Greed
Let's start with a word of Prayer.
Grace's father Mighty God the Eternal and everlasting one we come before you and desire to lift you up and praise you and worship you as our God and our King. We thank you for these opportunities. What a joy. It is to know that we have a God that loves us so deeply he would be willing to do all he could to allow us to come and be his children sin. May you bless our time together. Oh Lord in Jesus name. Amen.
You know no matter what happens. God keeps the singing. That's our first song. He keeps me singing As number 624 in your hymnals. And if you're following their we're doing verses 1 to 4 and 5 knots will be on the screen right guys.
There's within my heart.
Jesus
All My Life lyrics
Child Jesus Jesus
kids music
Barbie on the school
Jesus
East Lansing
Sorry about that running away. I forgot my Mike again. Our reading is this morning is taken from Luke chapter 18 verses 2225 here. It gives us some things to think about. Jesus is speaking and you might remember the story where the wealthy man comes to him and talks about his walk with the Lord and he's done everything God had called him to do and then it gets to the end and it we begin in 22 says when Jesus heard this he said to him you still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give it to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven then come follow me. When he heard this he became very sad because he was very wealthy. Jesus looked at him and said how hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God indeed. It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is Rich to enter the kingdom of God. And you know one of those things that we might think about is reread. That is as Jesus was calling this man to give up everything. He had to follow him. Think about that in your own lives. Think of all the things you have if I came to you today and said John, would you be willing to give up everything? You have to follow me? You put your name in there? Think about all the things that you have. Would you be willing to lay it all aside to go and serve the Lord? That's what God calls us to have a willingness to serve him it goes over and over again and scripture. Anyway, we're going to talk about that a little bit today the whole idea of greed and how it affects our lives. okay, prayer requests When's my pray for our faithfulness today that God would help us to stand firm in that also remember jogging Doug and Cheryl gray. Cheryl has cancer ovarian cancer and she must go in and a week or so to Eugene to have a hysterectomy. And so we need to be in prayer for her as she goes through this process. We almost might also remember Nick is he's in the hospital in. Going through some procedures to help with the growth that is on his body. Let's go to prayer. Our gracious father again we come before you is the mighty one who I truly has all things in your hands and we trust you. We trust it As We Lay these burdens at your feet that your answer to each and every one of them will be the best. Whatever that might be help us to trust you for that and that if even if it doesn't come out the way we think it ought to be recognized it is the way you desire and that is the very best way for you desire good for the people who call upon your name until father as we come before you I know that one of the requests that you desire to have answered is the life of people for you want people to come to know you come to receive you as Lord and Savior and so we want to remember the people of our community of powers that are struggling in their lives because they do not know the piece that you alone can bring to their lives. And so we call upon your spirit to be working in their lives and helping them to see their need. How to find a one who they can trust to Faithfully leave them in this life and that is you father we pray that you would help us to be faithful and true to your call in their lives. We do pray for our faithfulness for the faithfulness of each person here as we get into these times of struggle when people are denying who you are and changing laws and rules to fit their desires. It requires us to be willing to stand faithfully and so father we pray for Faith for each person that is here that they would stand Faithfully upon your word and what they are called to Lord we want to remember Doug and Cheryl is she goes in for surgery here? We pray that you would be with them to give them the sense of your peace that can comfort and guide and satisfy. The recognize that their lives are bound up in your presence and so be with them and blessed them. We also want to remember Mick as he goes through the struggles of this stuff.
This growth that they've recognized and the uncertainty of it and the procedures that he's going through father as he is at must to quietly lay there may his thoughts go to you and may find that richness that you alone can bring to his life. He was Darlene as well for it is causing certainly struggles in her life father. We do pray for the unspoken request for each one who has a request of the heart. May you be with them. May you encourage bless restore and guide in your ways. We thank you for this opportunity again father and may you bless us as we continue on in the service rejoicing in your name and your presence in our lives. Oh Lord our Great and Mighty Redeemer. Amen.
Our next song is found in your Hymnal number 357 rates out of the bread of life.
First communion this morning. We're going to 1st Corinthians 11 verses 23 to 26.
Just where I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you. The Lord Jesus on the 90 was betrayed took bread and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said this is my body which is for you do this in remembrance of me in the same way after supper. He took the cup saying this cup is the New Covenant in my blood do this whenever you drink it in remembrance of me for whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup you proclaim. The Lord's death comes And one of the things that reasons we do communion as often as we do is because we need to remember who really loves us. Who has given everything for us including his very life that we can have that life as we trust in him as our Lord and savior. So as we consider what he has done we need to remember that Jesus Christ loved us enough there from the very point of creation. He understood that he had a destiny with a cross.
Any fulfill that Destiny with love and care for you and for me for everyone whether they receive him or not, he died so that they might have life as they trust in him. So this is a time of remembrance. I'm remembering that love that God had for each and every one of us. We're going to take just a minute to go to the Lord in prayer as you close your eyes remember to ask him to Cleanse each and everyone of You by the Bee through the blood of Jesus Christ that you will be clean and holy as you receive the communion. Let's pray. Are Grace's Father in Heaven how we thank you that. You are such a such a gracious God that you willingly accept our desire to be forgiven that you receive has to be your own when we call upon your name, and we thank you for that. And we thank you that as we recognize that there is guilt within our life and we come before you that you forgive. And we thank you for that. But most of all father we thank you for your precious love for us a love that brought you to Earth that gave your life for us so that we can feed off on the bread of your life. So that you gave your blood. The cover are sent so that we can remember that our sins are washed completely through that blood. Lord thank you for your goodness. And your love may you bless us now as we take the bread and the cup in your name. In the name of Jesus Christ Our Lord and Savior we ask these things. Amen. Okay, we'll start in the back if those in the back when I move out and then the rest kind of follow as we move forward come forward take the bread in the cup and then be seated and then when we're all we've already received it, then we'll will then we'll take it together.
Oh precious father how we rejoice in remembering the precious gift the greatest gift of all time the joyful gift of knowing Jesus Christ as our Lord and savior as we remember this father and take the bread take the cup. May you instill in us that deeper deeper understanding and knowledge of you are Mighty God in Jesus name. amen Alright, it's super charge time.
Third third grade and under if your fourth grade stick around.
That's really exciting that the number of kids has been growing in our attendance. You know, I think that that's a good indication of hopefully our future as a body of Christ, but it's I'm also thankful for people like Cambria who have stepped up and with a desire to make it alive and real for them in this this time. So thank the Lord. Anyway, let's pray.
Our Father in Heaven again we come before you
A parable this morning a little story it actually follows right after that reading we had and Luke earlier and it begins with what I want to call an intern debate. It begins with a man who had a Lust For worldly possessions above his desire for God in other words and in some ways he wanted God to intervene on his behalf the game greater possessions. So here we go. It's the Loop 12 13 to 15 someone in the crowd said to him teacher tell my brother to divide the inheritance me. And Jesus replied man who appointed me a judge or an arbitrator between you then he said to them watch out be on your guard against all kinds of greed life does not consist in any abundance of possessions.
No money, no possessions, you know, sometimes we wonder if you know, how can those people in those tribes out in the jungle? Follow Christ? Because they have nothing well in some ways having nothing allows us to spend a greater percentage of our time with the one who has everything and so we look to that. You know, we're all in that kind of inner debate sometimes, you know, we have needs we have desires that we want for our lives and we run those through our mind. And one of the big questions is is my desire for the things that I'm thinking about and wanting to have are they taking over my heart and my desire. To follow God and to follow his lead and Paul Paul in the Book of Romans. He got to Romans chapter 7 after going through a lot of the procedure of coming to know Jesus Christ and the Walk of faith and all those things and then he gets to the desire of once of our lost these words Roman 7 vs 22 and 3/4 in my inner being I Delight in God's laws. Okay, that's what I really want. Right and then he says, Emily says but I see another law at work in me Waging War against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner to the law of sin at work within me. And sometimes our desire for things and for those things of the world take precedence over our desire for God and that greed really puts up a barrier that barrier between us and the Living God and we have to be really conscious about that. You know, they're there is always some kind of debate when we think about our giving to the church are tithing or giving to somebody that hasn't need. You know, I really need what they they want or I think I need what they want, but I have it here and I could give it to you know, when we struggle with that that battle, you know. I could really use this money. Why do I need to give it to the Lord? You know what? Those are debates that throw flow through our minds, but God doesn't want it to be a Cause. To put up a barrier in front of our relationship with him. The greatest thing we have is our relationship with Jesus Christ. I hope that