Sermon Tone Analysis

We are all addicts.

We all have something that we think we cannot live without.

Some of our addictions are “harmless”.

Others are more harmful.

I’m addicted to ice cream.

I cannot say no.

Very few nights go by where I do not have ice cream.

Harmless addiction.

I have other addictions that are not as harmless.

Anytime we have an addiction, we are saying: I need something and the only thing that will provide what I need is this thing.

The tragedy is: with all addictions, we are saying that this thing will provide what Christ will not.

We put our hope in the thing, rather than in Christ.

James has told us about different people who are friends of the world, rather than followers of God.

Here, James turns his gaze closer at non-Christians who are rich.

They are addicted to wealth.

We caught a glimpse of these men in

These are people who have been persecuting the original readers of this letter because of finances.

This is parallel probably with 2:6-7.

These are probably non-Christians who are persecuting Christians b/c of finances.

James is writing this portion to encourage the persecuted Christians that the persecutors will be punished by God, and to encourage the Christians not envy these rich in their wealth.

James will segue from this discussion into patience during trials, again in our next passage.

This is a judgment passage with no redemptive options in it.

It is a sobering passage.

While we can also be encouraged that God will punish all persecutors, and though we can also be encouraged to not envy the rich in their wealth, we as American “Christians” can take this passage as a warning.

All of humanity can place their hope in many things, but if their hope is not in Christ, destruction awaits them.

1A.

Humans can place their hope in many things

Many people look at this verse and see money at the forefront.

This is certainly within the scope of the riches and wealth referred to here.

However, James is referring to so much more than just money.

These words can be applied to anything that is transitory.

The rich people in this passage are hoarding things.

They have riches, clothes, gold, silver, and who knows what else.

James says that they have

They are people who only cared about getting.

They did not care about who was living around them.

They did not care about the God who blessed them with all things.

They just wanted stuff.

Their desire for stuff meant that they merely hoarded.

They didn’t use the things that they had, not for themselves and definitely not for others.

James

Who knows why?

We aren’t given any reasons why these people pursued all kinds of transitory things.

Except that, they thought it could do something for them.

They placed some sort of hope in this wealthy.

That’s why they hoarded it.

The things they stockpiled fell apart because they were not used.

Who knows why they hoarded things?

We aren’t given any reasons why these people pursued all kinds of transitory things.

Except that, they thought it could do something for them.

They placed some sort of hope in this wealthy.

That’s why they hoarded it.

They wanted wealth so much that they cheated those who worked for them.

They also decided to play God, because they believed that their wealth made them equal with God, judging, condemning and ruining those less fortunate who could not resist them.

Humans can place their hope in many different things.

We turn to so much to escape pain and suffering, to give us worth, to give us identity.

In America, we turn mostly to material things, like these people that James is writing to.

We live a life of self-indulgence, indulging ourselves beyond the bounds of propriety.

Sometimes, we actually do it in the name of godliness, though we are far from it.

Due to our desire for indulgence, many times we are just hoarding stuff.

We all have something that gives us pleasure, escape, and perhaps hope.

We place our hope in wealth, successful business, technology, electronics, movies, music, video games.

We place our hope in clothing, hairdos, make-up.

We place our hope in houses, cars, guns.

We can place our hope in friendships, lovers, and so many other things.

Whatever we place our hope in we hoard.

We keep wanting more and more.

We don’t use these things for God.

We don’t use these things for others.

We just want to indulge in them.

This is not a sermon against having things.

This is not a sermon against improving our lives.

This is not a sermon against capitalism.

This is a sermon against a selfishness that is tied to any economic philosophy.

The problem here is not wealth or things.

The problem is their use.

The problem is the why.

We as Christians here in America should seriously ask ourselves: when do we have too much?

What are we placing our hope in?

For those of us who have placed our faith in Christ, he is ultimately our hope.

But, sometimes, we let other things supersede him in our daily living, our daily reliance, our daily desires.

Just hoarding without using it for God (when do we have too much?)

Ways to escape pain and suffering

Ways to escape pain and suffering

Just hoarding without using it for God (when do we have too much?)

Capitalism is not bad, but the selfishness that can be paired with it and any economic philosophy will damn anyone

Remember condemnation is not for wealth, but for their use of wealth

These people play God, thinking that they can judge and condemn

Remember condemnation is not for wealth, but for their use of wealth

We can place our hope in wealth, government, successful business, technology, friendships, guns, etc.

They are mistaken, as I think, who consider that James here exhorts the rich to repentance.

It seems to me to be a simple denunciation of God’s judgment, by which he meant to terrify them without giving them any hope of pardon; for all that he says tends only to despair.

He, therefore, does not address them in order to invite them to repentance; but, on the contrary, he has a regard to the faithful, that they, hearing of the miserable end of the rich, might not envy their fortune, and also that knowing that God would be the avenger of the wrongs they suffered, they might with a calm and resigned mind bear them.

We need to ask ourselves, when do we have enough?

Those who place their hope in things other than Christ will be judged

2A.

Hope not placed in Christ results in a destroyed life

James calls for everyone who has placed their hope in things other than Christ to weep and wail because two major things will happen.

First, their lives will be destroyed.

Everything that they thought would give them security ultimately cannot.