Rev. David Holwick ZC First Baptist Church Ledgewood, New Jersey August 7, 1994 James 5:1-6 CAN A CHRISTIAN DRIVE A B.M.W.? =============================== I. A radical critique. A. James sounds like an OT prophet on the issue of wealth: inflamed, direct, and a little overboard. 1) One out of every five verses in James focuses on money. B. It still scandalizes us today. Upton Sinclair, the novelist and social reformer (The Jungle) once read a paraphrase of this passage to a group of ministers after attributed it to Emma Goldman, an anarchist agitator. The ministers were so enraged they declared she ought to be deported. [Hughes] C. We need to be warned, because we envy the rich. 1) [Lifestyles of Rich and Famous...] 2) They are actually in great danger. D. The exploited poor need to know justice is coming. II. James' rebuke of the rich. A. He is addressing the rich pagans outside the church. 5:1 1) In chapter 1:9-11 he seems to address rich Christians. 2) Here in chapter 5, the rich are unbelievers bound for hell. a) Biblical images of judgment: b) Weeping and howling; day of slaughter. B. No rich people in heaven? 1) Some think Bible teaches this. a) Tony Campolo raises question, "Can Christian own a BMW?" His answer: Jesus wouldn't. 2) But many examples of rich believers in Bible. a) Abraham, Joseph, Daniel, Joseph of Arimathea. b) Jesus says rich can get into heaven, but it's a lot harder for them. -2- C. Wealth has a way of demanding our allegiance. Matt 6:24 1) Dollar bill says, "In God We Trust." [hold up bill] a) But we know better - all others pay cash. 2) Wealth can be an attempt to buy a little piece of heaven here on earth, at the expense of genuine heaven in the life to come. 3) Money becomes their god. (Rich Man and Lazarus) III. Here come de judge. A. We are in the "last days." 5:3 1) Rich are hoarding up wealth in this period. 2) Standard expression of time before Second Coming. a) Not distant future, but living in them right now. Heb 1 3) Condemnation is not future, but present. a) John teaches same thing, both with salvation & damnation. b) The rich are being condemned right now. c) The evidence is in the condition of their wealth. B. Treasure is secure in heaven, or rusted on earth. 1) Wealth back then was usually in form of grain, clothes and precious metals. 2) James describes each category as being rotten, eaten up, or rusted. 3) No matter how secure something may seem, before God it is nothing. Irving Stone, in "Men to Match My Mountains," describes the fascinating life of H.A.W. Tabor. Tabor was one of the richest Americans of his time, having amassed tens of millions of dollars from his silver mines in Leadville, Colorado, during the 1870's and 1880's. This was back when there was no income tax. Everything he touched turned to money. He bought one mine because gold flecks could be seen in the hole. Actually, the miners had "salted" it with a shotgun and some gold dust. -3- When Tabor found out he had been cheated, he laughed and told his crew to keep digging. They hit a huge vein and more money flowed. His richest mine was called the Matchless. H.A.W. Tabor lived an extravagant lifestyle. His wife bored him, so he dumped her for a beautiful young temptress named Baby Doe. He thought it nothing to wager $3,500 on one poker pot. His wealth greased his way to become a congressman. Tabor gave away hundreds of thousands of dollars to every friend, moocher or confidence man who made a touch. He ran his mansion in princely style; he and Baby Doe bought furs, jewelry, carriages, furniture, art objects. Tabor did not bother to pay the bills. The store owners rarely pressed him. After all, wasn't he a multimillionaire? When Congress demonetized silver in 1893 and made gold the only standard for money, Tabor lost his wealth overnight. All of their possessions were sold to pay off the debts and they ended up renting a small cottage in Denver for $30 a month. Then they reached the point where there was not a nickel left to buy food. Tabor dropped his pride and went to the Brown Palace Hotel where a dozen of his wealthy friends hung out. He saw a group of mining men sitting in a circle in the foyer. He knew all of them. They had been his pals for years. His old friend Stratton would never turn him down. Tabor whispered over Stratton's shoulder, "Can you lend me $100?" Stratton waved a dismissing hand in the direction of the figure at his shoulder, and said coldly: "Go away." H.A.W. Tabor rushed out of the hotel and half ran, half stumbled along the street, tears flooding down his face. Stratton asked who the fellow was who had just tried to beg. "That was Senator Tabor." "What?" cried Stratton. "Tabor wanted a hundred?" He got up, ran down the street to overtake H.A.W., apologized by