Well it's great to be here tonight and it's exciting to be at the beginning of
something new. These are gonna be great memories someday of having been here at
the beginning of a great church. I like the fact it's a little hot in here
because I feel really comfortable. It's just like back home and you know I
was thinking about one of my fondest memories from when I was a
teenager and I first got into a good soul winning independent
fundamental Baptist Church July 1998 going to my first Sunday night
service at Regency Baptist Church and the pastor was sick so somebody else was
filling in but I remember it was like a hundred and ten degrees or something
because Sacramento has some really hot days like that and this church building
had no air conditioning but they just had all the doors open and they
had fans on it's like a hundred and ten degrees outside you know six in the
evening and we were just in metal folding chairs that had stenciled on the
back of every metal folding chair Nuestra Casa they just got it from like
a Mexican restaurant or somewhere and it was just the hardest preaching I'd
ever heard because I'd been five years in the liberal church with the
air conditioning and the soft pews and it was like 20 minutes of a sermon
I just remember sitting in there just sweating hard preaching it was hot
just ripping face on soul winning and everything else and I was just like I
love this like where has this been all my life so it just brings back great
memories and the this is a day that we're gonna look back on many years from
now thinking about the beginnings of pure words Baptist Church and it's it's
gonna be great to be here on Sunday morning you know for the first service
as well so it's exciting now what I want to preach about tonight is the
deceitfulness of riches if you look down at mark 4 look at verse 18 the
Bible reads and these are they which are sown among thorns such as hear the
word and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches and the
lusts of other things entering in choke the word and it become it
unfruitful so the I want to focus on that phrase the deceitfulness of
riches there's something similar of a Matthew 13 if you want to flip over
there Matthew 13 you see deception is when you're being tricked or you're
being fooled or you're beguiled right that's what it means to be deceived and
the Bible says that riches are deceitful that means that they offer
something that they don't really deliver on right that you know you have
a certain idea but it turns out not to be right look at Matthew chapter 13
verse 22 he also that received seed among the thorns is he that here at
the word and the care of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke
the word and he become it unfruitful now according to the Bible the
deceitfulness of riches can cause us to become unfruitful why is that well flip
back to chapter 6 of Matthew the reason why the deceitfulness of riches
can make us unfruitful is because you cannot serve God and mammon you can't
serve God and money so if riches deceive you they can actually take you
out of the fight and cause you to become unfruitful you're no longer evangelizing
like we heard about in the last sermon look at Matthew 6 19 lay not up for
yourselves treasures upon earth where moth and rust of corrupt and where
thieves break through and steal but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven
where neither moth nor rust of corrupt and where thieves do not break
through nor steal for where your treasure is there will your heart be
also the light of the body is the eye if therefore that I be single thy whole
body shall be full of light but if thine eye be evil thy whole body shall
be full of darkness if therefore the light that is in thee be darkness how
great is that darkness 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 you cannot serve God and mammon so you have to choose
today is your life going to be about laying up tres on earth or is it about
laying up tres in heaven are you seeking money with your life or are you
seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness now flip back to
Ecclesiastes chapter 2 and I'm gonna give you three deceptions of riches the
threefold deceitfulness of riches because deception means a lie so what
are the lies that are out there that the devil would get us to believe about
riches or that riches could entice us with number one the deceitfulness is
that riches will make you happy now this is what a lot of people think
today that riches will make you happy and look in your life you're
gonna seek after something in your life unless you're just a complete loser
just you're lazy you do nothing you're gonna do something with your life
and the two big things that he usually boils down to are seeking after mammon or
seeking after God because you know most people in their life are gonna be
seeking after something whether it's to serve God please God get closer to God
and that's their big thing or their big thing is about getting rich making
money having a fancy car fancy house whatever the the things that they crave
in their life but the deceitfulness is that the world today thinks that riches
will make you happy don't they that's the lie that's out there most people
