So tonight we're in 1 Timothy chapter 6, and I'll read verses 17, 18, and 19. "...Charge them that are rich in this world that they be not high-minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God who giveth us richly all things to enjoy, that they do good That they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate. And that doesn't mean talk, that means giving. That's the idea there. Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come. that they may lay hold on eternal life." We saw this phrase, laying hold on eternal life, in another Bible study or a sermon, I can't remember, it might have been in 1 Timothy. He's not talking about earning your salvation when he says that they may lay hold on eternal life. He's not talking about earning it. Something about the idea that we understand it, we possess it, we take advantage of it, it becomes real in our lives, and we're thinking about what it means after this. That's the idea of laying hold. I think the phrase I gave you, we would use, like, go for the brass ring. In other words, there's a challenge. We want to be all that God wants us to be. And He has given us eternal life. He has given promise of blessings based on our service to Him. There are rewards, there are crowns, and that's what the idea is. That's Paul's challenge. Paul was a very driven person. The idea wasn't, okay, I'm saved, I'm just going to lay back and, you know, I'm going to heaven, so why worry? Well, because you're going to face the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, and He's going to point His finger at you and say, what did you do with what I gave you? And there's going to be a day of accountability. Now, those of us who are saved, it's not judgment as in heaven or hell. That's taken care of when you put your faith in Christ. But there is another judgment, and that's the judgment of accountability. We call it the judgment seat of Christ. When every saved person stands before Him, And you can't blame your mom, your dad, your wife, your husband, your grandparents, your grandkids, your kids, your neighbors, the preacher, the Sunday school teacher, the deacons. Well, you can always blame the deacons. They've always done something. You know they're always guilty about something. But you can't blame it. You can't blame the president. You're going to blame Congress. He's going to say, what did you do with what I gave you? And that's the idea of laying hold on eternal life. It's a challenge. It's something to motivate us. But we're looking at this, and it begins in verse 17, charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God. And that's how we're gonna approach this, the challenges of having wealth. Now previously Paul had warned about covetousness and greed and the desire, that pursuit of doing all you can do just to get money. And we saw that and it kind of overflowed in a couple different lessons. If you go back to chapter 6, look at verse 9. It says this, but they that will be rich, again not saying that someday you're going to be rich, but that you're exercising your will into becoming rich, that's the idea. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and snaring into many foolish and hurtful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money, not money, but the love of money is the root of all evil, which while some coveted after, that's where the covetousness comes in, which while some coveted after they have erred from the faith. and pierce themselves through with many sorrows." So Paul had warned them about covetousness, about greed, about this desire to be rich. He made it clear that money was not evil. There's nothing evil about money. It's just a piece of paper with something printed on it. But it's the love of money, that desire to have it, that you prioritize your life, you schedule your life, you focus your life on the pursuit of it. Now typically, when we preach that way, people are saying, yep, that's those people. But the Lord looks at us and says, no, that's you people, our problem. And so that desire to be rich, that love of money. So it's not the possession of money, but that overwhelming pursuit of it. that God warns us about. Now even though there's nothing wrong with having wealth, and again wealth is relative, it could mean money. But for them, you know, when Paul was writing Timothy, my guess is this idea of paper money would be a foreign thought to them. Mostly when they thought about wealth, I mean there was some coinage going on, but their coinage typically was like gold or silver. It actually had intrinsic value in it, unlike the stuff that we use. But wealth is not just a money. It could be land. People may be wealthy based on the land they have. It could be other possessions, maybe some possessions you own that have some intrinsic value in it. So even though there is nothing wrong with having wealth, and whatever type of wealth that person may have, it always and still presents a challenge to our Christian life. Whether or not you're covetous, whether or not you're greedy, just having wealth, to whatever degree you have it, brings certain challenges based on that. So all of us who have some level of wealth, which is all of us, have certain challenges because