← ArchiveProverbsSunday, June 19, 2016DateJune 19, 2016Speaker—TextProverbs 3Passages in this sermonProverbs 34:57Proverbs 2826:56Colossians 3:2331:21Proverbs 13:1132:00Proverbs 12:2733:14Matthew 638:30TranscriptClick any line to jump there.0:00Music playing. Music playing.0:30Music playing. Good morning. And happy Father's Day.0:59To you fathers who are on the edge of your seat waiting to get slammed right now, take it easy. Moms, get ready. We're coming after you. Actually, we are continuing a series in Proverbs today on just seeking wisdom. Lord, give us wisdom this summer that when we have school-aged kids or we'll be soon and when they start school again, when they start week here, Father, they may have more wisdom1:28now than they had when we started this summer. And my goal for you is that we will have more wisdom now than you did last month. And the goal of wisdom in God's word is not to gain understanding simply or alone, but it is to fear the Lord. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. But fools despise wisdom and understanding. And we're looking at the Proverbs. And Proverbs are simply short sayings that give us wisdom, which lead us to the throne of1:58God. And when we seek the throne of God, we find mercy and grace in our time of need. So today we're going to talk about wealth, not giving. We're going to talk about wealth, how we can treasure the right things. And so fathers, let me kind of give you my heart really quick. If we teach our kids how to treasure the right thing, that will change their lives. If I teach my son, Eli, and my daughter, Aaron, what true treasure is, one day if they're poor,2:26that they still find their worth in Jesus Christ. And one day if they are billionaires, that they don't look down on others because they think they've done something, but that they know that true treasure and worth is found in Jesus Christ. And the reason this is important for Americans today is because we live in a world that says, get yours. It's about you, seek wealth, seek honor, find worth in this.2:55And that is the opposite of what God's words is. So today we're going to look at finding wisdom in our wealth. And if you are here and you have a cattle on a thousand hills, this is a good day for you because you're going to find out that wealth is not evil and it can be used for the kingdom of God. And I pray that you use it and thank you for your faithfulness. May you be more faithful and may God bless you more.3:23If you are here and you have nothing, you have no cows, you have no hills. And you say, I don't know what I'm going to have to eat tomorrow. You pray this, Father, give me tomorrow my daily bread because my hope is in you. So may we be found worthy of his honor and may we be found worthy of his grace this morning. Let's pray before we look at God's word. Father, show us this morning what true treasure is.3:50Because Lord, we just live in a world where we treasure our houses and we treasure our cars and we treasure things where moth will attack and rust will destroy. And Lord, we want to lay up treasures in heaven where moth cannot get to and where rust cannot destroy. And Lord, we know that your son said that where our treasure is, there our heart will be also. And so, Lord, create in us this morning a desire to treasure eternal things, to treasure things that come from your throne.4:21And Lord, may we impart those. For fathers here today, may they impart these eternal truths to their kids. And Lord, I know that today, if we are obedient to you, we can change generations. So, Lord, help me find my worth in you and not in wealth, not in the works of our hands, but in the works of your son, Jesus Christ.4:42Lord, we pray this in Jesus' name. Amen and amen. Well, if you have your Bibles with you, please turn to Proverbs chapter 3. We will be looking at several Proverbs this morning. Proverbs chapter 3, beginning in verse 9. As you turn there, let me give you some facts.5:10This is 2014, but this is where we live in America. I'm going to use we. We have an average credit card debt per house of $15,000. So, the average household here in this room today, because you live in America, you represent Americans, that we have an average credit card debt of $15,000. And some of you might be squirming, thinking this is about to get uncomfortable. Good, because the greatest tool we have for getting our household in order is not any financial resources, God's word.5:39We waste, as Americans, an average of $529 a year in food. So, our family of four, my wife and I, we waste $2,000 every year. We dump it down the drain or in the trash in food. That should break our hearts. Now, actually, at our house, we waste half of that on the floor. And the dog eats up $1,000 a year.6:09And that's just reality. But that should break us of saying, Lord, may we be good stewards of what you've given us. $500 a person we waste. 83% of Americans don't have enough to cover an emergency. 26% of us have zero in savings. 