Happiness is not determined by wealth or fame but by character, says Billy Graham in his autobiography “Just as I Am.” He went on to say: “Ruth and I had a vivid illustration of this on an island in the Caribbean. One of the wealthiest men in the world asked us to come to his lavish home for lunch. He was 75 years old, and throughout the entire meal he seemed close to tears. “I am the most miserable man in the world,” he said. “Out there is my yacht. I can go anywhere I want to. I have my private plane, my helicopters. I have everything I want to make my life happy, yet I am as miserable as hell.” We prayed with him, trying to point him to Christ, who alone gives lasting meaning to life.” ¹ The man Billy Graham described was caught up in the deceitfulness of riches. What is the deceitfulness of riches and how can you stay free from it?

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Having Riches Isn’t the Thorn Spoken of in the Parable of the Sower

Mark 4:19 (KJV)
19 And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.

• We can prove it by looking into the Word.
• Abraham was rich.

Genesis 13:2 (KJV)
2 And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.

• Isaac was rich and not just because he inherited his father Abraham’s wealth.

Genesis 26:12 (KJV)
12 Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him.

• Esau and Jacob were both rich.

Genesis 36:6–7 (KJV)
6 And Esau took his wives, and his sons, and his daughters, and all the persons of his house, and his cattle, and all his beasts, and all his substance, which he had got in the land of Canaan; and went into the country from the face of his brother Jacob. 7 For their riches were more than that they might dwell together; and the land wherein they were strangers could not bear them because of their cattle.

• The children of Israel entering the Promised Land were rich.

Joshua 22:6–8 (KJV)
6 So Joshua blessed them, and sent them away: and they went unto their tents. 7 Now to the one half of the tribe of Manasseh Moses had given possession in Bashan: but unto the other half thereof gave Joshua among their brethren on this side Jordan westward. And when Joshua sent them away also unto their tents, then he blessed them, 8 And he spake unto them, saying, Return with much riches unto your tents, and with very much cattle, with silver, and with gold, and with brass, and with iron, and with very much raiment: divide the spoil of your enemies with your brethren.

• David was rich.

1 Chronicles 29:28 (KJV)
28 And he died in a good old age, full of days, riches, and honour: and Solomon his son reigned in his stead.

• Solomon, David’s son, was rich.

1 Kings 10:23 (KJV)
23 So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom.

• Jehoshaphat was rich.

2 Chronicles 17:5 (KJV)
5 Therefore the LORD stablished the kingdom in his hand; and all Judah brought to Jehoshaphat presents; and he had riches and honour in abundance.

• Hezekiah was rich.

[Tweet “The deceitfulness of riches Jesus alludes to in the Parable of the Sower is not a call to poverty.”]

2 Chronicles 32:27 (KJV)
27 And Hezekiah had exceeding much riches and honour: and he made himself treasuries for silver, and for gold, and for precious stones, and for spices, and for shields, and for all manner of pleasant jewels;

• Job was rich.

Job 1:3 (KJV)
3 His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east.

• Then Job lost it all but in the end God doubled the fortune he started with.

Job 42:10 (KJV)
10 And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.

• The man who fears the Lord and delights greatly in his commandments is promised riches.

Psalm 112:1–3 (KJV)
1 Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, That delighteth greatly in his commandments. 2 His seed shall be mighty upon earth: The generation of the upright shall be blessed. 3 Wealth and riches shall be in his house: And his righteousness endureth for ever.

• A byproduct of embracing God’s wisdom is riches and honor.

Proverbs 3:16 (KJV)
16 Length of days is in her right hand; And in her left hand riches and honour.

Proverbs 8:18 (KJV)
18 Riches and honour are with me; Yea, durable riches and righteousness.

• Riches are promised to the diligent man.

Proverbs 10:4 (KJV)
4 He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: But the hand of the diligent maketh rich.

• Riches are the inheritance of fathers.

Proverbs 19:14 (KJV)
14 House and riches are the inheritance of fathers: And a prudent wife is from the LORD.

• Humility and the fear of the Lord lead to wealth.

Proverbs 22:4 (KJV)
4 By humility and the fear of the LORD Are riches, and honour, and life.

• Riches is the gift of God.

Ecclesiastes 5:19 (KJV)
19 Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labour; this is the gift of God.

• From the plethora of scriptures above, we can see ‘having riches’ is not the problem Jesus mentions in this parable.
• In these examples we see, God blessed people and gave them riches.
• The deceitfulness of riches Jesus alludes to in the Parable of the Sower is not a call to poverty.
• What one has to guard against is not riches itself. It’s the seduction of riches.