of that wealth. It affects all of us. So regardless of the source of your wealth, and even though we may reject the idea of greed and covetousness, we still have to be aware of the challenges that our wealth presents to us. Now we may, again, we may not possess the wealth of some very, what's the dude, Amazon guy. What is it? Bezos, yes, that's his name. It may not be like him, who is like, you know, just unbelievable as far as what they say he's worth. So we may not possess wealth of someone like some multi-billionaire, but we do possess our wealth, whatever level that is. And we have to understand the challenges of our wealth to our Christian life. And that's how we're going to approach this. So from our text, I want us to look at four things, four challenges, and having our wealth that the Lord is warning us about or admonishing us about. Now this is for those believers who would agree with what he said earlier, which is in chapter six, but they that will be rich, fallen to temptation and snare, and to many foolish and hurtful lusts. Verse 10, for the love money is the root of all evil. For those that say amen, I agree totally. Don't be covetous, don't be greedy. Still, these warnings are for us, because we may not understand the challenges that whatever level of wealth we have brings into our, again, brings into our Christian life. So let's look at this together. Let's go back now to verse 17. And we'll see the first challenge. It says, charge them that are rich in this world that they be not high-minded. So from that we're going to draw this challenge. Number one is this. Wealth should not determine our value. The idea of being high-minded, we would use the word arrogant. You look at what you have and you kind of get, yeah, I'm doing pretty good for myself. And you look at your value based on what you have. The wealth that we have attained, look again in verse 17, "...charging the rich in this world." The wealth that we have attained in this world does not determine our value as a human being. We are neither better nor worse than another person because of our wealth. Because if you think you're better because of your wealth, you're going to look at someone who has more wealth and then think you're worse than they are. And it's a vicious cycle. We're not better than someone because of our wealth. We're not worse than someone of our wealth. It doesn't determine our value. We are neither more important nor less important because of our wealth. We neither deserve better nor worse, treatment because of our wealth. James talks about this, the book of James. It says if a rich guy comes to your church and you give him the best seats in the house, and here comes a poor guy, and you say, well, you know, there's a corner back there, find a spot for yourself. He says don't do that. There should be an equalness in the way you treat people based on their wealth. Now, it's not always going to be equally treated, and that kind of surprises us in America. Not everyone gets equal treatment. But we don't, the equality is not based on, or that lack of equality is not based on wealth. There is reasons why people get treated differently, but it's not based on wealth. Okay, just because someone has more or less, we don't value them differently. And that's important to understand. Our wealth is immaterial to our value in this world. Our true value as a human being, is found in, what do you think? The Lord Christ. Your value is based on who you are in Jesus Christ. Our true value is found in Christ, but the text is dealing with worldly wealth, okay? So, who I am in Christ determines my value, but Paul is approaching this based on worldly wealth and letting that worldly wealth value and warning us why this is a bad thing. Now, if you're thinking a moment ago, you're thinking, wait a minute, why should we treat people differently? Shouldn't everyone be treated the same? If you are, if you drunk the Kool-Aid of the last 30, 50 years, then you're going to say, everyone should be treated the same. And that is absolutely not biblical. Now, there's reasons not to treat people differently. We shouldn't treat them different because of wealth, we shouldn't treat them different because of skin color, we shouldn't treat them different because of nationality, but there are reasons people should be treated differently. I do believe in equality in that we're all equal before the Lord and of the same value, but I don't believe in equity, that everyone gets the same outcome. If you're lazy and someone else is a hard worker, you shouldn't get paid the same amount. There are different outcomes. So the value of a person is found in his character—back up for a moment—our true value is found in the Lord. But Paul's dealing with how we are in this world and dealing with wealth in this world, and that's how we're approaching it now. The value of a person is found in his character and conduct. That determines the value of a person. It doesn't matter how much wealth. Regardless of how much wealth he may accumulate, it's his character and his conduct that we look at. If someone is, in our eyes, poor, but they have great character and great conduct, we should say that's a better person than someone who's rich who