Good morning. It's good to have you all. Yeah. Please open your Bibles to James chapter five. We reached the final chapter of this monumental book, and it's with joy, even though I was chastised for doing multiple verses last week. The intention is to finish James this year, but I know that won't happen. There's not enough weeks left. I leave the second first week in December, so I will have to finish James early in the new year. What do you place your hope, your faith, your future, and your security in? Is it that you have a big bank balance? Is it that you have a very good house and property is going up? Is it that you've accumulated some silver, gold, or bitcoins? And so you are set for life. You have no cares because you have a guarantee for the future. Is that the source of your contentment and is it the source of your security both now and for the future? If that is so, then James condemns that kind of thinking. Read with me James 5 verse 1. Come now you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming on you. Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and your silver have corroded and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. Behold, the wages of the laborer who mowed your fields, which you have kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of Yahweh of hosts, or Lord of hosts. You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your heart in the day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you. Throughout this book, James shows the difference between saving faith and spurious faith. Those who know God rejoice in the midst of their trials. They endure trials, it's chapter one. They don't blame God for their temptation. They understand that they as humans are prone to temptation and God has nothing in Him that can be drawn to sin or temptation. They are obedient to the word, obeyers or doers of the word. They love their neighbors. They are wise in how they make decisions and their tongues honor God and they don't blaspheme nor do they hurt or curse God's people. They are in absolute awareness of the need of God both in this life and for the life to come. Yet on the other hand, James also highlights the presence of spurious faith in this book. They don't endure trials. They cannot have joy in the midst of their affliction. They are unwise. They have demonic faith. They burn people with their tongue. They destroy lives with their words. And there is no real response to God. Their faith is untrusting and does not produce fruit that honors God. Thus far I've given you two aspects of the outline for this book. I said that this book relates to faith that works through wise acts of righteousness. So far we've seen faith that is tested in chapter one. We've looked at faith that is demonstrated, that is chapter two through to four. And next, we will see faith that is demonstrated, or illustrated, sorry, from verse seven through to the end. There are two examples of faith, or two illustrations of faith in the last section. So we conclude the second part of this book, which is faith demonstrated this morning. And this morning, what I wanna look at is how James demonstrates Faith that does not have future hope in God, but hopes in riches, hopes in wealth. Over and over, like the book of Proverbs, James toggles between devoted faith and dead faith. And it's difficult for us to see because we don't always think in terms of how he writes between these two entities, those who have genuine faith and those who have bogus faith. Yes, yet it is evident when you start looking for it. He clearly, like the author of the book of Solomon, makes a distinction, for the most part Solomon, makes a distinction between those who have a relationship with God and those who think they have a relationship with God and yet have none. While the focus in chapter five verse one through to six is squarely placed on the unbeliever and what they place their faith and their hope and their trust in, This also acts as a warning and an exhortation to those who are believers. We are warned to avoid this kind of life and we're exhorted to evaluate how we view riches, how we view wealth, how we view security, both now and for the future. This morning we will see people who have placed undue value on material wealth. They have secured their security in future hope of their wealth. Now before we get to the exposition, let me give you an overview of how this passage fits together. We see a warning in verse one. Every other verse, from verse one through to verse six, from verse two through to verse six, explains the reason for this warning. There are three reasons given why they need to heed this warning and repent of their hope in their wealth. The first element that explains the reason for this warning is wealth has no eternal value. And then secondly, riches do not last. Thirdly, self-indulgent living demonstrates what your faith is really like. So those are the three elements we will look at. We will look at the warning this morning, and I'll try to get through the first point, which is wealth has no eternal value. Hopefully I am able to bring those two parts together. It will take a couple of weeks to work through this, and Lord willing, before I leave here, I am able to get through to verse six. Let's give attention to James' warning against thrusting in riches. Come now, verse one, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. This is an interjection even though it's in a form of an imperative. It's an emphatic, abrupt