This is a series that I really felt the Lord wanted me to share about money. Today we're going to talk about a biblical view of money. It's interesting because for me this isn't necessarily one of my favorite topics to talk about but I will tell you that the Lord has really laid this on my heart. There is something that the Lord wants me to say this morning that I believe if we will listen and will apply it to our hearts, the Lord will change us.
Matthew 6:19-24, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy or thieves break in and steal but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust destroy or thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is there your heart will be also. The lamp of the body is the eye, therefore if your eye is good your whole body will be full of light but if your eye is bad then your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness. No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon".
Father, I thank you for this word. I pray that we would decrease and you would increase and that you would have your way through this in your name. Amen.
As I was just reading this, the Lord wanted me to say to you because I opened saying that this wasn't one of my favorite subjects. I actually must apologize because I love to preach the word. The thing is when I approach the subject of money the tendency is either to be too hard or the tendency is that people misunderstand it many times. So when I preach on this subject I really believe that it's important that we look at the word of God and we understand what it says without being misunderstood. I want us to look on a Biblical view of money, not the American view of money but what God has to say about it.
Ist Timothy 6:17 says, "Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God who gives us richly all things to enjoy". There is a strong urgency in my heart to preach this subject this morning. How many understand that we live in the most blessed nation of all the world? Every American in this country really is someone who is rich. I've said this time and time again, I love what this word says. It says two things to the rich, not to be haughty and not to trust in uncertain riches but to trust in the Lord.
What is interesting to me, especially the way our economy is today, as Christians we don't put our hope in money but in the living God. No matter what happens we are on sure footing. I also believe what the Bible tells us that those who are rich should not be haughty, that means stuck up or snobbish.
I've been privileged in my life to live all over this nation. I've lived in some very poor communities and right now I live in a very wealthy community. It's fun to watch people. You can go into Costco and you can watch people, the way they dress, the money that they have and the way they treat other people. If you were in the way, they would wait for you to move and it's very easy to get the flesh started. But it's interesting to watch the way people treat each other because of their station in life. You can watch and learn. I believe that as Christians we should never be like that. We should be a people who are loving and caring wherever we go.
Money is not just an economic matter, it is a deeply spiritual issue. I want to tell you this, sometimes as Christians we forget, regardless of how much is in our bank account that everyone of us is wealthy. There's something that God had to do inside of me, I have more money than some, and less money than others, but the truth is that we are all equal in Jesus Christ. I love it when I get around real rich people and they want to treat me kind of low because here's what I know, they don't understand who my father is. The truth is my father owns everything, the inheritance that I've got coming to me is pretty awesome. If he owns it all, I'm a king's kid. I've never had to go without, ever in my life. I've had whatever I needed all my life. God has given me things more than I ever knew I wanted. How many know we're already rich in Jesus name?
Money is a spiritual issue, it shouldn't change you, God should change us. Money can take you to a different place of living or economic status but it should never take you to a higher level of living, it can't do that. All of us see how pervasive money is in our culture. Money is one of the most dealt subjects in the world and it is rightly one of the most dealt subjects in the Word of God. Believe it or not the Bible talks a whole lot about money, more than just tithes or offerings. We need to be past the tithes and offerings thing if you're a Christian. We should already be doing it, it shouldn't even be an issue.
What drives you? What drives us as people? In Matthew 6:21 it says, "Where your treasure is, there your heart is also". I want to declare right now, that God is almighty, not the dollar. 2nd Corinthians 4:3-4, God put on my heart so strongly, "But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded". The Bible says we can have no other God before our God. In this age, satan is the god of this age but one of the tools that he uses to keep us away from the one true God is money. I want to declare this today, we cannot serve both God and money. I believe that this is the purpose of what God wants to bring out but God has laid this more strongly on my heart than ever before. I believe its an area that each Christian should examine their heart, especially in this time that we live.
Many versions of the Bible say that you can't worship both God and Mammon. Mammon is not the name of a demon that oversees the vice of greed and riches. It is the name of the Idol that we build in our heart when money becomes the central focus of our life. I want to submit this to you, the God you worship isn't always the one that you profess and it isn't even always the one that you confess, it is the one that you serve. Serving two masters is not an issue of priorities, it is an issue of choice. I want to ask you this morning, whom do you serve?
