Latest / Chip Ingram Sermon Podcast / Why Better Things Don't Always Make Things Better

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Why Better Things Don't Always Make Things Better · Chip Ingram Sermon Podcast

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Today on Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram.
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Sometimes the very thing we dream about, that
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we want, that we're so passionate about, oh Lord,
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if I just got married, oh God, just give me that
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job, oh God, just... And sometimes you mortgage
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all that really matters to get it, and you find
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yourself empty. If that's you, you'll want to
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stick around, because we're going to talk about
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why better things don't always make things better.
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Chip Ingram. Would more money make you happier?
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It's a simple question, but Chip says the way
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we live often reveals a very different answer
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than the one we'd give out loud. Today, as we
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continue our series, Building Authentic Community,
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Chip turns to James chapter five and some of
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the strongest words about wealth anywhere in
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scripture. Through an unforgettable story from
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a cardboard city in Manila, he'll show us why
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God isn't opposed to wealth, but he is opposed
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to what it can do to us. Here's Chip with today's
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message, Why Better Things Don't Always Make
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Things Better. I'd like to start a little bit
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unusual. I'm going to ask you a question. I want
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you to answer this question with the very first...
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most immediate response that comes to your mind.
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I don't want you to answer it with what you ought
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to, what you should say, what a Christian's supposed
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to say, what some really holy person would want
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you to say. I'm just going to read one question
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and just the most immediate reaction that comes
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to your mind, honestly, true or false, I want
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you to say it in your mind. You don't have to
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blurt it out. Here's the question. Are you ready?
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If I had more money, I would be more happy. True
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or false? Okay, I hear false. Then why is it
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that everyone wants more money? See, I always
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get that. I always get that. Now, if you were
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sitting around with some friends looking at your
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bills or you were thinking about how nice it
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would be to kind of either upgrade something
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or turn in that older car and get a little bit
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newer car or... My sneaking suspicion is that
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we have an intellectual understanding that goes
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like this, and we have sort of an emotional and
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volitional understanding that often is at odds
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with that. If you observe the average person's
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life, most people think, if I won the lotto,
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my life would really get better. I mean, we have
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a lotto mentality. And we're going to talk about...
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something very interesting, and I think you're
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going to enjoy this one. But before we do, I
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want to probe a little bit. Not down on anybody,
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but I want to probe a little bit because I think
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down deep, most of us, because we're mature and
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we can handle it, if God gave us more money,
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we probably would think we'd be a little, I mean,
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not a lot happier, of course, but maybe a little
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happier. I mean, we'd have more to give away,
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right? To help others. Exhibit. From yesterday's
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headlines, when you study a passage, it is hard.
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I really have a practice, and this is the greatest
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compliment I can give him. I have a practice
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that when I'm studying a passage, I refuse to
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read anything Chuck Swindoll has written on the
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passage. Because if I read it, it so frames how
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I think about it because it's so good. It totally
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messes me up. But after I've done all my own
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study, and I'm really ready to preach it, then
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I like to read what Chuck... Swindoll has to
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say. And as he wrote on the passage, James 5,
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1 to 6, he tells about a warning to the wealthy,
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and he's done some good research. Just listen.
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In 1923, the world's most successful financiers
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met in Edgewater Beach Hotel in Chicago. The
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year, 1923. Those present included the president
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of the largest independent steel company, the
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greatest wheat speculator, the president of the
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New York Stock Exchange, a member of the President
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of the United States Cabinet, the greatest bear
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in Wall Street, and the President of the Bank
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of the International Settlement, and the head
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of the world's largest and greatest monopoly.
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So you have a pretty high -powered group of people
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meeting. According to one source, collectively,
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these tycoons controlled more wealth than there
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was in the United States Treasury. And for years,
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newspapers and magazines had printed their success
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stories urging the youth of the nation to follow
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their example. They did a study. Two decades
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later, 20 years later, imagine this room, 1923,
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Chicago, fancy hotel, the most powerful men,
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the richest men, you know, and they're talking.
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And then fast forward 20 years later. 20 years
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later, there was a follow -up study conducted
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to discover The rest of the story about these
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seven men who met in Chicago. The results were
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stunning. The president of the largest independent
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steel company lived on borrowed money for the
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last five years of his life and died penniless.
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The greatest wheat speculator died abroad insolvent.
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The president of the New York Stock Exchange
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was released from Sing Sing. The member of the
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president's cabinet was pardoned from prison
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so he could go home to die. The greatest bear
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in Wall Street committed suicide. The president
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of the Bank of International Settlement committed
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suicide. The head of the world's greatest monopoly
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committed suicide. All seven success stories
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ended tragically. Names that were once synonymous
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with wealth, power, and influence in the end
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were associated with humiliation, crime, and
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violent death. See, I think most of us know intellectually
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the answer to the question, I would be more happy
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if I had more money, intellectually, spiritually,
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is no. But I think pragmatically, the answer
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to how we respond it and how we live our lives
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is, if I had more money, yes, I would be more
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happy. And yet, that's yesterday's exhibit. Exhibit
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B is today's relationships. 46 % of all divorces
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in America. are rooted in issues over money.
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The lie is this. My significance, write that
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word in, and value, write that word in, is measured
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by the quality and the quantity of the things
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that I possess. Possessions provide security
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and power so I can be safe, personally satisfied,
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and rule my world. I'll give that to you again.
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My significance, first word, and my value, second
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word, is measured by the quality and the quantity
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of the things I possess, third word. Fourth word,
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possessions provide security and power so I can
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be safe, personally satisfied, and rule my world.
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That's the lie that we're going to uncover. To
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put it another way, more things and better things
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will make me a something. It is inbred in America
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and our culture. My value as a person is reflected.
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I mean, my value, my worth, my significance is
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reflected in what I wear, what I drive, and how
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much I make. My happiness in life is dependent
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upon having the latest toys, the nicest stuff,
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and financial security. And today we'll learn
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that those very subtle philosophical values and
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mindsets are at the core of destroying some of
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the most important relationships in your life.
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It's a very, very interesting passage. Commentators
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struggle with this passage because it starts
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so strong. To understand it, you need to know
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the intended audience. And what I want you to
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know, verse one is intended for unbelieving rich
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who were abusing believers at the time. This
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is the first book of the New Testament as I've
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shared before. And so the early church, these
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people have been scattered. James opens up to
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those, to the 12 tribes scattered abroad. And
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many have lost their families, lost their business,
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and they find themselves in dire financial straits.
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Many of them, because they've accepted Jesus
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as the Messiah, have been cut out of wills, cut
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out of inheritances, and they're in a very difficult
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time, disowned by their families. And this scathing
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rebuke in verse 1 is rich, powerful people that
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are abusing God's children. Then in verses 2
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to 4 in this historical background, we're going
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to get some reasons why God is so adamant about
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this abuse. Open your Bible and let me just read
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an overview of the first six verses and then
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let's dig in together. Notice what it says in
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verse 1 of James chapter 5. It opens up and says,
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now listen, you rich people. and this is strong,
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weep and wail because of the misery that is coming
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on you. Verse one, written to unbelievers abusing
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God's children, judgment's coming for what you've
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done. He goes on to say, your wealth has rotted
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and moths have eaten your clothes. Verse three,
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your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion
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will testify against you and eat your flesh like
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fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days.
