Love of Money

Good morning. Welcome to CCC. Ladies if you were unable to make it to the painting class yesterday you missed out. I was up here yesterday working on things for today and the fellowship and joy that was shared was heartwarming!!!!! Praise the Lord!

I encourage you to make an excuse to be a part of our Women’s Discipleship group that meets on Monday nights

or

Our Men’s Discipleship group that meets on Wednesday nights

or

Our Adult Bible study that also meets on Wednesday nights

or

Free In Him ladies lunch and Bible study that meets on Fridays at noon

We are to grow in our secret place

We are to get alone and seek God

BUT

God also created us for fellowship

God also created us to disciple others

God also created us to be discipled

You can’t do that alone

Sometimes it is a painting class

Sometimes it is getting together to help others

Most of the time it is getting together to pray for each other, to get into the Word together, to truly discuss application and impact that God’s Word should have on us

It always includes doing life together

Let’s Pray

START OBS

This week we are going to tackle love of money.

Society and satan are all about loving money.

Society and satan are all about loving things

Society and satan are all about living a greedy, materialistic lifestyle

Money is not bad

Things are not bad

The love of money and love of things are bad.

The fact of the matter is this, the love of money is something that all western Christians battle

No matter what we call ourselves in the USA, compared to the world almost all Americans are wealthy!

I did a little research and found the average personal income worldwide is $9733 per year.

According to the Census bureau website the average income in Nevada Mo is $34,621

That breaks down to about $16.50 per hour

That is 355% more on average in Nevada Mo than the worldwide average

That is wealthy!

You and I are wealthy compared to the rest of the world.

In preparing for this morning, I also did some quick research and found that there are about 2,000 verses that speak on money....I didn’t count them personally

I think money and the love of money matters to God.

Church I want us to watch a video that spoke to me this week

Methos show the video

The reason that video spoke to me this week is Christian’s make excuses to continue loving money in their lives.

Church the love of money will keep so many out of heaven

The love of money will keep so many from truly serving God

The love of money will keep so many from loving others as Jesus loves them!

This is a big deal so let’s dive right in

Matthew 25:14-30

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14 “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16 He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. 17 So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. 18 But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. 19 Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 20 And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 22 And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 24 He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’ 26 But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? 27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. 29 For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Now there is a lot going on here in this teaching of Jesus

We may return to this parable at some point in the future but for today I want us to see steward

Everything you have is from God

James 1:17

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“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”

God just said EVERY good gift

EVERY perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights

What you have has been given to you by God

The question for a Christian isn’t where it came from because scripture is clear

The question is what have you and are you doing with it?

Are you burring it in the dirt

Are you not using it to bring more to Jesus

Are you using what God gave you for your personal enjoyment or entertainment

Are you using what God gave you to satisfy your earthly desires and drive for things and status

or

Are you using it to shine the light of Jesus into the darkness?????

As a church

As an organization

CCC

are we using what God gave us to bring people to Jesus or are we burring it in the dirt?

Be stewards of what God has given you and us

Use what God gave and gives you to bring more people to Jesus!!!!!

Now some fail at being a steward because they have a love of money that won’t allow them to use what they have been given for Jesus

Some may say

What about a rainy day?

Well God sends the rain and He will send the umbrella or boat.....He knows what He is sending your way and your job is to trust Him to provide!

Now you are to be a steward and having a savings is a great idea

Putting some of what God gives you aside for a rainy day is not a bad thing

UNLESS you put your trust and faith in your savings and not Jesus!

I wanted to start there because it is important to understand that God blesses you to bless others

God blesses you to use it to bring people to Jesus

Your money is not your money

It is God’s

He gives it to you

Are you a good and faithful servant or a worthless servant?

The love of money is truly a heart issue

I have a couple of longer passages of scripture that I feel led to use this morning

The subject can be very convicting

The enemy will tempt you to act in a manner that causes dissension instead of unity in your reaction to that conviction

God wants to bring you closer to Him and your brothers and sisters in Christ

satan and his demons want to separate you from God and your brothers and sisters in Christ

satan wants to destroy this and every other Bible preaching, Bible teaching and Bible living congregation

Because of all of that I wanted to rely on God’s Words not my words

I Timothy 6:3-10

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“If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.”

First notice run from false teachings

False teachings come from pride and arrogance not Jesus!

