Latest / Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago / The Perils of Riches | Mark 10:23-31 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (Gospel of Mark Bible Study Series)

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The Perils of Riches | Mark 10:23-31 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (Gospel of Mark Bible Study Series) · Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago

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  Mark 10/23 And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples
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  how difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter
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  the Kingdom of God. And the disciples were amazed at
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  his words. But Jesus said to them again,
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  children, how difficult it is to enter the Kingdom of God.
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  It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle
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  than. For a rich person to enter the
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  Kingdom of God, and they were exceedingly astonished and said
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  to him, then who can be saved? Jesus looked at them and said
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  with man, it is impossible, but not with God, for all things are
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  possible with God, Peter began to say to him, See, we have left
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  everything and followed you, Jesus said, Truly I say to you.
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  There is no one who has left house, or brothers, or sisters,
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  or mother, or father, or children, or lands, for my sake
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  and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in
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  this time, houses and brothers, and sisters, and mothers and
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  children, and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to
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  come eternal life, but many who are first.
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  Will be last and the last first. Father, help us understand your
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  word here. Lord, arrest our attention and
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  keep it on your voice for this next moment.
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  And we pray that life would arise, that wherever we are
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  dormant, wherever we are unnecessarily relaxed, that you
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  would awaken us to know you and to serve you with the zeal and
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  the commitment that you deserve. We look to you now and trust
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  that you will speak in Jesus name.
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  Amen. As the rich young ruler with his
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  head hung low and his heart heavy with disappointment,
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  turned his back on Christ and made his way back to where he
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  came from, Jesus broke the silence of that scene with yet
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  another shocking soul searching statement.
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  How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter
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  the Kingdom of God. Imagine it.
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  Here's this misguided young man who's dragging his feet into the
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  horizon of unbelief. And the Lord Jesus turns to his
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  disciples and makes this very bold pronouncement.
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  And perhaps the the disciples reaction is shared by some
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  today. They were amazed at these words
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  and we will get to in a moment why they were amazed themselves,
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  why they were so astonished by Jesus making this declaration.
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  But let's first examine why. Jesus said what He said.
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  Why did the Lord say this at this time?
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  For one main reason to teach. That this man's rejection of the
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  invitation of the Gospel was not a rare one, but is a common one,
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  especially among the affluent, especially among those who are
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  prominent, especially among those who are successful in this
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  life. The Lord wanted to take this
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  moment and give a teaching lesson, to say don't just expect
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  it from this young man believe. That it is common and will
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  always be common until the last moment of history.
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  But why? Why?
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  Why is it difficult for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God?
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  And notice Jesus didn't say it is impossible.
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  He said it is difficult. It is very difficult and he
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  double S down on it just in case anybody misinterpreted it just
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  because they were astonished Jesus didn't pull anything back.
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  He actually confirmed it even more with greater force, and
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  it's worth us exploring why that is the case.
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  And if you consider the entirety of the Word of God, if you look
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  at the testimony of the scriptures from cover to cover,
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  then you will quickly discern the dangers or the perils of
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  riches and why it is that those who have accumulated much will
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  actually be more tempted to be poor forever to make a decision,
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  though they may have made very successful decisions in this
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  life to make the most important decision the least important
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  decision in their minds. And so I want us to consider
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  just three factors, three simple realities concerning the
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  possibilities the dangers that riches presents to the human
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  soul. It always has and it always
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  will. #1 riches can be a damning distraction.
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  Number one, riches can be a damning distraction.
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  And the apostle Paul builds on that truth, and he expounds on
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  that truth in a very insightful way.
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  And before we get into what Paul says, Please remember that this
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  drive for wealth is not just something that the poor might
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  do. Those who have much are just as
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  susceptible and pursuing prosperity than those who have
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  little. This desire, this affection for
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  material gain, does not discriminate.
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  It is found amongst all types of classes of people and those
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  again who might have more than the average person are.
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  Sometimes even more ambitious than those who don't have much.
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  Paul says this in First Timothy 610.
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  For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.
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  It is through this craving. It is through this craving that
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  some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves
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  with many pangs. The key phrase there is that
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  some have wandered away from the faith.
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  The word wandered away means to cause, to go astray.
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  It is the same word that Jesus uses in Mark 1322 when he says
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  that false Christ and false prophets will arise and perform
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  signs and wonders to lead astray if possible.
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  The elect to lead astray is the same word used by Paul when he
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  said that through this craving for self indulgence people will
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  be LED astray from the faith. So this yearning for riches,
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  then, according to the scriptures, has a very powerful
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  seductive force. Its influence can be so
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  compelling that it can even convince people to neglect or to
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  ignore, even to deny, the most important thing that you can
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  acquire in this life and that is a saving relationship with the
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  Lord Jesus. And it's not too difficult to
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  understand why that is the case, how that even follows, how that
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  works. Because the acquisition and the
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  management of resources is no small feat.
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  The sizable sacrifice that people have to make, the
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  overtime, the great energy that is spent, the burden that it
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  presents on a person's body and schedule and family life is
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  something that both the poor and the rich who desire to pursue
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  more are all very familiar with. And such a pursuit and ambition.
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  Often times that cost is so great, the cost of making your
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  life all about wealth and luxury and even, dare I say, security,
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  financially speaking, can bring about this hefty tag of denying
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  the demands that Christ makes to be a follower of his.
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  Why? Because when Christ makes those
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  demands to such a person that that is not a glorious
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  invitation to them, it is an interference.
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  This is not an invitation. This is an interference to what
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  I truly desire and long to do in this life.
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  And that is to get rich or die. Try.
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  And there are so many examples from this in both the old and
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  the new. And if you want a Bible study
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  theme for the new year, here's one that you can consider.
