Riches Are Not Your Life

I. EXORDIUM:

Are you rich in GOD's Presence?

II. AUDIENCE PROFILE:

Believers

III. OBJECTIVES:

To show that life is defined by riches in GOD's Presence not by riches. Be covetous of GOD's Presence.

IV. TEXT:

Luke 12:15 (Amplified Bible)

12:15 And He said to them, Guard yourselves and keep free from all covetousness (the immoderate desire for wealth, the greedy longing to have more); for a man’s life does not consist in and is not derived from possessing overflowing abundance or that which is over and above his needs.

V. THESIS:

Praise, worship and thank You very much LORD JESUS for our eternal life is defined by Your Presence in us, therefore we covet GOD's Presence in our lives.

VI. TITLE:

Riches are not your life

VII. EXPLICATION:

A. Author: Luke, the beloved physician

B. Date written: Before 70 A.D.

C. Purpose: To give a connected and orderly narrative of the life of Christ as seen by eye witnesses,—Thompson Chain - Bible Book Outlines

D. To whom written: Addressed to Theophilus, an unknown person. —Thompson Chain - Bible Book Outlines

E. Main Theme: Jesus of Nazareth is the perfect Son of Man who came "to seek and to save that which was lost",—Thompson Chain - Bible Book Outlines

F. Key words: Jesus the Son of Man.—Thompson Chain - Bible Book Outlines

G. Key verse: Luke 1:4 (Amplified Bible)

1:4 [My purpose is] that you may know the full truth and understand with certainty and security against error the accounts (histories) and doctrines of the faith of which you have been informed and in which you have been orally instructed.

VIII. MAIN BODY:

A. Beware of covetousness

"And He said to them, Guard yourselves and keep free from all covetousness (the immoderate desire for wealth, the greedy longing to have more);"

Take heed or "horao" in Greek means:

1. to stare at

2. to discern clearly (physically or mentally)

3. to attend to

4. to experience

5. to appear: - behold, perceive, see

Beware or "phulasso" in Greek means:

1. to watch

2. be on guard

3. to preserve, avoid, observe, save

Covetousness or "pleonexia" in Greek means:

1. avarice - an inordinate desire of gaining and possessing wealth; covetousness; greediness or insatiable desire of gain.

2. fraudulency, extortion, covetousness

3. practices, greediness

Webster's Dictionary:

Covetousness - a strong or inordinate desire of obtaining and possessing some supposed good; usually in a bad sense, and applied to an inordinate desire of wealth.

Colossians 3:5 (Amplified Bible)

3:5 So kill (deaden, deprive of power) the evil desire lurking in your members [those animal impulses and all that is earthly in you that is employed in sin]: sexual vice, impurity, sensual appetites, unholy desires, and all greed and covetousness, for that is idolatry (the deifying of self and other created things instead of God).

1 Timothy 6:7-10 (Amplified Bible)

6:7 For we brought nothing into the world, and obviously we cannot take anything out of the world;

6:8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we shall be content (satisfied).

6:9 But those who crave to be rich fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish (useless, godless) and hurtful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction and miserable perishing.

6:10 For the love of money is a root of all evils; it is through this craving that some have been led astray and have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves through with many acute [mental] pangs.

2 Timothy 3:2 (Amplified Bible)

3:2 For people will be lovers of self and [utterly] self-centered, lovers of money and aroused by an inordinate [greedy] desire for wealth, proud and arrogant and contemptuous boasters. They will be abusive (blasphemous, scoffing), disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy and profane.

Hebrews 13:5 (Amplified Bible)

13:5 Let your character or moral disposition be free from love of money [including greed, avarice, lust, and craving for earthly possessions] and be satisfied with your present [circumstances and with what you have]; for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!]

2 Peter 2:3 (Amplified Bible)

2:3 And in their covetousness (lust, greed) they will exploit you with false (cunning) arguments. From of old the sentence [of condemnation] for them has not been idle; their destruction (eternal misery) has not been asleep.

2 Peter 2:14 (Amplified Bible)

2:14 They have eyes full of harlotry, insatiable for sin. They beguile and bait and lure away unstable souls. Their hearts are trained in covetousness (lust, greed), [they are] children of a curse [exposed to cursing]!

Illustration:

It is difficult to save money when your neighbours keep buying things you can't afford.