Faith is Not Presumptuous
About What God Has Not Promised
4:13 Come now, you who say,
"Today or tomorrow let's go into this
city, and spend a year there, trade, and make a profit."
4:14 Whereas
you
don't know what your life will be like tomorrow.
For what is your life? For you are a vapor, that appears for a
little
time, and then vanishes away.
4:15 For you ought to say,
"If the Lord wills, we will both live,
and
do this or that."
4:16 But now
you
glory in your boasting. All such boasting is evil.
4:17 To him therefore who knows to do
good, and doesn't do it, to him
it is sin.
Faith Does Not Set Its Heart
On Its Material Things Which Fade Away
5:1 Come now, you rich,
weep and howl for your miseries that are coming on you.
5:2 Your riches are corrupted and
your
garments are moth-eaten.
5:3 Your gold and your silver are
corroded,
and their corrosion will be for a testimony against you, and
will eat
your flesh like fire.
You have laid up your treasure in the last days.
5:4 Behold, the wages of the laborers who
mowed your fields,
which you have kept back by fraud, cry out,
and the cries of those who reaped have entered into the ears
of the
Lord of Hosts.
5:5 You have lived delicately on the
earth,
and taken your pleasure.
You have nourished your hearts as in a day of slaughter.
5:6 You have condemned, you have
murdered the righteous one. He doesn't
resist you.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
vs 13-16What is wrong with this statement? Why?
What should be a proper attitude in making plans?
Measured by these verses, what are some common boasts that you
hear in
the society?
How is vs 13-16 related to vs 17?
vs 5:1-6 Who is James talking to? Are these people Christians?
Why does James seem to single out rich people?
Do you fall in this category?
Why does he talk about people whose riches are decaying?
What about rich people who are doing fine financially and getting
even
better?
vs 4 Who are these workmen he is referring to?
vs 6 murdering innocent men is a very rare event. What does James
mean
by this?
From this study, what should be the Christian's attitude towards
luxury?
CROSS REFERENCES
13-14 Pr 27:1 Do not boast
about
tomorrow,
for you do not know what a day may bring forth.
Lu 12:18-20 "Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will
tear
down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my
grain
and my goods. And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good
things
laid
up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." '
"But God
said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded
from
you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?'
15Pr 19:21 Many are the
plans
in
a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails.
16 Jer 9:23-24 This is what
the LORD
says: "Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man
boast
of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him
who
boasts
boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the
LORD,
who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in
these
I delight," declares the LORD.
1Co 5:6 Your boasting is not good. Don't you know that a
little
yeast works through the whole batch of dough?
5:1-3Jas 1:11 For the sun
rises
with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and
its
beauty
is destroyed. In the same way, the rich man will fade away even
while
he
goes about his business.
Mt 6:19-20 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on
earth,
where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
But
store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust
do not
destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
4Jer 22:13 "Woe to him who
builds
his palace by unrighteousness, his upper rooms by injustice,
making his
countrymen work for nothing, not paying them for their labor.
5 2Co 5:15 And he died for
all, that
those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him
who
died
for them and was raised again
Amos 6:1-6
Comments
Worldly Boasting
James 4:13-16 Now listen, you who say,
"Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year
there,
carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what
will
happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears
for a
little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it
is
the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that." As it is, you
boast
and brag. All such boasting is evil.
While we should make plans and contingencies for the future, we
should
not be overly presumptuous about what is going to happen, but to
give
our expectations to God.
Many are used to the idea of life being predictable. This is
particularly the case for those who are well off. Perhaps this is
one
reason why James said, "Has not God chosen
those
who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith" Jam
2:5, and why it is hard for a rich man to be saved. (Mt :23)
People often take comfort in their presumptions about what they
expect
to happen. At times it's a matter of pride. At times God will cause
the
unexpected to happen just to humiliate the proud.
"The LORD foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes
of
the peoples." Ps 33:10 And it is God and not us who
determines the outcomes of our plans. "In his
heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps."
Pr 16:9 In real life success and failure in a secular sense
appears quite arbitrary.
A word of advice: "Commit to the LORD
whatever
you do, and your plans will succeed." Pr 16:3
Indeed, "The horse is made ready for the day
of battle, but
victory rests with the LORD." Pr 21:31 So when
making
plans, let us acknowledge the Lord's Sovereignty. As Christians we
need
to practice praying about secular and practical things of life. We
should pray for our jobs that God would guide us and make us
fruitful
in our labors, and that we may work well and diligently producing
things which are useful. Take God to work.
Boasting before the fact:
"Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not
know
what a day may bring forth." Pr 27:1 One is
reminded of
the retirement plans of rich man of Luke 12:18-20 of whom
God
said, "You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from
you.
Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?'" And "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is
the
LORD's purpose that prevails." Pr 19:21
Likewise as it's foolish enough for a man to win a lottery and then
boast about how wise he was to chose the right numbers. It's even
more
foolish to presume that he will win beforehand and spend all his
money
with that expectation. But in fact many of us do this to a lesser
degree. But while many recognize this as plain foolishness, we often
don't reckon such boasting to be sinful. But in fact when you think
about it, such a person is pridefully putting himself in the place
of
God, which is the root of all sin.