How do you know something is false or maybe even if you are false.....fruit

Do you have an unhealthy craving for controversy

Are you always looking to start arguments

Are you always searching for controversial topics

Are you always looking for quarrels

Are you always looking to argue and fight over scripture

All that comes from that type of behavior and mindset and heart is

Envy

Dissension

Slander

Evil suspicions

Constant friction

Run from that

if that is you run to the cross for forgiveness!!!!!

You and I are called to godliness with contentment

How are we content

Vs 7 “we brought nothing into the world and we cannot take anything out of the world”

So our love and desire is for Jesus not money

or things

or status

or power

When our true love and desire is for Jesus and not money it produces true godly contentment!

A desire

a drive

an obsession to be rich shows your heart

your love of money not Jesus!

It will produce ruin and destruction

Look at verse 10

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away form the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs

Love of money....it opens the door to all kinds of evil in your life

So many are very quick to look down upon and judge the addicted

It doesn’t matter if they are addicted to

drugs

alcohol

nicotine

sex

Society, including a lot of Christians look down on them and judge them

They love drugs more than their kids

They put alcohol above everything else

They are tied to their smokes

All they think about is sex

They made those choices

They decide to stay there

It is their fault

They need to figure it out

However so many are casting stones and judgement when they have a plank in their own eye

Love of money

One more job

I have a savings account but it is not big enough

I need more investments

I know it is church clean up day but I could be making money

I know that I should be serving my neighbors and community for Christ but I got to make my payments

You get the point, payments and money aren’t the problem

You should make your payments

You should make money

The Bible says if a man is unwilling to work let him go hungry

Working isn’t the issue

Loving money so much that you serve it is the issue

Loving money so much that you put it ahead of God is the issue

Loving money and not Jesus is the issue

You can say whatever you want but your fruit proves your heart

Do you stand on God’s Word or money

Most would say God’s Word but if I stood here this morning with multiple briefcases with a million dollars in each one and said all you have to do to take home a million dollars is tell a little white lie

How many of you would leave here with the cash?

Many would use the excuse well God forgives so I will lie then ask forgiveness and be rich

God says obedience is better than sacrifice

You love money more than God

Stand on God’s Word not your love of or desire for money

Matthew 6:19-25

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““Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?”

Treasures in heaven

This is again something that we will probably come back to later as I will not be able to completely dive into it today

Jesus just said store up for yourself treasures in heaven....that means you work here on earth that brings God glory will result in treasure in heaven

Pretty cool to think about but again what I want you to see this morning is your heart position

Worldly treasure doesn't matter

So many Christians work themselves to death trying to gain or keep worldly treasures

savings accounts

investment accounts

campers

cars

trucks

boats

houses

education funds

trust funds

you name it many kill themselves to get it and it is worldly

it is temporary

It has zero eternal value

Doing the will and work of God is what should drive us a Christians not the love of money

Now those things I listed above can in fact help you do the will and work of God as long as you see them for what they are, temporary, worldly, tools to build God’s kingdom not yours

As you know school started this past week

I have had to truly and totally rely on God as I am completely out of my comfort zone and ability

2nd graders are amazing and loving and a LOT OF WORK!

I have been slapped and hugged, in that order, by the same kid in about a 30 second span!

I have had to ask for help from God and others

I am completely unprepared for this transition

At one point this week, it was only 3 days but at one point this week I was about to lose it

I was ready to quit and be a greeter at Walmart, seriously

I was completely overwhelmed

Not by the kids but by the fact I had no idea how to help them

I have no idea how to reach them

I was useless

As I was venting to my fellow special education teacher at Benton God began to speak

I placed you here

I moved in your life to put you right here right now

This is my will and my plan

will you trust me

The circumstance has not changed

The situation has not changed

God didn’t fill my head with all the perfect interventions

in fact as I relied on Him He showed me more work I needed to do....again work I have no idea how to do but trust Him to guide me

That is the thing......faith.....God is God and He will perfectly equip me as I need it

Good for you pastor

what does that have to do with me or love of money

EVERYTHING

God called me to this position and I am doing everything to bring Him glory and reach kids for Jesus

Same of you....He has placed you exactly where

Retail

Civic

Dr offices

Banks

Schools

Factory

Retired

God has each of you right where He wants you to carry out the works He created you to do

Some of you are right there where I was this week with ministry here at CCC

Overwhelmed

out of your comfort zone

out of your ability level

Seek God

Keep showing up

Keep loving Jesus

Keep loving others

God has you

Some of you are not helping in ministry for the same reasons

Step out of the boat and onto the waves where Jesus is

Many miss what God has placed them to do because they are blinded by the love of money and chasing earthly treasure that is useless in eternity

Jesus said in this scripture you cannot serve two masters

You cannot serve money and God

You can’t do it

You will hate God and love money

You will be devoted to money and not God

Check your fruit

What are you producing

Are you driven by what to eat and drink and wear

Are you driven by payments and toys and vacations and worldly things

God will provide your needs

TRUST HIM

God wants to give you the desires of your heart

God loves you

Do you truly love Him or do you love money?????