76% of us live paycheck to paycheck. And 90% of Americans buy things they cannot afford.6:39So, we need to go back to what our grandparents taught us. Look, if you can't afford it, you don't get it. And we live in a world that says, if they offer it to you, take it. So, we're going to look at what God's word says about that. Proverbs 3, verse 9. Here's the first thing we need to ask with our possessions, with our wealth. And it comes directly from God's word. God, give us wisdom in our wealth. Verse 9, Proverbs 3.7:09Honor the Lord with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase. So, verse 10, that your barns may be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine. So, my question to you, my question from my heart today is this. Are you honoring the Lord with your wealth? Now, I've said this is not a sermon give to Bethel. That will be later in the year, in probably September.7:36We're going to talk about how we are good stewards, how we give to his kingdom. But today, we're just going to look at our households. So, I pray for you right now that you can just say, God, I'm going to pull back the layers of my heart, and Lord, look deeply into my finances. And Father, if I am not honoring you, change me. Because we live in a country and in a world where most of our number one idols is wealth. Most of our idol is wealth.8:06Why? Because we are the wealthiest people in the world. And this is what Jesus says about our wealth. Where your treasure is, there your heart is also. So, it's not bad to have treasure, but if my heart follows that treasure and I have a lot, then I have to pray, God, there's my, I see this, I have a lot, but don't let me treasure that. Let me treasure Jesus. Let me treasure Jesus. So, the first question, are you honoring God with your wealth?8:34How do we do that? We bring honor to God when he is our priority. Look at what verse 9 says. Honor the Lord. So, how do we do that? With our possessions, with our wealth, and with the first fruits. Now, a lot of you, most of you aren't farmers anymore. So, you don't have fruit trees. My grandparents in Mississippi actually live on an 18-acre berry farm. Blueberries. Someone brought blueberries in today, and it made me think about my grandparents.9:04That we would go out there, and we would pick ourselves until we got sick of blueberries. Because I would pick one for myself, and one for the, you know, the little basket. And when I got tired, when I was full, then I ended my picking for the day. But it made me think that we are commanded to give God what? Honor the Lord with your wealth, and with the, why didn't God just say the seconds? Because he knows that if God is not, if he is not our number one priority, then we will not honor him.9:32So, God did not say, honor me with your wealth, and just make me a priority. God says, make me the number one priority. So, is the Lord a priority in your life? Your finances are a great indication of where your priorities lie. Your finances are a great indication of where your priorities lie. Yeah, I've heard an old pastor say one time, if someone, if your checkbook fell out of your pocket,10:03and someone opened it up, would they know that you're a Christian or not? Why would they say that? Because the way we live with our wealth says a lot about what we prioritize. If you say, well, pastor, I'm taking my vacation, whether you like it or not. That's between you and the Holy Spirit. That's not my job. My job is to push us into God's word, and God's word convicts. But if I am not honoring the Lord with my wealth, I pray that his spirit will convict me.10:29So, are you doing that? Is he a priority in your life? And dads, the number one thing your son or daughter needs to see is your priorities. And they just don't need to see that by osmosis. Well, I'm going to live this way, and they're going to find out. Talk to your children about wealth. Talk to your children about money. Talk to them about saving. Talk to them about how important the Lord is in your life. That's the number one thing they need to hear from you.10:59Because if you leave your child a billion dollars when you die and have not told them about true treasure that is found in Jesus Christ, you have left them nothing. Nothing. What good does it if I gain the whole world and yet lose my soul? Is your wealth bringing honor to God? One translator says it this way, honor the Lord above your possessions. Honor the Lord above your possessions.11:30God asked us to give the first. A missionary that died in South Africa, Jim Elliott, said this. This was his prayer. Lord, make my way prosperous that I may not achieve high station, but that my life may be an exhibit to the value of knowing God. I love that prayer. Lord, make my way prosperous, not that I might receive some lofty station, but that people might see my life in his exhibit for the value of God.11:52That's the way of saying, Lord, let me honor you. And that is the greatest Father's Day presence that I could give my children today is for them to see me honor my Lord and Savior. Fathers, may we point our kids to our Heavenly Father. And if you don't think that matters, if you have little ones, if you're a grandparent and you have little ones that look up to you, how can we teach