believe that lie but look what the Bible says in Ecclesiastes chapter 2
verse 4 I made me great works I builded me houses I planted me
vineyards I made me gardens and orchards and I planted trees in them of all
kind of fruits I made me pools of water it's pretty obvious that this guy's got
money right I mean he's got houses gardens orchards swimming pools he said
he watered there with the wood that bringeth forth trees verse 7 I got me
servants and maidens and had servants born in my house also I had great
possessions of great and small cattle above all that were in Jerusalem
before me I gathered me also silver and gold and the peculiar treasure of Kings
and of the provinces I got me men singers and women singers and the
delights of the sons of men as musical instruments and that of all
sorts so I was great and increased more than all that were before me in
Jerusalem also my wisdom remained with me and whatsoever mine I desired I kept
not from them so I mean this guy saw something he bought it he didn't even
think about it he did money was no object whatever he saw he just gave it
to himself and it says I withheld not my heart from any joy for my heart
rejoiced in all my labor and this was the portion of all my labor then I
looked on all the works that my hands had wrought and on the labor that
I had labored to do and I said boy this is living this is the life is
that what he said no he said it's all vanity but not only was it vanity
because vanity just means is empty it's worthless is meaningless but he said it
was vexation of spirit vexation think about that word vexation you know the
Bible verse that comes to mind is when lot beheld the wicked deeds of Sodom
and Gomorrah and all the perverts and homos and it said he vexed his
righteous soul daily and seeing and hearing their evil deeds you know what
that means it really just bothered him it bugged him it was an irritation to
him right well look the Bible said here that all the wonderful things that
Solomon had purchased and build and acquired and done he actually looked at
them and they bugged him they were a vex it was all just a vexation of
spirit to him not only did he feel neutral toward it he actually felt
negative toward his wealth at this point because he looks at it and it
did not give him the happiness that he thought it was going to give him
and he said there was no profit under the Sun it was unprofitable it was vain
and not only that it vexed his spirit jump down to verse 17 you say oh man if I
could just get ahead financially if I could just turn the corner financially
if I can just pay off the house or if I could just get the boat or the RV
no this is where you'll be when you get all your financial goals it says
in verse 17 therefore I hated life I mean is that where you want to be do
you want to get to the point where you say I hate life my spirit is vexed
with the boat it's vexed with the RV it's vexed with the Cadillac and the
Mercedes is vexed with the summer home in the winter I hate my life but people
think it's gonna bring happiness why because it's the deceitfulness of
riches are you deceived tonight have you been deceived where you think oh
man if I could just get these possessions I'm gonna be so happy that
stuff doesn't bring happiness it's a lie he said I hated life because the work
that is rotten to the Sun is grievous unto me for all his vanity and vexation
of spirit yeah I hated all my labor which I'd taken under the Sun because I
should leave it under the man that should be after me look at chapter 5
in Ecclesiastes chapter 5 verse 10 you say oh man if I could just get
the the finances that I need I'll be so happy look at verse 10 of
Ecclesiastes 5 he that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver
money doesn't satisfy I mean that's what the Bible is saying here and then he
said nor he that loveth abundance you know the guy who loves that fat bank
account the fat billfold the abundance of goods it says you know
what he's not going to be satisfied with that increase its vanity look at
verse 11 when goods increased they are increased that eat them now I can
give a testimony about that because I've got 12 eaters in my house and it
says and what good is there to the owners thereof saving the beholding of
them with their eyes you know the sports cars the fancy outfits the
wardrobes the decorations the paintings on the wall the original you
know first printing first edition of this book and that artwork and that
artifact and that treasure what what good is it you just can look at it
the beholding of them with your eyes the sleep of a laboring man verse 12
is sweet whether he little or much but the abundance of the rich will not
suffer him to sleep there's a sore evil which I've seen under the Sun
namely riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt so riches can be
a curse the Bible says but those riches perished by evil travail and he
begateth the Sun and there's nothing in his hand as he came forth of his
mother's womb naked shall he return to go as he came and shall take nothing
of his labor which he may carry away in his hand and this is also a sore
evil that in all points as he came so shall he go and what profit hath he
