Part 5
Secondly look at II Peter 3:15-18
And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also
according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;
16 As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to
be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures,
unto their own destruction.
17 Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with
the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.
18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now
and for ever. Amen.
We are to live peacefully. We are to live evangelistically. It says consider the long suffering of our
Lord is salvation. The longer the Lord waits for the day of the Lord and for the end of the world
is salvation for the people around us. The longer he waits we have more opportunity.
You realize materialism makes us forget why we’re really here. We’re here to invest our lives making
disciples for Christ’s Church.
That’s what we’re called to do. We are created to do. We are gifted to do.
That’s why we’re placed on earth.
We were not placed on earth to fill another mini storage room. Think about it.
We really need to recalibrate our goals.
You know that movie the bucket list thing.
Did you know that you should have on your list. You want to personally lead someone to Christ before you
meet him. So you can bring him/her with you to meet Jesus in Heaven.
Paul said that when I stand before Christ.
You people that I brought to Christ are going to be my glorious treasure as
I stand in front of him. I’m going to say lord you left me on earth to do something
there. I did what you asked me to do.
Christ says live evangelistically verse 15 look at verse 16 live
biblically he said he talks in 16 untaught unstable people twist to their own destructions
the scriptures.
We’re supposed to live biblically. Did you know materialism makes us neglect the word. We don’t even
know what’s biblical.
Do you know what bothers me watching christian television. Those people are all sitting in these
mega churches. They’re smiling. They’re being taught total error.
Some are probably believers but what they’re hearing is wrong.
They don’t even know it why because they’re so materialistic they never read the Bible.
They just come every week for their dose of pep talk. They don’t know what’s biblical or
not biblical.
The Lord says materialism makes us neglect the word. We forget our
fellowship times with Christ.
It robs us of the needed daily nurture for our souls so we can live biblically.
Why because we’ve got to earn more money so we can buy a bigger or a better toy.
Pay for what we shouldn’t have bought anyway.
We’re constantly in this this cycle that we’re putting off time with the Lord.
He says live biblically finally look at verse 17 and live confidently.
You therefore beloved you already know this beforehand. You know what’s going to happen.
You don’t have to be falling away from your own steadfastness or led away with the air of the wicked.
Did you know everybody in the world seems to think that in this world.
All that this world is what I’m living for I should eat and drink and be merry and lay up a lot of stuff.
Enjoy life and all Jesus was thinking about is.
You’re gonna die and you not ready to meet God.
We’re supposed to be living confidently. Materialism deceives us into following the errors of wicked people
who don’t know and don’t follow the Lord.
Well before we go turn to Luke chapter 12.
I want to show you one last portrait because this portrait captures everything that Peter
warned them about.
I want to show you in Luke chapter 12 what I call Christ portrait of a materialism-blinded person.
In Luke 12:13.
Luke starts out with the largest crowd Jesus ever had. It says myriads of people in verse 1.
1 In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch
that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the
leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.
Someone asked a question in verse 13. look what they say. They say teacher.
13 And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me.
Now imagine there are thousands of people. One person yells teacher trying to shame their relative.
My brother won’t divide the inheritance.
Jesus used what the crowd heard to answer questions so look at verse 14.
14 And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you?
So Jesus said to him man who made me a judge or arbiter over you.
Then he said to them all Luke 12:15
And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in
the abundance of the things which he possesseth.
Take heed and beware of covetousness. What’s covetousness?
It’s what I’m also calling materialism. That one’s. Life does not consist in the abundance of the things.
He possesses materialism says your life is better if you have this and this and this and more and more and
more. Then we begin coveting for it.
Then he spoke verse 16 a parable to them.
16 And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:
17 And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?
18 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.
19 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.
20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those
things be, which thou hast provided?
21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.
I will say to my soul so you have many goods laid up for many years take your ease eat drink and be merry
but God said to him fool this night your soul be required of you then whose will all those things be which
you have stored up?
So is he who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.
That man was blinded by materialism. He was successful and there’s nothing wrong with success.
He was diligent. He was looking at space and storage needs in verse 17. He was conservative he didn’t blow it.
He saved it.
I mean he was the quintessential thrift.
You know and verse 19 he was a retirement planner.