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  You will be shocked, I'm sure, to realize how many people in
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  the Bible alone have turned their backs on righteousness and
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  God all together because of this sort of affection.
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  Just if you just look at and record on a piece of paper all
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  the people who have turned their backs on grace, who have turned
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  their backs on true spiritual treasures because of men and
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  because of wealth, it is overwhelming.
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  And sometimes the instances and the examples presented here are
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  more subtle than you might imagine.
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  Let me present to you one one that you might have not
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  considered just to prove this first point, that riches can be
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  a damning distraction in Luke chapter 12.
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  Jesus shares a string of truths in the beginning of that
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  chapter. He talks about not fearing man,
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  but fearing God. He talks about how the Holy
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  Spirit will grant you wisdom as you stand before those who seek
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  to condemn you. He talks about the loving and
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  incomparable care of God, who knows the number of hairs on
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  your head and will take care of you.
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  If he knows the, the, the future of the Sparrow, surely he cares
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  about your, tomorrow's and all these different things that He
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  packs in these series of truths and all of a sudden we get a
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  response from somebody in the crowd.
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  Somebody reacts to what Jesus is teaching when he presents these
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  eternal pearls, these true treasures.
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  And what do you think the response was?
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  This is the first reaction that somebody makes.
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  You would think that somebody was so moved by what the Lord
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  said that he couldn't help himself and he just burst out
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  with this request. And here's the request.
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  According to Luke, chapter 12 and verse 13, someone in the
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  crowd said to him, Teacher, tell my brother to divide the
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  inheritance with me. There is absolutely no context
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  for that request. Jesus wasn't teaching about
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  inheritances. Jesus wasn't teaching about
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  anything aligned with this plea. But you know what it tells me
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  Here is this person who is in the presence of the Son of God.
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  Here's this individual who is hearing a banquet of blessings
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  that can be available to him. And according to this request,
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  you know what's occupying his mind the whole time during the
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  sermon? Money, money, inheritance, a
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  better future for myself, acquisition of wealth and gain
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  and materialism. This is what is occupying this
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  man's mind to the point where out of the abundance of the
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  heart, the mouth speaks and he tries to invite Jesus into his
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  family problem or family situation so that he can be
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  favored in this whole inheritance equation.
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  And Jesus obviously doesn't get involved with it.
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  He denies this and he uses that as an opportunity to teach about
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  the dangers of covetousness. But what does this young man
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  prove to us? It proves us that covetousness
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  and material ambition can be so overpowering that it can blind
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  you from seeing the treasure that Jesus Christ is.
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  This man didn't see it. You have God in the flesh right
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  before, and you're thinking about the inheritance being
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  divided. Here's the Messiah spelling out
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  what you can know if you just link your life with him.
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  And you're thinking about what? How you can have a better 30-40
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  years ahead, if you even have that.
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  And so this yearning, this craving, as Paul says, can so
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  warp. Somebody listen to this, that
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  though they might not have any interest in Christ, if there be
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  any appeal to Christ, it would be like this young man.
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  To what? To join yourself to Christ?
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  Or to invite Christ purely as a means to no greater personal
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  gain. And there's a whole movement in
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  the evangelical world that presents the gospel in that way.
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  Here's Christ for you so that you can have a better material
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  inheritance. Uyghur and Proverbs 30
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  understood the danger, the distracting peril that riches
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  can bring about in someone's life.
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  And that's why when he prayed for God to take care of him in
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  this life, he said, Lord, don't make me poor, Lord, I even ask
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  that you don't even make me rich.
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  Just give me what I need. And he gives the reason why in
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  Proverbs 30, verse 9, lest I be full and deny you and say Who is
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  the Lord? Who is the Lord?
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  What is actor saying? That you can come to a place
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  where you're so distracted by this thing that it causes you to
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  say who's God? Who is time for God?
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  Who has time for spirituality? Who has time for the House of
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  worship? Who has time?
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  There are more important matters at hand here, which brings us to
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  our second point. #1 is that riches can be a damning
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  distraction, right? People who make life about it,
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  they don't think about sin. They don't think about eternity.
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  They don't think about salvation.
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  They think about what? How can I?
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  How can I grow? How can I build my enterprise?
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  That's what consumes them. But here's #2.
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  This is why it is difficult for some who are rich to enter the
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  Kingdom of God. Because riches, Riches can
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  provide a superficial satisfaction.
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  Riches can provide a superficial satisfaction, or else, why
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  pursue it? Why make your life about it if
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  it doesn't promise or vow? Some kind of prestige, power,
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  pleasure. But there's something else that
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  the whispers of wealth seduces the.
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  Longing soul with and that is protection.
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  Or in other words security, Security.
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  Security is a form of satisfaction.
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  You are at rest because you know that you are secure.
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  Now, I know what some might be thinking.
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  Why are you saying that we should not be wise with our
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  resources? Are you saying that we shouldn't
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  plan in our finances? No, I'm not saying that.
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  Nor am I saying that having money is evil, or even being
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  wealthy is evil in itself. It's what wealth can do to you
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  and. What wealth can do to so many is
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  promise people that you'll be safe as long as you have me and
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  more of me. And riches has a way of blurring
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  people's visions of God being the ultimate savior and provider
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  of their lives. And Paul says that.
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  And he warns that to believers, by the way.
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  What does he warn believers in First Timothy 6?
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  Not ten, but verse 17? He's speaking to Christians.
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  He's speaking to those who attend church, so I'm speaking
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  to those who attend church as well.
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  And First Timothy 617. As for the rich in this present
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  age, pause there. You can be rich in this present
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  age and poor for eternity. You know that, right?
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  As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be
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  haughty. Don't.
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  Don't be proud about where you're at in life.
