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Emily Pahl
Welcome to the weekly podcast of Sisterhood at River Valley Church. River Valley is an exciting and thriving church where you will find friendly people, a casual atmosphere and relevant teaching. We believe in a life-giving, positive church culture where people worship God, connect with one another and find purpose in life.
Okay, hello. Welcome to Sisterhood. You have made it to the end of the chapter, to the end of the book of James. We're in the last chapter. We're gonna go over the first half this week and then we'll finish up next week.
Speaker 1:And today, we get to chat a little bit about money. And sometimes my husband and I say, ah, you talk about money and people get a little a little funny. But we have to have it, we need to have it, however, it doesn't have to control us, it shouldn't control us. And that's what James is gonna talk about and then in the second half of the verses we're gonna talk about persevering through trials. So, we have a full lesson today.
Speaker 1:I feel like both of them could be standalone lessons. We have a full lesson, it is rich, it is full of scripture, it has lots of content and I'm only gonna scratch the surface. So go ahead this week, dig into it, read it a little bit more, figure out for yourself more things that James is trying to do, okay. So before we start I'm just gonna give the Lord this word, thank you Jesus, your words alive and active. That means that every time we open it, it has power to reveal, it has power to transform, it has power to teach.
Speaker 1:So Jesus, just do your thing, whatever you need to do in whosever heart you need to do something. In Jesus name, amen, amen, amen. So here we are, chapter five. James addresses the rich people directly. He says, now listen you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you.
Speaker 1:Weep means to shed tears. Wail means to cry out. So James is saying, if you could see what the end of your life is gonna be like, you would weep, shed tears, you would wail, cry out. Why? Because, verse two, your wealth has rotted and moths have eaten your clothes.
Speaker 1:Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. Okay, before I go any further it's important to know that there's many examples of wealth used in the Bible that is good as well. So we're not saying that wealth is a sin, we're not saying that if you have much that it's a sin. But what rich what James wants to point out today about the rich, he's saying, hey it's not wrong to simply have rich, but it's how they used it and it's how they obtained it that he wants us to focus on today.
Speaker 1:And he he wants us to make the point, wealth is temporary. There's gonna be a day of judgment, there's gonna be a day of eternity ahead of you where wealth is going to mean absolutely nothing. I think we all would agree, we could say life is short. In James four we learned that life is but a vapor. So to pursue wealth over pursuing God or to trust in wealth over trusting in God, James is like, yeah, that's foolish.
Speaker 1:That's not wise. In Luke 16, Jesus told a story in which he instructed us about our worldly resources. He said, use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then when your earthly possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home. Hallelujah.
Speaker 1:I love going to a house that feels like a home. And do you know why it feels like a home? Maybe they've welcomed me in, maybe they've greeted me with a hug, maybe they've set the table, they don't have to do that to make it feel like a home, But they've done something in advance. They've prepared something in advance so that when I get there, I feel like a home there. I feel like it's a home.
Speaker 1:See, there's things that we can do in advance. There's things that we can do to prepare for our eternal home so that when we get there, it feels like a home. We prepare an entrance for ourselves. And here it says, he use your worldly resources to benefit others. If Jesus thought it was a sin to have worldly resources, I don't think he would have said that.
Speaker 1:But just like James, he says, hey, remember one day though, this will be gone and eternity is going to begin. In today's day and age, we have lots of indicators of wealth. There's lots of ways that we can tell if somebody has money or appears to have money. But in the day that this scripture was written there was really three ways that they could tell if they have wealth and James touches on each of them. He says, yeah you have grain, if you have grain in your bins and silos that's a sign of wealth.
Speaker 1:But James says your wealth has rotted, the grain has rotted. And then he says clothing, because if you had more than the clothes on your body you were considered wealthy because a lot of people didn't have a full closet of clothes like we have. And then he says, your moths have eaten, the moths have eaten your clothes. Look at Matthew six, it says the same thing. Don't store up treasures here on earth where moths eat them and rust destroys them and where thieves break in and steal.
Speaker 1:Okay, moths are just gonna eat the clothes. And then the third way we can tell if someone was rich in that day was their gold and their silver, and he says your gold and silver have corroded. He knew that literally these these metals weren't going to rust. But what he's saying is, hey, all your grain, all your clothes, all your metal, one day they're going to corrode and they're not gonna be worth anything to you. He's saying, hey, you rich people keep in mind that one day this is all gonna waste away.
