Riches

(Matthew chapter 19)

16 And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?

17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.

18 He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,

19 Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

20 The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?

21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.

22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.

23 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.

24 And 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.

25 When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?

26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

There are a number of things that we can learn from this scripture passage: 

• We are not good. God is. 

• We all break God's law. 

• Placing anything above God will keep us from him. 

• With God all things are possible.

There are many things that can be placed above God in our heart. When a person values these things more than they desire God, then they are not ready to come to him or serve him faithfully. Some examples are:

Possessions Worldly security

Education Worldly wisdom

Vocation Worldly honor

Pleasure Other people

God says that riches are deceitful (they trick us and make fools of us). God loves us and wants to bless us. But when we place riches above God and his word we are deceived by them and we lose God's blessings for us.

“And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.”

(Mark 4:18-19)

Earthly riches are unreliable:

“Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.”

(Proverbs 23:5)

But the riches that come from God will last:

“Riches and honour are with me; yea, durable riches and righteousness.”

(Proverbs 8:18)

These riches come from Christ:

“Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;”

(Ephesians 3:8)

When we desire Christ above all else, we realize that nothing else is worth keeping us from him.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.”

(Matthew 13:45-46)

Perhaps you are without Christ. He has spoken to you through his word, but perhaps there is something in your life that you value more than him. This is a dangerous position to be in because, like the rich man, it will keep you from eternal life. The alternative is terrible beyond words. Please come to him.

Perhaps you are saved but you have let riches of some sort dethrone Christ in your heart. Riches have deceived you and you are being robbed of blessings that Christ longs to give you.

There is hope in either case. God can change your heart if you are willing.

"With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible."