An examination of the concept of earthly treasure versus real treasure in the light of God’s Word.
Sermon Notes
Notes:
Luke 12:13 → The Parable of the Rich Fool.
It is foolish to lay up treasure up for yourself and not for God. What is real versus corruptible treasure.
Matt. 15:
Covetousness is an insatiable desire for something more than one’s need and to have an desire for it.
Col. 3:5 → Covetousness is idolatry -- putting something in front of God in your life.
Matt. 13:22 → Parable of the Sower. He who hears the word, but the cares of this world choke the seed.
If money could talk, what would it say? I can give you happiness, status, but you have to serve me and put your energy into me. Cherish me as I am in you. It sounds like Satan to Adam and Eve.
Matt. 6:24 → No one can serve two masters. God cannot be your master if God is.
v. 25 → Our lives are more important than the clothing we put on it.
Luke 12:15
What is our life?
Psalm 8:3 → God is mindful of us because of His plan, He wants to crown man with glory. We will no longer be man, but sons of God.
This physical life is something much greater, it is just the beginning.
2 Cor. 4:7 -> We have a spiritual treasure within us.
John 17:11-23 → God the Father and Jesus Christ are within us and we are within them.
We can have a relationship with God.
Five Elements of Money and Possession versus God.
You can love money or you can love God.
Duet. 6:4 → Love the Lord with all of your heart and strength. We have to be all in. We can’t love God half-way and love something else more. If we are not, we are then practicing idolatry.
Loving God means we have a relationship with Him and the son.
Duet. 30:19
We are to cling to Him, which takes effort as does any other relationship. Do we pray every day and study His word to apply it to our life? Do we meditate about what we read? Do we fast? Do we involve God in our lives.
God is our life and our future. God must be part of our life for us to feel whole.
If we truly love God, we will obey him.
Obedience is so important if we really love God.
Rom. 8:5 → Living according the flesh or the spirit. Those that are in the flesh do not please God.
If you live according to the flesh, you will die. We need to walk in obedience to God and please him and resist the sins of the flesh.
I Thess. 1:9 → Paul writes how the Thessalonians came out of idolatry and came to truly love and serve God.
Luke 12:34
You can use the money to serve yourself or you can use it to serve God and others.
The Rich fool only thought of serving himself. There is a close relationship between serving God and serving others.
Matt. 22:37-40 → Loving and loving others are the 2 great commandments.
1 John 4:7 → He who does not know love, does not know God.
Matt. 25:34-26
If we truly love others, we will give to them. The rich fool never thought of sharing his wealth with others.
Eph. 4:28 → There is a great blessing in honest work and then sharing the fruits of it with others.
Mark 10:21 → Sell whatever you have and give it to the poor.
People that serve others will be given a gift to serve others in the kingdom of God.
You can trust money or you can trust God.
Prov. 3:5 → Trust in the Lord with all your heart and not on your own understanding. Trust God completely that He will deliver to you a good outcome.
Our own understanding is from a limited perspective. We can be easily deceived that our possessions will give us security. It is not real security, though, it is only physical.
Matt. 10:28-31
Luke 12:32 → It is God’s good pleasure to give us the kingdom.
Job 14:
Jer. 17:7 → Blessed is the man to trusts in the Lord and whose hope is in the Lord.
You can seek money and possession and live for pleasure or you can seek God and change your life.
1 Tim. 6:6 → All of our wealth and possessions are temporary. The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Money can amplify sin and drowning people in lust and ambition.
v. 11 → godliness, faith, gentleness - pursue these things.
John 15:1-8 → The vine gives us spiritual fruit in our lives.
Matt. 6:31 → Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. God will give you what you need.
You can “honor” from money or you can obtain honor from God.
Money and possessions give an illusion of honor and status. Often, the person who has obtained wealth is not honorable. This type of honor is hollow.
True honor is not connected to money, but to humility.
Psalm 40:15-17 → David truly prayed to God and leaned on Him. Humility is where true honor comes from.
Matt. 18:3 → Unless you are converted and become as little children, you will not enter the Kingdom of God.
With God’s help, we can obtain a humility in our lives. Why is it so important?
When we are humble, we are teachable and correctable. When we are humble, we look beyond ourselves and see that the world doesn’t revolve around us. When we are humble, we esteem ourselves lower than others around us. When we are humble, we remember where we came from - from a place of sin. We all need forgiveness and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. When we are humble, we are thankful.
1 Pet. 5:5 → Submit yourselves to your elders. Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God.
