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December 17, 2020 7:00 am
Today on Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ, you honor yourself with your wealth. This honor God. That's the point that Jesus talked about. He said that Lebanon the other. No man, no person can serve God and you can there's either one were going honor the other signal like a guy on or about the matter under God, he says well joining us today on this additional fellowship in the work pastor Bill Gebhardt Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible church located in Metairie, Louisiana when pastor go get her now once again he shows us how God's word. Our world the last few months Sprint the telephone company has been running a couple different commercials that are subtitled the stupid rich. The first commercial is up three young people a private jet pulls into a hanger and three young people get off a private jet and one of the young man says is he's going down the stairs and he said that Sprint has contacted me and said I could save 50% of my phone bill if I would switch from Verizon to Sprint and he will stop for a moment of silence and why.
And then they would show some getting down and they he said well they said that up. I could spend my money on things that I want and then shows each of the three and getting in their own sports car in the hangar little convertibles and a young man and another young man in said but we have everything we want, and then to get other sports car they drive in about 2 feet stop and get out and then equip the stairs to another private jet and is a going up the stairs that the young girl that was there. She said were we going and they want to. Young men said basketball and she said all sports and they get in there and it says don't be stupid like the stupid rich.
The second one is much more to the point. It's a mother and daughter in their auction and are sitting at the auction and there's a little Little tiny feline that has like rhinestones on it and it shows the daughter has a paddle up and so does the mother right beside her. The only paddles up in the room and you hear the auctioneer say $100,000. And so when he says $100,000. Mother then says that the people at Sprint had contacted her and said that if they would's switch from Verizon to Sprint that they would save a lot of money and the daughter said, but mama we don't need to save money do we and she said no and then the daughter looks gets a funny look on her face and she says like daddy always says money can't spend itself that's funny enough, but then meanwhile, based on the paddles in the air and the mother notices her arm, which put the paddle up so she starts going muscleman muscle band and then it's the girl starts beside a minute just going like this and you hear the auctioneer near the end of it, say $1 million and then the announcer comes on about unless you're stupid rich you might want to consider the ad. I think the reason that those commercials resonate with us as we all know someone who is stupid rich.
You've met people like that. We know the wisdom and wealth are not always traveling companions and that may be the way it is in the world but that's not the way it should ever be for us so I want to talk about this morning is a wise perspective of wealth. Now I'm going to make an assumption here that most of you are going to try to deny and that is I'm going to start with the assumption that your wealthy. Now notice that you always this is a typical American response, absolutely not.
We know a few wealthy people but that's not us. Okay so what I decided to do is that it see if you really are wealthy pastor Brad gave me a an article that I thought was very very helpful for this the global rich.com base either attest to wealth.
If you are considered rich in this world are wealthy in this world are test if one of these things applies to you. You are rich in this world even before.
By the way I read that to me just say I read myself this week.
One line that this is the wealthiest individuals of ever been in the history of the world worldwide and that the average annual income and income earner worldwide today is $2920 a year. That's the average. Now you above average, but this is what global rich.com says if one of these applies to you, you are considered wealthy or rich that you have at least in the kindergarten education.
I'm going to assume that that you stand in front of a closet with an option of shirts, pants, sweaters, blouses, lamenting that you have nothing to wear that you have more than one pair of shoes that you change your clothes because you have special office to wear to different activities like exercising, sleeping, relaxing, those things that you have a technology phone in your own possession and that you change phones from time to time that you have a mechanically sound vehicle with some cash for the car does essentially the same thing.
In other words, you can actually drive from one spot to another in a vehicle that's reliable that you have the ability to take off at least one day a week and still make enough money to eat or feed your family and that you have food for your next meal in a refrigerator or freezer or pantry. Now, if you have any of those your considered rich you see the problem we have in America is because of the kind of economy we have been we have never seen ourselves that way. And so what we end up as a defense mechanism as we never see ourselves as rich at all. But when you consider everybody also lives on this planet. Not only now but have ever lived on this planet. Your wealthy and you can't really escape that, and so the issue comes down to what is the wise perspective of wealth in one way, it's almost not worth talking about. In this sense that Jesus said that money is a very little thing, but that was from his perspective. He said money is a very little thing. The Bible also says that a good reputation is more desirable than great wealth. The Bible even says that a loving, peaceful home is better than wealth. But I want to talk about what the Bible says with wisdom and with wealth, open your Bibles to Proverbs chapter 8 Proverbs chapter 8, we will look at several passages this morning when wisdom and wealth. Proverbs chapter 8 and verse 10.