our children how to pray our Father who is in heaven when they look at you and say, Dad, you haven't been a good one?12:21What does that say about our Heavenly Father? If I'm not a shining example, may our prayer be, Lord, let my child see me honor you and that when they see me honor you, that they may come to your throne. I love seeing, and you didn't see them in the back, but with our youth and our kids that were baptized today, their parents were with them.12:49What a wonderful picture of a dad and a mom being there with their kids saying, this is what true treasure is about. Are you honoring the Lord with your wealth? How else can we honor? Well, honor also is this, not only giving God the first, prioritizing, but also having the right attitude. Honor is a willingness to give at the beginning of a right attitude.13:17So are you willing to give? Some of you give to the Lord, Lord, I know I have to give, so I'm going to do it. Take that, God. You know what we say? Thank you. All right. God bless you. But the greatest honor I can give the Lord is this. Lord, I'm going to give of the first, and I'm going to give with the right attitude. And just personally, let me speak to you just as a person to person, not the pastor.13:44Every time I give of my sacrifice to the Lord, I have never been wanting. Casey and I have been giving to others that were in need before, and we never come back the next week thinking, I can't believe we gave that. Man, we really say, you know what? We don't miss it. We sacrificed. It was ours, but actually it's his. And we never missed it because our attitude said, Lord, even if we have to go hungry,14:10we know that we do so for the kingdom. And the Lord has always said, but Josh, I'm not going to let you go hungry. I'm going to give you daily bread. Are you honoring God with your possessions? So then how do we do that? What does that look like practically? So the second proverb we're going to look at is this, chapter 8, verse 18. Are you honoring God with your wealth? That's only a question that you can answer, by the way. And then verse 18 of chapter 8 pushes us deeper.14:42It says this, and I want to clear this up because we have misconceptions about wealth. Some of us feel like, well, if I have a lot, then I'm ashamed and it's a bad thing. Look at what God's worth says about wealth. Verse 18, chapter 8, riches and honor are with me, enduring riches and righteousness. So we're going to see that riches and honor aren't a bad thing, but that true riches and honor are where? Lasting wealth is where?15:12Verse 18. Lasting wealth is not here. Lasting wealth is there. So here's what God reminds us of, and Americans, we need to hear this over and over and over again. Wealth is temporary. Wealth is temporary. So let me be the bearer of bad news. Everything you own in your life is going to be taxed or going to end up in a dump at some point in time. Everything. That's just how it, or it's going to end up as dust.15:44And you say, well, this is a horrible Father's Day message. No, think about how freeing that is. I don't have to be confined to what I have because it's God's and it's temporary. Lord, I'm going to give it to you. That's freeing. That's not a jail sentence. And so that keeps us from struggling to feed the fire. I'm going to work today so I can feed the fire tomorrow. So I can do this vacation, so I can buy this toy, so I can do this, so I can provide for my kids and this and this and this.16:11Here's the reality. One day, whatever I leave to my children, I'm going to die and they're probably going to waste it anyway. I'm going to put in my will everything, every single cent I have has to be spent on Mississippi State tickets. Right? Whether you like it or not, kids. And by that time, they might be so expensive they can only buy, I don't know, one. But that's reality.16:41Is it not? And that's not me speaking fleshly. Who's that speaking? Verse 18. Riches and honor are with me, enduring riches and righteousness. Our wealth is temporary. So here's how we need to think about our wealth. Lord, if I only have it for a short time, I'm going to use it for you. I'm going to use it for you. Jim Elliot, the same Jim Elliot that died giving his life for Jesus Christ. The same one that said, Lord, make me prosperous, but that I might be a shining example of true value, said this.17:10He said, he is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot be lost. He is no fool which gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose. That's Jim Elliot's way of saying, Lord, I know my possessions are temporary and I will use them for you. Everything you have in your life is on loan.17:39It's on loan by our Heavenly Father. So the question is, are we using it for his glory and for his honor? When we understand that wealth is temporary, then we value what is eternal. When we understand that enduring riches and righteousness is found in Jesus Christ, then we begin to show the world what truly is eternal. And we live in a world that is built on right now.18:06I know that because I can go to the drive-thru and I have to wait two minutes and I get