Speaker 1:And the very thing that you trusted in for comfort is going to be gone, and it's actually gonna ruin you in the end. See, because sometimes wealth can buy us titles, it can buy us advancements, It can buy us things when we're here on earth, but there's going to be a day when all that is gone and the only thing that matters is the things that you've sent ahead and stored up in heaven. Proverbs eleven four, riches will not provide security in the day of wrath and judgment, but righteousness rescues from death. James knows that to be true too. And it's almost as if he's saying like, hello people, will you listen to me?
Speaker 1:I know what's best for you. They're they're stuck in their teenage brain. If you've had a teenager or you have a teenager or if you've been a teenager, you've maybe had a conversation that sounded something like this. Yeah, I know that sounds really fun right now. But while you're under my roof, I feel it my responsibility to share my wisdom with you and my wisdom says that's probably not best for you in the long run.
Speaker 1:I feel like that's what James is saying. Yeah, I know what's best for you. And what's best for you in the long run is not to heap up for yourselves treasures on earth, but to heap up for yourself treasures in heaven. It says in verse five three, you have heaped up treasures in the last days. In the Greek, heap up means to hoard ladies.
Speaker 1:Hoarding, to accumulate what's not necessary. James is telling them, hey, you guys are hoarding stuff. You're only using it for yourself. See there's a difference between saving and hoarding. Saving says, I'm gonna put this away because maybe someday someone or something is gonna need this.
Speaker 1:Hoarding says, I'm gonna put this away because I need it and I wanna spend it on myself and I wanna indulge. K. That's what hoarding is and that's what these people were doing. They were hoarding their money. Hoarding says, I have so much food that it spoils.
Speaker 1:Hoarding says, I have so much clothes that the moths are eating it. Hoarding says, I have so many jewels that I can't possibly wear it all. And hoarding is not building God's kingdom. Okay, so these this rich group of people they were hoarding wealth and then the second way that they were obtaining wealth was worse, they were cheating people out of their wages. Read on in verse four, look the wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you.
Speaker 1:The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. James is basically saying, hey yeah, I see your shady dealings. I see what you guys are doing. See because they had to pay their day laborers. Back when this was written, most of the work came from agriculture, so when the harvest was ready to be cut or mowed down, the farmers would have to go to the city, they'd hire whoever they need for the day, there'd be people waiting in line there, they're called day laborers.
Speaker 1:And the farmer would say, I need one, I need three, I need five, I need seven of you, whatever, come home with me and let's put you to work and then I'll pay you at the end of the day. This still happens in parts of the world. I was in Kenya A Couple Years ago and we were in the slums and there's not a lot of work for the guys in the slums. And so dads and brothers and sons, they'd walk, some of them, most of them two hours to get to the city so that they could find a job for the day. And maybe, just maybe, they would have a job and if they did, they'd work, then they turn around and they'd walk two hours home.
Speaker 1:If they walk two hours there and they didn't have a job, guess what? They just turned around and went home, no job for that day. But they couldn't survive unless they got paid for the day. So that's what's happening here. And then the the day laborers, they'd work for the farmers, they'd get to the end of the day, they'd go collect their wages and here's what the rich people would say, Yeah, I I think I left my wallet and my other camel so I'll just pay tomorrow.
Speaker 1:Okay, that doesn't say that in the Bible but you can you can get a picture, right? They didn't have cars. And so then the next day, I'll pay you tomorrow, the next day would come guess what? Yeah, must be in the other camel. And they weren't paying them.
Speaker 1:Ladies, that's called stealing. That's not honest. And I don't know a lot about running a business, but I know enough to say that's not a good business model. Says, and it's prohibited in the Bible, look at Deuteronomy 24. You must pay them their wages each day before sunset because they are poor and are counting on it.
Speaker 1:If you don't, they may cry out to the Lord against you and it would be counted against you as sin. A day laborer is counting on their wages to survive. Boss or not, here's our lesson here ladies, keep your word. Let your yes be yes and let your no be no. See it's one thing if the farmer didn't have any money, but then James points out in verse five, they're extravagant living.
Speaker 1:He says, you have spent your years on earth in luxury, satisfying your every desire. You have fattened yourselves for the day of slaughter. And he says, hey you have fine garments. You have enough grain for everybody, you're going out and you're eating in really nice places, you have fine dining. In other words, he say, hey you're just living for yourself and you're totally missing it.