you're saying in your mind's Amen to that because we need to have that mindset that God is the most important thing and all those other things are just battles that we have, you know, Paul understood that battle in that struggle that they had and he was Raising support for the Jerusalem Church, they'd come on hard times and his ministries in the church was struggling to even live financially and so he began raising support. He went to the different churches that he had raised up as he was a going through Asia and Europe talking and bring these churches together and he talked to the Corinthian Church and he'd ask them to raise some support to help the Jerusalem Church and they were oh, yeah, we've But together we're going to do that. But you know Paul wasn't so certain about what their promises were. Never do that ever get people aroused up and you think okay, they're ready to go and then They fail you some art what Paul was kind of thinking that about the the Corinthian Church. He knew that they had some struggles and so he's he's riding to them in 2nd Corinthians chapter 9 verse 5. He says, so I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to visit you in advance and finish the arrangements for the generous gift you had promised. See they promised to give a gift and he was uncertain whether they would so he sent some of the followers his followers. Probably somebody like Timothy or he sent them along ahead of time to help them make sure that the support was raised. So when he got there they were able to give it without any struggle. It's already available. And sometimes we have to do that in our lives and you know, when it comes to giving to the church, you know, you just say, oh, I'm just going to set that money aside. I listen to John fante. I'll talk a little bit about that and he says, you know when I choose to give whether I'm hurting financially are blessed financially all good things happen, and I don't have any problems, but when I choose not to give whether I'm doing well or struggling then I have struggled financially in my Why and that's the way it really ought to be? You know, when we give to the Lord we have to trust that he is going to guide our path in the ways we go. Practice that practice that idea because God does promise. Then he will guide our path. That's one of those great promises. We have trust in me. Proverbs 3 5 & 6 says this is one of those favorite verses that many of us have trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding in all your ways submit to him and he will make your path straight. You know if we trust God for those things in our lives it work out. It'll work out God's way it will work out his way. We need to remember that when we start craving things and we make it our plan rather than God's plan. We get into trouble men's plan. It says Joe 20/20 says surely he will have no respite from his Cravings. He cannot save himself by his treasure in other words if that's what we're seeking. There's no hope there's no salvation in any of the money or the treasures that we have in this life. It is only in our relationship with God. So shouldn't that relationship be the most important most valuable thing in our lives?
God's Gift. Okay. Well now we get to the struggle. Here's the parable and it's in verses 16 through 19 and he told them this Parable the ground of a certain Richmond yield in abundant Harvest. He thought to himself what shall I do? I have no place to store my crops. Then he said this is what I'll do. I'll tear down my Barns and build bigger ones and there will be a store and there I will store my grain and I'll say to myself you have plenty of grain laid up for many years take life easy eat drink and be merry okay that's mansplaining life, you know make it good for me because that's what life is about. But Jesus came and taught a different thing. He taught that wife was really important to give to God what you have. And to love others and express that love through all that God has blessed us with and God has blessed us. We must remember that he has blessed us. James gives this warning to those who think the other way don't be deceived James 1 16 and 17. Don't be deceived my dear brothers and sisters every good and perfect gift is from above coming down from the father of the Heavenly lights who does not change like shifting Shadows.
You know if I recognize that everything that I have that I might say, oh that's really good. You know the house that I have the cars I drive my my job here is a pastor. All those things are from God and they're good things. And there are things that need to be shared. with those around me
I need to remember that in all I do it comes down to my motives for what I choose to do is God involved in those motives Proverbs 16 2 and 3 says all the person's ways seem purity of them. But motives are weighed by the Lord commit to the Lord whatever you do and He will establish your plans. That's why prayer is so important Moment by moment day by day in our lives. We all come up with plantae will proceed and we need to be giving each of those moments in the hands of God. That's why God tells us that we can pray continually if you know, he is involved in those thoughts. You know, that's a prayer to God. It's giving to God what the day is all about.
Taking the time to really seek Him in every aspect it shows our motives in our desires, but we have a tendency to deceive ourselves. Sometimes if we're leaning upon our own desires our own once think about a couple of people named ananias and Sapphira you might remember the story. The new church was established in people were selling their property and bringing it in and that might be one of the reasons the Jerusalem Church was having problems, but they would bring those funds in and it spread them around and share it with the church. Ananias and Sapphira had some property and they sold the property and they brought it to the church part of it. In other words today, they wanted to keep back some of it for themselves, but they didn't let the church know they told the church that this was the whole some of the sale of their property.