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Look, The wages you failed to pay the workmen
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who mowed your fields are crying out against
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you. The cries of the harvesters have reached
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the ears of the Lord Almighty. You have lived
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on earth in luxury and self -indulgence. You
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have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter.
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You have condemned and murdered innocent men,
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those who were not even opposing you. And so
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the intended audience is some rich unbelievers,
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but out of it, I think, are some principles for
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all of us. Scathing rebuke followed by the four
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reasons for the rebuke. Now, here's what I want
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you to get before we jump into this very strong
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passage. The truth is God is not opposed to wealth.
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Many of the greatest believers in the Bible time
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were wealthy. Solomon, David, Job. Abraham, New
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Testament, Joseph of Arimathea, Barnabas, very,
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very wealthy believers. He's not against wealth,
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but God is opposed to the misuse and the abuse
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of wealth. For your own study, if there's one
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section of scripture I think that really helps
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you understand the balance of wealth and enjoying
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it as a good gift from God and being on guard
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against what wealth can do, I would encourage
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you 1 Timothy 6, verse 6 through the end of the
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chapter. I'd make that a personal study. I would
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get my arms around 1 Timothy 6, about verse 6
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to the end, and really have a grasp of What does
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God say about wealth? However, God's not against
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wealth, but the warning is the misuse of wealth
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brings God's judgment. And so let's open up the
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text together. Notice what it says in verse one
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of James chapter five. Now listen, it's strong.
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Literally, it's stop. Wait a minute. You rich
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people weep and wail because of the misery that
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is coming upon you. Underline the word rich people
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because we need to know who they are. And then
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circle the word weep and wail. Who are these
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rich people? Again, Swindoll makes a great observation.
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He says there's four kinds of people in the Bible
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with regard to wealth. There's people that are
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poor without on the outside and they're poor
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within. In other words, the point is they don't
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have any economic wealth, but they don't have
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any spiritual wealth either. He said, there's
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people who are rich without, they have strong
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economic physical wealth, but they are poor within.
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They don't have a relationship with God. He says,
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third, there are people that are poor without.
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In other words, they are poor financially, but
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they are rich spiritually. And then his final
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observation, there are people that are rich without,
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very, very wealthy, but they're poor within,
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totally estranged from God. And that's who this
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is addressed to. And he says to them, Weep. Literally,
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it's a prophetic usage. The same word is used
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in the Old Testament of a response for evil men
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and women of how they should respond knowing
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that divine judgment is coming down. This is
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really strong. And then he says to them, not
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only weep, but wail, loud weeping. So that's
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the warning. He says, the misuse of wealth that
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hurts and abuses other people will bring the
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judgment of God. And then he's going to give
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the reason. There's four warnings that he gives
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out of verses two through six. And these warnings
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are for wealthy people who are unbelievers, who
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are abusing God's people. But here's the thing.
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All scripture is profitable, right? For doctrine,
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reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness.
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And the fact of the matter is these are four
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warnings and he's going to give specific reasons
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to these unbelieving people about the abuses
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there. But those really turn into very clear
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warnings to you and me because I don't think
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we're immune to the misuse or the mishandling
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of money. And so he's gonna give us four clear
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warnings about what not to do or how not to handle
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your money. The first one has to do with how
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much you've accumulated. He's gonna talk in verse
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two and he's gonna say, here's the warning, don't
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hoard it. Don't hoard it. And you say, where
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do I get that? Read verse two, look at it. It
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says, your wealth has rotted and moss have eaten
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your clothes. Your gold and silver have corroded.
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Their corrosion will testify against you. And
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boy, this is graphic. And will eat your flesh
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like fire. I mean, that is like graphic. You
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have hoarded wealth in the last days. To understand
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this passage, put a circle around the word rotted.
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Put a circle around the word clothes. and put
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a circle around the word corroded. Because this
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is all about the accumulation of wealth. But
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they didn't use 401ks and didn't have a lot of
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banks the way we think of banks. And the way
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they would accumulate wealth is number one, through
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food. In other words, your harvest, you get more
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and more and more grain. So you would store it.
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And he says, guess what? It's rotted. Another
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way was clothes. Silks or linens or fine fabrics,
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you would stack them up and the more you owned,
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that would be like your 401k or your retirement.
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And he says, the moths have gone in and eaten
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it. And the other was precious metals. And he
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says, they're corroded. And the word picture
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is this extreme judgment because they were hoarding,
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because they were so selfish, why there were
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so many people that had needs, he says, God is
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going to judge you. look at all the needs that
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there are and look how you have hoarded it. And
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he says, those things that you thought would
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give power and security, the grain is being eaten
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up and ruined. Those things that you thought
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that, you know, you could leverage or buy and
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sell and do something with, he says, the moths
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are gonna take care of it. And the precious metals
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are being corroded before your very eyes. Why?
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Because you have hoarded it. You've taken and
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taken and taken and taken and taken to give you
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personal power and a sense of authority and prestige.
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and security you thought all the while where
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all these people had needs. And God says, don't
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do it. And you know what? We're not immune to
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that. We're the most prosperous country in the
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world. I had a lady in our church in California
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that we were talking about this and she said,
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you know something? It is amazing how we think
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things or possessions will really come through
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for us. And her husband owns a... kind of a surf,
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a special kind of wind surfing company. And her
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kids are grown. So she decided she'd kind of
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go work part -time in a department store and
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get out and meet some people. And so she was
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out one day and a lady came in and she began
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to show her different things. And she just went
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in and she just started taking all kinds of things
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and racks and racks and racks and racks. And
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she came out with, she goes, I mean, it was thousands
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of dollars worth of clothes. And she goes, oh,
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did your house burn down or something terrible
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happen? I mean, this is a lot of clothes for
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one day. She goes, no. She goes, in fact, I have
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four walk -in closets at home. She said, what?
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Yeah, four. And she said, well, I mean, do you
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need these? She said, the lady looked at her
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like, need these. That never entered my mind.
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It was just a hoarding. There was something that
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made her feel. powerful and significant to go
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in and buy these clothes and have anything she
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wanted rack after rack after rack after rack.
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And that's an extreme case, but sometimes I,
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Saturday morning I'll get up early and I kind
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of like to drive into the office because no one's
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there and I get a lot more done, it's quiet.
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And you have all these, I'm sure your town's
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the same, these garage sales. Do you see how
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many garage sales there are? Saturday morning's
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a big morning to have that. Get there early,
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by the way. You know? You don't get there early,
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the good stuff's gone. And I thought to myself,
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when I was a kid, no one had garage sales. We
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have so much stuff. We have so much stuff. We
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live in a garage sale world where we all have
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so much stuff that we have to put it out on our
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lawn so that other people can come and buy our
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stuff. And we live in a garage sale mentality
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world. Could it be that even Christians are guilty
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of hoarding in our day? All of us have a line.
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All of us have a secret line that we think, and
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some with good reason will talk about, I need
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X amount of money for this situation, and then
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I feel secure if I have X amount of money. And
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then after I have that, and then I also have
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my retirement working, and I have, then I'm willing
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and ready to be generous with others. The more
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and more and more you get does not produce more
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and more generosity. The more and more and more
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you get, what it produces is your safety net
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gets bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger.