exclamation, very emotive. James calls them to solemn attention. You could say, wake up, you rich people. This is a call to consider, to change a course of direction because of what follows. After dealing with a businessman in chapter four, now James deals with those who have placed their security in wealth. The context here is aimed at unbelieving rich Jews. Now you may say, hang on, I'm not a rich person and I am not a Jew. Hang on, we'll get to that, how it relates to you. What I want to point out is that James does not disapprove or condemn riches. Don't get him wrong and don't get me wrong. God is not against rich people. There are some rich people in churches. For instance, in 1 Timothy chapter five or six, I believe, James, Paul speaks about rich Christians that need to honor God with their riches. So he's not condemning those who are rich as believers. He's condemning those who are rich who have placed their value, their worth, and their security in their riches. So that element, applies to anyone. James believes that these individuals are not aware of the transitory nature of their riches. They're also not aware of the perilous danger of securing your hope in riches. Now who are the rich in this section. There's a huge debate on this and often most commentaries will say that the rich here are rich Christians and is warning rich Christians from not securing future hope in present riches. James, however, never uses the rich in a positive light. Go to chapter one, you'll see it over there. Notice he says in verse nine, let the lowly or humble brother boast in his exaltation. So his security, his glorification is not in his state, but in his condition in what God has bestowed on him. So let him exult in what God has done for him. But, there's a contrast, our translations have and, but the rich, it doesn't say brother in the original, and some translations add it, I don't think it should be added. But the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass, he will pass away. Doesn't make perfect sense to us in English. In his humiliation, like the flower or the, what does he call it in Greek? The flowering grass or the sprouting grass, he will pass away. The rich, as he so grows in his wealth, fades away. And you see that explained in verse 11. The sun rises and its scorching heat withers the grass, its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. What is he talking about? The transitory nature of the grass of the field, the weeds, they don't have the capacity to withstand the burning heat of the sun. Notice what he says next, so also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits. while he's still growing his wealth, while he's still running after his riches, God cuts him off. That is what is behind the beginning of a standard. The rich man, in his humiliation, while he's still pursuing his riches, will, like a flowering grass, like nothing, absolutely nothing, he will pass away. James explains that his pursuits will not fulfill him. His riches is not his security. That's not a positive outcome for the rich man. May not be clear here that James is talking about an unbelieving rich person, but look at chapter two. Notice in verse two, he says, for if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly or synagogue, and a poor man in shabby clothing comes in, and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, you sit here in a good place, and you say to the poor man, you stand over there or sit down at my feet, have you then not made distinctions or shown partiality among yourselves? and become judges with evil thoughts. Interesting. The rich man here is identified in contrast with the poor man. Now, not all poor people are believers, but here it seems that James is indicating that the poor person who comes here is a brother, and you prefer the rich man over the poor brother. Look at what he says next. Listen, my beloved brothers. Has God not chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world? Not poor in the world, but those who the world view as poor to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom. And there he defines those who are poor. Those who are in the kingdom, which is promised to those who love him. But you have dishonored the poor man, are not the rich, the ones who oppress you. and the ones who drag you into court. Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called? Note the difference. They each are not called by the name of the Lord. They are not in the Lord, but they do blaspheme his name, yet they are the ones that are preferred in this synagogue. James consistently speaks about the rich as those who are blasphemous in pursuit of more riches, who have a very low view of God's word and God's people. It is the same people that James have in view in verse 13. Come now of chapter four, you who say today, we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit. They determine where they will go, how long they will spend, and the outcome of their time there, as if they are God. So when we come to chapter five verse one, when James says here, come now you rich, come now you who say, it's the same group of people and I believe that the same group of rich people in this book are still in view. He has not moved away from them. He's not addressing believers. He's addressing those who are characterized by their wealth. They are known to be rich. They are characterized by their lifestyles as being different from us normal blokes or folk. They stand out in the congregation. They wear