In our culture we put way too much stock in money. Money is important, it has its place. If you don't have it, you won't be able to go out to eat lunch at the restaurant. They'll have a little problem if you eat and don't pay the bill. But in our country we have made money everything. We have made wealth everything. That's what people talk about, that's what they're driven towards, that's what their focus is and what their goal is. It's what we teach kids in school from the time that they enter kindergarten to the time they graduate. You have to do this and this so you can make this. I believe it is good to be educated and to have a goal and a focus and it is ok to do well with your life. I want to say this categorically that I am not against hard work or belittling those who have done well. I believe that God will bless his people with material blessings. I also believe in the western church throughout the world , we need to make sure we know who it is that we worship.
I believe that in America things are way out of whack. Both parents have to work harder to just own a home than they can work to make a home. Things are out of balance. In America we measure ourselves and our success by how much money we have. In America now we are in debt up to our eyeballs. The truth is I believe that many Americans are in that same spot.
Money becomes an idle and here's 5 ways to find out if it is in your life. You may think that you've got it under control and that may be true but you need to remember that in this country this has become an idle and we need to understand as a church to never become a part of. The first way to tell if money has become an idol is if we put our trust in it instead of in God. The moment we become panicked when our bank account is not quite measuring up to where we want it and we begin to be fearful instead of trusting God. Number two is when we look for money to make us secure and happy. Money can buy you many pleasures but the truth is you could have all the pleasure in the world but pretty soon after you have it all, you'll never have happiness without Jesus.
Number three is when we expect it to guarantee our future. So many people have found out now that you can bank on a retirement and you can save for this or that but it can all be lost in just a minute. I believe we need to save for the future and we should be ready for retirement and all those things but the truth is I'm not banking on that. I?m banking on the living God who promises to take care of me. Number four is when we begin to desire money more than God. There have been so many people who have desired that and put that in place of the Lord. Last is when the accumulation of wealth becomes the dominating factor in our lives and in our mind. All we can think about is accumulating wealth and the truth is that mindset has even invaded the preaching and teaching within churches today. It is important to understand that we are stewards of all that God has given us and as much as the Lord has given us we have the privilege to be able to use that in ministry.
Poverty and riches are not a reflection of God's favor or disfavor. If that were true then there are nations of people in third world countries who have way less than you and I have and we could look at them and say they are out of the favor of God. There are some who are so wealthy and doing very well but they are away from the Lord and we could look at them and say that's a sign of God's blessing on their life. We must be careful in the church never to confuse poverty and riches with the curses or blessing of God per se in everyone's life. Poverty is not a sign of God's curse. The truth is that God promises to supply all of our needs, the need of every Christian. As a matter of fact if you read Matthew chapter 6 it talks about how God promises that he will meet every need and we don't ever have to worry again. That not only applies to the American who has a house and a mortgage but also applies to the one who gives their heart to the Lord in the deepest part of the Amazon and all they've got is a loin cloth and a grass hut. The promises of God are true for each and every one.
The word is full of promises of how God will prosper his people, yet true riches are spiritual. I'm not saying that as Christians we are supposed to be poor either but I do want to tell you that he is Jehovah Jyrah, our provider. Regardless of how we're doing or where we're at financially he has promised to meet every need. I want you to hear me, he goes way beyond just the financial provision. He provides in every area of life.
God's attitude toward wordly riches is that those things that we hold so valuable and put so much trust in, he takes it and he paves the streets of heaven with it. Right now you can melt down all your gold and get alot of money for it. You know what God says, "I already did, I paved heaven with it and it's pure gold".
Proverbs 13:7 says, " There is one who makes himself rich yet has nothing, and one who makes himself poor yet has great riches".
Turn with me to Revelations 3:17-18, it's a word that God speaks to the end times church, the church of Laodicea. Although there was a Laodicean church back then, it is an example or foreshadowing of the church of the last days, the church of today. God has given a word to the end time church. How many know God has promised that in our lifetime we will see more miracles and more things than Jesus did on this earth? We're going to see the sick healed and see lives changed but one warning that he gives to the end times church is this, "Because you say I am rich, have become wealthy and have need of nothing and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire that you may be rich and white garments that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed. Anoint you eyes with eye salve that you may see".
