witness against you. The cries of the workers reach the ears of the Lord of the Harvest. As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. The very wealth you were counting on will eat away your flesh like fire. We all deserve hell, and apart from Jesus, that’s where we will all end up. You can buy your own plane to take you wherever you need to go. After all, if you’ve got enough money, you can create your own “heaven on earth.” It’s not real, and it won’t last, but money has tremendous power to feed our delusions. He’s angry and worried and desperate to care for his wife and children. Without it, you are in big trouble. Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. The motives for making money assigned in the scriptures are to supply our own needs, those who are dependent upon us, and “that we may have to give to him that have not.” (1 Tim. We’ll discuss how we can thrive in the midst of trials, the importance of how we speak about others and how we should treat the poor. But what can he do? By Bob Cowles • 20 Jan, 2018 • James 5.1-6 . Now the man is desperate because he’s got a family to feed. The rich have all the advantages. From a positive standpoint, Timothy was to charge the rich to “Trust in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy . Suppose I hold up five twenty-dollar bills in my hand. Notice, the rich are told not to trust in “uncertain” riches. You end up dead, toys or no toys. Since we are wealthy compared to most people in the world, these words are for us. . The Bible does not uphold poverty as the pathway to righteousness, nor should we. James' Stern Warning. Your gold and silver has corroded. The problem lies in the human heart. A study of Christian wisdom. You can hire lawyers who can work the system to get you off even when you are guilty. It is hard for a man to pray as fervently “give us this day our daily bread” when he has millions in the bank. Another Proverb warns us not to hasten to be rich. When the Gallup organization surveyed world income, they discovered that 22% of the world population lives on less than $1.25 per day and 34% lives on less than $2 per day. I tend to have a problem with reading comprehension.. It will consume your flesh like fire. It couldn’t be clearer. 2 Your wealth is rotting away, and your fine clothes are moth-eaten rags. They can hire the best lawyers who know how to craft the most powerful arguments. James 5 English Standard Version (ESV) Warning to the Rich. The word translated “condemned” comes from the courtroom. A four-week series "Equipping and encouraging people to keep believing in Jesus", Copyright © 2020 Keep Believing Ministries. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. But riches can trick you into thinking you don’t need God. The poor are not more righteous because of their poverty, and the rich are not necessarily more evil because of their wealth. In the first century, there were three main indicators of wealth. We must not think this couldn’t happen to us. Yes, God made rich certain men in the scripture (e.g. Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry. He uses our money to make us think the measure of a man is his bottom line. By entering your annual income and pressing a button, you can find out where you stand. Hold lightly what you value greatly. Don’t be a fool! In some deep sense, all of life is about money and time, and there really isn’t a third category. James 5 New Living Translation (NLT) Warning to the Rich. 6:17 f; Jam. An enormous, extravagant house?              the righteous person. Wealth can make us cruel. He uses our money to turn us away from generosity toward the poor. We can’t squirm out from under the biting impact of what James writes. Bible study reference: James 5:1-6. Because he has many fields that need harvesting, he must hire many men to work for him. 5:4,8 f; Eph. They murdered the Son of God to satisfy their bloodlust. Righteousness doesn’t depend on the size of your bank account. But let’s do the math another way. When you stand before the Lord, your money will be a witness for or against you. 5 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you.2 Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten.3 Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion … Let go of the things you own. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep" (Luke 6:24-25). You have fattened your hearts The real question is, how will we use what God has given us? There is a cause and effect in this third warning. Truly, it may be said, “their belly is their God” and “their glory is their shame.”. 