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It is impossible to find money and not smile.
Money is a major subject in God’s Word. The search for riches is a major factor in our culture.
Jesus tells us something unsettling about the riches of this world…
Matthew 13:22 (NIV2011) The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful.
Deceitful, as in it is untrue, lies, and cannot be trusted. Beware the riches of this world, but BE AWARE of what Scripture declares to be true riches.
God has limitless riches!
It is impossible to find this hidden treasure and not smile.
Limitless 4: Limitless Riches
Sermon notes by Pastor Chris Fluitt
Redemption Church Plano Tx
Vid bumper- Limitless
Hello everyone! Welcome to Redemption Church! We are a mighty Church in Plano Tx. Every time we turn around God is doing something mighty. God is doing things right here that are impossible with man, but we see them occurring through God’s Limitless Power, Love, & Wisdom!
Can you believe we are at the end of January 2018. How is your year going? I hope you are experiencing great success. This year truly is limitless, because our God is limitless. #limitless2018
I should tell you that my name is Chris Fluitt, and I am so blessed to be the Lead Pastor here at Redemption Church.
Limitless
So far in this series we have talked about…
- Limitless Power
- Limitless Love
- Limitless Wisdom
Limitless Riches
Today on the last Sunday of this first month of the year I want to talk to you about LIMITLESS RICHES.
No one has to tell you to day dream about having crazy amounts of money. We have day dreamed about having more money than we could ever spend. What would you do if you were rich? What is the first thing you would do. You probably have an answer to that question because you have thought about it.
In the world of professional sports, every year you see a poor college athlete get drafted very high. They go from scrapping by to make ends meet, to being a multi-millionaire. When they are asked what they are going to do, they usually say “I’m going to buy my mama a house.” (Poor dad… Dad doesn’t ever get nothing.)
Often we think about the good we could do in the world if we had riches. These are great thoughts. You could help a lot of people with your riches.
We dream about how easier life would be with riches. You would hire a house cleaner immediately! You better say amen! We all know that riches would make aspects of our life easier.
Limitless Riches
I want to tell you that God has Limitless Riches, but before we really dive into that I need to tell you about the riches of this world.
Deceitful Riches
Your Bible talks about deceitful riches. Lying riches.
Jesus talks about this in the parable of the seed.
Matthew 13:22 (NIV2011) The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful.
The Word of God, the seed, is chocked by the worries of this life and by the DECEITFULNESS OF WEALTH. Wealth and riches can deceive you. It is possible to choose the riches of this world over the riches of Word of God.
Romans 2:4 (NIV2011) Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?
Romans 2:5 (NIV2011) But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed.
It is possible to choose the riches of this world over the riches of God. You can show contempt for the RICHES of His kindness, forbearance (self control), and patience and remain unrepentant. You will instead store up, or as the King James version says “TREASURE UP” wrath against yourself.
The riches of this world will lie to you. You can end up treasuring the wrong thing.
Deceitful Riches
The riches of this world will lie to you.
How much is this dollar bill worth?
What about this 5 dollar bill? How much is this worth?
I have a 10 dollar bill here… How much is that worth?
(http://mentalfloss.com/article/68650/how-much-does-it-cost-manufacture-us-paper-money)
A dollar bill costs 4.9 cents to make and has zero intrinsic value.
A 5 dollar bill costs 10.9 cents to make and has zero worth intrinsically.
A 10 costs 10.3 to print and, you probably guessed… has zero intrinsic value.
The powers that be printed this dollar for 4.9 cents and then you bought it giving them a 95 cent profit.
They profited $4.89 for the Abraham Lincoln in your pocket.
$9.90 cents for the Alexander Hamilton.
You see where I am going with this right?
We are killing ourselves for this…
People literally kill each other because they think this is worth it…
People miss out on what is really important. They work long hours and miss their kids baseball games.
…All because someone told us that this was worth more than the cost of the printing
Riches are deceitful.
If you only think and worry about money, then I have to tell you that you are being lied to…
If you think these bills are of true value, then you don’t understand value…
If your number one prayer to God is to have more of these dollar bills, then you need a real economic lesson of what holds value in God’s kingdom.
And if this dollar, that the powers that be tell us, is worth it’s stated amount… I have to ask… could it’s value ever change? Sure it can. This $10 dollar bill use to purchase more than it does today.