This is a message to the end times church and right before it he says, "You've been neither hot nor cold and the reason you're not hold or cold is because I have blessed you so well you have really no physical need in your life. You've sat back and said, "I am rich and can take it easy, there's nothing left for me to do". God says when you get to that point there is something that is not in balance in your Christian life.
I want to speak to us here at Harvest Community, may we not be like the Laodicean church. I'm so thankful for the things that I have and for the way that God has blessed. I'm thankful for the community that I live in. I'm thankful that we have air conditioning. The truth is we are blessed.
May we have no other God before our God. May money never become an idol before us. One key indicator of who we serve is our level of debt. The average American has between $3000 - $8000 in credit card debt. Let me ask you, what's in your wallet? How many credit cards do you have in there? I've got one and I don't think there's anything on it right now. Listen, our current mortgage crisis in America and our housing problems were caused by greedy bankers and even greedy home buyers who wanted more than they could afford. I know that might offend some of you but even when we make mistakes God will help us through them. I want to tell you that what we're seeing in America is a result of the greed of people serving the God of money. I know that's not a real popular thing to say but the word will set us free.
The truth is this, who do you serve? Our current economic problems have less to do with politics and more to do with the spiritual condition of our nation. Having a mortgage isn't wrong, most of us will have mortgages. Having a car payment isn't wrong but not living within the sphere of God's provision for our lives is. God has blessed us and it is when we begin to compare ourselves with others and begin to get greedy for what we don't have then we forget how really blessed we are. I'm glad I live in America but I wonder what it's like for someone to come from another country who have lived all their life in a country like Mexico or El Salvador and they come to America and walk into a Wal-Mart. I've seen that look on their face as they walked in. They had no idea there was this much. They used to just go to the fish market and eat whatever came out of the river. Now they can choose from fish all around the world. It's nice to have that choice.
Proverbs 22:7 says, "The rich rules over the poor and the borrower is servant to the lender". So let me ask you, who do you serve? There is a time that we get so in debt that we stop living for our God and because we've gotten to such a place, we have to live to work and breathe to serve that debt that we have. You can't serve both God and money. Now I believe we have to work and God blesses hard work. Unless you're in a certain financial status you're going to have to have a mortgage and a car. The truth is you understand the budget that you have within the job that God has provided for you and you know what you can afford. If you can afford a Gremlin, drive it with pride and dignity. If you can afford a Jaguar drive it with pride and dignity but when you pull up next to the person who's driving the Gremlin, don't you dare look down your nose at them.
My sons are fun to watch now, they understand all kinds of cars. As we were going to Costco yesterday they were pointing out the Fords and the Chevy's. We got behind a Bentley and they said, "That's awesome, I want a Bentley". I told him to grow up and work real hard and you can have one.
Buying your child the newest video game system, $250. Buying that high performance golf club, $150. An afternoon shopping spree and lunch with your girlfriends, $300. Living within your budget, priceless.
Romans 13:8 says this, "Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law". I want to remind us that debt is banking on tomorrow. The Bible says that no one is guaranteed tomorrow. So it's important that we understand what we're doing especially as believers. I want to speak this to Christians, God wants you to be free. God wants us to be able to live within the balance of all that he's created. How many know God is not just enough, he is more than enough? I have never regretted from the time I started as a young man, I'm so thankful for a mom who raised me in the ways of the Lord but we were simple people. My dad died so my mom cleaned houses, we didn't have a lot but we were so blessed growing up, it was amazing. I'm so glad I've been blessed all my life and God is faithful. I want you to know that has been enough and more than enough and I have been privileged to watch God even in times when there wasn't enough for him to bring in more than enough.
Who you serve is reflected in your lifestyle. Romans 14:7 and 19 says, "For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace". People today are finding out that the pursuit of wealth is wearing them out. Many are so busy living and pursuing the American dream that they have stepped out of the will of God. I want to speak that to us a church because America has really stepped out from what it was supposed to be. We were supposed to be a Godly country that were taught how to live for the Lord. The American dream and the will of God are not synonomous. That may come as a shock to the church and to American Christians. God has a plan and a purpose for every one of our lives but the enemy has got us so distracted running after the American dream that many have walked out of the will of God and have begun to pursue something else.
