Transcription
The message today is titled Money is not the only thing that matters. Money is not the only thing that matters. Our test is from Matthew chapter 26:14-16. Matthew 26:14-16, New Living Translation, it says, "Then Judas Iscariot, one of the 12 disciples, went to the leading priests and asked, 'How much will you pay me to betray Jesus to you?' And they gave him 30 pieces of silver. From that time on, Judas began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus."
Why do some people, you know, there's a common quote that money is not everything? Money is not everything. Money is not everything. And it's been on for decades. Why do people claim that money is not everything?
First, when they say money is not everything, they don't mean that money is nothing. They are not saying that money is not important. Three things. One, they are acknowledging that the pursuit and possession of wealth, the pursuit and possession of wealth is not the only important thing in the journey of life. The pursuit and possession of wealth is not the only important thing in the journey of life. They imply that there are many other things in life which are as important as money. As important as money.
Secondly, when they declare money is not everything, it means money is not always the answer or solution. Money is not always the answer or solution to all things. Be they needs, challenges, or goals in life. It's unfortunate that most times people do not come to this point of realization because they have not yet entered into a realm of financial sufficiency. Many who have entered into that realm of financial sufficiency, in fact, the higher they go in terms of financial sufficiency and abundance, the more it becomes obvious that money is not always the answer. It's not always the solution to all things, to all needs, to all challenges, or goals in life. So the quote that money is not everything implies that personal well-being, your health, relationships, family, friends, spiritual devotion, and personal development are also very important along with money. They're not downplaying the importance of money, but correcting that over-prioritization of money, the value and importance of money, sometimes even above God. So they're encouraging people to prioritize these values and these other important issues of life over financial success. Reminding them that true fulfillment often comes from sources that money cannot provide.
Thirdly, when people use the phrase money is not everything, they are sometimes referring to the tradeoffs. For instance, a woman may marry a very rich man, but he might travel all the time for his business, and so his wife is often lonely and alone. Is that really the kind of life she would want, even within the context of marriage? Another person, for instance, may also have a modest salary, but everything is balanced, and so that person is very, very fulfilled from work, fulfilled in family relationships, fulfilled emotionally, and possibly also in his or her relationship with God.
We need to have the right mentality about money. One of the reasons why we need to have a change in our mentality and align with God's mindset, God's word about money, is that the love of money is very dangerous. The love of money. Could I put it across here that this message is also a warning? It is a warning. It is a warning from God right down to this date. This message is a warning from God to certain people. God is saying money is not everything. Money is not the only thing that matters. Perhaps between now and next year, you're going to see the consequences of either making a choice in God's wisdom or making a choice based principally on financial gain and consideration, contrary to what the leading of the Spirit is prompting you to do.
In 1 Timothy chapter 6, verses 9-10, 1 Timothy chapter 6, verses 9-10, Amplified Bible, it says, "But those who are not financially ethical and crave to get rich with a compulsive, greedy longing for wealth, fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction, leading to personal misery. For the love of money, that is the greedy desire for it and the willingness to gain it unethically, is a root of all sorts of evil. And some, by longing for it, have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves through and through with many sorrows." May this not be your caution.
Money is not the root of all evil. And the Bible never said so. What is written in the Bible is that the love of money, not money, the love of money. And by the time we proceed, you would understand that that love of money is talking about excessive greed. Excessive greed. Excessive greed and then unprincipled pursuit of money. Unprincipled pursuit of money, where you are ready to do anything to get money in your journey of life. So the key distinction is that it is the love or excessive desire for money, not money itself, that leads to various troubles and harms. The verse clarifies that money is not inherently evil. Let's also be very, very clear about this, and you could be making a very big error in life. If you join the group that wrongly assumes that money is evil, to be rich is ungodly, and having more money is ungodly. That's a big error, and God never said so.
In fact, in this end time, there is a massive wealth transfer that God had willed to happen across the globe for the fulfillment of His end-time purpose. And this wealth transfer will happen as God channels resources in different ways into the hands of His disciples, His children, especially those who have proven themselves faithful in the realm of financial stewardship. Praise ye the Lord.
Luke chapter 16, verses 10 through 12. "For as many as have been faithful with little, God will promote them, empower them more, uplift them, and give them more access to greater wealth and resources." We are going to see God raise in this end time Christian billionaire philanthropists, Christian multi-millionaire philanthropists. So we pray that God will make you one of them, in the name of Jesus Christ.