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And it's interesting, you would think that the
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percentage of your giving would increase and
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increase and increase and increase the more you
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get, but actually what begins to happen is people
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realize they have more and more and more to lose.
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Warning number one, don't hoard it. Warning number
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two has to do with about how we get the money
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that we have. And he says, don't steal it. Don't
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steal it. Notice what he says in verse three.
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Look, the wages you fail to pay the workmen who
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mowed your fields are crying out against you.
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The cries of the harvesters have reached the
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ears of the Lord Almighty. It's the Lord Sabaoth,
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the one who's the host of armies, the all -powerful,
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the leader, the one who repays, the God who will
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bring about justice. And you need to know the
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historical context is they were getting income
20:43
dishonestly. The way it worked in that day is,
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remember the parables that Jesus would tell where
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you would come out into the field and at the
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end of the day you got paid? That's how people
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got paid. And what these people would do is they
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would go and they would do their day's work and
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then the guy who's rich and powerful would say,
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eh, not gonna pay you today. It's exactly what
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it says. You withhold the wages from your workmen.
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Unlike us, they didn't get their paycheck every
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two weeks or once a month and write out their
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bills. They didn't go home and have a closet
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full of food. They made the money that day for
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that day's food. In fact, later on you'll learn
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the definition of a rich person in New Testament
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times is you had a second change of clothes and
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you already knew for the day or the next day
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after today you already had the food stored.
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That's considered rich. So you have excess. Most
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people live hand to mouth. Most of the world
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lives in such a way where, what am I going to
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eat today? I'm going to work today. I get this
21:44
money. When I get this money, I'm going to buy
21:47
the food. I'm going to buy the food. I'm going
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to take care of my family. Now they have enough
21:50
for tonight and morning breakfast and lunch.
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And then I'm going to go to work and I get my...
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And what they did is they wouldn't pay them.
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So their families couldn't eat. And that's why,
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notice the cries of the harvesters. What would
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you do if you were a man and you worked all day
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and you needed X amount and there's no food at
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home, you know the day's gone, and then you come
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home and the big heavy guy, and what are you
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gonna do? You're a little poor guy, he's a rich,
22:17
powerful guy. Not paying you today. You go home
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and you cry. The cries of the harvesters are
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here, are being heard by the Almighty, the Lord
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Sabaoth. And he's telling these people, I'll
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tell you what. I am going to come and I'm going
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to bring about justice. Because what are they
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doing? They're stealing it. I don't know about
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you, but some of the worst testimonies I've ever
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seen in all my life have to do with people not
22:44
paying their debts. Christians not paying their
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debts. This is a very, very disturbing, but do
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you know in America at least one of the worst
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credit risks are pastors? Now I'm hoping it's
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of all those non -Bible believing churches, but
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I don't think that's where it's at. You ask financial
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people, pastors are one of the worst credit risk.
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And if they don't have their act together with
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regard to money, what in the world's happening
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in the churches? How many of you have done business
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with a Christian, you know, fish on the card,
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fish on the car, you know, and have had like
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terrible experience, right? It's almost like
23:26
you see the fish on the card. You're thinking,
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I'm the baby. You know, I'm just looking for
23:31
someone honest and sign the contract because
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I'm just not sure. Wonder why I put that there.
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How many of you have a relative who is a believer
23:40
that owes you money? And because you're both
23:43
Christians, how many of you in a church situation,
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and boy, this happened in our church a number
23:47
of times, you trust one another. Christians,
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by the way, are the easiest people to con on
23:52
the face of the earth. Ponzi schemes, get rich
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quick schemes. You are the easiest. You know
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what? You're trusting. And if a person says Jesus
24:01
a couple times, praise the Lord a couple times,
24:03
quotes a couple verses, and then says, hey, you
24:05
know, could you help me out? And I really need
24:06
this. And I've got this great opportunity. It
24:09
is amazing in churches how people will lend money
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or give money to other people only to discover
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some of the worst conflicts you ever have is
24:19
with a fellow believer who doesn't pay you back.
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I've been in church discipline situations where
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people have come in and said, you know, I don't
24:26
get it. We gave them X thousands of dollars.
24:27
They say they can't pay us. They went to Hawaii.
24:30
We can't go to Hawaii. They owe us $10 ,000.
24:32
How can they go to Hawaii? What are you pastors
24:34
going to do about this? And this person's involved
24:36
in ministry in the church. And you bring those
24:38
people together and you sit them down and you
24:40
open the Bible and you shoot it really straight
24:42
and you work through some very difficult issues
24:44
and you line out payment plans. And so it happens
24:50
even in the church. He says, the wrong uses of
24:53
wealth, warning number one, don't hoard it. Warning
24:55
number two, don't steal it. He goes on, warning
25:01
number three, this is about how we spend the
25:06
money that we have. And here he says, don't waste
25:10
it. Don't waste it. Listen to the scripture.
25:14
You have lived on earth in luxury and self -indulgence.
25:18
You have fattened yourselves. In the day of slaughter.
25:23
Put a circle around that word luxury. You guys
25:25
are getting good at this Bible study, aren't
25:26
you? And put another circle around the word self
25:29
-indulgence. The root word of the word luxury
25:32
here, it means to break down, to make soft. It
25:35
has the idea of an excess in living. It's a picture
25:39
of people that have so much that there's never
25:41
any need. There's such opulence that it's not
25:45
just the physical things, but they have very
25:47
weak moral fiber. You find that some of the downfalls
25:51
of great civilizations, there is such luxury
25:54
that people never have to make hard decisions.
25:56
They never have to say no to themselves. There's
25:59
no discipline. And so what you find is the softness
26:02
not only occurs in all the finances and the food
26:05
and the luxury and this and that, but there's
26:07
no moral fiber. There's no strength. And so he
26:10
says to them, you've lived in this luxury. And
26:13
if you miss the point, self -indulgence, it's
26:15
the idea of excess waste that connotates lewd,
26:18
immoral self -gratification. This is a picture
26:21
of the Nero's of the world. This is the idea
26:23
of people that have so much and eat so much that
26:26
they just fling it here and fling it there. You
26:28
know, they stick their finger down their throat
26:30
to throw up so they can eat some more. This is
26:34
a picture of the rich and the famous. This is
26:39
the little stories that we get where so -and
26:41
-so met so -and -so and they were a little bored
26:43
one night, so they flew to Paris for lunch the
26:47
next day. It was great. Had 100 of their friends
26:49
come with them. It's this sense of you've got
26:53
it, flaunt it. You've got it, use it. And God
26:58
speaks to these people and he says, you've lived
27:01
in luxury and self -indulgence. And then this
27:04
phrase, you have fatted yourselves in the day
27:06
of slaughter. Literally, you've fatted your heart.
27:10
That's the literal text. You have fattened your
27:12
heart. And it's a word picture of what they would
27:15
do when they would have a pig that would be grain
27:18
fed. They would put a pig in a stall and they
27:21
would fatten it. and grain feed it to make it.
27:24
And it's a picture of God saying, you think you've
27:27
been living in the lap of luxury? I'll tell you
27:28
what you have done. You are like a pig that's
27:31
been preparing yourself that I'm gonna slaughter
27:33
because all you've done is focused on you. You've
27:36
lived in such wanton opulence and waste. It's
27:41
pretty strong stuff, isn't it? What's the application
27:45
for us as believers? For me, the application
27:49
is just because you can afford it doesn't mean
27:51
you should buy it. Just because you can afford
27:55
it does not mean you should buy it. I think what's
27:59
developed in our country and developed even in
28:01
the church is what I call the buffet mentality.
