Fill Up

---

When Money Corrupts – James 5:1-6 Appreciated John’s announcement re helping with sandbags . . . Corps of Engineers – 6m bags distributed in E. Iowa and the QC At 3 people filling 5 bags per minute – that’s a lot of help that’s needed Not to mention putting them in place If you can help out around here while there’s still time; Or with the clean up afterwards . . Let me encourage you to do so; It’s not only a good thing to do . . . But our testimony is never brighter than when we help one another in times like these James 5:1-6 (The message is titled “When Money Corrupts” – you’ll see why) Money is not wrong; The love of money is wrong (1 Tim 6:10) . . . But money, in and of itself is not wrong Neither is being wealthy wrong There are quite a few people in the Bible who were wealthy – Abraham, Job, David, Solomon, Josiah, Philemon, Joseph of Arimathea, and Lydia All godly people; So being wealthy is not wrong What is wrong is the corruption that often accompanies money/wealth That’s the focus of this text in James – not on riches per se, but on the corruption associated with riches It’s on those who gain their wealth in an ungodly manner And those who make their wealth the center of their lives And those who fail to use their wealth for kingdom purposes and the benefit of others That’s the focus of this text – a stinging rebuke to those who have been corrupted by $$ Before you check out because you’re not rich, hang on Because not only does the possession of money tend to corrupt But so does the acquisition of it, and even the desire for it So there’s something here for everybody Broken it down into 5 warning signs and 5 consequences – when money corrupts Starting with luxury WARNING SIGNS (v5-6)  Luxury is the norm (5a) Speaking to those who have already been corrupted . . . 5 – You have lived on the earth in luxury That was the norm for these wealthy people They lived in great comfort and posh surroundings – while those around em barely lived They were constantly accumulating more and more for the purpose of pampering/ease Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Maybe a bit too familiar

 But this doesn’t just apply to the rich and famous The corruption of money can grip the poor just as much as the rich Especially when the poor forfeit necessities in favor of luxuries I led a missions trip to Mexico about 6 years ago And we built houses for the poor (sheds by our standards) I remember building one of them in a community that sat on top of a garbage dump that had long since been full One of the most out of place items I saw on some of the surrounding “homes,” were the satellite dishes on the tops of shacks built of plywood, tarps, tires, and bailing wire Money had so corrupted their thinking that they forfeited necessities in favor of luxuries Rich or poor, when money corrupts, luxury is the norm – It’s the first warning sign  Self-indulgence is rationalized (5a) 5 – You have lived on the earth in luxury and self-indulgence. We talked about it last week as a trapping of success that leads to arrogance Here it’s an explicit indicator of the corruption of money And it usually manifests itself in an excessive investment in yourself, and a lack of investment in the things of God An excessive investment in your future, and your retirement, and your luxury . . . And a lack of investment in kingdom things; A lack of investment in ministry It’s like v3 says – You have laid up treasure in the last days. Just when the money God has given you is most needed for kingdom purposes, you’re storing it up for yourself All the while rationalizing it with selfish logic and unbiblical thinking  I’m not saying, and neither is James, that saving money for old age is wrong – you should so as not to be a burden to others, and to provide for your family But if you’re setting it aside so that you can have an easy life before your working years are past – that’s self-indulgence If you’re setting aside more than what you need – that’s self-centered If you’re setting it aside when you know you should be giving it toward kingdom things – that’s selfish Keep what you need, give the rest away, and avoid the corruption of money Don’t rationalize your self-indulgence any longer Break out of the status quo, and do great things for God

When money corrupts your thinking, it’s just a matter of time before it corrupts your life Just a matter of time before the satisfaction of your needs aren’t enough The more material possessions you enjoy, the more you want – even though you don’t need them Pretty soon, luxury is the norm in your life; And ease, the goal of every decision

