LUKE 16:19-23. THERE WAS A CERTAIN RICH MAN WHICH WAS CLOTHED IN PURPLE AND FINE LINEN AND FARED SUMPTUOUSLY EVERY DAY. AND THERE WAS A CERTAIN BEGGAR NAMED LAZARUS, WHICH WAS LAID AT HIS GATE FULL OF SORES AND DESIRING TO BE FED WITH THE CRUMBS WHICH FELL FROM THE RICH MAN'S TABLE.
MOREOVER, THE DOGS CAME AND LICKED HIS SORES. AND IT CAME TO PASS THAT THE BEGGAR DIED AND WAS CARRIED BY THE ANGELS INTO ABRAHAM'S BOSOM. THE RICH MAN ALSO DIED AND WAS BURIED AND IN HELL. HE LIFT UP HIS EYES BEING IN TORMENTS AND SEETH ABRAHAM AFAR OFF AND LAZARUS IN HIS BOSOM.
NOTICE HOW AT THE start of this passage we see some of the wonderful things this rich man had. He was clothed in purple and fine linen. Can you imagine all the other stuff? This rich man had a big eight bedroom house, the fanciest cars in the neighborhood, watches and jewelry. Can you imagine all the stuff this rich man had for the Bible to describe you? Not by your name, but by your wealth should show the level of wealth this man had. One thing that I did notice is that all the good and lavish things he had, not a single one of those things did he take with him when he died? Not a single thing did he take with him to the other side. Affluence does not equate to salvation. Money in the bank does not equal salvation.
As Christians, sometimes we tend to believe that the richest person at our church is the most godly and holy, and God has richly blessed them. And that's not necessarily true. That individual could just have been born with an entrepreneurial brain, and that has nothing to do with salvation. Wealth does not equate to salvation and on the other side of the spectrum, there are Christian believers who believe that poverty is a badge of honor and that through their poverty, they acquire some form of false piety given by God. Being broke, busted and disgusted does not equate to salvation. Understand that affluence does not equate to salvation. Money in the bank does not equal salvation.
The rich man with all his affluence lifted up his eyes in hell. It is important to note that the Richmond did not go to hell because he was rich. Wealth and poverty have nothing to do with salvation. The Richmond went to hell because he had not been born again. However, it is hard for a rich man to be saved. It is not impossible. But the Bible presents the notion that it is hard for a rich man to become saved. I believe one of the reasons for this is because money has an inbuilt ability to become a god in people's lives. Why is this? This is because all their love, all their affection, all their security is tied up in their money. But what people who have money as their God forget to realize is that just like the rich man in the story of the rich man and Lazarus, they are going to leave all their money when they step into the other side of eternity.
I am yet to see an ATM in a graveyard. I am yet to see a hedge fund office in a graveyard. You won't take it with you. Indeed, when we consider the transient nature of wealth. We are led to the profound truth encapsulated in JOB 1:21 AND SAID NAKED CAME I OUT OF MY MOTHER'S WOMB AND NAKED. SHALL I RETURN THITHER THE LORD GAVE AND THE LORD HATH TAKEN AWAY. BLESSED BE THE NAME OF THE LORD.
LET us meditate on this. Naked we came and naked we shall return. All the riches, all the affluence. They are but fleeting, momentary. It's God who bestows and it's God who can take away. We arrived in this world with nothing. And it is with nothing. We will depart. Our material possessions, our wealth, our achievements. None will follow us into eternity. What remains is our faith and our relationship with the Lord our Savior. Jobs perspective brings forth a convicting clarity the materials and the treasures we strive to accumulate. They are not eternal. We labor and toil, amassing wealth, thinking. It brings security, thinking. It offers us control. Yet it is all passing away like the morning dew before the rising sun.
Our true security is not found in the fleeting riches of this world, but in the eternal love of the Lord, steadfast love of our Lord. It is the eternal divine relationship with our Creator that transcends the temporal constructs of this ephemeral world. He gives, he takes away. Yet, amidst the fluctuations of our fortunes, amidst the uncertainty, one thing remains unaltered. The name of the Lord is to be blessed, always eternally. In this realization, we find a transformative understanding of our approach towards wealth and possessions. The pursuit of wealth can easily ensnare the soul. Becoming a God, replacing the devotion that belongs solely to God. The treasures of this world can blind our spiritual eyes, diverting our focus from the eternal to the temporal, the divine to the mundane. But jobe, in his agony, in his loss, teaches us a pivotal lesson. It's not about what we have, but about who we have. Allow me to repeat this statement. It's not about what we have, but about who we have. When death comes to knock at our door, which it will, your money will not matter. But what will matter is your relationship with Christ. The pursuit of riches can lead to a path of spiritual desolation. A path where the wealth accumulated becomes the God worshiped. But true richness, true wealth is found in the richness of our relationship with God, in the wealth of His grace and mercy. Job, in the midst of unparalleled suffering, found solace, found hope in the unchanging nature of God.
