Gods Rival: Money - Part 1

Today on Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhart challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ talking about is talking about that to him becomes the most important thing so we said no do this don't store up for yourselves treasures on earth is reason behind it seems to be pretty clear it's always temporary. Don't store up as always with no exceptions.

Temporary joining us today on this additional fellowship in the world Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible church located in Metairie, Louisiana Pastor Bill Gebhart now again he shows us how God's word meets our work sometimes call you verses in the Bible deal with really important subjects in other times how other subjects get a whole lot more attention than the what I would think it would be due them. For example, if you look at the term prayer in the Bible. There's about the whole Bible by 500 verses that deal with this idea. Prayer there's a little less than 500 verses that deal with faith saving faith and prayer pretty big subjects but one subject in the Bible has over 2000 references in verses that deal with one subject in the Bible money 2000 references to money Jesus taught 38 parables in the New Testament. 16 of those are devoted to money, you're left with the question here as to why wives are so may verses dealing with money and and I believe that it's because there are very few tangible things that can act absolutely reveal your relationship with God clear and money.

In fact, that money is often especially in our culture, but all cultures. Money is often for many believers. The main rival to God. There may be no greater idle of all time than the idle money Jesus wants to address that. So open your Bibles to Matthew chapter 6 and verse 19. Matthew six in verse 19 he has dealt with subjects like giving and praying and fasting so far in this chapter but now is going to get somewhere and go somewhere else completely is going to start out here with the commandment, he says do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth.

It's a commandment to imperative mood at the present tense keep on doing this. Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth. Now please understand, as he goes through the section where Jesus is not talking about is not talking about planning.

He's not talking about investing. He's not talking about hard work. Back in the Old Testament and the wisdom literature.

They use the Internet as a perfect example of how hard work pays off is not talking about that what he's talking about your completely is this idea priority that to him becomes the most important thing so we said don't do this don't store up for yourselves treasures on earth is reason behind it seems to be pretty clear it's always temporary course at the case don't store up because it's always with no exceptions. Temporary, he said, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. Now it's interesting here that that the term that he uses here for treasure is a term that the French used it in France and we use it in English directly from the Greek, the Greek word is the sorrows and you heard of Roget's thesaurus thesaurus is a treasury of words and so he says do not store up for yourself a treasure map. It's a little different.

The Greek word for SARS means a little bit more than just simply treasure it also has the idea behind it. I sort of like stacking hoarding. He said don't do that and then he gives his reasoning when he gives it. It's kind of an interesting reason because he said it's always temporary.

Now you'll notice the first thing he said is that it's where moth will destroy in the day of Jesus. There's only certain ways in any culture you can show your wealth in Jesus day one of the great ways the show. Your wealth is close where your close will let everybody know how much money you have. Most people can have many close one or two enter one or two outer garments and exit but people with real money. They wanted to show it off with her while their favorite fabric to use. Clearly, you know, it's pretty hot. That part of the world is okay you wanted wool garments and if you really had money all the stitching on your garments is gold. They return gold in the stitching. Let's read and you saw someone a wool garment had gold stitching loaded. That's the point. The only thing that was against it was Moss love will and so the mosque would end up eating the wool and it would destroy the next term he uses is rust and I thought wait a minute.

At last I got rust started we started manufacturing cars in America and I thought that's rust but that's not exactly what the Greek term means with the Greek term means is something that consumes something else. The Rusty's talking about another way you can show your wealth in Jesus world was green. Remember the guide city of so much money to know what to do is to rebuild more barns so they could all storage grains are one know how much money while rats come and eat all the great so they would they would destroy they would consume it as wood termites.

Worms are all those other kind of things that consume things and then he said, and by the way the old stable one where thieves commence deal any time there. Someone has anything that's worth stealing someone usually tries that's just the way this whole thing works me said look I don't want you to do that. Another reason he's addressing this whole issue is simple we think of the prosperity doctrine that we see all over the country today just started here in America the prosperity doctrine's been around a couple thousand years.

The Pharisees had a different version of it than the day. It wasn't like if you can. If you have enough faith you can get anything you want that sort of the day.