Speaker 1:You have no understanding of the purpose of money. See there's verses in the Bible that we want to try and copy and imitate so that we can be more Christ like. And then there's verses in the Bible where it's a little bit of a warning like, hey don't look like this. Look at James five six, you have condemned and murdered the innocent ones who was not opposing you. They were rich hoarders, they were cheaters, they were clearly not building God's kingdom.
Speaker 1:And so if it's a warning, then I wanna find things in scripture that says, okay, Lord, then what should I do with my wealth? Look at what Paul says in first 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 of age so that they may take hold of the life that is truly rich.
Speaker 1:Paul said, hey, if you are blessed, which we are, we live in America, we are blessed. He said, don't be arrogant, don't flaunt it, live a modest and humble life. Don't let your hope be in your wealth, he said, which is so uncertain, but rather put your hope in Christ which is certain. And he gives you everything you need. Don't put your hope in your 401 or in your bank account because believe it or not, that is gonna fail you too.
Speaker 1:And for those of you that think it's gonna be hard from transferring your trust from your bank account to God, what does he say? He says, he richly provides and gives everything we need to enjoy enjoy life. That's not a scarcity mentality. That's an abundance mentality. Not only is he gonna provide everything you need, but he's gonna make sure you enjoy it as well.
Speaker 1:And then Paul says, hey, do good. Not just with your money, but do good deeds too. Be generous, be willing to share. Paul says generosity is what lays up treasures for ourselves in heaven. If he connects our attitudes about wealth to the reality of eternity, just as James is trying to do.
Speaker 1:Because we know that this life will pass and only what we have stored up will last. We aren't citizens of this kingdom. We're citizens of his kingdom. And that's why I can stand up here and thankfully say that I don't have to fear and I don't have to fret. And with everything happening in the start stock market, and everything else that's going on on the news, you guys know what I'm talking about.
Speaker 1:We don't have to live in fear because we're not citizens of this kingdom. We're citizens of his kingdom. Amen, it's right. Ladies, he's never failed us yet and I don't believe he's gonna start now. For thousands of years people have called on the name of Jesus.
Speaker 1:Why? Because he will take care of everything that you need. We have a dear friend who recently lost her husband. And she was there when he took his last breath and he graduated into heaven. And I don't know if you've ever had the honor or privilege with sitting with someone who takes their last earthly breath and then goes on to be with Jesus.
Speaker 1:But let me tell you what, it makes death really real. And it makes heaven really near. And all of a sudden, the things of this world grow strangely dim. And that coat that you bought that you just had to have, yeah, it's still here when you leave. And that house that you absolutely stretched yourself to get into because you needed to keep up with the Joneses, guess what?
Speaker 1:When you go on it's still here and so is the big mortgage payment. And that car that you had to have because you thought it would make you happy to drive something that you really loved, guess what? That's still here, it doesn't get to go with you. Nothing gets to go with us except for our faith in Jesus and the things that we've sent on ahead of us, to the treasures, to his kingdom. Remember that one time a missionary came to church and you heard what they were doing and so you took your extra spending budget for the month and you said, I'm gonna give it to them.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that was a good investment. Or that one time you showed up at the grocery store to buy yourself groceries and the Lord told you to pay for somebody else's because really back in your pantry at home you really had two weeks worth of food. Yeah, that was a good choice. Or the one time you heard that people around the world didn't have access to a Bible, and you looked in your closet and you probably have 25 Bibles. So you said, I need to give to that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that was a good investment. That one time you heard someone needed a van so you actually gave up yours. Good choice. Or that one time you challenged yourself to live on 50% of your income so that you could give the other 50% away? Yeah ladies, that's an eternal investment.
Speaker 1:Those times you opened your home when you really didn't have time to do it, yeah that's a good investment. Remember that one time you gave up your family vacation so you could go on a global team instead, which in turn you came home it changed your life because now you pray differently, you serve differently, and you give differently? Yeah, that's a good investment. Or you decided to support a missionary on a monthly basis because although you didn't feel at this time you're supposed to go overseas, there's somebody that is and you're thankful for it, so yeah that's a good investment. Remember that one time you didn't have time to serve people but you did it anyways?
Speaker 1:Good choice. Or that one time you decided I don't need to buy any clothes for a whole entire year because I really have enough and it will free me up to be more generous with my money. Good choice. Ladies, real choices. Real people.
