Look here, you unrepentant rich folk: weep and groan. “Weep” (klaio) means “to sob out loud,” or “to lament.” “Groan” (ololuzo) and this goes beyond mere lamenting and refers to shrieking or screaming (which follows when there is not turning to the Lord).
Taken together, “weep and groan” - it's a picture of intense despair, a sense of horrific regret with uncontrollable grief! James is telling us that when money and materialism become the god we bow to.. when this is our master passion.. and we realize this worship is wrong, then fierce judgment is headed in our direction.
Please weep and groan with anguish to your knees. Grab hold of the True God of mercy and grace! Tears can be good but not merely for the sake of crying. Repent while you have time, cuz no amount of inordinate opulence, or lux-lucre, or soft-life-mammon-means, or passive exploitation of the poor will satisfy.
Nobody has to stay spiritually sick with that ugly affluenza of greed!
Have Ya Been Thinking About What It'll Take For A Fufilling Life Here?
It won't take any idols for that, but it will take following Christ as Lord!
- Proper Priorities (Jam. 5:1–6). It's time for us to get things in order -- inside to out. That's biblical and practical! To live only to gain wealth is to rob yourself of true riches that God has in mind for you said Wiersbe (See 1 Tim. 6:6–10, 17–19). Living to gain bucks is to worry instead of worship. How will you live? (Matt. 6:19–34). God knows you have real needs, and He will meet all of them if you practice Matthew 6:33. He meets needs not greeds!
- Proper Patience (7–12). Do you keep on sowing like a smart farmer? If you have sown the right seed in the field, then you will eventually reap a good harvest of blessing, so choose to be patient not pushy! If others have exploited you, choose to pray and be patient; the Judge is at the door. He responds right. If you are going through trials, those are a normal part of life for the believer so be patient; God is still on the throne.- Proper Prayer (13–18). Different kinds of important prayer are named here in the word: prayer for the sick, prayer for forgiveness, prayer for the nation, even prayer about the weather. I prayed for good weather here in Texas this week so that no more campers would be washed away in the Guadalupe River as happened. In a fallen sin-cursed world tragic things keep happening. There is no human need that prayer cannot meet and no problem big or small that prayer cannot solve. It's God who works on our behalf.- Proper Cares (19–20). We care, there's prayer, and then we share! We all are to care about people and share the Good News. Our fruitfulness is never to be choaked out by the cares of this world. I like how James emphasizes kind ministry to individuals (1:27; 2:1–4, 14–16). Can you detect when a fellow believer starts to stray away instead of pray to stay? Are you truly concerned for others and were they will end up? Will you intercede and try to help other people (that's part of being a good witness) or will you simply wait too long?
When Christians with integrity are waiting on the Lord.. and waiting for the Rapture, or are looking for the return of Christ to earth, the evidence of this hope inside will show up in their lives outwardly.
Real Christians Choose To Be Patient When Wronged.
Back in James' day there was a gulf existed between the rich and poor; the “middle class” as we know it today was not a major presence in that society. The Gospel appealed to many poor people, while many rich rejected Christ (with some exceptions) and they exploited them. They oppressed the poor Christians.
James spoke of the sins of the wealthy-wicked. He didn't just ignore the sins happening (James 5:1–6). There is a time and way to say something.
Let's Muse On Four Clear Calls from James.
- Hoarding wealth for ME!: James condemns those who keep grasping, grabbing and hoarding their riches, like grain rotting in a smelly storage bin, while others continue on in need. See James 5:2-3.
- Cheating the laborers you've been owing: The passage denounces the wealthy-wicked for defrauding their workers and withholding their fair wages. See James 5:4.
- Self-indulgence and overly independent luxurious living: James is blunt as he criticizes those who live for (and in) pleasure with self-indulgence at the expense of others. This is primarily seen in James 5:5.
- Hurting and condemning the innocent: The rich are condemned for their oppressive and even deadly actions against righteous people, often just to maintain their wealth and for more personal gain. See James 5:6.
Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep." John 10:6-15 esv
God the Son is intimately knowable and He's followable as well. There's no reason not to!
