I'd Rather Have Jesus Than Have Riches Untold

LUKE 18:18-30 “I’D RATHER HAVE JESUS THAN HAVE RICHES UNTOLD”

A) A wealthy man was moving into a new house and his next door neighbor just happened to

be a Quaker … The Quakers, as you know, believe in simplicity and plainness of life!

* The Quaker neighbor watched as the movers carted in numerous pieces of furniture, a great

deal of clothing, and many more decorative pieces.

* Then he walked over to his neighbor and said in his quaint, Quaker way, “Neighbor, if thee hath

need of anything, please come to see me and I’ll tell thee how to get along without it.”

B) Jesus would have agreed with that advise, for He said one day in Luke 12:15, “A man’s

life does not consist in the abundance of things which he possesses!”

* When Jesus made that statement, it dropped into the crowd like an atomic bomb.

* Some of the people ridiculed Him and laughed out-loud.

* Of course a man can be measured by his wealth, everybody knows that … How else would you

determine how much a man is worth?

C) Well, if wealth and possessions are the measure of a man, then Jesus is out of the running!

* He was born in a stable to a humble Jewish mother, who was married to a poor carpenter.

* He Himself said in Matt. 8:20, “The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have …”

D) He left no safety deposit box when He died!

* If happiness and success depended on things, then Jesus was miserable and defeated.

* But He wasn’t … No man experienced greater joy than He did in spite of His sufferings.

E) And no man ever accomplished a greater piece of work than He did on the cross!

* A man’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things which he possesses.

* Jesus preached that … He practiced it … And His life proves that it’s true!

JESUS KNEW THAT THERE ARE SOME THINGS A MAN SIMPLY HAS TO HAVE

A) Matt. 6:32 “… for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.”

* Men need food, clothing and shelter … These are needs.

* God created THINGS to be used for the benefit of mankind.

* He did not create things to be worshipped as gods, and this is where the problem lies today!

B) Too many people think that life can be built on the things that money can buy and they

forget about the things that money cannot buy!

* It’s wonderful to have the things that money can buy provided you haven’t lost the things that

money can’t buy.

C) Story about a lady whose home was breaking up …….

* She wore expensive clothing, but underneath was a broken heart.

* She had a valuable diamond ring on her finger, but there was no love attached to it.

* She lived in a beautiful house, but for years, there had been no home.

D) Her life had been built on things that money can buy (Prices, not values) …….

* And now everything was about to slip right through her fingers.

* Let me make it clear … There’s nothing wrong with enjoying good things God has given us,

provided they don’t become substitutes for the best things in life.

E) One of the mistakes of our society today is that of living on substitutes!

* Many people know the price of everything and the value of nothing.

* They have a false sense of security and a counterfeit feeling of satisfaction …….

* Like a child eating cotton candy at a carnival … These people are enjoying the taste of life, but

getting nothing substantial to really live on …….

* Then when the storms of life start to blow, they topple over like trees without roots.

THE BASIC PROBLEM IS THIS …….

A) Instead of making God the center of their lives, they’ve made things!

* Instead of worshipping God, they’re worshipping things!

* And the Bible has a name for this particular sin … It’s called “idolatry.”

* A man can bow down to his bank-book just as easily a pagan can bow down to his idols of

wood and of stone.

B) Our U.S. currency and coins carry the motto, “In God We Trust,” but I fear that this motto

does not really express our nation’s faith!

* “In money we trust,” might be a more accurate expression!

C) Jesus said in Matt. 6:33, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his …”

* In other words, “Things, the good things that God wants us to enjoy are not the center of life, but

rather are the extra benefits we receive when God is given the rightful place in our hearts.”