Pharisees had a different view. The Pharisees view was to the greater degree that you keep the law, to whatever degree you keep the law, God will give you both so if it you really keep the law, you're going to get really wealthy and that's how the Pharisees saw this more as a scheme that sent Jesus wants to point out that that's not right. So he says do not store up for yourself and then he says again. I'm human. Another commandment, he says, but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven were neither moth and rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. So he says again imperative mood commandment, you need to store up something in heaven. In other words, what Jesus is saying in this way is you can take it with you. You see, that's what is trying to say whatever you God. You can take it with you forever in heaven, now is he talking only about money, no I don't think so I think is talking about all the resources that God has given us his money. One of them.

Yes, it is time one of them. Yes is about our talents, our gifts yes. He said you can you can actually invest all those and things that you can take to heaven with you, so he's making his analogy music and they can't be destroyed no matter what. There's nothing you can do about that you give an example that John Wesley the great met Methodist evangelist had it in England had an enormously long ministry he was. He was preaching, two, three, four, five times a week to various audiences through England for decade after decade after decade he was in high demand.

He was in so high a demand that he actually would take his sermon notes and publish them, and they were bought and sold all over England and Europe people. One of the read or pastors. One of the use of the sermons Wesley and one of his critics would say to him, Wesley is a mercenary. He makes enormous months of money from that all the different allegations he speaks to and from the sermon notes he makes an enormous amount of money and that's why does this so eventually after a long life of ministry. Wesley died and so when Wesley died.

His critics can wait to see what is net worth was in all the savings Wesley had in the whole world were 28 pounds everything else to give every other thing invested in heaven a whole different way of looking at wealth from that point of view. So Wesley is the perfect example.

Now, with interesting is that he says that the this is the only real security that you have. He said because notice moth the roster thieves can't do anything about this in Peter first Peter one for Peter says our inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled will not fade away, and it's reserved in heaven for you.

So he says look you can do this you can invest in heaven, but he also knows there's a problem with this your winter. That's a big problem. So he goes right to the source for where your treasure is, that's where your heart is going to be awesome. Well, for where your treasure is, that's where your heart. See what is our treasure. It's what we value most. What about our heart is the source of what we value most.

You see his whole idea is if if your heart doesn't value God morbid values your stuff more your wealth more easily to reveal itself in your treasure.

That's what you will do so when he ends up talking about here is he says, look your Outlook will determine your outcome.

That's what he says. Whatever way you see life. That's what you're going to devote yourself to and he's going to really put a squeeze on this here because a lot of Christians especially in today's world. What we often think and I think most of us have a way of doing this weaving well that may be true, some people but I'm good with both. I can do this I can ever treasury on earth at a treasure in heaven. I got love God and love money and I can do it both in Jesus categorically going to say you can you're only flowing yourself. You cannot do this. That's what is going to say he's not allowing you that particular option so what ends up happening here is he moves on then and he says the eye is the lamp of the body so that if your eye is clear your whole body will be for flight.

But if your eyes bad the whole body will be full of darkness. He said if then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness. It's an interesting way that Jesus is trying to explain this to be the Jews believe that the eye your eyes work the way to your heart. In other words, whatever you saw through these eyes would take up residency in your heart and so is that if your eyes are clear and the word is hapless and it means sound or healthy if your eyes are clear. You gonna be just fine.

He said, but if your eyes are bad. That's per NARA's and that means evil were worthless.

He said it's going to be dark for you. That's the choice now then make some sense if you think about it. This has to do with how do you see life.

How do you see life in a way in which you think because of the way you see life is going to establish what your values are what are your values. You see that's going to be the way you see your life, you can establish your values and once you have your values that's going establish your priorities. That's what you're going to say this is more important.

This is most important that your priorities then your priorities have been established all the choices you make and what the Bible tells us is once you make all those choices that will establish your character or your stance before God. So it all comes from, how do you see things and it's an interesting thing. We think that money or wealth or stuff can actually be an adversary of your relationship with God.

We live in a culture that never stops parading through your eyes. More stuff. I mean that's what our culture does. That's the whole marketing technique of our culture that just never ends. You know it's an itch it's an interesting thing like, think, think of the things we can spend an awful lot of money on this right. It's a 12 day and you know what that means it has one or two things. The 11 did but now the 13th all my what I saw on the edge, you can almost do Hollywood movies with fear that works best is everything in the world, just like the last bit of mingle, but now there's something else you see that's the way the stimulus works for us. That's so glad that's the way this happens for us but Oscar Wilde had agrees.