that hath labored for the wind wasting your life laboring for the wind
you came into this world naked you're gonna go out of this world naked the
Bible says in all points the way that you came in is the way that you're
gonna go out and it's vanity to spend your life seeking money the deceitfulness
of riches is number one that riches will make you happy but number two it's that
riches will last forever see the deceitfulness of riches is that people
think that once they get riches they're gonna stay rich they're gonna
keep those riches but how many times have people been rich and lost
everything happens all the time and we know of course that upon physical
death you're certainly gonna lose everything we remember the story about
the man who said I'm gonna build a bigger barn and I'm gonna lay up all my
goods and just the day that he retired literally the day that he said
alright I can retire I can relax God said thou fool this night shall I so
will be required to be what shall become of all this that thou is laid
up you know just the very night of his retirement he's so happy he got his
watch or whatever you know retirement he's just about to just enjoy now I can just
enjoy you die tonight that's what God did and you know God did that on
purpose just to show that guy and just to teach a lesson to all of us
now look you say well what you know what's wrong with waiting for
retirement and looking for that I'm looking forward to my retirement when
I die I mean think about it and that's a great retirement it lasts forever
you never gonna lose it it's never gonna go bankrupt or anything you know you say
well I want to retire at 65 just retire at 70 when you die you know I'm
just kidding we don't hopefully you'll live long in that but you know whenever
it is what's a few more years you waited your whole life to retire you
know you might as well just wait all the way until the bitter end and quit
laying up your treads on this earth so you can just enjoy them for a
couple years if you lay them up in heaven you can enjoy them forever the
deceitfulness of riches is that they will last forever people who have
riches they're very confident that they will continue to be rich that they will
remain rich they could lose those things even on this earth go to James
chapter 1 the Bible says lay not up for yourselves treads upon earth where
moth and rust of corrupt and where thieves break through and steal the
Bible says in Proverbs 23 for labor not to be rich cease from thine own wisdom
wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not listen to this for riches
certainly make themselves wings they fly away as an eagle toward heaven
you know so picture all these money bags picture like a bag with a big
dollar sign on it like on a cartoon you know you like these money bags and
just picture these little wings on it and just kind of flying away right the
Bible says that riches make themselves wings and fly away meaning that you
don't understand how they'd left you don't understand where the money went
but the money's just gone so don't be deceived into thinking that riches
are permanent they're never permanent at best they can last you a lifetime
but even then they get stolen they make wings they fly away you lose the
wealth look at James 1 verse 8 a double-minded man is unstable in all
his ways remember you can't serve God and Mammon you got to pick you can't be
double-minded and say well I really want to make it financially and I want
to serve the Lord to the best of my ability those two things are not
compatible now obviously we need to go work six days a week and make money
and pay the bills but we got to seek first the kingdom of God our main
focus in life should be on pleasing the Lord not on becoming wealthy and when
we go to work we work as unto the Lord and on Monday when we go to work and
on Tuesday when we go to work we're working because God told us to work
we're working to put food on the table we're working to pay the bills
but we're not working so we can get rich someday our attitude should be I'm
serving the Lord today it's about serving God it's about winning people
to Christ about reading the Bible getting closer to God going to church
being a blessing to the church hey that's what my life is about work is
something that I do that's a means to an end money is a tool that I use to
serve God and to live my life in a way that pleases God but we got to
make sure that it doesn't become about the money and about the career and
about the job no those things are important I don't want to downplay them
too much but we need to keep them in their proper place at the end of the
day who are we serving the Lord and whatever we do should be as unto the
Lord even just whether we eat or drink we are the Lord's we're bought with a
price he says in verse 9 let the brother of low degree rejoice and that
he's exalted you know what that means that means if you're here tonight and
you are one that would be considered low income you consider working class or
lower-class you're the brother of low degree that's just the Bible's way of
saying lower economic class you know what he's saying you ought to rejoice
if that's you oh man you're sound it's like being poor being low income
