'An Independent Baptist Church'

GREED - THE HEART REVEALED            

Greed - Dictionary Definition - An inordinate desire for something, the desire for more.....particularly wealth.

Billy Graham in his book THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS says,

"The great sin of America is greed and avarice.  We are so bent on making money that we do not have time for God.  Many businesses are kept open unnecessarily on Sunday, thus desecrating God's Day in order to gain a few extra dollars.  How many times have I asked men to go to church, and they have said they had to work.  They are so busy making money they have no time for God.  (Does this describe you?)  He continues..."The sin of greed is probably the greatest stumbling block to the Kingdom of Heaven in America today.  Jesus warned in Matthew 19:24 that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than it is for a man who trusts in his riches.

Greed has two cousins. The first is COVETOUSNESS...THE DESIRE TO HAVE WHAT OTHERS POSSESS.

We see the ELEGANT HOME that a friend has purchased, and IN OUR HEARTS we want to own the same or BETTER.

Our neighbor has a new car and we want one like it or better...

We see that Co-worker who accumulated alot of money and we wish we had his bank account.

The Second sin that accompanies GREED is ENVY.   If Covetousness means that I want what others have, envy means that I RESENT THE BLESSINGS OR GOOD FORTUNE OTHERS HAVE RECEIVED....Because I wish the good fortune could have been MINE...and actually leads to a dislike for a person who has what I want...

The sins of Greed and covetousness never walk alone....we all know the list of sins that can come from this...when somebody else has something I want.....

The Bible gives a stern warning against this particular sin...
Luke 12:13-21 as a young man comes to Jesus to settle a quarrel they had over the family inheritance...

13  And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me.
14  And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you?
And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you?
15  And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

Squabbling among relatives after the death of a family member is, of course, nothing new.  A funeral director told of one occasion where family members drew guns in the cemetery after the death of a wealthy man.  

Of course, nice families don't do it that way;  they politely wait to have their arguments later and then refuse to talk to one another for the rest of their lives.

Jesus continued in verse 16...

16  And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:
17  And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?
18  And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.
19  And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.20  But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
21  So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

This rich man made several mistakes...

1. HE MISTOOK HIMSELF FOR GOD....

Notice the personal pronouns.
    He forgot he was only a steward...He forgot God was the owner and everything we have is because of God...He gave us our health and ability to get what we have....and we are accountable for the way we manage what God has allowed us to have.  In Word, He took God’s place...Notice he said "My crops, MY barns, ........

2. His wealth and his greed took the place of God in his life.
His wealth caused him to forget God..

That is so easily done because greed makes the same promises God does!  

Money says, "IF YOU GET ENOUGH ME, I PROMISE I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU OR FORSAKE YOU.  I WILL BE WITH YOU WHEN THE STOCK MARKET IS UP:  I WILL BE WITH YOU WHEN IT IS DOWN.  I WILL BE THERE FOR YOU WHEN YOU ARE SICK AND BE THERE FOR YOU WHEN YOU ARE OLD."

Think of the promises wealth made to this rich fool...

"You have plenty of good things laid up for many years...take life easy....eat, drink, be merry (Luke 12:19)  

Wealth promised to give this man a good life, but that is very promise Jesus made to his followers in John 10:10...

 "I have come that you might have life, and have it more abundantly"

It promises happiness and joy, but that is what Jesus Promises!

Jesus spoke of the "DECEITFULNESS OF RICHES" in the parable of the sower in Mark 4:18,19.....it promises what it cannot deliver....and it is also deceitful because we all need money to live, but if we’re all not careful it can GRASP FOR OUR AFFECTIONS and soon become an obsession!

Someone once wisely said, "IF YOU WANT TO BE MISERABLE, PUT YOUR TRUST IN YOUR RICHES...THINK ONLY OF YOURSELF...WHAT YOU WANT...WHAT YOU LIKE...WHAT YOU WANT NEXT...WHAT RESPECT PEOPLE OUGHT TO PAY YOU.....HOW YOU CAN HAVE MORE OR BETTER THAN THE NEXT PERSON....."

One of Life's great misconceptions - Happiness and success in this life depends upon Possessions accumulated.  The more possessions a man or woman has, the better life will be.  This is what our culture teaches us today!  Jesus says it is a lie. Our life is not defined by what material possessions we have accumulated. The rich man died before he could use all that he had stored in his barns.  and...I've never seen a hearse pulling a U-HAUL behind it...

3. He mistook TIME for ETERNITY.
     He acted as if the future was in his hands....(You have plenty of goods laid up for MANY YEARS...)   How could he be so sure?

It the past 2 weeks I've done 4 funerals....and one was for a fellow in my class at school!

But read it, that NIGHT.....his SOUL was REQUIRED of him.  (The actual word picture here is when a person had borrowed money and now the note was due...)

He was soon to DROP DEAD with a voice from heaven saying, "THOU FOOL, THIS NIGHT thy soul shall be required of thee. (v20)

At the funeral, people no doubt spoke highly of his skill as a farmer and admired his success and how much he had achieved....but it wasn't doing him any good now.....

God calls this person a fool because Greed can cause us to plan only for this life and enter eternity empty handed.  

Greed can cause a person to be blinded to Spiritual matters and fail to trust to the Lord as Savior.  It can cause a Believer to be sidetracked and fail to serve the Lord.
It is not a sin to be wealthy...as long as we gotten our riches honestly.  God considers us a steward of that which He has given us.

Many in here might be thinking, I'm not rich...he's not talking to me!
Did you realize that in comparison to rest of the world, almost everyone in here is considered a rich person?