28:05
You know what the buffet mentality is? You know,
28:08
you paid your eight bucks or your 9 .50 or your
28:10
12 .50 or if it's one of those Sunday brunches,
28:13
22 bucks, right? And there's a table here and
28:16
they've got shrimp and roast beef and chicken
28:18
and they've got seven kinds of meat. And over
28:21
here, they've got 49 kinds of dessert. And then
28:23
you can have eggs over here. You can have wasp
28:25
balls over here. There's fresh fruit over here.
28:26
And there's more food than 49 people could eat
28:29
in like 49 days ever. But you've paid your 22
28:33
bucks or your 9 .50. And what do you got to do?
28:35
You got to make sure you get your 9 .50 worth.
28:38
So, you know, you put stuff that doesn't even
28:40
go together, a piece of ham and a shrimp and
28:43
an egg, you know. But you like all three and
28:47
it's a buffet and you go and you eat that and
28:49
you watch kids there and they eat about half
28:51
the plate and the servers come by and they take
28:53
half the plates off with food and people line
28:55
up for round two and round three and round four
28:58
and they ought to give you Pepto -Bismol and
29:00
Alka -Seltzer to go, but they don't. And you
29:03
get your $22 worth and you stuff your face and
29:07
you feel uncomfortable, but it's not just how
29:11
we eat. Why? Why do we do that at a buffet? Because
29:17
there's so much and you can have, what's the
29:20
whole point of a buffet? Eat all you want, right?
29:24
And if it's there to eat, whether you're still
29:27
hungry, whether you need it, sometimes, I know
29:31
the shrimp cost a lot. I mean, if I'm gonna really
29:33
get my money's worth, nine o 'clock in the morning,
29:35
okay, I'll go for this shrimp. And because it's
29:40
there, there's a compulsion in human nature to
29:45
do something with it. And I think what's happened
29:49
is the buffet mentality has gotten to where,
29:52
you know, if we got money, we just, we're deluded
29:56
in thinking it's our money. It's God's money.
30:01
100 % of all that you have, all that I have,
30:03
it's God. You say, well, I work for it. Okay,
30:05
who gave you the talent? Who gave you the job?
30:07
Who gave you the oxygen? He's the Lord of all
30:10
the earth. Silver and gold is mine, Deuteronomy
30:13
8. Everything belongs to him. And so what he's
30:15
saying to these people is don't waste it. Don't
30:19
waste it. Don't hoard it, don't steal it, don't
30:23
waste it. And then finally, warning here is don't
30:27
abuse it. He talks about how do you use your
30:30
money to influence other people? He says, don't
30:33
use your money to abuse the influence that it
30:37
can have. Notice he says in verse four, you have
30:41
condemned and murdered innocent men who were
30:44
not opposing you. The owners didn't pay their
30:48
wages. Well, guess what happens? Not only can
30:51
the guy goes home and cries out to God and says,
30:53
God, I worked all day. I didn't get any money.
30:55
I can't feed my family. Well, he has other, he's
30:58
got bills to pay, right? He's got a landlord
31:00
to pay. So the landlord comes to the guy and
31:02
says, hey, where's my money? He goes, well, the
31:04
guy didn't pay me. He said, yeah, it's a personal
31:05
problem. And you know how they got people to
31:08
pay their debts back in that day? They put them
31:10
in prison, which is really smart. I mean, he's
31:12
really, I mean, making a lot of money in prison
31:14
to pay off that debt, but that's how it worked.
31:17
Remember the parable of Jesus and the man who
31:19
came and wouldn't pay the debt? And he said,
31:21
put that man in prison. He begged, begged, begged
31:23
for mercy. And then he did the same thing with
31:25
someone else. That was how it worked in the day.
31:28
So literally what he's saying here is that you've
31:32
abused it. You've condemned and murdered men.
31:35
If you end up in prison in order to pay your
31:38
debt and you can never pay your debt, what do
31:41
you end up doing? You die. You die. And this
31:47
is the harsh word from the Spirit of God who
31:49
sees this injustice to these unbelievers who
31:52
are hoarding and stealing and abusing these people.
31:56
And he says, they weren't even opposing you.
32:01
Literally, that phrase is, they were powerless
32:04
before you. They weren't even in the game. They
32:08
couldn't do anything against you. And now you
32:12
see people who use money for bribes to pay off
32:16
judges. political appointments, to get contracts.
32:21
See, that's how you abuse money. Anytime you
32:24
use money to pervert justice and control others
32:27
instead of love and serve others that will bring
32:30
glory to God, it's an abuse. I remember being
32:33
in the Philippines with one of my buddies and
32:36
a little guy named Alex and he was on the front
32:38
of the motorcycle and I was on the back of the
32:40
motorcycle and I was scared to death and I should
32:42
be in Manila as we were weaving in and out of
32:44
cars and they're like cardboard cities. I mean,
32:48
they're just the poorest of the poor and they're
32:51
like cardboard shacks and little corrugated aluminum
32:53
and they call them squatters because there's
32:57
no land and they're like refugees and they form
33:00
these little cities. And then every now and then,
33:02
someone very powerful will decide, you know,
33:04
I want to use that land for a project of mine.
33:07
And so he makes a call to the government, and
33:09
the government says, oh, sounds good. And if
33:12
you've traveled anywhere around the world, bribes
33:14
are a part of how life works in almost every
33:16
country in the world. And my friend Alex, just
33:20
a neat guy, godly guy that... had a ministry
33:23
among all these refugees and I mean hundreds,
33:27
thousands and thousands of people. And Alex was
33:29
the only one. There was a little pole and they
33:31
ran a wire and he had one light bulb that hung
33:33
down in the middle of his cardboard shack. And
33:36
all the people from all around would come at
33:38
night because he had a light bulb and he would
33:40
read the Bible and he shared Christ with them.
33:43
And then I still remember his entire house was
33:46
just about the size of this stage right here.
33:49
And there was one. About from here to here was
33:52
one bed. And he wasn't apologizing. He was like
33:55
showing me. Chip, come and see. This is so beautiful.
33:58
I'm such a rich man. I'm such a rich man. And
34:01
he would sleep this direction. And his wife would
34:04
sleep that direction. So they would be on this
34:06
one. It was a dirt floor. And there was another
34:08
bed about four feet. And he had a small boy about
34:11
five years old. And his wife was ready with number
34:14
two. And he was so excited to show me his castle
34:17
with a light bulb. And then I remember hearing
34:23
some guy wanted to use that land. No warning.
34:27
No telling people anything. Just a line of bulldozers
34:30
came in. Thousands of people displaced. That
34:37
is what James is talking about. That abuse. This
34:43
is a very depressing passage. And this passage
34:47
that we've read is happening all around the world,
34:52
especially in third world countries. And it's
34:57
happening probably more here than we'd like to
34:59
believe. Because as Christians, for that lie
35:06
of security and significance, we hoard. We must
35:09
hoard some because our garages are full of all
35:10
this stuff that we got about every six or eight
35:12
months trying to get other people to take our
35:13
junk, which is their treasure. And you know what?
