Proverbs 23.4-5
Saying 8
4 Do not wear yourself out to get rich;
do not trust your own cleverness.
5 Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone,
for they will surely sprout wings
and fly off to the sky like an eagle.
Jesus had a lot to say about money and riches in the Gospels and Revelation as does Solomon in Proverbs.
The main difference was that Jesus, God's Son, was a penniless Prophet and Solomon was the wealthiest man on earth.
Jesus lived out a life of poverty. It was not forced on Him. He chose it. I have often said when we get to heaven and see what He left to come down to this earth we will be amazed and grow immediately in our appreciation and admiration of Him Who gave up His life for us! It will be part of us knowing as we are known.
For you know the grace of our LORD Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich. II Corinthians 8.9
It is hard for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God, Jesus said.
Riches make a person proud. They have many struggles along these lines. They have a tendency to look down on the poor. They build bigger houses. If you doubt what I am saying whenkk we run into a person who is rich yet pretends to be poor we are impressed. "With all that wealth they are very humble." It is an unusual thing. A rare thing to find a rich person who is humble. That is one of the reasons Jesus said that it is hard for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven because you have to humble yourself to enter. It is hard for a rich person to forgive because of pride. Jesus said we have to become like little children to enter. My daughter told me about my oldest grandson and a friend. He ran up to him recently and said, "I'm sorry about last year, Tristan." My grandson said, "That's alright." The kid ran off and my daughter asked him what happened. Tristan said, "I don't remember." He understands what forgiveness is. We must become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven! Humble, forgiving, loving, trusting in God.
Jesus said that it easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter Heaven. So many rich people trust in their riches. They think they get things from their riches that only God can give.
You have to wonder the thoughts of those who wanted "In God We Trust" on our coins and currency. It first appeared on coins in 1864. It is a reminder of what Paul said about riches- they are so uncertain, what Solomon said about them quickly flying away.
Paul gave Timothy strong words concerning those who are rich which go right along with these words in Proverbs.
I Timothy 6.17 Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. 18 Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, 19 storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.
1. The Pathway To Becoming Rich- v.4
Wear yourself out
Become weary from labor and toil to get rich.
Trust your own cleverness
Don't trust your own observations!
Line it up with God's Word! Go into His sanctuary.
Psalm 73.2 But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;
I had nearly lost my foothold.
3 For I envied the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4 They have no struggles;
their bodies are healthy and strong.
5 They are free from common human burdens;
they are not plagued by human ills.
6 Therefore pride is their necklace;
they clothe themselves with violence.
7 From their callous hearts comes iniquity;
their evil imaginations have no limits.
8 They scoff, and speak with malice;
with arrogance they threaten oppression.
9 Their mouths lay claim to heaven,
and their tongues take possession of the earth.
There are those God makes rich!
Abraham was one of those.
It is God's intent for those He has made rich to be faithful.
Most of us need to pray this prayer from Proverbs 30.7-9
“Two things I ask of You, LORD;
do not refuse me before I die:
8 Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
give me neither poverty nor riches,
but give me only my daily bread.
9 Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you
and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’
Or I may become poor and steal,
and so dishonor the name of my God.
Sometimes God makes a person rich on this earth in things of this world:
Proverbs 10.22 The blessings of the LORD makes one rich and He adds no sorrow to it.
Try to get rich quick, buy into to schemes, set your heart on money and you will be filled with all kinds of pain and sorrow and regret.
We all can become spiritually rich.
Some, like Abraham, God sees He can trust with wealth and He blesses them.
I Timothy 6.17 Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. 18 Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, 19 storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.
If you are rich:
*Do not be haughty.
*Do not trust in your riches
*Trust in God
*Do good
*Be rich in good works
*Be ready to give (Keep some cash on you for that purpose)
*Be willing to share
The blessings-
Store up treasure in heaven
to put away, lay by in store, to treasure away
to store up abundance for future use
Laying hold of eternal life.
Abraham was richly blessed monetarily.
2. Cast But A Glance At Riches
A Glance= fly away, light upon with your eyes.
Let your eyes fly around and light upon riches for they will soon fly away from you.
Think about the way we save money (and there is nothing wrong with that, in fact we are encouraged to save) but to pull our bank statement out, to mull over in our mind out savings balance is not good for our souls. It is bad to look at those who are rich because the riches can get our attention. Then we see that these people have no place for God in their lives and we begin to question our own commitment to Christ. It is a slippery slope.
[holding up a FedEx package to the Russian employees]
Chuck Noland: You all recognize this, don’t you? I took the liberty of sending this to myself. I FedExed it before I left Memphis. I wonder what could be in here? What could it possibly be? Is it architectural plans? Maybe technical drawings? Is this a new wallpaper for the…for the bathroom.
[takes a digital clock out of the package]
Chuck Noland: It is a clock, which I started at absolute zero and it’s now at eighty seven hours, twenty two minutes and seventeen seconds. From Memphis, America to Nikolia in Russia eighty seven hours. Eight seven hours is a shameful outrage. This is just an egg timer! What if it had been something else, like your paycheck, or poison berries, or adoption papers?
Eight seven hours is an eternity, the cosmos was created in less time. Wars have been fought and nations toppled in eighty seven hours! Fortune made and squandered.
Yes that quick!
Proverbs 27.23 Be sure you know the condition of your flocks,
give careful attention to your herds;
24 for riches do not endure forever,
and a crown is not secure for all generations.
25 When the hay is removed and new growth appears
and the grass from the hills is gathered in,
26 the lambs will provide you with clothing,
and the goats with the price of a field.
27 You will have plenty of goats’ milk to feed your family
and to nourish your female servants.
May God give you insight into these words and may you apply them to your heart today!
The Bible says, "If riches increase... " Now it says, "Labor not." Don't let that be a goal of life. But, "If riches increase, set not your heart upon them" (Psalm 62:10). God may see fit to increase riches. Just don't let your heart get set on them.
Our attachment to the things of this earth ought to be diminishing as we grow in the Word of God and mature and as we get closer to heaven.
3. The Truth About Riches
They are gone quickly, very quickly.
They will sprout wings.
They will fly off to the sky like an eagle.
Jesus' words about Solomon's wealth:
Matthew 6.28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
False Things About Riches:
Interesting how the Truth exposes the false, not so with the false it blinds you! The Truth sets you free to see the false. The false does not let you see the truth! Obviously God does not want everyone to be rich. Rich people will come t Christ but it is hard and many will not.
* Riches will bring happiness.
* Riches will set you free.
* Riches will bring you to enjoy life.
* Riches will make life stress free.
* Riches will make others jealous.
* Riches will get you good friends, cool people.
* Riches will endure.
A further truth...
We are in this world.
In this world, in comparison, to many nations, we are rich. Conversation recently with B&N Guys.
We are rich compared with the rest of the world!
As citizens of this world we need to realize our standing.
Don't seek to become rich.
If you have some wealth it will soon disappear.
Trust in the LORD.
Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.
Give generously and cheerfully.
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