People today are exhausted yet sleepless. Life is hectic, our schedules are saturated. People are confused and flustered, they're not peaceful. Even our vacations are the pursuit of the next adventure instead of a retreat from work. Proverbs 23:4-5 says in the NIV, "Do not wear yourself out to get rich. Have the wisdom to show restraint. Cast but a glance at riches and they are gone for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle". They just do, so my hope is in Jesus.
Pursuing God and serving God brings us peace. Listen, there are greater things in life than riches, like contentment. 1st Timothy 6:6-8 says, "Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world and it is certain that we can carry nothing out, having food and clothing we shall be content".
I was challenged the other day as I was talking with the pastor to our hispanic ministry, Pastor Nunez. He was saved out of Catholicism, left Mexico, became an American citizen so he could come and provide for his family. He works hard and has had the same job at the golf course for 15 years. He's been able to feed his family, take care of his wife and children and he's been able to send money back to Mexico so that those there can eat. The perspective that he has is way different from the perspective most Americans have. He says, "My family eats, we are clothed, everything is good and God is faithful". The truth is as Christians, if we look at things and can't have it we ask God, "Where are you?" Think about this, having food and clothing we shall be content. How many know that brings life to a whole different level of easy. It's easy and God is faithful. That doesn't mean God minds if you have more. God has been good to give us a whole lot more. Here's what I want to ask you Christian? What if God took it all away and all you had was food and clothing and a place for your head? Would you still serve Jesus? If America goes into a great depression, will you serve Jesus? I want to know how many Christians would forsake God if we had to stand in line and eat potato soup like some of our great grandparents did? What helped make America great are those same people who went through those things and showed up for church and sang, "No matter what, I will serve Jesus because he will provide".
The Bible warns us that the reason for much trouble in the world and the reason many Christians turn away from God is because of their desire to be rich. I'm going to close with this, 1st Timothy 6:9-11, " But those who desire to be rich fall into a temptation and a snare and into many foolish and harmful lusts that drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But you, oh man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, and gentleness". If you try to have two great loves in your life, you will mess things up. You'll be out of the will of God. If you don't believe me, try to get a second wife and find out what happens at home. Ladies, if you don't believe me, you try and get a 2nd husband and find out what happens. We're the bride of Christ, no one can serve two masters.
The more money you have, the more temptation there is, the more vices we can get involved in. Money is not the root of all evil like some people say. Satan is the root of all evil but the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. The truth is, if we couldn't afford some things we wouldn't get in trouble. Listen, God has blessed you and if you have a computer in your house and you're having a problem with porn, the reason you are is because you can afford it. Workaholism, drugs and alcohol, debt, prostitution, gambling, dogfighting, the list could go on and on, like ladder climbing, snobbishness, all the sins that we could list.
Because of the love of money many have walked away from God. Many will work so hard they don't have time to pray or spend time with their family or time to go to church. I want you to listen to this as I close, the love of money is not an issue of the good life but it is an issue of lordship. I want to ask you this morning, who do you serve? Jehovah God or Mammon? Who is mighty in your life? God or money? Who do you trust? Who do you live for? I don't want this to be a sermon where we end on a downer. I want this to be a message that touches the heart of the church so that we examine our hearts and find out really where we are. I believe that this is a message that God is beginning to proclaim throughout the world. Who do you serve, who do you live for? This is an issue we need to have settled. How many know Jesus is coming back? I believe that as this word gets to many people it will set some free. Some of you will get out of debt and begin to live in the life that God has given you and finally you'll live in the contentment and the joy of all that God has provided. You'll stop struggling and wrestling and God will set you free.
I believe it will change some things in people's lives and we'll have to refocus our priorities. If we have gotten off track and out of God's will pursuing the American dream or your dream, it's time to live for God's dream and God knows what it is for your life. He'll tell you what it is. Any dream that God gives you, any life that God has for you he will provide for you and you can afford to live. It's wonderful and God wants us to be able to live in the joy of that life. This morning, If you have walked away from God, if you're finding yourself struggling with that, don't walk away from God for money. Don't. As your Pastor, I'm calling you back. God is calling you back.
