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Over the past few weeks we've been looking at the apparent contradictions in the bible. Some of the wisdom in the Bible cuts right across what we have been indoctrinated with by this world. As I have been putting these sermons together I have concluded that if the world says something is square, God says it's round, if the world says something is blue, God says it is red, if the world says something is important, God says it is not. It is becoming decidedly obvious that the Kingdom we are NOW a part of, that is Gods kingdom, is guided by different values and principles and standards. Having been born into this new kingdom we can no longer hold to what the world tells us will bring success. It is becoming increasingly clear that we are not of the world. We may have to live on this planet, we do live in this world, but are not of it. There are two kingdoms running parallel with each other. There is the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of light. If we do not make a conscious decision to follow the Lord Jesus Christ and live in the light, then we are living in the kingdom of darkness. The system of the world taught us how to act and speak according to that kingdom. Such principles as: · Look
after yourself first. But when we decide to follow the Lord, we come out of the kingdom of darkness and into God's kingdom. Now we must learn how to act and speak according to this kingdom. We cannot continue to hold to the worlds principles and think that we will succeed in this kingdom. All the terms that we use, and that the Bible uses, tell us that we are to "turn" from our old way of life. We are a "new" creation in Christ, the old has gone the new has come. We are no longer to live as the world lives. We are to repent, that is turn away from the ways of this world and turn to God. The church is made up of the "called out ones". Called out from the world, the kingdom of darkness, we are the separated ones, separated from this world. James tells us in 4:3 that those who chose to be friends with this world are adulterous and are an enemy of God. It is clear that there are two kingdoms running parallel here and having been regenerated by the Spirit of God we are now born into a new kingdom, the kingdom of God. In this kingdom we find that, · In
order to really live - we've got to die. So we can see a difference now in the two kingdoms. It is important for us to hear and understand how we can successfully live in the kingdom of light. What paradigm shift needs to be made in our thinking so we can please the Lord. Today, let's look at wealth and riches in the kingdom of God. The Bibles perspective on this is 100% different from that of the world. You hear many people say that the Bible or at least the New Testament speaks more about money than any other topic, which is actually wrong because the N.T. speaks more about the kingdom than money. However, the N.T. does talk a lot about money, but most often it is speaking negatively about money. Like "It's difficult for a rich man to enter heaven". Or "Warn the rich". And so on. But in this "global village", who are the rich? I can go from one suburb where I would be the poorest, to another suburb where I'd be the richest. So in one day I can go from being the poorest to the richest. So to succeed in pursuing material wealth will only be in terms of your neighbourhood. Take yourself and your success into another neighbourhood and you'll be starting again. That pursuit is endless and unsatisfying. Turn to Rev. 3:17. This
is what Jesus said to the church in Laodicea. Here we see the material wealth and where God ranks that wealth in his kingdom. God does not look at the external but at the heart of a man. RICH YET POOR People can be rich yet poor. Externally a man may appear to be rich but internally he may be poor. This is a common thing in the world. · Some
may have all the money needed for a bed - but can't sleep. The power of money is limited to the tangible, the things we can touch. Someone wrote, "Money is the universal passport to everywhere except heaven, and the universal provider for everything except happiness". People seek riches in order to have security. People seek riches in order to be happy. Yet these are two things money can't buy. Nor can money buy you exemption from death. Whenever we assess riches it must always be in view of death. What wealth do we have on our death bed. At that point no amount of money will help us. There
is an expression. But in reality, he who dies with the most toys loses. Because in order to have the most toys you will have to have pursued it in which case you have pursued the wrong thing in life. When
tragedy or sickness come to the rich, do they hold their bankbook to
