## Warnings to the Rich

## James 5:1-6

(James 5:1) "Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you."

When we read in the Scriptures concerning warnings given to the rich, we often dismiss them as being not applicable to us. After all, we aren't rich! We are struggling just to get by…or are we? The term 'rich' is a relative term. To someone with little, we may seem to be very rich! We need to understand that the underlying principle here deals with our attitudes, not our portfolios.

I. Weep And Howl … Judgment Is Coming. v1

A. Weep and Howl

1. Interesting choice of words.

2. It means to wail aloud and shriek.

3. Not a quiet sob or expression of sorrow.

4. This speaks of the severity of the coming judgment.

B. Miseries

1. These 'miseries' are the calamities that will be upon them in judgment for their behavior.

2. Remember James last thought from chapter 4? "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin."

3. James reminds us time and again that our Christian life is a life of action…or doing.

4. He warns us that our doing should be righteous…not evil.

5. The problem was the behavior of some who had wealth.

C. The problem with riches.

1. Are riches bad? Absolutely not.

2. The problem isn't wealth; it is our attitudes toward wealth.

3. "For the love of money is the root of all evil…" cf 1 Tim. 6:10

4. Not money, but the love of money.

5. This judgment upon the rich is not because they are wealthy; it is because of what they do with their riches.

II. Weep And Howl…Wealth Is Not Lasting. v2-3a

A. Two ways biblical wealth was evaluated.

1. Garments

(Judg 14:12) "And Samson said unto them, I will now put forth a riddle unto you: if ye can certainly declare it me within the seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty sheets and thirty change of garments:"

(2 Ki 5:23) "And Naaman said, Be content, take two talents. And he urged him, and bound two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of garments, and laid them upon two of his servants; and they bare them before him."

2. Gold or precious metals.

B. But the wealth of this world is not lasting.

1. The garments will be eaten up with holes.

2. The gold and silver is cankered or rusted.

3. Now, James knew that gold and silver did not rust, not in the ordinary sense of the word.

4. But he means that if the minerals lie unused they will become coated over with filth, tarnished, corroded, and eventually worn away.

C. Wealth that is not used will not benefit anyone at all.

III. Weep And Howl…Hoarded Wealth Will Destroy. v3b

A. 'Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.'

1. Saving money for a rainy day is not a bad thing to do.

2. But this is not what James is making reference to at all.

3. He is talking about the 'Uncle Scrooge' syndrome.

B. Wealth is not to be hoarded but shared.

(1 Tim 6:17-19) "Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; {18} That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; {19} Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life."

1. Ready to distribute and willing to communicate.

2. When God allows a believer to be blessed with material things such as wealth, it is for a purpose.

3. Jesus told us not to lay up our treasures on this world, but to lay them up in heaven…then they will last for all eternity.

4. God gives to us that we might give to others.

(Luke 6:38) "Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again."

C. Accumulated wealth (hoarded riches) will become a witness against us.

1. Abraham told the rich man in Luke 16:25, 'Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.'

2. 'The last days' is a reference to the time of reckoning before God.

3. As believers, we are stewards; everything we have, we have because God has given it to us.

4. We will give an account of our stewardship before Him.

5. How did we use what God placed in our hands?

6. God requires one thing from stewards: faithfulness.

IV. Weep And Howl…For How We Are Living Right Now. v4-6

A. Some people cheat, steal, and defraud others. (4)

1. Note what usually happens when they do: the cheated person cries out to God in his suffering.

2. When he does, God hears him. And note who God is: the Lord of Sabaoth.

3. This is the Hebrew word meaning Lord of hosts or Lord of armies.

4. It refers to God's omnipotence, His unlimited power to help the poor, the disadvantaged, and the oppressed. God will execute judgment and wrath upon the oppressors.

B. Some hoard their money and live selfishly in the luxury and pleasure of this world. (5)

1. They hoard and build up bank accounts and estates.

2. They live in the pleasure of the things that they have accumulated.

3. They seek to a life of gratification, of being recognized and known as being successful and powerful.

"And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry" (Luke 12:19).

4. They are making themselves fat for the day of slaughter.

a. This refers to the practice of fattening up the calf for the slaughter.

b. My dad would keep most of the cows out in the pasture.

c. But when he was preparing one to be slaughtered, he would pen it up in the barn and feed it grain until it was ready.

5. Those who live selfishly are like the animal that is being fed well for the slaughter. (They didn't know their fate)

C. Some condemn and kill the righteous. (6)

1. The person that is most disliked by the self-indulgent is the one who practices self-denial.

a. You know who hates a righteous man the most?

b. Not the wicked or lost man, but the believer who is not living, as they should.

c. The backslider cannot stand to be around one who lives according to the principles of God's Word.

d. Because they are a constant reminder of their disobedience.

2. Note: the righteous do not retaliate.

a. They just keep on living for Jesus.

b. They continue to reach out to those in need.

c. They continue to share with those who are hurting.

d. They just keep on doing what is right.

(James 5:1-2) "Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you."

What is James telling us this evening?

- Wealth and riches will not last
- We will all give an account to God for how we have used what He has placed in our hands.
- Wealth and riches should be shared with others.

True and lasting riches come only from God.