Sermon Nuggets Mon March 16, 2009
Theme-Dangers of Wealth
Verses- Read Ecclesiastes 5:8-20
Dangers of Wealth
In a Prayer book by Michel Quoist he reveals use and abuses of money. He looks at a $20.00 bill and prays "Lord, This bill frightens me. You know its secrets, you know its history. It scares me, for it cannot speak.
It will never tell all it hides in its creases. It will never reveal all the struggles and efforts it represents, all the disillusionment and slighted dignity. It is stained with sweat and blood. It is laden with all the weight of the human toil which makes its worth. It fills me with awe, it frightens me. For it has death on its conscience.
All the poor fellows who killed themselves for it, to possess it for a few hours, to have through it a little pleasure, a little joy, a little life. Through how many hands has it passed, Lord? And what has it done in the course of its long, silent journeys?
It has offered white roses to the radiant fiancée. It has paid for the birthday party and fed the rosy-cheeked baby. It has provided bread for the family table. Because of it there was laughing among the young and the joy among the leaders. It has paid for the saving visit of the doctor, it has bought the book that taught the youngster, It has clothed the young girl.
But it has sent the letter of breaking the engagement, it has paid for the death of the baby in its mother's womb, It has bough the liquor that made the drunkard, It has produced the movie unfit for children, and has recorded the indecent song. It has broken the morals of the adolescent and made the adult a thief. It has bought for a few hours the body of a woman. It has paid for the weapons of the crime and for the wood of the coffin.
O Lord, I offer you this bill with its joyous mysteries, its sorrowful mysteries. It can serve or destroy man. I thank you for all the life and joy it has given. I ask you forgiveness for the harm it has done. But above all, Lord, I offer it to you as a symbol of all the labors of men indestructible money, which tomorrow will be changed into your eternal life."
We get a realistic picture of the problems of our riches from the richest man in the world. Solomon probably got in our standards $30 million a year. So when Solomon speaks we should listen. There are some important considerations regarding money.
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Tues March 17
Verses- Eccl 5:8-12
8 If you see the poor oppressed in a district, and justice and rights denied, do not be surprised at such things; for one official is eyed by a higher one, and over them both are others higher still.
9 The increase from the land is taken by all; the king himself profits from the fields.
Danger of Wealth can be Desires- Dissatisfaction
Discrimination
History shows that people in power too often abuse and mistreat or ignore others. Unfortunately, money is a discerner of persons. Those with money tend to have power and the danger is discrimination is against those who do not.
Jesus was discriminated against because he was only the son of a carpenter and not of the more privileged class. Jesus was oppressed, abused by the powerful leaders of his day who tried to kill Him because of the threat of His teaching, and the increase of His followers. But Jesus was the ultimate victor by rising again from the dead and promised to come again to take with him all those who believe in Him. Are you ready for his second coming? If He were to come today do you have confidence that you will be taken with him? You can have that assurance you know.
But from these verses we also see that wealth has been the means for
discrimination. Justice is for the wealthy for the poor cannot afford a competent lawyer. Influence happens when people have money.
In the musical drama, Fiddler on the Roof, the main character, Tevye asks God to make him a rich man. He said openly that there is no dishonor to be poor, but it is no great honor either. He dreams of what it would be like to follow the ways of a rich man. He will get respect, and be a man of influence. He would impress his neighbors by building a big house and staircases that don't go anywhere, but just for show. People will come to him and ask his opinions on all matters..why? Because he is a wealthy man.
Notice if you are a poor man people are not interested in your opinions. You do to have prestige in the community. There is discrimination. You are given the feeling of not being important.
Wealth discriminates when it comes to justice, it discriminates when it comes to elections, it discriminates when it comes to pleasures.
The Bible tells us to be people who speak up for the rights of the oppressed, and to stand in seeking justice for the poor. We are given resource by God in part to assist those who have needs. To feed, to clothe, to help, to provide health service, and assist in emergencies, and to carry out the works of Jesus Christ. Prov 19:17 "He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord and he will reward him for what he has done." God has a heart for the oppressed and poor, and wants his people to as well. He will reward us for kindnesses done in his name.
Prov. 22:22,23 "Do not exploit the poor because they are poor and do not crush the needy in court, for the Lord will take up their case and will plunder those who plunder them."
Beware of your wealth that it not be used to discriminate against those who do not have it. Be careful of your attitudes toward those who do not have money, lest you and I be guilty of judging people in ways that God says is sin. Be alert that if you have been given more resources that needed to meet your needs God wants you to share some of it so others can be helped. For man desires to discriminate based on people's possession.
If God gives you blessings, on not another, what should your attitude be? If he gives you material gifts in order to serve Him, care for needs and help others how should that change your opinions regarding wealth?
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Weds March 18, 2009
Verses – Eccl 5: 10-12 Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless.
11 As goods increase, so do those who consume them. And what benefit are they to the owner except to feast his eyes on them?
12 The sleep of a laborer is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of a rich man permits him no sleep.
Deception
If you were given today $5,000 what would you do with it? What would make you happier?
