Proverbs 18, 11. The rich man's
wealth is his strong city, and as an high wall in his own conceit. Now first of all, we're told
what kind of rich man we're talking about here, and that's important
that we understand because there's nothing inherently wrong with
having riches in this world. But this rich man is conceited,
you see that word, conceit in his conceit. That is, his riches
make him think highly of himself. And he's epitomized by the rich
man in Luke chapter 12. If you'd turn there with me,
please, in Luke chapter 12, let's look at a living example of what
our text is talking about, a rich man in his own conceit, Luke
12, 16. Luke 12, 16, and he spake a parable,
the Lord spake a parable unto them, saying, the ground of a
certain rich man brought forth plentifully. And he thought within
himself, saying, what shall I do, because I have no room where
to bestow my fruits? And 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. And I will say to my soul,
soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years, take thine
ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But 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? So is he that
layeth up treasure for himself. and is not rich toward God. Now, there's so much teaching
in that passage, but you see the conceit there. It might just
sound at first, if you read over it, like with the Pharisee and
the publican, the Pharisee prayed, I thank you, God, that I'm not
like other men. You might say, well, that's commendable, he's
thanking God. No, he's lying to himself and God, saying, I'm
not sinful like this man, Well, this is similar to that in that
it just sounds practical, right? If you don't have enough room
in your barn to store your stuff, you're gonna have to build some
more, but notice my barns, my soul. He said, my soul, and God said,
that soul's mine, and I'm gonna take it. I'm gonna require it
of you. But my, he said, let's see, notice
how many times it says my there, I'll pull down my barns and build
greater. I'll bestow my fruits and my
goods and say to my soul. And so there's a couple of other
things wrong with this man. He laid up treasure for himself,
but that wasn't the only problem. There again, it's not that He laid up treasure for himself. We all do that, right? But that
was not the whole thing. It was two parts to this. He
laid up treasure for himself, but that alone wasn't the trouble.
He also was not rich toward God. And notice that the Lord, in
verse 16, said that the ground brought forth plentifully. He
didn't give any credit to the man, none. The ground brought
forth. That's because we don't deserve
any credit. We're not getting any from God
for anything that we consider that we've done that earns anything
in the sight of God in any way. And of course that's a beautiful
picture, clear picture of spiritual thing. We can't, we don't bring
forth anything. Our works are nothing. It is God, Deuteronomy 8.18,
it is God that giveth men power to get wealth. And so that's
as it should be. And all of this man's thoughts,
everything that he kind of went through a progression of thought
in his head, and all of it had to do with managing his own assets,
his stuff, and glorying in what he possessed. I've got to figure
this out. We're going to have to get this
all. all managed and boy, now it's
time, look at all the stuff I've got, I'm just gonna take my ease,
take my ease. That's not what the Lord put
us on this earth to do. He had no thought for God whatsoever. He did a lot of thinking and
a lot of talking to himself about his situation and none of it
had anything to do with God, no gratitude to God. for what God had given him. That's
why the scripture says the plowing of the wicked is sin, because
they do it thinking that they're accomplishing something when
they're utterly dependent upon God for everything. And for they do it for themselves.
No gratitude, no intention is expressed of honoring the Lord
with what he had gained. And as you've seen, when we've
gone through these Proverbs, most of them, are standalone
thoughts and lessons. But this one is linked to the
verse before it. Look at verse 10. The name of the Lord is a strong
tower. The righteous runneth into it
and is safe. Is safe. The sinner who knows the Lord
Jesus Christ has Christ for his strong tower. Whereas in our
verse this morning, the riches of a rich man are his strong tower. Notice that the one who knows
Christ runs to him. Our Lord said, the kingdom of
heaven is taken by force. Once you know Christ, You must
have Christ. And it also says he's safe. Verse
11 doesn't say anything about the conceited man, the rich conceited
man being safe. The wealth is his strong tower,
but it's not really a strong tower. He just thinks it to be
so. It does not make him safe. He just sees it that way. and
he's wrong. In fact, we're warned throughout
Scripture not to trust in riches. Turn with me to Proverbs 23.4.
