Materialistic Mirage

Here's this proverb, v. 7. We brought nothing into the world and we cannot take anything out of the world. You know what? Sometimes we just need a good dose of common sense. Don't you love the proverbs? Common sense. Here's a basic truth. We know in theory. But the real question is, practically, where the rubber meets the road, do we show that by the decisions we make, the actions we take, that we actually believe it? See, the problem is we know things like this. How many of you know that babies are born naked? Anybody doesn't know that? Any of your children popped out with full clothing and toys already? You know, brethren, brethren, sometimes you just have to stop and absorb the common sense of somebody. Babies are born naked. And you know the Bible doesn't just say that in the New Testament and 1 Timothy. It says it various places. Ecclesiastes. It came from his mother's womb. Or as he came from his mother's womb, he shall go again, naked as he came, and shall take nothing for his toil that he may carry away in his hand. That's the preacher. Job says it. Naked I came from my mother's womb. Naked shall I return. What a proverb. He didn't bring anything in, and you ain't taking nothing out. You like that? Brethren, that has implications. And that's just some stupid, empty saying like well, if life gives you lemons, make lemonade or something. Brethren, look at babies. Look at newborn babies. They're naked. You know what that ought to tell you? Wow! That's the way I'm going out. I didn't bring anything in, and I didn't bring anything out. And I'm not going to take anything out. There it is. You're not going to take a single thing. Not physical. Not of this world. You're not taking it out. And so, what's the point of it all? Brethren, the point is this. Don't invest in what's going to remain here. That's the point of it. If you lay up treasure here, you die and you lose it. That's it. It's gone. Lay it up here. Wait, what was that? That looked like a moth. You leave something outside and it gets wet. Wait, there's a rust on the side of that vehicle out there. Where'd that come from? If you're on the east side, I can't talk about where you're at, but you ever notice there are thieves here and there? He didn't take in the stone blocks that I didn't have glued to my wall. That was a bad investment. The thieves carried it off. And here's the problem. When you lay it up here, and the moth comes and gets it, then it's gone. You lost it. And then it's not like, oh, you can empty your pockets out on judgment day and like barter with God, we know this, riches do not profit in the day of wrath. Righteousness delivers from death. Ezekiel says their silver and their gold are not able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the Lord. Psalm 49 says truly no man can give to God the price of his life. The ransom of their life is costly and can never suffice. Brethren, you know what it's basically saying? You do not want to trust in that which is going to fail you in the hour of your death. Don't go there. At the greatest crisis of your existence, can you imagine this? You are on your deathbed. You are gasping for the last gasp of breath in this world. You are going out. And what you don't want to do right at that point, brethren, that is a crisis point. If there is ever a crisis point for any human being, it is those moments right before they step into eternity. The implications. And what this is saying is at that greatest point of crisis right there, when you need confidence, when you need contentment in God, when you need some sort of safety, some sort of hope more than ever, what is your money going to be to you then? What is all the wealth you hoarded up? You know what you're going to enter eternity with? The level of contentment you had. I mean, you find your content in God and now you're coming up to that brink of eternity. You're not looking back over your shoulder like Lot's wife. Wow! I've got my planner back there and I invested all that time and this, that. Brethren, if you die today, would you take with you a heart of contentment and satisfaction? You know what you don't want to be? You don't want to be that fool who right at that time, you step into the presence of God and there's just this empty hole right here where covetousness used to be. Because I'll tell you what, covetousness will fail you in your hour when you need the greatest help. And all there is is this empty hole. A spiritual hole. Covetousness will fail you right at that point. Brethren, how wretched it is when our lives are constantly being measured and constantly being weighed and the value of our lives are constantly being put in the scale. How wretched when it's stuff that matters. When stuff and things become necessary to us and God's gifts take the place of God Himself. What a horrible, monstrous substitution we begin to live for what God has given us. His gifts. Brethren, let me tell you this. If you would know God in greater intimacy, you have to recognize this is huge. Because oftentimes we get Christians and they're like, I want revival. I want more. But do you realize that one of the great paths to discipleship, to being a learner, to being close, to following, to nearness is renunciation. You can't get away from that unless you forsake all that you have. You cannot be my disciple. And you think what Jesus said to that rich young ruler. Yeah, you'll have treasure in heaven. It's renunciation. I want it all. And here's what I want you to go do with it. Give it to the poor. And yeah, there's treasure. But you don't want to miss. And follow Me. What? I get to be with Him? I mean, that's with Matthew. Matthew got up and he got to go with Jesus. I mean, does that appeal to anybody? Could you imagine if he actually walked up here and he said, follow Me? What are you going to do? Hesitate? It's Him! It's the chief desire of my soul. Folks, that man who has God for his treasure, Christ for content, satisfied, as death lays its cold grip, that man has it all. This excerpt is from the video sermon titled, Money and Me, The Spiritual Danger of Pursuing Riches by Tim Conway. You can watch the full sermon by following the link provided in the description.