35:18
I think as Christians, you know, we steal it.
35:20
I mean, every employee here paying people what
35:24
they're worth, everyone making sure they got
35:26
the kind of benefits they need, what they're
35:28
worth, everybody here who, works and has an employer,
35:33
you put in a full day, even if the supervisor
35:34
is gone? Or do you come in a little late or leave
35:37
a half hour early? You know what that's called?
35:39
It's called stealing. Anybody here use company
35:41
phone or company credit card to see? You know,
35:47
you read the research in the business world,
35:49
billions and billions and billions of dollars,
35:51
employees, by their just little things they do.
35:55
You know, it's called a lack of integrity. The
35:59
hoarding, the abuse, the stealing, the wasting.
36:03
How much unconsciously has the buffet mentality
36:06
kind of gotten to our bloodstream and that when
36:08
we have a little extra, we just, you know, do
36:11
this and do that? Because every moment of every
36:13
day, what are you getting? Advertisement, advertisement,
36:15
advertisement, advertisement, advertisement,
36:16
advertisement. You know what? You like, you know,
36:18
you got a watch, like you got three of them,
36:20
but you need a new one. You got a blouse, you
36:22
got like four of them, but you need it in a lighter
36:23
shade of this or that. You know, you got like
36:25
four pair of shoes that go with everything, but
36:27
you get one for this outfit, this outfit, this
36:29
outfit, this outfit, this outfit. I mean, like
36:31
how many feet do we have? But what happens is
36:35
it becomes normal, doesn't it? It just becomes
36:38
normal. And I think there's warnings here for
36:41
us as believers. Now this could end on a very
36:44
negative note, but it's not going to. Because
36:46
remember I said we're going to have a good time
36:47
together. What I want to do is I want to flip
36:51
this around and ask and answer the question,
36:54
if that's the wrong way to use money that brings
36:58
God's judgment, what's the right way? What would
37:01
be the four... positive ways that we could leverage
37:05
this amazing wealth. One of the things that upsets
37:08
me about Christians is they feel really guilty.
37:10
We're all very wealthy. What we do is we find
37:14
someone more wealthy and we think we're middle
37:16
class. I mean, I've met with people in living
37:18
rooms who are only worth $10 or $12 million and
37:21
you just feel like, I don't have much. I mean,
37:23
now real wealth is, and they'll talk about someone
37:25
with about $100 million. I've been in rooms with
37:27
people that have $100 or $200 million and look
37:29
at me like, no, wealthy? No, no. I mean, when
37:32
you have a big capital B in your portfolio like
37:35
in billions, now that's wealthy. And it's just
37:37
a game that we play. And so we think, well, people
37:40
making like over 200 ,000 now, they're wealthy.
37:43
And I got news for you. You are wealthy. I am
37:47
wealthy. And you know what? That's not bad. It's
37:51
just a stewardship. It's just God has made us
37:54
wealthy. Then what we ought to ask is, Lord,
37:56
how do you want us to use this wealth in a very
38:00
positive and good way? And so what I want to
38:03
do is I'm going to flip this around and let me
38:05
give you. Four commands right out of scripture
38:08
on the right uses of wealth. And I want to take
38:11
the model because he's gone negative, negative,
38:13
negative, negative. I want to go positive, positive,
38:15
positive, positive. So when we walk out of here,
38:18
instead of feeling lonely and bad and guilty
38:20
about our wealth, we can say, hey, here's a practical,
38:23
systematic way that we can use the God -given
38:26
wealth for good. So with that, are you ready
38:30
to roll? Good. Command number one is save it
38:34
faithfully. Although hoarding is condemned, God
38:39
does say that wisdom demands that we plan for
38:42
the future with our excess wealth. Notice what
38:46
it says in Proverbs 21, 20. The wise man saves
38:49
for the future, but the foolish man spends whatever
38:52
he gets. Biblical savings is about stewardship,
38:56
not about security. Do you see the difference?
38:59
As a believer, I need to save for emergencies,
39:03
for crises, for future needs, to help others.
39:07
to make better use of my money, and when I save,
39:10
I make better decisions. There is a reason why
39:13
those commercials say, you can buy this today
39:16
and no payments for 18 months. It's because you
39:21
start buying stuff and having stuff you can't
39:23
really afford, but, you know, it doesn't hit
39:25
you for 18 months. And usually there's a little
39:27
thing in the fine print where you're going to
39:29
end up figuring, you'll pay the interest on that
39:31
some way, somehow. You know, they're going to
39:33
get you this way, this way, or that way. But
39:35
you know what? When you save, It's a novel thing.
39:38
What if you made car payments to yourself so
39:41
the next car you bought, you walked in and said,
39:44
how much does it cost? Here it is, and you paid
39:46
no interest. What if you save so that when your
39:49
washing machine breaks down, you walk in and
39:51
say, I need a new washing machine, and you pay
39:53
them cash. And by the way, when you pay cash
39:56
and when you save and you have, you know, that
39:59
taken care of, what if there's a big need or
40:02
what if there would be, imagine, like a hurricane
40:04
would hit? And millions of people will be displaced.
40:08
What if you had money on the side that you could
40:11
just reach into and say, you know something?
40:13
This is for an emergency. I thought it was for
40:15
my emergency. Lord, I think you must want it
40:18
for their emergency. And you could give it, not
40:20
with, oh, I wish I could do something. See, God
40:23
says it's important and wise. You know, Proverbs
40:26
says, observe the ant, right? What does he do?
40:29
You know, they work together and they do things
40:32
at different times of the year. So that when
40:35
the winter comes, they have prepared. So I think
40:38
it's very important to save. Savings as a steward
40:43
requires a couple things. Now this really sounds
40:46
elementary, but I've been some really, really
40:49
bright people that don't quite get this. In order
40:52
to save, follow very carefully, you have to spend
40:56
less each month than you make. I'll go over that
41:02
again slowly, okay? Get that pen out. Okay. In
41:06
order to save money, you have to spend less than
41:12
you make. So if you make $2 ,000 a month or $5
41:16
,000 a month or $10 ,000 a month, you have to
41:20
live on less than that so you can take a portion
41:23
of it and save it. And I'm not being as facetious
41:27
as you think I am because one of the things I
41:29
did to get through seminary is I did some selling
41:33
of investments and some financial planning. And
41:36
what I found is if the people made $50 ,000 a
41:39
year, that was the window, they spent about $55
41:41
,000. If they made $100 ,000 a year, they spent
41:44
about $110 ,000 a year. If they made $250 ,000
41:46
a year, they spent about $300 ,000 a year. And
41:49
it was amazing. Whatever window that people make,
41:51
their expenses seem to always exceed what they
41:56
make. It's an amazing thing, but you would have
41:59
to begin to save. It will be just... A freeing,
42:05
freeing thing to have money set aside for emergency
42:08
or future purchases or something someone else
42:12
needs. The second positive way to use your wealth
42:15
is make it honestly. This is how we're supposed
42:19
to gain wealth. Notice what it says. Work brings
42:23
profit. Talk brings poverty. We're to work hard
42:29
instead of steal it. Notice work hard instead
42:33
of the get rich quick schemes. Proverbs 13, 11.