Proverbs 23.4, labor not to be rich. Don't do what you do for that
reason. Cease from that own wisdom. And that's not an accident that
it's put together because in our human reasoning, it just
makes sense. If you're gonna work, What other
reason is there to work? You work in order to get gain.
And there's a sense in which that's true. I didn't always
work every job I worked because I liked my boss or I liked the
people there or anything about it. I just, I did it because
I had a family to support. But there, you know, just that
in itself, I wasn't, I didn't have any dreams of getting rich
off from it. I wouldn't have had that particular
job if I was, wanting to be rich because it's pretty clear whether
that's going to happen or not as soon as you take a job. But it was because of my family.
Others labor just for the sake of gaining riches and they'll
work hard. And you have to, if you're going to be a self-made
wealthy man in this world, you're going to have to put in some,
you're not going to be able to work nine to five. It can be done. But look at what the Lord asked,
will thou set down eyes upon that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves
wings. They fly away as an eagle toward
heaven. So when you labor, of course
you're working for money. That's what you do on your job,
but not just for the sake of having money. You're doing it
for your family. You're doing it to be a blessing
to others if you can. You're doing it for the Lord.
Remember what the scripture says, work as unto the Lord. Because he's our boss, he's the
one that gave us the job, he's the one that gives us the money,
he's the one that prospers us in whatever way. We are prosperous. And he's the one that's worthy
of all the glory in it. So labor not to be rich, and
cease from that own wisdom in that, because your wisdom is
gonna tell you it's a rat race and I've gotta get to the top.
Now turn with me now to 1 Timothy 6, if you would please, just
a couple more scriptures. 1 Timothy 6, 17. 1 Timothy 6.17, charge them that
are rich in this world that they be not high-minded nor trust
in uncertain riches. You see, the theme of this, what
was wrong with the rich young ruler, or the rich man there
where we read in Luke? He was high-minded about it,
wasn't he? Look at all of my stuff, my barns, my goods, my
soul, and I'm just gonna look at all I've got, I'm gonna eat,
drink, and be merry. He was high-minded about it.
In our text, conceit, conceit goes with it. when that's the
point of it to a sinner. Just the sake of being rich and
trusting in that. You see that part too, nor trust
in uncertain riches. That's the problem. But in the
living God who giveth, it's the stuff or it's the one who gave
it. And that's really it. That's
really all there is. It's gonna be one or the other,
isn't it? It's gonna boil down to that. It's the stuff or the
one that gave the stuff. He giveth us richly all things
to enjoy, not to pursue, not to trust, not to be high-minded
about, not to use riches to promote self, rich people. You know, unfortunately, most
of our politicians got where they are because they were rich,
they could afford it. They were people that at least,
I know a lot of the money is raised for them, but you get
your start by having some means, for the most part. And when that's
not true, it's usually a better result. But don't be high-minded. Use
riches to promote yourself to a place
where you don't belong. Just because somebody's rich
doesn't mean they know anything or have any common sense at all
or should ever have authority over anybody else, but they'll
do it. They'll take that authority being
completely unworthy of it. Look, here's the flip side of
it, that they do good. That's the reason the Lord gives
money to people, that they do good, that they be rich in good
works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate. Laying up in
store, rather than laying up in store money, which they equate
with power and security, lay this up, a good foundation against
the time to come. What's your money going to do
for you when the judgment comes? What's your money going to do
for you when it's almost time, when you're
just about done? How's your money going to help
you when you're fixing to face God? The time to come, think
about the time to come. Not in the sense that I'm gonna
need some money then. You're gonna need a whole lot
more than that in the time to come. Something altogether different
that they may lay hold on Christ. If you're thinking about what
you ought to be thinking about and laying up in store for that,
you're gonna lay hold on Christ. Christ is eternal life. Remember
that our Lord taught us it's one or the other. It's Luke 16,
13. No servant can serve two masters. If you would, I think that's,
well, I got a little bit more. So listen carefully. No servant
can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love
the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money,
mammon, gain, wealth. The two masters are clearly named
here. Again, you either worship the
stuff or you worship the one that gave it to you. It's one
or the other and notice Well, first of all, let me say
this. If your idea of heaven is a mansion on a hilltop with
a gold driveway, you're not worshiping God, you're
worshiping what God can do for you. Like those who believe because
of the miracles. When the bread and the fishes
and the loaves were multiplied by the Lord, they weren't dreaming.