Another danger of wealth that Solomon experiences is the promise of something it does not produce. The lure of money is deceiving. People desire money for they believe it will bring happiness. But it does not.
There is something within us that tells us whatever we have, we want more. Money promises satisfaction, but never produces it. Few people are actually satisfied with what they have. Who among us can say, I need an want no more? Is not there another item, another goal, another purchase that we have set our attention on?
As soon as we acquire what we desired, the desire is not satisfied, we want something else. Wants are like that. Someone asked that proverbial question, “who is wealthier the man with a million dollars or the man with 10 children?” The answer is the man with 10 children because he doesn't want any more.
Let’s be realistic that for most, whatever you have, you spend. Those who have grey hairs usually are the ones who can tell you that happiness is not found in the acquiring of many goods. Some of the most unhappy people are millionaires.
Churches have risen to attract people with the desire to get richer by Biblical principles. Those attracted will be deceived. If we follow the biblical principles we may or may not become wealthy. It is a perversion of Bible teaching that makes the Bible focus on material wealth. There is a great amount of smoothing phrases and the misuse of Bible verses out of context that entices people who are automatically wanting to having a better lifestyle attracted.
"God doesn't want the devils people to have all the diamonds. He made them for his children to enjoy." Sounds great doesn't it? Now what is the attraction? God or diamonds? Zig Zigler preached God owns the cattle on a thousand hills. He's a wealthy God and we are his heirs. Zigler teaches that Humility in the area of finances is “stinkin thinking.” Through the power of positive thinking God will make you wealthy if you only believe." It is heresy when people make God a means to achieve greater financial end, instead of the end Himself. It is a false teaching that motivates you to give money into the offering plate thinking that by giving you will get richer. You have given for the wrong reasons. If you give out of your desire and love for God and for the needs of carrying on his work and witness. If you give to help those in need. If you give because you want to give of yourself in this way in your honor to God without expectations of material return that is what the Bible teaches. God gives out of grace not out of our schemes of manipulating Him.
If you had the option of having God give you the joy of his daily fellowship of the blessing of money which would you chose? Think about that. That answer may explain why there are so many miserable Christians today. If God meant for his people to be wealthy in this world's goods then why was Jesus poor, and didn't have a place to lay his head? Why did he borrow coins, and tell the rich young ruler to give all his money away and follow Jesus? Why did Peter and John tell the crippled man, "Silver and gold we have none, but such as we have you give you. In the name of Jesus Christ, stand up and walk."
Solomon says that the sleep of a laborer is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but he abundance of a rich man permits him no sleep" (vs. 12) There have been studies on insomnia and there is a correlation between sleep patterns of people compared to their income.
Those who work and don't have responsibilities of running businesses as employers sleep better. Those who are responsible for the larger corporations have increased sleeping and eating problems than those employed by them.
Solomon tells us to guard your desires. There is a danger of deception when what we have doesn’t produce what we really need.
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nugget Thurs March 19, 2009
Verses Eccl 5:13 I have seen a grievous evil under the sun: wealth hoarded to the harm of its owner, or wealth lost through some misfortune, so that when he has a son there is nothing left for him.
Naked a man comes from his mother's womb, and as he comes, so he departs. He takes nothing from his labor that he can carry in his hand.
This too is a grievous evil: As a man comes, so he departs, and what does he gain, since he toils for the wind?
All his days he eats in darkness, with great frustration, affliction and anger.
Destruction
The parable of the wise and foolish man illustrates the danger of wealth. IT is a foundation that is sand. It will leave us as many are discovering in these hard economic times. When our foundation is on money, jobs, health, family we are destroyed when they are taken from us. When it is on Jesus Christ and things of heaven faith is following the Lord whose dividends will never fade.
There is great disaster when people lose what they have obtained and accumulated. There is a Biblical principle that is so obvious but so ignored. Let me remind you- You cannot take it with you. Everything you have on this earth will be taken from you eventually. Sooner or later you are going to lose it all. Why don't we live that way?
Maybe it's because we think we will acquire as much as we possibly can to enjoy what we can until we lose it.
Why do so many people have personal economic disaster? Solomon who is many times a millionaire knows that answer. Part of the answer is discontent. People want more than what they can afford, and their lives are centered around what they possess instead of Who possesses them.
We are witnessing the devastation of foreclosures when loans were given to people who could not afford them. Banks and mortgage agencies are experiencing great losses. Devaluation of homes make those investments pummel. Material things will not sell. People seek elevated lifestyles beyond their income. They accumulate debt early. Many young couples today feel pressure to live at the level of their parents, not realizing that it took their parents 30 or 40 years of work to reach that level.
Consumer debt in our economy is a vicious cycle. To avoid that trap we must commit to living within our incomes throughout our whole lives so that becomes a life pattern.
If we look beyond overspending to the root cause, we often find a low self-esteem or a need for significance or approval. There really is an emotional disaster inside and the finances become a symptom of the real problem. When people lose it all there is nothing for which to fall back on and there is emotional devastation.