has terrible character and terrible conduct. So the value is found in their character and conduct. Now, to some degree it is true that those with better character and better conduct tend to have more wealth because you work hard and you do the right things, but that's not always true. Not everyone who's wealthy has great character and conduct, and not everyone who has great character and conduct is wealthy, so it's not always true. There sometimes is a relationship, but not a direct relationship. It's not always that way. We could say it this way, an employee who is honest and hard-working is of more value than an employer who's crooked and lazy. And then we can flip it the other way and say an employer who is honest and hard-working is of more value than the employee who's crooked and lazy. So it's the character and the conduct, not the wealth, not the skin color, it's the character and conduct that determines now the value as far as in a world system, the value of people. So the challenge in of having wealth is thinking that you should be treated differently just because you have wealth. Have you ever met anyone who had more than others and thought they should be treated differently just because they have more than others? They expect to be treated better because look at how much I've accumulated? And what God is saying, no, that's not how we look at people. We don't say, well, how much money you got, and I'm gonna treat you nicer. We look at them as a human being, as an individual, and saying, okay, what's your character, what's your conduct, and based on that, I'm gonna treat you a certain way. And if you're honest and hardworking and trustworthy, then we treat you differently. If you're crooked and lazy, and you know, all the time I can, I can't even, even when I'm looking at you, I don't know if I trust you, because you're just sneaky that way. Okay, then they're of less value. Now again, I'm not talking about that we are mean or unkind, but just the idea of the value you have in this world as far as a person. So your treatment should be determined by your character and conduct, just like everyone else, regardless of your wealth. So put all the people together and say, forget about what's in your bank account, forget what kind of car you drive, forget what the house you live in, let me see who you are as a person. And that's how we're going to value you. So wealth should not determine our value. That's why he says, charge them that are rich in this world that they be not high-minded, arrogant, thinking your wealth should make you more important or more valuable than someone else. Your wealth does not do that. It's your character and conduct that should determine that value in that type of a system. All right, let's continue on. Charge them that are rich in this world that they be not high-minded, not watchers, nor trust and uncertain riches. So our wealth, this is the first challenge, not letting our wealth determine our value. Never think you're better than someone because you have more than they have. Let me back up here. You should treat people, don't look at just the kind of clothes they wear or what kind of car they drive. You got to get to know them and treat them accordingly. Don't be so bigoted that you automatically determine their value just by how they appear. Because there may be different reasons. Let me ask you this. When Job, before Job ever had any problems, and he was probably the richest man in his area in the East, people would say, wow, there's Job! But what do you think they thought about when he lost everything and he's rubbing the pot shirt against the sores trying to get some relief? They're probably looking at him, there's Job. And even Job talks about that. He said, I was the guy everyone looked up to. Now I'm the guy everyone looks down at. Ew, gross. But was Job any different? No. His value didn't change. Now their treatment of him changed, which was wrong, but his value didn't change. He was the same Job. Job trusted the Lord, still walking with the Lord, same character, same conduct. So be careful that we don't look at people differently just because of some appearance of wealth. We should look at them individually. What's your character? What's your conduct? That determines now the value in a world system. Now, ultimate value is found in Jesus Christ. I'm not going against that, but we're trying to deal with what the text is talking about. Secondly, it says, don't trust in uncertain riches, nor trust in uncertain riches. That brings us to number two. Wealth should not determine our security. Now number one may not be a bigger problem for some people, number two is a bigger problem. When you have more zeros after a number, more zeros before a number doesn't help you, but if you have a number and more zeros after it, you feel better than when there's less zeros after that number. You know, if you have $20 in the bank versus $200 versus $2,000 versus $20,000 versus $200,000 versus $2,000,000, those zeros start affecting you. You think, well, you know, I got it made. But you may not. Wealth should not determine our security. Unfortunately, now think with me as I go through this. Many have an inverse relationship. Inverse means