This is why they call it CURRENCY. There is a current of change within the value of money. The inflation rate is around .8% a year, meaning that our currency will be worth less by the end of the year. Why? It is for no other reason than that is simply the system we have…
And there is a thing called HYPERINFLATION.
HYPERINFLATION
In 1918, 100 years ago, the strong economy of Germany began to hyper-inflate. By the year 1924 the German Mark was completely worthless. What used to cost one German Mark bill to buy, 6 years later cost 1 trillion German Mark bills to purchase. That is not a made up number.
German Marks were blowing out on the roads like trash, because they had the same value as trash.
In this picture you have children playing with all of these German Marks. They tied stacks of them together and used them as building blocks. Just a few years these kids would have been dealing with a considerable amount of wealth… but riches are deceitful and currency can change in a heartbeat.
My fellow Americans, this could happen to us. Our economy is built on a similar foundation as Germany’s was.
What would you do if what you built your entire life on, declaring its value, were to become worthless?
God’s riches are not currency
The value that you find in God doesn’t change. There is no inflation in God’s riches.
You can get ahold of something of real value today, and it will never lose its value.
Hebrews 13:8 (NIV2011) Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
I have told you about the deceitfulness of riches, but now let me tell you about TRUE RICHES.
God’s Limitless Riches
Let’s look at God’s Limitless Riches.
Ephesians 1:7 (NIV2011) In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace
Ephesians 1:18 (NIV2011) I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people,
Ephesians 2:6 (NIV2011) And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,
Ephesians 2:7 (NIV2011) in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
1 Timothy 6:17 (NIV2011) Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.
Philippians 4:19 (NIV2011) And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.
There is no comparison between God’s Riches in Jesus and your needs…
You need to place the proper value on Jesus Christ. Moses did this when he was rich and powerful prince in Egypt.
Hebrews 11:26 (NIV2011) He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.
Disgrace with Christ is of Greater Value… because he was looking ahead to His reward.
Here is what will happen to the riches of this world…
Revelation 18:17 (NIV2011) In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin!’
But we are told of a city of impossible wealth, the New Jerusalem coming to earth. There is gold, jasper, crystal, pearl, every kind of precious stone… but these materials are not the treasure of the city. On earth we confuse these materials as the treasure… The Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, is the treasure of this city.
Is Jesus your treasure? Is there any greater riches than Him?
What happens when you find treasure?
Have you ever found money?
- I remember times where I found $20 on the ground and you would have thought that I had won the lottery.
- Have you ever found an unbelievable value being sold at a bargain? I once saw a Hammond A100 organ being sold at a Goodwill for $25. I could hardly contain myself.
Have you found treasure? What happens when you find treasure?
As I close today I want to teach you from Jesus’ parables in Matthew 13.
Matthew 13:44 (NIV2011) “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
The Kingdom of heaven is like what? A TREASURE HIDDEN IN A FIELD…
Matthew 13:45 (NIV2011) “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.
Matthew 13:46 (NIV2011) When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.
The Kingdom of heaven is like what? A MERCHANT LOOKING FOR FINE PEARLS…
In these 2 short parables Jesus presents the Kingdom as A TREASURE HIDDEN and A PERSON/MERCHANT LOOKING FOR A TREASURE.
What happens when you find treasure?
The first parable focuses on the treasure that is hidden in a field. When a random guy finds the treasure he attempts to buy the field that the treasure is hidden within. WITH JOY he goes and sells everything he owns so that He can buy the field and obtain the treasure.
You need to realize that God and His Kingdom is a treasure worth selling everything you have so that you can obtain. When you find Jesus you should realize He is the greatest treasure. You should WITH JOY sell everything to obtain.
The 2nd parable focuses on Merchant looking for something specific. This is not a random guy. This guy knows exactly what He is looking for and when He sees the pearl of great value, He goes and sells everything to obtain it.
You need to know that God has been looking for a treasure and that you are His treasure. You are the treasure that God found and sold everything to obtain you.
Jesus Christ is our true treasure, but you need to know that you are the treasure He has been looking for.
What happens when you find a treasure! You sell everything that you can obtain it.
John 3:16 (NIV2011) For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Have you have a true treasure? Have you obtained it? What have you sold to obtain it?
You ought to worship like you found a treasure.
You ought to live for God like you found a treasure.
You ought to come pray today like you found a treasure.