He lost everything, yet he found everything in God. Our wealth is not our Savior. Our possessions are not our redeemer. It is the Lord, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, the giver and taker who is our eternal refuge, our everlasting strength. This is not a barrage against money. Money is not evil. It is the love of money that is the issue. You have bills to pay. You have people who are financially dependent on you. You need to make and earn money. Do not be too spiritual to earn money. You need money to provide for your family.
I encourage you to earn money to provide for your family, but in your life, don't allow money to become your God. Don't allow money to become the one in whom you trust. Don't allow money to be your sense of security. Do you remember in Mark ten 1731, Jesus was approached by a man only identified as a rich young ruler? Have you ever noticed the reaction of the young man after his interaction with the Lord Jesus? The rich young ruler in this account went away sorrowful. Why was he so sorrowful? He was sorrowful because Jesus had told him to get rid of the one thing he loved more than God. Jesus had told him to get rid of His God money. Notice that the man was a righteous man.
He kept all God's laws faithfully. He wanted eternal life, but he was surprised at the cost. The cost of eternal life meant he would have to leave his God behind. This rich young ruler left sorrowful. He left there. And then, because he loved his God. He didn't repent. He didn't get saved. He left sorrowfully. And this interaction shocked the apostles because like many people at the time and a lot like this generation of the prosperity gospel, they thought wealth was a sign of approval from God, that the richer a person was, the better, more powerful, more righteous He was. Jesus then said to his disciples.
MARK 10:25 IT IS EASIER FOR A CAMEL TO GO THROUGH THE EYE OF A NEEDLE THAN FOR A RICH MAN TO ENTER INTO THE KINGDOM OF GOD.
I think one of the things about money that makes it become a God in people's lives is because of the power it brings. The more money you have in this world, the more powerful you become. That is a fact. And there is an amazing quote I heard about power. It goes as follows. Power attracts the worst of us and power also corrupts the worst of us. And our world is centered around money. And I think this is just the way the devil likes it. You cannot serve God and mammon. You cannot serve both God and money. A general principle that Christ taught is that you cannot have two masters.
You cannot serve the Lord thy God and also serve the adversary, the devil. But more specifically, in Matthew 6 24, Jesus uses the example of God and money.
MATTHEW 6: 24 NO ONE CAN SERVE TWO MASTERS. EITHER YOU WILL HATE THE ONE AND LOVE THE OTHER OR YOU WILL BE DEVOTED TO THE ONE AND DESPISE THE OTHER.
You cannot serve both God and money. Jesus says we have to choose. Not one of us can serve two masters. This is a sobering verse, an extremely sobering verse. Jesus said, If you love money, you hate God. He didn't say, if you provide for your family or go to work to put food on the table or own a business, you hate God. No, Jesus didn't say that. He said, if you love money, you hate God. So what exactly is to love money? How exactly can I know that I love money? We live in a society so dominated by money. Pastor, I am not exactly sure how I can discern whether I love money or not. Who do you prioritize? God or money? Do you wake up and think about money? All you think about are money making opportunities. Are you controlled by money? An example of being controlled by money is if you are willing to do things that go against the Word of God to acquire more of it. Are you allowing money to dictate your whole life rather than God? So I ask you today, do you hate God because you have another master in your life? We tend to think that riches can only bring blessings and good.
The Bible reveals to us that riches can bring hatred against God when riches become the master in an individual's life. Is it sinful to be rich? No. Is money evil? No. Does having money mean you are going to hell? No. Does not having money mean you are going to heaven? No. What we all must do is not have anything we love more than God. Don't love your job more than God. Don't trust in your job more than God. To put your faith in money is to practically put your faith in something that literally has no intrinsic or fixed value. Anything you put first in life is your God. This could be pleasure, relationships, males or females. Sex, drugs. Popularity. Friends. Celebrities. Comfort. Instagram followers. Money, or any number of things. Whatever we put first in our life is what we worship. God must be first in our life.
MATTHEW 22:36-40. TEACHER WHICH IS THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT IN THE LAW? JESUS REPLIED, LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.
THIS IS THE FIRST AND GREATEST COMMANDMENT. AND THE SECOND IS LIKE IT. LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF. ALL THE LAW AND THE PROPHETS HANG ON THESE TWO COMMANDMENTS.
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