antsy. I mean, think about the reality that we live in. I can't believe they're taking so long. There are two cars in front of me. I can't get my food. Why? Because we are right now people. We need to be eternity people and say, Lord, I know it's temporary.18:34And that gives us such a proper perspective. You know what helped me personally with that proper perspective of things are temporary? Kids. I used to be the one that I was going to park my truck in that far lot. That way none of you scratched it. And then you know what happened to me? A four-year-old. And literally, you can go out to my car, if you know which one I drive,19:02and you can find where he gets on what's his side of the car because there are dings and scrapes all around the handle. But every time he gets in, he hits something. And he used to drive me crazy. And then I realized, you know what, Josh? Maybe that's temporary and unimportant. I mean, really. And so that was a get-over-yourself moment for me. Now, do I say that we just, well, we don't care about our stuff,19:31just ditch it, you know, abuse it? No, by no means. It's God's. I want to treat it properly. But it's temporary. It's temporary. Because enduring riches and righteousness come from above. So not only then are our possessions temporary, but they're also limited. They're limited in the way that we use them. Verse 4 of chapter 11, it's on the same page in my Bible, says this. 11, verse 4.20:03Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death. So not only are my riches temporary, but they will not help me on the day of wrath. The day I see God face to face, I can't go to God and say, but Lord, look at the stuff I brought you. Lord, look at the stuff I've hoarded for you. Here you go. God's going to say, Josh, that's temporary. And it will not help you find righteousness and honor that is only found eternally in the Lord.20:29Your wealth is temporary. And before you say, ah, that is freeing. Our wealth is temporary. May we give it for the glory of God. May we give it for him. It will not help us on the day of wrath. Only Jesus Christ does that. Secondly, how does our wealth drive us to the throne of God? Wealth is temporary. And then verse 15 of chapter 10.20:59Same page. We're staying on the same page in my Bible. 10, 15. The rich man's wealth is his strong city. The destruction of the poor is their poverty. So wealth is a device, not a vice. Wealth is a device. So wealth, our possessions are neither good nor bad. It's us who use them for God's glory or for selfish purposes. Actually, what does this verse say?21:28Rich man's wealth is his strong city. So as a mayor, as a general of the army, finds his comfort in a strong city so you can find in your wealth. That doesn't mean there's any amount of money that gives you security. It won't. Only Jesus does that. But wealth is not bad. If you're using it for God, it is a glorious thing. And may we use it for his honor. May we give so that people may bring the gospel all around the world.21:57May we give so that orphans may have. May we give so that widows won't have to be without. So your wealth, if you use it in a way that honors God, is a device in the hands of our Lord and Savior. This proverb shows us that wealth can be positive. But also this. The Bible never says that poverty is a virtue.22:24The Bible never says that poverty is a virtue. I've heard both. I've heard some people feel ashamed because they have a lot. And by the way, because you live in America, all of us have a lot. So before you look down the aisle and say, yeah, that rich person right there, I hope they're hearing. No, we're the rich people. That's us. We be they. Right? But the Bible never says this either. That if you give everything you have, then you'll be righteous.22:53What does Jesus tell the rich young ruler? He says, give everything that you have away and then follow me. We find righteousness in Jesus Christ. Now, the truth is, it's harder for a rich person to pass through the eye of a needle than that camel to go through the eye of a needle than it is for them to put their faith in Jesus Christ. Because wealth gives us a false impression that I can do it.23:20May we not get into that mode. Wealth is a device, not a vice. And here's just practically speaking from God's word. The rich man's wealth is his strong city. We need to be people who save for a rainy day and not spend, spend, spend, spend. The rich man's wealth is a strong city, not because he spends and has all this stuff, because he has an emergency fund.23:47He's put stuff back for a rainy day that when emergencies hit, it's an inconvenience, not an emergency. That's practically, that's where God wants us to be. He doesn't want us to consume everything. He wants us to say that way I can help my family in my time of need, and then I can help your family in your time of need. Casey and I learned that the hard way a couple months ago.24:15So we moved from New Orleans the first of the year. If you didn't know that, you do now. And so here's what, with the struggle of the world we live in, if I can afford this house, then I'm going to be