Wealth, Work & Wisdom
Notes
Transcript
Introduction:
Introduction:
Today we continue our series entitled “Dollars and Sense” from the book of Proverbs. Proverbs provide timeless wisdom for us in almost every area of life imaginable and the area of finances is no different. As a matter of fact the discussion of finances is seen repeatedly throughout Scripture...with over 2,000 verses dealing with money in one way or another.
In today’s message we want to look at the subject of WEALTH, WORK and WISDOM. I want to begin this message by telling you a true story. Does the name Jack Whittaker mean anything to anyone? You may remember him from 2002.
"In 2002, Jack Whittaker won a $315 million Powerball jackpot. At the time, it was the largest single-ticket main prize in history. He was already a successful businessman, but he said later, 'I wish I'd torn that ticket up.' Within years, he lost his granddaughter to addiction, was robbed of hundreds of thousands of dollars, and faced constant lawsuits.
He died saying that wealth gained 'the wrong way' destroyed everything he loved.
I want you to think about that with me a few minutes. The man who one the largest single-ticket prize in history at the time said, “I wish I’d torn that ticket up.” Wealth gained the wrong way “destroyed everything he loved.”
Solomon knew this 3,000 years ago when he wrote this in Proverbs 13:11
Wealth gained by dishonesty will be diminished,
But he who gathers by labor will increase.
Get rich quick schemes, lotteries, and sweepstakes are not part of God’s design to build lasting wealth. But if we do not have a proper perspective of wealth and God’s intention for finances we can easily be led astray.
Before we go any further let’s see what Proverbs says about....
A Proper Perspective of Wealth
A Proper Perspective of Wealth
The first thing we need to understand is that...
God Intended Wealth to be Gained by Work
God Intended Wealth to be Gained by Work
Notice again our key verse...
Wealth gained by dishonesty will be diminished,
But he who gathers by labor will increase.
The word translated “dishonesty” in verse 11 can also be translated “hastily” (ESV), “fraud” (CSB), “vanity” (KJV), “dishonest money” (NIV), and “get rich quick schemes” (NLT).
The point is there is a right way to obtain wealth and there is a wrong way to obtain wealth.
God did not intend for us to gain our assets by get rich-quick schemes. God intended for us to gain our wealth from “work.” While there may be some exceptions to this rule (such as an inheritance), the overall plan is not to chase fantasies, worthless pursuits, or scratch-offs, but being faithful to work every day.
Solomon warns his son that wealth “gained by dishonesty” will be “diminished.” Gaining little by little through hard work will help us learn to be disciplined and use God’s blessings accordingly. Gaining wealth through dishonesty, gaining wealth super quickly, gaining wealth by fraud often leads to more problems than solutions. Often those who gain wealth this way will find their wealth disappearing. Just ask Jack Whittaker.
Sadly, Jack Whittaker isn’t the only person who became filthy rich and underwent unbelievable poverty afterwards.
Another important perspective to understand is that wealth and money isn’t bad. Money is not the root of all evil, it’s the “love of money” that is the root of all evil. In actuality....
Wealth Gained God’s Way Can be a Blessing
Wealth Gained God’s Way Can be a Blessing
The blessing of the Lord makes one rich,
And He adds no sorrow with it.
God did not place us on earth just to accumulate money and things. Seeking gratification through money is a miserable way to live because its never enough. True prosperity brings PEACE not sorrow! We are not called to seek riches first, but God first. When we do we find that He takes care of the rest.
Notice Solomon uses the phrase “the blessing of the Lord...” When we understand WHO our wealth comes from and the PURPOSE behind our wealth it makes a massive difference in how we look at it.
When wealth is gained by legitimate means and is used for God’s glory there is “no sorrow with it.” Jack Whittaker may have wished he had torn up that lottery ticket, but I don’t know anyone who wishes they would have torn up a paycheck earned by God’s grace and hard work.
