When all you ever wanted isn't enough.

James Bell

ecclesiastes • Sermon • Submitted 6 years ago

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When all you ever wanted isn't enough

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Introduction

Jesus Said the love of money is the Very root of all evil have you ever wondered why? Is possessing the object of money evil? The answer would be no. But what does Jesus mean?

Illustration

Coming off of last weeks verses about the oppression of people and coming into this weeks text you see that most oppression comes from the love of money. So the greatest danger about money is that it makes you self centered and causes you to forget about other people. which for a believer is opposite of which Christ called us to live. The great danger is to get caught up in pursuing money and we forget about the important things in life.

One day a certain old, rich man of a miserable disposition visited a rabbi, who took the rich man by the hand and led him to a window. "Look out there," he said. The rich man looked into the street. "What do you see?" asked the rabbi. "I see men, women, and children," answered the rich man. Again the rabbi took him by the hand and this time led him to a mirror. "Now what do you see?" "Now I see myself," the rich man replied.

Then the rabbi said, "Behold, in the window there is glass, and in the mirror there is glass. But the glass of the mirror is covered with a little silver, and no sooner is the silver added than you cease to see others, but you see only yourself."

The reason money is so alluring is because of what it provides. It provides us with security, safety, comfort, image, popularity, and honor. All of these things that we desire should and can be found in Christ. But what happens is money is the great re-placer of Christ. Jesus spoke on the dangers of money more than he did hell.

In all times and places people seem to be interested in accumulating wealth. People want to get rich. in the past, thousands joined the gold rush. Today people search for high paying jobs. some strive to be CEO’s so they can receive rich bonuses and 401k’s. others go to casinos to hit the jack-pot. When the lottery goes over a hundred million dollars, people flock to the stores. People are always searching for more. some preachers even tap into this human craving for wealth. They promise that God will bless their hearers with health and wealth if only they will sew some seed money.

The Hunger for Riches is what the teacher is writing about in Ecclesiastes. At this time the land of Israel had become a province in the huge empire ruled by the Ptolemies from Alexandria, Egypt. International trade was booming. some people struck it rich; others would do anything to become rich. The teacher wants to warn God’s people against pursuing riches and encourage them to Enjoy God’s Daily Benefits

Illustration: This is an old Jewish story told by rabbis: One day a certain old, rich man of a miserable disposition visited a rabbi, who took the rich man by the hand and led him to a window. "Look out there," he said. The rich man looked into the street. "What do you see?" asked the rabbi. "I see men, women, and children," answered the rich man. Again the rabbi took him by the hand and this time led him to a mirror. "Now what do you see?" "Now I see myself," the rich man replied.

This point is proven as we get into our text because in verse’s 5:8-9 you see that the poor are oppressed because of the greed for wealth. The teacher tells them to not be shocked when they see the poor oppressed because what has caused this oppression is the greed of wealth.

Money doesn’t make you Happy

“ones life doesn't consist in the things he possesses”

(vs10) “The lover of money will not be satisfied with money; Nor the lover of wealth, with Gain.” - This verse focuses on those who place money and wealth before anything else in their lives. They live for money- and they don’t care who it hurts to possess it. They pursue money as their goal in life. There are so many people who have destroyed their homes, Children, marriages, and abandoned their Faith because of the Pursuit of wealth.

What they believe is that one day they will possess enough and then they will be satisfied. They draw a line and say once i posses this amount i will be content. but the bible teaches us here that their hearts will never be satisfied. So many believers do not pursue Christ because they are pursuing the comforts of wealth.

Paul warns “the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil, and in their pursuit to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains”

Jesus warned his disciples “ Take care!! be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for ones life does not consist in the abundance of possesions.”

Jesus further belabored this point as he taught the parable of the rich fool who built bigger barns to store all his grain and his goods. The rich fool said, “soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; Take it easy!! eat drink and be merry. Jesus concluded this teaching with this statement. “ so it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God” (luke 12:15-21)

Now he Gives the reason they will not be satisfied with wealth- (vs 11)

-The more you have the more you spend. When people become wealthy they spend more to accomodate their wealthy. They buy nicer houses, nicer clothes, nicer cars the more money you get the more you spend. The tax man wants more, charities will find you and don’t forget your third cousin charlie who is always in need of something. wealth will never satisfy because you will only get to watch other people consume it.