saying he had not recognized him, and pressed $500 into his hand. "Tabor, would you like to be postmaster of Denver?" (Tabor had donated the land the post office was on.) He was an efficient postmaster for just over one year. One day in April 1899, while taking a stroll, he went into the Tabor Grand Opera House. He stood gazing at the oil portrait of himself, which the new owners had allowed to remain hanging. Suddenly a sharp pain from a burst appendix cut through his side. -4- As he was dying, he said to Baby Doe: "Whatever happens, hold on to the Matchless. It will give you back all that I have lost." Baby Doe packed up her two daughters and moved back to the desolate mountain town of Leadville. They lived in the abandoned tool house, one room and a lean-to. Its timbers were rotting, its broken windows boarded up, and it was freezing cold in winter. When their money ran out Baby Doe dressed herself and the girls in discarded miners' clothing. She wore an old black dress and a man's overcoat which also served as her blanket at night. For years she kept the water out of the Matchless mine and guarded the property with a shotgun. Baby Doe lived deep into the twentieth century. She never left Leadville and became a ghost wandering around a ghost town. One winter night she froze to death at the mine where she had remained for 30 years, faithful to Horace Tabor and to his parting instructions: "Hold on to the Matchless. It will give you back all that I have lost." Our own pursuit of the dream of material wealth can be just as sad. #1597 IV. What the rich did wrong. A. They have ripped off workers. 5:4 1) OT commanded owners to pay workers at end of day. Deut 24:14f a) They literally lived hand-to-mouth. b) Their family starved if not paid for the day. 2) Rich found ways to cheat workers. (Ahab & Naboth) 1 Kg 21 3) [exploitation in Roxbury by developers?] B. They have lived for pleasure. 1) James says they have a loose, luxury-filled lifestyle. a) Note emphasis, "on earth," as opposed to a lifestyle that centered on God. b) They are wasting God's gifts, even when not hurting others. 2) Because of this, they will be cast into hell. -5- V. Difficult truths. A. Everyone will answer to God. 1) Judgment is coming. a) It may already be here. b) Are you dissatisfied with your life? 1> God may be speaking to you before it's too late. 2) There will be no turning back, no second chance. a) Many will be utterly shocked. b) No one can escape God's judgment. B. The way we live shows what we really believe. 1) Is our lifestyle luxurious, or simple? a) Amish emphasize this. b) But we should not be limited to horses and buggies. 1> [or cars with chrome mufflers painted black] 2) It is a matter of financial priorities. a) Does God get your tithe? b) Are you always in debt? c) Are your purchases practical, or just impressive. d) Are you generous with those less fortunate? 3) All Americans are rich. a) It's not just the other guy. It's us. Letter from Tim Long in Dominican Republic. Every week an eight-year-old boy came into the Baptist office to shine shoes. As Tim put his shoes on the boy's box, he asked him what he got for Christmas the previous day. (In the D.R., the Three Kings bring children presents) The boy said he woke up and quickly looked under his bed. The Three Kings had left him nothing. His father explained they had no money for presents and sent him out to shine shoes. Many children in the Dominican Republic, and around the world, have the same experience every year. Those who are blessed have an obligation to share. -6- C. The longer we live a certain way, the harder our hearts become. 1) James never offers them salvation. a) They are condemned, though they still live. 2) It is never too late and God does not give up on us, but we can give up on him. a) Example of Pharoah: the longer we oppose God, the harder it is to come to him. b) They are told to weep and wail because they are too far gone. c) Repentance is possible, but unlikely. D. Put hope in God, not money. 1 Timothy 6:17 ================================== Original sermon: January 17, 1988 ================================== I. Martin Luther King, Jr. and social problems. A. Not unique to America. B. Many social problems hinge on money. C. James sounds like an OT prophet on the issue: inflamed, direct, and a little overboard. II. James' rebuke of the rich. A. He is addressing the rich pagans outside the church. 1) In chapter 1:9-11 he seems to address rich Christians. 2) Here in chapter 5, the rich are going to hell. (pagans) a) Biblical images of judgment: 1> Weeping and howling. 2> Day of slaughter. B. No rich people in heaven? 