42:37
It's not in your notes, but you might want to
42:38
jot that down. It says wealth from gambling or
42:41
the idea of getting rich quickly disappears,
42:44
but wealth from hard work grows. Or the classic
42:48
New Testament passages is Ephesians 4, 28. Let
42:51
him who steals, literally it's happening in the
42:53
church. The grammar here is literally stop stealing.
42:57
Let him who steals, steal no longer, but rather
42:59
what? Let him labor, performing with his own
43:02
hands what is good, in order that he may have
43:05
something to share with him who has need. Work
43:08
hard, but wisely. I love Proverbs 23 .4. It says,
43:14
don't wear yourself out to get rich. Have the
43:17
wisdom to show restraint. Work hard. That's how
43:22
you gain it. You know, I know when you can't
43:26
sleep, and there's times I can't sleep. It's
43:30
1 .42 in the morning. You know, you even read
43:32
the Bible a little bit, still can't sleep. It's
43:35
now 3 .33 in the morning. You're now thinking
43:37
what a terrible day it's going to be. And maybe
43:39
I could watch some mindless thing on TV. It'll
43:42
help me sleep. And so you turn on the TV. The
43:44
quality program between about 2 .30 in the morning
43:46
to 5 will blow your mind. And what is it? With
43:51
no money down, I'll show you how to buy real
43:55
estate like you've never dreamed, right? Or for
43:58
$19 .99, Seven Payments of 1999. This book has
44:03
the magic formula where you can be a millionaire.
44:06
And then they have these guys with all these
44:07
testimonies. And I love the guy, the one guy,
44:09
you know, he's in the boat with all the babes
44:11
in the bikinis and back going, hey man, I'll
44:13
tell you what I did. I went to this course. What
44:15
is it? It's a lie. It's just a lie. There are
44:22
no quick fixes. God says there's nothing wrong
44:25
with wealth. In fact, God says he... gives wealth
44:29
to the godly, and he adds no sorrow to it, he
44:31
says, try this. Just work for it. Quit trying
44:37
to get, I don't know how many believers, even
44:39
Christian organizations, about 10, 12 years ago,
44:42
a Ponzi scheme soaked tens of millions of dollars
44:45
promising, if it sounds too good to be true,
44:48
just take it. It's too good to be true. People
44:51
who promise 20 % return and this return and that
44:53
return, something smells. Don't go there. There
44:58
is no free lunch. Work hard. Save it. Make it
45:03
honestly. And before I get to the next one, I
45:06
want to ask you a question because this is always
45:08
lingering in the back of people's minds. People
45:10
ask me, so how much money can a godly person
45:13
make? Isn't that kind of in the back of your
45:16
mind? I mean, how much money? I mean, I'm godly.
45:19
You really love God. It's really sincere. How
45:21
much money can a godly person make? I have an
45:26
answer. Now, this is Chip Ingram. We were in
45:28
James before. You're going to get Chip Ingram,
45:29
so you can say, I like this, I don't like this,
45:32
I'll weigh it. My answer, as much as you want,
45:36
of course, there's an end to, you know, you ready?
45:40
That's not the whole answer. As much as you want,
45:44
as long it doesn't hurt your health, your family,
45:48
others, and then here's the key test. As long
45:53
as your spiritual growth is outpacing your financial
45:57
growth. That's the test. Because money will always
46:02
reveal your heart. You can make as much money
46:06
as you want as long as your spiritual growth
46:09
is outpacing your financial growth. I think God
46:13
is looking for people that he can trust great
46:16
amounts of wealth to and they're few and far
46:19
in between. People who, as one guy says, can't
46:24
remember who it was. God is looking for people
46:26
that will be Rivers instead of reservoirs. People
46:30
that he can put it in here and it loosely will
46:33
go through and make it to lots of other people
46:35
and do lots of good instead of go into something
46:37
where it all gets accumulated. Wealth is not
46:45
a bad thing. Wealth can be a great thing, but
46:49
I would suggest it's a dangerous thing. I don't
46:53
think we take that seriously. Mark chapter four,
46:56
when Jesus talks about the four seeds that go
46:58
into the ground. You remember seed number one,
47:01
Satan takes away. Seed number two, persecution.
47:04
Do you remember what seed number three is? The
47:07
worries of the world, the thorns, the deceitfulness
47:12
of riches choke out the word of God. It is so
47:17
hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God
47:20
because rich people, that's us, don't recognize
47:24
our desperate dependency. Poor people are rich
47:28
in faith because they pray and expect and ask
47:30
because they desperately need God. When you have
47:33
enough wealth to take care of yourself, you have
47:35
to willfully be dependent. And the thing about
47:40
wealth is deceitful. And the definition of deceitful
47:44
is when it is affecting you, the person who doesn't
47:47
know it is you, right? I mean, when you're deceived,
47:50
it's like you think things are going right. I'm
47:53
really walking with the Lord. Everything's fine.
47:54
And I feel good. And when I sing those songs,
47:56
I have happy feelings in my heart. I'm actually
47:58
reading my Bible and I'm serving at my church.
47:59
Let me tell you, God's going to say, let me see
48:02
your day timer and let me see your financial
48:04
statement. And I'll tell you how you're doing
48:06
with me. Because according to Jesus, if you want
48:10
to see a person's heart, his spiritual x -ray
48:13
machine, the spiritual MRI is your financial
48:16
statement. Because according to Jesus, here's
48:20
your heart and there's a chain. And the chain
48:22
is connected to your wallet. And wherever your
48:25
wallet is, that's where your heart follows. And
48:29
if we want to know where your heart really is,
48:31
what are you passionate about? All we got to
48:34
do is look at where your money goes. If it's
48:36
to golf clubs, vacations, remodeling. This, this,
48:40
this, this. You can love God, sing hymns, read
48:43
your Bible, serve in your church, but your heart
48:45
is in those things. If your money is toward kingdom
48:48
purposes, being generous to people after taking
48:50
care of your responsibilities, then your heart
48:52
is about an eternal perspective in loving God.
48:55
It is that simple. And so you can have as much
48:59
money as you want, but just make sure that your
49:01
spiritual growth outpaces your financial growth.
49:06
Notice number three, spend it wisely. Save it,
49:14
work for it, spend it wisely. Notice what it
49:19
says in 1 Timothy 6, 17 and 18. Command those
49:22
who are rich in this present world, that's us,
49:24
not to be arrogant or put their hope in wealth.
49:27
Why? See, God's not dying on us. Why? Which is
49:31
so uncertain. God doesn't want you to put your
49:33
hopes in something that today is getting $55
49:37
a share and tomorrow's gonna get $2 a share and
49:40
bang, you're gone. He says, don't have them do
49:44
that, which is so uncertain, but to put their
49:45
hope in God, who does what? Richly provides us,
49:49
circle the word, with everything. Circle that
49:52
phrase. Who richly provides us with everything
49:54
for our enjoyment. Will you circle that word
49:57
too? God provides us with everything. Then command
50:00
them to what? To do good, to be rich in good
50:03
deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.
50:06
The reminder is 100 % of it belongs to God, and
50:10
it's not just the part you give. People I know,
50:13
people say, well, I'm going to tithe, and here's
50:15
God's part. There's the 10%. If you're a tither,
50:17
here's just a little eye -opening moment. The
50:20
10 % is his, and it belongs to him. And the 90
50:23
% is his and belongs to him. And I will be evaluated
50:30
for the 10 % or the 12 % or the 20 % or whatever
50:33
God leads me to, and I'll also be evaluated.