hey rejoice let the brother of low degree let that low income brother
rejoice in that he is exalted by whom by God blessed are ye poor he said in
in Luke chapter 6 but the rich in that he is made low because of the flower of
the grass he shall pass away so the deceitfulness of riches is number one
that it's gonna make you happy but number two that it's gonna last
forever it says nope rich man it's gonna pass away like the flower of the
grass it's not gonna last forever look if you would have James 5 you're
already in James just go a couple pages to the right chapter 5 verse 1 go
to now ye rich men weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you
your riches are corrupted and your garments are moth-eaten you know that
fancy suit the Italian suit the thousand dollar suit the two thousand
dollar suit you know what the moths will come and eat that when you're
not paying attention who's ever had their clothing eaten by moths before
what in the world there's like five people with their hands up is this
like a regional thing or something and I we have I've had moths eat my clothes
you know you pull out a suit that you haven't worn it has all these little
holes in it maybe just didn't know what that was those are moths okay I
mean moths I know in Sacramento California our clothes would get eaten
by moths in Phoenix Arizona I've seen the clothing eaten by moths I it's a
thing people five of you believe me but you know what what if that's your
fancy a suit you can't fix that those little holes what do you do how do you
fix put a big patch over it or something your Italian suit it's not
gonna work right and the moths will come in and eat your clothing he says
your riches are corrupted your garments are moth-eaten your gold and silver is
cankered and the rest of them shall be a witness against you and shall eat
your flesh as it were fire you have heaped treasure together for the last
days this is pretty negative this is some pretty hard preaching here I mean
it's a strong rebuke to people who are putting money first and they're putting
righteousness on the back burner these are people the Bible says in verse
four you know they're they're keeping back the wages of their workers by
fraud you know they're they're kind of a penny-pinching nickel-nipping kind
of a tightwad employer that's that's ripping off their employees behold the
hire of the laborers who've reaped down your fields which is of you kept
back by fraud cryeth and the cries of them which have reaped are entered
into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth Sabaoth means hosts the Lord of
hosts has heard the cries you've lived in pleasure on the earth and been
wanton you've nourished your hearts as in a day of slaughter what does
that mean you know a day of slaughter when you slaughter an animal it's a big
party and you know it's a big feast right when you when you slaughter an
animal he's saying you know you're living like that every day like every
day is slaughter day while your workers are starving and you're ripping
them off and everything and the bottom line is that these people here these
rich people in James 5 they're not putting the Lord first they're not
putting his righteousness first they don't care first and foremost about
the Lord Jesus Christ they care about themselves and their bottom line and
he's rebuking them hard and he's saying you know what I can take that
away from you I can send the moths to eat your clothing I can send the
rust to to destroy your precious metals I can send the thieves to
break through and steal your money so the deceitfulness of riches number one
is that it's gonna make you happy it's not number two is it's gonna last
forever it's not gonna last forever and number three go to 1st Timothy chapter
6 is the lie that says that riches won't corrupt you what are the lies that
people believe about being rich they think oh well number one they think man
if I could just be rich I'll be happy it's a lie then number two they
think oh man you know if I can just get to a certain point financially I'll
be set for life how many times you heard those words set for life they
think it's permanent I'll be set for life that's a lie you won't be set
for life and number three they say oh you know what no matter how rich I am
I'm still gonna be the same person isn't that what people say oh I'm still
just that same person that you grew up with I'm still the same guy you
won't be the same person you will become a rotten person riches will
corrupt you look what the Bible says at first Timothy 6 9 but they that will
be rich fall they that will be rich fall just just think about those words
what does it mean they that will be rich they that want to be rich people
who want to be rich people have this thought and you know they don't have
to be rich people just people want to be rich they that will be rich fall
he says but they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare you know
what they're falling into a trap a snare is a trap he said look people
who want to be rich fall into a trap they fall in a trap it's the
deceitfulness of riches right what's a trap it's a deception right the little
piece of cheese and then the mouse goes in it's a trap the mouse is
