The Secret of True Riches by John.

The Secret of True Riches.
Luke 12:13-34

1. The world is full of people, and all of us would like to be rich, wouldn't we? ill. Jeffrey C. "If I bought all the land in NE, SD, WY and CO, it wouldn't be enough!" (I don't think he was serious.)
2. The world has a warped idea of value, and how it is measured.
(1) Let me see your hands on this: How many of you know who Warren Buffet is?
(2) How many know who Bill Gates is?
(3) How many of you can name of the widow Jesus pointed out as she dropped two mites in the temple treasury?
(4) How many know who Bob and Jo Baynard are?
3. We know the first two because they are rich, and they are in the news frequently.
4. No one but Jesus knows the name of that widow.
5. Bob and Jo Baynard were in Bethel church in Lincoln in the early 1960's. Bob left the air Force to spend his life in his home state serving God as a pastor. He and she are still doing it,
6. The world plays up the rich, the famous, and the notorious. Bob and Jo will probably never be rich or famousi in this world, but they probably will in the next one!
7. You see, God notes and cares for His Own.
8. I believe Jesus wants the whole world to know that society teaches us a wrong concept of riches!

I. Amassed Posessions Are a Waste!

1. If they are used correctly, they are a plus.
2. God gives riches on earth for a reason. They are not given to accomplish His will. Saved, or spent on personal pleasure fails to accomplish God's will.
3. The rich man in this story may have had a large family.
4. He may have considered himself self-made! Or he could have inherited everything from his father.
5. He may have been an excellent manager, or he could have been a bad one.
6. We don't know.
(1) Why don't we know?
(2) Jesus would have told us if we needed those facts. We don't.
7. This man's whole concept of wealth disagreed with God's view!
(1) Warren Buffet has impressed me for a couple, or three reasons.
a. He achieved wealth, and I have to admit I admire that just like everyone else does.
b. He was named the richest man in the world, but he lost the title to Bill Gates. He never whimpered or complained. In fact, I understand the two are now friends and business partners. That shows a good attitude concerning wealth and power.
c. Buffet stated that he is not going to leave all his wealth to his children the way most rich men do. He wants his children to make it on their own. That's a good attitude, too.
(2) The man in this story seems to be only concerned about himself!
8. Jesus said in 12:20, "God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?'"
9. Holding on to wealth does not accomplish God's will! It's wasted! And the effort to gain it was wasted, too!
10. If you have possessions, ask God what He wants you to do with them. Do it, and you will have heaven's riches.
11. Whatever you have will give you the riches of heaven when you invest them for God!

II. If You Want to Be Rich, Seek God's Kingdom First! v 31

1. Why?
(1) Because you can't even enjoy riches when you are dead.

(2) Because nothing is as important as being a citizen of the Kingdom of God and living forever!
2. Why? Because there is no promise in this world that we will have a tomorrow.
3. Why? Because time itself may be so short that we won't have time to enjoy it!
4. Why? Because it is the only logical thing for a thinking person to do.
5. The rich young ruler who came to Jesus seeking eternal life missed all the wealth on heaven because he was too concerned with his earthly riches!
6. It pays to seek God's kingdom first! And it pays to do it with sincere desire to serve God!

III. The Only True Riches Are Heavenly.

1. Let's be logical about this:
2. What are riches? Money? Property? Wheat? Beef? Soy Beans? Cotton? Rice? Gasoline? Power?
3. Where do these things come from? ill. Some years ago, a woman fed her family with hamburger so much that her husband told her she ought to write a book about it. She fed them hamburger because they couldn't afford anything else. She wrote a book called, 101 ways to prepare hamburger, or something like that. All the publishers turned it down, so she and her husband published it themselves, and became prosperous because of the tremendous sales! They established their own publishing company and did well with that, too. We call that the fulfillment of the American Dream! Anyone can get rich in the USA!
How did that happen? Was it because they were lucky? A fertile imagination? A "Won't say die" attitude?
Well, there is no such thing as luck. (Luck is a heathen god! Good fortune comes from God, and so do all these other things.
4. God created everything and everyone. He is the One Who blesses and He is the One Who withholds His blessings.
5. James 1:17 says, "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."
6. The world has pondered this question for ages, "Why do the good die young?" and the answer has been with us for many, many centuries. Isaiah 57:1-3 says, "The righteous perish and no one ponders it in his heart; devout men are taken away and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil. Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death."
7. Galatians 3:24 says, "So the Law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith."
8. Wealth, riches, education, talent, whatever the gift, it is given to us to accomplish God's will in our lives.
9. When we accomplish His will, we can be sure we have riches in heaven with our Heavenly Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ!

Conclusion:

1. I think I would like to be rich, but at the same time, I'm aware that riches on earth bring with them a tremendous responsibility to God.
2. I'm not sure I am ready for that responsibility or that I even want it!
3. I am quite sure that I am far more interested in laying up treasure in heaven where moth and rust do not corrupt, and thieves do not break through and steal! That's what Jesus told us to do in Matthew 6:20.
4. It's time for us to change our thinking, and in turn, we may change the thinking of the world about value, riches and wealth.
5. Are you laying up for yourself riches in heaven? No you are not, unless Jesus is your Lord and Savior!
6. You can start your savings account in heaven today by entrusting Jesus with you entire life!
7. When you do, you will begin immediately to live forever!


Emmanuel 6:25'2006