Sermon Tone Analysis
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Introduction:
Next weekend is Labor Day weekend.
What you might not know is that the first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5th, 1882 in New York City in accordance with the Central Labor Union.
In 1884 the first Monday in September was selected as the holiday and the Central Labor Union urged similar organizations in other cities to follow their example.
Through the years the nation gave increasing emphasis to Labor Day.
Municipal ordinances were passed, state bills and finally Congress passed a bill on June 28th, 1894, making Labor Day an official holiday on the first Monday in September.
Our nation also celebrates Labor Day by marking it as the last official weekend of summer.
Many travel and spend time with their families over this extended weekend which will include Monday.
As with any holiday, monies will be spent—whether through the cost of travel, food & festivities, fun activities, and so forth.
But here in God’s Word it’s not talking about making more money, or paying off debt, the Bible is speaking to our attitude about money.
James says here that how we treat people, fellow workers, and our leisure time, speaks volumes of our character.
In other words Money Matters.
Some have the attitude of extravagance.
Some have the live within their means attitude.
Others have money but live like there are broke:
Transition:
In our passage this morning, while it won’t cost us much, we’ll see James speak strongly about money.
James
Let’s be honest here, we work because we have to make money.
We sing the song of the seven dwarfs Hi Ho, Hi Ho, it’s off to work we go.
Then we display the famous bumper sticker, I Owe, I Owe, so off to work I go.
But here in James, he’s not talking about making more money to provide for family, or for paying off your bills, this apostle is addressing the believer’s attitude concerning money.
James says here that how we treat people, fellow workers, and those in our leisure time, speaks volumes of our own character.
In other words, money does matter and a bad attitude makes for Crummy Money.
Some Christians have the attitude of lavishness/extravagance, yet without the means to back the lifestyle.
Some have the humble ‘live within their means’ attitude, although their means could be stretched further.
Others have money but live like there are broke: And still others have money and are happy to let the whole world know about it.
Transition:
What does this all mean then?
This really boils down to what James illustrates for us in this passage: namely, the desire for money is worse than the vain things that we buy.
Misused money leads to miseries!
There are at least two points he makes about this wealthy attitude:
I.
The Misery of Possessions (vv.2–3)
The first is the misery of seeing our possessions rot.
James
James
James next points out that riches are worthless when it comes to eternal salvation.
The terms used here (“wealth,” “clothes,” and then in the next verse: “gold and silver”) are a fairly standard catalogue of the riches in the ancient world, especially if “wealth” refers to land and its produce.
The produce of the land has “rotted,” and the clothing has been eaten by moths.
Now here is a devotional passage to wake up to in the morning!
Yet James continues:
1 pe
In others words, “Stop hording!” Scripture never tells us that we should not save money.
It urges us to be wise, and biblical wisdom includes giving thought to the future and to plan prudently for it.
Hoarding takes place when we continue to accumulate above and beyond that which is necessary—and boy does it become evident when you move into a new home!
Technically these precious metals do not rust (as some translations have it) or corrode here.
Likely, James knew this, but is using prophetic language—similar to literary styling—in order to highlight the fact that even our most prized possessions will be destroyed.
Kevin Anderson, my night shift boss, he tells me that when he feels the pressure from upper management and the stress of the workload that he will remind himself then of God’s Word—how it will all burn in the end.
What “word” is that?
YHWH’s Word!
What is this?
Proper perspective on our possessions!
This is why James is echoing his half-brother:
Matt 6:19-
Jesus adds even more of the piercing truth!
Our monies follow our hearts (hearts’ desires)!
YHWH’s Word!
Transition:
But it is not just a skewed perspective on our possessions that cause misery.
It is also the selfish indulgence that is the breeding ground for misery:
II.
The Misery of Indulgence (vv.4–6)
Depriving workers of their rightful wages?
where does that come from?
well, in the context, James just addressed (as we saw last week) the businessmen with their arrogance so now James exposes their selfishness.
Depriving workers of their rightful wages
Depriving workers of their rightful wages (v.
4)
The Old Testament—especially in the major and minor prophets--has much to say about the oppressive treatment of workers.
But some were ignoring those prohibitions from the prophets.
It was not as if the rich were unable to pay fair wages—they simply chose not to because they had the power to withhold the money.
The laborers, however, lived from day to day and from paycheck to paycheck, and were severely hurt by not getting fair pay.
James vividly portrays the seriousness of the matter in terms of two cries going up to YHWH.
The first is the cry of the unpaid wages.
It’s as if these workers are in the bank and crying out to YHWH because they have not been paid yet.
The second is the cry of the workers themselves.
It is the cry of anguish, as they sit down with their families to eat a piece of bread or maybe nothing at all when they could have been eating a nourishing meal.
James assures us that these cries do not go unnoticed.
They are heard by ‘the Lord of hosts’ The Father!
The Bible has many titles for YHWH.
He is so transcendent that no one title can describe the triune God.
The name James uses here ‘Lord of hosts’—the hosts are the angelic beings that surround and worship YHWH, and this title communicates that He is greater than all of the heavenly hosts.
He is LORD of all.
This God, who is greater than all the hosts of heaven is certainly great enough to administer justice to these evil businessmen who oppress their workers!
The third misery of wealth is …
Wallowing in luxury and self-indulgence (v. 5)
Here, James is talking about believers who use their wealth to spoil themselves.
Needs still existed, needs that could be easily alleviated by some generosity.
But these people are oblivious to the needs.
Thinking only of themselves and their comfort, they go on buying and hoarding.
Roger Ellsworth points out:
James has a devastating word for all such.
They are fattening themselves for God’s judgement.
As a calf eats and eats without realizing that it is fattening itself for the day of slaughter, so the pampered gorge themselves without realizing that there is ‘a day of slaughter’ coming (v.
5).
So too, are the hearts of these rich selfish men.
Now the judgment that he’s talking about considering that these are likely rich believers that he is addressing cannot be the Great White Throne Judgement, but rather the “Bema” Seat judgement.
It is very important to not confuse the “Bema” Seat with the Great White Throne judgment.
describe the Great White Throne which deals with eternal salvation (or the lack thereof) and In contrast, the Bema Seat is for believers whose salvation has already been secured by faith in the Christ.
We should not focus on the Bema Seat as Christ judging our sins, but rather as God rewarding us according to our lives.
Yes, we will surely have to give an account of our lives.
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