-(vs.12) when you don’t have anything what do you have to worry about. If you only have enough for today you are satisfied with what you have today. But the rich they worry about their riches. They see it slipping away as more and more poeple want a piece of the pie. They worry about their investments and a recession. They worked so hard to get it that they worry about losing it all. Wealthy people are usually stressed out people. The poor, actually have an advantage they are content with what they have and are thankful for their daily bread. The wealthy are not content with their daily bread and have a wandering desire that is never content. ‘

Learn to Enjoy today and stop worrying about tomorrow ()

“ therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

God is the giver of wealth so if you have it use it for God’s glory and quit hoarding it. These people kept their riches. they did not enjoy them.

Jesus warned of the rich fool in (luke 12:15-21) He built bigger barns to store all his grain and his goods, thinking that he had it for many years to come. The people, too kept their riches but then lost them in a bad venture. Listen you are not guaranteed tomorrow.

so many people store up their wealth hoping to enjoy it someday but they miss out on enjoying God each and every day with the ones God has blessed them with. the way you came into this world is the same way you are going to leave it. I have never met anyone on their death bed that wishes they had more money, or spent more hours at work but what they do wish for is that they wish they spent more time with their family making memories. so many people are not enjoying their wifes, kids, and grandkids because they are consumed with keeping their wealthy. If you want to really impact your family start enjoying what God gave you today you might not be here tomorrow. And when you spend time enjoying God’s blessings in life make sure to point to the One who gave it to you and glorify him.

Illustration: Think of Job. Job was extremely wealthy, but he lost it all in one day. An enemy army killed his servants plowing the fields and carred away his oxen and donkeys. lightning burned up his shepherds and his sheep. another enemy killed his last servants and carried off his camels. and finally a great wind destroyed the house occumpied by his children and killed them all. haveing lost all his posessions as well as his children, Job lamented, “naked i came from my mother’s womb , and naked shall i return there.” but Job was a pious man. He still worshiped God and said, “ the Lord Gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” () How would you change the way you lived today if you knew you were going to lose everything tomorrow? Live that way and enjoy today!!

Read - God truly wants you to enjoy His blessings today. Because He is most glorified when you are most satisfied in Him.

Finding our satisfaction in God alone

“You will never be satisfied in life until your satisfied with God”

Ask yourself this question. Are you satisfied with the life God has given you?

Satisfaction comes from enjoy what you do have and not looking on what you don’t have. Everything you have in your life God has given you. that includes you job, spouse, house, clothes, food, literally everything in your life is given to you by God. Most people do not enjoy God’s blessings because they are always looking for something better. They want better kids, a better spouse, a better house, better clothes, they simply are not satisfied with the life God gave them. They practically say that the life God gave them is not good enough

If you do not enjoy what God has given you there will be no joy in your life. (vs.5:19- 6:2) says it is God who causes men to have wealth but God is the one who decides if you enjoy it or not. and if you are not thankful for what God has given you now you never will be.

Many people are not thankful for the spouse they have and think God made a mistake so they rarely see the good in their spouse.

- many people are not thankful for their house, job, cars, clothes, etc will spend a lifetime of having no joy or contenment. But when you are thankful for what you do have you are able to enjoy the Lords gifts no matter what they are because you realize it is the lord that gave you them.

Is God’s gifts in your life enough? or do you know better and are pursuing a diffferent life that what God has planned for you?

Conclusion:

The message is clear: we have a choice between two ways of life. We can spend our life pursuing wealth, but this never satisfies and in the end leads to disaster. or we can focus on enjoying what God has given us. Instead of pursuing wealth, learn to be satisfied with God’s gifts.

In the N.T. Jesus also gives us the choice between these two ways of life. He teaches us, “ no one can serve two masters;for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. you cannot serve God and money.

But should we not work hard to earn our daily food and drink? Jesus does not think so. He says that “it is the gentiles who strive for all these things.: instead, Jesus urges us us, “ strive first for the kingdome of God and his righteousness, and all these things (such as food and drink) will be given to you.”

Spending our life pursuing wealth is not only a waste of our short time on earth but it will lead to disappointment. Instead we ought to focus our lives on the kingdome of God and simply enjoy what God gives us. We need to learn to enjoy food, drink, work, health, family, friends, our salvation and our God.

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