How To Get Rich

“HOW TO GET RICH” Gal. 4:1-7

INTRO – Everywhere you look, you’ll find a “get rich quick” scheme that someone has cooked up. Went online just to see what was out there in this area of getting rich:

- How to be a “one minute millionaire”

- There’s a “free secret website” for the Online Ultimate Success System

- Sell “good soap” from home and make $800,000+ a month

I want you to know that even those of us in the ministry struggle with issues of money and wealth. When our daughter, Rachel, was just a little girl, she answered the phone one day when a telemarketer called our home. Telemarketer asked if the man of the house was home. Rachel answered, “My daddy is a minister and he’s just been offered a church in another town that wants to pay him a lot more money than he makes here. So he’s in his study praying.” Salesman then asked if her mother was available. Rachel replied, “No, she’s packing.”

There’s nothing inherently wrong with being wealthy as long as the person with the wealth is able to keep their perspective and stay humble before the Lord, which apparently is a difficult thing to do when a person is rich. Billy Graham once said, “There is nothing wrong w/ men possessing riches. The wrong comes when riches possess men.” Scriptures teach us this truth:

- Prov. 30:8-9 – “Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my G.”

- Matt. 6:24 – “You cannot serve both God and money.”

- 1 Tim. 6:9-10 – “People who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desire that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is at the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.” (NLT)

- Heb. 13:5 – “Stay away from the love of money; be satisfied with what you have. For G has said, ‘I will never fail you. I will never forsake you.’” (NLT)

DJ article, “Mission Possible: First Steps Toward Financial Freedom.” Author Stephen Sorenson gave some practical steps on trusting G with our money. Said he and his wife knew they needed some help when, early in their marriage, a bent can of sauerkraut that they got free at the grocery store exploded inside their cupboard! As he cleaned up the sauerkraut, he thought to himself, “If this is what life is going to be like w/out money, it’s time to figure things out.”

1. Ask G for help instead of trying to handle financial challenges on your own.

2. Face your situation. Takes courage to do this.

3. Set a goal. Save some money each month? Pay off certain debts? Build retirement account? Set money back for child’s college? Simply make ends meet?

4. Recognize that your choices are significant. Every dollar-related decision has consequences. Especially your tithes and offerings to G’s work through the church. “Every spending decision is a spiritual decision.” (PK speaker and pastor James Ryle)

5. Seek wise counsel. There are a lot of godly people out there who delight in serving G by helping others in this area.

6. Work hard. No substitute for this.

7. Learn contentment. Verse in Hebrews above – “Be satisfied w/ what you have.” 1 Tim 6:8 – “If we have enough food and clothing, let us be content.”

This morning, I would like for us to consider how to get rich, only I’m not referring to material wealth. I am talking about how to get spiritually rich. While it is important for us to know how to handle our money wisely and in a godly manner, it is even more important for us to know the importance of our spiritual wealth. Someone once said, “He is rich indeed whom G loves.” (J. de la Veprie, Les Proverbes Commun)

In Gal. 4, P is still trying to help the Galatians understand how ridiculous it would be for them to return to a life of legalism after they had been saved by G’s grace through faith in X alone. Remember some of the things that he has already said to them?

- 1:6

- 2:15-16

- 2:21

- 3:1-3

- 3:10-11

- 3:23-24

As we move into chapter 4, P uses the analogy of a child and a slave to start this portion of his discussion. And this is where we can see the 3 steps we need to know if we want to get rich spiritually.

I. REMEMBER.