Problems to Guard Against When Dealing with Riches

Covetousness

• The love of money is not the same thing as having money.
• You can love money and be totally broke.
• Loving money comes in the form of covetousness.
• It’s coveting money that is deceitful.
• Covetousness is a big Bible problem you should avoid.

1 Timothy 6:10 (KJV)
10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

• Erred from the faith means the ‘deceitfulness of riches’ thorn choked out the Word in these peoples lives. They had the Word but they erred and fell away from it.

Trusting in Riches

• The Lord wants you to put your trust in Him no matter what station you are in life.
• If you are rich, He wants you to trust Him.
• If you are not so rich, He wants you to trust Him.
• If you are impoverished, He wants you to trust Him.
• Trusting in riches instead of the Lord is a big Bible problem you should also avoid.

1 Timothy 6:17 (KJV)
17 Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;

Proverbs 11:28 (KJV)
28 He that trusteth in his riches shall fall: But the righteous shall flourish as a branch.

• See also Psalm 52:7, Mark 10:24
• To enter into the kingdom of God, you have to trust God not your riches.
• Some who are rich, trust in their philanthropic endeavors to gain them access to heaven. That’s trusting in riches instead of the Lord.
• A rich man must come the same way to Jesus as any other man, by way of the cross.

Hastiness to be Rich

• The strong desire to have riches is also a symptom of the covertness problem.

Proverbs 28:20 (KJV)
20 A faithful man shall abound with blessings: But he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent.

Proverbs 28:22 (KJV)
22 He that hasteth to be rich hath an evil eye, And considereth not that poverty shall come upon him.

• The desire for wealth becomes the singular motive crowding out everything else. It even messes with the man’s sleep.

Ecclesiastes 5:12 (KJV)
12 The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.

• Hastiness to be rich is a big Bible problem you should avoid.

Walking in Your Own Wisdom

• Again this is a trust issue.
• Trust the Lord for wisdom.
• Get His input on all things in your life.
• This is a life style choice which doesn’t just come to bear in finances.
• Train yourself to trust the Lord in areas of your life.

Proverbs 23:4 (KJV)
4 Labour not to be rich: Cease from thine own wisdom.

• The man in James made this mistake.

James 4:13–14 (KJV)
13 Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: 14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

• What should this man have done instead of walking in his own wisdom?

James 4:15 (KJV)
15 For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.

• This man should have asked for God’s input.

Living in Pride and Arrogance

• The pride factor is part of the problem of riches.

Jeremiah 9:23 (KJV)
23 Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Neither let the mighty man glory in his might, Let not the rich man glory in his riches:

1 Timothy 6:17 (KJV)
17 Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;

• The child of God walking in the fruit of his recreated born again spirit is humble, self-effacing, and esteems others as better than himself.

[Tweet “The haughtiness involved with a life of self-dependence is a blight on the Christian lifestyle.”]

The Ultimate Seduction of Riches

The ultimate seduction of riches is summed up by this one passage in Revelation 3.

Revelation 3:17 (KJV)
17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

• These are some of the problems with clinging to a life lived only for pleasure.
• Embracing the deceitfulness of riches and the associated pleasures will choke off the Word in your life and no fruit will grow.
• Again, none of this means you can’t have money. It just means if you do, you have some work to do to guard the Word in your life.
• You cannot serve both God and money and have a fruitful harvest.

Matthew 6:24 (KJV)
24 No man 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. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

• The story of Judas shows the dangers of a life whose interests are compromised by the love of money.

Mark 14:10–11 (KJV)
10 And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went unto the chief priests, to betray him unto them. 11 And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money. And he sought how he might conveniently betray him.

Call to Action:

The old saying, ‘To be forewarned is to be forearmed” has great applications in all things God. Arming yourself with the an appropriate understanding of the sayings of Jesus coupled with a strong mindset to obey and or put into practice those sayings will yield an abundant fruitful life.

Episode Resources

You can find more information on The Parable of the Sower by visiting the following posts:

1. Introducing the Gospel of Mark
2. What is the Parable of the Sower? [Podcast]
3. How Important is Understanding Jesus Parables? [Podcast]
4. In the Parable of the Sower, What Is Wayside Ground? [Podcast]
5. In the Parable of the Sower, What Is Stony Ground? [Podcast]
6. In the Parable of the Sower, More of What Is Stony Ground? [Podcast]
7. In The Parable of the Sower, What is Thorny Ground? [Podcast]

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Question: What safeguards have you surrounded yourself with in order to keep yourself centered on God? Please leave your comments in the comments section below.