this. When one goes up, the other goes down. That's inverse. Many have an inverse relationship between worldly wealth and godly trust. As our wealth increases, we trust more in the wealth than in God. So when our wealth increases, then our trust in God goes down. And that's what gets us in trouble, which is the essence of what he's saying there in 617. The results then is this. Now watch. So our wealth increases and our trust in God goes down because what happens is, as our wealth increases, we begin trusting in the wealth and not in God. The wealth becomes what we start looking at. Before we had the wealth, or that amount of wealth, he said, oh Lord, I gotta trust you. I gotta trust you. Okay, Lord, okay. Yeah, let's keep working on that. I gotta make sure that money keeps up there. And so it becomes an inverse relationship. Because the wealth then becomes the source of our security. We have to understand that wealth is relative. For some, wealth simply means you get a new job or a new car. And all of a sudden, you're wealthy. Now, you might say, well, that's kind of uncertain. But for some people, they've never had a new car before. And they get a new car, and they're thinking, yeah, we got it made. Or they get that job that really starts paying some big bucks. OK, we got it made. Now, if you have a lot more wealth than that, you probably realize, well, you know, it's not all that you think it is. But for them, that's their wealth. Before you had whatever you had, and you had to trust God, then you focused on Him. But now as your wealth has increased, you don't need God like you used to, or at least in your mind. Because you have the things that you needed, and now you're doing okay. Now notice what he says, let's go back to verse 17. "...Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high-minded, nor trust in," he uses this phrase, "...uncertain riches." Those who seek security in their wealth instead of God will find security in neither. Now this is an important concept. You put your security in the things you have, you're going to be very insecure. You won't have security in God because you're trusting in your wealth. But you're not going to have security in your wealth because it is, the Bible says, uncertain. What does it mean uncertain? It means it can't be depended on. So let's just talk about this for a moment because I think this is an important concept. Because when we start gaining things, we start losing our trust in the Lord, or pushing away that trust, because we start saying, okay, I've got to take care of the car. It's like this, someone, they're in church Sunday morning, they're in church Sunday night, they're in church Wednesday night, they're active, they're soul winning, they're doing all the things they need to do, and they say, oh, and they're coming on Wednesday night, pray for me, I need a better job to help pay my bills, and finally the Lord gives them this great job, and what happens, they start missing church. Quit going soul winning. because now they don't need the Lord like they did need the Lord, at least in their mind, and they're like, well, you know, I gotta make sure, I finally got this golden job, and I gotta make sure that I keep it, and they start investing all their energy in that job, away from the Lord. Now, it doesn't take a genius to figure out how bad that is, because if you prayed for the job, and God gave you the job, and you turned from God, what do you think God's gonna do? You may not be so happy. You may get that car, the car of your dreams, and you might find the car of your nightmares. Proverbs 23, let's look at a couple verses about this, just as a warning to us. Proverbs 23. 23 verse 5, what is that? The car of my nightmares? I have a list of them. I still got the nightmares, too. Proverbs 23, verse 5. The Renault? The red Renault? Yeah, that was a nightmare. Proverbs 23, verse 5. It says, Will thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings. They fly away as an eagle toward heaven. That's why they're uncertain. You think you got them, they're gone. Proverbs 27. Proverbs 27, look with me at verse 24. For riches are not forever, and death, the crown, endured every generation. Now the whole idea is you got it, but you may not be able to keep it. Now God is forever and His blessings are forever. That's why you should seek Him. Let's look at another familiar set of scripture. Luke chapter 12 please. Luke chapter 12. Verse 16. Maybe you were thinking about this when we talked about uncertain riches or the Lord holding us accountable. It's a parable I think of. Luke chapter 12 verse 16. And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain man, a certain rich man, brought forth plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do? Because I have no room where to bestow my fruits. I've got so much. My attic's full. My basement's full. My closets are full. I've rented out that storage unit down the road, and it's full. And I just don't have any more place. So what is he going to do? Build bigger barns. Because I've got to have more. And he said, This will I do, I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years. Take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. Now in this