offered this house. Make sense? So if I want a three-bedroom house, and they say, but look, there's a 10-bedroom house that really fits you well. And we just kind of prayed through that, and we said, look, we want to save something. We want an emergency fund.24:45You just never know. We just feel like that's what God wants us to do. So we had this money set aside, and then two months later, guess what? I'm sitting at the hospital with one of our church members, and I'm like, I feel funny. I was at UAB Hospital, and I said, something's not right. I'm like, I'm just being a baby. That's what I felt. I really did. And so, you know, I got up, and I'm like, I just feel nauseous. They brought donuts. I said, the key I was sick is when they brought donuts, I said, no, thank you. I said, something's wrong. And then that night, that next day, I said, boy, I'm going to preach on Sunday.25:16I still don't feel right. My stomach's, something's going wrong. And I went to the doctor, and he said, oh, by the way, you're getting your appendix out tonight. I said, what is that, and why don't I need it? I mean, I don't know. And going through that, we just were able to say, God, thank you for giving us wisdom that we were able to save. And it was an inconvenience. I don't recommend surgery to anyone. It's not fun. But I thank God that he gave us wisdom to say, Lord, we're not going to spend everything we have on everything that we want.25:42Lord, we're going to set stuff back. Because in that moment, I realized what God's word says. Wealth is to a strong man, a strong city. And we were able to say, Lord, thank you for protecting us. Thank you for that hedge of protection. So if you struggle and you're living day to day, pull back your desires and say, Lord, help me save. And when we save, emergencies become inconveniences. So practically, that's where God, I believe God's word pushes us to.26:12That we are not consuming, consuming, consuming. We're saying, Lord, let me live below my means that I may help others and I may help my family. Wealth is a device. Think of it in biblical terms. Next, we see this in God's word. Wealth that leads to greed leads to destruction. Wealth that leads to greed leads to destruction. So, am I honoring God with my wealth?26:41Wealth is a device. It's not good or bad. It's neutral. It's temporary. And then this. But wealth that leads to greed leads to destruction. Proverbs 28, 22. Proverbs 28, 22 says, A man with an evil eye hastens after riches and does not consider that poverty will come upon him.27:01Now, how do I know that poverty will come upon us? Because we will all die poor because nothing can be brought into the kingdom of God. We are all going to die poor. You say, well, you don't know my bank account, but I know what God's word says. And even if I have a bank account full, when I get to heaven, that stuff's going to look like junk compared to the riches that are waiting for us in glory.27:31But riches that leads to greed leads to destruction. Literally, the guy's word says, a man with an evil eye hastens after riches. So, let's kind of pull back and let's look at our intentions now. The Bible is very clear that we need not to be hurried or hungry for wealth.27:58So, greed that is gained in a hurried way is not godly. And the number one culprit of that is the lottery and gambling. Right? So, if God's dealing with that, with you with that, I'm going to let the Holy Spirit convict you right now. And here's my dealings with the lottery. Some will say, well, I'm going to play the lottery and I'll give it all away to the church.28:26No, you won't. No, you won't. Quit lying to yourself. But I remember I was driving to a funeral in Hammond, Louisiana, which is about 50 minutes from our house. And I had to stop to feel, actually, I was going to a funeral. I was doing the funeral. And I stopped at a gas station about halfway. And this was a time in Louisiana where the Powerball had, I think it hit $500 million. And so, I'm pumping my gas. I'm looking at the sign, $500 million.28:54I'm like, Lord, don't you know how many missionaries that I can provide with that? I mean, literally, that's how quick. I mean, I'm pumping my gas. I'm looking at that sign. And it's like, Lord. So, I'm bargaining with God. God, I mean, you know how faithful I am. If you blessed me with that, you know I would give some of it. Lord, I'll live on 10% of $5 million. I'll give 90 away, right? I mean, I'm good with $50 million. I can live on that for a while.29:24And as I was driving, I didn't go in and buy the ticket. I didn't. I didn't win. If some of you are expat, I did not. I didn't play it. But God just dealt with me on the next 30-minute drive how quickly my heart went from, I'm content in everything I have, to, man, I could use this and this and this and this, and I could do that and that and that and that. This is why the Bible says hurried wealth always leads to greed. It always. And the lottery is nothing more than a get-rich-quick scheme.29:54And it's actually worse than that because if I won the lottery, I'm doing it on the backs of those who are in poverty. That's