Now the man writing this by the way is very qualified. Mrs. Solomon so he has two things going for is the wisest man in the world and simultaneous to that. He's also probably the wealthiest man in the world. So if anybody can speak the wisdom and wealth.
It would be Solomon and in verse 10 he says this he says take my instruction, he says and not silver, and knowledge rather than the choicest gold, for wisdom is better than Jules and he says in all desirable things cannot compare with her wisdom. He says wisdom is infinitely better than wealth not be honest when the last time you said that you see when you think about is American you start thinking about that I did sort of like really. Are you kidding, and I think the reason for it is you know in our countries of you know what money can do. I've spent so much my life trying to get more and more of it. How would wisdom be better than money. We know what money can do for us turned out Proverbs 18 just to the right.
Proverbs 18 and there's an allusion here of one of the things that we really believe that money does for us. Solomon understands it in verse 11 of Proverbs 18.
He says this a rich man's wealth is his strong city, and like a high wall in his own and then this word imagination paraphrase. A lot of people think that wealth gives them security is and you might be one of those into a certain degree that's true but you notice it's my strong fortress.
He says I've got my wealth, I got a strong for I'm secure. We spent so much of our life trying to be secure.
It's an astounding thing, isn't it. Just think of how many ads and things you have seen over the years of telling all of us who were in the sort of workforce as you start approaching the special wage which we all call retirement that the most important thing in the world is to be financially secure.
Nothing can compare to your financial security, but there's an assumption there is under your Dilip she that's an assumption. Be careful with that of the New Testament for a moment and look at that Luke chapter 12 in the Jesus speak to it. Luke chapter 12, a very famous parable in verse 16. Luke 12 in verse 16 and Jesus told them a parable and he said this, the land of a rich man was very productive number. Notice the first thing that happens. Jesus says this man is already rich. He's already rich is already wealthy and here's this man was already wealthy, and his land is very productive and he began reasoning to himself and said, what shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops now understand he's already a rich man, so yes, he has places the stores crops, but not quite this many crops in other words, his ship came in. He's got a ton of money and he says now what am I gonna do, how I gonna store my crops. Notice what never crosses his mind share never crosses his mind is already rich is having a bumper you're with crops. Then he said this is what I will do. I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and all my goods and I will say to my soul soul. You have many goods laid up for many years to come. Take your easy drink and be merry. See what he said. I'm sliding for home. I've got it made. I've got the money I got so much money soul. This is going to be great. You see, I am secure now. God steps in.
But God said to him, you fool. Nothing to that were studying wisdom and we said there are three kinds of people that are not wise. The naïve fool the scoffer God calls this very successful, wealthy man, a fool, and God says you fool. He says this very night your soul was required of you and now he says you all what you are prepared. In other words, there was no real security and that all you thought there was no remember, the Bible is not talking about saving anything like that is not talking about planning. The Bible says much about both of those we should do that, but ultimately it's only in our own imagination that your security is going to come from money. That's what he is saying. He said in verse 21 so so was the man who stores up treasures for himself and is not rich toward God. So whole ideas and by the way, why do we store up treasures of a really honest for self goes, that's not really what you should be doing with treasures, so we think that wealth reaches money, gives us a sense of security, but the Bible says it doesn't, there's something else we think that wealth will give us notoriety or even friends go back with me to Proverbs 19 Proverbs 19.
Sometimes I just love the subtlety of the Solomon's genius, Solomon is known as you read the Proverbs in the book of Ecclesiastes to become very sarcastic at times. I just goes with his sort of brilliance I guess and he says in verse four of chapter 19 wealth adds many friends. Wealth adds many friends that he says, but a poor man is separated from his friend.
He exits okay wealth adds many friends. Not if you don't believe that.
Talk to a lottery winner, Solomon is saying.
Boy if you come into great wealth.
You will be amazed.
People want to be your friend. Now Solomon was the wealthiest man going in that he sort of had a certain I guess that a certain point of view here. He also said by the way, in verse six.
Many will seek the favor of a generous man and every man is a friend to him. He gives gifts that we both know something you know that they're not really your friends mean you kind of got adept at this idea.
But we have this tendency to think that it adds to us a certain amount of notoriety.
We see one of the things that we believe with all my heart, is that wealth makes a significant you see that if I have money I am somebody yet to be very careful that that's why.
By the way money is such a perfect false idol notice. It gives me security in the gives me significance by the way, that's exactly what I need and that's exactly what God offers is a God offers me security and God offers me significance and never leave me nor forsake me, and I'm a child of God, but money offers me the same thing makes me secure. See makes me significant.