Speaker 1:Why? Because maybe, just maybe, they started to understand that whatever they spent on here was gonna fade, but the things that really mattered was that they could store up treasures for themselves in Heaven. Life changing, literally. See then here's what the enemy does, and the enemy comes in and he begins to tempt us and he says that we need to compare and we start going, oh but they have that and they have that but don't I deserve that. Shouldn't I have that?
Speaker 1:Oh man, I have worked so hard, I should be able to get that and I know it, I know that those are the thoughts because guess what? I struggle with them at times too. And then I'm like, Emily, get a grip. Who do you live for? You don't live for this world.
Speaker 1:And why do you care what they're buying? I don't know what God's telling them to do with their money, I don't know where he's sending them, I don't know what they're doing behind closers and I don't have to, it's really none of my business. My business is to be obedient with what God has given me and that's your business too, who cares what's happening around you, you just be obedient with what God's given you, that's all we really have to do. See, when we start comparing, we start living our lives in this black strip and this black part represents our life on earth and this white part that goes on forever and ever and ever, that represents our eternity. And I think there's too many times that we sit in this black strip and we use our time, our energy, and our resources to only do something in this black strip.
Speaker 1:When really it would be a much better investment to use our time, our energy, our resources to invest in this part that goes on forever and ever and ever. And James, in this chapter, he's talking to the people that are living in the black part physically. The farmers, the day laborers, here they are, they're living in the black part, this is where we're at, we're living in the black part. And it's as if he says to the rich people, hey, you're living here and you are only living for this, you have no idea what you're wasting. And then he turns to the day laborers and he says, Hey, I know you guys are here.
Speaker 1:And I know that it feels like the wicked is winning in this little part. And I know it doesn't feel fair. And I know you're working hard. But listen, I see you. And there's gonna be a day that judgment is coming and let me tell you that eternity is near, and Jesus is coming back.
Speaker 1:And although you may be suffering right here, there's gonna be a day where you get to live in the white for eternity and it's gonna be worth it. And all the suffering that you went through right here, it's gonna be worth it because the Lord will return. Verse seven, be patient then sisters until the Lord's coming, See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop patiently. Waiting for the autumn and spring rains, you too be patient and stand firm because the Lord's coming is near. Don't grumble against one another or you will be judged.
Speaker 1:The judge is standing at the door. Notice he told us to consider the farmer, and I know that farming could be really complicated now, and I know that there's chemicals and different things they have to turn the field, but could you think with me just for a minute on just really basic farming. Okay, don't don't go to what we do now, just think basic. And he says, 'Think of a farmer, what does the farmer do? He makes a hole in the ground, he plants a seed in it, he covers it up, and then he waits.' And I love what James says he waits for, he waits for the rain.
Speaker 1:He waits for the rain. See, there's nothing the farmer can do to make the rain come. He puts the seed in the ground and then once it's planted, he shifts his focus from his efforts to God's provision. He can't make the rain come. He can't compensate.
Speaker 1:He can't do something better to make the rain come. He has no control of it. Only God can do that. And James said the farmer waits for the valuable harvest that's gonna come. The word in the Greek means to look with anticipation, to wait expectantly.
Speaker 1:See there's a difference between difference between eager waiting and regular waiting. Here's what regular waiting does. Okay, regular waiting just wastes time. Eager waiting says, 'I see, I'm waiting with expectant, I know, I expect there's going to be a harvest, I just have to wait for the right time, I have to wait for the rain to come. And then remember the context that we're talking about, remember how we set up what's happening in the time of James.
Speaker 1:James told the people, hey there's a day coming when all's gonna be made right. He said, God heard their cries that judgment would indeed come to the wicked in the world. So all the all the day laborers that are living in the black, he's like, let me remind you, there's a day coming when the wicked will be made right. Watch for it with anticipation. Jesus is coming.
Speaker 1:Watch for it with anticipation. The Lord's return is near. Watch for it with anticipation. And that's what gives us the courage to stand firm and wait for him. Verse 10.
Speaker 1:Sisters, as an example of patience in the face of sufferings, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. As you know, we count as blessed those who persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy. So first he had us look at the farmer, now he says, okay now I want you to look at the prophets.
Speaker 1:Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, couple others. He said, look at what they did, they suffered for the words they prophesied. They spoke God's truth for years and years and years, only to see people refuse to change. Isaiah preached for sixty years, six decades ladies. People rejected his message for six decades.