the biggest rings that you could find. They have the bling that shows them to be distinct from other people. They have the most fanciest clothes that you could imagine. It's just a display of riches. We may find this strange when he speaks about lavish clothing in chapter 2. Understand that most Jews only had two elements of clothing. One that you wear on a normal day. Every day, all the time, whether you work or whether you go to sleep, that is your clothes. Sometimes the outer garment has been taken off when you go to bed, but for the most part, you have one piece of clothing. The second piece is for special occasions. That's when you take a bath, because you're now putting on new clothing. You don't want to put on new clothing when you haven't taken a bath. And so you really only take a bath when it's absolutely necessary. I can see some chuckling taking place. So you know those who are poor by how they smell and how they look. And you know the rich because they are lavished with oils and they have this demonstration of wealth. Fancy designer clothing. We may not have fancy rings. I suppose some people do. Maybe the biggest diamond that you could find. Now men don't wear diamonds and if they do there's a problem. They buy the best watches. The best tackies for those of you who are not from here. Sneakers. the best ties or the best jackets. They are supposed to be noted by their attire. No wonder James says, come now you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. You flaunt your riches as if that defines you as a person. We must not underestimate the unstated reality that James makes here for believers. It is not a sin to be rich, but believers are not to be defined by their riches or their wealth. They are not to buy the best car so that people can take note of them. They are not supposed to buy the best shirts or the best ties or the best... They shouldn't come into church walking around like this. That is... Or hauling their phones out, walking around like this, so that you can see he's got an iPhone. Oh, sorry, iPhone users. Or Huawei. Hawaii. Whatever. You display the fact that you've got a 108 megabyte pixel camera and this other guy only has a 2 megabyte pixel and you sneer at him. What is that? Christians are not to flaunt their wealth. So He condense those who are rich, and you'll see why He condense them, because they've made their wealth their person. They've made their wealth their identity. They've made their wealth their security. Believers are not like that. We are not identified by what we own. Christians are not supposed to be identified by their wealth. And yet today you've got Christian, quote unquote, Christian agencies, ministries saying that if you don't have, then God is not blessing you, then you don't have faith, then you are not with the Lord. To James, the rich are those that secure the future hope, that display the quality of life by means of what they wear. Now, notice what he says. Come now, you rich, weep and mourn, or weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. It almost sounds future. I suppose there's an element of that in the tense of this verb. What James is demonstrating is the sure arrival of this misery. One author said it this way, come now, wake up, you rich foolish people, prepare to meet your maker. Love that. Weep and mourn. Weep and mourn. There's two things that I want to highlight here. Why does he say weep and mourn? There's an Old Testament connection that I want to highlight. And then, what on earth are the miseries? Is that now or is that future? The two words here, weep and mourn, are used to intensify the grief that they ought to bear. It is interesting that James does not call them to repentance even though repentance is implicit. Weep means to mourn, to lament, to wail, that have the accompanying noise with it. I think we have a vivid image of what that means, right? It's not that whimpering noise, there's screaming and crying and wailing that is in view. It could be translated as weep bitterly. It is used of Peter when he realizes that Jesus' prophecy just came true. You will deny me when the rooster crows and he wept bitterly. It is used to describe the most saddest expression of grief when Jesus stands and weeps over the city, Jerusalem. It's an expression of grief. and sorrow. So James is saying to you guys that have riches and wealth more than you need. He says you should actually be grieving and weeping and mourning. This idea of howling is a word in Greek that has the sound that comes with it's saying. It's an onomatopoeia word. So it It sounds like howling, groaning produced by grief. The second word is added to intensify the wretchedness and the hopelessness that they are in. He's describing a state that yes, may possess riches, but in reality is hopeless. Why? Why are they supposed to weep and mourn? Notice he says, for the miseries that are coming on you. Is that miseries that is taking place as they are pursuing their riches? I don't think so. I think what James has in view here is eschatological judgment. Misery is literally to be calloused by a condition, a state of wretchedness resulting from or resultant from ongoing action. You know when you, my son is now on crutches, and so he says his hands are getting hard, It's, what did you say? No, you used a different word. Anyway, it's getting calluses, and so it's hardened flesh, hardened skin. How does that happen? When there's constant friction against the same area over and over, your skin gets