where that money comes from. It doesn't come from the government. It comes from those that are seeking greed in themselves. And so that's why God's word warns us about this. So that's my personal dealings with the lottery. Never played, but it still made me greedy. And if you play often, look, here's the way the math works out.30:23If you won the $500 million Powerball, if you continue to play the lottery, you lose every penny. That's why they make money. You lose every penny you eventually put in. So if you struggle at math, don't do it. It's a bad idea. Really. If you gamble, if you play long enough, you will always lose every cent. So I'd rather you give that to kingdom work than the casinos work.30:51Hurried wealth leads to greed. Greed leads to destruction every time. This is actually what we see in God's word, that we need to be people who work hard for what we have. And my personal conviction, if we're not to seek hurried wealth, we're to seek slow, long-lasting wealth, day by day, working for the glory of God. Colossians says, we work heartedly, not as unto man in Colossians 3.23, but unto the Lord.31:21So Christians should be the hardest working people the world has ever seen. Because I'm not working for men. I'm working for my Father, my Heavenly Father. Do not seek hurried wealth. If you say, well, pastor, you don't know my struggles. I don't. But God has put you here that your brothers and sisters in Christ may provide for you. That's what we're here for.31:51Do not seek hurried wealth. Also, we see this, that greed and fraud leads to destruction. Proverbs 13.11. Proverbs 13.11 says, wealth gained by dishonesty will be diminished. Wealth gained by dishonesty. So if you've been dishonest in some of the things that you've gained over your life, I pray that you take time at the end of this message and say, Lord, I'm going to lay bare all of my transactions. If I've been dishonest, let me make that right.32:18Because dishonest gain will lead to destruction. And as people who follow the path of righteousness, we're not about to be in shady business. And you say, well, I would never do that. Let's get a little tricky here and difficult. There are things that we can do on our taxes that aren't necessarily illegal, but they're not best practices. And if we have someone come and it says, you know what, you could do that and you could32:48save some money. If you say, well, if you think for a second, well, I don't know, choose righteousness instead of dollars. Choose righteousness. But we choose passive or not dishonest. That's what God calls us to. Wealth that leads to greed always leads to destruction. And then we see this, Proverbs 12.27 says, the lazy man does not roast what he took in hunting.33:14But diligence is man's precious possession. Proverbs 12.27, the lazy man does not roast what he took in hunting. And one translator says, we don't really know how to translate this, but we know someone's hunting and someone's roasting. But God's word says this, do not be lazy. So it's not just about wealth, it's about being lazy.33:45And here's the struggle as Americans. We kind of buy up into the lie that, look, work really hard until you retire, then you can be really lazy for the rest of your life. That is not biblical. And it is not godly. Now, some of you who are retired are sweating bullets right now. And I would say this, thank God that you're retired. Thank God that you have planned, that you have saved, and God give you wisdom. That is righteousness. But you know why God has you retired right now?34:15He has you retired to serve him more. That's why you have more time. God gave you more time to serve him. And when you serve him, you are honoring him with your wealth and with your abundance. May we be people who serve our Lord. Are you honoring God with the things that you have? Our wealth is temporary, but his treasures are eternal. So, Daz, we're going to end here.34:44What are some practical ways you can lead your family in righteousness? By the way, we live in a world where wealth is the number one idol. And think we can change generations if we give godly wisdom to our families. How wonderful would it be if back in the back, we have a president, he or she, that is learning right now. And that we teach our kids, godly wisdom is not to seek after debt, which can be a get-quick-rich scheme,35:08but to work hard for what you have. Think about what that would do to our nation if we had a president that sought godly wisdom and wealth. That would change this country. It would change the world. Wisdom for dads. Teach your kids now how to save. Teach your kids how to save. There is godliness and righteousness in saying, I'm not going to get everything I want today, but I'm going to wait.35:38Those who wait on the Lord, he will renew our strength. It's okay to wait. It's okay when you go to Walmart and you're in the 20 items or less and you have to wait five minutes. It's okay. It's okay when you go to the drive-thru and you have to wait 2.3 minutes. It's okay. And we need to teach our kids it's okay to wait when you don't have enough money.36:08It's okay to