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  Charge them not to be haughty to, nor to set their hopes on
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  the uncertainty of riches, but on God, But on God, who richly
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  provides us with everything to enjoy.
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  I love that last part because you have the prosperity gospel
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  and then you have the poverty gospel.
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  You didn't hear about that one, did you?
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  Where if you're really pious and if you're really a St. and if
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  you're really a disciple of Christ, you shouldn't enjoy
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  anything in this present age, he says.
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  God does provide us richly provides us for things to enjoy
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  as a means an act of worship. But notice what he says here in
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  the middle. Tell the believers in the church
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  we're. Successful businessmen who own
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  many properties and lands, we're very ambitious in this life not
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  to give into the temptation of putting your trust in riches.
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  Because no matter what kind of redeeming qualities wealth has
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  in life, there's one thing about it that is certain that it does
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  not always remain present and its value is subject to change.
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  All it takes is for a dip in the economy or a personal crisis to
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  make that happen. And so Paul warns and he says,
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  be careful coming to a place where you have hoarded so much
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  that now you've developed this sense of self-reliance and then
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  you become like the Church of Laodicea.
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  What happened with the Church of Laodicea?
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  They said there in Revelation 3 that I am rich, I have prospered
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  and I need nothing. I have rich, I have riches, I
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  have prospered, and I need nothing.
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  And listen, if the church can be deceived by wealth, by personal
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  prosperity, believers are subject to that danger.
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  How much more the unsaved? How much more the unsaved?
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  Think about it. If the church you had a whole
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  church that had that attitude. We're rich, we've prospered.
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  We don't need anything. What do they mean by we don't
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  need anything? We're satisfied.
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  We're satisfied. And so the warning there is that
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  a Christian can remain comfortable in their
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  lukewarmness due to the lullabying effects of wealth.
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  And if that is possible for a Christian, then surely a
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  successful Sinner can remain comfortable in their unbelief
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  for the same reason. In other words, let me put it
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  this way. If a Christian, maybe some of
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  you young people were very ambitious in life.
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  If a Christian can be stalled in their advancement in
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  spirituality. Then is it so shocking to
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  believe that there are those in this world who won't even start
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  their spiritual journey because they are consumed by superficial
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  satisfaction? It's not surprising.
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  And so you have some who here you need a savior.
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  A savior. I've done what most people
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  cannot do for themselves, all by myself.
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  Christ desires to be your shepherd.
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  He wants to lead you. He wants to provide for you.
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  He wants to shelter you. He wants to nourish you day by
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  day. Thanks for the invitation, but I
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  think I'm OK. I.
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  Have my life all together. I'm actually more than OK.
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  And things are projected to look even better than what they were
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  in 2023. Only Christ can satisfy you
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  only. He can make you feel whole.
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  Yeah, that might be true for those who can't get anything
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  that they want in this life, but that's certainly not true for
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  me, who can get anything I want in this life.
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  And so I'm not looking for a crutch and I'm not looking to
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  trade what I've worked. So hard for for some intangible
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  reality or lifestyle. This is how some might think,
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  though they might not say it out loud.
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  And if you are a person who thinks that way, listen, even if
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  you are a believer who has been caught in the snare of pursuing
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  riches, then hear what Proverbs 11/28 says to you.
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  Whoever trust in his riches will fall, not might fall, will fall,
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  but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf.
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  You know what true security is in life.
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  It's not about trusting your riches, acquiring riches,
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  building riches. It's about having a right
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  relationship with God. That's where true security is.
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  That's where true satisfaction is.
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  But unfortunately for so many, because they are tasting the
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  shallow satisfaction of riches, they can't scent the beauty and
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  the fragrance of the living water that can be theirs.
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  In Christ, riches can be a damning distraction.
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  Riches can provide a sense of satisfaction, though it is
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  superficial. And lastly, riches can stimulate
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  and seal a person in sinful behavior.
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  Go to James chapter 5 with me in verse one for a moment.
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  James, chapter 5, verse one. Now here's the apostle James who
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  speaks to a group of people in his letter, and he targets a
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  certain demographic. Now remember, he's not just
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  speaking about people out there, He's speaking to those who'd be
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  exposed to the reading of this epistle.
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  And notice who he is speaking to in James 5 verse one.
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  Come now. Oh, James doesn't pull punches.
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  James loves to use Old Testament prophet like language and here's
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  one of them. Come now, come now you rich weep
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  and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you.
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  That's. Bold.
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  I like James Weep and Howl for the miseries that are coming
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  upon you now. We are not certain of the
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  spiritual saving condition of the people that he is ready to
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  address. But one thing is for certain,
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  that those he is writing to now at this time are merely
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  attendees. They're attendees in the various
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  churches that this letter would be distributed to.
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  And so they're going to hear this.
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  Can you imagine the elder of a church coming to the section of
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  the letter? All right, James now says.
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  Come now, you Rich, Weep and howl.
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  And so, in blistering fashion, he is going to denounce this
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  particular group. And there's good reason why.
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  Scroll down here to verse four of James, chapter 5.
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  Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields,
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  which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, And
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  the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of.
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  Hosts. You have lived on the earth in
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  luxury and in self indulgence. You've fattened your hearts in a
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  day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered
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  the righteous person. He does not resist you.
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  So here are these successful people who own lands and fields
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  and farms and James is aware of how they're treating certain
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  people. And what is he saying,
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  essentially? In summary, you're frauds.
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  You have a dishonest policy at work here.
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  You're with help withholding the complete wages to those who
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  deserve the wages that they've worked for.
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  And you know what the reason is for the selfishness?
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  You know what the reason is for this trickery and this
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  deception, this manipulation? Verse 5 indicates what it is you
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  have. Lived on the earth in luxury and
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  in self indulgence. It was to fuel and to fund and
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  to pamper their indulgence and part.