Another perspective about wealth that we need to understand is that
Wealth Cannot Protect us from the Reality of Sin and Eternity
Wealth Cannot Protect us from the Reality of Sin and Eternity
Riches do not profit in the day of wrath,
But righteousness delivers from death.
Some people look at wealth as protection. Some who are filthy rich look down at people of faith and assume that since we don’t have a lot of hope and material possessions in this life we believe in a fairy tale about God in hopes of having hope in the life to come.
The fact of the matter is, riches will not exempt us from the wrath of God, only the righteousness of Jesus Christ can do that. We may have NOTHING in our bank account, yet have it all for eternity because of Christ’s righteousness credited to our account.
One other thing I want to mention regarding the proper perspective of wealth is that...
God Blesses Us to be a Blessing
God Blesses Us to be a Blessing
There is one who scatters, yet increases more;
And there is one who withholds more than is right,
But it leads to poverty.
Charlie Wilhelm read this Scripture two weeks ago and did a great job explaining it.
Solomon uses the analogy of generosity much like spreading seed. One could hoard their seeds and eat all of the profit, but they will have nothing to plant for the next year.
But in letting go of that seed and planting that seed, we will find that one kernel of corn can produce 300 kernels of corn. Hoarding the wealth God has blessed us with is one of the quickest ways to be miserable and spiritually impoverished. However, if we will learn to be generous with what God has given us, we will find that we CANNOT out give God!
We need to have the PROPER PERSPECTIVE of God’s blessings and wealth in order to be truly satisfied as generous believers. Wealth is to be gained by hard work, is to be used for God’s glory, and is to be used to bless others.
Sadly we see another issue in Proverbs that is dealt with that can rob believers of true joy and contentment in their life...LAZINESS...
The Perils of Laziness
The Perils of Laziness
There is a word that you see a lot in Proverbs, especially if you are using the King James and that is the word: SLUGGARD. It’s not a word we tend to use in our every day vocabulary but it is also translated: LAZY or SLACKER.
Notice how it’s used in...
The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing;
But the soul of the diligent shall be made rich.
The lazy person still has the desire to have, but is unwilling to take the initiative to engage in the hard work necessary to get what they need. The lazy person sits and waits for the provision to find them, rather than go out and do what God intended them to do...W-O-R-K.
Before I go any further, I want to say this is not talking about someone who is physically incapable of working...this is talking about someone who can work, but doesn’t work. I believe if you knock on enough doors you can find leaves to rake, yards to mow, houses to clean, cars to wash, toilets to scrub...even if you can’t find someone willing to pay you, work anyway and trust God to provide the money.
Just because it’s not something you are use to, or skilled in, or you think is below your pay grade...be WILLING to WORK!
By the way, WORK does not always EQUAL a PAYCHECK. Some folks are retired, but they still have work to do. Some of the hardest working people I’ve ever met are stay-at-home MOMS, and they do not get a W-2 form at the end of the year, but they are busy “tilling the soil of a child’s heart.”
I know people who are retired, but spend hours and hours in a garden raising crops for their family and neighbors. You may have “retired” from one job, but you aren’t retired from Kingdom Work!
What will happen as a result? The last part of verse 4 says, “...the soul of the diligent shall be made rich (fat).”
This carries with it the idea that the soul of the diligent SHALL BE FULLY SATISFIED. The lazy person, who refuses to fulfill God’s plan for their life will be discontented and find themselves chasing empty fantasies.
The “sluggard” (the lazy man) wants the benefit of the HARVEST without the hard work of plowing the ground and planting the seed.
Notice what Solomon said in...
In all labor there is profit,
But idle chatter leads only to poverty.
The lazy person is really good at “idle chatter.” But where does that lead? It leads to POVERTY. You can talk about planting the seed. You can talk about plowing the ground. You can talk about what fertilizer to use. You can talk about the harvest. You can talk about the process...BUT AT SOME POINT YOU HAVE TO PLOW, PLANT, FERTILIZE AND REAP THE HARVEST rather than wait for someone else to do all of that for you!
