Pastor Wayne Cordeiro
June 29, 2003 - W0326

There are some things in life that are okay to be just ìclose enoughî. For instance, I remember the time Anna and I made a trip to the Kilauea volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii. We made it there at night and the lava fountains were lighting up the sky. I was so entranced by the glowing fountains of lava that I kept driving closer, but my wife kept telling me that we were close enough. We could even feel the heat as lava shot up into the air. We were dangerously close enough.

In the Bible, there were some people that were content to live life ìclose enoughî. In Mark 12, a young scribe quizzes Jesus as to the foremost commandment of all. Jesus told the scribe that everyone should love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength and love your neighbors as yourself.  After Jesus gave the scribe His answer, He then said, ìAnd when Jesus saw that he had answered intelligently, He said to him, ëYou are not far from the kingdom of Godíî (Mark 12:34).

He was close to the Kingdom of God, but he hadnít entered in. Mysteriously, nothing else is told about that scribe in the Bible. We donít even know his name. I began to think that here is a scribe who thought that close enough was good enough. Being just ìclose enoughî to the Kingdom of God isnít good enough.

Another man who missed the Kingdom of God was a man who Jesus bumped into on one of His journeys.  The man asked Jesus, ìWhat shall I do to inherit eternal life?î  Jesus answered the man with the Ten Commandments. Then the man answered Jesus saying that he has kept those commandments all his life, but what else is needed? The man learned that the very things he acquired in his life becameÖ

 THE HINDRANCE

ìAnd looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him, and said to him, ëOne thing you lack: go and sell all you possess, and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven: and come, follow Me.í But at these words his face fell, and he went away grieved, for he was one who owned much propertyî (Mark 10:21-22).

You see, that man missed the Kingdom of God because he couldnít give up his possessions and follow Jesus. This is one hindrance that keeps so many people from the Kingdom of God. The man missed the Kingdom of God because he hadÖ

1.      A WRONG UNDERSTANDING OF RICHES.

This man couldnít enter in because he didnít want to give up his possessions. He misunderstood the meaning of riches. Jesus loved this man so much that He asked the man to follow Him, but unable to give up all his possessions the man walked away. That man might have been the thirteenth disciple, yet he refused and instead valued his worldly goods instead of the Kingdom of God.  Similar to the scribe mentioned earlier, we hear nothing about this man ever again. We donít even know his name.

This man thought that his assignment in life was to accumulate possessions and then protect what he accumulated. That was his problem and in fact kept him from the Kingdom. He was so close yet so far.

Q1:      Think of an incident where your possessions were more important to you then someone or something else.  Explain the incident and how you felt.

Today we still live in a world that defines life the same way. We are deemed successful if we accumulate a lot of money. However, look at Mother Theresa who gave everything she had in order to serve the poorest of the poor. She showed us that money, status, and power does not make one wealthy. So in order to correct our understanding about true richesÖ

?        WE ALL NEED TO BE INSTRUCTED.

ìInstruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy"î(1 Tim. 6:17).

We live in such an affluent society in comparison to the rest of the world. The United States of America makes up only 6% of the worldís population, but we hold 60% of the worldís wealth.  Even our welfare system makes the welfare recipients upper class compared to other countries. 

The Lord has given us much. Yet we need to be careful because weíll have a tendency to worship our possessions instead of God. It will become a bigger idol and will dictate our very life. So that is why God says we need to be instructed on how to manage our riches. Remember our certainty is in God alone and not things we may acquire. Thus one of the first points that we need instruction about is to Ö

?        KEEP MONEY IN ITS PLACE.

ìNo one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other.  You cannot serve God and wealthî (Matt. 6:24).  Itís an either or situation. So, if my money doesnít serve God, I will serve money as my god. You cannot serve God and money simultaneously. And if we allow that to happen, we will miss what the Kingdom of God is all about.

Money has been raised to the highest levels in our culture. It tends to rob people of life when they canít let it go. Now itís not wrong to have money, yet having money doesnít mean that youíre rich. On the other hand, having little money doesnít mean youíre poor. However, sometimes we can depend on money so much that it replaces God.

I often tell young leaders especially going into ministry to try to do Godís assignment with the least amount of dependence on money. Instead try to develop and use wisdom, resourcefulness, creativity, innovation, and humility in order to complete Godís assignment.  If you go straight for money, then you will lose those character qualities God wants you to build.  So start with what you have, not what you don/t have. When you use what you have with passion, God will fill in what you donít have with a miracle.

Q2:      What are some ways that you could put money in its place in your everyday life?

