Greed: The Heart Revealed Part 1

Read says it's the first of the seven snares of the enemy. Erwin Lussier is exposing lies like a serpent within our souls to learn how to break the power of greed in your life church in Chicago this with Dr. Erwin Blitzer was clear. Teaching helps us make it across the finish line, restaurants, or an entire sector of our economy is based on greed and that's the stock market. It's tough to combat what is essentially a national way of living will debut raised a very interesting point. The question is capitalism. Yes, plenty of greed does that greed go away under socialism. I don't think so you know.

Recently our economy is gone through a great transformation as the government has made trillions of dollars in response to the covert crisis. This money was created digitally. What does that mean for our future and what are the expectations going forward. These are the kinds of questions I answer in a lecture entitled covert, 19 the economy and our future. It comes either as a DVD or a CDN for a gift of any amount.

It can be yours.

Here is what you do go to RTW offer.com that's RTW offer.com or if you prefer you can call us at 1-888-218-9337. Now let's listen to this message on greed and ask ourselves, does that exist in our hearts is it our motivation. Point is, ladies and gentlemen that greed or lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right. Greed works.

Greed clarifies, cuts through and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit greed in all of its forms, greed for life, money, love and knowledge has marked the upward surge of mankind so said Michael Douglas in a movie video clip that some of us saw this past week. Now listen to a different perspective.

No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

The Pharisees who love money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus.

He said to them, you are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of man, but God knows your heart. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God's sight. So who's right Michael Douglas or Jesus.

Let me tell you the story of a young couple, whom I shall call Paul and Judy.

They married in their 20s and that from all accounts. As Christians were destined for a happy relationship.

They lived in an apartment for about two years and then afterwards they decided to get some equity into a home and so based on a loan taken from Paul's father. They bought a house, but because their house was far from where they worked. They needed another car and rather than by an old clunker which might have served their purposes.

They decided to get a pretty good one because Paul was expected to receive a salary increase problem is that their new house also needed furniture and rather than look at the ads where they could about something cheap. They decided to buy something more expensive because the store from which they purchased it said that no payments are needed until next year. But when Julie's job terminated. They began to get into some financial arguments because they could not meet their bills and when she became pregnant by then they were already putting their groceries on a credit card and unknown to Julie. Paul was secretly getting some loans to keep her from the weight and the burden of their financial squeeze. What she didn't know is that in addition to getting some secret loans. He also began to do some gambling, particularly in the realm of sports, hoping that he would be able to get back some of the money that he desperately needed to pay all of the bills that were coming and when all this came to the surface and was exposed they had many many arguments and Julie wondered whether she could ever trust her husband again.

What went wrong, why is it that a marriage that was destined for happiness almost came to the end so tragically. Well first of all, Julie and Paul bless them.

They decided that they would not depend upon God to meet their needs but rather they would borrow money for what they wanted, rather than simply for what they needed and so they said to themselves were going to borrow money rather than trusting God's provision years ago before credit was invented and I don't know, at whose feet we should leave that particular invention, but years ago people actually had to trust God and they would say to themselves were going to save money and were going to pay for whatever it is that we have and if we do not have enough money to buy it. We will simply assume that God does not want us to have it and the will of God was often found by either the funds that were available or the funds that were not available all those days. Of course, are gone.

Few people pray about these things anymore, because all that you need to do is to have a credit card and you don't have to ask God you can have it today and pay for it tomorrow. In fact, all kinds of companies are glad to give you cards like that of course I think it is okay to borrow money for items that appreciate in value, such as a home that some of us didn't borrow money.

We never would live in a home but when you borrow money for those depreciating items. Often times those bills at high rates of interest begin to come in so quickly and almost always, we underestimate our ability to pay them back.

My wife and I especially when we were first married, we discovered that there is such a thing as allies along that's paid off in a timely fashion and unwise loan.

There are those other kinds that all of us at times of taken you know what some of you need to do remember is children you always wanted to play Dr. I recommend that some of you do that.

Maybe it's getting in touch with your inner child at play Dr. take those credit cards and perform plastic surgery. Try it you'll like it, cut them up into his many bits as those scissors allow the curse subject the devil get and dirt are all kissing cousins. That's the first mistake they made. The second mistake they made is that there agreed to lead to other sins now is will explain in a few moments. This always happen. Greed is never chaperoned. It always comes with other sins. It comes in clusters. In this case it came with dishonesty because Paul began to say some things that were not true. In answer to questions that his wife was asking because he had all these hidden loans that were going on and he began to gamble to make the matters worse and also was what went wrong. Thirdly, they box themselves in. In such a way that they could not give any more to the Lord's work. There was no money. One day they came home and the lights were actually turned off so there's no money to the church.