their heart? That money, which calls so many shots when life is smooth sailing, dwindles to little significance in the face of death. There are countless testimonies of rich people on their death bed who have realized they pursued the wrong thing in life. One man who's greed drove his wife and children away confessed on his death bed, "I have thousands of dollars, but not a friend on earth". Another man, who was so embittered with his ex-wife and children, left them nothing. Instead he spent $1,000,000 dollars on his funeral. A bronze casket with rose coloured windows and other costs used up half of it. The rest he spent on orchids. What is most sad is, only 3 people attended the funeral. The Laodicean church in Revelation was rich yet poor. Money cannot buy character, nor the power of God, nor the fruit of the Spirit. Simon the sorcerer tried to offer Peter money to have the power Peter had. Peters response was, "May your money perish with you". There
is no sales counter that we can go to and exchange a $50 note for, Although we must have money to buy a house here on earth, it cannot buy us a place in heaven. In fact money has the power to keep us from heaven. Money cannot buy forgiveness of sins (1 Pet. 1:18). There are many in this life who are Rich yet Poor. POOR YET RICH Turn to Rev. 2:8-9. This is Jesus speaking to the church in Smyrna. Money is not the gauge of our wealth. The church in Smyrna was in poverty - but Jesus says "yet you are rich". One
need not be materially wealthy to be rich. A tax auditor visited a poor
Pastor to assess how much tax he was to pay. This was a typically poor
Christian worker who said to the tax man. It is possible to be poor yet very rich. True riches consists not in having, but in being and doing - being right with God through the redemptive work of Christ, and in doing His will. Not what we have, but what we are makes us rich. True riches depend not on what is in our pocket, but what is in our heart. A mans financial condition is no indication of his spiritual state. As I said several weeks ago, there is no point in listening with more attentiveness to people who have lucrative incomes or live in mansions. Their spiritual condition may be in poverty. The object of this message is not to conclude that wealth is wrong and as Christians we should all live in poverty. That would be a wrong conclusion. The object of this sermon this morning is to realign ourselves with kingdom principles and to assess the riches we have in Christ. It is upon entering the kingdom of God that our wealth begins. Turn to Is. 55:1-2 (Read). The Lord offers those who are thirsty satisfaction that can't be bought with money. That fulfillment, that satisfaction, that refreshing is gained by leaving our old way of life living according to the system of this world, and turning to the Lord and living according to His principles. When the gift of repentance comes and we choose to follow the Lord then we are released from "The Matrix". That is the point at which we choose the red pill, not the blue one, and we are enlightened to a whole new world - The Kingdom of God.
The poorest person on this planet can have this wealth today,"Come buy from me without money". It can never be stolen, it will never rust or corrode, nor will it fade in it's satisfaction or appeal. You want to talk about wealth and riches in this life. Those who are "in Christ" are the richest people on this planet. We should never be intimidated by worldly wealth and those who possess it. What we have may not bring us social status, but those with social status would kill for what we have in Christ. CONCLUSION (Challenge) This is a challenge to us all this morning. The values of this world do not deliver what they promise, instead they bring heartache and disappointment. But through faith we can hold to the promises of God, knowing he is a faithful God who will deliver what he promises. We already know the joy, the peace, the life, the truth, by experience, to be true. 2 Cor. 8:9 tells us that Christ, thought he was rich, became poor, so through his poverty we might become rich. Christ was rich because eternally he had been "in very nature" God. He possessed equality with God. In this way Jesus "was rich". "He became poor" relates to his incarnation. The fact that he became human made him poor. Philippians
2:7 tells us, "he made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a
servant, being made in human likeness". This was his poverty. Today we have read of two churches in Revelation, one which God said was rich yet poor, the other he said was poor yet rich. What have we used as a measuring stick for wealth in our lives? Have we thought like some that the blessing of God comes primarily in the form of material comfort? Have we concluded that because we are blessed with comforts in this life that we are naturally bless spiritually? "My business is booming therefore God must be pleased with all areas of my life and blessing me with riches". Wrong measuring stick. You could be rich yet poor. If it can be taken from you it is not a good gauge for how wealthy you are. True wealth cannot be stolen. They can take, or you can lose, everything you have, but "in Christ" you'll still be rich. They can beat you and kill you, it'll only make you richer. All the mocking, all the persecution, all the hardships and trial will only add jewels to our crown. That is the richness of this kingdom. Our goal in life should not be accumulation of earthly assets. Rather we should aim at building our wealth in areas that count for time and eternity, and be rich in God.
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