Illustration
Go to Andretti theme park- pay money to play arcade games, when you play earn tickets that allow you to redeem them for the most incredible prizes. Prizes that will make you happy and fulfilled for the rest of your life. So it is exciting to get as many tickets as you can so you can get the best prize available.
(Example prize)
When grow up- we think- if we can get enough tickets we can buy- things that will make us happy/secure
for the rest of our lives.
Now when we get older the tickets look like this …
(hold up wad of money- bills).
The problem we all face is that wealth or riches is deceitful- I am not saying evil or bad- deceitful …
Mt 13:22 The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. NIV
Wealth is deceitful in that it promises things that it cannot deliver.
It promises security and happiness- things only God can give to man- wealth is deceitful.
Review
If- not here last week- go to website- listen to- sermon
I laid some important ground work for this series.
Last week we talked about- good news and bad news.
Good news- you are rich.
Many of us do not feel rich because we consume everything we take in.
If we look at our lives in relationship to everybody in the world- i.e. earn $37K- top 4% of wage earners.
That makes most of us rich.
If you make $45K- top 1% of wage earners today.
Good news is that we are rich and …
we can enjoy what God has given us, as well as
having resources to bless others with.
Now the bad news is- you are rich.
How can that be bad news …
riches distract us from the important things, and
we can trust in our riches rather than in God.
Jesus- talking to a wealthy man- challenged him …
Lk 18:25 "For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." NASU
The point- impossible to get a camel through the eye of a needle- that makes being rich really bad news.
Lk 18:26-30 NASU
God can get a rich person into heaven- but difficult for that person- why?- wealth is deceitful.
We examined last week how the Bible was written for everyone in the world- not just the church in- US.
Now when- read- Bible and it talks about- rich-I know it applies to me-I am rich by the world’s standards.
1Tim 6:17-18 NASU
Paul- talking to Timothy- whenever you are around rich people this is what I want you to tell them.
Your wealth comes from God- who wants you to …
enjoy it and use it to bless others.
Clarification
Let me clarify a couple of things.
In this series- talking about How to be Rich.
In other words, since we are those who the Bible is talking about when it talks about the rich,
then how do we live in a way that honors God.
Two ditches I do not want to fall into …
prosperity ditch- not a prosperity message- I did not say God wants you to be rich,
this is not an anti-wealth message either, God does want to bless His people.
I pray God- bless you financially/at the same time- you would not put your trust in those blessings.
Jesus does say whoever is faithful with little can be trusted with much.
Typically- will see God bless those who are generous.
Declaration
Last week we made this statement:
God has blessed me
with more than I need,
I am truly rich.
I want us to add to it …
God has blessed me
with more than I need,
I am truly rich.
I will not trust in my riches
but in God who richly provides.
Satan- spiritual enemy- wants us to worship money.
Video Illustration
Deceitfulness of Riches
For many of us, money/things it can buy/security - will be the number one competitor for our hearts.
You cannot serve both God and money.
1Ti 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. NIV
Most of us know people who we would say love money, but we would not say that we love money.
If- look carefully at what the Bible says about money, we may need to re-evaluate our own hearts.
How do I know if I love money?
People who love and trust money …
1. never have enough
Ecc 5:10 Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless. NIV
Can you see yourself in this …
if I had more I would be happy/feel secure.
If I had more tickets I could get more things and I would be happy and feel more secure.
Illustration: I have this cool cell phone and I am happy. Then I see yours that can play music and I am not happy and want something better. So I go buy one that can play music and receive email. Now I am happy. Then you get one that you can surf the web with and has a touch screen and now I am not happy again.
If I had this or that would be happy.
Important question …
How much money do you need to be totally secure? Answer: more than you currently have.
That is always the answer. Why? Wealth is deceitful.
We constantly feel like we need more.
When our trust is in money we never have enough.
Pr 18:11 The wealth of the rich is their fortified city; they imagine it an unscalable wall. NIV
Wealth is deceitful if we do not understand it.
2. have no peace in their hearts
May have money in- bank, but no peace in their hearts
Pr 15:16 Better a little with the fear of the Lord than great wealth with turmoil. NIV
If I only had a …
nicer car, ipod Touch, HDTV, more shoes, etc.
The more people have- more difficult it becomes to live w/what they have, the more turmoil they have.
Many of us have a bigger income than our parents and yet we are not any happier- some more miserable.
People that make ½ of what you make cannot understand why you are so financially stressed.
Why, because we tend to consume everything on ourselves and have no margin of safety.
3. find it increasingly difficult to give generously
We often struggle with the deception, if I just had more money it would solve many of my problems.
The problem is that when we think that way-
we are directly under the influence of money,
we are under its power,
unknowingly we are serving it.
So when we could give generously we do not.
We see someone in need- would like to give- but we are afraid that if we do give then
there will not be enough money left for me.
Studies show- those who have less tend to give more and those who have more tend to give less.
Those with a smaller stack give a higher percentage away than those with a bigger stack.
Why? Because those with a big stack start trusting in the stack and those with a small stack trust in God.
Illustration: We go out and make a large purchase for our family, one that we think we really need, but in reality we have lived without it and could continue to live without it. Now when it comes time to give we cannot give because, from our perspective finances are tight and we just do not have enough to give away. Again, the deceitfulness of riches.
Paul- talking about a group of needy people …
2 Cor 8:1-4 NASU
They did not have much but trusted in God and gave radically, even out of their need.
Illustration: A number of years back, a friend of mine- lived up north- gave our family $1000 a month- 3 years. He said, I am sure you are underpaid as a pastor and I know I am overpaid. He wanted to seed into my ministry. I am humbled by that- I have never been that generous to anyone.
Satan will often whisper to us- give when …
you get your student loans paid off,
you get your car paid off,
when you get that next raise,
when you get the house that you want,
… then you can give.
But I think God is saying- give now.
Learn to give generously in your current condition.
Again, let’s make our declaration …
God has blessed me
with more than I need,
I am truly rich.
I will not trust in my riches,
but in God who richly provides.
That is how to be rich and not selfish.
Lets pray together …
God, thank you for your rich blessings.
Set us free from the deceitfulness of riches.
Show us how to honor you in every area of our lives.
Let me ask you a question …
Do you love money?
Do you want to overcome the deceitfulness of riches?
Jesus said- very difficult for- rich man- go to heaven.
But He also said- all things are possible to God.
It is difficult to shift our trust from riches to God.
God wants us to see that He and He alone is enough.
Jesus came to give us life and life abundantly.
He is asking us to fully trust in Him.
If you do not know the Lord, and want to know/serve Him, He is ready to receive you into His Kingdom.
If- want to know Him/find His peace- raise your hand.
God bless you, welcome into the family of God.
Pray aloud with those around you …
God save me from my sins.
I believe Jesus Christ, the Son of God,
died for me so I could live for Him.
Make me rich in the things that really matter.