50:36
What do I do with the 90 %? Am I a wise steward
50:41
of it? See, it's not mine. I'm his money manager.
50:44
I mean, read Luke 16. When Jesus wanted to teach,
50:47
he talked about the unrighteous shrewd servant.
50:51
And he says, this guy was really smart because
50:53
he understood he was gonna lose his job. And
50:55
since he was gonna lose his job, he brought in
50:57
all the creditors and he changed all the books.
50:59
Why? Do you remember he said, Jesus said, this
51:01
guy's shrewd. He took a bad example and made
51:03
a good moral principle, a spiritual principle.
51:05
This guy understood that his present situation
51:08
was gonna dry up, so he used his present position,
51:11
platform, and money to create an avenue so that
51:15
when that dried up, he would have friends who
51:18
would receive him. And Jesus says that the children
51:21
of the darkness are more shrewd than the children
51:23
of the light. He says what smart Christians do,
51:26
what smart Christians realize is this money,
51:28
this world is gonna dry up. It's like Confederate
51:30
money. I mean, you know, when the union came,
51:34
you could have all those Confederate dollars,
51:35
you just couldn't spend them. All the dollars
51:37
that you have, you can't spend in heaven. So
51:41
you take the money that you have. And you realize
51:43
it's gonna be a short time and you take the money
51:46
and you leverage it into the future so that,
51:48
what did Jesus say? You'll be welcomed into eternal
51:51
dwellings by people who say. man, I was one of
51:54
those hurricane victims. Thank you so much. You
51:56
gave 10 grand and it helped this church and shared
51:58
the gospel. And I heard from these angels that
52:00
you were behind it. I wanted to thank you. And
52:02
people line up in heaven and talk to you about
52:04
how you transformed their life. And someone from
52:07
Kenya comes up and someone from Australia comes
52:08
up. And so, and you know, man, thank you so much
52:11
because you gave to that mission. And this is,
52:13
and I'm here because of, that's the point. And
52:17
so, but notice the balance here. He says, not
52:19
only is it about good deeds and giving richly,
52:22
command them to do good. 100 % belongs to God.
52:25
We're gonna be stewards of it. But there's this
52:28
amazing balance. This is why people can't tell
52:30
us what to do with our money. There's this amazing
52:33
balance. Doesn't it say, who gives us all things
52:36
richly to enjoy? I think there should be tension
52:39
in every believer's heart when it comes to money.
52:42
And the tension ought to be, how can I be radically
52:46
sacrificial and at the same time radically and
52:50
deeply enjoy without guilt the good gifts of
52:53
God? When I talk to most Christians, we have
52:56
a nice car. Well, I got it on sale and it's because
52:59
I help out at the church with funerals. We have
53:02
the swimming pool. I know this is a really nice
53:04
house, the swimming pool, for baptisms. We put
53:06
it in for baptisms. How about the good hand of
53:10
my God has been upon me and he's lavished his
53:12
grace upon me. I can't give it away fast enough.
53:14
I have a beautiful home. I have a nice car. I'm
53:17
able to enjoy these rich gifts from a... from
53:20
a God. And I remember when I was a young man,
53:22
I started out at 10%. And then as when I got
53:24
older, it was 20%. And as God has blessed my
53:26
business, I have a personal friend that after
53:29
his 21st birthday, he started giving one more
53:31
percent every year to the Lord. A minimum of
53:34
that. He's been married 55 years now. You do
53:37
the math. But guess, you know, something happened.
53:41
God found a river. So he probably gives off 75,
53:44
85 % of his income, but he owns real estate all
53:47
over Michigan, Florida, everywhere. See, when
53:50
God finds someone like that, he just delights.
53:54
God is not uptight with people being wealthy.
53:57
God's uptight with people thinking wealth makes
53:59
you significant, will bring security, will give
54:02
you power. makes you a someone and when they
54:05
waste it and abuse it and don't use it the way
54:08
he wants them to. I think God wants probably
54:09
more people to be wealthy if he could entrust
54:13
it where it wouldn't literally choke out the
54:16
spiritual life in their heart. It takes huge
54:19
maturity to be wealthy. Huge maturity. But I
54:23
think we have to balance this sacrificial with
54:25
what's the passage say? Who gives us all thing
54:27
richly to feel guilty about? Doesn't it say who
54:30
gives us all thing richly to Enjoy. Enjoy. My
54:37
priority is in line. I've prayed. My bills are
54:39
paid. I have saved for an emergency fund. I'm
54:42
putting away X amount of dollars for my retirement.
54:45
And I've done the math and I'm not gonna have
54:47
a big, you know, the goal is when I retire, I'll
54:50
have for this many years and then I've got it
54:51
all planned out so that that money will be dispersed
54:54
to good places, to good people that does a lot
54:56
of good and I won't ruin my kids. And by the
54:58
way, I'm taking steps of increasing faith. I
55:00
proportionally give and this year we're gonna
55:02
give a little more and this year we give a little
55:03
more and this year we give a little more and
55:04
I'm gonna test God. And as you do that, here's
55:07
what happens. He just keeps doing wild stuff
55:10
like giving you more. And so he says, save it.
55:15
He says, earn it with hard work. He says, spend
55:19
it wisely. And then finally we've touched on,
55:22
he says, give it. Give it generously. Proverbs
55:26
11 says, one man gives freely. You know, he's
55:28
generous, yet gains even more. Another withholds
55:33
unduly or literally what is justly due, but comes
55:35
to poverty. I love this, verse 25 of Proverbs
55:38
11. A generous man will prosper and he who refreshes
55:41
others will himself be refreshed. The Bible is
55:46
clear on money and the Bible is clear on giving.
55:49
And you know why? Is because option A, Jesus
55:56
is the Lord of my life. Option B, mammon or materialism
56:01
and all that it represents is the Lord of my
56:03
life and I can't have two masters. It's either
56:06
this one or that one. There's no middle ground.
56:09
And the antidote, according to Jesus, Jesus talked
56:12
more about money than heaven and hell combined.
56:15
And the antidote to greed, according to Jesus,
56:18
is to be generous. The only way it won't stick
56:21
to you is if you give it away. And so he says,
56:25
be generous. It's the antidote to greed. It's
56:28
the only way to live under the Lordship of Christ.
56:31
I mean, you work, work, work all these hours,
56:34
right? You get a paycheck. That paycheck represents
56:36
who you are, what you've done. is who you are
56:40
and what you've done under the Lordship of Christ.
56:42
It all belongs to you. So I take the first portion
56:44
off the top and I say, this is a reminder. It's
56:46
all yours. And I give, and then I do all the
56:49
things I'm supposed to do. And then I look for
56:50
opportunities to say, okay, now I would like
56:52
to give more because I love you. Not duty, not
56:56
guilt. Lord, I love you. You've given me everything.
