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On October 18, 1987, the rear door of an armored car flew open on I-71 through Columbus, OH. Over $1 million dollars scattered all over the road. One policeman said bills were fluttering around like snow. Drivers slammed on their brakes, jumped out of their cars, and scooped up the cash. Even pedestrians grabbed what they could. A few returned it. Most never did. (NY Times, November 24, 1987)
Money does strange things to people. It changes people. It destroys friendship. If you want to ruin a relationship, borrow or lend a friend some money. You’re better off just to give it. Put a substantial amount of money in a man’s hand and he immediately feels a surge of power and security. Wealth turned Achan into a thief. Gehazi became a liar for a little silver and two changes of clothes. Ahab became a murderer for a coveted vineyard. Judas betrayed Christ for a few pieces of silver. We regularly see CEOs and top executives marched into court and off to prison because of money. Bernie Madoff ripped off his closest friends and even his own family of nearly 50 billion dollars with his colossal Ponzi scheme, the largest financial fraud in history. He finally admitted to his sons, “It was all one big lie.” In 2008 Bernie was sentenced to 150 years in prison for his crimes, and died there in April 2021.
Money does strange things. It’s a great servant, but a damning master. Jesus warned about the danger of money over and over, “Woe to you who are rich” (Luke 6:24). When people asked John the Baptist what they should do to bring forth fruits of repentance, his response was all about wealth and money – share what you have, don’t steal, and be content with your wages. Nothing reveals your heart, character, and integrity more than how you handle money, how you think about money, and how you use your money.
Paul said the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and by longing for it people have wondered from the faith and pierced themselves with many a pang (1 Timothy 6:10). Jesus said where your treasure is, that’s where your heart will be. He said it is impossible to serve two masters, God and money. It’s easier, He said, to stuff a camel through a needle’s eye than for a rich man to get into heaven. And think of the rich people He told us about – that rich young ruler, that rich farmer, that rich man in Luke 16 who lived luxuriously every day and then dropped into the fires of hell when he died!
Not that money and wealth in itself is bad. The Bible favors capitalism and private property. Abraham was wealthy. Zaccheus was a rich tax collector. Joseph of Arimathea was a rich man. It isn’t possessing money that’s the problem – it’s money possessing us that’s the problem. Money does strange things to people. Watch a poor man get money and see how that money begins to possess him. It fills his thoughts and often loosens his grip on God, leading him slipping and sliding into a place where he no longer feels the need to pray, or read God’s Word, or go to church. Soon he is into a godless way of living. If money has gotten a grip on your heart, ask Christ to purge that money-lust out of your life.
James now fires away like an Old Testament prophet as he blisters the proud, godless, rich people here in chapter 5. Earlier he preached against the pride of judging others, the pride of making plans without God, and now he deals with the pride of prosperity, the power of money, and the strange things money can do to people. It is hard to tell whether he’s talking to professing believers in the church or unsaved folks in the community. All can benefit from his words. So today as we look at this passage, ask yourself what kind of power money and wealth and possessions have in your life. How does your giving reflect the treasure of your heart? Are you one of the typical 2-3% of income givers they say American churches are filled with? When Christ is your treasure, you will give liberally and cheerfully!
I want to extract some of God’s warnings about money’s power so we can learn from the plight of the rich folks James is addressing. We will do well to take seriously the five warnings given here by James.
MONEY HAS THE POWER TO BLIND YOU TO YOUR OWN SPIRITUAL CONDITION – vs. 1
James 5:1, Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you.
Unknown to these people, the looming hurricane clouds of God’s judgment are ready to burst in eternal wrath upon them for their idolatry of treasuring, loving, and worshiping their money. James is trying to shock them into reality here. They are full of glee as they luxuriate in their wealth, but they will burst into wailing and howling in despair when they enter the eternal miseries, wretchedness, distress, and hopelessness of eternal punishment! They were able to buy their way out of anything with all their wealth. Money made a way for them, but their money will be utterly worthless at the Great White Throne Judgment. Zephaniah 1:18, “There silver and gold will not be able to deliver them in the day of God’s wrath.” Proverbs 11:4, “Riches do not profit in the day of wrath.” Isaiah 2:20-21, “In that day men will cast away to the moles and the bats their idols of silver and their idols of gold which they made for themselves to worship in order to go into the caverns of the rocks and the clefts of the cliffs before the terror of the LORD and the splendor of His majesty, when He arises to make the earth tremble.”
