The Love of Money Can Destroy You!

Memory Verse:”Isaiah 33:15-16 “Those who are honest and fair, who refuse to profit by fraud, who stay far away from bribes, who refuse to listen to those who plot murder, who shut their eyes to all enticement to do wrong—16 these are the ones who will dwell on high. The rocks of the mountains will be their fortress. Food will be supplied to them, and they will have water in abundance.”

Your book tells the story of a boy, Mike. What did you learn about Mike in the story? (He is 17, likes to draw, draws really well, comes from a dysfunctional family with lots of problems, feels alone, has few friends, gets involved in selling and using drugs, has no hope and he dies under suspicious circumstances).

If you were Mike’s friend, what things could you have done to support and encourage him, and help him deal with life in a positive way, without you also becoming involved with drugs? (Be friendly, notice and mention what a good artist he is, be available to talk with him about anything on his mind – be a good listener, let him know that you are there for him – that he has a friend he can trust)

1Timothy 6:6-10 6 Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. 7 After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. 8 So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content. 9 But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.”

2Timothy 3:2-4 2 For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. 3 They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self- control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. 4 They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God.”

Mike’s involvement with drugs and a desire for fast money led to his death, whether it was murder by his drug “friends” or suicide. He could see no positive thing in his life to live for. His addiction to drugs may have caused him to die either because he could not pay his suppliers and they killed him, or he could see that the rest of his life would be spent selling drugs to other kids to make money so he could buy drugs to feed his addiction – a situation he saw as totally hopeless and dead-end. Either way, he died because of his love for quick money and his involvement with drugs. He thought that he could make money fast by selling drugs. He didn’t want to wait to finish his schooling, get his art degree and get a job. He was greedy and it killed him. Was Mike’s situation truly hopeless? Did greed kill him?

What is greed? Greed – excessive or rapacious desire, especially for wealth or possessions. Greed – greediness denotes an excessive, extreme desire for something, often more than one’s proper share. Greed means an avid desire for gain or wealth. Another definition could be covetousness of money or wealth or possessions.

In Jesus’ time, He encountered greed taking place in His Father’s house, the Temple. The outer court of the Temple was reserved for Gentile worshippers, as they were not allowed in the Temple itself.

Ezekiel 42:14 14 When the priests leave the sanctuary, they must not go directly to the outer courtyard. They must first take off the clothes they wore while ministering, because these clothes are holy. They must put on other clothes before entering the parts of the building complex open to the public.”

Jesus found the outer court filled with merchants selling sacrificial animals to those traveling into Jerusalem for the Passover. Along with animals, come animal smells and sounds, so you can imagine the stench and the noise in the outer courtyard of the Temple – a place that was supposed to be reserved for Gentile worshippers of God.

Isaiah 56:6-8 6 “I will also bless the foreigners who commit themselves to the LORD, who serve Him and love His name, who worship Him and do not desecrate the Sabbath day of rest, and who hold fast to my covenant. 7 I will bring them to my holy mountain of Jerusalem and will fill them with joy in my house of prayer. I will accept their burnt offerings and sacrifices, because my Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations. 8 For the Sovereign LORD, who brings back the outcasts of Israel, says: I will bring others, too, besides my people Israel.”

We see that Gentile believers were allowed to worship at the Temple in the outer court, but they were not allowed to come into the Temple itself to worship. The greediness of the merchants and moneychangers had taken over the only place in the Temple area that Gentile believers were allowed to also worship God. No wonder Jesus was so upset with them.

Matthew 21:12-13 12 Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out all the people buying and selling animals for sacrifice. He knocked over the tables of the moneychangers and the chairs of those selling doves. 13 He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves!”

Jesus was justifiably angry and disgusted that greed was preventing the Gentile believers from worshipping His Father in heaven; He was angry that greed was taking place in His Father’s house. He drove them out. Not only that, but it also looks like they were cheating the people, both Jews and Gentiles, by overcharging them for the things they needed to buy to worship in the Temple according to Law. Jesus was angry about that also.

Hebrews 13:5-6 5 Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” 6 So we can say with confidence, “The LORD is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?”

It is not wrong for you to have money. It is wrong for you to obsess about money – to make it the focal point of your life. Mike made it a focal point of his life and it killed him. Money is another physical blessing that you cannot take with you when you die – it will be left for others to use and enjoy. You learned last week that you need to spend more time on the things that you can take with you when you die – developing character, a relationship with God and with others, living your lives in front of others so they see Jesus in you the way He wants them to see Him.

Possessions are not wrong either. It is wrong for you to focus your life so much on the getting and keeping of things that you neglect the really important things and other people in your life.

Luke 12:13-15 13 Then someone called from the crowd, “Teacher, please tell my brother to divide our father’s estate with me.” 14 Jesus replied, “Friend, who made Me a judge over you to decide such things as that?” 15 Then he said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.”

As one of God’s people you are to use what He has given you to serve others, just as He served you. Jesus could have lived a life full of wealth and possessions. What would you have learned from Him if He had done that? You would have learned covetousness and greed. Instead, He lived a humble life of service to others. He is to be your role model as Christians. He was born as one of you so you would have a tangible, real, person to identify with. Is Jesus real to you? Do you know enough about Him to think like Him, to treat others as He did? Jesus did not spend His life accumulating money and things. He spent it in service to others. You have eternity to look forward to if you choose to be His.

1Corinthians 2:9 9 That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him.”

God promises that the things He has in mind for you are so wonderful that you can’t comprehend them in any context you now understand. Your life here is temporary. Your life with Him will be forever. Are you going to choose the here-and-now or will you choose eternity with your Creator and Savior?

It is so disheartening to see the attitude of greed that is so prevalent during this time of the year. Do you see any greed during this time of the year? This whole season of the year reflects greediness and covetousness more than the desire to serve or to give, and more so than at any other time of the year. People are greedy to get gifts. Stores/retailers are greedy to make lots of money selling to gift-givers. The very definition of a gift as something you give someone else from your heart, without expecting anything in return is turned upside-down. Doesn’t it mean more to you to get a gift from someone just because, or for no special reason at all? Isn’t it more fun to give someone a special gift when they least expect it? The giving of gifts should be something we do for others all year long, not just on certain days. We should never expect to receive gifts, but we should give them when we can without expecting to get one in return or without expecting to get anything at all in return. Then it is a true gift.

Jesus gave His all to give you the gift of salvation and forgiveness of sins. You cannot do anything to earn that gift. If you did, it wouldn’t be a gift. It would be a payment for something you did. He hopes that you will choose to accept this wonderful gift He offers, but because He gave you free will, you can choose to reject it and live your life as you so choose. Think carefully about the choices that are before you.

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