James 5, verses 1-6. 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 moth-eaten. Your gold and silver is cankered, and the rest of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. You have heaped treasure together for the last days. Behold, the hire of the laborers 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. You have lived in pleasure on the earth and been wanton. You have nourished your hearts as in a day of slaughter. You have condemned and killed the just, and He does not resist you." Let's pray. Our Heavenly Father, we ask You this afternoon to please attend the reading and preaching of Your Word with Your Spirit, that You would give us eyes to see and ears to hear, that You would protect us from wicked men who would attempt to use money and power against Your Church, and that You would protect us within our own hearts from being deceived by mammon, but instead that we would love You above all, and secondly, and like unto that, that we would love our neighbors as ourselves. Please help me to utter the words that are truly taught here in Scripture. Protect me from any inventions of man's philosophy or personal experience. but that instead your word would speak truth to our hearts this afternoon. For Christ's sake we ask it. Amen. Thank you for standing. You can be seated. So last week we looked at these verses and we just kind of... looked at an overview, basically, of the biblical concept of money and how we use money. We said that these verses, in particular, were clearly speaking to those who are outside of the true church, those who are actually children of God. It's not who is being addressed here because of how obviously sinful their actions were, and how there wasn't even so much a charge to help them know how to use their money, but rather it was complete damnation and condemnation upon them for the way that they were acting. And so we're going to look at that a little bit more in depth this afternoon. We're going to particularly look at verses 3 through 6, and we're going to see five particular condemnations against these kind of people. So we're going to look more this afternoon at really what the text is saying. Last week we kind of went all over the Bible and looked at the right way to use wealth and the wrong ways to use wealth and things of this nature. But there's five things that are given in these verses, verses 3 through 6 particularly, that are the reasons that these type of people are being condemned. And I think we touched on all five of them briefly last week, but I want to compare Scripture with Scripture this afternoon and delve into that a little bit deeper. The first is the absurdity of insatiable greed. The second is the abuse of illicit gain. The third is the abstract of intemperate pleasure. The fourth is the apathy that comes with indulgent feasting. And the fifth is the arrogance of injustice and murder. So we'll start with the absurdity of insatiable greed. We see in verse 3, "...ye have heaped treasure together for the last days." That's the last part of verse 3. So clearly, again, as I told you last week, this isn't just talking to verse 1 where it says, "...ye rich men," but he's talking to a particular class of rich men. Some kinds of rich men who were using their wealth or had been deceived by wealth in particular ways. And the first way that James mentions here is this insatiable greed. They're heaping to themselves treasure. They're hoarding it. The picture that's being presented here is like piles, mounds of money and wealth that they're just pouring to themselves. But the Scriptures are very clear. that those who hoard back wealth, those who just pile up money for themselves and possessions and material goods and just pack it away, The way I put it is those who put back without ever giving out will eventually have everything given out for them in the end. And that's why I said it was the absurdity of insatiable greed. Because really in the end it's useless to pile up money for yourself because somebody is going to give it away eventually. After you're gone, your wealth is going to go somewhere. It's not going to stay in those piles. You're not going to be able to take it with you, as the famous quote says. So whether it's the government who redistributes it, or your heirs who redistribute it, or some other way that it's redistributed, you can't keep your wealth forever. And that's why last week we talked about in Timothy where we saw that the charge was that they're storing up for themselves in heaven, those who give it away while they're here on this earth. But let's look at what the Scripture says about people who have this kind of insatiable greed that constantly are hoarding to themselves treasures. Luke chapter 12 maybe would be one of the first places that comes to your mind. It's that parable that Jesus tells. about the man who hoarded to himself so much that he had to tear down his barns and build himself bigger and greater barns. And really, because of the sake of time, I'm not going to go through the whole parable. There's so many truths we could glean from this passage. But really, just what I want to focus on is verse 20. Where God said to him in Luke chapter 12 and verse 20, He says to this rich man, He says, I have so much built up, I will tear down my barns, build greater barns, stack away all my fruits and my goods, and for the rest of my life, I'll take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry." So the problem wasn't that he had a lot. The problem wasn't even that he had so much that he had to build bigger storehouses to put it in. It was that his greed was insatiable. He didn't have any plans to use this