Let me just take a moment here to remind us all that people who trust in anything other than Jesus Christ will be lost in eternal punishment forever. And the worst part of that is the eternal part. We perhaps could bear the burnings of hell for an hour or day or year or even a decade or century, so long as we knew there was an end, but this word eternal punishment should shock our hearts and send us flying non-stop to the cross of Jesus Christ for salvation! Remember Dante’s sign over the entrance to hell, “Abandon all hope, all ye who enter here.”
That’s why James warns these people that wailing, howling, and miseries await them unless they repent of their idolatry. Their money has blinded them to their own spiritual condition. That’s why Jesus said, “It’s hard for a rich man to enter heaven” (Matthew 19:23).
MONEY HAS THE POWER TO CAPTURE AND CONTROL YOUR HEART’S ATTENTION – vss. 2-3
James 5:2-3, Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure!
Instead of using their wealth to bless and serve others, they have laid up their treasures for themselves. They are swimming in stuff and it’s in the last days. James is probably speaking of grain rotting in bins and fine clothing being moth-eaten in closets. They have so much silver and gold it has somehow lost its value. It definitely will have no value at the judgment seat. Christ called riches deceitful (Mark 4:19). Why are they deceitful? They give you a false sense of security, freedom, and power. And money can come in and take the place of God in your heart. You live for it. It is your security. It is what motivates you.
The picture here is that while you fed on these things – sumptuous food, beautiful clothing, lots of money – you didn’t think about how these things would feed on you in the last days. James says wealth will bear witness against them when they face the coming fiery judgment. The stuff they lived for will be worthless at judgment day! Remember what Abraham told that rich man in hell who had habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day. “Remember that you in your lifetime received your good things. You misused them. You lived for them. They controlled your heart. And now they are powerless to help you” (Luke 16:25). Not only this, but James says it’s in the last days that they heaped up their earthly treasures when they should have been preparing for eternity and laying up treasures in heaven.
Randy Alcorn wrote on page 17 of his book The Treasure Principle, “You can’t take it with you, but you can send it ahead.” What a great principle. Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven. These people will have nothing in eternity but weeping and howling. James is probably speaking to lost men here, but how many Christians will end up with little heavenly treasure at the judgment seat of Christ? Greed and selfishness have far too great a hold on our hearts. We Christians often see little connection between being God’s child and our money. “I work hard for my money, it belongs to me, I’ll use it however I want.” Occasionally we’ll throw God a few dollars to keep our conscience clear.
Did you know that the money you have is a trust from God? Haggai 2:8, “The silver and the gold are Mine.” He owns it. You’re just His manager, His steward. Deuteronomy 8:18 says God is the one who gives you the power to make money. He has entrusted you with health, brains, and strength. He placed you in this time in history and this economy for you to work and earn a living. All that you are and have belongs to God. How much are you keeping and how much are you giving to Him? Many Christians have that Israelite mentality of Malachi’s day when they fed their bellies on the best and threw God the bones with a little meat, thinking He should be happy with that. And some folks have this patronizing attitude toward God, “Hey, looks like God needs a little help here. Guess I’ll throw Him some stuff we don’t need.” It is not that God needs our money. He doesn’t. If we never gave another cent, the church of Jesus Christ would go on and never miss a beat. But we would be the losers. We’d lose the joy of giving and the blessing of glorifying God with our heart’s worship in giving. We’d end up empty handed before our Lord who gave it all for us.
We need a heavenly treasure mentality, not a hoarding treasure mentality. There is nothing wrong with wealth; it is what you do with that wealth. We are blessed to live in this great nation. Even though we’re going through some hard times right now, we still have more luxuries and opportunities than most of the world. So don’t hoard your wealth. Share today what you can. Have you seen a hearse dragging a U-Haul behind it into the cemetery? Listen to this from Luke 12:32-34,
Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves moneybags which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near, nor moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
MONEY HAS THE POWER TO HARDEN YOUR HEARTS TO THE NEEDS OF OTHERS – vs. 4
James 5:4, Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.
James paints a powerful picture here. The pay they have unjustly withheld from their workers cries out or literally screams out from the rich owners’ treasury against them. And the suffering harvesters’ cries reach right into the ears of the Lord of Armies! God hears it all. The Old Testament prophets blasted away at this injustice. The prophets denounced rich tycoons who misused their wealth and abused the poor.
Jeremiah 22:13, Woe to him who builds his house without righteousness And his upper rooms without justice, Who uses his neighbor’s services without pay And does not give him his wages,
Their withheld pay cries into the ears of the Lord. God hears it all! He is right there watching and taking account of what they are doing. This is God’s earth. God runs it and God gave instructions on how to live. He sees, hears, and keeps account of every lie, excuse, every effort to avoid, every shifting of blame, every denial of truth and effort to avoid and escape Him. He sees how little we honor Him as God or give thanks! His ears are hearing it all! He is fully aware of the gross injustices and corruption in high places, not only then, but here and now.