case he doesn't lose what he has. As far as the goods, what does he lose? His life. But God said in him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee. Then who shall those things be which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God. So it may be the Lord takes it away because you're putting it in front of him. It may be the Lord takes you away because you're not serving him here. So there are uncertain riches. So what is this challenge then? The challenge of having wealth is, this is now what we do, allowing our bank account to determine our commitment to God. We look at our bank account and determine what we can do. I can't only give so much, I can only do so much because I gotta have this right here. Now I'm not promoting foolishness, but I am promoting commitment. What's that? The challenge of having wealth. Thank you. we're a good tag team. The challenge of having wealth is allowing our bank account to determine our commitment to God. Now, watch what I'm about to say, because what I'm not, you're saying, you're saying, yeah, yeah, yeah, but I'm going to tell you, most believers do not live this way. The reduction in our bank account should cause us to consider whether we've been foolish. Sometimes you're like, oh, I don't know why I can't pay my bills. Well, maybe because you've got a whole garbage full of McDonald's food wrappers you've been wasting your money on. So if you've been foolish, it's not the Lord, it's your own foolishness. So if our bank account is struggling, we should consider, have I been foolish? But it should not lessen our commitment to God. Your commitment to God should be greater than your focus on your bank account. Pastor White, if I couldn't tithe and pay my bills, what should I do? Tithe. Let me tell you, I'd rather have Ohio Edison breathing down my throat than the Lord breathing down my collar, my throat, being against me. I want the Lord's blessing. I don't want to cheat him and rob him or lessen my commitment to him. You know, when I was pastoring in Warren, there were times when we had two jobs, three jobs. And that's just what it is. I'm not bragging. I'm not looking for anything other than just tell you that's the fact it was. So it took a lot of work, a lot of time. We had five little kids growing up, and they were growing up, and well, we were kind of growing too. And kept moving, they kept finding us, and kept moving, they kept finding us. But anyways. Those who have grown kids, you know it takes a lot of money. You buy them, you go to Walmart, you buy them new clothes, you go home and they've outgrown them already. Hand them down. But it's my older sister, too bad. Put the dress on kid, that's all you got. So there was a lot of things that you're tempted to do because you got so many bills. And during that time, I had my own window washing business. That's one of the things I did on the side. And some of the opportunities I had was to wash windows of businesses that I don't agree with the business, like bars. And I had a friend who got me into the business. It's kind of friends with air quotes. wasn't like a buddy-buddy, but I knew him, and he got me and taught me how to do it, and it's really not hard, but he just kind of gave me some, and he gave me some accounts, and so I worked, I had my accounts, he had his, but sometimes, because he had a lot more accounts, I would work with him, and he'd pay me per hour, and one of the jobs he had was this big bar, it had this big old mirror, and he wanted me to help him, it was several hours to do it, and I said, nope, but it's good money, nope. Because money is not my commitment. The Lord is my commitment. And I'm willing to go hungry to keep my commitment with the Lord. Because the Lord is more important than my belly. Now, I don't want my kids to go hungry. But I'm not going to do wrong to feed them. I'm going to trust the Lord in that. But if I have to sacrifice my own self, then I'm going to sacrifice my own self because my commitment to the Lord is greater than my commitment to my bank account. So believers, should serve God regardless of what it means to their financial status. The Lord should come first. Now this is as foreign as if I was, maybe not to all of you, maybe not to any of you, but generally speaking, even to believers, this is as non-understandable as if I was up here speaking Swahili. People would be like, what are you talking about? It doesn't make any sense. But that is how we're supposed to live as believers. The Lord comes first. Our commitment to Him is greater than our commitment to our bank account. So wealth should not determine our value. Wealth should not determine our security. I'm secure in the Lord. I trust Him with my life. I know I got points here, but just for a second. Let me ask you this. Do you plan to go to heaven? Who's going to get you there? He's going to get you there, right? So your whole eternity is based on your trust in God. But we can't trust Him for tomorrow. What's going to happen tomorrow? I don't know, but I've got all eternity trusting Him. If I can trust Him for all eternity, maybe I can trust Him for a few years down here. So wealth should not determine our value. Wealth should not determine our security. Number