hardened. The same thing happens with guitar players or violin players, violinists, I think they are called, right? James is saying that your miseries is the hardening state, the hardening, unresponsive state that is coming upon you. I think what James is after here is the fact that their riches is hardening themselves against repentance. Weep and wail is an Old Testament way of saying grieve and mourn because judgment is coming. Let me show it to you, Isaiah chapter 13. James is not specifically quoting Isaiah, but it is a common phrase in the Old Testament relating to a specific period. Notice in Isaiah chapter 13, verse six. Well, for the day of the Lord is near, a destruction from Almighty it will come. This is a day, look at verse nine. Behold, the day of the Lord comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger, to make the land a desolation and to destroy its sinners from it. Look down at verse 12. I will make people more rare than fine gold and mankind than the gold of Ophir. Isaiah here writes about the day of judgment that will come upon Babylon. It is known as the day of the Lord where God will utterly destroy and wipe out the enemies of Israel. Go to Ezekiel chapter 30. It is interesting that in Isaiah the same word for whale is used for cry out in James. Ezekiel chapter 30. And verse two. Son of man prophesy and say, thus says the Lord God. Well, alas for the day, for the day is near and the day of Yahweh is near. It will be a day of clouds, a time of doom for the nations. God speaks about the day when he will come and destroy Egypt. His hand or his sword or his anger will be poured out upon the enemies of Israel. You can go through the Old Testament, I've got a few verses, I'm not gonna do that, but there are quite a number of verses that demonstrate that there's a connection between wailing, mourning, and hailing because of the future judgment that is coming upon them. Jeremiah 4 verse 8, we get the same thing. There's a connection between weeping and howling because of the wrath that is to come. Now, go back to James. Is there a similar connection in this passage? Listen, come now you rich, weep and mourn for the misery that are coming, or the miseries that are coming upon you. Look at the end of verse three. You have laid treasure, laid up treasure in the, what? Last days. Look down at the end, last line of verse four. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of Yahweh, of host, the one who is ready to fight, the Lord of the armies. Look down at verse seven, be patient, therefore brothers, until the what? Coming of the Lord. You see it again in verse eight, you also be patient, establish your hearts for the Lord, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Now you may think, hang on, There's no idea of judgment in you. Yes, there is. Look at verse nine. Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged. Behold, the judge is standing at the door. That is eschatological. All these statements that I've just read is not imminent. Those are future, the coming of the Lord. Yes, it is near, but it is still future. The judgment is near, but it's still future. James has in view the judgment that will come when Jesus will return in a wrath, in anger, as he comes to judge this world. When he came in the first advent, he came as savior to redeem his people. When he comes, he will come as judge to condemn the lost. James, I believe, has in view that the miseries that is coming or that will come in the future are those miseries that will come when Jesus comes and condemns them for placing their hope in what they own and not in Him. This is eschatological judgment. There's a clear reference to the coming of the Lord and there is judgment that comes with the coming of the Lord. This is not immediate misery that they will endure, but future misery in that day God is hardening them for judgment. They may have the fullness of the enjoyment within this life now, but that enjoyment will be eclipsed by the misery that will be demonstrated in the day of judgment. Don't let this fall on deaf ears. Yes, it is directed to those rich Jews who think they have it all sorted for this life. But James' warning here comes in a book written to a synagogue that had both saved Jews and unbelieving Jews in it. And the whole point that he's writing about here is that if you place your security, if you place your worth, if you place your value, if you place your future, your hope in what you own, then it is not in God. To you, he says, you reach, weep, and howl for the misery that is coming on you. They depend on their riches and have no desire to depend on God. How do I know that? Because that's what James is about to explain. There are three reasons he gives for this warning. That was my introduction. Three reasons why he gives this warning to these rich people. Number one is this. Wealth has no eternal value. Wealth has no eternal value. Look at verse two. Don't be worried, I will finish on time. Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and your silver have corroded and the corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. The last part, you have laid up treasure, and the last is actually related to the next section, and so I'm gonna keep that. So verse two and three belong together, and the last part of verse three belongs with the following section. You have gold and silver. is what he acknowledges in verse two. Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. You have gold and you have silver, but they have corroded. What is he talking about? James now describes the people whom he is addressing. He's defining or explaining why the misery is coming upon them. They look to the riches for security. They look to the wealth for their hope. They look to their possessions for their stability in life. Notice what it says, your riches and your garments. Two things to note here. Number one, The richest year that he speaks about could be anything. It's the accumulation of wealth, plentitude, having more than you need. But notice what he says about it. Your riches have rotted. So he has something very specific in mind. Riches does not necessarily rot, because if your riches is placed in land, that's wealth that increases with time, right? Your riches can be coins, and that doesn't necessarily rot. So then what does this term speak about? Lytle and Scott has a helpful explanation for this word rot. It is used of decomposing bodies. but also of rotting, decaying grain. Interesting. Now, that will be significant in a moment. Whatever this riches is, it has the capacity to rot. But notice how he explains it. Now, for those Greek students, they will immediately note that there's a significant way in which James describes this rot. They have rotted, they've begun to rot, and they continue to rot. Notice what he says next. And your garments are moth-eaten. Similar explanation. Garments and moth-eating, I think, are pretty simple, pretty easy to understand. The garment is what rich people place their value in, because people can see their riches by their garments. If a moth gets a bite of one of their garments, it is ruined. for life. They don't want to wear a moth-eaten garment because that is a bad impression before people. So James mentions these two things, which is very interesting because Jesus deals with the same two things in the gospel. When he speaks about how people place their value in grain and on garments. What happens to grain? It can rot over time if it's not eaten. It gets consumed by mold or bugs. James says, wail and mourn because your riches, the things that you've placed value on, the things that you've placed your security on, the things that you think made your future a guarantee, those things have begun to rot and will continue to rot because they have no eternal value. They will not take you into glory and they will not last until Jesus comes. Why is this important? Riches in the first century were determined by both food and clothing. Big bonds and a lot of clothing. Big bonds, remember the rich lawyer? Forget who it was in Luke 16, who comes to Jesus, or he says to himself, I've got so much, what am I gonna do with this? I know what I'll do. Matthew 16, I think we read it on Wednesday. I'll break down the barn and I'll build bigger barns. Why? To store his grain. What has God said to him? You fool, tonight your soul will be required of you. He's placed future hope in present wealth. The same thing with their clothing. The Egyptians used to bury their emperors or their pharaohs in their wealthy clothing because they thought they will just wake up in the next life with it on. There was a lot of value placed in grain and garments. We do the same. We think that if our cupboards are full, I'm set. Doesn't matter what happens. There's lockdown, I have enough. We guarantee our future based on what we have gathered. We think we are important because of the garments that we wear. We are no different to the people that James is writing to here. And yet, He says that a little bug can destroy what you have valued. This little moth is so small. In the ancient time, they thought that the bug was mystical. It was some sort of a spiritual thing. It was some sort of a god. It was unseen reality because they didn't have binoculars like we had, not binoculars, microscopes to see these bugs as they nibble on your clothing. And one day there's no bite and then the next morning you wake up and mystically, just out of nothing, there's this big hole in your very valued royal garb. James says, you place value in things that rot, things that can be eaten up, things that does not take you into glory and will not have any good standing. into glory, in glory. God is not going to ask you how many houses do you have. I hear people often talk about when you come to the pearly gates. I'd like to see that in scripture. I don't know if it is. I don't think it is. I haven't read it. Been through the book of Revelation a few times. There's no pearly gates there. But anyway, When you get to glory, I believe we are raptured first and we'll be in his presence and then he comes down, those of us who have died, our bodies will be restored and then eventually we start to live an eternal life on this earth. There is no taking of what you owned to heaven and say, look how many shoes I gathered over the years. Look, it's Nike, Adidas, What is the one with the panther on? Puma, whatever it is. Jordans. Look Lord, I've gathered enough wealth. Now allow me to enter into your kingdom. But there is no negotiations. You're either in the kingdom or you're not. You either bowed the knee to Jesus as Lord or you did not. Those garments and those riches will not be in good standing when Christ will come. And that's why he's calling them to repentance. That's why he's calling them to weep and mourn because those things will not have any grounds when the Lord comes. Will not mean a single thing. Be warned, he says, Because the things that you are so secure in have no eternal value before God. The