Someone put it this way...
You can compare this to building a fire. Toil is the act of going into the woods, chopping the wood, carrying it back, and striking the match. It is exhausting work, but it is certain to produce heat (profit).
Talk is sitting in a freezing room describing how warm the fire will be once it starts. No matter how eloquent or detailed the description (the fantasy), the room remains cold (poverty) because the words themselves contain no fuel.
We are either going to do the WORK of building the fire and enjoying the warmth it brings or we are going to TALK about how nice a fire would be while we freeze to death.
Let’s look at one more passage about the “peril of laziness” before we move on. Notice...
The desire of the lazy man kills him,
For his hands refuse to labor.
He covets greedily all day long,
But the righteous gives and does not spare.
Think about someone standing beside an old water pump dying of thirst. He has the ability to pump the water, but waits for someone else to come along and pump it for him.
On the other hand you have another person who is dying of thirst and they see the water pump and starts pumping the handle vigorously. Before long fresh spring water begins to flow and he is able to satisfy his thirsty soul. Beside him is a man who is paralyzed and cannot pump the water. Not only does the man have enough to quench his thirst, but he has enough to quench the thirst of the one beside him.
Being lazy is a trait that we need to confess, forsake, and repent of! None of us can do everything, but we all can do something! If we will all do what we can do there will be enough to help those who cannot do!
I also want to say a word to those whose BODIES or MINDS will not allow them to have a “traditional job.” Please know that your VALUE is not found in physical labor, but in the fact that you have come to KNOW CHRIST and are a CHILD OF GOD.
Do you remember the story in 1 Samuel 30? King David had made a law that those who stayed behind with the supplies received the same reward as those who WENT INTO BATTLE. While you may not be able to “work”, you can still offer WORDS of ENCOURAGEMENT and INTERCEDE for others in prayer. This is HOLY LABOR! You are a warrior in a different fight!
I want to make...
Two Points in Closing:
Two Points in Closing:
In Proverbs, Solomon points us to an insect...the ant and he tells us to...
Earn Through Industry & Diligence
Earn Through Industry & Diligence
Notice...
Go to the ant, you sluggard!
Consider her ways and be wise,
Which, having no captain,
Overseer or ruler,
Provides her supplies in the summer,
And gathers her food in the harvest.
How long will you slumber, O sluggard?
When will you rise from your sleep?
A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to sleep—
So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler,
And your need like an armed man.
Solomon let’s us know we can learn a lot from the ant. First, the ant does not have external guides in the same way we do. The ant does not have the Word of God for instance, but it still has the God-given instinct to WORK!
The ant also has the ability to recognize TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE! Notice, the ant PREPARES its PROVISION in the SUMMER and GATHERS FOOD during the time of HARVEST. The ant understands it cannot afford to be LAZY, but it must gather and collect what is needed BECAUSE WINTER IS COMING!
Someone said:
“The Summer of Opportunity does not last forever.”
Notice the “sluggard” (the lazy person) has “good intentions.” He intends to gather, but right now he just wants to sleep a little longer. He’s just going to fold his hands a little longer. One day he will do what he’s supposed to do, just not today...BUT BEFORE LONG HE WILL BE IMPOVERISHED and the sad thing is, the sluggard often blames someone else for their predicament!
We must earn through DILIGENCE and INDUSTRY! Notice
He who tills his land will be satisfied with bread,
But he who follows frivolity is devoid of understanding.
Tilling one’s land is not glamourous. Tilling one’s land is not easy. Tilling one’s land can become monotonous, but it BRINGS SATISFACTION and PROVISION!
Tilling one’s land not only makes your life better, but it makes the world a better place!
In Prov 12:11 you also see the contrast between a person who “tills their land” and a person who “follows frivolity.” This person CHASES FANTASIES and HIGH RISK SCHEMES looking for instant riches/wealth. Instead of putting in the hard work and discipline that comes along with “cultivating the earth and subduing it” they are always looking for easy shortcuts.