They weren't sitting there thinking, man, this is the son of God. I can be with him now. I can
follow him. I can walk with him. They weren't dreaming of that.
They were dreaming of a lifetime of free loaves and fish. And by the way, you don't have
to be rich to trust in riches. The man that pursues riches so
obsessively, it's all he thinks about. That's why he wakes up
in the morning and he goes to bed at night thinking about how
far along he is in that goal. He pursues riches so obsessively
he has no time for God. What's he trusting in? Though
he hasn't maybe necessarily attained it, he's trusting in it. There's so much teaching in that
simple verse in Luke 16, 13. Notice that it's a love-hate
thing. You can have both, but you can't love both. Notice also that if you love
money, then you serve it. It's your master. Money serves
the believer. Not the other way around, because
God has arranged it that way. He said the whole world is yours.
It's yours, it's his, and he gives it to whom he will, doesn't
he? Whatever's mine belongs to my children. As long as they
don't take that too far. No, you know what I'm saying,
it just is. Money serves the believer, but
if it comes to the place where you serve money instead of the
other way around, then you never truly did serve Christ, because
you can't serve both. And try not to think of money,
we talk about riches, mammon, money, gain. What's the first thing you think
of? I wonder if it's so simple and naive is what I think about.
When somebody says riches, I think of a big pile of gold coins. I don't know why, that just always
is what I thought of. But I probably watched too many
cartoons when I was a kid. What was it, Scrooge McDuck or
somebody? It was always like playing with his gold coins.
But don't think of it that way. It's whatever you love more than
Christ. The rich young ruler is the embodiment
also of our text. In Mark 10, 17. Let's turn over
there, we'll close there. Mark 10, 17. You think about
that. Whatever you love more than Christ. Mark 10, 17. When our Lord was gone forth
into the way, there came one running and kneeled to him and
asked him, good master, what shall I do that I may inherit
eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, why
callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that
is God. Thou knowest the commandments.
Do not commit adultery, do not kill, do not steal, do not bear
false witness, defraud not, "'honor thy father and mother.' And he
answered and said unto him, "'Master, all these have I observed from
my youth up.' Then Jesus said, beholding him, loved him, and
said unto him, "'One thing thou lackest, go thy way "'and sell
whatsoever thou hast and give to the poor, "'and thou shalt
have treasure in heaven. "'And come, take up the cross
and follow me.' And he was sad at that saying. Would you honestly
this morning be sad if the Lord said, you can follow me, but
this other stuff's gotta go. It's all gotta go. Everything
you value in this world, it's got to go. And then you come
follow me. Would that make you sad or would
you be clicking your heels? Saying the son of God just, Just
said, I can be with him now. I can be with the one that made
all this stuff. I can be with the one who is
himself, the unsearchable riches of spiritual life and eternal
life and everything that I need, everything.
One thing is needful. He was sad and went away grieved
for he had great possessions. There was something he loved
more than Christ. Doesn't matter what it was, his
ranch in the country or whatever it was. And given this same choice,
every one of us will choose the same. Did I just make that up? You remember this story, don't
you? Our Lord said, it's impossible. With men, it's impossible to
do what I just told that young man to do. You're not gonna do
it. You're not gonna do it. None of us are. But remember
this, it's only really a choice if you don't know who Christ
is. If you know who he is, you don't
have a choice. You have an imperative. May God reveal to us his son this morning. And like Moses, may we having
recompense, having regard unto the recompense, which is being mindful of what's really
worth something. We choose Christ. over all the
treasures of this world, by God's grace. Let's pray.