So instead, where the problem is, is the unhealthy desire. Unhealthy desire or obsession with money. And where this exists, it can lead to various harmful situations and sins. So Apostle Paul wrote this letter to his young disciple Timothy, emphasizing the danger of putting wealth before spiritual matters. Putting wealth before God's purpose. You cannot take the life of another person because of money. You cannot kill because of money. Greed causes people to do all sorts of things they wouldn't normally do. The love of money is what motivates people to lie, betray trusted associates, steal, cheat, gamble, embezzle, kidnap, and even murder. All because of money. The love of money involves valuing money more than God. Pursuing and trusting in the power of money more than God. People murder over money. Married people commit adultery to have more money. People steal to get money. So when you love money, even when you can afford the basic needs of life, that's where it will become very obvious. Even when you are at that level, you can afford the basic needs of life, you will still steal to get more. You can kill to get more. You can betray your loved ones to get more. You can compromise your values and principles to get more.
Money is not everything. And the Spirit of the Lord is saying that many people are enslaved to money. As we speak right now, many people are enslaved to money. Look at Matthew 6:24. Matthew 6:24, New Living Translation. He says, "No one can serve two masters, but you will hate one and love the other. You will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money." May you never be enslaved to money. Money is supposed to be a tool in your hands. Money is supposed to serve you and answer you, not the other way around.
To be a slave to money means that your life is controlled by your pursuit of wealth, leading to decisions, actions, and values that prioritize money over relationships. Don't put money above your marriage. And for those who are not yet married, check for the mentality and mindset position of every prospective spouse that may come into your consideration. Check on this issue of their mindset on money. Money is very important, but you can't put money above God. Money is very important, but you can't sacrifice your marriage simply because of money or more money. Instead of money being a tool to achieve your goals, it becomes your master. When you are enslaved to money, money begins to dictate your choices, consumes your thoughts. And this will begin to happen at the expense of other important aspects of your life. How can you abandon your family for years because you are making money from wherever you are?
There are times you have to make a difficult decision in favor of these other important issues of life. And the price you have to pay making that decision is that you are going to lose perhaps a very financially rewarding job contract. But you are doing it to save your health. You are doing it to save your marriage. You are doing it to be with your family. And because these other things are also as important as money. And then there's a no-go area where it now involves your soul. Your soul. That is a no-go area. It's a no-go area. You can't exchange your soul for anything in the journey of life. Our Lord Jesus, we warn very clearly that what shall it profit a man to gain the whole world, to have everything, including money, including influence, including fame, and lose his soul?
There are some characteristics of being a slave to money. Watch these signs if they are already showing up or you have been manifesting already. So we need to correct ourselves. It is part of the purpose for this message. Your decisions will be dictated by finances. When somebody is a slave to money, his or her decisions will be dictated by financial consideration. Your choice about work is all about the financial gain. Even when it is clear that there's an inherent risk coming with that work. Your choice about relationship. The school may be morally bankrupt. Morally bankrupt. But in that same school, the children of the wealthy, the children of the powerful, they are in the school. So some parents will prefer to still put their child in that kind of school so they can meet the children of the wealthy, the children of the powerful. Your lifestyle will be primarily based on how it affects your financial fortunes. And this should not always be the case.
Another sign is loss of control. Loss of control. Because when you are on that realm, money will no longer be a tool that you use, but a force that controls you and your life. Money will now become a force that controls you and your life. Another sign is neglect of other values. When someone has become a slave to money, another sign is that is neglect of other values, important issues of life like relationships, personal reputation. Proverbs 22:1, "A good name, a good reputation is better than gold and silver," better than money. Personal integrity, integrity, spiritual growth may all suffer as a result of the intense focus on money.
Another sign is misplaced priorities. Misplaced priorities. Who knows? Maybe someone now is about you're about to enter into something that is offering you a great financial reward, but it's also already clear that it's going to come at a cost, a big cost to some of these other important values of life that I have mentioned. Another sign is misplaced priorities. Money can become an idol, consuming your heart and taking precedence over other important aspects of life such as faith, relationships, and personal well-being. Another sign also is reckless financial decision. Reckless financial decision. So don't get involved in a direction that could make you even become suicidal.
The Holy Spirit told me. He said this message is also a warning to certain people. It is a warning to certain people. Don't lose what you have because of financial gain and consideration. Now, Judas did something very terrible in our opening text, unlike Delilah, that was approached by the Philistine cabal of leaders. It was Judas Iscariot that approached. And let's always take note of this as much as possible. Let's make reference not just to the name Judas, but Judas Iscariot, because even among the 12, there was another one called Judas. So you have to distinguish them. It is Judas Iscariot.