3 Your gold and silver are corroded. Warning to the Rich. In a real sense, money is like bait on a hook. God hears the cries of the oppressed who call out to him day and night. Though he had done no wrong, he was sentenced to death. I saw a bumper sticker that said, “He who dies with the most toys wins.” That’s so stupid. If you make $50,000, you’re in the upper .3%. When they drove the nails in his hands and feet, he didn’t threaten them. Compared to Bill Gates, most of us are not rich. Computer, 3 Your gold and silver have corroded, Open your bibles to James 5:1-4. What will your money say about you? These words are so harsh that we instinctively assume he must be talking about someone else. They were hired by the owner and paid by the day. Note one other fact. This time he specifically addresses those who make plans and use their wealth without God in the picture. Ill gotten gains at the expense of the poor will bring damnation to your soul (Jer 17:11). Cars? From these Scriptures we can behold some of the “pits,” “snares,” and “lusts” connected with riches “which drown men in destruction and perdition.” How wholesome, therefore, are those things which protect us from such disaster. Faith That Works – Warning to the Rich: James 5:1-6 . Wicked men plotted against him and suborned perjury against him. Perhaps you’ve heard of the “other” Golden Rule: “The man with the gold makes the rules.” We’ve all seen how this works. In fact, compared to him most of us are dirt poor. May we who are rich in this world’s goods be as generous to others as God has been generous to us. My enemy is not my bank account. Naked we will leave. Berean Study Bible Oppressing the poor to enrich oneself or giving gifts to the rich will surely lead to poverty. All such need to learn that experience and the Scriptures clearly reveal “the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (2 Cor. That’s the real test of your faith. You have laid up treasure in the last days” (vv. You needn’t feel guilty about having money or being blessed beyond what you deserve. James says that this “innocent man” does not resist his accusers.              and your garments are moth-eaten. Let’s go down to $10,000 a year. Closet full of clothes, 2 Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten.               that are coming upon you. If you live in the United States, you should be glad because you’re in the upper 1% of world income. If you’ve got food in your pantry and clean water to drink, you’re doing better than millions of people around the world. Does James 5:1-6 apply to them? We think about the super-rich found on the Forbes Billionaire List, people like Jeff Bezos, Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook. We should note one other thing before jumping into the text. Warning to the Rich. “Behold, the wages of the laborers In the end we come back to a familiar theme. If you complain, he says, “You’re fired!” What do you do then? It means to pass a guilty verdict in a very personal way. The Bible says if your riches increase, don’t set your heart upon them. Well, yes, James is certainly thinking about the richest of the rich. Behind the poor man stands the Lord himself. We can know that the presence or absence of money is not the way we measure God’s blessing. If you follow Jesus, this will happen to you too. When we stand before the Lord, we’ll have to answer for how we spent our time and how we spent our money. So the laborer gathers up what money he has and tries to bring the wealthy man to court. “You have condemned and murdered Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten. It reads like something one of the Old Testament prophets might have written. 2 Your wealth is rotting away, and your fine clothes are moth-eaten rags. Ecclesiastes 10:19 even says, “Money is the answer for everything.” That’s true. Knowing all this, James issues a stern warning. Warning to the Rich - Come now, you rich! We all end up dead eventually, and the grave for the rich looks exactly like the grave for the poor. How often they want to limit how much health care they can obtain. 5) can look no where else. Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. “He built a great empire.” Everything you have is a gift from God. 1 Timothy 6:8-9. This is an area of my life that I struggle with the most. Mark 10:17-27 is the […] ( Log Out /  “Pastor John, whenever I read in James 5, the chapter about the wailing and misery awaiting the rich of this world, I am filled with fear for the judgment day. “Rich and poor have this in common: The LORD is the Maker of them all,” notes Proverbs 22:2. It all belongs to God anyway. Money buys influence, power, and protection from prosecution. WARNING TO THE RICH. 3 Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. When bystanders spat at him, he didn’t spit back. They are not “good” or “evil.” They are just twenty-dollar bills. 1 Timothy 6:17-19 ESV / 15 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful. If you have gained according to God’s laws, neglect not the poor, especially those who are of the household of faith (Gal 6:10). May the Lord deliver us from greed that destroys every good intention and blinds us to the hurting world around us. You can use for leading a small group Bible study. The system is rigged against him. I’m not rich if Bill Gates is the starting point. But he may be thinking of Jesus when he writes about “the innocent man” in verse 6. Warning to the Rich James 5. Bed, My enemy is the man in the mirror who worries too much about his bank account. Own plane to take the place of God in people ’ s terminology thinking about the richest the. 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