wait and save. It's okay to wait and save. Dads, we need to teach our kids how to live generously. Our kids need to see us be generous people. Because if they do not see their father be generous, where are they going to learn it? Not the TV, not from the wisdom of the world, not from school. Look, I have a degree in finance from a wonderful institution to the west of here.36:37And they did not teach me godly wisdom and wealth. Only the Lord can do that. Only godly men can do that. Fathers, may we be people who live generously. Dads, be vocal and visible about kingdom investments. Show your kids what matters. Live it out. May your kids see you share your faith.37:06May your kids see you sacrifice that others may be given. Show your kids about kingdom investment. They will remember that for the rest of their lives. Fathers, show your kids what you truly treasure. Dads, if your kids think that your boat matters more than them, what are they going to think about what you treasure? If they think that sports matters more than them, what are they going to think about our treasure? My generation.37:36My generation. If they think that my phone matters more than them, what are they going to think that we treasure? May we show our children what we treasure. Because we live in a world that gives you fool's gold. Show them what you treasure. And lastly, talk to your kids about true riches. Tell your kids, look, son, if you grow up to be a millionaire, you don't find your worth in that. And son, if you grow up to have nothing, you don't find your worth in that, but your worth is found in Jesus Christ.38:05And this is what Jesus says about our stuff. He says, don't collect for yourself treasures on earth where moth and rust can destroy and thieves can break in and steal. But collect for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves don't break in and steal. For where your treasure is, Matthew 6 says, there your heart is also.38:30And so this morning, if you've kind of gotten lost in this and you say, well, I don't have much or I have a lot. I just don't know about this. The first thing you need to ask yourself is this. Have I put my faith and trust in Jesus Christ? Because if he is not your treasure, nothing else matters. And how wonderful is it to know that the greatest treasure God ever had, his only son, he sent him to die on the cross that whoever believes in him might not perish, but have everlasting life.38:56That if I admit my sin, if I believe in my heart that what Jesus said he really meant, that Jesus said he was going to die on a cross for my sins, that when he died, that he would wipe away the debt I owe, that he would wipe the slate clean.39:19If I truly believe that's real and true, that I will be saved. Is Jesus Christ your treasure or do you need to put your faith in him this morning? Because if you have not, nothing else in this world matters but Jesus. Maybe you're here and you say, well, I just never actually taken the steps of obedience and baptism. Tammy would say, what are you waiting for?39:51Savannah would say, why are you delaying? Lily, Zalem would say, what are you waiting for? I just pray that you have the boldness to take those next steps of obedience today. And if you would like information, you can come down and say, just pray for me. I put my faith in Jesus, I believe, I've confessed on my mouth, but I've never put action to my faith. James would say, until you put action to your faith, it's not true faith. We would love nothing more than to encourage you in that.40:19Maybe you're here and you have a lot of cattle and a lot of hills. And this has been a hard message from God's word. I pray that you will surrender your stuff to God and that he will free you from that burden. Because it is freeing to know that everything I have is temporary and I want to honor God with my things in whatever manner that he deems necessary. Maybe you're here and your finances are a wreck.40:49Stats say that most of our finances are a wreck. Most of us have $15,000 in credit card debt. And credit card can be a way, it's a get rich quick scheme. Look, you don't have money to buy that? Here's a credit card. One group that was going through a debt-free program, they gathered all the credit card offers they had between 10 couples in four months. You know how much credit they had offered to them in four months? $4 million, 10 couples.41:20May we not buy into the lie that what you want, you need, and what you need, you should have. Because everything that we need is in Jesus Christ. So if your finances are a wreck, I know this. If you begin to treasure Jesus Christ above all else, and that you open your life up to the Spirit's moving, God will clean that mess up. Because where our treasure is, there our heart will be also.41:49We're going to open up the altar and have a time of invitation. If you just need to do business with God, but may we be people who are freed from the journey of God. I'm working to buy stuff to feed my desires. Lord, give us a desire for you this morning. Let's pray. Let's pray.Next in Proverbs →Sunday, June 26, 2016More sermons on Proverbs →