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  Of. That glamorous way of life was a
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  splurge on jewelry and clothing and the latest and the newest.
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  Where do we get that from? Well, you read verse two and
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  three and it's clear. So how does this all tie in with
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  what the Lord says back in Mark chapter 10?
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  Easy Riches has a way of encouraging unrepented patterns
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  and sin in order to achieve and secure greater wealth.
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  And one of the reasons people feel safe in their sin,
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  especially when they arrive somewhere where they are
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  successful, is because you can easily fall into the trap of
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  paying off, paying off the consequences of sin and to evade
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  it all together, right? That's what corruption is all
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  about. People in positions of power are
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  corrupt because not only do they do evil things, but they are
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  able to get away with it by signing a check.
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  So imagine imagine, like some in James chapter 5 who have
• 24:50
  achieved and secured wealth through unrepented sin patterns.
• 24:54
  And then the gospel comes to them.
• 24:56
  Repent. Turn everything over to Christ,
• 25:00
  Turn away from sin. And here's that how that's being
• 25:04
  translated. So you're asking me to cease the
• 25:07
  operations that are making my enterprise the way it is?
• 25:11
  What, for Jesus to save me? No, thank you.
• 25:17
  And a way to summarize what Jesus says about the dangers of
• 25:21
  riches is what he said earlier about riches in Mark chapter 4,
• 25:23
  verse 19, where he says but the cares of the world.
• 25:27
  And look at this description that he puts beside riches and
• 25:30
  the deceitfulness of riches, The deceitfulness of riches, That's
• 25:36
  scary. That's scary.
• 25:39
  Because the scary thing about deception is that you don't know
• 25:41
  you're being deceived. That's the whole point of
• 25:43
  deception. And riches has a way of
• 25:47
  deceiving people. Riches has a way of deceiving
• 25:50
  people and thinking, I'm not your God, just keep going the
• 25:53
  way you're going. I'm not hindering true life.
• 26:00
  I'm enhancing true life. Just like the Church of
• 26:02
  Laodicea, when the Lord gives a true, honest diagnosis to them
• 26:06
  about their actual state of life.
• 26:07
  You're poor, you're blind. You're naked.
• 26:10
  So riches has a way of blinding people and the scariest way that
• 26:14
  it deceased people is for them not to see their need to be
• 26:16
  saved. To see the wealth and treasure
• 26:19
  that Jesus Christ truly is, how difficult it is for those who
• 26:25
  have riches to enter the Kingdom of God.
• 26:29
  And we come back to Mark 10 and we look at the disciples
• 26:33
  reaction. Jesus says children verse 24,
• 26:39
  how difficult it is to enter the Kingdom of God.
• 26:41
  It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than
• 26:43
  for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God.
• 26:45
  So he doesn't even take their shocked reaction to
• 26:47
  consideration. Again, he double S down and then
• 26:50
  he provides A humorous analogy with it, this beast trying to go
• 26:56
  through the eye of a needle. The possibility of that is the
• 27:00
  same for someone who has wealth to enter into the Kingdom of
• 27:03
  God. Which is really what?
• 27:05
  Impossible. If we're following the reason
• 27:08
  here, then it's impossible. Just like it's impossible for a
• 27:10
  camel to go through the eye of a needle.
• 27:12
  Lord, what are you saying here? No wonder verse 26 is written
• 27:16
  for us. And they were exceedingly
• 27:19
  astonished, like blown away, jaw-dropping.
• 27:24
  Breathtaking. Now we've explored just some of
• 27:30
  the possibilities to why that is the case, but isn't that
• 27:33
  shocking? Is is it deserve that kind of
• 27:36
  response for those who have wealth to not see the value of
• 27:39
  Christ? Perhaps there is a factor that
• 27:42
  we have not yet considered. Perhaps there's a contextual
• 27:46
  reason why the disciples did what they did here in verse 20.
• 27:49
  Six. And here it is.
• 27:52
  To the Jewish mind at this time, and for many, many decades,
• 27:57
  years, centuries, even, wealth was a sign of God's favour to be
• 28:03
  prosperous. Was in their minds the evidence
• 28:08
  of your righteousness being rewarded by God in this way.
• 28:13
  And one of the confusing parts for this to be the case could be
• 28:17
  that they looked at the commandments of God in the Old
• 28:20
  Testament that promised personal blessing and even national
• 28:23
  economic boom predicated and based on the fact that you are
• 28:28
  walking in obedience to the law of God.
• 28:30
  And we see many examples of that in the Old Testament.
• 28:33
  But even with that, there is nothing in the law that
• 28:35
  indicates that to walk in obedience guarantees salvation,
• 28:41
  no matter what kind of blessing comes with that obedience.
• 28:45
  Or it could be that the disciples, like many of the Jews
• 28:48
  in that day, had the theology of Job's friends.
• 28:52
  The the theology of Job's friends was retribution
• 28:55
  principle. Very simple.
• 28:56
  You do good, God will give you good.
• 28:58
  You do bad. God will treat you bad.
• 29:01
  And we see. Evidence that the disciples
• 29:02
  sought like this in John Chapter 9 verse one and two, when they
• 29:05
  passed by a man who was born blind and they asked the Rabbi
• 29:08
  Rabbi who is it that sinned this man or his parents for him to be
• 29:13
  blind this way. So how do they interpret this
• 29:15
  man's condition? Well, clearly he must have done
• 29:18
  something deserving this or his parents must have done something
• 29:20
  for him to be this way. Retribution, principle, good,
• 29:25
  good, bad, bad. And so it's no wonder for them.
• 29:31
  To hear Jesus saying this and to be shocked because of it,
• 29:37
  because they just witnessed this man walking away, surely.
• 29:40
  But Jesus makes this whole blanket statement.