Now, there are five types of people that can easily betray you. Five types of people that can easily betray you like Judas did to Jesus Christ. One, a greedy person. A greedy person. Number two, a sycophant. A sycophant. Number three, an opportunist. These are people that will easily betray you. An opportunist. Number four, a schemer. A schemer. And number five, a gold digger. We'll just take a closer look at just two of them. A greedy person and a gold digger.
A greedy person has a strong desire to continually get more of something, especially money. They are never satisfied. A greedy person values material goods more than they value God. It's real. And that is why Jesus would make clear that distinction that these two cannot go together. There is a level of intensive obsession with money and material things that makes it impossible for you at that level to do all that God wants you to do or avoid all that God wants you to avoid. To be greedy is the tendency to be obsessed with accumulating material things. A greedy person will use deception to acquire material goods. He will use lies, false pretenses, at the expense of others.
In Matthew 26:14-15, Matthew 26:14-15, New Living Translation, said, "Then Judas Iscariot, one of the 12 disciples, went to the leading priests and asked, 'How much will you pay me? How much will you pay me to betray Jesus to you?' To betray my pastor to you? To betray my spiritual father to you? And they gave him 30 pieces of silver." The man, take note of this, any person that loves money to a fault would easily betray you. Any person that loves money to a fault will easily betray. Greed is a common cause of treachery. With the promise of wealth, of financial significant financial gain, people can be tempted to betray their closest associates and loved ones, even their benefactors. Delilah, for instance, was not the ideal wife material because every wife is vulnerable to temptation in the journey of life. So one of the qualities of a good wife is the ability to resist temptation. Delilah was offered money to betray and sell off her lover Samson to his enemies.
The second kind of persons that could easily betray you are people with the spirit of a gold digger. The spirit people with a spirit of a gold digger. A gold digger is someone who positions himself or herself to get the best from you. Not necessarily because they like you. In the context of a relationship, a gold digger is a person who pursues a romantic relationship or marriage primarily for financial gain rather than for genuine love or emotional connection. Their sole or primary interest is the partner's money, wealth, or status. You want to know more about them. Gold diggers are given to too much material considerations. For instance, even some of them, their criteria for choosing even a religion or place of worship within a particular faith is sometimes based on the wrong reasons, that is, on financial consideration. God might lead you to worship and be part of the family of God in a particular ministry. And God's reason for doing that has many other issues in consideration in alignment with His plan and purpose for your own life. So don't now make such critical decisions based on financial consideration and benefit.
Gold diggers may prioritize a partner's wealth and career over their character or emotional compatibility. You see red flags even during courtship, but blindly you go on because why the red flags are showing in terms of character and attitude flaws, at the same time the financial gain is being confirmed as guaranteed or is already flowing. You're already having partial access to the financial gain. Gold diggers view relationship as a means to an end. They view marriage as a means to an end. And one way you would identify them also is that people like these gold diggers, they are always very interested in stories of how other gold diggers succeeded in getting so much money and properties from their victims. So when you are married and you have a spouse who is always very interested in stories of how somebody made so much money from divorce, you need to begin to pray that God will help you.
Number two, they are very good pretenders. Gold diggers are very good pretenders. They are like prostitutes. But the difference between them and prostitutes is that prostitutes do not pretend that what they need from you is just your money. Gold diggers will usually pretend to like or love you, whereas the real motive for the attraction of friendship with you is for a concealed expected benefit. In the same vein, gold diggers are like mercenaries. But the difference is that unlike mercenaries who do not pretend that the reason they are ready to fight for you is just for the money, gold diggers will usually pretend that they share your beliefs and vision, whereas the real motive for the attraction and partnership with you is for a concealed expected benefit.
Number three, as we close this part, begin to close up this part. Number three, they can easily gold diggers can easily shift their loyalty from you even when there is no offense. So be warned now, be forewarned ahead of time so you don't have any heartbreak in the days or months ahead. Gold diggers can easily shift their loyalty from you even when there is no offense. You have done nothing. Once there is a better prospect or they have already gotten what they want, they are gone, and they can even turn against you.
Now, there are different types of gold diggers. They are gold digger husbands. They are gold digger wives. They are gold digger single men. They are gold digger single ladies. They are gold digger business partners. They are gold digger employees. And they are gold digger friends. May the Lord give everyone listening to this message greater wisdom. Praise ye the Lord.