Love of Money
The Bait of Satan • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 3 viewsNotes
Transcript
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
Matthew 25:14-30
________________________________________
________________________________________
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
James 1:17
________________________
________________________
“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
I Timothy 6:3-10
________________________
________________________
“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
Matthew 6:19-25
________________________
________________________
““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
Matthew 19:16-24
________________________
________________________
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
Matthew 19:25-27
________________________
________________________
“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