Preached in Everett, Washington (7-26-09)

When we go back and look through history we see that almost without fail that the only way to gain political and especially social status was by how wealthy you were. In some societies it was much worse than others but in basically every time period in history wealth determined your status in life in some way or another. Its human nature for us to want to be accepted by others in this way so it makes sense that its human nature to want to be wealthy. In and of itself there is nothing wrong with wanting to make money, but (as we have been talking about this whole meeting) being unequally yoked with greed and riches is something that is condemned in the Scriptures. Wars have been fought and countless numbers of people have been killed because of greed, it is truly “the root of all kinds of evil” (I Tim. 6:6-10)

I.       By being yoked to earthly riches we unyoke ourselves from Christ

a.    Rich Young Ruler (Mark 10:17-31)

                                                     i.     How many times has Jesus come to us figuratively like this, only to be turned away because of something work related

                                                    ii.     This young man was so attached to his material possessions that he couldn’t let go of them even when the Son of God tells him that that’s what he needs to do to be pleasing to God.

b.    Rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31)

                                                     i.     The rich man’s status in society and wealth obviously took the place of God (ended up in torment)

                                                    ii.     Once he was there, there is only regret shown by the rich man (no hint of him being glad of his riches on earth)

                                                   iii.     Lazarus on the other hand is the complete opposite (focus was on God and showed no regret of his lack of wealth on earth)

                                                iv.     Becoming so wrapped up in the here and now is one of Satan’s most effective tools; he uses it to make us forget our real goal

c.    Rich Fool (Luke 12:13-21)

                                                     i.     Again, this man was focused on the here and now and how he could gain more right now

                                                    ii.     He shows a very selfish attitude (no praise or thankfulness of God for what he has)

II.     The “rich” of the Bible

a.    Barnabas and early Christians (Acts 2:41-47, 4:32-37)

b.    The Macedonian brethren (2 Cor. 8:1-5)

c.    The widow (Acts 21:1-4)

d.    These people realized what being truly rich is (Matt. 6:19-21)

e.    When we place our trust in earthly riches than we are also putting our heart with those riches. This leaves us separated from God, and all the riches in the world can’t save us if we are in this state.

III.    Where does this leave us?

a.    As with many things in the Scriptures, a certain amount of common sense is involved. We can easily go to the extreme of giving every single dime we have away

b.    We have responsibilities to ourselves and others on this earth (Mark 7:9-13)

c.    Being rich is not condemned (Job 1:1-22)

                                                     i.     His riches are restored double at the end

d.    As with many things in our life, there is a balance that we need to have with our money. We should always make God the priority with our money, and also have faith in him that He will provide for us (Luke 12:22-34)

Conclusion – I Tim. 6:11-19