Turn with me in your Bibles to Matthew 6:19-24. I want to speak on the 2nd part of the Biblical view of money. This has been something the Lord has been speaking to my heart for a long time now. "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is there your heart will be also. The lamp of the body is the eye, therefore if your eye is good your whole body will be full of light but if your eye is bad your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness. No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon".
Father, this morning we thank you for your word which is rich, true and pure. Lord, as we study this morning we ask that your word would have its way in us that we would decrease and you would increase in Jesus name. Amen.
1st Timothy 6:17 says, "Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God who gives us richly all things to enjoy". How many of you are thankful today that you can trust in Jesus? The Bible says that we are to warn those who are rich in this world. I want you to understand, in America we have a real warped sense of what rich is and what it isn't. Everyone of us in this room today are rich. You may not have known that. Compared to the rest of this world we are so blessed and we need in America to have a real Biblical view of what wealth really is. God has been speaking this into my heart because it's really easy to get a wrong perspective and to begin living for other things instead of for Jesus.
God says that you can't serve two masters. Almost 25% of everything that Jesus said related to money. He talked more about money than he did on the subject of heaven and hell combined. Why? Because he knew in this world that one of the greatest obstacles to us living for him would be the issue of money in our lives. The Lord wanted me to say this again that we need to make sure that our whole life is surrendered to Jesus, that we aren't living for anything else but Him. The real issue of money is "Who do you serve?" The real issue of money is Lordship. I want to say this to us as a church, we can't have two masters. The God of mammon is simply an idol that we set up in our hearts when we put more emphasis in our lives on the pursuit of money than we put on the pursuit of Jesus. The verse that God gave me when I started this mesage 2 weeks ago was 2nd Corinthians 4:3-4, "But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the God of this age has blinded". I believe one of the greatest things you could ever do for a blind person is to make them see again.
I believe that one of the things the enemy has tried to do, not only in America itself but even in the church is to get our minds off of Jesus and onto so many other things especially money. I want to say this right from the beginning, it's ok to have money, I don't mind and either does God, if you're a billionaire or a trillionaire. How many know that God is a good God? He'll provide and he'll give. The issue is making sure that no matter how much you have, whether you feel like you're the wealthiest or that you're not the wealthiest, that in our hearts and in our life God has the pre-eminence and not the pursuit of money. We're not to live for that money. My prayer is that the eyes of those of us in this room will be able to see in this area because I believe that this battle with the issue of money is one of the fiercest battlegrounds that is happening in America.
What we're going to do this morning is begin to dive right into this so I want us to take a leap right now. I believe that the love of money has perverted the church. It really has. One of the world's chief complaints against many local churches and against Christians is the emphasis that we place on money. There has also been an inordinate amount of time spent teaching Christians about how they can prosper and about the prosperity that God's word teaches. Listen, I want to tell you today that I believe God does want us to prosper. I believe that God gives us wisdom in the word of God on how we can go out and not only live for Jesus but how we can live our life that he's given us and live it to the full. It's what God wants.
I believe this is a topic that is worthy to talk about, the prosperity that God wants to bring to his people. As a matter of fact in a few months, I'm going to teach on a Wednesday a financial series and I believe it will teach us everything from being in debt to how to prosper in the Lord and what the Bible has to say about it. But so many times the teaching about prosperity has been taught in a way that we forget that we are blessed to be a blessing. One TV evangelist challenged people by saying, "If you will send the equivalent of one month's mortgage to my ministry, God will pay your entire mortgage off by the end of the year". Well, that sounded pretty good. My question is, if God didn't pay off the mortgage at the end of the year, can I show up at his doorstep for him to pay my mortgage off? That may sound funny but I believe that so many people even in the body of Christ have become gullible in the eyes of the Lord in the sense that money has been given such pre-eminence that they'll do just about anything to get ahead and to have it all.
One of God's commands for us to do is to preach that God will provide every one of our needs. God may not provide every one of our wants but we serve Jehoval Jyrah, the God who cares for us, our provider. He will make sure we never do without. The truth is that I've been hungry and have needed the Lord to come through and he did. Times when I've had needs in my life and I could pray and God would come through. How many know that's the blessing of the Lord?
