Come now, you rich.

John Farley
Pastor-Teacher
Sunday,
May 14, 2017

Practical Christianity:

Come now, you rich

Jam 4:11-17 - 5:1-6

The rich and the poor are a major concern for James in his letter.

The Bible offers compassion for the poor and issues warnings to those who desire to get rich.

We need pay close attention to our Father’s will for us in the matter of money.

James addresses the problem of the rich and poor in three sections of the letter.

Jam 1:9-11

We have the rich contrasted with the poor in several ways.

If you get a command from James, there’s hope for you, and you are in all likelihood a believer!

James is sympathetic towards the brother of humble circumstances, and has only good things to say about him.
 

He has a lot to say about the rich man, but it’s mostly negative.

James brings up the subject of the rich and poor again in chapter 2, verses 1-7.

Jam 2:1-7

The rich in verses 6 and 7 are clearly unbelievers. They blaspheme the name of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Once again the poor are described in positive terms by James.

Jam 4:11-17 - 5:1-6

In Chapter 4 verses 13-17, James is reproving businessmen who are believers.

Jam 4:13-17 is an exhortation.

But in chapter 5, verses 1-6, James is pronouncing impending doom on rich people who are unsaved.

Jam 5:1-6 is a prophetic pronouncement.

They are not condemned because they are wealthy.

They are condemned because they abused their riches for evil.
 

They indulge their flesh in all the ways that Paul says the sons of disobedience do -

-as they set themselves up for the day when the wrath of God will come upon them.

Col 3:5-6

The sons of disobedience are the unbelievers.

God’s wrath will never come upon His sons and daughters!

There is NO condemnation for us who are in Christ Jesus.

The rich that James is addressing in chapter 5 are in the last days, and they will soon face the Judge.

In that day of slaughter, they will weep and howl for the miseries which will come upon them.

Jam 5:1-6

God is incredibly patient, but He will not ignore evil and rebellion forever.

The day will eventually come when He will execute His wrath on His enemies.

Joh 3:36

 

 

www.villageministries.org

Village Ministries International (or V.M.I.) is a non-denominational Christian Ministry based in Yukon, OK.

V.M.I. takes the Gospel and God’s Word to remote areas that aren’t easily exposed to missionary activity.

Their two main goals are evangelism in various outposts throughout the world, and training rural indigenous pastors.

They have worked in India, Nigeria, the Philippines, Central America, Indonesia, and Mongolia.


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