Friday, February 24, 2017

Unrighteous Mammon (LG34)


‘Last Generation’
Luke 16:9 “And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home.”
    Brethren, we are commanded by our Lord Jesus Himself to use the unrighteous mammon in our possession to win souls (friends) so that they can be with us in heaven (everlasting home). God has made the  unreached neighbours, charitable homes to be mission fields for us. Once we keep His words and give our money to these poor and needy, then we are laying treasures in heaven.

Hard for rich to enter heaven
Mat 19:23-24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
    It looks like it is impossible for the rich to enter into the kingdom of God. Why?

Characteristic of rich men
Luke 12:16-21 “Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’’ So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. ‘And I will say to my soul, “Soul, 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 will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.
    From the above scriptures, our Lord described the rich to us. Nothing is enough and they keep on wanting more and more. The more they have, the more that they want. It looks as though that once we have tasted wealth, we get addicted to it and we crave and lust after it.
    1 Tim 6:9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.

Love of Money
1 Tim 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
    Once a rich man is addicted to riches, just like a drug addict, he will use all means including lies, bribery, wickedness, deceptions to get more money resulting in all kinds of evil. Because of this greed, it sows bitterness, hatred, sorrows amongst the brethren.

If you want to be perfect?
    Mat 19:20-21 The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.
    Our Lord knew that no matter how much the rich tries to keep His words it will not be satisfactory. He insisted that whoever wants to be perfect, he must give up all his wealth.

Luke 16:14-15 Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they derided Him. And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.”
    The Pharisees appeared to be godly yet they were lovers of money. So it is no big deal to see carnal, worldly and misled pastors and Christian leaders covetous and rich.