• 29:42
  He makes this broad statement that not just this man, but for
• 29:46
  anybody who is wealthy, it's like a camel going through the
• 29:53
  eye of a needle. Now that statement collides with
• 29:56
  this belief system, and here's how they're translating it.
• 30:00
  If it's impossible for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God, and
• 30:02
  riches are a sign of God's favor, the opulence is a mark of
• 30:07
  being blessed by God, then what chance do others have in being
• 30:11
  saved? If you're saying that this class
• 30:14
  of people, it's impossible for them to be saved?
• 30:16
  And what about us? We're all doomed.
• 30:20
  You see how they're thinking, but the Lord doesn't allow them
• 30:24
  to be disoriented or disillusioned for too long
• 30:26
  because he says something so comforting.
• 30:28
  In verse 27, Jesus looked at them and said with man it is
• 30:31
  impossible. But not with God, but not with
• 30:35
  God, for all things are possible with God.
• 30:38
  Translation. It is impossible for man rich.
• 30:40
  Or poor to save themselves. It is impossible for anyone,
• 30:47
  including the rich, to attain their own salvation, to buy
• 30:50
  their salvation. It can't be.
• 30:53
  And as they're hearing this, it's something for you and I to
• 30:57
  consider as well. Because Jesus making the
• 31:00
  statement with man, it is impossible, but not with God,
• 31:04
  for all things are possible with God is found in one other place.
• 31:07
  In all of the Gospels you have this statement, yes, in the
• 31:12
  parallel account in Matthew chapter 19 and in Luke 18.
• 31:16
  But apart from the mirroring accounts of the scene, there is
• 31:19
  only one other place where Jesus, Jesus.
• 31:22
  Words here are found similarly, and it's just so fitting this
• 31:28
  time of the year. Similar words that Jesus makes
• 31:32
  here were on the lips of the Angel Gabriel when he appeared
• 31:36
  to Mary and told her that she would conceive a son though she
• 31:40
  was a virgin, and explained how that would be in Luke 137.
• 31:46
  Recess for nothing will be impossible with God.
• 31:49
  That's the only other place in all of the Gospels that this
• 31:54
  declaration of God's ability is mentioned, and I think it's a
• 31:57
  glorious coupling. I think it's a glorious
• 32:00
  connection, you're saying. Why?
• 32:01
  Because think about it. The impossibility of a virgin to
• 32:04
  conceive a child is no less of a challenge for one gaining their
• 32:09
  own salvation. You know what both require?
• 32:13
  You know what both require? For a virgin to conceive a son
• 32:17
  and for somebody to be saved. You know what both require?
• 32:20
  An act of God. An act of God.
• 32:25
  It requires an act of God for a barren room to come to life, and
• 32:28
  it requires an act of God for a barren soul to come to life.
• 32:33
  What is impossible with man is possible with God.
• 32:35
  And what was required of Mary is also required of us.
• 32:39
  When she heard this news that she would indeed bear a son,
• 32:42
  though she was pure and never known a man, you know what she
• 32:46
  said in response to that? Let it be to me according to
• 32:50
  your word. Let it be according to your
• 32:53
  word. If this is possible, then I
• 32:56
  trusted I acknowledge it and I will submit to it.
• 32:59
  You know what's required of you and let of Jesus statement about
• 33:01
  being saved. It's impossible with man but not
• 33:04
  with God. You to also acknowledge that you
• 33:07
  cannot know eternal life apart from Christ cleansing you and
• 33:13
  changing your heart. Let it be done to me.
• 33:16
  If this is available to me, then let it be done.
• 33:18
  You can't do anything for yourself, no more than Mary
• 33:21
  could do anything to produce this kind of a miracle.
• 33:25
  It has to be God. It has to be the Holy Spirit
• 33:27
  working in your heart. And she responded to that truth
• 33:30
  and faith and humility and submission.
• 33:32
  And so do you. So do you.
• 33:37
  Let it be to me, Let it be to me.
• 33:40
  According to your word, you can almost say that is what required
• 33:44
  of us in response to the gospel. If this cross can save me.
• 33:48
  If Christ wants to extend a gift to me.
• 33:49
  If. He wants to wash me.
• 33:50
  Then let it be. And you'll know joy in that.
• 33:56
  So we see here that Jesus saying a way of salvation has been
• 33:59
  made. Man can't do it himself.
• 34:02
  Man can't make a way for himself.
• 34:04
  And not only is this idea of impossibility with man linked to
• 34:08
  the way of salvation, but for the candidates of salvation, For
• 34:13
  the candidates of salvation, there is no impossible case with
• 34:17
  Christ. There is no person, no matter
• 34:20
  what kind of sin they're steeped in, no matter what kind of
• 34:23
  strongholds they are stuck behind.
• 34:27
  No such person is beyond the. Reach of the saving power if
• 34:30
  they would just respond with humility and repentance.
• 34:34
  And I think Luke's version of this is so exciting because
• 34:37
  again, you heard that in Luke 18 Jesus teaches this very same
• 34:40
  thing. But let me remind you what
• 34:42
  happens after Luke 18 up to this point, what has been Jesus
• 34:45
  saying how hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of
• 34:48
  God? It's like a camel going through
• 34:50
  the eye of a needle. Oh, but what is impossible with
• 34:54
  man is not impossible with God. So let me read this to you.
• 34:57
  And if you want to turn there, you can turn there.
• 34:59
  But in Luke 1826 to 27, he echoes what we read here in Mark
• 35:02
  10. Those who heard it said in Luke
• 35:05
  1826, then who can be saved? But he said what is impossible
• 35:10
  with man is possible with God. What happens in Luke 19?
• 35:16
  We're introduced to a man, and here's his description.