How do you give to missionaries.

How do you give to God's work went you need every single time with those creditors that are at your door, nipping at your heels and your big question is how do I make it until the next month. That's the question is, they will pester to repoll and Judy greedy or were they just a foolish, I'd like to suggest that they were both both greedy and foolish greed and foolishness are also cousins. They come together. The Bible says in Proverbs chapter 15 verse 27 greedy man brings troubles to his family. If Paul and Judy had had that hanging above their kitchen table.

They might have been spared some of the grief that came through their awesome debt. We are raising a generation in which he agreed is at the heart of consumerism.

Someone has said huge shopping malls have become the cathedrals of our society for millions of worshiping shopaholics is the bumper sticker says when the going gets tough the tough go shopping now, of course, greed can express itself in other ways to candidate greed expresses itself in the miser who keeps all of his money in the man who will not give his wife money to spend, even though they have their keeping it for some someday.

That may never come, and they decide that they are going to pinch every single you met people like that to heaven. You some of you live with people like that. God help you. God help. Greed is a feeling of possessiveness and ownership as sense of saying I need money and I need things and I need more money and I need more thing. And then if you're in America today.

There are people who will tell you that life owes you all those things I told you that greed never comes on chaperoned.

It's always got some cousins that it brings to the picnic, let me name to one is covetousness, covetousness that the Bible is very explicit that covetousness is idolatry. Here is a verse, no immoral or impure or greedy person.

I might say that it begins with the words of Paul. For this you can be sure how many things can you be sure of that life will. Here's one of them. No, immoral, impure or greedy person. Such a man is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. But notice this a greedy person is an idolater old, very important. If you wonder why the sin of greed is so great in a few moments I'll be explaining to you why it is a slap in God's face but notice it says he's an idolater of the last commandment is thou shall not covet the first commandment is thou shalt have no other gods before me. And Paul is saying something very interesting. He saying that the two commandments are identical, but if you covet your breaking the first commandment you become an idolater covetousness that desire to have what other people have even coveted being like God then ate the forbidden fruit lots wife coveted Sodom then turned into a pillar of salt. David coveted his neighbor's wife and destroyed his family.

Covetousness is part of that mix all the time then there's another cousin that shows up at the picnic it's and the ending is that sense of ill will that we feel toward people who are doing better than we are envious that feeling that that we despise those people who are better looking than we are, and for some of us that's a bunch envy is that feeling that we despise those who have more money or those were stronger those who are more successful in the very thing that we are doing.

That's an because of envy or member cane killed Abel and Saul tried to kill David and Jesus was crucified.

Pilot your members as it was because of envy that they deliver them. Jewish folklore has a very interesting story about an angel who came to man and said I want you to know that you can have anything that you want, but your arrival over here whom you envy. No matter what you have your arrival will receive double and without hesitation. The man said make me blind in one eye and they says I will be blind in one eye. He can be blinded to an realize my friends that we are born greedy were born greedy. I was born greedy you were born greedy. We have this monster that crouches as it were in the depths of our soul and it will take over and it will control and it will mislead and it will grow strong unless we do something with it very very drastic and at the end of this message will be told exactly what we need to do with it. As you know, this is this a series of messages entitled seven secret snares I begin with greed. Next time we will talk about gambling which many people say is one of the worst possible things that is happening society even worse than alcoholism.

The experts are telling us, but I want you to take your Bibles for a moment and turn to Luke chapter 12 Luke chapter 12, where Jesus discusses the sin of greed had on Luke chapter 12 Christ is speaking to a crowd and someone interrupts him and I suppose in those days, interrupting a speaker was considered to be acceptable if it was done while he was at least having a pause in his discussion in his sermon, I preferred not to happen today, but in verse 13 of Luke 12 someone in the crowd said to him, teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me now those days if you had a problem like that within the family. It was very natural to go to a rabbi and have him resolve it and you get some wisdom and here you have a family dispute. The parents have died and the kids are squabbling over the inheritance. Things haven't changed too much and they some of us know an undertaker here in the city and we had funerals at his place as a Christian man.

He told me that on one occasion he was actually in the cemetery right after the coffin had been put into the ground and already then guns were being drawn over the inheritance that you come from a family that's more sophisticated than that. You don't draw guns.