deceived that's how all traps work through deception money and the love of
money and riches deceive people they that will be rich fall into temptation
and a snare and into many foolish and hurtful lusts which drown man in
destruction and perdition for the love of money is the root of all evil
of all evil now if you think about a root the root is what produces the plant so
if you're out pulling weeds mom will tell you make sure that you pull up the
root as well because if you just pull up the plant and you leave the
root what's gonna happen the plants gonna come right back so the root is
that which produces the plant right so when the Bible says the love of money
is the root of all evil think about a root if I had a root in my hand right
and I took that root and I planted it in the earth something's gonna grow
right if I have a living root and I planted in the earth some kind of
plants gonna grow now depending on what kind of root I have right that's
going to determine what kind of plant grows from that root right but see the
love of money is like this universal root all evil grows out of this root
you understand what I'm saying because like a physical root if I planted in the
earth it's gonna grow a certain plant one specific thing you know
whatever the the weed that that is or whatever the the plant that that is
that's what this root is going to produce if I plant this root in the
earth but the love of money is the root of all evil meaning I mean you this
root fornication grows out of this root rape murder you just lust robbery just
everything wicked blasphemy pride foolishness I mean the love of money is
the root of all evil I mean this is the most dangerous root to have in
the soil of your heart you know we're talking about the parable of the
sower and the deceitfulness of riches choking the word make it unfurl I mean
if there's one root that you want to rip out of the garden of your heart that
you want to rip out of the soil of your heart you need to get in there and
dig deep and totally eradicate the love of money from your heart I mean
just get it oh I mean rip it out and don't just kind of just pull up the
plant and leave no no beat you better be sure to go really deep and pluck up
every last bit of the love of money from your heart you know I think it's
possible to remove the love of money from your heart in general but still have
a little bit left get it all out get it all out because this is the root of all
evil this could lead to all kinds of sin and wickedness in your life and it
says the love of money is the root of all evil which while some coveted
after verse 10 they've heard from the faith and pierce themselves through with
many sorrows I mean all kinds of bad things happen sadness sorrow pain
suffering hurtful lusts every evil he says but thou O man of God verse 11
flee these things and follow after righteousness godliness faith love
patience means he's saying just run away flee run screaming the other
direction from these love of money types and and the Donald Trump seminar
and the Robert Kiyosaki seminar about making money and and worshipping money
and those type of things and you know I was preaching against Donald Trump long
before he became president for the love of money you know for writing
books teaching people to love money and to seek after becoming wealthy and
for basically becoming a role model of someone who seeks after wealth and
riches and the love of money you say well is it a sin to be rich it's not a
sin to be rich but desiring to be rich will cause you to fall into a trap to
fall into temptation to fall into a snare and so seeking riches is going
to lead you into all manner of sin the Bible says you don't have to turn
there if you would turn to Proverbs 16 but in Proverbs chapter 1 it says for
the turning away of the simple shall slay them and the prosperity of fools
shall destroy them so don't buy in this lie that oh if I'm rich I'll still be
the same person no you won't be the same person you will get worse and
worse and worse and worse and more corrupt and more rotten of a person
the more you seek after money the more you desire to be rich and the
more the love of the money starts to you know germinate in the soil of your
heart you're just gonna get worse and worse and worse so lie number one is
that riches will make you happy lie number two is that riches will last
forever you'll be set for life and number three is that riches won't
corrupt you you'll still be the same person those are all three lies okay
but here's the good news that's the bad news the good news is that serving
God will give you everything that riches won't give serving the Lord
because remember you can't serve God and Mammon you got to pick right well
serving God gives you everything that riches promised you but lied about
serving God actually gives you those things so like number one we said you
know riches won't make you happy but guess what serving God will make you
happy because the Bible said in Psalm 6 you're in Proverbs 16 but in Psalm
16 11 it said thou will show me the path of life in thy presence is
fullness of joy at thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore joy
unspeakable and full of glory the fruit of the Spirit is joy you know