The Bible has a lot to say about how the Lord will bless his people. I want to share a couple of those before I move on from this idea of God wanting to prosper his people because he does. My prayer is that we understand that God wants us to prosper, that we will understand that prosperity is used to begin to reach out and touch the lives of others. Let me tell you a little bit about what the Lord says about money in his word. Proverbs 13:22 says, "A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children but the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous". Proverbs 10:22 says, "The blessing of the Lord makes one rich and he adds no sorrow to it". I was watching on tv the other day some people who had become very wealthy in their life and it seems that with it came a whole lot of sorrow and a whole lot of trouble. How many know when God blesses your life there is no sorrow with it?
Psalms 112:1-3 says, "Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who delights greatly in his commandments. His descendents will be mighty on the earth, the generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches will be in his house and his righteousness endures forever". Proverbs 8 :20-21 says, "I, wisdom, traverse the way of righteousness in the midst of the paths of justice that I may cause those who love me to inherit wealth". Listen, the Lord prospers the righteous, there is no doubt. That may not mean that you wind up being a millionaire but I want you to understand church that so many times we get panicked and we start living our life for money instead of living our life for Jesus. How many know living for God is pretty simple? It really is if we will just keep our focus on the Lord. If we will live for Him then everything else will come with it.
It's important that we understand that because so many times even in the American church our focus has become on the pursuit of wealth instead of on the pursuit of Jesus. In the American church some things have happened, so much so that many times the way we pray has even changed, the way that we focus has changed. James 4:3 says, "You ask and you do not receive because you ask amiss that you may spend it on your pleasures". We have bought into the world's mindset on the way we should be doing things but our mindset should be different.
Contrast James 4:3 about people who are always asking so that they can spend it on themselves to Proverbs 30:8-9 that says, "Remove falsehood and lies far from me. Give me neither poverty nor riches. Feed me the food allotted to me lest I be full and deny you and say, who is the Lord? Or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God". As I was reading that verse, the thing that the Lord gave me was one word, "Enough". How many know that God will always give us enough? A biblical view of money, "Lord, make sure that I don't have so much that I'll forget you but Lord I thank you that you give me enough that I don't curse you and steal". As a Christian you will never get to the place where you need to disobey God's word because God will always provide. We must guard especially in America of getting to the point of doing so well that we forget how dependent we really must be on God. It's vital.
One of the most astounding and powerful revelations that is found in the Bible is about the rich in heaven. I know as a preacher in America I'm about to step on some toes right now but I can read the word of God and it's up to Jesus and not this preacher. Jesus says to his disciples in Matthew 19:23-24, "Assuredly I say to you, that it is harder for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven and again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven". I want you to listen to me church, I started out asking how many realize that everyone of us is rich? We're blessed.
God has laid this so strongly on my heart and I feel like this is a prophetic type message. It's not a message that I believe is meant to discipline the church but a message of warning to the church to encourage us to make sure that we are living for the Lord. "It is hard for a rich man to get into heaven". Why? Because a rich man trusts himself and his provision and he forgets how dependent he is on Jesus. To me, that's powerful stuff. Again, everything thats in this word has to be able to be applied throughout the world, not just here. The truth is that in America we are among the wealthiest people and it's hard.
God wants us to be blessed but the enemy wants to corrupt our minds to rob us of the blessing. Because the Bible says that its hard for a rich man to get into heaven, I want us to define what is poverty and what is riches.
Poverty can be summed up in one word, "Lack". Poverty is when you need things in regard to your basic care like food, clothes, shelter and safety. When you aren't having those things met, that is when you need a touch from God. What does it mean to be rich? To be rich simply means to be full, and to have our needs met. As a matter of fact, being rich may mean not only to have your needs met but to have a little bit left over. Let me ask you today, how many know today that you could go to your freezer and you have at least a couple days worth of food in there? The truth is, we're going to go to this picnic today, we're rich. We are so blessed. God has been so good to us so why is it hard for the rich?