grain that he was storing away for anything good. He wasn't necessarily storing it up for an inheritance. He wasn't giving it to those who were starving. But it was all for his own pleasure. Soul, you can eat and drink and be merry. And in verse 20, God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee. And then he asks him the million-dollar question, Then whose shall those things be which thou hast provided? Now who's going to get them? Somebody's going to get them. You're going to die. You're going to come stand before me at my judgment seat, and now who's going to get your bigger barns? Now who's going to get all your goods and your grain that you've stored away into that? focused. Your greed was so insatiable that you just had to continue to stack up and stack up and stack up. And God asks in this rhetorical question, who is going to get what you've hoarded? Somebody is. Not just you. You thought you could keep it back from everyone else for forever, but you can't. That's not what God created it for. and it's not what you're going to be able to do. Look at Psalm 39, verse 6. Surely every man walketh in a vain show, Surely they are disquieted in vain. He heapeth up riches, and knoweth not who shall gather them." So the psalmist says the same thing. He's heaping up riches, and he doesn't know who's going to get them. But somebody is. Not just him. He can't eat barns and barns full of food. He can't spend Swiss bank account after Swiss bank account full of money. Somebody is going to get all that, and it won't be Him. Similarly, in Ecclesiastes 2, verses 18 and 19, the wisest man to ever live besides the Lord Jesus Christ, said in Ecclesiastes 2, verses 18 and 19, "'Yea, I hated all my labor which I had taken under the sun, because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me. And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool? Yet shall he have rule over all my labor wherein I have labored, and wherein I have showed myself wise under the sun. This is also vanity.'" So Solomon has wealth, indescribable, He has barns full of horses and chariots. He's got wealth that the Queen of Sheba wants to come and see what it looks like. And he says, you know what? When I die, somebody's going to get all this. And I don't know if he's going to be a fool or he's going to be a wise man. But somebody will. And so the absurdity of insatiable greed is that we stack things up, and instead of being wise proprietors of the property that God has given us, so that we can distribute it in a way that we understand the Scriptures teach us to be wise, and to be kingdom building, and to be benefiting to society, you just hoard and stack it up, and then when you die, who knows if your enemy gets it? Who knows if it goes to something that's going to fight against the Kingdom of God? Who knows if it's going to go to something that you never would have wanted it to go to in your lifetime? Solomon says this is what happens when you have this kind of wealth just stacked back for yourself. I've labored really hard, he says, for what I've gotten. And now I don't know whether it's going to be a fool or a wise man who's going to get it after me. what God has given you wisely. Because to simply be one who is eaten up with insatiable greed truly is absurd. It actually may end up fighting against your very wishes after you're gone. Secondly, we see in our text the abuse of illicit gain. In the very next verse there in James chapter 5 and verse 4, Behold, the hire of the laborers 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." This kind of man is willing to use illicit, illegal, immoral means to hoard back more for himself, and in so doing, he's willing to abuse others in order to get it for himself. That's what the Scriptures say here. He's abusing those who are working for him. He's promised them a hire, and now he's keeping it back. Now there's another reason why he can't pay them. Did you know that the law of God was very explicit concerning the way that a master was to pay those who worked for him. Turn with me over to the books of the Law. Leviticus chapter 19. Leviticus chapter 19 and verse 13. "...thou shalt not defraud thy neighbor, neither rob him." Okay, so I'm not supposed to go over to his house with a gun and put a gun in his face and tell him to give me all his money? Well, that's not necessarily what we're talking about. "...the wages of him that is hired shall not abide with thee all night until the morning." He said, so if you've agreed with someone that they're going to work for you for a day and at the end of the day you're going to pay them the money, then you need to pay them that money at the end of the day. You don't need to say, well, actually, I know I told you that, but I just don't have it. I'll have it for you tomorrow morning. I promise I will. It's really going to be there. The law calls that robbery and defrauding. Now I don't think that this is speaking to the exclusion of weekly pay. Because there's agreements in our society where you work with me for a week and I'll pay you at the end of the week. Or sometimes you work for me for two weeks and I'll pay you at the end of the two weeks. I don't think that this scripture is saying that all of that is illicit and illegal and immoral. But rather the understanding here is if the agreement was that this person needs that money at the end of the day because you agreed to pay him at the end of the day, tomorrow morning doesn't count as the same day. That's robbery. If your boss promises to pay you Friday night, then Monday isn't okay. And maybe some of you have had that happen before. I have. Whoever is in charge of doing the paycheck