We all need to think about winter.
You know the danger was not what he was but what he wasn’t.
There’s nothing wrong with his resume. The problem was not his success.
It was not his diligence. It wasn’t his conservatism. It wasn’t as careful planning for the
future. All those elements are good and wise.
The danger was not what he was but what he wasn’t.
What’s absent from the story is God. God is absent. He left God out of his thoughts.
Look at verse 16 and 17 he thought within himself. He didn’t think what did God say.
What does his word say?
What does God want?
Secondly he left God out of his plans in verse 18.
You notice how many times 11 times it’s the possessive pronoun I I I my my
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my my my. It’s just so much. It’s personal planning with God’s not in.
It is he left God out of his future dreams in verse 19.
What do you dream of? Taking your ease and eating and drinking being merry.
What happens to those who leave God out of their thoughts and plans and dreams.
They lose everything. That’s what Jesus is warning us about.
That’s what materialism does.
Well then verse 22 Jesus says so is he who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.
What is rich toward God has two elements:
Now I want to close with these thoughts.
First of all it has divestment.
Divestment means that you transfer the ownership of everything back to the rightful owner.
All I have has come from God.
I was not even in existence till God allowed me to be.
He gave me an immortal soul and allowed me to come into this world.
So he divest me ever thing I own anything. It all belongs to him.
Secondly once you divest you say Lord since all of that is yours.
My time. My life. My treasures. Everything I have my wealth.
I want to invest it your way. Divesting the ownership and investing everything in my life for his glory.
Now it says in Revelation 3.
There was a Church that was I think these believers can get blinded by
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materialism. We can and the church in Laodicea was one.
Jesus said you know what you’re rich. You’re increased with goods and you don’t realize that you’re poor
and miserable and wretched and naked and blind. So I counsel you.
Ask me to fix your eyes.
You know this morning we should respond to what Peter heard.
What was Peter responded to Jesus? Peter said beware of riches! Divest yourself of thinking that they’re yours.
Say Lord they’re not mine. I want to invest my life and everything including my body.
It all belongs to you.
Jesus said if you’ll divest and invest then you’ll be rich toward me.
SO THIS IS WhAT WE ARE GONNA DO.
This as a prayer. It’s from a lady that lived in Los Angeles. Her name was Helen Lemmel.
It was her testimony. You might already know it. It goes like this turn your eyes upon.
Look into his wonderful face and the things of earth will grow strangely in the light of his glory
and grace and what we’re going to do is sing that as our closing prayer but I would like you to do.
This I’d like you to say Lord I want to divest myself of thinking that all that stuff belongs to me.
I want to say right here today that everything in my life belongs to you.
I want you to turn my focus and my eyes on you.
When you do that Lord Jesus make all the stuff on earth get dimmer and dimmer to me.
So that I start thinking more about you than about how to get another mini storage to put more of my junk
in. I want to divest myself and invest with you if you know the words.
You can close your eyes but let’s sing to the lord.
Turn your eyes upon Jesus and look full in his wonderful face and the things of earth
will grow dimmer in him.
The light of his glory and grace and let’s pray Father that’s our heart’s desire but it’s hard.
Every day we have to go through the process of re-offering ourselves to you as your slaves.
That means everything that we thought belonged to us is really yours.
We want you to renew our minds so that we start looking at life differently.
That we look at it like it’s all yours.
We want to live every bit of it possible for you.
That’s what we ask in the precious name of Jesus and for his glory we pray.
All of god’s people said amen God bless you all.
1. “Said in context” means that a phrase or statement should be understood based on the surrounding words
and circumstances in which it was said, implying that taking the words out of their context could lead to
misinterpretation; essentially, it means to consider the full meaning by looking at the situation it was
said in.
Key points about “said in context”:
Context is crucial: The meaning of a statement can significantly change depending on the context in which
it was said.
Avoiding misinterpretation: By considering the context, you can avoid misinterpreting someone’s words.
Example usage: “The politician’s comments might seem harsh, but when said in context of the heated debate,
they make more sense.”
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Only what’s done for Christ will last!”
Hoping to make the time I have left count for the glory of God.
Sir, can you give a me message from new fiverr account tom_coffee.
I can’t send a message before you send a message.