You know, I have found this, I can walk into the projects of almost any city in America and begin to minister the gospel of Jesus Christ and the truth is that where there is need, people will be willing to listen because they want to hear what you have to say. What is some of the greatest news that you could ever give to someone who has lack? That God is Jehovah Jyrah, that he will provide for you. Jesus says, God gave us good tidings to give to the poor. What does that mean? It means that Jesus will provide your every need. How many know, that is good news? It really is. I can go into those neighborhoods and minister the gospel of Jesus Christ and many of those people will receive what I had to say and walk out saved . The truth is if I walk into Admirals Cove and I start knocking on the doors, a security guard is going to come and throw me out of there. Why? Because they don't need anything they don't think.
I believe that God will bless everyone of us. He has provided so much, we are blessed. So many of us in the church become so focused on money. Because the rich are full and think that they have no need for anything, they begin to trust in their riches, and Jesus is saying, many of us believe that riches are a sign of God's favor but we need to understand that sometimes they can actually be a hindrance. The God of money really isn't the worship of riches, the god of money is the worship of self.
There is something that is happening in the world today that really is kind of interesting to watch. There has been a generation of those who were raised in the 70's, 80's and 90's which was such a self indulgent time, that now they are tired of their own self indulgence and there is a real move right now to reach out and help people beyond themselves. Things like "Extreme makeover home edition" are touching hearts. I think it would be fun to show up and say, "Listen, you have a run down home, I'm going to build you a brand new one, furnish it, fill your refrigerator with food and God bless you". I love that. I'm not endorsing this one but shows like "Oprah's big give" and I'm not endorsing Oprah. She got a whole new religion. Those of you who watch Oprah, get a grip, turn it off and don't pollute your mind with that filth. It's a new age religion that she's teaching.
But there are people that are being moved because she's giving thousands and thousands of dollars away each week as people are being touched. Even the world itself is understanding that there must be something more than our own self indulgence but really the world uses those few instances as a medication to help themselves feel better.
In Luke 12:15-21 Jesus said, "Take heed and beware of covetousness for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he posesses". Then he spoke a parable to them saying, "The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentiful and he thought within himself, what shall I do since I have no room to store my crops. So he said, I will do this, I will pull down my barns and build greater ones and there I will store all my crops and my goods and I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years, take your ease, eat, drink and be merry". But God said to him, "You fool, this night your soul will be required of you, then whose will those things be that you have provided? So is he who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich towards God".
It is not wrong to have things but if we are not careful things can have us. The other day I went into Lowe's and Home Depot to look at grills because the grill I have on my back porch had all rusted out. How many of you men, after you walk through the grill section, you know how much money you have to buy a grill but you start walking down the aisle and you start seeing all kinds of grills. I was ready to make Tim Allen proud. I remember as I'm walking through there, I know the grill I came in for because I had priced them but then I got to the store and started thinking about other grills. It's a good thing I brought my wife with me because I saw the $1500 grill with the built in refrigerator and the stove you could cook things on and my wife asked, "Why do you need a refrigerator on the grill when you can go inside?" She made a lot of sense.
The rich man back then built bigger barns now we build bigger bank accounts. It's ok to have money but are we living for it or is it a tool that works for us? If we're not careful things can have us. As a Christian, as we grow older and move towards retirement we may have enough to retire from a job but we will never have enough to retire from our call as a Christian. I heard one man say, "Pastor, I can't wait to retire because all my life I've had to work for money but pretty soon when I retire I'll be able to do the things that God has called me to do. I'm in good health, I've still got some years left, I've got some gray hair on my head which means I've got a little more sense than alot of those 30 something year old's. That's why God doesn't let a lot of 30 something year old's retire. Glory to God.
Let me ask you, does God have first place or do things? Proverbs 3:9-10 says, "Honor the Lord with your posessions and with the firstfruits of your increase so that your barns will be filled with plenty and your vats will overflow with new wine". The world teaches us to hoard but one of the great secrets of living the overflowing, prosperous life of a believer is when we are rich towards the Lord. The Bible says we do it by bringing firstfruits. I want to teach you something this morning, Christian, if you don't tithe you are missing out on one of the greatest things that the Lord has ever taught us to do. The reason God says to bring the firstfruits of what you earn of your increase to the Lord, when I get paid my tithe comes right off the top because God has firstplace even in my money. I might have other things that need to be done and other things that I want but Lord I know if I put you first everything else will be taken care of. I started tithing when I was just a little boy. When I got my birthday money from grandma, my mother would say, "You got $20, how much is your tithe"? I said "10%, that's $2.00", "That's right, now set it aside". I want to tell you I'm so thankful that I learned it. Not only that, the Bible says to honor the Lord with our posessions. God may not be calling you to give your car away but maybe when you're riding down the street and you're kind of in a rush and you see someone walking and they could use a ride, then you could bless the Lord with your posessions. The other day a girl was walking down our street, she had crutches and was walking toward the bus stop and she had a long way to go and I could tell she wasn't doing real well with the crutches. God said, "Pull over" and I took her to the bus stop. How many know those little things can bless someone so much?