And we have to remember they won’t get away with it. Political corruption is evil. Efforts to destroy our nation and to pollute our young generation with all the perverse gender fluidity talk make us angry. We shake our heads in unbelief at the corruption and lies of our government, but every corrupt judge, lawmaker, politician, and educator will pay the full price. The ears of the Lord of Sabaoth hear it all. He is the Lord of the armies of heaven who will deal out justice in His time.
What’s behind today’s injustice and corruption? Pure, raw, self-centered GREED. Greed hardens hearts. Giving refreshes hearts. God says you ought to treat others as you want them to treat you, right? Prayerfully figure out what God wants you to do with your extra cash. Can you think of someone who could use an anonymous gift, just to bless their day? Every once in a while, if you can afford it, give that hard working server an extra ten or twenty. Maybe you’ll have opportunity to let them know you’re a Christian. Jesus said in Luke 16:9 we should make friends with lost people with our charity. Your generosity may give you opportunity to share the gospel.
In 1 Timothy 6:17-19 Paul warned us about the love of money: “Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.”
MONEY HAS THE POWER TO MAKE YOU EXTREMELY SELFISH
James 5:5, You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.
Now James goes after their opulent lifestyles. They are swimming in wealth and have no qualms about indulging themselves in wanton pleasure. Warren Wiersbe tells about an oil-rich sultan who went on a shopping spree one day. He bought 19 Cadillacs, one for each of his wives and paid to have them lengthened. He also bought two Porches, six Mercedes, $40,000 speedboat, a truck to haul it, 16 refrigerators, $47,000 worth of women’s luggage, two Florida grapefruit trees, two reclining chairs, and one slot machine. The total bill was $1,500,000 with a shipping fee of $194,500!
Notice these people in verse 5 are fattening themselves in a day of slaughter. Their judgment is coming, but they are oblivious. They are like the wasp I read about somewhere that was slurping up jelly. Someone cut off his back half, but he kept on sucking it up and the jelly just went right out the back half. But more distressing than the wasp are these people in James who are blind to heaven, deaf to the warnings of hell, ignorant of the coming judgment, and fattening themselves in the day of slaughter. They are unrepentant, selfish, indulgent hoarders stumbling blindly to their doom. Commentator Edmond Hiebert says they are like cattle gorging themselves, oblivious that this is their day of slaughter.
The Bible encourages us to budget, save, and provide for our families and our later years so we are as little a liability to others as possible. But someone added, we as believers should “be freed from the endless pursuit of accumulation and instead become a profoundly thankful and uncommonly generous people.” Amen!
MONEY HAS THE POWER TO STEEL YOUR HEART AGAINST HUMAN KINDNESS – vs. 6
James 5:6, You have condemned and put to death the righteous man; he does not resist you.
These human monsters, like many of the butchers of mankind throughout history, have no qualms about falsely accusing and condemning a godly person. Joseph Stalin sent his goons out into the Russian countryside to murder and steal from the hard working Kulaks in the 1930s. He called it the “liquidation of the kulaks as a class.” Kulaks were middle-class farmers and considered capitalist enemies in the socialist system. Murderers like Stalin will pay a heavy price for their evil deeds.
James’ main point is that these rich, cruel, self-centered, abusive, indulgent people are in big trouble with God. They are living in the seat of luxury and pleasure and their wealth has made them inhumanly cruel, murdering the righteous man just like they murdered Christ. Money and power do strange things to people, but injustice and cruelty will not go unpunished. Unless they repent, they face a horrendous eternity.
James has given us a picture of extreme evil characters, whether in his day or ours. But let’s get practical. What power does money have over your life? Does it rule your heart? Nothing exposes character like how you think about money. Has your desire for money cut into your spiritual life? It can be as dangerous as a chainsaw or loaded gun if not handled properly. What is the treasure of your heart? Don’t store up treasures here on earth where moth and rust corrupt and thieves break in and steal. Instead, store up treasures in heaven. Remember Randy Alcorn’s advice, “You can’t take it with you, but you can send it on ahead.”
THIS WORLD’S GREATEST TREASURE
The greatest Treasure for a sinner’s heart was born in a cow stable, never owned a home, hung on a criminal cross, and was buried in a borrowed tomb. Your greatest investment is to bow your heart before Him and receive the riches of His grace, His forgiveness, His righteousness, freely, not by any amount of silver or gold or any works, for that matter, but freely, without money, by faith alone! Isn’t that amazing? The greatest treasure in the whole universe is available to you and me freely, without any money, by simple faith. “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31).