more we gather, the more secure we feel. Right? I don't know if you like that. So I like to gather knives. For those of you who are unsanctified will be offended by that. But I'll pray for you. There's no security in having as many knives as you want. Our security does not come in what we own. Our value is not in what we own. Our value, we sing the song, right, is fixed in who? Jesus Christ. He's pointing them to the fact that they cannot and should not depend upon what they have gathered because it will mean nothing if they have not Christ as Lord and Savior. Let me ask you this question. What makes you valuable in this life? James speaks here about garments and he mentions it in chapter 2 as well for a very specific reason. Garment was a very important commodity in that day. External adornment. Why do people adorn themselves externally? So that people would think of them in a certain way. So that they would be noticed. Chapter 2, case in point. So that they would have a measure of self-accomplishment, feel good about themselves. or so that they can have security in what they have gathered. Yet, in reality, these things mean nothing before God. You can be as poor as a pauper. I think that's a saying, right? You can be poor and have nothing and yet be valued by God. The problem is not that we cannot have nice things. That is not what James is dealing with here. Some of us have nice things and you may be feeling a little bit of guilt. That's not what he's talking about. It's when those nice things becomes your measure of security in life. When your present possession becomes your future hope. When you have enough and you say, hang on, I think I'm set for life because I have this. I've got a good pension fund, I've got a good, what are the funds they have nowadays? Life security, life bond, whatever it is. We think our future's secure by what we own. Not so quickly. Your riches and your garments will mean nothing before our Lord. James warns us against such thinking. Our earthly wealth is not our eternal security. Another element that he mentions as to why they have to weep and howl is because the riches does not last but will condemn notice in verse three your gold and your silver have corroded and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire very difficult verse gold and silver does not necessarily corrode So James is not talking about the anatomical substance or makeup of gold or silver. It's a strange statement and some guys are trying to make so much of it, trying to explain what he may have had in mind by means of the unrefined gold versus refined gold, that unrefined gold can get this black tarnish on it and it looks like it is rusting. That's not what he's talking about. And I'll explain what I think he means. It is true that gold nuggets, when it is unrefined, when placed amongst other chemicals, can mimic the effects of rust. But gold itself doesn't have rust capacity. It cannot rust. It is, like silver, one of the non-corroding metals that God has given to this earth. What rusts, though? Maybe I should ask, what does rust do? It literally eats away at metal, right? It eats away at things. When you've seen rust, it just flakes away. And it will keep on eating. It will keep on corroding over time. You ever had a metal roof that is not well corrugated? Is that the word? Yes, he's not even paying attention. It rusts. Yes, that word. It rusts and it looks like there's something that's chewing away at it every day. Because just a little bit more is gone the next day. That's the idea behind this word corroded and corrosion. It's something that's eating away. I don't think that it means literal gold and literal silver. The wealth was not per se in gold and silver, it was a means of exchange, like we would use money, that's how they would use gold and silver back then. What James is pointing to is that what you've placed value in, is actually depreciating, eating away over time. And you say, hang on, hang on. But gold, it's gold. I mean, it actually gets more, right? No, no, not so much. Watch the markets. It's up and down. It's a strange statement to our ears. How can gold and silver corrode? I think what James is trying to say, and you'll see it in the last part, is that the things that's valuable to you, gold and silver was valuable, the things that you've placed security in, they are literally eating away before your eyes. Now it could be also that you have, but it's limited in amount. You have gold and you have silver coins, but you don't have all the gold or all the silver. And so as you are using it up, what's happening to it? being eaten away. It's corroding over time. They placed value in it, but that value is not eternal, or that security is not eternal. You cannot buy your way out of judgment. It will mean nothing before the throne of God. In fact, You will lose it over time. You gather all these things and then you die. Who gets it? Someone else. You see that in the book of Ecclesiastes. Vanity of vanity. What is life worth? I believe Frank said, what is your life? Life is bubbles, right? Is that what you said? Vanity. Bubbles. Why? Because the things we place value in does not go with us beyond the grave. In fact, he mentions that you work and you toil only for the next person to come and eat your labor, the fruit of your hands. Vanity of vanities, he says. Why do I even bother? I've seen these things under the sun. You've experienced it as well. People work hard and then they die and then the next person gets that beautiful