It says with his wife x52 with his wife's full knowledge. He kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles feet. You know, you're I am I'm such a good guy sold all his property. I'm bringing all these funds to you. God knew better did me? God spoke to Peter Peter condemned them. And he died immediately. And so did his wife so far.
It's a lesson for each and everyone of us. God doesn't normally go around striking us if we lie to him like his dad but it sure is a barrier to our relationship with him is not good, but it's our choice. We can choose the pathway that we take God gives us that option. He hopes that option is to follow him. But we choose Matthew 7:26. Jesus is talking to the people and talking about the pathway that they choose for their lives. It's has the idea of where we build our house where we build our support structure. Matthew 7:26 and says about everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like the foolish man who built his house on the sand and if you remember the story the storms came and that house was washed away. And that's what life is if we do not trust the Living God for support. So let's see what happened as we finish this parable.
Luke 12 20 and 21, but God said to him you fool. This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself. This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves, but is not rich toward God what a powerful statement the whole idea of what we do with the blessings that God has put into our hands we have that choice that option but boy, this is a powerful statement about what happens if we choose not to be benefit beneficial to God's plans. Proverbs 16:9 says in their hearts humans plan their courts, but the Lord establishes their steps. You know, we can do all the planning we want but we need to recognize that God is the one who will guide each and every step that we take to follow. Our you know, if we choose to seek our way of going there's no hope there's no hope we are lost. Psalm 39:6 says surely everyone goes around like a mere Phantom in vain they Rush about heaping up well without without knowing who's it will finally be you say this rich man. Didn't know that his life was at an end. You know, we don't know God's plans is God's plans was the end his life. And then if he had used his Goods to bless others, what a difference that would make. But if we choose to use it for ourselves. It's lost. You know, you can't take it with you. There's no hope for eternity. No matter how much money how many possessions we get on this Earth. They're gone. Once we once we pass from this life and every one of us will. every one of us will
wisdom the whole idea that wisdom lies in our desire to please the Living God is so much James 5:3 is talking about these things and he said your gold and silver are corroded there corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire you have hoarded wealth in the last days.
Do we hoard for ourselves? Are we benefit benefit beneficial to God scuse me?
Where are treasuries that's the most important thing our treasure ought to be in heaven our desire in heaven and Jesus talked about this. Once again going back to The Sermon on the Mount Matthew 6 verses 20 and 21. But store up for yourselves Treasures in Heaven where moth and Vermin do not destroy and where thieves break in and steal for where your treasure is there. Your heart will be also if my treasure is my desire to please the Living God to make him first in my life rather than to provide for everything. I desire and I have
My blessing is in heaven. That's where it's stored up. It's not stored up here on this earth, and the benefits will be great. You know, sometimes we take a look at that and we say well, yeah, but I like to enjoy what I have here on this Earth and this is a this is a blessing for me here on this Earth. Well How long does that blessing last we don't know? I mean God can take any one of us before we even walk out of this building. You could take us home.
Then what good is all that that we've saved up for? God wants us to be a blessing to him and by doing so we bless him and we bless other people with how he is chosen to bless us. The whole idea of greed is a powerful Implement for Satan to use to draw people away from the Living God and to have them want to bless themselves rather than him. It's something to think about. Are all my all my funds and all my possessions. More powerful than my heart and desire for the Living God. Would I be willing to give up everything in order to serve him? So huge question?
how far you think about but I hope that you do I hope you think about God because we're in a time in our lives when things are happening in our world that cause us great struggles We need to hold fast to what God has to say to us. very fast Let's pray. Grace's Father in heaven, we thank you for your rich and Powerful blessing of your presence in our lives. May we recognize that may we recognize that you are with us and your heart and desire is to give us the very best in this life. Help us to remember that in the trust you with all the things in our lives. For all these things are just momentary blessings for us to use for your kingdom and your glory on this Earth. as we remember that father and we Have our eyes and our focus upon you we will make wise. and blessing lesson decisions that encourage and draw people closer to you help us to do that father and still in our hearts and desire to follow you with everything we have where you are The Giver of all those things. Thank you father in Jesus name. Amen.