• 35:20
  Luke 19, verse one and two. He entered Jericho and was
• 35:23
  passing through. And behold, there was a man
• 35:25
  named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and
• 35:30
  was rich. Here's Jesus.
• 35:32
  We just finished saying how difficult it is for those who
• 35:36
  are rich to enter the Kingdom of God, and you read a few verses.
• 35:38
  This is why you don't just make your devotion verse of the day
• 35:41
  on the phone. You can miss out on things like
• 35:43
  this. So you're reading, reading,
• 35:45
  reading, and all of a sudden you're introduced to a rich man.
• 35:48
  Jesus just finished saying how difficult it is for the rich to
• 35:51
  be saved. And then you read down in Luke
• 35:52
  19/9. When Jesus is in Zacchaeus's
• 35:55
  home and Jesus said to him today, salvation has come to
• 35:58
  this house. So right after saying how hard
• 36:02
  it is, it happened. A rich man did get saved.
• 36:06
  Because all things are possible with God, and Peter heard this,
• 36:13
  and he wanted to make sure that he was in the right place.
• 36:16
  He's hearing impossible camel needles.
• 36:21
  Oh, oh, oh, oh. So in Mark 1028, Peter, as a
• 36:27
  spokesperson for the disciples, began to say to him, see, we
• 36:33
  have left everything and have followed you.
• 36:36
  What about us, Lord? You know what he's trying to
• 36:39
  say, Lord, we did the opposite of what that guy just did.
• 36:42
  He wouldn't want to give up anything and he turned his back.
• 36:44
  But we gave up everything that we have to follow you.
• 36:46
  So can you give us some more clarity on our condition here?
• 36:52
  And Jesus said, truly, I say to you, not just you, but there is
• 36:59
  no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or
• 37:02
  father or children or lands. For my sake and for the gospel,
• 37:08
  hey, this is for you. So listen to what is about to be
• 37:12
  said. Who will not receive a
• 37:15
  hundredfold now in this time. Houses and brothers and sisters
• 37:22
  and mothers and children and lands.
• 37:25
  Here's the part that we kind of read fast with persecution.
• 37:27
  With persecution no. A hundredfold persecutions too,
• 37:34
  with. Persecutions and, in the age to
• 37:36
  come, eternal life. So how does this make sense?
• 37:41
  How does it make sense according to Jesus words?
• 37:43
  Who doesn't lie? Who doesn't even exaggerate?
• 37:45
  For that matter, how is it the case that every single believer
• 37:48
  who has truly decided to follow Jesus will receive a hundredfold
• 37:53
  in their lifetime? In this era, in this age that
• 37:59
  whatever you gave up expect a hundredfold to come your way?
• 38:04
  Will that be property or persons?
• 38:08
  The only way to make sense of this, the answer to this is that
• 38:12
  the abundant resources and relationships that you and I
• 38:16
  would be able to enjoy on the other side of confessing, on the
• 38:18
  other side of repentance, on the other side of pledging your
• 38:21
  allegiance to Christ, is in one specific realm in this age, the
• 38:25
  Church of Jesus Christ. Because upon confession, upon
• 38:32
  repentance, upon putting your trust in Christ, you enter into
• 38:36
  this new realm, you have access now to this new reality known as
• 38:40
  the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ.
• 38:43
  And in that church you have an abundant of family members and
• 38:49
  even the support of resources if necessary.
• 38:56
  Didn't these disciples experience that?
• 38:58
  Didn't the early church experience that?
• 38:59
  Do you remember even in Acts, where people sold lands and
• 39:04
  homes and gave up their own resources for the sake of other
• 39:08
  believers, you see that even the Epistles, where different
• 39:11
  churches have come together for the Saints in Jerusalem to be
• 39:14
  supported financially. So even Acts, you see the
• 39:18
  fruition of this promise where believers who lost family, who
• 39:22
  were disowned by family. They gained 100 mothers, 100
• 39:26
  fathers, 100 brothers. Look, you're all my brothers and
• 39:28
  sisters, mothers and fathers. I hope you feel the same way
• 39:31
  about me and the help and the grace and the reliance and the
• 39:39
  assistance. Dad, doesn't that tell you what
• 39:40
  the church should be? So when I come to this place, I
• 39:44
  am to believe that I'm coming home to my siblings, my
• 39:50
  spiritual fathers, my and not. Not only that Jesus says homes
• 39:53
  and lands to an extent with wisdom, Obviously, yes, there's
• 39:56
  protocol here, but I'm to also know that I'm safe.
• 39:59
  I shouldn't worry that if I'm ever in a time of need, I have
• 40:02
  help. I have.
• 40:04
  That's the church. I feel bad for those who've
• 40:07
  made-up their church reality, their church experience, to
• 40:10
  listen to a sermon once a week. You're robbing yourself a
• 40:14
  blessing. And so this all makes sense when
• 40:19
  you understand the doctrine of the Church of Jesus Christ.
• 40:22
  The key to unlocking what Jesus mentions here is when you
• 40:25
  believe that the Church is also. A treasure.
• 40:31
  Unfortunately, so many people don't see it.
• 40:33
  And let me tell you that if that is the case for you, then you're
• 40:37
  the one missing out on brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers and so
• 40:42
  many resources, not just physically but spiritually.
• 40:45
  But Jesus doesn't even just speak of this era.
• 40:47
  He doesn't just speak of this age.
• 40:50
  He speaks of eternal life. He speaks of a life to come
• 40:53
  where there will be unbroken rest forever and ever and ever
• 40:56
  and ever. A family picnic that will not
• 40:59
  have an end to it. Maranatha Conference, but it
• 41:01
  doesn't end. And so much better than
• 41:05
  Maranatha conference, as great as it is.
