The Difficulty With Riches (Matt 19:16-26)

INTRODUCTION

1. A well known story in the life of Jesus involves His interview with
a rich young ruler - Mt 19:16-26; Lk 18:18-27

2. In this story we find a man who was so right, yet wrong,
a. He came to the right person - Mt 19:16
1) He came to Jesus
2) Who could tell Him the way to eternal life
b. He asked the right questions - Mt 19:16b,20
1) "What good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?"
2) "What do I still lack?"
c. He certainly received the right answers - Mt 19:17-19,21
1) ", if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments"
(suitable for one living under the OT covenant)
2) "If you want to be perfect, go, sell, give to the poor, and
come, follow Me" (fitting for one who would become a disciple
and follow Jesus during His ministry)
d. But in the end, he made the wrong decision - Mt 19:22
1) He went away sorrowful
2) For he had great possessions

3. As rich young ruler went away sadly, Jesus told His disciples about
the difficulty of riches,
a. That it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God - Mt 19:23
b. That it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle
- Mt 19:24

4. What is it about being rich that makes salvation so difficult?
a. Are we aware of the dangers of riches?
b. Do we understand the proper attitudes toward wealth, whether we
are rich or poor?

[Let's first consider, ]

I. THE DIFFICULTY WITH RICHES

A. THE ABSORBING INTEREST OF RICHES,
1. Riches do not satisfy, and we foolishly think that simply more
riches will bring satisfaction - cf. Ec 1:8; 5:10
2. With riches comes the preoccupation with them: how to use,
maintain, store, etc.
-- Like a black hole, the accumulation of riches can absorb what
time and energy we have so that we have little for anything
else (such as family, church, the Lord)

B. THE DECEITFUL PROMISE OF RICHES,
1. Jesus warned about the deceitfulness of riches - Mt 13:22
2. Riches promise much, but really offer little in return
a. They can easily disappear, rust, or be stolen - Pr 23:5;
Mt 6:19
b. They cannot buy one's salvation - Ps 49:6-9,16-20
c. Neither can they protect one from God's wrath - Zeph 1:18
-- Riches can deceive one into thinking they are in need of
nothing; the parable of the rich fool illustrates the folly of
such thinking - Lk 12:16-21

C. THE FOOLISH PRIDE OF RICHES,
1. Wealth tends to promote a sense of arrogance and pride - cf.
Deut 8:11-17
2. It was such pride that was the downfall of Sodom and Israel
- Ezek 16:49-50; Hos 13:4-6
-- Blinded by such pride, one will not seek God - Ps 10:4

D. THE HARDENING SELFISHNESS OF RICHES,
1. The wealthy, while in a position to help others, often close
up their hearts to the cry of the poor
2. This was one of Israel's sins - Am 2:6; 5:11-12; 8:4-6
-- Abusing the poor to make money, failing to respond to their
cries for justice, interested more in money than the welfare
of the poor, such are problems that often afflict the rich

[Certainly not all who are rich are guilty of such things. Some of the
most godly people in the Bible were rich (Job, Abraham, Joseph, David,
Solomon, Barnabas, Philemon, Lydia). But these are reasons why it is
so hard for the rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. If they let mammon
become their god, they will not be willing to serve the true God! (cf.
Mt 6:24)

From what we have seen about the danger of wealth, let's now draw
some, ]

II. LESSONS GLEANED FROM THE DIFFICULTY OF RICHES

A. THE FOLLY OF COVETOUSNESS,
1. Why be so anxious to be rich, when riches might prove to be a
curse for us?
2. Besides, covetousness is viewed by God as a form of idolatry
- Ep 5:5; Col 3:5
3. It not a sin to be rich, but the desire to be rich is wrong
a. Those who desire to be rich will fall into temptation, and
not go unpunished - 1Ti 6:9; Pr 28:20
b. The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil - 1Ti 6:
10
1) For which some have strayed from the faith
2) And suffered many sorrows