I heard people say that if they had more money they would be happier, satisfied, successful, and blessed. Thatís a myth! Money is a poor manís way out. For example, money will save me from developing humility and contentment because instead of using the abilities that I have, Iíll just get a loan.  Instead of refraining from a purchase, Iíll buy it just because I have the money.

Donít let money direct all of your decisions in life. Otherwise, you will never grow as a person.  Youíll use money to bail you out of every situation and never develop as a person of character and likeness to the Father. So in understanding riches we all (rich or poor) need instruction about keeping money in its place. Another teaching we must learn isÖ

?        DONíT BUY YOUR WAY OUT OF LIFE!

Yes, you can actually buy your way out of life. Thereís so much character that needs to be developed, but money can displace all of that. Money can buy a bed, but not sleep. Money can buy companionship, but not love. Money can even buy religion, but not salvation.  Money can buy a passport to anywhere, but not into the Kingdom of God.

Someone once told me that if you can buy life, then itís too cheap. How often have we all made that mistake? There are things God wants us to develop. Instead we opt to buy our way out. Our society has taught us to live beyond our budget and that is why our countryís debt is in the trillions of dollars. We buy our way out of character and the sad thing is that we pass that on to our children.

Thereís a story of a retiring CEO giving a speech to young up-and-coming hopefuls. He acknowledged that many of them wanted his job after his retirement. They all laughed because they knew it to be true. The CEO then proceeded to tell them the secret of his success. He told them of the day he walked his daughter down the aisle at her wedding. He realized that he never knew her favorite color, hobbies, goals or even the color of her eyes. Thatís the price he paid for his job. He ended by saying, ìIf anyone is willing to pay that price, they can have his job.î  The CEO was telling them that money could dupe us out of life and the Kingdom of God.

ìAnd I will say to my soul, ëSoul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your easeÖí But God said to him, ëYou fool!  This very night your soul is required of youÖí So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward Godî (Luke 12:19-21).

You can have lots of money, but not be rich towards God. Being rich towards God is having the character of God. Itís being known for wisdom and proven faith. Those are the kinds of qualities that hold marriages, families, and churches together. And those are the kinds of character qualities you canít buy.

Many parents have the tendency to bail their children out of situations. We work hard and we have the money to do so, but in doing so we may create more of a hindrance for them. Remember, you can teach your children what you know, but you will only reproduce what you are. 

Once, my son asked me to help him pay off his credit card account. Though I could have, I refused his request because I didnít want to buy my son out of learning about debt, responsibility, and discipline. Instead, I asked him to paint the fence around the yard to earn money to pay off his bill. It took him about nine months to paint it, but he eventually completed it. I wanted him to learn endurance and persistence to finish something he began. Donít buy your children out of character.

Q3:      Have you ever bought your way or someone else out of life?  How could you have done things differently?  Explain.

All these godly qualities that we want to learn and instruct others to learn is called a proven faith or what faith produces.  And if we donít learn that early on, money can become a household idol. It will steal the depth of character we are trying to develop because it can cause us to buy our way out of life. So what can we do to prevent this hindrance from happening?  Well hereís Ö

 THE CURE

2.      BE KNOWN FOR BEING RICH IN GOOD WORKS MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE.

ìInstruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeedî (1 Tim. 6:18-19).

God wants us to be known for being rich in good works more than anything else. Be generous and share. That will help us to take hold of that which is life indeed. Be one whose faith has produced something in you and in others around you. Youíll have a deeper devotion, resourcefulness, and integrity. Weíll be a people of industriousness and stewardship. We will be content people regardless of how much or how little we have. Weíll have a purity of heart and be able to pass that baton to our children. That is when weíll see ourselves as the people of the Kingdom.

When it comes to the Kingdom of God, close enough isnít good enough. It doesnít matter if we are rich or poor. We still need instruction in understanding riches. Understand how to put money in its place so that youíre a steward of it instead of a slave to riches. We must be careful because if used incorrectly, we can buy our way right out of life. And donít mistake money for being rich because God wants us to be rich towards Him and it doesnít necessarily mean weíll be wealthy by the worldís standards. So let God be your Lord and let Him direct your life so that you begin to develop a likeness of our Father. Only then will you be able to enter the Kingdom of God.

Q4:      Think of a few ìgood worksî that you could do this week and complete them.  Talk about your experience at your next study group session.

Q5:      What most impacted you about todayís lesson and how will you apply it to your life this week?

Mahalo to volunteer writer Christy Itamoto, a woman rich towards God.

Calling all writers!  If you are intersted in being a part of this awesome ministry, please contact Dawn O'Brien at dawn@enewhope.org.