Sunday Morning January 12, 2003 Bel Aire Baptist Church
Series: “Church On The Rocks” (#8)
HOW TO GET RICH QUICK
1 Corinthians 3:18-23
Introduction:
1. Now I know as we sit here in church that there is a certain way to answer the question I am going to ask you, but I want you to be as honest as possible. “Who in here wouldn’t mind becoming rich? Even better, what if you could become rich very quickly?”
2. This world is full of people trying to get rich quick. Why do you think gambling is so popular and addictive? The thought of making a $1 Million off of $5’s sounds pretty good to me. In fact that is easy money isn’t it. I have also met many people that spent their life doing all sorts of things trying to get rich quick.
3. If you want to get rich quick, I am going to tell you how in 2 simple steps.
Step #1: Become Stupid
1 Corinthians 3:18-20
1. To God, human wisdom is foolishness; and to the world, God’s wisdom is foolishness. Now we have a problem because somebody is right and the other is wrong. So who is wise and who is foolish? Who are you going to believe, man or God? I’m going to say that God is the One that is wise simply because He created this world and everything in it. Would you agree that God wins the battle of “Who is the wisest”? O.K. If you believe that God is wise, what do you need to do in order to be wise also? You need to become a fool. The Greek word for fool is moros. This is where we get our word moron from. This word is defined as stupid or dull.
2. See, to the world the things that cause us to trust in God are absolutely stupid in the world’s eyes. The virgin birth, Jesus’ resurrection, a place called Heaven and Hell, etc… But, when you realize that you are a lost sinner and you need to be saved from everlasting punishment in Hell and that can only happen through believing that God sent His only Son in the form of a baby, born of a virgin, to live a perfect life on this earth, die on a cross, and be resurrected from the dead after 3 days; it doesn’t matter if people think you are stupid. Once you accept God’s gift of salvation, people may think you are stupid but God says you are rich.
3. If you are here without Jesus as your Savior you are one of the poorest people in this building. I don’t care if you have the most expensive house, car, clothes, etc… If you do not know Jesus as your personal Savior you are poor. You have nothing!!! If you want to be rich, give your life to Jesus Christ today!
Step #2: Take What Is Rightfully Yours
1 Corinthians 3:21-23
1. Once you are saved, you become a member of a rich family. God’s family. In fact, not only do you become a member of a rich family; but all of God’s riches are now yours.
2. It doesn’t matter who you are. Billy Graham, Moses, Paul, Peter, etc…, get the same riches as you get. No more, no less. It doesn’t matter how long you have been saved. Whether you have been saved for 1 day or 100 years you are equally rich through Jesus Christ.
3. So why is it that so many Christians live like paupers? The Bible says that we have not because we ask not. Does that mean that God will drop you down some shiny new car? No, but what that does mean is you have been given all of the spiritual riches you will ever need to live and serve God. There is nothing left to give you. You have salvation through Christ. You have the Holy Spirit that lives within you. You have God Who hears your prayers. You have God’s written Word, the Bible. You have the hope of Heaven for all eternity when you leave this world.
Conclusion:
1. If you are here today without Jesus as your Savior, you are spiritually “broke”. Do you want to become rich today? If so, raise your hand where you stand and I will tell you what to do from there.
2. If you are here today and you are a Christian then you are rich, but are you living your life like you are rich or poor? If you are living like a poor person, why? Today you can start living as a rich person.
3. Don’t wait until Heaven to enjoy your wealth.