Fox News reported recently how many people in the U.S. who were considered to be under the poverty level, and 90% had a color TV, 25% owned a computer, and 50% owned an automobile!

Greed not only affects the Wealthy....You may be actually a poor person, but greed and lust for money have hardened your heart, and made you bitter and envious...

When we get right down to us, God has 3 purposes for money in the life of the Believer:
1. To meet our needs & desires
2. To give to others in need
3. to give to the Lord's work

Greed is a trap that ensnares many Believers.
The sin of greed may begin innocently enough.

We may think that because God has blessed us, we are entitled to use our financial gifts as we choose.  Slowly, we can fall victim to Satan's snare of desire for MORE, leaving us unfulfilled. Soon we are not content and thankful with what we have...

Proverbs 1:19 warns us against being GREEDY FOR GAIN.  

When we fall for Satan's Suggestion that we can't live without more money and more possessions, our desire grows until it becomes an obsession.  

It can happen to any of us..  Jeremiah 6:13 says, "From the Least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to covetousness"

I have had to be especially careful of this in my own life...I was raised to be so frugal...Grandpa & grandma were raised in the depression they taught us to be frugal with money...and I have really watch myself to becoming overly concerned with money....

I bet many of you are the same......

We start trying to compare and keep up with our neighbors and coworkers....and we're never happy and content and satisfied!

The sin of Greed is probably more prominent today than at anytime in history.  We are more blessed probably than any other group of Christians in history.  We have more...and access to more...than any other people in history..

(A recent article on those in poverty today showed some 90% had a color TV in their home....25% had a computer...50% had an automobile.)

Perhaps the most significant economic change of the 20th century was the discovery of instant prosperity (called credit) by millions of American families.

Consider the example told by Erwin Lutzer in his book SEVEN SNARES OF THE ENEMY (P30,31) where a young couple started out in marriage and got into debt purchasing car and home, and other items and before long it created much trouble in their marriage...with all types of financial problems...Sound familiar?


WE SEE SEVERAL OTHER EXAMPLES OF GREED IN BIBLE
Listen to the example of the Rich Young Ruler...one of the saddest stories in the Bible...

Here is a young man who had great possessions and wealth and it kept him from giving his life to the Lord!   He left Jesus sorrowfully with his pockets full but his heart was empty.....

The Example of Judas - The most graphic illustration of greed in the Bible is that of Judas.  One of Jesus’ 12 disciples, Judas held an important position ---keeper of the money bag. Yet Judas allowed greed to enter his life and so consume him that he was willing to sell the life of his master, the Lord Jesus, for 30 pieces of silver!  He was critical of Mary using the pound of spikenard and pouring it on Jesus' feet....This money could have been used in better ways he criticized...

I've seen churches where God was blessing and people coming to church and getting saved....and
I have seen people in these churches let how money is being spent cause them to get so upset to the extent it caused great dissention in the church....
........purchasing basketball goal
........building Activities Building ...and others upset because...
........preacher's raise was making as much as power plant worker
........I've seen People leave church because preacher talked about giving..
...I've seen people get upset in churches  because  the church didn't spend the money they way THEY thought it should be spent.....and God was even blessing the church in a wonderful way..

Oh, the sin of greed has caused HAVOC in churches across America, in homes and marriages.....and it has caused men and women to stop serving the Lord Jesus Christ.....

The Example of Lot -  In Genesis 14 details  Lot's greedy desire for the best of everything.  A desire for more success and more possessions led him into sinful surroundings...it got him away from God's people...hanging with wrong crowd....away from serving the Lord?   HOW ABOUT YOU?


How can we tell we have fallen prey to greed?

What are they symptoms of Greed in our life?

1. Do you struggle to give God His Tithe in the offering plate?

2. Are you overly concerned about money and accumulating money?

3. Are you envious of the success of others and covetous of what they have?  Even jealous and bitter toward them..

5.  Do you find yourself comparing yourself to what others have?

6.  Do you find it very hard to give to others in need?

7.  Are you critical of how your church spends money? (camp?)

8.  Has the thought of leaving your local church in your will not even an option when considering your final arrangements?

CURE FOR GREED  

Matt 6:33  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
34  Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

1. START GIVING (TO LORD AND TO OTHERS IN TRUE NEED)

2. START SERVING LORD


RESULTS OF CURING GREED

1. BONDAGE LIFTED.....keeping up with Jones

2. CURE FOR ANXIOUS CARE (LUKE 12:34)
        For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

3. CONTENTMENT (Hebrews 13:5)
    Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
.

4. THANKFULNESS....
 Instead of becoming bitter over what we don't have, we can express appreciation and gratitude to the Lord for what you do have.

5. IT CAN HELP SAVE US FROM MANY MISTAKES AND SORROWs AND HEARTACHEs

1 Timothy6:6-11 "But godliness with contentment is great gain.
7  For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
8  And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
9  But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
10  For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
11  But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.


6. YOU CAN BETTER SERVE THE LORD.  (Matt 6:24) AND WHEN YOU SERVE THE LORD THAT IS WHERE YOU WILL FIND TRUE HAPPINESS AND FULFILLMENT IN LIFE

   No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

7.YOU CAN LAY UP RICHES FOR ETERNITY THAT REALLY COUNT.
 (Matt 6:19-21)    
Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
20  But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
21  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Closing

IF YOU HAVING BEEN GUILTY OF GREED...CONFESS IT TO THE LORD TODAY....SURRENDER NOT ONLY YOUR LIFE BUT YOUR POSSESSIONS TO HIM....

Will you walk away sorrowfully like the rich young ruler today with full pockets but an empty heart...

Or will you make one of the best decisions today you could ever make?