Therefore, money has a certain's kind of drawn back the can really hurt us turn with me to Proverbs 28 for a moment. Proverbs 28 in verse 11. These are principles.
By the way, this doesn't mean every person who has wealth but by principal Proverbs 28 in verse 11. The rich man is wise in his own eyes.
The rich man is wise in his own eyes. In other words, wealth produces pride. I will use a word here and you tell me something I would use the word snobbery. Now how many of you thought of a poor person you knew the word snobbery you being immediately.
Don't you rich person you see that's the problem. It can produce money can produce pride in us. He can also do something else. Go to chapter 30 just a page to the right. Chapter 30 in verse seven. This is a proverb by Abor, not Solomon, but he's praying in verse seven. This is what he praise the God he says two things I ask of you, do not refuse me before I die. Keep deception and lies far from me. I want to be a man of the truth, and then he says, feed me with the food that is my portion. He said that I he said that I not be fool and deny you and say who is the Lord, he said, just give me a portion. In other words, what egg or saying please don't make me to wealthy because of the tremendous temptation. If I become to wealthy on to say who needs God only gone what I've done what I made myself, who is the Lord so it can also drive you from God as well as a produce pride in your life. There's one thing for sure we need to look at a fork in the wise look of money in Proverbs 17 Proverbs 17 in verse 16. Solomon writes this. Why is there a price in the hand of a fool to buy wisdom. He says when he has no sense.
You know what wealth can buy you can buy you wisdom. That's why they make commercials about the stupid ridge just because you're wealthy doesn't mean you're wise at all at all. You can buy wisdom see that something else so it can give you friends not the right kind of produce. Pride can drag from God. It can't buy wisdom, but the point is wisdom and wealth are able and should be able to peacefully and totally coexist. In other words, you can be wealthy and wise. Wisdom and wealth coexisting in all kinds of different levels. Turn to Proverbs chapter 10 for a moment another principal concerning wealth and wisdom.
Verse four in verse four, Solomon says poor is he who works with a negligent hand but the hand of the diligent makes rich website, principal the principle is clear, hard work and produce wealth. That's what you're saying you stay at it.
You see, hard work and produce wealth. There's a lot in the Bible about the sanctity of work and hard work, wisdom and work and work together when you read biographies of the men like Henry Ford, Renée Andrew Carnegie, you realize the enormous amount of work that they put in in the beginning of that the empires that they ended up building become an extremely wealthy so the idea wisdom and work they do produce wealth is not a problem with that, but there's something else that wisdom is really supposed to do the most important thing in that's in Proverbs chapter 3 in verses nine and 10 and this really is where the rubber meets the road. This is really the wise view of wealth verse nine of Proverbs 3. Solomon says honor the Lord from your wealth, honor the Lord from your wealth and from the first of all your produce that you might be thinking the first thing you think there's all yet I knew that they always get the something like that that's out of the reputation of the current evangelical church but I think you be missing the whole point. He said honor the Lord with your wealth okay and okay I get that. But notice the next verse he says honor the Lord from your wealth and from the first of all you produce so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine. Honor the Lord with your wealth so that you will be wealthy. That's an interesting statement and it's a statement that is repeated over and over again as a principal on the word of God.
You see, if you don't honor the Lord with your wealth you dis-honor the Lord.
That's the point. If you honor yourself with your wealth, your old this honor God with your wealth, that's the point. That's what Jesus talked about when he said that that you'll love the one and you'll hate the other. No man. He said no person can serve God and man, you can't. There's either one.
You're going to honor the other new going on when we like to say is no.
I think I honor both sis again. It's a matter of perspective. Honor God. He says with your wealth, listening to Pastor on the radio ministry of fellowship Lord, if you ever miss one of our broadcast or maybe you just listen to the message one more time. Remember, you can Google a great website called one place.com that's one place.com and you can listen the Fellowship in the Word online at that website you will find on with today's broadcast so many of our previous audio programs as well Fellowship in the Word we are thinking for those who financially support our ministry and make this broadcast possible. We ask all of our listeners to prayerfully consider how you might help with radio ministry continuous broadcast on this radio station by supporting a monthly report to the one-time gift support for ministry can be sent to Fellowship in the Word. 4600 Clearview Pkwy., Metairie, LA 7006 if you would be interested in hearing today's message in its original format that is is a sermon, the pastor will deliver during a Sunday morning service of fellowship monitored visit our website FVC Nola.org that FVC and LA not Margie at our website you will find hundreds pastoral sermon you can browse through our sermon archives defined sensors are looking you can search by title. Once you find the message you're looking for.
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