You just don't talk to one another after what happened and you know that it's unjust and it's not right. Apparently this man was not getting one third of the inheritance which the younger man I'm I'm guessing now but it's probably right. The older man those firstborn's with all of their strength, and with all of their choleric personalities was taken. The whole thing comes to Jesus and says, tell my brother to do what is right by the inheritance. Very interesting. Jesus doesn't get involved in this could have said bring the guy here and will have a discussion over it and I'll make an adjudication. But Jesus replies man who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you and then Jesus is.

I don't want to solve your legal problem. I want to solve a problem that's much deeper than that.

And that is the problem of the heart. He said how often you think Jesus said these words not often watch out, watch out. The on your guard against all kinds of greed and a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions is saying that in the back of your question which may have been quite right and quite proper in a certain context.

I need take care that you are covetous and and there's some greed going on there and you're beginning to think that your life consists in the unbundled things that you possess. Watch out, it's a mistake in order to get his point across. Jesus tells the story.

By the way, have you ever known what it is like to have money waived in your face the possibility of big money. You know that there are Christians who do all kinds of things you never think that they would do simply because there are hundreds of thousands of dollars at stake, or maybe even millions at stake and suddenly throw all caution to the wind many years ago that new era scheme which was a fraud.

Your member. People at Christian organizations even give money to new era and then new era double that and they double the money based on the new people who are funneling new money into the scheme and of course eventually the tent had to come glued and it all collapsed but the Wall Street Journal had a very interesting article about these because it says that people were warning others don't get involved in this. It looks suspicious, but those voices were drowned out by those who pointed to the indisputable fact new era had never failed to double the participants money that was at the beginning of the scheme and someone who urged his board to not get involved said is urging did not help because he said they could just taste the money. The weakness around the mouth. The desire in the eyes I've always heard the expression that you can see, read, written, now I've seen it in reality nothing mattered to give us the money Jesus tells a story. It's a parable.

The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop and he thought to himself what shall I do, I have no place to store my crops, but he said he sent a little news conference with himself here. This is what I'm going to do.

I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones and there I will store all my grain and my goods and I will say to myself, you have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy, eat, drink and be merry.

But God said to him you fool you fool, this very night your life will be demanded from you then who will get what you have prepared for yourself. And then Jesus adds. This is how it will be for anyone who stores up things for himself, but is not rich toward God. You know, my friends, this is Pastor that's her during this covert crisis. One of the challenges we face is this, are we going to continue to be generous, or are we going to be like this rich man who stores up more than he needs to keep it for himself.

That's a great lesson and what does it mean to trust God during the covert crisis. Does that mean that will get her job back and everything's going to turn out well. I don't think so. These are the kinds of issues I discuss in a CD or DVD entitled covert, 19 the economy and our future for a gift of any amount. It can be yours. Here's what you do go to RTW offer.com RTW offer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337 ask for cope with 19 the economy and our future. Five.

Economic effects that will continue. 1-888-218-9337 it's time again for you to ask pastor looks or questions you may have about the Bible or the Christian life titles ascribed to Jesus are many and Kyle is a question about one of them. He writes why does the Bible refer to Jesus is the Son of Man. Good thinking on your part. There Kyle to ask that question. In fact Jesus like to refer to himself as the Son of Man now in order to understand that you have to go back to Daniel chapter 7. In the Old Testament because there you see the Son of Man as the ancient of days coming with his kingdom with dominion and glory and power. It's a reference to deity, so that when Jesus used the expression in the New Testament as he did in Matthew chapter 26. There is he's before the Sanhedrin and they are asking him and he makes this remarkable statement, but I tell you that from now on you shall see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of power coming on the clouds of heaven.

Those around him understood that that meant to the Jesus was claiming deity, and that's why the text goes on to say that the high priest tore his clothes because he thought he had heard blasphemy. But you know isn't it interesting Jesus was both man and God, so that even though the expression Son of Man refers to his deity. It is a reminder that indeed he was man and that's the uniqueness of Christ. Both God. Both man joined together.

Both natures join together in one person forever Son of Man son of God, thank you Dr. Luther if you'd like to hear your question answered. Go to our website@rtwoffer.com that's RTW offer.com and click on ask pastor lutes or or call us at 1-888-218-9337 that's 1-888-218-9337 you can write to us running to win 1635 N. LaSalle Boulevard Chicago, IL 60614 running to win is all about helping you understand God's roadmap for your race of life. Most of us have too much stuff still in our greed.

We look at our neighbors. Note their stuff and say I need the stuff they have read is insidious unless it's put to death will choke the life out of the Christian, conquering greed takes some proactive steps on our part. And next time Erwin lutes or will detail more of the ways we can slay this enemy for good for Dr. Erwin lutes or this is Dave McAllister running to win is sponsored by the Moody Church