True Wealth: Righteousness and Relationship with God

Devotional

Day 1: True Wealth Lies in Righteousness

True wealth is not about material possessions or societal achievements but is found in our righteousness and relationship with God. The world often measures success by the size of our bank accounts or the accolades we receive, but the Bible teaches that true wealth is about living a life in full submission to God. Without this submission, we are spiritually bankrupt. This perspective challenges us to evaluate our priorities and align them with God's will, seeking spiritual richness over material abundance. [01:15]

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:21, ESV)

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you are prioritizing material wealth over spiritual growth? How can you begin to shift your focus towards righteousness today?

Day 2: Earthly Actions Have Eternal Consequences

The story of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31 illustrates that our actions on earth have eternal consequences. The rich man lived in luxury, ignoring the needs of those around him, while Lazarus, despite his poverty, was rich in faith. Upon their deaths, Lazarus was comforted in heaven, while the rich man found himself in torment. This narrative serves as a stark reminder that how we live our lives on earth impacts our eternal destiny. It calls us to live with compassion and awareness of others' needs, ensuring our actions reflect God's love. [03:49]

"Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap." (Galatians 6:7, ESV)

Reflection: Who is someone in your life that you can show compassion to today, reflecting God's love through your actions?

Day 3: The Sufficiency of God's Word

The rich man's plea to warn his family underscores the sufficiency of God's Word. Miracles alone do not produce saving faith; it is through hearing and responding to God's Word that we find salvation. This emphasizes the importance of engaging with Scripture and allowing it to transform our lives. God's Word is sufficient for guiding us in faith and practice, and we are called to trust in its power to lead us to salvation. [21:29]

"So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ." (Romans 10:17, ESV)

Reflection: How can you incorporate more time in God's Word into your daily routine to strengthen your faith?

Day 4: Urgency of Living for God

The rich man's realization of his mistakes after death highlights the urgency of living a life aligned with God's will. We must not wait until it's too late to turn our lives towards God and serve others. This urgency calls us to examine our lives and ensure we are living in a way that honors God and reflects His love to those around us. It is a reminder that our time on earth is limited, and we must make the most of it by living for God. [20:40]

"Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil." (Ephesians 5:15-16, ESV)

Reflection: What is one change you can make today to align your life more closely with God's will?

Day 5: The Path to Salvation

The path to eternal life is through a relationship with Jesus Christ. We must confess our sins, believe in His resurrection, and live in obedience to His teachings to avoid spiritual bankruptcy. This is the true measure of wealth, as it leads to eternal life with God. It is a call to deepen our relationship with Jesus, seeking to know Him more and live according to His teachings. [24:06]

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." (2 Corinthians 5:17, ESV)

Reflection: What steps can you take today to deepen your relationship with Jesus and live more fully in obedience to His teachings?

Sermon Summary

In today's reflection, we explored the true essence of wealth from a biblical perspective. The world often equates wealth with material possessions, career success, or educational achievements. However, the Bible teaches us that true wealth is measured by our righteousness and our relationship with God. It's not about the size of our bank accounts or the accolades we accumulate, but about living a life in full submission to God. Without this submission, we find ourselves spiritually bankrupt.

We delved into the story from Luke 16:19-31, where Jesus contrasts the lives of a rich man and a poor man named Lazarus. The rich man lived in luxury, ignoring the needs of those around him, while Lazarus, despite his poverty and suffering, was rich in faith. Upon their deaths, their eternal destinies were revealed: Lazarus was comforted in heaven, while the rich man found himself in torment. This narrative serves as a stark reminder that our earthly actions have eternal consequences.

The rich man's plea for mercy and his desire to warn his family highlight the urgency of living a life aligned with God's will. It's a call to examine our own lives and ensure that we are not merely living for ourselves but are actively seeking to serve and love others as Christ did. The story also emphasizes the sufficiency of God's Word and the importance of faith. Miracles alone do not produce saving faith; it is through hearing and responding to God's Word that we find salvation.

In conclusion, we are reminded that the path to eternal life is through a relationship with Jesus Christ. We must confess our sins, believe in His resurrection, and live in obedience to His teachings. This is the true measure of wealth and the only way to avoid spiritual bankruptcy.

Key Takeaways

1. True Wealth in Righteousness: True wealth is not measured by material possessions but by our righteousness and relationship with God. Living in full submission to God is the key to spiritual wealth, as without it, we are spiritually bankrupt. [01:15]
2. Eternal Consequences of Earthly Actions: The story of the rich man and Lazarus illustrates that our actions on earth have eternal consequences. While the rich man lived in luxury, he ignored the needs of others, leading to his torment in the afterlife. [03:49]
3. The Sufficiency of God's Word: The rich man's plea to warn his family underscores the sufficiency of God's Word. Miracles alone do not produce saving faith; it is through hearing and responding to God's Word that we find salvation. [21:29]
4. Urgency of Living for God: The rich man's realization of his mistakes after death highlights the urgency of living a life aligned with God's will. We must not wait until it's too late to turn our lives towards God and serve others. [20:40]
5. Path to Salvation: The path to eternal life is through a relationship with Jesus Christ. We must confess our sins, believe in His resurrection, and live in obedience to His teachings to avoid spiritual bankruptcy. [24:06]
** [24:06]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:11] - Questioning Wealth
[00:57] - Spiritual Wealth vs. Material Wealth
[02:03] - Facing Judgment
[02:51] - Warning to the Pharisees
[04:03] - The Rich Man and Lazarus
[06:26] - Living for Self Leads to Torment
[08:30] - Lazarus' Life of Faith
[10:07] - The Inevitability of Death
[12:24] - Misuse of God's Blessings
[14:57] - The Reality of Hades
[17:37] - Condemnation and Depravity
[19:41] - The Rich Man's Plea
[21:29] - Faith and Salvation
[23:22] - Invitation to Salvation