forgets to do it, or something with their computer goes down, I can't pay you till Monday. We understand things like that, but when it's habitual, when it's kept back, it's fraud and robbery according to the law. Deuteronomy chapter 24 and verse 15. is just a retelling of the law. You know, Deuteronomy just means the law again. And that's what we have here in Deuteronomy chapter 24 and verse 15. At his day thou shalt give him his hire, neither shall the sun go down upon it, for he is poor, and setteth his heart upon it, lest he cry against thee unto the Lord, and it be sin unto thee. Remember last week one of the points was that God has a particular care for the poor. He has a particular concern for the needy. And that's what we see in James, and that's what we see here in Deuteronomy. If you've agreed with this person to pay him at the end of the day, And that's why I don't think that this law excludes a weekly wage or a bi-weekly wage or whatever it is you agreed to, because the understanding here is he was counting on that. He was counting on that to be able to pay his bills, to be able to buy his groceries, to be able to keep his family alive for another day. And it's the same thing with a weekly pay or a bi-weekly pay. He was counting on that. The point is that when it was agreed upon, it needs to be paid. Jeremiah chapter 22 and verse 13, One of the reasons that God was judging Israel was because of this very sin. Jeremiah chapter 22 and verse 13. It says, woe unto him that buildeth his house by unrighteousness and his chambers by wrong, that useth his neighbor's service without wages, and giveth him not for his work. So he says this is a woe unto the country, that they would allow someone to come in and put their labor out and do what they agreed to do, and then for you not to fulfill your end of the bargain, to pay him his wages. This is an abuse. of illicit gain. Basically, what the Scriptures is teaching is that in God's sight, the employee is as human, as created in the image of God, worth as much, the same value as the employer. and must be cared for according to the agreement that the two of them made, regardless of the power structure. So many times the power structure is such that the employer can rip off the employee and get away with it, but it won't work the other way around. If the employee doesn't go to work, he doesn't get paid. But sometimes he'll go to work and then he won't get paid, but because of the way the power structure works, oh well, sorry, stinks for you. And so the scriptures warn us in the Old Testament and in the New Testament, masters, you need to do right by your servants. You need to care for them as human beings with value. You need to count on honesty the same way you want them to count on you for honesty, and to be willing to pay what you've agreed to pay. Thirdly, we see in James the abstract of intemperate pleasure. We see in verse 5, You have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton. I say the abstract of intemperate pleasure, because intemperate pleasure only satisfies in abstract. You will never find intemperate, excessive, immoderate, indulgences in pleasurable activities to truly satisfy you. In your mind, it sounds like that's really going to be the thing that does it for you. But if I could just have that, boy, I'd be set then. If I could just engage in this activity, if I could just have that luxury, I'd be okay then. And as soon as you have it, you find it didn't satisfy you. Someone who makes this life only about the most temporal pleasure that they can gain will only go from one excess to the next. And when their body is wrecked from the whores and the drugs and the adrenaline rushes, they will find that intemperate pleasure only satisfies in abstract. It never satisfies in reality. It's never finally satisfying to those desires that your heart has. Turn over to Luke chapter 15. Luke chapter 15 and look at verses 11 through 19. You're all familiar with the story, the story of the prodigal son. He said, A certain man had two sons, and the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land, and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat, and no man gave unto him. And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bred enough to spare, and I perish with hunger. I will arise and go to my Father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. Make me as one of thy hired servants." And of course we know how that story goes and ends, but I want you to see for the sake of this point here, this son, this wasteful son, this prodigal son, he was sure he could satisfy the desires of his heart. and he wasted his father's inheritance. He went from one excess to the next, spending and spending and spending, and at the end, what did he find? None of it satisfied. The pleasure sounded great in abstract, but in reality, it didn't do anything to fulfill the desires of his heart. In fact, he found just the opposite was true. Back at home, in submission to his father, was where he was happiest. is where he had everything that was provided for him. The scriptures call it that he came to himself. The idea that the pleasures of this life are going to fulfill the longing in your heart is like an insane man. It's like a crazy man. When you come to yourself, you'll realize that's not the case. Physical, temporal, sensual pleasures never last long. Proverbs chapter 23 warns us about the man who thinks he's going to find his satisfaction in alcohol. Proverbs chapter 23. Let's start in verse 17. Really, it's more than alcohol. It's talking about, in this passage of Scripture, riotous eaters of flesh, gluttons, Things of this nature. Start in verse 17 with me. This is a man who is doing what James is warning against. It's a man who's living in pleasure and wantonness. Let not thine heart envy sinners, but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long. For surely there is an end, and thy expectation shall not be cut off. Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thine heart in the way. Be not among wine-bibbers, among riotous eaters of flesh. For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty, and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags. Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old. Buy the truth, and sell it not. Also wisdom and instruction and understanding. The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice, and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him. Thy father and thy mother shall be glad, and she that bear thee shall rejoice. My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways, for a whore is a deep ditch, and a strange woman is a narrow pit. She also lieth in wait as for a prey, and increaseth the transgressors among men. who hath woe, who hath sorrow, who hath contentions, who hath babbling, who hath wounds without cause, who hath redness of eyes. They that tarry long at the wine, they that go to seek mixed wine, look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth its color in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder. Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things. Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast. They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick. They have beaten me, and I felt it not. When shall I awake? I will seek it yet again." So we have a passage of scripture here talking about drunkards, talking about gluttons, talking about whoremongers, and here's the final line of these people after they've come out of their stupor, after they've come out of being beaten up, tripping over themselves, disease ridden, they come to themselves and the word on their lips is, I'm going to go after it again. That wasn't enough. That didn't satisfy me. In abstract I thought it would, but in reality it didn't. I still need more. I need another whore. I need another glass of alcohol. I need another riotous meal of flesh. I need to continue to satiate the sensual pleasures. I need to continue in it. James tells us that the people who use their wealth in this way will never be satisfied. Fourthly, the apathy of indulgent feasting. I may step on some toes in this point. But if I get away from Scripture, let me know. Otherwise, let the Spirit speak to you. Verse 5, "...ye have nourished your hearts as in a day of slaughter." We read that word, nourished, and we think of it as a good thing. Ephesians chapter 5 and verse 29, when the Scriptures are talking about how a husband ought to love his wife, he says, "...for no man hateth his own flesh, but nourisheth and cherisheth it." But that word there in Ephesians chapter 5 is a completely different Greek word than is used here in James. The word in Ephesians chapter 5 is talking about a training up, a caring for, a cherishing. And the word here in James, to nourish their hearts, is talking about a fattening until it's stiff. Many translators have translated this as you have fattened yourselves. You've nourished your hearts as in a day of slaughter. Like a cow being fattened for the slaughter, they're using their money and their wealth to eat whatever their heart desires. This is an epidemic sin in America. Because we have enough to make ourselves fat. And statistics show that almost 70% of Americans are overweight. 68.8% of all Americans are overweight. 74% of men. Almost three quarters of all men in America, in my opinion, for the vast majority, I know there's some with medical issues, but let's not kid ourselves. The vast majority of them have nourished their hearts as in a day of slaughter. They're gluttons. Their god is their belly. They've fattened themselves like to a day of slaughter. It's interesting that in the Scriptures, every time gluttony is mentioned, it's mentioned along with drunkenness. Or in the case of Jesus, they accused Him of being a glutton and a wine-bibber. Same idea. Drunkenness and gluttony, every time in Scripture that gluttony is mentioned, it's mentioned in connection with drunkenness. And in America, we have a lot of falsely religious, pious people who are very against alcohol and very for fried chicken. They don't understand moderation in all things. They want tea total, in getting away with alcohol, but they're willing to be gluttons and to fatten their hearts, as in the day of slaughter. You realize that being unable to control yourself, to be moderate to the point where you don't fatten yourself, hurts your testimony as it becomes overtly obvious that you will not bring your body under subjection. I'm unable to overcome this sin of gluttony. I'm going to use the wealth that I have to fatten my heart as a hog that's living delicately with all of the luxurious food that the farmer can give it, because he's planning on having a ham sandwich next week. Being overweight, obese, fattening yourself will bring many health issues. I mean, the statistics are just clear. There's at least 50 distinct health issues that those who are overweight have a many times over chance of getting, including heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and on and on the list goes, which will shorten your time to influence your family and the world for kingdom purposes. If you die of a heart attack because you are fattening your heart, you've nourished your heart as those who are in the day of slaughter, what's going to happen