Notice almost the same exact admonition in...
He who tills his land will have plenty of bread,
But he who follows frivolity will have poverty enough!
Not only is it important to follow the example of the ant, it is also important that we...
Stick to Integrity in Business (and in every area of life)
Stick to Integrity in Business (and in every area of life)
One thing that you see throughout Scripture is the importance of integrity concerning “honest scales, honest weights...” and things like that. This is introduced in...
‘You shall do no injustice in judgment, in measurement of length, weight, or volume. You shall have honest scales, honest weights, an honest ephah, and an honest hin: I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.
The “honest weight” refers to a “perfect stone.” These stones were to be standard measurement by which everything else was measured by. If someone had a stone that weighed more or less than the standard measurement then they could deceive customers into thinking they were getting 8 ounces when in reality they may be getting 6 ounces. Dishonest scales represented the dishonest hearts behind them that were seeking to increase their profit margins by taking advantage of others.
We see a similar admonition in...
“You shall not have in your bag differing weights, a heavy and a light. You shall not have in your house differing measures, a large and a small. You shall have a perfect and just weight, a perfect and just measure, that your days may be lengthened in the land which the Lord your God is giving you. For all who do such things, all who behave unrighteously, are an abomination to the Lord your God.
And of course we see Solomon sharing this importance as well in Proverbs
Dishonest scales are an abomination to the Lord,
But a just weight is His delight.
Unequal weights and unequal measures
are both alike an abomination to the Lord.
Unequal weights are an abomination to the Lord,
and false scales are not good.
Notice what is said about “dishonest scales.” They are an ABOMINATION. In Scripture an abomination is something that is considered TERRIBLE and HORRIFIC.
When people cheat others for money, especially when people who claim they belong to God cheat people for money it is horrific in God’s sight!
In the long run it will not pay...Solomon says...
Wealth gained by dishonesty will be diminished,
But he who gathers by labor will increase.
Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man,
But afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel.
Notice again verse 17...
There is a psychological thrill that happens when someone tricks someone. Sometimes we play harmless pranks on someone and we think it’s cool when we get one over on someone.
Solomon says that's the way it is for those who cheat others. Their bread is sweet, but eventually they are going to crunch into a rock that will break their teeth!
Conclusion
Conclusion
Proverbs has shown us:
Proverbs has shown us:
Wealth is a tool
Wealth is a tool
Laziness is a thief
Laziness is a thief
Dishonesty is a mouthful of gravel.
Dishonesty is a mouthful of gravel.
Don’t leave here today focused on MAKING MORE, but ask God how He wants to use what you earn for His glory and His kingdom.
Be a man or woman of integrity, on the job, at home, and in your community.
When you go to work on Monday, whether you punch a clock, piddle in your shop, raise those kids, serve a neighbor, remember you aren’t just “tilling the land” for a paycheck, but YOU ARE MANAGING YOUR TIME AND RESOURCES FOR THE KING!
Salvation
Salvation
"Solomon tells us that riches profit nothing in the day of wrath.”
While it is important to work and “make a living” it is also important to understand we have ONE DEBT that dollars cannot pay. We are spiritually BANKRUPT.
Scripture tells us in 2 Corinthians 8:9
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.
He wants to give us a wealth that NEVER FADES! We must TRANSFER our trust from OUR BANK ACCOUNT, OUR ABILITY, our GOODNESS and place it in the finished work of Jesus Christ!
Rededication/Repentance
Rededication/Repentance
Maybe some of these hard truths have hit home today and the Spirit of God has CONVICTED you about laziness or dishonesty. He doesn’t convict you because He doesn’t love you, BUT BECAUSE HE DOES!
He’s not just asking you to “do better” but to bring these things to Him so He can forgive you, cleanse you, and enable you to see real transformation!
Baptism
