Jesus On Wealth Series

INTRODUCTION

• What do we value, and what do we treasure in life?

• What we insure says a lot about what is important to us.

• What are the most unusual things people have ever insured? https://www.usinsuranceagents.com/unusual-insurance-policies/

• Each item below contains unusual insurance policies made by various people. The specific insurance company used to ensure these items aren’t listed with the most unusual things people have ever insured.

• 1. Hollywood Hottie

• Twentieth Century Fox once insured Betty Grable’s legs for a staggering $1 million each. This was during the 1940s; a million dollars was equivalent to about a billion dollars in today’s money.

• 2. Lottery Winner Insurance For Employers

• In the United Kingdom, employers can purchase insurance against having two or more employees quit because they won the National Lottery.

• This policy would only pay out if the company lost at least two employees during the same drawing, which sets the odds of collecting on the policy astronomically high.

• 3. A TV Game Show

• The American game show, “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” is insured against the possibility of a contestant winning.

• From that perspective, it isn’t a question of who wants to be a millionaire as much as it is a question of who wants to pay that much money.

• 4. Super Cigar

• The most expensive insurance policy issued for a cigar was written by Lloyd’s of London. The cigar in question is over 12 feet long and was made from more than 15,000 tobacco leaves. In case you were wondering, the cigar holds the world record for the longest cigar.

• 5. Alien Abduction

• It is possible to purchase insurance against alien abductions.

• Around the nation, more than $10 million dollars in alien abduction insurance has been written, with higher payouts available for people who are abducted frequently. Keep in mind: Proving that you were abducted will be necessary before you collect.

• 6. Magic Finger

• Keith Richards, the guitarist for the hit rock band The Rolling Stones, has his middle guitar finger insured for more than $1.5 million dollars. Not the whole hand either — just a single finger.

• 7. The Voice that Sells

• Bruce Springsteen, well known for his unique vocal qualities, has his voice insured for an impressive amount. If something should happen to Bruce’s voice, he stands to gain an impressive $6 million.

• 8. To Catch a Monster

• The Loch Ness Monster has been an item of hot debate for decades, but there are those among us who are willing to bet that it will never be found.

• The Cutty Sark Company has a waiting prize of $1.5 million for anyone who captures the creature alive. To cover their losses, the company also has an insurance policy that will pay out if someone does come forward with Nessie on a leash.

• 9. Personal Vanity and Facial Hair

• Merv Hughes, an Australian cricket player, considers his mustache to be a trademark of who he is. For that reason, his famous handlebar mustache is insured in the amount of around $400,000.

• 10. Personal Vanity and Body Hair

• The American singer, Tom Jones, thinks of his chest hair as his most redeeming individual quality. Because it’s so important to his personal image, Tom has his chest hair insured for several million dollars.

• Today we will see what Jesus says concerning wealth, or more precisely, the accumulation of wealth.

• We need to understand that Jesus is not against wealth, but He will offer us counsel concerning what type of wealth we should seek.

Matthew 6:19 (NET 2nd ed.)

19 “Do not accumulate for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and devouring insect destroy and where thieves break in and steal.

SERMON

I. The warning.

• What does it seem like we spend most of our lives trying to obtain?

• We had a good laugh at some of the crazy things people have insured, but when it is all said and done, what does accumulating treasures on earth only get you?

• Still dead.

• Then the stuff we valued so much either gets picked up or fought over by family, ends up at auction, or at the Salvation Army collection center.

• The cold, hard truth is that you cannot take it with you.

• When Jesus offers verse 19 to us, the original text is written to say STOP STORING UP, meaning that He is asking them to stop an action they are currently engaged in.

• When we think about the subject of treasures or wealth, we think about money in some form or property.

• The people of this time's view of wealth was a bit different.