when those health issues shorten your time frame with your family and to impact your community? Fattening yourself stunts your effectiveness today. It's not just tomorrow. It's not just that you'll have a shorter lifespan, but studies clearly show that it lowers your testosterone. It disables your dopamine receptors, similar to druggies and alcoholics. You know, when the Scriptures use gluttony and drunkenness together, it's because they're very similar sins. And some who are alcoholics, are alcoholics for the same reason that many people are gluttons, are gluttons. Because they can't control themselves. And actually the more that they eat the food that they like, the more the dopamine receptors in their mind begin to be shut off and need more and more excessive food in order to continue to fatten themselves. Proverbs chapter 23 and verse 21. is one of those places. We just read this verse. For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty, and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags. I called it the apathy of indulgent feasting because that's what indulgent feasting does to us. It makes us apathetic. It shuts us down. It makes us where we're not as effective in the jobs that are before us. We don't have the same motivation we once had because we're abusing our bodies. In similar ways that alcoholics abuse their bodies. We're told in verse 20 to not be among winebibbers and riotous eaters of flesh. What about Daniel chapter 5? To say nothing of the fact that when Daniel came into Babylon, he wouldn't eat their food, but was moderate in the kind of food that he wanted to eat according to the law of God. In Daniel chapter 5, we have Belshazzar the king, who, in his riotous living, forgets what his father had learned the hard way, which is that there's a God in heaven. Daniel chapter 5, "...Belshazzar the king made a great feast to thousands of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand. Belshazzar, while he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem, that the king and his princes, his wives, and his concubines might drink therein. Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem, and the king and his princes, his wives, and his concubines drank in them. They drank wine and praised the gods of gold and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood and of stone. In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaster of the wall of the king's palace. And the king saw the part of the hand that wrote, Then the king's countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another. The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. And the king spake and said unto the wise men of Babylon, Whosoever shall read this writing and show me the interpretation thereof shall be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom. Then came in all the king's wise men, but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation thereof. Then was King Belshazzar greatly troubled, and his countenance was changed in him, and his lords were astonied. Now the queen, by reason of the words of the king and his lords, came into the banquet house. And the queen spake and said, O king, live forever. Let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be changed. There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods. And in the days of thy father, light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him. Whom the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made masters of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers. For as much as an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, interpreting of dreams, and showing of hard sentences, and dissolving of doubts were found in the same Daniel, who the king named Belteshazzar. Now let Daniel be called, and he will show thee the interpretation." Then was Daniel brought in before the king, and the king spake, and said unto Daniel, Art thou that Daniel, which art of the children of the captivity of Judah, whom the king, my father, brought out of Jewry? I have even heard of thee, that the Spirit of the gods is in thee, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom is found in thee. And now the wise men, the astrologers, have brought in before me, that they should read this writing, and make known unto me the interpretation thereof. But they could not show the interpretation of the thing. And I have heard of thee, that thou canst make interpretations, and dissolve doubts. Now if thou canst read this writing, and make known to me the interpretation thereof, thou shalt be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about thy neck, and shalt be the third ruler in the kingdom.' Then Daniel answered and said, Before the king, let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another. Yet I will read the writing of the king, and make known unto him the interpretation. Now pay attention to what happens here. You remember the story of Nebuchadnezzar, how he was king, how he'd set himself up, and how God brought him low to make him eat grass like an ox. And when he came out of that, he knew that there was a God in heaven, and he decreed that all the people of his kingdom should worship this God that was in heaven. Listen to what Daniel says. The Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom and majesty and glory and honor. And for the majesty that He gave Him, all people, nations, and languages trembled and feared before Him, whom He would He slew, and whom He would He kept alive, and whom He would He set up, and whom He would He put down. But when His heart was lifted up and His mind hardened in pride, He was deposed from His kingly throne, and