My wife's grandfather was believed to commit suicide because he lost money in the stock market crash. Possessions become so much a part of self esteem that life loses it's meaning when it is gone. Self worth found in dollars is lost when the dollars are gone.
Solomon also sees situations beyond a person’s greed that will cause them financial disaster. It may be no problem of their own. It can be a loss of income from a lost job, it might be a thief or a robber, it can be the stock market crash, it might be flooding of farmland, it can be the misfortune of a customer or client that does not pay off their debt causes the company to go bankrupt. Some are left penniless today because of war, or fire, or other disasters.
Many are devastated financially, but more than that. Their hope is in their possession and without their possessions and wealth they are lost and in despair. Friend whatever the cause of the loss, money will never last.
When Jesus said it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than a rich man to get to heaven, he was trying to shock his listeners into an understanding of the damage that wealth causes spiritually. There are people who cheat, steal, and murder for money. There are people who abuse the rights of workers, fudge on the quality of products they are selling, or the bribes, and misrepresentations of goods for the sake of profit all to no avail for the Lord cannot be tolerant of the ways we make money at others expenses.
The disaster is when the God of gold damns our souls to hell for we have sought foundations of life in ways of the world and wealth and not Christ.
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Fri March 20
Verses- Eccl.5: 18 Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him-- for this is his lot.
19 Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work-- this is a gift of God.
20 He seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart.
Discontent
Another danger of wealth is discontent. We already discussed discrimination, deception, and destruction. Solomon sought contentment in worldly things and was disappointed. Whatever diversion it allowed passed to an unsettled mind and heart. He tells his subject that contentment is found in wealth that is beyond riches and gold. The focus of real wealth is found in faith in God's provisions. Can a person find satisfaction when his needs are met?
I was visiting with a lady who was shut-in and asked her how she was doing. She looked at me and smiled. "Great, I was able to get up today and dress myself. I have something to eat, and a bed to sleep in." We chuckled.
But that statement caused me to think of my feeble complaints. I was frustrated with my schedule of uncompleted tasks. I was grumpy for not having enough money to purchase a vehicle I couldn’t afford. I was complaining about the weather. I realized after my conversation with the lady that I never once looked at what I had, only what I wanted that I didn't have. I was grumpy. She was happy. I had more than she, but she had more than me. She had contentment. I had discontentment because things could be better.
I never thanked God for a good nights sleep. Yet I slept well. I never thanked God for having a bed, or roof or able to get out of bed that morning. She seemed grateful for what I took for granted. It caused me to reflect on where wealth lies?
Solomon knew joy, not in things, but in the grace of God. All that we have is from God. It is not ours anyway. Our job, our talents, our abilities, our homes, our children are gifts. If we make them the end of our desires we are people without satisfaction.
If we see our job as a gift from God which has both practical and spiritual purpose it too takes on more significance. We don't have to worry about our life when we are in His will. We don't have to compete with others over what we purchase. We don't have to scurry around impressing people but have the gladness of heart in a right relationship with God and joyful with what he provides. If you love the Lord you'll enjoy your day, because God is the source of our pleasure. He is the source of our wealth. If we are diluted in thinking we have made our own money and we have earned our own riches then we have bankrupted the spiritual lesson of joy. We think we deserve it, when it is really an act of God's grace. We become prideful instead of thankful.
Some accept jobs because it provides more money, but with the added responsibility and prestige there is more stress. With less time at home family matters suffer. One soon thinks they become self made individuals instead of realizing the truth of Phil 4:19 Only our heavenly Father will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
God uses our financial resources to teach us how to depend on Him for our true necessities.
Many people are shaped by the consumer culture rather than the economics of Christ. They still feel if you earned it you deserve it. They have taken in by the half truth that says we glorify God with our money by enjoying thankfully all the luxuries He enables us to buy. The true half is this- We should give thanks for every good thing God gives us.
That does glorify Him. The evidence that many of our people are not rich toward God is how little they give to God and how much they own. Over the years God has prospered us. Yet it becomes an irresistible law of the consumer to have bought bigger and better things.
The New Testament tells us to be content with what you have. The wealthy especially need the warning not to set their hopes on uncertain riches but on God (I Tim 6:17).
What is the promise of delight? It is to see what greater joy there is in the fellowship with the Lord and in service for Him. "O taste and see that the Lord is good! Happy is the man who takes refuge in him" If Christians can experience times of real fellowship with the Lord in genuine worship and prayer they will clearly see the great joy the comes from God Himself, joy and blessing far surpassing anything that could be purchased with money. The delight is in the giver of all good gifts, and the focus on the giver not the gift.
Make your investments not for the few years to come, but for eternity which is forever. Delight yourself in the Lord, then He will give you the desires of your heart. Then you will find that which is missed by those who think they have everything, but have missed everything. Then you will know God and His pleasure evermore. Contentment comes from within, not from what is on the outside. It comes from above, not in things below.
Pastor Dale
