Where are our Riches? James 5:1-11

James 5:1-3

Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.
Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.
Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.

Luke 6:24

But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation.

 Matthew 19:23-24

Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. 
And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

Why do you think Jesus says the rich will have trouble entering in to heaven, and James is rebuking rich men?
Would it be because it anchors us to worldly desires? Sins of the flesh, eyes, and pride? Is it because riches tend to hide or mask our need of God?
Riches allow for the fulfillment of worldly pleasures, remove the thought and need for God.

Matthew 6:19-21

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

 1 Timothy 6:9-11

But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.

Jesus and Paul urge us against laying up treasures on earth, the desire and love of money, providing strong reason against being rich in worldly wealth. Instead Jesus tells us to build our treasures in heaven, and Paul encourages us to flee from worldly desires and follow after righteousness, Godliness, faith, love, patience, and meekness. These are Godly riches, and Jesus tells us that where our treasure is, where the things we really want are, that is where our heart is, that is where our attention will be. So what do we really desire?

James 5:4-6

Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.
Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter.
Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you.

The love of money, the desire for power, covetousness, the sins of the flesh, eyes, and pride of life, will cause men to do heinous things to their fellow man.
Look at our world today, wars, lawsuits and murder are everywhere. Usually based on the impropriety of one group taking advantage of another lesser group for some type of gain.

James is rebuking this behavior, calling out wicked rich behavior, providing full condemnation.

James now advises the oppressed, poor, and faithful to the Lord, calling for patience and faith, looking forward to the coming of the Lord and the treasures laid up in heaven.

James 5:7-11

Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.
Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.
Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door.
Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.
Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.

Matthew 5:12

Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

2 Timothy 4:8

Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

We are to be patient and faithful, looking forward to the coming of the Lord, to not "grudge" against each other. Our reward is in heaven.
God will take care of all our needs, all we need to do is lay up our rewards in heaven, to seek after and love the Lord our God with all our hearts, all our mind, and all our soul, and love our neighbor as ourselves.

Luke 12:24

Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls?

Philippians 4:19

But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Matthew 7:7-12

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?
Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?
If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.  

1 John 3:22-23

And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.
And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.

Aren't these great promises, we don't need worldly riches, we don't need the sins of the flesh, eyes, or the pride of life.
We need God's love, patience, and faithfulness. We need to believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, to be Holy as he is Holy.

We need to gentle submission, allowing God to work through us, to meet each and every spiritual and physical need.

And we will be rich, with the wealth that really matters!