"Tell me somethin’, girl Are you happy in this modern world? Or do you need more? Is there somethin’ else you’re searchin’ for?”
You may recognize these lyrics from the Oscar-nominated song, “Shallow.” That's from the movie, “A Star is Born”, with Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga acting.
“Tell me something, boy Aren’t you tired tryin’ to fill that void? Or do you need more? Ain’t it hard keeping it so hardcore?”
We feel for people bein' pulled downwards! Man, haven't we all at times had to deal with serious sin issues before? Sure, you and I have sensed this inner void before, haven’t we?
Even Lady Gaga in her own experience, has spoken of this void in her own personal life. In an interview she gave she said..
“I would go back to my apartment every day and I would just sit there. It was quiet and it was lonely. It was just my piano and myself. I have a television, and I would leave it on all the time just to feel like somebody was hanging out with me.” It speaks of Void Lane!
Most stars are not lacking bucks and public smiles. After Bradley Cooper’s dad died, he did a newspaper interview with USA Today, where he brought up his father's passing and this helped him to address his own mortality. Bradley said,
“Oh right. I am going to die too. It is not in a book. It is not in a movie. It is not in a story that was told to me. It is not driving by an accident or watching it on TV. It is someone you love dying in front of you. I was like okay, this is death, and this is going to happen to me one day”.
Have you ever felt empty, lonely, guilty, or afraid to die? Christ is our Solution!
Oftentimes, it would seem like they have it all livin' busy in tinseltown like they are completely happy inside with the doing and achieving of "immense success" according to this world's standards. But then we find out a bit more, that they are just flawed humans like the rest of us, and they have real needs for something more than what money will buy in this world.
- Woody Harrelson: "No matter how many beautiful women I was with, it was never enough," according to the Los Angeles Times.
- Brad Pitt: The pursuit of material success can lead to feelings of "impotence and isolation and desperation and loneliness," suggesting that "we gotta find something else" or face "a numbing of the soul, a complete atrophy of the spiritual being".
- Lady Gaga: Despite all her accomplishments, including winning an Oscar and performing at the Super Bowl, she confessed, "in some ways I still feel empty inside. I think it's because I'm still searching for who I am and where I fit in".
Some starts emphasize that wealth and their material achievements with all the external verbal validation, yes, with all the worldly recognition and adulation even but it hasn't been enough. These so called "stars" receive gobs and are shielded form many troubles.. but what they recieve cannot ultimately fill-in that spiritual void with deep longings within the human heart.
True fulfillment comes from having a right relationship with God the Father through Jesus His sinless Son.
It first comes from real repentance expressed and free grace via saving faith in Christ's finished work on the Cross, and then aligning one's life with the Lord's eternal purpose, rather than coming from chasing after one fleeting moments of luxurious pleasure.. one after another. There's a problem with merely doing a geographical to an exotic private island.. the unregenerate person with the old nature and baggage takes themselves with.
To me it would seem that happiness evades those who seek it directly before all else, but it overtakes the one who is right applying Matthew 6:33-34.
Remember when Woody Harrelson spoke about the lingering emptiness he felt despite having beautiful women, and those studdly lyrics from Simon and Garfunkel's: "I Am a Rock"
Some celebrities let us look behind the vail so to speak sometimes to see in how they really live "miserable, empty lives." Yes, despite their special perks briefly enjoyed and all the bucks with publicity, suggesting they may be searching for a better happiness than that of new happenings.. searching in the wrong way and in the wrong places with the wrong best friends who do what they do.
True happiness (that blessedness) and meaning in life come from God and following His biblical instructions.
How are you or your friends doing with an "internal void"? Have y'all addressed it yet? We believers need to invade this culture short of snning with spiritual compromise. Not evade cuz we can engage them. We need to earn the right to be heard with our gospel conversations and friendship-building. Why? Well, because those around us daily may be experiencing such emptiness too.
I like how James closes his letter -- it's like a trumpet blast, announcing what end‑time faith must look like. I like his four imperatives!
