Rodney Dangerfield says:

Money talks …

Mine says “Goodbye”

Money was not saying “goodbye” to these men

It is not a sin to be rich

• Abraham was rich, but he walked with God– He was used by God to bless the world

• James confronted the selfish rich– He told them to “weep & wail” – He gave three reasons:

1. The Way They Got Their Money

• James 5:4 NIV Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty.

• James 5:6 NIV You have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you.

The Bible does not discourage acquiring wealth

• Law of Moses laid down rules for wealth• Jews in Canaan owned property, worked

it, & benefited from its produce• Jesus’ parables showed respect for

personal property & private gain• The Book of Acts had wealthy Christians• Nothing in the NT contradicts the right of

private ownership & profit

Bible condemns acquiring wealth illegally or for illegal purposes

• Amos exposed the wealthy who robbed the poor & used wealth for selfish luxuries

• Isaiah & Jeremiah warned the rich of coming judgment

• James addresses how the rich acquired their wealth

Holding back wages

• James 5:4 NIV Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty.

These were day laborers

• Hired & paid by the day • No legal contracts with their employers• The Parable of the Workers (Matthew 20)

gives insight into the system• OT laws to protect labor from employers

Deuteronomy 24:14-15 NIV

• Do not take advantage of a hired man who is poor and needy, whether he is a brother Israelite or an alien living in one of your towns. (15) Pay him his wages each day before sunset, because he is poor and is counting on it. Otherwise he may cry to the LORD against you, and you will be guilty of sin.

These rich men had promised pay-for-work

• Work had been done, but laborers not paid• Aphustereo “to be behind from, to defraud”• Perfect tense – laborers will never get paid

Abusing the courts

• James 5:6 NIV You have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you.

The wealthy think they can do whatever they want

• James 2:6 NIV But you have insulted the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court?

When Watergate is mentioned, nobody thinks of a beautiful hotel

• An ugly episode in American history

• Perjury, obstruction of justice, manipulation of laws & resignation of the President

• God gave Israel a system of courts (Deuteronomy 17)

Courts were supposed to be fair

• Not partial to rich or poor (Leviticus 19:15)• Perjury was not to be tolerated

(Deuteronomy 19:16-21)• Bribery & extortion were condemned

(Isaiah 33:15)

Amos denounced judges who took bribes and “fixed” cases

• Amos 5:12 NIV …You oppress the righteous and take bribes and you deprive the poor of justice in the courts.

• Amos 5:15 NIV Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the LORD God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph.

The courts were easy to control if you had enough money

• Laborers could not afford expensive lawsuits, so they were beaten down every time

• They were right, but they couldn’t get justice• James 5:6 NIV You have condemned and

murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you.– “Murder” is probably figurative– Poor did not oppose rich because it was futile– All he could do was call on the Lord for justice

2. The Way They Used Their Money

• James 5:3 NIV 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.

• James 5:5 NIV You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter.

It is wrong to store up wealth when you owe wages

• These were hoarding grain, gold & garments• Thought selves rich because of possessions• Not laying up treasures in heaven by using their

wealth for God’s glory (Matthew 6:19)• Rather, selfishly guarding it for themselves• Ten years later, Jerusalem fell to the Romans &

all this accumulated wealth was taken

They kept others from benefiting from it

• James 5:4 NIV Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty.

The rich had robbed the poor by fraud

• They were not living on their own money• Using laborers’ money they should’ve paid• Should have seen selves as stewards

– 1 Corinthians 4:2 NIV Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.

They lived in luxury

• James 5:5 NIV You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter.

Quaker to affluent neighbor

• “Tell me what thou dost need, and I will tell thee how to get along without it.”

• Luke 12:15 NIV … "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."

3. What Their Money Will Do

• James 5:1-4 NIV Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you. (2) Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. (3) 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. (4) Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty.

The rich thought they had it made, but God thought otherwise

• James 5:1 NIV Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you.

• James described the consequences of misusing riches

Their wealth will vanish

• James 5:2-3 NIV Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. (3) 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.

It is a mistake to think there is security in wealth

• 1 Timothy 6:17 NIV Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.

• 1 Timothy 6:10 NIV For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

Their wealth will testify against them

• James 5:3 NIV 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.

Money talks!

• Stolen salaries cry out to God for justice• God heard Abel’s blood cry out from the ground

(Genesis 4:10)• He hears this stolen money cry out, too

– Deuteronomy 24:14-15 NIV Do not take advantage of a hired man who is poor and needy, whether he is a brother Israelite or an alien living in one of your towns. (15) Pay him his wages each day before sunset, because he is poor and is counting on it. Otherwise he may cry to the LORD against you, and you will be guilty of sin.

The workers will also testify against them

• James 5:4 NIV Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty.

It is possible to be poor in this world & rich in the next

• James 2:5 NIV Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?

• It is also possible to be rich in this world & poor in the next– 1 Timothy 6:17 NIV Command those who are rich in

this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.

What we keep, we lose; what we give to God, we keep with interest!

• A long-winded preacher was asked to give the annual “charity sermon” for the poor

• It was suggested that if he preached too long, the congregation might not give as much as they should

The preacher read his text

• Proverbs 19:17 NIV He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done.

• His sermon was brief:• “If you like the terms,

then put down your money.”

Money talks!

What will it say to you at the last judgment?