B. THE DUTY OF CONTENTMENT,
1. Contentment along with godliness is true wealth - 1Ti 6:6-7
a. "He is richest who is content with the least." - Socrates
(470-399 B.C.)
b. "Contentment comes not so much from great wealth as from
few wants" - Croft M. Pentz (The Complete Book of Zingers)
2. Contentment is a virtue that is learned - e.g., Php 4:11-12
a. By having a proper perspective on life - 1Ti 6:7
1) "You can't take it with you"
2) Ever see a hearse pulling a U-Haul trailer?
b. By understanding what is truly essential in life - 1Ti 6:8
1) Food and clothing, anything more is a luxury
2) Realizing this, we will appreciate how blessed we are!
3. Therefore Christians are to be content with what things we
have - He 13:5

C. THE NEED FOR SYMPATHY FOR THE RICH,
1. Jesus loved the rich young ruler - Mk 10:21
a. We should certainly love those who are rich
b. We should not be envious, nor despise them
2. If the rich are overcome by their riches, we should bear in
mind,
a. That the desire to be rich affects both the rich and those
who want to be rich
b. That the rich face many temptations that the poor do not
3. The rich are in need of salvation as much as the poorest
beggar - Ro 3:23; 6:23

D. FAITH IN THE POWER OF GOD,
1. Though it is hard for a rich person to be saved, it is not
impossible - Mt 19:23-26
a. No one can save themselves, whether rich or poor
b. But God can save the rich by His own power, through the
gospel - Ro 1:16-17
2. There were many rich people who became Jesus' disciples
a. Those that supported Him during His earthly ministry - Lk 8:1-3
b. Others such as Zaccheus, Matthew, Barnabas, Lydia, Aquila
and Priscilla, Gaius, Philemon
c. Such people used their riches in service to God and others
- cf. 1Ti 6:17-19
3. Therefore,
a. The rich should have the gospel preached to them
b. We should pray for the rich
c. We should rejoice greatly that there are rich men and women
in the kingdom of God

CONCLUSION

1. The issue of wealth and riches is often one of contention,
a. The poor are often envious of the rich
b. The rich often despise the poor

2. But riches and poverty both have their difficulties,
a. Wealth can one make one arrogant, less receptive to the gospel
and the kingdom
b. Poverty can make one bitter, filled with envy of others

3. Whether rich or poor, we should all be aware,
a. Of our need for salvation that comes only by the grace of God
b. That we can share together in the riches of salvation

Very nice. Very Very nice. I only wish you would speak more on the Gospel that makes riches, dominion and well being a "must" in Christianity and demands God provide such.

Again, very very nice.

@yomoyyuk,

Very nice post indeed! I just wish our christian friends would pay more attention to what the bible says about these issues.

Thank you very much for that insightful post. Will you please teach me about the spirit of "Mammon"? I don't understand what Jesus meant by "No one can serve GOD and mammon". I know mammon is the spirit of money, but how does that affect God if its done in a good way. For example, I just work for my money and don't engage in any extra fraud to be richer.

Can I be classified as serving the spirit of mammon when I am just working? Tell me about it

Thank you Yommyuk, may God continue to increase you, Amen.

@ Nuclearboy



2 Chronicles 1:7
That night God appeared to Solomon and said, “What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you!”

1. God gave Solomon the freedom to ask whatever he desired
2. The request was unconditional
2 Chronicles 1:10
Give me the wisdom and knowledge to lead them properly, for who could possibly govern this great people of yours.

1. Solomon did not exhibit a sign of selfish ambition
2 Solomon knew the value of wisdom
3. Proverbs 3:14-15 For wisdom is more profitable than silver and her wages are better than gold. Wisdom is more precious than rubies; nothing you can desire can compare with her.

2 Chronicles 1:11-12
God said to Solomon, “ Because your greatest desire is to help your people, and you did not ask for wealth, riches, fame, or even the death of your enemies or a long life, but rather you asked for wisdom and knowledge to properly govern my people – I will certainly give you the wisdom and knowledge you requested. But I will also give you wealth, riches, and fame as such as no other king has had before you or will ever have in the future!”

1. Solomon greatest desire was to “help” and “serve” God’s people.
2. Jeremiah 17:10 But I, the Lord search all hearts and examine secret motives. I will give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.
3. God Knew that Solomon heart was right therefore making it mandatory for God to release the blessing as predestined.

Conclusion

2 Corinthians 8:9
You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for you sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.