Speaker 1:Patience and suffering. Why? Because he knew the Lord was gonna return. And there would be a day that everything would be made right, but for now he just had to be obedient to what God asked him to do. Have you ever so, have you ever so badly wanted someone to receive Jesus or to come to church or to change their actions, a spouse, a child, a friend, co worker and no matter what you said or no matter what you tried they wouldn't change?
Speaker 1:Why? Because you can't change them. Only God can do that, we can't change people, but we can patiently endure, we can patiently wait, we can pray, we can plant seeds and then we wait for the rain. We shift our eyes from our effort to God's provision. Then James said, 'hey, as you know, as you know we count them blessed', which is to say, 'hey, it should be common knowledge that you know that the people that wait patiently are blessed'.
Speaker 1:The King James version calls them happy. Their happiness was born of their endurance. What do we know of endurance? We know that if a runner has good endurance they can keep going, and going, and going, and we say, wow their endurance is so great. Endurance in the Greek is a compound word, it's made up of hopomino.
Speaker 1:Hopo means under, mino means to remain. So when we put it together it means to remain under pressure. Strength, load bearing, that word with referred to donkeys, a load carrying ability. Have you ever been to another country and seen a donkey carrying things where you think their legs should actually crumble under that? But they don't, because they've been given this load bearing ability.
Speaker 1:They can remain under pressure. And then Job says, haven't you heard of Job? Or I'm sorry, James says, haven't you heard of Job's perseverance? If you have it, you can read about it in the Old Testament. I don't have time to go into it, but you need to know this.
Speaker 1:Job was a man, he loved God. And he did use his wealth, right? His wealth was in his animals, in his livestock. And then there came a time where he figured out that, yeah, all this earthly wealth means absolutely nothing, it's very temporary. Because he lost his oxes, his donkeys, his, I don't know whatever else he had, camels.
Speaker 1:And then he lost his children. And he lost his health. And Job's biggest frustration in that moment was, Lord, why? Why would I lose all this stuff? Why is all this going away?
Speaker 1:And God was allowing it. He's like, Why God, why have you been there ladies? Why God, why I don't get it? And sometimes we don't have the answer for it. You actually might be in a situation right now where you have to remain under pressure, where you're carrying a big load.
Speaker 1:Where you're like Job and you're like, why God, why? And I would say this, persevere ladies, persevere. The Lord believes you can carry it, he's given you the strength to push on and in the end, scripture says, you will see how kind the Lord is, even if it doesn't feel so kind right now. You will see it because the Lord is full of tenderness and mercy. And then the Bible tells us that God is gracious and compassionate and he's a rewarder to those who seek you and that's our incentive to persevere and that's our incentive to push on because Jesus is coming and He rewards and He makes everything right.
Speaker 1:And He's the one that has the last word and we know that truth always wins, but don't forget to be patient while you wait. And then it will be said of you. What was said of Job? It said, Job let's put it to she, she is blessed and happy for having persevered. The Lord has been so compassionate and merciful to her, look what he brought about in the end.
Speaker 1:I'm walking through some marriage stuff right now with a with a gal that I know and she's going through things that she never ever thought she'd have to walk through and probably never should have had to walk through. And her husband isn't a follower of Jesus yet. But she called me the other day and she said, hey, can you help me redirect my focus? Can you remind me of the truths that it says in God's word? Because right now, I feel like I'm under pressure and I don't know if I can remain.
Speaker 1:And I said, yes, we can set our minds on him. See, because sometimes we can't control our circumstances or our situations, but we can control our perspective and we can control our heart and even though she can't make her husband change, she can pray for him and she can speak life over him and then she can move her focus from her effort to his provision and wait eagerly and with anticipation for the harvest to come. And I said, I'm just gonna ask you a few questions right now. I said, Do you have what you need right now in this very moment? Yeah, I do.
Speaker 1:Have you always had what you need right now in that very moment? Yeah, I have. I said, do you trust him? Yeah, yeah, I do. I said, are you able to take right now your eyes from your problem to your provider?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I can do that. I said, does his word say that he'll give you the strength to persevere? Yeah, it does. I said, okay then you're gonna be okay. You're gonna be okay.
Speaker 1:Patience and suffering, we take our eyes from our problem to our provider. Because we don't live as citizens of this kingdom. We live as citizens of His kingdom. Let us live that way. So Lord I thank you for your word that went forth today, Jesus.
Speaker 1:May it sink deep into our hearts Lord. May we live as citizens of your kingdom and not our own kingdom. Lord, we thank you and we praise you. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
Speaker 1:Amen. Amen.