Great quote years ago.

He said nowadays people know the price of everything.

But they know the value of nothing and is exactly right. But notice how serious this is the Jesus at the end of verse 23 he said if then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is your darkness is aggressive on your life. This ruins your relationship with God so he says and what is really going on here wealth. He keeps building his case notice. Now we get to verse 25 no one can serve two masters word Masters Coriolis board is the Lord Jesus Christ Coriolis.

These are no one can serve two lords. No one can serve two masters. Notice he didn't allow you to say that I can I can do both his and no one can use it for either he will hate the one and love the other, he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth fact, it's just the fact while that's a that's really really tough. She's going to launch himself vented this whole thing about worry and anxiety with Jesus is going to do is he's going to prove the fact that's what he says he wants to do it as a way he wants to make it now when he does this because he saying if you're ultimately devoted you can only be ultimately devoted one not to is if you're married, you can only love one man one woman devoted you can say no don't know like I can. I do love my wife and I have a girlfriend but admits it was a stupid, but how many of us think I can love God and love. I just love money Jesus and can't. He said you be devoted to one and love mother you hate the other.

And you'll always be rationalizing it in your head, so he then says this whole section 25 to 34 is called the cure for anxiety. But here's the point. Almost every time I've heard a sermon preached in agreement that the past myself.

I believe the pastor or the preacher always parachutes on the section and there's a whole sermon about worry or anxiety.

But Jesus said that's taken out of context. The context is in here about why worry about a lot of things.

Jesus, a know the context here is what you worry about when it comes to money and noticed the first words of verse. For this reason, not other reasons this reason he wants to make his case. For this reason, he says. The other thing it's going to do is going to surprise you up tomorrow your party been led to believe by me and what the word says he's talking about the rich people about if I interviewed you almost all of you, if not all, you would say you're not rich because as long as you know somebody who's richer than you, you're not rich and addresses the way works like I am not rich you want to see someone rigid 15,000 square-foot house at three other homes. That's what riches years ago. I remember reading in a survey, the average American income was versus all the people that have lived historically in the world and live in the world right now in the average typical American was in like the 97 with 98% worldwide. Of all the people who ever lived, so you rich. You can pretend you're not but you are is not talking about rich people he's talking about people who aren't rich. He's not talking about the luxuries of life. He's talking about the necessities of life.

The things we know we all need to live. He says yeah that's what I'm talking about using materialism is not a problem of the wealthy. It's a problem of everybody that's the problem it's primarily your attitude toward money in the it's importance in your life. If you have a lot you can have a bad attitude about it. And if you don't have any you can have a bad attitude. It won't even matter and so one thing Gerald Jesus is doing. He's going to give us a test and here's the test of whether God first in your life or money is. You see, here's a test. Do you worry about money in any way at any time. He said if you do God's not first money is.

That's a pretty sobering thought and I think all of us can feel it.

For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life as the what you will eat or what you will drink of milk for your body has the what you will put one. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing… Notice he's commanding you and me. Do not worry about life. Just imagine this is foreign to us. Just imagine this. You're really worried about some of a lot of anxiety.

See my talk your mom or dad or sibling or friend or you might go to therapy, talk to a therapist or come to me and talk to me and just imagine your sick pastor. I'm really worried about these things and I said to you, stop that, just stop. What would you think, how can you say that to me. What would Jesus just told you whenever Jesus said he said stop it all see what we think when we were victimized.

This is not it's not me I'm just victimized and that makes me worry that the question BYU victimized what you mean what do you treasure your heart see that with Jesus going to say. The test is whether you worry. That's what Jesus is going to tell us it's amazing when you think about pastoral government on the radio ministry of fellowship Lord, if you ever missed one of our broadcast or maybe you dislike of the sum of the method 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 and the word online event website you will find on with today's broadcast but also many of her previous audio programs as well Fellowship in the Word. We are thankful for those who financially support our ministry and make this broadcast possible.

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