car that is invested in and polished every day. Pharaohs used to have a little boat that was placed in their tomb. It used to be used to carry them to the next life and they used to make it out fully kitted. It's like our Cadillacs. You're not taking your vehicle into the next life. So why place so much value on it is James's point. Why do you think you have security in it? Notice the last statement, which is probably the most shocking. Their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. Again, very strange statement. What does that mean? Their corrosion, their fading away or their being eaten up will be evidence against you. What does that mean? I think you can imagine what he's trying to say. You've placed your worth, you've placed your value, you've placed your hope in present riches that is fading away. It's not eternal. And the fact that you've hoped in it will be a testimony against you in the day of judgment that you did not have faith in God, but you have faith in the riches. That will be a witness against you. That will stand as a testimony to personify. It doesn't mean that the riches is going to be resurrected and stand there and say, yeah, it's not going to talk on your behalf. It's the fact that you had faith in anything else or something else other than God and it says that will be a testimony against you in the day of judgment. How do I know it's a day of judgment? It will eat your flesh like fire. Go back to the Old Testament passages that I mentioned. Fire is always mentioned in reference to the day of the Lord or the day of Yahweh. It will come like a blazing fire and consume the earth. Literally the top soil of the earth will be destroyed by fire. It will stand against you when you are judged and it, that testimony, that you didn't have faith in God, but faith in your riches, will consume you. Guess what he's saying? Your pursuit of riches will be your undoing. Your pursuit of wealth and your hope in your riches will be your undoing before God, will be your condemnation in the day of judgment. That is scary. Be aware that you do not place future hope in present possessions. That's what Dent is warning these people about. Your future is not dependent on what you own right now. Your future will tell us that you didn't have faith in God, but faith in your riches. You can put anything in there to define what you have established as your future hope right now. My pension plan, my gold coins, my Bitcoin coins, my silver coins, my Garmin watch, sorry Garmin guys, my series of iPhone from zero to 15, whatever it is. When you've placed future value, future hope on present possessions, you've moved from trusting in God to trusting in things. That will testify against you in the day of judgment. Beware of placing your hope in what will not last. Let me end with the words of Jesus. Jesus says, beware and be on your guard against every form of greed, for not even when one has abundance does his life consist of his possessions. And he told them a parable saying, the land of a rich man was very productive. And he began reasoning to himself, what shall I do since I have no place to store my crops? Then he said, this is what I'll do. I will tear down my bones and build larger ones. And there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to myself, so you have many goods laid up for many years to come. Take your ease, eat, drink, and be merry. We may frown on that, but we do the same. We bank on future security and present possessions. But God said to him, you fool, this night your soul is required of you, and now who will own what you have prepared? So is the man who stores up treasure for himself and is not rich towards God. That's the condemnation that James is issuing here. When your possessions are far more important than God, then your faith and security and your future hope is in what you own and not in the God who gives the things that you own. Let's pray. Father, we are so dependent on you to bring to light the things that we struggle with. We don't always see how foolish we are in banking on our future based on what we have right now. Our futures are not guaranteed. Doesn't matter what we have now, it will not matter in the day when you will come. There are many who are sitting here that do not have a relationship with you. They may have a perspective of what they may be able to offer or what they think provides security. But if they do not have faith in you, Lord, that it doesn't matter what they have or what they do not have, you will hold them accountable for not believing that you have. being the savior of all mankind. We pray, Father, that these words would not fall on deaf ears. If there are some of us who are struggling with our possessions and placing unneeded value on it, we pray that you would not only bring conviction, but a change of heart. Help us to trust in you and not in what we have. Help us to secure our hope and our future securely on You and not in what we possess. Forgive us, Lord, for being so securely minded on the things that we possess and not entrusting to You both our present and our future. We pray that our hearts would be encouraged, to be comforted, that all we have right now is all that you deem for us to possess. We need nothing more but to trust in you. Thank you for your goodness and your patience with us. We pray that your word would convict, it will convince, that will clarify the areas that we need to change. We pray this for your glory alone. We give thanks in Jesus' name, amen.