A. Priorities Call Out To The Needy: Hey believer, you can trade in rusting riches for lasting treasure by obedience to the living Word (Christ See James 5:1‑6)
Q: What if the fortune you guard today would testify against and hurt you tomorrow? Are you ready for that?
George Barna has studied this a bit, and he finds that only 21 % of Christians set their giving at a full tithe, and a quarter give nothing at all barna.com. James warns that hoarded silver “will eat your flesh like fire.” C. S. Lewis called such idolatry “a mold that will rob heaven from the soul.” Jesus counters with the antidote: “Seek first the kingdom … and all these things will be added” (Mt 6:33). “Take my life and let it be consecrated,” Frances Havergal sang, because consecrated wealth becomes kingdom seed.
"Look here, you rich people: Weep and groan with anguish because of all the terrible troubles ahead of you. Your wealth is rotting away, and your fine clothes are moth-eaten rags. Your gold and silver are corroded. The very wealth you were counting on will eat away your flesh like fire. This corroded treasure you have hoarded will testify against you on the day of judgment." James 5:1-3 nlt
I don't think we in these current times weep in repentance any more, as least many people do not. Come now, Sport. So you have piles of money you use on pleasure without checking with the One who made and blesses you. Is that right? If you're too independent and have gotten rich, why don't you try some weeping and howling in repentance and allow the Lord to truly be your Lord? Notice how over some time your gold and silver get all corroded -- doesn't that tell you something of our termproal it is? It should, and their corrosive nature will deal with you later. It will be evidence against you.
Q #1: What balance sheet of yours will speak at Christ’s tribunal—your net worth or your generosity?
Barna reports that only 21 % of U.S. Christians give a full tithe, while 25 % give nothing at all barna.com. James calls such hoarding “fatting your hearts in a day of slaughter.” Money itself is neutral (1 Tim 6:10); love of it isn’t. Jesus flips the equation: “Lay up treasures in heaven” (Mt 6:19‑21). Hymnist Frances Havergal put it to melody: “Take my silver and my gold—not a mite would I withhold.”
Rhetorical Q #2: Could your own savings someday soon become someone else’s answered prayer?
And remember the “innocent” day‑laborer (v. 6): when wages stay in our accounts, God hears their cries. Romans 12:2 urges a values exchange—worldly ROI for kingdom ROI.
B. Patience, That Really Decent Virtue Calls Out To The Needy: You can choose to wait like a farmer who sees storm‑clouds as a promise (vv. 7‑12)
Can you believe that every delay is fertilizer for joy?
James pictures the early and latter rains. “Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow” (“Great Is Thy Faithfulness”) reminds us that God never misses a season. Spurgeon counseled, “By little and by little Patience drinks the cup and finds it healing.” When injustice presses, remember the Judge “stands at the door” — seconds from stepping into the courtroom.
James paints a farmer waiting for “early and latter rains.”
Q #3: Do you view delays as God’s dead ends or like fertilizer for your joy?
Charles Spurgeon once said, “By little and little, patience drinks the cup and finds it healing.” The Judge already “stands at the door,” so endurance is never wasted time. Sing it with “Great Is Thy Faithfulness”—“strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow.”
C. Prayer Promptings Call Out To The Needy: You can listen to the Holy Spirit in agreement with the Scriptures and turn every pressure valve heaven‑ward to receive solace (vv. 13‑18)
If 84 % of U.S. adults say they prayed last week, why do our churches still feel powerless? churchleaders.com
Gen Z—so often labeled “post‑Christian”—reports 64 % praying within the past seven days barna.com. The hunger is there; the church must model effectual, fervent prayer. Elijah’s sky‑shifting petition proves that one surrendered voice can rewrite the weather. “Oh, what peace we often forfeit,” Joseph Scriven laments, “all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.” Chris Pratt told a skeptical MTV crowd, “God is real. God loves you. Believe that—I do.”
James lists prayer for pain, sickness, sin, drought—no category is off‑limits and
today Barna still finds that only 84 % of American adults prayed in the past week. churchleaders.com
Q #4: If even a skeptical nation still prays, will the church dare to earnestly pray?