• 41:08
  But you know, there's another time period that Jesus promises
• 41:11
  blessing. Not just in this age, not just
• 41:13
  in eternal life. There's something in between
• 41:15
  that and Jesus highlights it in Matthew's version in Matthew 19.
• 41:20
  I want you to see it as we're ready to close in a moment.
• 41:23
  Go to Matthew 19 and verse 28. Jesus gives this answer to his
• 41:28
  disciples. When Peter asked a very similar
• 41:31
  question, Matthew 1928, Jesus said to them.
• 41:43
  Truly I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will
• 41:47
  sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also
• 41:50
  sit on 12 Thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel.
• 41:56
  OK, so this is where we have to do some systematic theology,
• 41:59
  right? Is Jesus describing this promise
• 42:04
  for this age concerning the disciples?
• 42:06
  Very easy answer, no. Why?
• 42:09
  Because the disciples are long gone.
• 42:11
  They're buried. They're in the presence of our
• 42:12
  master. They're not sitting on 12
• 42:14
  Thrones in Israel. Something else is happening in
• 42:18
  Israel as we speak. Well, are they going to sit on
• 42:21
  12 Thrones in the eternal age? No, because no judgment is
• 42:26
  necessary in the eternal age. There will be one final judgment
• 42:31
  that will usher in the eternal age.
• 42:34
  That one final judgement is what you read in Revelation 20, the
• 42:36
  Great White Throne Judgement. That's a judgement that you as
• 42:39
  believers and I will not stand at.
• 42:42
  That's going to be the judgement for those whose names have not
• 42:44
  been written in the Lamb's Book of Life, and the degree of their
• 42:47
  punishment for eternity will be determined.
• 42:48
  Then, and after the Great White Throne judgement, then a new
• 42:52
  heavens and a new earth will be created.
• 42:54
  So if this is not alluding to this age, and it's not Speaking
• 43:00
  of the Eternal age, then when will this promise be fulfilled?
• 43:05
  The Millennium? What is tucked in between this
• 43:10
  age and the Eternal age? Where Jesus Christ will return,
• 43:15
  rule and reign from Jerusalem, and you will also from Jerusalem
• 43:20
  in Israel have 12, his 12 sitting upon Thrones, and Israel
• 43:25
  will be their jurisdiction. That's when it's going to be
• 43:28
  realized. So you got to factor this into
• 43:30
  your eschatology here. How does this work with my view
• 43:33
  of the timeline of the end times?
• 43:36
  Well, Jesus clearly rewards them here with this guarantee, You
• 43:39
  will sit with me, those of you, the apostles, in training.
• 43:43
  Now I'm telling you that there is a time coming where you will
• 43:47
  have positions of power and authority and you will bring
• 43:50
  judgment mainly to the Jews. When's that going to happen?
• 43:54
  It's going to happen in 1000 year reign when the Lord returns
• 43:58
  physically on the earth. I'm not bringing this up to make
• 44:01
  a case for the Millennium, the literal physical millennial
• 44:03
  reign of Christ. It's to show the extent of the
• 44:06
  blessings of those who have surrendered everything to follow
• 44:09
  Christ. Here's what Christ is saying
• 44:11
  when you collect all these verses, you will know blessing
• 44:13
  in this age, you will know blessing in the Millennium, and
• 44:16
  you will know blessing in the eternal life to come.
• 44:25
  Somebody's very excited about that truth.
• 44:29
  And so this is something that Christ guarantees all of us.
• 44:33
  But he finishes off in a beautiful summary in verse 31 in
• 44:36
  Mark 10. But many who are first will be
• 44:39
  last and the last first. You've heard that before,
• 44:43
  haven't you? You've seen that in different
• 44:45
  portions of the gospel, have you not?
• 44:47
  Well, depending where it's placed will really determine its
• 44:49
  meeting meaning and its meaning here.
• 44:52
  You can't divorce it from what we just studied and learned.
• 44:55
  When the Lord says many who are first, we last and last for the
• 44:58
  last first, He is trying to now bring in all what He just said,
• 45:02
  concerning those who are rich in this life and how they will
• 45:05
  forfeit so much in the life to come, and those who have given
• 45:08
  up so much in this life and all the rewards that they will know.
• 45:11
  In the life to come, here's what he's essentially saying.
• 45:13
  Those who have gained in this life at the expense of rejecting
• 45:16
  Christ will end up losing more. They can imagine.
• 45:21
  But those who have sacrificed in this life to follow Christ will
• 45:25
  end up gaining more than they can imagine.
• 45:29
  That's the promise that Jesus has for you.
• 45:32
  And you're already experiencing that blessing, are you not?
• 45:36
  Are you not? If you need a reminder, where
• 45:39
  you're at right now is the fulfillment of what Jesus said.
• 45:43
  Look at all your brothers. Look at all your sisters.
• 45:45
  And by God's grace and in his perfect.
• 45:47
  Provision, he will add. To this place if he sees fit.
• 45:50
  And not only in this place, Not only in this place, but the
• 45:53
  church at large, across the lands are the extension of this
• 45:58
  blessing. I shared this testimony before,
• 46:00
  but I'll share it again as I close.
• 46:02
  I remember we were on a family vacation coming back from a trip
• 46:05
  and. We were sitting on a flight and
• 46:07
  across from the aisle was a couple and they were very
• 46:09
  friendly. We end up finding very quickly
• 46:11
  that they were believers and like believers.
• 46:13
  You know, the believers, It's like you're a believer, You're a
• 46:16
  believer. Not like are you a believer?
• 46:18
  No, you're a believer. Spirit bears witness.
• 46:22
  And we talked and talked about the things of God and the
• 46:25
  ministries that they're involved in their testimonies.
• 46:27
  I mean, it was a 5 hour flying when we landed.