real happiness comes from serving the Lord so serving the Lord brings the
real happiness that money promised but couldn't deliver but number two riches
won't last forever but your reward in heaven will last forever the Bible
said in 1st John 2 17 the world passeth away and the lust thereof but he that
doeth the will of God abideth forever he that doeth the will of God
abideth forever lay up treasures in heaven where moth and rust do not
corrupt and where thieves do not break through nor steal for where your
treasure is there where your heart be also and number three riches will
corrupt you but serving God will make you a better person so it does the
opposite of what riches will do to you it actually gives you everything that
money promised it would give you but it actually delivers him in look at
Proverbs 16 verse 1 the preparations of the hardened man and the answer of
the tongue is from the Lord all the ways of a man are clean in his own
eyes but the Lord with the spirits commit thy works unto the Lord and
thy thoughts shall be established look at verse 6 by mercy and truth
iniquity is purged and by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil you know
serving God makes you a better person when you commit your works unto the
Lord all your thoughts will be established mercy and truth will cause
your iniquity to be purged by the fear of the Lord you will depart from
evil you will live a better life a cleaner life a more righteous life as
you bring forth fruit God will purge you and then you'll bring forth even
more fruit so you will become a better person you won't be the same
person you used to be and people say why you change your different you know
ever since you start going to pure words Baptist Church it's like you're
just not the same anymore
amen amen we ought to be different but at least it's an improvement not like
man ever since you started making the big bucks ever since you started
driving fancy cars you're just not the same guy anymore but that's a
negative thing but you know when you start getting serious about serving the
Lord when you start attending church regularly and you start growing and
and and learning and and loving the Bible and and loving the people of God
and loving the Word of God things are gonna change in your life for the
better now look all of us want to be happy amen I want to be happy you know
all of us want something permanent in our life something that's gonna last
you know we don't want to work for the wind we don't want to work and
and and put a bunch of effort into something it's just all in vain it all
gets wasted it all is just a waste of time nobody wants that right we all
want to be happy we all want our life to mean something for eternity permanently
right and we all want to be a better person nobody wants to become a scumbag
nobody wants to become a rotten person no one wants to become selfish
self-centered right just a dirtbag nobody wants to be like that at least
nobody in this room I mean nobody who's saved you know just wants to be
scum I mean you know according to the inward man we all want to serve God we
all want to love God we all delight in the law of God of the inward man you
know some of you've got him buried very deeply but he's in there somewhere
and what I mean by the inward man is the real you the new you the saved
you the spiritual you he's down there somewhere and the thing is we all want
these things right it's normal it's part of human nature to want to be
happy to want to have something permanent in our lives and to want to improve
ourselves these are three things that are just perfectly natural money comes
to us and says you know what I can give you what you want you want to be
happy I'll make you happy you want security and stability and permanence in
your life I'll give that to you hey you want to be a better person you
want to be philanthropic you want to help people and be a blessing to
people oh I'll give that to you because once you have money then you'll
be able to give to charity and everything you know you're gonna be this great
person you're gonna be a rotten scumbag and you know when you look at
these really rich people when they do give away money it's always to the most
rotten causes I was just reading about some guy and he was some con
artist he's ripping people off he's in prison now he was a Hollywood guy and
he had all kinds of money and everything like that and it was talking about
how he was really big on charity the biggest charity he was big on was
just on vaccinating you know he's just given all his money to make sure
everybody gets vaccinated you know you look at you look at the charities that
the Hollywood actors give to you know if you look up you look up actors
and actresses on Wikipedia and you look up the little section it says like
personal life oh man it's ugly on almost all of them right just look up
all your favorite famous actors and actors look at where it says personal
life oh here's where they got married in a traditional Jewish wedding and
here's where they gave all their money to same-sex marriage and here's
where they gave all their money to pro-choice and here's where they gave
all their money to this left-wing Democrat campaign and everything like