1) Some like to think so. a) Others think Bible teaches this. 2) But many examples of rich believers in Bible. a) Abraham, Joseph, Daniel, Joseph of Arimathea. b) Jesus says rich can get into heaven, but it's a lot harder. C. Wealth has a way of demanding our allegiance. 1) Dollar bill says, "In God We Trust." a) [hold up bill] b) "But we know better." 2) Wealth can be an attempt to buy a little piece of heaven here on earth, at the expense of genuine heaven in the life to come. 3) Example in parable of Rich Man and Lazarus. a) Lazarus lacked everything, so had to trust in God. b) Rich Man lived it up and gave no thought to his future. 1> Rich Man came to regret it, but there was nothing he could do. c) James is talking about this kind of rich person. 1> They have let money become their god. III. Here come de judge. A. We are in the "last days." 1) Rich are hoarding up wealth in this period. 2) Standard expression of time before Second Coming. a) Not distant future, but living in them right now. Heb 1 3) Instead of treasure in heaven, they have it heaped on earth. B. Condemnation is not future, but present. 1) The rich are being condemned right now. 2) Their riches are rusting in front of their own eyes. a) Wealth back then was usually in form of grain, clothes and precious metals. b) James describes each category as being rotten, eaten up, or rusted. c) Even the gold. It actually does rust, but slowly. C. No matter how secure something may seem, before God it is nothing. 1) [illust of John Connally] a) Pillow: "It's not a sin to be rich anymore, it's a miracle." IV. Reason for rip up. A. They have ripped off workers. 5:4 1) OT commanded owners to pay workers at end of day. a) They literally lived hand-to-mouth. b) Their family starved if not paid for the day. 2) Rich found ways to cheat workers. a) Classic story of King Ahab and Naboth. 1 Kings 21 1> Naboth wouldn't sell ancestral land. 2> Ahab pouted, Jezebel plotted. 3> Naboth accused of treason, killed, land seized. 4> God got last word - through Elijah. 1 Kg 21:19 b) This is kind of oppression James condemns. 1> Like Jezebel, they have condemned and killed the poor. 5:6 2> Perhaps not literally, but they used others unfairly for their own gain. B. They have lived for pleasure. 1) James says they have a loose, luxury-filled lifestyle. a) Note emphasis, "on earth," as opposed to a lifestyle that centered on God. b) They are wasting God's gifts, even when not hurting others. 2) Because of this, they will be cast into hell. C. Application to today. 1) Not just J.R. Ewings of the world. 2) All of us are condemned. V. Insights from James 5:1-6. A. Everyone will answer to God. 1) The rich James is addressing probably didn't care, or listen to him. a) But ignorance is no excuse under the law. b) Whether we are aware of God's standards or not, we will be held accountable for them. 2) There will be no turning back, no second chance. a) Many will be utterly shocked. b) No one can escape God's judgment. B. Best evidence of your spirituality is how you treat others, especially the disadvantaged. 1) Religion is measured by lifestyle, not rituals. 2) Some can quote the Bible backwards, but are cold and selfish. C. The way we live shows what we really believe. 1) Is our lifestyle luxurious, or simple? a) Amish emphasize this. b) But we should not be limited to horses and buggies. 1> [or cars with chrome mufflers painted black] 2) It is a matter of financial priorities. a) Does God get your tithe? b) Are you always in debt? c) Are your purchases practical, or just impressive. d) Are you generous with those less fortunate? 3) All Americans are rich. a) It's not just the other guy. b) Even those on welfare in America are rich. Letter from Tim Long in Dominican Republic. Every week an eight-year-old boy came into the Baptist office to shine shoes. As Tim put his shoes on the boy's box, he asked him what he got for Christmas the previous day. (In the D.R., the Three Kings bring children presents) The boy said he woke up and quickly looked under his bed. The Three Kings had left him nothing. His father explained they had no money for presents and sent him out to shine shoes. Many children in the Dominican Republic, and around the world, have the same experience every year. Those who are blessed have an obligation to share. D. Judgment is coming. 1) It may already be here. 2) Are you dissatisfied with your life? a) God may be speaking to you before it's too late. E. The longer we live a certain way, the harder our hearts get. 1) James never offers them salvation. a) They are condemned, though they still live. 2) It is never too late and God does not give up on us, but we can give up on him. a) Example of Pharoah: the longer we oppose God, the harder it is to come to him. b) They are told to weep and wail because they are too far gone. c) Repentance is possible, but unlikely.