As a result of this passage and the ministry that lies ahead, I have an increased passion to see those with discretionary income, invest it heavily/sacrificially in kingdom things I can’t wait for the day that some of you pull me aside and say – “Hey, God has blessed me with a thriving business and income, and I’m ready to start investing it in things with an eternal dividend; Do you have any ideas?” At the very least, it’s a sure-fire way of avoiding the rationalization of self-indulgence

Lest you think that’s no big deal, notice the phrase on the earth James seems to suggest a contrast between the luxury the indulgent rich enjoy in this world, and the torment that awaits them in the next

 Sympathy is absent (5b) 5b – You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter At a time of great abuse (a day of slaughter) – a time when . . .

The poor are being heavily oppressed and finding it difficult to make ends meet . . . We could care less; We’re over here filling up on all the pleasures we can find In so doing, we show zero sympathy for their plight We’re living high on the hog, and their barely living We’re gorging ourselves on all that money can buy, and they’re barely getting by And the worst part about it is – we don’t care When that’s the case, money has corrupted us because sympathy is absent

 (Summary Slide) When money corrupts – people are expendable; power is abused; sympathy is absent; self-indulgence is rationalized; luxury is the norm for your life Those are the warning signs If any one of them describes you, take heed and make changes Don’t ignore the hand writing on the wall, because the consequences will crush you Starting with brokenness

 Power is abused (6a) 6 – You have condemned The implication is that the rich were treating the poor unfairly They were condemning them to a continued life of poverty and hardship by treating them unfairly and ignoring their dignity IOW they were abusing their power over them

CONSEQUENCES (v1-4)  Brokenness awaits you (1) 1 – Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you Weeping and wailing occur frequently in the OT Prophets, to depict the reaction when the day of the Lord arrives – Judgment Day James is like, you just as well start now, because complete, gut-wrenching remorse and brokenness awaits you – there is no getting around it It’s the first consequence of succumbing to the corruption of money But the last thing to enter the mind of those who have

When a love of money invades your heart, let alone the corruption of possessing more than you need . . . When that happens, the tendency is to think less of those who have less And with that in mind, you’re just a short step away from abusing your influence/power A short step from making decisions that are detrimental to them, and favorable to you, just because you can It’s a huge risk in politics; In social services; Education; Church

The unrighteous rich think their indomitable, unstoppable Prov 18:11 – A rich man’s wealth is his strong city, and like a high wall in his imagination. Imagination is right – and there’s nothing like a little money to fuel it, and make us feel secure when we’re not

 People are expendable (6b) They’re unnecessary; 6b – You have murdered the righteous person. He does not resist u. He hasn’t opposed you or done you wrong To murder anyone, for any reason, would be completely wrong But when it’s a righteous person, someone innocent, for the sake of money – you know for sure that money has corrupted your soul So I think he adds righteous to emphasize the extent of the corruption This is as bad as it gets, and seems unimaginable Until you consider the situation that’s described Most likely, the wealthy were denying their workers adequate wages In so doing, the workers couldn’t buy food and provide for their families And they were starving to death That’s not unlike the slave owners in our country’s past Who often times withheld sufficient sustenance in order to keep their slaves just strong enough to work, but too weak to escape In so doing, they died a slow death, many times due to the complications of malnutrition – murder by any other standard Variations on that theme continue throughout the world – like the young girls in SE Asia who are purchased from their parents to be exploited in the sex trade If it doesn’t kill their bodies, it certainly kills their souls You know that money has corrupted yours, when you care more about the almighty dollar than you do about those who help you make it