1. The key is when we are rich, then what?
2. James 2:2-4 For example, suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewellery, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in dirty clothes. If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, “You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor” – well doesn’t this discrimination show that your judgements are guided by evil motives.
3. James 2:9 if you favour some people over others, you are committing a sin. You are guilty of breaking the law.
4. Jesus affirmed that it will be very hard for the rich man to gain heaven, but it is not impossible. HUMILITY IS THE KEY.
[tt][/tt]

^^^ NICE, brother but not totally "on point" for my query!

Anyways, "HUMILITY" is the key, OR "LOVE"?

For if you truly LOVED, the contents of his wallet would mean little to you.

And true, Christ suffered poverty that we might be rich. How? Where? On earth? So why wasn't Peter Rich? Or Paul? or Stephen? Was Christs' suffering ineffective FOR them? For they suffered pain, poor health, humiliation and horrid death.

Brother, many of us are wealthy. I thank God I am amongst such but our wealth has to be directed for love IN THE KNOWLEDGE that God gives us so we can carry the burden of others who "time and chance" has not favored so well. That is the purpose of Christian wealth- to serve society!

Enough about men. I asked about the Gospel - ought it be about "cash" and earthly rewards?

Let me break it down in simple terms

Humility and Love are inter- related.

Riches is having something in abundance. It can be Faith, Knowledge of the Word, Spirtual, Good Health, Food on the table, Freedoom to Worship even Good night sleep.

Now let's use "Knowledge of the Word" as an example.
If you have this in abundance, how will you use it to benefit others.
It is very easy for pride to creep in by saying " I am better than everyone else"
Are you willing to go to a drug addict or Harlot to share what you have in abundance with him/her
Jesus left his throne in heaven to show and share with us 'humans' what he had in abundance
Yeah, He loved us, by humbling himself.
That is the "Gospel Tru

Fair enough and I agree with all you've said

I just wanted your take on the cash part of riches and its importance in the gospel.

no problem

@Akwasi

Matthew 13:22
The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God's word, but all to quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced

Matthew 19:16-30 also speaks about the rich man who refused to follow Jesus. Why? He choose to keep his riches than follow christ.
i.e. gave his riches more priority than Christ. What an unwise decision!

Matthew 26:14-16, also tells us how Judas Iscariot collected 30 pieces of silver to betray Jesus. Matt 27:3-10 revealed that he later found out that ,the 30 pieces of silver was his ticket fare to hell.

It is not the accumulation of wealth or riches that is the issue, the main concern is "what is the motive behind the wealth accumulation." Where does your heart reside?

Psalm 20:7-8 Some nations boast of their chariots and horses, but we boast in the name of the Lord our God. Those nations will fall down and collapse, but we will rise up and stand firm.
Typical example 9/11 in NEW YORK
In whom do you put your trust? Your work or God- The answer is within u

Ahha, well done yommyuk.
But i'm concerned, why is a man so concerned about cash and gain? Does he think that gain is godliness? God help us o.

^^^ I've generally left you alone with your wahala. What I've been harping on in this thread is the "correctness" or not of the "prosperity gospel" which you know I am against. It is that Gospel that brought "tithes", "prophet offering", "seed offering" etc to the forefront of Christianity today.

Knowing him to be a very level headed poster, I wanted to see YommyUk's ideas about the teaching that says cash is an integral part of the gospel. That is the teaching that you support, by the way. Obviously, you have still not taken out time to understand grammar and that is why you've again and as usual, stuck your foot in your mouth

My post above wonders why the Apostles were not rich and then wonders why todays "Big MOGs" believe their own reward is on earth and that no manner of pain or suffering is for THEM. That is why I stated AND asked -

nuclearboy:


[size=5pt]Anyways, "HUMILITY" is the key, OR "LOVE"?

For if you truly LOVED, the contents of his wallet would mean little to you.

And true, Christ suffered poverty that we might be rich. How? Where? On earth? So why wasn't Peter Rich? Or Paul? or Stephen?[/size]
Was Christs' suffering ineffective FOR them? For they suffered pain, poor health, humiliation and horrid death.

That is the purpose of Christian wealth- to serve society!

I asked about the Gospel - [size=14pt]ought it be about "cash" and earthly rewards[/size]?

Before you post again, do two things - read what you are replying and then, use your brain

You're very sharp to think that I'm referring to you. Ever heard about the term 'prop' yommyuk?