Where is your heart on this?

Matthew 19:16-24

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16 And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” 17 And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” 18 He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, 19 Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 20 The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

23 And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”

Church this is scary stuff

Remember we are rich

You may not define yourself as rich but you live in Nevada Mo USA

Your average income is 300% more than the rest of the world

You and I are rich

This applies to us

Only with difficulty will you and I enter the kingdom of heaven

This young man looked the part

He kept the commandments

Remember Jesus says if you love me keep my commandments

This rich young man looked the part

Today he would have been a church member

Not a pew sitter but an active church member

He probably would have been a sunday school teacher or helper

He probably would have been a childrens church leader or helper

He might have been on the worship team

he might have been on the tech team

he might have been a deacon

He might have served by working on the church or mowing the grass

he might have lead a discipleship group or bible study

You get the picture

He looked the part but his love and devotion belonged to his money and wealth

He walked away from Jesus because he loved money and wealth and the status and things that came with it

I have shown this before but want to again

Here is a camel standing in front of the eye of the needle

In Jesus’ time cities had huge walls to protect those who lived there

In the walls were huge doors or gates that they would open during the day

Within those huge doors were gates or little doors that could be used at night they were called the eye of the needle

Camels could fit through them but it was hard

it was very difficult

It took great effort on the camels part to make it through the eye of the needle

Church to eliminate the love of money from your life takes great effort on your part

It is very difficult

Let’s look at the rest of the parable

Matthew 19:25-27

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“When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Then Peter said in reply, “See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?””

The disciples were astonished

They lived and walked with Jesus 24/7

This teaching even floored them

WHO CAN BE SAVED?

They got it

They understood that with Jesus it is all about heart issue and nothing to do with works

They understood that they were not capable of doing what Jesus was talking about

They realized you keep His commandments because you love Him because of His love for you

You love Him for his work on the cross

You love Him because He first loved you

Who can be saved

Look at Jesus reply

With man this is impossible

You cannot save yourself

You cannot defeat the love of money in your life

With God all things are possible

It is only through God that you will defeat the love of money in your life

It is only through God that you move from a citizen of this world into a citizen of heaven

God sent Jesus to die in YOUR place

God sent Jesus to become YOUR sin

God treated Jesus like you so He could treat you like Jesus!

Look at the cost

It will cost you greatly

vs 27 See, we have left everything and followed you

Listen

I fight being legalistic

I fight wanting to sometimes go overboard in terms of expectations on what life should look like

Today’s Christian says things like

Well if you do too much you will burn out

You have to have balance

You can serve too much

I don’t believe that is what Jesus teaches

I hear all the time.....

I would love to come to Men’s discipleship group or women’s or bible study but I am just too tired from working

I would love to help with Sunday School or Children’s church but that is not my deal

I would come to church but I have been hurt in the past

Most of the time those are excuses

Sometimes you are exhausted but here is what I have found

Anytime I put Jesus ahead of me, He meets my physical needs and I am better off for it

I want to hit you with some facts

There are 1440 minutes in a day

10,080 minutes in a week

40,320 minutes in a month

483,840 minutes in a year

If you just come to church on Sundays....both Sunday School and church and that is it…no secret place.....no discipleship group or bible study.....no rightnow media study on your own....just sunday school and church…generous is about 3 hours or 180 minutes

Let’s say you attend 3 out of the 4 Sundays a month

That is 40 Sundays in a year, yes you would miss 12 Sundays

For the week you would be serving God 180 minutes out of 10,080

For the month you would serve for 540 minutes out of 40,320

For the year 6480 minutes out of 483,840

The question isn’t how much time you have the question is how much time you give back to God

The question is where is your love

Being a true Christian will cost you everything but you will gain eternity

You will gain a Father

You will gain a Brother in Jesus

You will gain the Holy Spirit living inside of you

You will gain everything

Rich people

You

Me

Americans

We can be saved and we can enter the kingdom of heaven but it will cost us

it will be very difficult

It will take a complete faith in God

It will take complete denial of ourselves

It will take dying on a cross to our self every single day for now until God calls you home or Jesus returns

My question for you is this

Where are You?

STOP OBS

Invitation song