57:01
I want to help people. I want to care. I just,
57:04
I'm only going to go around once and whatever
57:06
I can accumulate. The lie is X amount of dollars
57:09
and X amount of counts and X amount of things
57:11
don't make me powerful. They don't make me significant
57:14
and they don't make me secure. God says, you
57:18
know something? Money can't deliver. That's the
57:21
lie. I'm your source. Jesus said it's more blessed
57:26
to give than to receive. Giving is God's divine
57:32
vehicle to protect my heart. It's his divine
57:36
means to crush greed and the thorns that will
57:38
choke out the spiritual life. And it is his means
57:41
for every believer to support his church to accomplish
57:46
his mission in the world. And he says you get
57:49
to be in on an eternal investment as you learn
57:52
to give and to give generously. Jesus said blessed.
57:56
The word means happy, fulfilled, significant,
57:58
security, joyful, comes more in giving. than
58:03
in accumulating or receiving. Now, I'd like to
58:07
wrap it up with a question. And the question
58:10
would be this one. The first one was, if I had
58:15
more money, I'd be more happy. And pragmatically,
58:18
our lifestyles say true. What the Bible says
58:23
is false. In fact, pragmatically, if you do research,
58:27
have you read any of those books about following
58:29
the lives of people who won the lotto? Oh, my.
58:33
It's like one thing you don't want, don't win
58:35
the lotto unless you want to divorce and have
58:38
all kind of relational problems and struggle
58:40
probably for the rest of your life. That was
58:44
the first question. Here's the last question.
58:46
If I gave away more money, I would be more happy,
58:49
true or false? It's true. Wouldn't it be just
58:54
an amazing application if we just all, you think
58:57
just the, you know, what if we all said, you
58:59
know, let's just start giving away more money.
59:01
Let's just start giving away more. Let's just
59:03
love people. Let's get radical. Just kind of
59:06
start giving it away and kind of incrementally
59:08
and see what God will do. And if he gives you
59:10
more, then give a little bit more. And wouldn't
59:12
it be an amazing thing? Here's what I'll tell
59:14
you will happen in your heart. The happiness
59:17
that you think the clothes, the car, the watch,
59:20
all the advertisement to tell you that makes
59:23
you somebody, you start giving your money, your
59:27
time, your heart, your energy. You'll just be
59:30
about the happiest person. It'll just get sickening.
59:33
I mean, I'm serious. The give and it'll be given
59:35
unto you isn't just about dollars. It's a lifestyle
59:38
of generosity. It's a lifestyle of walking into
59:41
a room, walking into a situation and asking the
59:44
question, what could I give instead of what do
59:48
I need? And those kind of people are the kind
59:51
of people that I line up to try and get time
59:54
with just to be around, don't you? And you know
59:57
what? Most of us, you know, if you want a friend,
59:59
give friendship. You want more time, give time
1:00:02
away. There's an axiomatic principle of the kingdom.
1:00:06
Whatever you really need, generously give it
1:00:09
to others and it will come back good measure,
1:00:11
pressed down, shaken together, running over,
1:00:13
back into your lap. The empirical evidence here
1:00:16
is very, very clear that more things and better
1:00:20
things don't make us happy and that money always
1:00:24
reveals our heart. And then here's the summary.
1:00:28
Until you get your financial house in order,
1:00:33
your relational life will always be in chaos.
1:00:38
Until you get your financial house in order,
1:00:41
your relational life will always be in chaos.
1:00:46
And so ask yourself, am I saving faithfully?
1:00:50
Am I earning honestly? Am I spending wisely?
1:00:54
And am I giving generously? And if so, high five
1:00:58
the Lord, thank him for what he's taught you.
1:01:00
And if not, just choose one of those and say,
1:01:03
Lord. I'd like to obey you in this. And he will
1:01:06
give you grace like never before. You're listening
1:01:11
to Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram and a
1:01:14
message titled, Why Better Things Don't Always
1:01:17
Make Things Better. You can revisit today's lesson
1:01:20
and find more of our current series called Building
1:01:23
Authentic Community by going online to livingontheedge
1:01:27
.org. Know someone who's wrestling with money
1:01:30
or always chasing more? Well, share today's lesson
1:01:33
with them from the Living on the Edge podcast.
1:01:36
And for encouragement all week long, follow Living
1:01:39
on the Edge on Facebook and Instagram. You know,
1:01:43
money always follows the heart. And a heart that's
1:01:45
decided to love will always find a way to give.
1:01:49
That's the message of Chip's book, I Choose Love.
1:01:52
Chip makes the case that real biblical love isn't
1:01:55
a feeling you wait around for. It's a daily decision
1:01:58
to give, to serve, and to put somebody else's
1:02:01
best interest ahead of your own comfort. Here's
1:02:04
an idea to get that started. Get a copy of Chip's
1:02:07
book for yourself and a second copy for someone
1:02:10
else in your life and invite them to read it
1:02:12
with you. You can get your copies of I Choose
1:02:14
Love at a special price online at livingontheedge
1:02:18
.org slash offers. Chip said today that giving
1:02:22
is God's divine way of protecting our hearts.
1:02:25
And it's also how this ministry reaches the next
1:02:27
person who needs to hear the truth. If you'd
1:02:30
like to be a river instead of a reservoir, we
1:02:33
invite you to give today. A gift of any size
1:02:35
helps carry practical biblical teaching into
1:02:38
homes, cars, and workplaces all across the country.
1:02:42
Give online at livingontheedge .org or call us
1:02:46
at 888 -333 -6003. You can also give through
1:02:51
the mail by writing to us at Living on the Edge,
1:02:54
P .O. Box 3007, Sewanee, Georgia 30024. Well,
1:03:00
now here's Chip Ingram. At the end of today's
1:03:03
broadcast, I made a statement, and I hope you
1:03:05
caught it, but I want to repeat it. Until you
1:03:07
get your financial house in order, your relational
1:03:11
life will always be in chaos. And you say, well,
1:03:15
what do you mean your financial house in order?
1:03:16
I mean what the passage said. I mean you save
1:03:20
it faithfully and regularly. You earn it honestly.
1:03:24
You spend it wisely. And you give it generously.
1:03:29
Is that true of your life? If you're not doing
1:03:32
that, I will tell you as a single person, you
1:03:35
will have ups and downs and relational chaos
1:03:37
because those things are reflectors of values
1:03:41
out of whack. If you're not doing that, I can
1:03:44
almost predict what's happening in certain areas
1:03:46
of your marriage and how some of your kids are
1:03:49
turning out. They need to learn how to save,
1:03:52
how to work, how to give. And they will learn
1:03:55
that not so much from books, but from by watching
1:03:58
you. Two great misconceptions exist in the church
1:04:04
today. There are those who would say that abject...
1:04:07
poverty and having nothing makes you spiritual.
1:04:10
And the Bible doesn't teach that. And the other
1:04:13
extreme is that if you love God and can think
1:04:16
in certain ways and kind of believe things into
1:04:19
existence, that spirituality will be demonstrated
1:04:22
by financial prosperity. With the false belief,
1:04:25
with the lie that somehow more money is going
1:04:29
to make your life right. The richest people on
1:04:32
the face of the earth have the greatest relational
1:04:34
problems. Because it impacts their relationships
1:04:38
in ways that most of us cannot even imagine.
1:04:42
So if you want to have great relationships, it's
1:04:45
hard, but get your financial house in order.
1:04:50
Next time, Chip exposes the fifth and final lie
1:04:53
in this part of our series you don't want to
1:04:55
miss. That's next time on Living on the Edge.
1:05:01
Today's program is produced and sponsored by
1:05:04
Living on the Edge.