Sermon Clips

"Truth is just in this church alone we have both sides of people we have those that are wealthy we have those that are living in poverty neither one of these are bad because it's not whether you're rich or poor but it's your attitude it's the way that you live your life see the Bible looks at wealth not in physical possessions but in righteousness are we living the way that God has ordained us to live or are we living according to the world that will decide that will help us see what our spiritual wealth is and truth is if we're not submitted to God if we're not living in full submission then we're spiritually bankrupt." [00:45:33]

"One day hopefully many years down the road we will die and face judgment for everything we have done in our lives when that moment comes we will have to give an account of our lives and we will be judged by what is revealed the only hope that we have to live an eternity in Paradise an eternity is in heaven as if we have a relationship with Christ see he covers our debt during that time of judgment otherwise we find ourselves spiritually bankrupt." [02:09:24]

"We have to make a decision an intentional decision every single day to follow follow Christ while we are on this Earth because death is going to make us all equal it's the great equalizer and those possessions we had on Earth will not save us us or provide us Comfort when our time comes to an end." [03:44:12]

"Father Abraham he called out have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue because I am in agony in this flame son Abraham said remember that during your life you received your good things just as Lazarus received bad things but now he is comforted here while you are in agony besides all of this a great Chasm has been fixed between us and you so that those who want to pass over from here to you cannot neither can those from there cross over to us." [04:43:56]

"Father he said then I beg you to send him to my father's house because I have five brothers and to warn them so that they won't also come to this place of Torment but Abraham said they have Moses and the prophets they should listen to them no Father Abraham he said but if someone from the dead goes to them they will repent but he told them if they don't listen to Moses and the prophets they will not be persuaded if someone rises from the dead." [05:55:48]

"God does not send anyone to Hell the individual that decides to trust self over God is what punches their ticket God does not desire for anyone to go to hell that's why he sent the Messiah Jesus Christ so that all people have the opportunity to be saved but I want you to notice something here once the rich man arrived in Hades he then became to began to pray maybe for the first time in his life but notice that he focuses on himself in the prayer on the torment that he's experiencing on the agony in life he was comfortable but now because of his rebellion in life he has been sent to a place that is the complete opposite of what he was used to." [06:22:04]

"Condemnation comes from our depravity this desire to do what is evil in the sight of God comes from the fall back in Genesis 3 without Christ without God intervening in our life we are going to choose the things that are evil the things that's going to pull us apart from God that's going to keep us separated and the thing is with the majority of sins it does not have immediate repercussions immediate effects because we're going to be judged on them later so it feels like we have gotten away with something." [07:16:59]

"Just seeing a miracle does not and will not produce a saving Faith they can show the authority of the one performing the miracle but Salvation only comes through faith and we can tell that God has spoke to the rich man in numerous ways throughout his life but we still see that he was wealthy but did not repent he could have read Old Testament scriptures but chose not to follow God Lazarus may have even witnessed to him but his heart remained unchanged even at death the rich man remain unchanged he was still only focused on himself and we see that in his prayer because he prayed for his comfort for the safety of his family he was not praying for the Sinners out in his community out in the world but was only concerned with himself and his immediate family." [08:48:12]

"All a person has to do to choose eternity separated from God is to do absolutely nothing remain stagnant just like the rich man just living does not give us any hope for salvation but it takes a conscious decision to choose to submit to God it takes a daily devotion to CH to have a relationship with him you may be here listening and have never trusted in the Lord and I want to give you the opportunity to surrender your life to the one who is the king of kings and Lord of lords." [09:49:44]

"Romans 3:23 says for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God this means every single person that has ever had the Breath of Life in their lungs have sinned and fallen short of God's glory that all of our works are nothing more than filthy rags to God because we are separated and for us and for our payment for that sin is death as it says in Romans 6:23 for the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our lord we deserve the punishment for our sins but God did not want us to live separated from him so he sent his son Jesus who took on flesh to be the ultimate sacrifice and it's only through his blood that was shed that we can be redeemed." [10:10:84]

"Romans 10 9-1 tells us how and it says if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead you will be saved One Believes with the heart resulting in righteousness and one confesses with the mouth resulting in Salvation verse 11 for the scripture says everyone who believes on him will not be put to shame so my last question is how do we apply this warning to our lives today how can this future torment be avoided the first and most important step is we have to accept Jesus as our Lord and savior living our lives in full submission following his guidance." [11:09:44]

"Finally we need to spend time in the word and in prayer in Romans Paul tells us that it is through the word that we can come to know God and experience his power so we need to be spending time meditating on all the things of God and not allow ourselves to become distracted by the things of this world so how will you respond to the word of God today let's pray father God this torment that we see that the rich man experienced I pray God that that anyone who hears this video that anyone that hasn't trusted on you will submit their lives to you God." [12:34:64]

Ask a question about this sermon

Chatbot

Transcript

What was the most surprising thing in this sermon?

Were there any personal stories shared?