three, back to chapter 6, verse 17. charged that are rich in this world, that they be not high-minded, nor trusting in certain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy." That brings us to number three. Wealth should not determine our joy. We trust in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy. In other words, He gives us what we need to have this joy. Whatever we need to enjoy life, whatever we need in order to enjoy life comes from the Lord. He provides those things. It may not always be in tangible, physical things, but He gives us joy. Now God may use our wealth, now watch this statement, God may use our wealth to provide those things that bring us joy, or God may provide those things apart from our wealth. God does not need our money to bring us joy. He can bring us joy apart from whatever possessions we have. The source is God. The source is not the bank account. The source is not the credit card. The source is God. How He does it is up to Him. He may use my bank account. He may use my credit card. He may use neither and bring it separate. So what does that mean then? It means this, God can bring just as much joy into one's life whether he has great or little wealth. Oh, you know, I really need to work and sacrifice and I've got to put all my focus on getting this so that we can have what we need. No, focus on Him, you'll have what you need. The Lord knows how to take care of His own. So what does that mean then again? Joy isn't based on one's budget, but on one's surrender and commitment to God. You ever wonder how people had joy before there was Walt Disney World? I think they had joy even before there was amusement parks. I'm not against them. I'm not preaching against amusement parks. I'm preaching against thinking that's the only thing that's going to bring you joy. The Lord can give us joy apart from those things. So what again is this challenge? The challenge of having wealth is looking at the joys of life through the lens of money. and unwillingly believe that money is needed in order to have the joy. Again, the Lord may use your money, but he doesn't, he can bring you joy into some of the most simple things. You know, you could have as much joy walking through the metro park as you could have being at Cedar Point. because it's the same God. I'm not preaching against Cedar Point. I've been there. I'm not preaching against it. I'm just simply saying if you think the only way you're going to ever have joy is going to an amusement park, then you're wrong. Joy comes from the Lord. So wealth should not determine our value. Wealth should not determine our joy. Wealth should not determine our security. And that brings us to verse 18. That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate, laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come that they may lay hold on eternal life. What does that mean? Something about eternally, looking at things eternally. So that brings us to number four. Wealth can determine our rewards. That's one thing wealth can do. It can help determine your rewards. And that is now how we use it for the Lord. Believers should view whatever level of wealth that God blesses us with as an opportunity to invest in heavenly rewards, not as a means to accumulate earthly pleasure. Notice what he says, ready to distribute, willing to communicate. I'm ready and willing to do whatever I need to do with what God has given me. The Bible clearly teaches us that the proper use of wealth results in eternal rewards in heaven. Now consider that. Do you ever consider that what God has blessed you with is the basis that he's given you now so that you can earn rewards in heaven? There is a connection to. You say, well, if I had a million dollars. No, no. It's whatever God has given you. Using it for the Lord. If someone has a million dollars and uses it for the Lord, someone has a dollar and uses it for the Lord. You can get the same reward if you use what the Lord has given you. Let's look at a verse about this. Go back to Luke again, Luke 16. Now this is a peculiar text here. I've struggled with it. I'm not saying that I figured it out by any means, but it always strikes me as odd because you think what's happening, the Lord is condemning it, and the Lord's not promoting. He's not saying in any way to do something sneaky or underhanded. What he's talking about is the wisdom that's applied or the thoughtfulness that's applied, and that's what he's commending, that someone's actually thinking about what they're doing based on what's going to happen down the road. Okay? Not to do wrong in that way, but he's talking about it from a believer's, what I do today, think about what that's going to mean in heaven. That's the way he's applying it. Verse 1, chapter 16. And he said also unto his disciples, there was a certain rich man which had a steward, a manager, someone who had some rule over that guy's possessions. And the same was accusing him that he had wasted his goods. He was a bad manager, a bad steward. And he called him and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? Give an account of thy stewardship. Now that is in reflection of the judgment seat of Christ, because you're going to give an account of your stewardship. Give an account of thy stewardship, for thou mayest be no longer steward. Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? For my Lord taketh away from me the stewardship. I cannot dig. to beg I'm ashamed. I am resolved what to do, that when I'm put out of the stewardship that they may receive me into their houses. So he called every one of his Lord's debtors unto him and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my Lord? And he said, A hundred measures were. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, sit down quickly, and write fifty. That's a fifty percent reduction. And then he said to another, and how much owest thou? And he said, a hundred measures a week. And he said to them, take thy bill and write four score. That's like a 20%. It went from 100 to 80. And the Lord commended the unjust steward because he had done wisely. Now, not wisely as in biblical wisdom. That's not the idea there. The idea is that he thought about what he's doing and planned for the future. He used some wisdom about this. I need to make sure I'm thinking ahead. And the Lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely, for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light. And I say unto you, make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness, that when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations. He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much, and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And we'll stop for a moment. If the Lord looks down on your life right now and sees how you waste what He's given you, when you go to heaven, what do you think He's going to give you? Probably not much. He's going to say, I know you. I've watched you. You're unfaithful. Why would I give you more? And if you have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters, for either you will hate the one and love the other, or else you will hold to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. You've got to make a choice there. So let's go back where it says, verse 9, it says, and you make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness, that when you fail, and you will fail, you're going to die, you're going to face the Lord, and you're going to have given an account to your stewardship. So we have to understand that. So believers should view whatever level of wealth they have as an opportunity to invest in heavenly rewards. So that brings us to the challenge. The challenge of having wealth is how to properly invest it, your wealth, whatever level of wealth you have, in those things which will give the greatest eternal rewards. What kind of things give eternal rewards? How about missions? We don't know. how many got saved when Bill and Lou went to Zimbabwe. I'm going to imagine at least one person got saved. Now they had a whole line of hands to go up, a whole lot of decisions, but only the Lord knows to heart. I'm glad whatever I gave towards that, I'm glad. I think the Lord is honored and pleased when his word is preached among those who don't normally hear it. I think that pleases him. I think when you do something for someone, no horns blowing, no pats on the back, no flags waving, no one knows, but you and the Lord, and you do something for someone, I think it honors the Lord and pleases Him. I think those are the things that help earn—there's other things—but those things help earn heavenly rewards. But if the only thing we've done is we just keep building our house bigger and bigger, and getting nicer and nicer landscape, and newer and newer cars, and greater and greater vacations, those are no eternal rewards. Now people say, well, Pastor White hates houses and landscapes and cars and vacation. No. What I'm saying is, if that's the only focus you have, you're not a very good steward, and you're going to face the Lord, and he's going to ask you to give an account, and you're not going to like the account you have to give. So the challenge then is how to properly invest in those things, and that's going to take wisdom and commitment, so that we don't waste our wealth on frivolous things. Now the conclusion. Believers may properly reject Yeah, I know I gave you something to write, but because I pushed it one time too quickly. Just go ahead and write it. I know you're going to. I'm going to talk anyway, so. Believers may properly reject any feelings of covetousness or greed. But still, they may not understand the challenges of whatever wealth you have. You say, well, I'm not greedy. I'm not covetous. But are you using your wealth properly before the Lord? Which brings us now to what I just put on the screen for you. Believers may not consider their own wealth, but assume these challenges are only for those who have greater wealth. This is what gets us in trouble. We always say, they need this. The Lord says, well, what about you? Maybe you need this too. Maybe I need this. Which brings us to our last statement. It is not great wealth that determines these challenges, but the possession of whatever wealth that we have. Whatever wealth you've got, whatever level you're on, there's a challenge and these challenges remain the same. Alright, let's pray and we'll move on after this.