Elijah’s 63‑word faith-filled sky‑shifting prayer to the Lord (1 Kings 18) proved that one believer plus God can become a weather system of sorts.
We believers need to pray more often and trust. Joseph Scriven’s hymn warns, “Oh what peace we often forfeit, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.”
D. Personal Concern Call Out To The Needy: So many of them add volume to rescue runners before the cliff (vv. 19‑20)
Who in your circle is drifting while you stay silent?
James says turning a wanderer back “covers a multitude of sins.” Justin Bieber, reflecting on his prodigal years, admitted, “Only God’s forgiveness can heal guilt” tmz.com. Will we offer that healing word? Billy Graham once urged, “The Christian life is not a solo flight; it is formation flying.”
James ends where he started—people matter more than platforms.
Justin Bieber, reflecting on fame’s emptiness, confessed, “Only God’s forgiveness can heal guilt.” beliefnet.com
Q #5: Who is drifting on your watch while you stay silent?
Turning one wanderer back “covers a multitude of sins.” Billy Graham called the church “formation flying”—nobody finishes the race alone.
Five Heart‑Probing Questions
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What investment statement will there be that'll echo in heaven—your net worth or your generosity?
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How might present delays be God tilling a deeper harvest for you?
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When pressure mounts, is prayer your first choice or your last resort? Is prayer like God's steering wheel for you, or your emergency spare tire?
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Among those lost or saved around you, whose name should be on your rescue list today?
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If Hollywood stars confess sin-fatigue and desperate need within, shouldn’t the church be candid to offer sin’s cure with courage?
Need A Challenging Charge?
Money, waiting, prayer, and rescue—four ordinary words, four eternal priorities. Let’s use the money or wealth we have as worship too. Let's view delays as opportunities for discipleship growth. Let's unleash honest prayer to God so he'll unleashes His power, as He goes after prodigals with His purpose. When the Judge finally opens the door, may He find us rich towards Him, steadfast in hope, fervent in prayer, and committed in His love.
Some Wealthy People Need To Weep And Come To Jesus. Others Need To Continue Walking With Christ.
Let's all do that!
James 5 is no gentle type of memo—it’s a warning siren for these last days. He doesn’t condemn / damn the rich folk; he speaks out against livin' for rusting riches and against the oppression of weak people. James' commands emerge, each anchored by the text (vv. 1‑20) and by Christ‑centered common sense.
In these last days, before the coming of the Lord, what does God want in our lives? Our hearts, not half of our hearts.
When you sense that void, or don't even wait for that.. think of God. Speak to Him. He holds the missing piece you've been looking for. Just look up. Speak up.Priorities (1–6). To live only to get wealth is to rob yourself of true riches (1 Tim. 6:6–10, 17–19). It is to worry instead of worship (Matt. 6:19–34). God knows you have needs, and He will meet them if you practice Matthew 6:33.
Patience (7–12). If you have sown the right seed, you will eventually reap a harvest of blessing, so be patient. If others have exploited you, be patient; the Judge is at the door. If you are going through trials, be patient; God is still on the throne.
Prayer (13–18). Many kinds of prayer are named here: prayer for the sick, prayer for forgiveness, prayer for the nation, even prayer about the weather. There is no need that prayer cannot meet and no problem that prayer cannot solve.
Personal concern (19–20). Once again, James emphasizes ministry to individuals (1:27; 2:1–4, 14–16). Can you detect when a fellow believer starts to stray? Are you truly concerned? Will you try to help? Will you wait too long?
God the Father loved you so much that He sent His only Son here to die on the cross for your sins. He's just.
Three days later, Christ rose from the dead and came out alive. People saw him!
Now, Jesus stands at the door of your life and He patiently knocks. He will forgive and can meet all needs!
If you will open the door of your heart, Jesus will indeed come in and fill up that void. Sure, you have His word on it. (See Revelation 3:20)
Stop striving for the bottom line, for those bucks and look up instead. You will find all that you need in Jesus. He's rich, and generous, and smart.