James assures us, imagination or not, miseries are coming Complete with the brokenness of weeping and howling It’s the first consequence of the corruption of money  Riches will fail you (2-3a) Read v2-3a – Money and riches and possessions will let you down, wear out, and break every time Even those things that do last, will lose their luster and prove unsatisfying/unfulfilling in the long run When money corrupts, riches will fail you – that’s the point here in v2-3 Even the safest of your investments will prove unreliable – like gold and silver corroding They were well aware that gold and silver didn’t corrode in the 1 st century – James wasn’t speaking out of ignorance Rather, he was using an extreme example of something considered permanent, to point out that even the things you think will last forever, won’t Even the safety of precious metals will let you down, when money corrupts And when it does, the failure of those “safe” investments will be evidence against you (3) The failure of your wealth will prove your corruption If you’re focusing more on earthly treasure than heavenly treasure – you’re fighting an uphill battle Not only do you risk the corruption of money, but earthly treasure will fail u every time  Misery will consume you (3b) Read v3 – the failure of your money will eat your flesh like fire

James uses the metaphor of fire here to indicate that the failure of your riches will not only indict you as having been corrupted by money, but consume you with misery in the meantime Prov 15:6 – In the house of the righteous there is much treasure, but trouble befalls the income of the wicked. How many times have you seen this? How many people have gone crazy because of their money worries? How many people have become eccentric and reclusive because of their obsession with money How many people have committed suicide because of their financial woes? Like those who jumped out of windows after the stock market crash of 1929 Or those who made their money through illegal or unscrupulous means, and took their life to avoid the consequences Their misery was unbearable, and it consumed them (Prov 1:19) – Such are the ways of everyone who is greedy for unjust gain; it takes away the life of its possessors. In some cases, literally When it comes to money – you can’t take it with you, it won’t last forever . . . And when it’s the source of your corruption – misery will consume you It will suck the life right out of you, and eat your flesh like fire And you don’t have to be rich to experience it  Injustices will haunt you (4a) Like the injustice of cheating people out of their wages V4a – Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you The injustice is fraud – stealing by deception and deceit In this case, withholding the wages that are rightfully due to the workers James personifies those wages as if the money itself is crying out from the bank account of the corrupt employer, accusing him of stealing Like a person who embezzles money from an organization, and is reminded of it every single time he looks at his bank balance – it haunts him Instead of seeing dollar signs, he sees “cheater” splashed the page Whether it’s withholding a fair wage from your employee or those you manage . . . Or stealing from those you work for; Or mistreating those you’re responsible for Whatever it is, there’s no getting away from the injustice It will cry out against you and haunt you to the end of your days, until you resolve it  Time will expose you (4b) It’s only a matter of time before your sins will find you out 4b – The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts The implication is that of a time lapse; And the result is that God knows The one who leads the host of heaven, and is capable of righting all wrongs Point is – time always reveals truth; always

If it’s not exposed on this side of heaven, it will be on the other What the indulgent rich think they do in secret, and without risk of reprisal, is not hidden from God – he knows And he will right all wrongs, all injustices, all abuses – it’s only a matter of time If you’ve succumbed to the corruption of money, repent now and right your wrongs (Summary Slide) Begin now to use your money for kingdom purposes, instead of selfish ones; Don’t wait Don’t suffer the constant nagging of past injustices anymore Don’t bear the misery of failed possessions any longer And don’t wait for God to judge you  Let’s pray, and we’ll go to The Lord’s Table (pray) The Lord’s Table is a time of reflection, repentance, and symbolism . . . Where we eat bread to remember the broken body and suffering of Jesus on our behalf We drink the cup to remember his death in our place So if Jesus is Lord of your life – join us, whether you’re a member here or not This is for all believers But if he’s not Lord of your life – if you haven’t been saved by his grace, through faith and repentance of your sins . . . Let the bread and cup pass so that you don’t risk God’s judgment as the Bible says His judgment for saying something outwardly by your actions, that’s not true inwardly After the bread and cup are distributed, hang on to them, and we’ll take them together Bread – Jesus said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” Cup – This cup is the new covenant in my blood . . . This cup and what it contains is symbolic of the promise of salvation that Christ’s blood bought/guaranteed Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me Stand and continue to worship the one who came and died, to reconcile us to God (How Great Thou Art)

Close VBS; Happy Father’s Day