that right so it's like all that give to charity all these rich people
they're so philanthropic they give away so much money they give it to the
devil right you know sterilizing third-world countries with vaccines
putting all kinds of weird experimental things in their vaccines
you know giving money towards some queer and lesbian cause giving money
to this synagogue of Satan and that Jewish thing and that you know it's
all these rotten causes why because by the time they got all that money
they're a rotten person they don't give to Jesus Christ they don't give I mean
find me the Hollywood actors says hey you know he donates a lot of money to
his local independent Baptist Church no but I'll show you where they
donate a Planned Parenthood oh this Hollywood actor gave all this money to
Planned Parenthood they gave money to the United Nations they gave money to
these people happy it's all the worst causes because by the time they
get there they're rotten I don't want to be a rotten person I'd rather be a
poor person and have integrity I'd rather be a poor person that's happy
than a rich person who's miserable I'd rather be a poor person who loves the
Lord than a rich person who loves himself I'd rather be a poor person
who's a blessing and refreshing like a cold drink of water to his friends and
family than to be a rich person who's just a pain in the rear end that none
of his friends and family even want to be around him because ever since he
got money he's just not the same you know what everything that money lies to
you and says here let me offer you all this the Lord gives you all that
when you serve him the deceitfulness of riches on one side or serving God
you can't have both you know brother Shelley here is is the pastor of pure
words Baptist Church you know he's not choosing a life that leads to
riches it's not like he chose to make his fortune you know what he's chosen is
to serve the Lord with his life okay and you can't do both you can't say
like well I'm gonna start an independent fundamental Baptist Church and
I'm gonna become really wealthy at the same time it's just not gonna
happen unless you'd lie cheat steal you know whatever and there are
preachers who do that you know you got the Kenneth Copeland and the Joel
Osteen and TD Jakes and whatever you know define irony oneness Pentecostal
TD Jakes preaching on the Trinity Broadcasting Network you know go figure
but you know you got all these these these wealthy preachers but you know
they're not serving God they're serving only mammon because you cannot
serve God and mammon it's one or the other you got a bunch of independent
fundamental Baptist preachers serving God right serving God that's why they
don't live in mansions that's why they don't drive all these really fancy cars
and just have all this extra money and wealth and everything like that and
wear fancy clothes and you know I don't believe that pastors should be
poor you know I just believe we should just be in the middle state you know
the Bible said in Proverbs 30 give me neither poverty nor riches feed me
with food convenient for me you know we should just be at a middle station
I'm not taking a vow of poverty I'm not asking brother Shelley to take a
vow of poverty tonight but what I am saying is that I'm never going to be
rich he's never going to be rich he's never going to be rich why because
that's not what God has called us to do Jesus Christ was not rich and
we're not better than him if Jesus Christ wasn't rich we don't need to be
rich you know if John the Baptist wasn't rich if Peter wasn't rich if
John and James weren't rich you know if Elijah and Elisha weren't rich if
Isaiah Jeremiah Ezekiel Daniel they weren't rich you know what there are
people who want to be rich and they're wicked people and if you've got that in
your heart you need to get rid of it tonight you need to you need to dig
down and tear that out and say you know what I want to serve God I want
to serve God I can't serve God and Mammon I got to pick one I'm gonna serve
God yes sure I'm gonna go to work of course I got to work hard and give
110% at my job because I'm doing it as unto Christ but the goal is not to live
an extravagant lifestyle the goal is to put effort into serving God so you need
to prioritize your life around the things of God and what gets you up in
the morning more than anything else should be to just wake up and say okay
God you know I'm here to serve you I love you what have you got for me not
to just get up and be like all right you know 362 more days until I've got
enough money to make that purchase or what you know and that's just what
you're living for in Canada it should be like all right you know 362 more
days and I'm done reading my Bible cover to cover you know for the umpteenth
time you know or or whatever right but spires never word of prayer father we
thank you so much for your word Lord and we thank you that your word is
the truth money riches they deceive us but you tell us the truth Lord and so
help us to realize your word is truth kiyosaki and Donald Trump they're not
telling us the truth they tell us that wealth will make us happy it's a
lie Lord God help us to seek first your kingdom and your righteousness and
it's in Jesus name we pray man