Greed has become such a part of our society. Advertisers know that they can play on our greediness, that's why they do it and there are certain ways that they market things. Listen, understand that greediness will not only affect us personally but greediness will affect those that we love. Proverbs 15:27 says, "He who is greedy for gain troubles his own house". How? Number one, some men will work so hard and so long to have everything that they can give their families but they never see their families. They've given them everything except themselves and that will trouble their own house.
You can get so far in debt going after so many things that pretty soon you can lose the ability to supply the basics for the family. Christian, I want to encourage you, don't get greedy. Live within the blessing of what God has given you. I was reading in the paper this morning about a family who now can't even afford a house because during that great housing boom that we had they went on one of those adjustable rate mortgages and bought more house than they knew they could afford and in 5 years the mortgage rate went up and now they're about to be on the street. Why? If he had bought the house that he should have had, that he could have afforded, he wouldn't have put his family in that situation.
Listen, I want to speak this, maybe someone in this room has made that mistake and you're in debt. How do you get out? First, you go to Jesus and you repent of that greediness. How many know God will forgive you?
God will help walk you through. The Bible says, "I've never seen the righteous forsaken or their seed begging for bread". When it starts to look hopeless, that's when you depend on Jesus. Actually, you depend on him all the time but sometimes we just wait until things look hopeless.
The last thing I want to speak is this, a wrong view of wealth can lead a Christian to backslide. Somehow along the way, it's easy if we begin to look at the things we want and then buy into the mindset of this world and the things that we could have that we may look around to see the wicked prospering when we're not. We begin to think, "If this is all that it's going to be in my life, if I serve God and this is all that there's going to be then maybe I don't need to live for Jesus". David went through that and I believe I'm speaking to someone in this room. Some of you have been looking at what is going on in the world and looking at some of your unsaved friends and saying, "They seem to be making it and they seem to have everything they ever wanted but here I am living for Jesus and I'm working hard and I don't seem to have everything that I want". Listen, David said in Psalms 73:2-3, "But as for me, my foot had almost stumbled, my steps had nearly slipped for I was envious of the boastful. When I saw the prosperity of the wicked my foot almost slipped".
It is important to have the right perspective. It's important that we keep our eyes on Jesus because if we don't, it is real easy to get our minds and our eyes off of the Lord and to even become envious of the wicked. Listen, how many know that there is nothing to be envious about for those who aren't serving the Lord? Sin is sweet for a season. The truth is this, you and I will go to heaven but those who are wicked and seem to have everything in this world, will spend an eternity apart from God. They may have had it all here but will have nothing there. If we have Jesus here we have everything. God will not only bless our needs, I've watched God bless many of my wants far above whatever I could have asked or thought.
Proverbs 16:16 says, "How much better to get wisdom than gold and to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver". Proverbs 22:1 says, "A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, loving favor rather than silver or gold". There are some things that are more important than money. As a matter of fact, most things are way more important than money.
Businessman, I want to challenge you, you may be able to cut corners, you may be able to rip people off every once in awhile but listen, as a Christian we can't cut the corners. We should give everyone the best service. How many know that if we will, God will bless us. Let me ask you again, Who do you serve? I feel so strongly that God is challenging our church, challenging my life and challenging every one of us. I can't tell you why, it's not anything that I've seen, not anything in my natural mind that would be there, I just believe this a word that God is bringing that is so important. Let me ask you, who do you serve? God or money? What do you live for? We sang that song today, "Everyday it's you I live for, everyday I'll follow after you, everyday". Amen