• 46:29
  We went and walked to get our baggage and finally when we got
• 46:33
  our stuff and we made our way, obviously we weren't going to
• 46:35
  the same house. So we're ready to split ways and
• 46:38
  we looked at each other and we had such an amazing time
• 46:40
  conversing on that flight and even conversing in the airport.
• 46:42
  And here's what this gentleman said with his wife, with total
• 46:46
  confidence, not in a fascist way and with total confidence as
• 46:50
  though he was saying I'll see you next week is what he said,
• 46:52
  see you in heaven, brother. I was like, that's right, I'll
• 46:58
  see you in glory too. And there you go and walked off.
• 47:05
  Who else in the world can say that with absolute confidence
• 47:09
  because of what their savior has done for them?
• 47:11
  Only we have a Savior who has done everything necessary for us
• 47:14
  to be saved and to have those kind of treasures in this life
• 47:18
  and the life to come. So do you have it?
• 47:23
  Oh, you might have a lot. What does it compare with this
• 47:26
  though? Oh, you lot of hopes and dreams.
• 47:29
  Guess what? They're going to die with you.
• 47:31
  When you die, do you have eternal hope?
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  Do you have treasures that don't expire?
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  Do you have blessings that no thief can steal and no moth can
• 47:42
  rot? Do you?
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  Let me tell you where you can get it?
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  Only in one thing, Only in one person, only responding to one
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  truth. And that's Jesus Christ, Him
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  crucified, raised from the dead, extending his hand, asking you
• 47:59
  to know true riches by doing what?
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  Losing your life. So let me put it this way,
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  because New Year's is a very special time for me.
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  It's where things changed for me in 2012.
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  And so I want to extend the invitation that I had when I was
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  20 years old. Not through a preacher, just
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  through this book. This book is powerful.
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  Why not? On this new year, you do
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  something greater than making a resolution that you probably
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  won't keep. You're going to get that gym
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  membership. I hope you keep it, but it might
• 48:29
  not last past a month. You can make a resolution, the
• 48:34
  most important resolution, and that is reconciling with God.
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  I mean, I'm not trying to sound clever in the way I'm speaking
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  here. I'm trying to speak clearly,
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  very directly. Wouldn't it be something
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  special? That every new year you can look
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  back and say, was this time going into 2024, where I got
• 48:52
  right with God and my life has never been the same?
• 48:57
  I want you to experience that. I want you in this place to know
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  that you can bend your knee. That God and his Providence has
• 49:03
  brought you to this room to hear this message so that you can get
• 49:06
  right with him. No matter how many times you've
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  ignored him in the past, no matter how many times you put
• 49:10
  riches above your relationship with God, it can all change.
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  Now God has gotten your attention.
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  I hope for you to make a decision that you will never
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  regret, no matter what it costs you in this life.
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  It doesn't compare to the reward that is now and that will come.
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  Give your life to Christ. Surrender to Him.
• 49:30
  Now. Say yes to him.
• 49:32
  Why would you ignore? Why swat his hand away?
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  What else are you going to go to?
• 49:39
  Just before you move on, and before you go and check your
• 49:42
  phone, and before you look at your stocks again, and before
• 49:44
  you think about how you're going to get better and how you're
• 49:46
  going to acquire more, just listen to me for a moment.
• 49:51
  It's not worth it. Don't be deceived by riches.
• 49:54
  Don't be deceived by sin. Realize that God, the God who
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  created you and made you, made you primarily to worship him and
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  to know him. You will never be satisfied.
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  Any satisfaction and the pursuit of personal progression and
• 50:10
  profit doesn't even compare. It just skims your heart.
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  This what I'm speaking about in Christ Jesus.
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  Will deal with the deepest parts of who you are.
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  And so the way you access that is by hearing what is just said
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  and realizing that God has forgiven you in Christ, that he
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  sent us something to die for you, shed His blood for you and
• 50:32
  conquered death for you. And that you can accept that
• 50:35
  gift and say, Lord, I I put everything aside.
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  I put it all at your feet. I say, I don't want anything
• 50:42
  more than you. I want all that you have to
• 50:45
  offer. Would you give me yourself?
• 50:47
  Would you give me forgiveness? And through that forgiveness,
• 50:49
  access to friendship with you and God will answer you.
• 50:52
  Please make this decision. Please don't deny it.
• 50:55
  Please don't reject it. Father, we pray today and
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  Thanksgiving, being reminded that our true riches are in
• 51:15
  Christ. And perhaps some might be
• 51:20
  fearful for this new year, a year that's going to be
• 51:24
  politically charged, a year that many are making forecasts about,
• 51:29
  even economically. But, Lord, our security is not
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  in our bank account. You are a provider.
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  You are our Sustainer. You are our Savior.
• 51:42
  Lord, we just ask that there be rekindled affections for you.
• 51:47
  Many of us believe the truths that we just heard, but perhaps
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  our feelings, our affections, are not aligned with what we
• 51:54
  know to be sound. Lord, help us come alive in
• 51:57
  realizing what we have in Christ.
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  For the person here who heard these truths and can't connect
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  with them because it seems intangible, it seems invisible,
• 52:10
  It seems theoretical. Lord, by your Holy Spirit, would
• 52:14
  you show them the experiential reality of Christ?
• 52:20
  We can't do it. We can't provide that power.
• 52:22
  Only you can provide that power. And so we ask that you would
• 52:26
  brood over this place, more importantly, over every heart in
• 52:29
  this place, and that we would experience a fresh touch from
• 52:33
  you. We worship You, Lord, declaring
• 52:36
  that you indeed our treasure and you indeed are alone worthy of
• 52:41
  our worship. In Christ's name we pray.
• 52:43
  Amen. Amen.
• 52:46
  Let's stand together, Saints.