they took His glory from Him. And he was driven from the sons of men, and his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild asses. They fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till he knew that the Most High God ruled in the kingdom of men, and that he appointed over it whomsoever he will. And thou, his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thy heart, though thou knewest all this." but hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven, and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines have drunk wine in them. And thou hast praised the gods of silver, and of gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know, and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose all are all thy ways thou hast not glorified." And then he goes on to interpret the writing, and that night, Belshazzar was killed, and Darius the Median took up the kingdom. But here's the point. In Belshazzar's drunkenness and gluttony, he forgot one of, in my opinion, the most miraculous acts in Scripture. That the most powerful man in the world was made to eat grass like an ox for years. Until the Lord brought him back to himself and he admitted that there was a God in heaven. And that wasn't enough to keep Belshazzar in mind that the Lord is in heaven. Do you remember what we read last week? When, in the Proverbs, Solomon asked to have food fed to him that was convenient for him, lest he have too much and say, Who is the Lord? That's exactly what happened to Belshazzar. His gluttony and his drunkenness brought him to the point where he said, Who is the Lord? Even though his very father had had an incredible act of humbling brought upon him. Do not think that we are immune to this. in fattening ourselves in gluttony and in drunkenness, we too have this very present danger before us, that we forget to trust the Lord. And fifthly, in James chapter 5 and verse 6, we see the arrogance of injustice and murder. You have condemned and killed the just, and he doth not resist you. Now I think that this was written to help give those who are reading this letter in that day in particular great comfort in remembering that those who seemed to have everything and seemed to be able to get away with anything would be held accountable. Because the Christians, we already read in James, what was it, chapter 2, where he talked about, isn't it the rich people who are persecuting you? And yet you want to treat the rich people better when they come into your church? So we know that this is what was going on, that those who had the wealth and the power and the prestige were the ones who were persecuting the Christians. I was reading an article last night about Kim Jong-un. Is that the one who is currently the dictator in North Korea? And he was talking about this lavish island resort that he owns, with a 200 foot yacht with water slides off the back. and he imports French cheese and wine and has all his friends there on him. And this is while North Korea is one of the most impoverished nations in the world. People are literally starving to death every day. Christians are interred in prison camps and left to die. If you want to know about some of the persecutions that Christians are facing in North Korea, I recommend the book to you, The Eyes of the Tailless Animals. And here's this man just living in lavish luxury and James says, Weep and howl, Kim Jong-un, for your miseries that shall come upon you. Now for us who are living as the wealthy people, who are wealthy enough to fatten ourselves and to live in all kinds of luxury ourselves, this verse maybe doesn't bring the same comfort to our heart that it would to an impoverished Christian in a third world country who was being treated injustly and even being murdered by those who had wealth and power. But the day may come where we need to remember this truth. They may come where those who are in positions of wealth and power will be persecuting us. I won't go there for the sake of time. 1 Kings chapter 21 is a story where Ahab steals Is it Naboth's garden, vineyard? He goes and he has him killed. Jezebel commands him to have him killed. And that was, for all the wickedness of Ahab, that was the tipping point. That was the thing that brought God's condemnation upon him and his posterity. And that was the point at which Ahab repented. And God said, because he repented, I won't bring it on in his generation, but I'll bring it on in his children's generation. But the point is, Wealthy people often use it to abuse, to become so arrogant that they think they can be involved in injustice and even murder in order to gain greater riches for themselves. And the cries of those who are under them are coming to the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. He hears. He will execute justice finally. And we can be comforted in that truth. Let's close with a word of prayer. Father, we thank You for Your Word and for the ways in which it challenges us, and we ask that You would help us to be more godly. I pray that You would help us to be freed from the deceitfulness of wealth, from the deceitfulness of pleasure, and luxury, and wantonness, and delicacies. and instead that we would be truly focused on the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. Help us to be good stewards of what you've put under our care, that we wouldn't use it for excessive pleasures to our belly, or our senses, or our pride, but that we would always be careful to use it for the furtherance of your kingdom, for the good of your people, and obedience to your law. Be with us as we go our separate ways this afternoon. I ask it all in Christ's name and for his sake. Amen.