The Eye of a Needle part 1 of 3 12/05

Christian Education Pre-K-12
Richmond Academy

The Eye of a Needle - part 1 of 3

Luke 12:13 through Luke 12:22 (KJV) “¹³And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me. ¹⁴And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you? ¹⁵And 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. ¹⁶And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: ¹⁷And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? ¹⁸And 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. ¹⁹And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. ²⁰But 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? ²¹So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

Poverty Spirit vs. Financial Freedom

In the church we have focused on racial and religious reconciliation, but God desires us to add riches. The church needs to reconcile their riches. There is prejudice between those who have and those who have not. The poor are against the rich; the rich against the poor. There is even prejudice between the large churches and small churches.

Wealth and materialism are physical resource that God gives humans to control. The human tendency is to lift those resources to replace God as the center of life.

Matt. 19:23 through Matt. 19:24 (KJV) ²³Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. ²⁴And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

Wealth is acknowledged to be a blessing from God. God chose Abram and promised to bless him and make his name great (Gen. 12:1-3). In the process, Abram became rich (Gen. 13:2). Further, we are told that God blessed Isaac; and he became very rich (Gen. 26:12-14). Solomon’s wealth was seen as a sign of God’s favor (1 Kings 3:13; 10:23). Job, too, was blessed by God, and his wealth increased greatly (Job 42:12). These few examples do not allow us to assume that poverty is a sign of God’s disfavor. The Bible does not say that.

Jesus’ references to money in the New Testament consist mainly of stories or parables which show the dangers of wealth.

In the parable of the seed and the sower, Jesus warned that riches and the pursuit of pleasure may keep some from maturing in the faith. Luke 8:14 (KJV) ¹⁴And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection. This scripture can show us that even though a church is wealthy, faith may not mature, thus producing weak Christians.

A harsh warning against the destructive nature of wealth is sounded in the story of the rich farmer (Luke 12:16-21). In Jesus’ words, the person is a fool who labors to lay up treasures on earth rather than treasures in heaven. Luke 12:15 (KJV) ¹⁵And 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. Many would choose to pour their wealth into buildings and not into relationships.

Personal worth and success are not to be measured in terms of material wealth or possessions. This is different from the way that the world views possessions. May we view wealth as God views wealth. God knows what we can handle. He is sovereign over finances. But by our stewardship of how little we have or how much we have will we be judged. There is nothing more valuable than the life of another person.

-Pr. S. Chad Ross

December Newsletter 2005 | Comfort Through Rest | Christmas Presents, or Christ's Power?

Pastor's Journal December 2004 | Eye of a Needle part 1 of 3 | Church as Spiritual Zion part 3 of 3

Hit Counter

Search this site:

Biblical Counseling for Leaders