Boasting after the fact:
The successful are often quick to boast and brag.
They make an investment in something and gain money. But much if
this
is simply a matter of "luck". "The lot is cast
into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD." Pr
16:33 God is in control of "luck". But they may boast about
their
"system" or their wisdom. Or they may boast that they are rich and
successful because they are good people. But God is often simply
being
gracious so as to lead them to repentance, as it is written, "Or do you show contempt for the riches of his
kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's
kindness
leads you toward repentance?" Rom 2:4
So beware, all such boasting is evil. Sins of Omission
James 4:17 Anyone, then, who knows the
good
he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.
Knowing God's will is not a virtue unless one does God's will. Jesus
said, "Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord,
Lord,’
will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of
my
Father who is in heaven." Mt 7:21 And the degree of
one's punishment for negligence in this matter is proportional to
the
degree of one's knowledge. Jesus said, "That
servant who knows his master’s will and does not get ready or does
not
do what his master wants will be beaten with many blows." Luke
12:47 Though no one can use complete ignorance as an excuse
for
first of all such ignorance is never complete, and much ignorance
concerns things they should have known or at least investigated. "For since the creation of the world God’s
invisible
qualities— his eternal power and divine nature— have been clearly
seen,
being understood from what has been made, so that men are without
excuse." Rom 1:20 "Indeed,
when
Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by
the
law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have
the
law, since they show that the requirements of the law are written
on
their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their
thoughts now accusing, now even defending them. This will take
place on
the day when God will judge men’s secrets through Jesus Christ, as
my
gospel declares." Rom 2:14-16
And much as I noted in Romans that Paul uses this concept to convict
people of sin in his presentation of the gospel in Romans, this is a
concept useful in evangelism. For if one claims to be a "good"
person,
you merely have to ask whether they have always done that which they
knew they ought to do. For all honest people will recognize that
they
don't even live up to their own standards, let alone God's. The Vanity of Earthly Treasure
James 5:1-3 Now listen, you rich
people,
weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you. Your
wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold
and
silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and
eat
your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days.
Generalizations
First with regards to this generalization "you
rich
people". This is not to say this applies to every
particular rich person, but rather is was a truism. It is a
characteristic generally true of the rich. Jesus spoke likewise of
the
Pharisees, categorically speaking of them saying, "Woe
to you Scribes
and Pharisees." Matt 23:13 And in Titus 1:12
Paul
agrees
with the generalization that "Cretans are
always
liars, evil
brutes,
lazy gluttons." Consequently it is not sinful or prejudice
to
make generalizations, as long as the generalizations are true. They
don't have to hold in every particular case.
Generosity
Now as for the content Jesus said, "Do
not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and
rust
destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for
yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not
destroy, and
where thieves do not break in and steal." Mt 6:19,20
And
what was he alluding to with regards to storing treasure up in
heaven?
As a primary example he gave the following, "Sell
your
possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for
yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will
not
be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys."
Luke
12:33 In contrast, "'Now this was
the
sin of your sister Sodom: She
and
her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did
not
help
the poor and needy."Eze 16:49
Consequently Paul instructs Timothy, "Command
those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to
put
their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope
in
God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.
Command
them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and
willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for
themselves
as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take
hold of
the life that is truly life." 1Tim
6:17-19 Characteristics of Money Lovers
James 5:3b-6
You have hoarded wealth in the last
days.
Look! The wages you failed to pay the
workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The
cries of
the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty.
You have lived on earth in luxury and
self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of
slaughter.
You have condemned and murdered innocent
men, who were not opposing you.
Paul writes, "The love of money is a root of
all
kinds of evil." 1Tim 6:10a These four
observations are the basis for James calling the rich to repent.
Four
things that each of us must also evaluate with regards to our own
behavior.
1. Have you hoarded up wealth for yourselves?
"This
is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but
is
not rich toward God." Luke 12:21
2. Have you paid laborers a proper wage for the work done? "Woe to him who
builds
his palace by unrighteousness, his upper rooms by injustice,
making his
countrymen work for nothing, not paying them for their labor." Jer 22:13
3. Have you been living a lifestyle of luxury, pleasure-seeking and
self-indulgence? "The widow who lives for
pleasure is dead even while she lives." 1Tim 5:6
4. Have you been involved in the condemnation and murder the
innocent?
(i.e. abortion and the like)
JAMES
4:13-5:6 RAP
4:13 Now listen you who
like to
say,
I've got plans for my life, I'll
have
success
some day. 14 But you don't even know
tomorrow
which may, in fact, end in sorrow.
For what is your life? It's only a
mist.
It will vanish soon, if you catch my
gist. 15 Instead,
this is what you ought to say,
"If it's God's will, we will venture
this
way." 16 As it is you brag and
boast.
Don't be surprised if you end up
like toast. 17 And if you know what is
the good
to
do,
And don't do it. Well that's sin
too. 5:1 Now listen you rich, weep
and
wail.
For as days pass, so your riches
fail. 2 Your wealth has rotted, as
I've
noted, 3 Your gold and silver are
corroded.
Their corrosion should cause you
some
concern. 4-6 For on judgment day,
your flesh
will
burn.
JAMES
4:13-5:6 RAP