Are We Allowed Greedy Gain (Luke 10:1-12)
Gary McManus, 09/24/2023Part of the Life With Jesus is Better series, preached at a Sunday Morning service
September 24, 2023 Luke 10:1-12
From last week: mamon! Matthew 6:24 (KJV)
The ONLY place the word appears in the New
Testament. Y’all cannot serve God and mammon.
What does it mean? . . .riches, money, possessions,
property, and the origin of the word is from avarice;
we cannot serve avarice and God. Then we noted
1 Peter 5:2:”. . . not for shameful/greedy gain.”
The Greek word for greedy gain, (KJV) filthy lucre.
You fans of the KJV might be like me and
It is found only once in the entire New Testament.
“Greedy” occurs five or ten times.
One key to remember is that greed is defined
somewhat by the word covet—a word we know
(the Ten Commandments).
Do not DESIRE people or things that don’t belong to us.
[History note: Christian monk, Evagrius Ponticus (Fourth
Century), wrote down what’s known as the “eight evil
thoughts”. St. Gregory wrote a commentary on Job and
included “seven vices”, later known as the SEVEN
DEADLY SINS: gluttony, lust, avarice, anger, sloth,
sadness, vainglory and pride.
“They’re called ‘mortal’ or ‘deadly’ sins because they
lead to the death of the soul.” Persistence or without
confession/repentance, one is consigned to Hell.
(Christians, if you don’t believe in Hell, you must
revisit the seven deadly sins.)
Pastor’s understanding of sin is fairly simple;
sin is anything that our God does not want for us to
have or do. That removes sins as a list of vices that a
person must abstain from. It makes sin very personal.
Example: marriage. (See 1 Corinthians 7)
Usually greed is associated with money, but most
definitions remind us that we can be greedy for anything
including money.
Is it wrong to have more money? Not if the Lord wants you
to have more money. Does the Lord want us to have even
more money? Well it depends on what you are going to
do with more, doesn’t it? (Luke 12:13-21)
The late great Larry Burkett: Christians should achieve
financial security. Why?
1. To allow the church to help others than you.
2. You are able to provide for others/ help others.
Larry Burkett: The Word on Finances.
So, YES, you may pursue more if the results are
better for more others.
Modern morality plays today: greedy “Pastors”
--Jim Bakker
--Oral Roberts and City of Faith Hospital
--Robert Tilton and Word of Faith, Success N Life
Today’s Gospel reading; Jesus said, “no purse.”
The mission that day was to be self-sufficient.
The mission depended on those who would receive
the message of the Kingdom and the message of the
Gospel. Jesus even prepared the disciples for people
who were not interested in Jesus’ mission.
And the disciples did as Jesus said (Luke 22:35)
This is not the miracle where the daily bread
produced many leftovers (Luke 9:17)
Pastor says: God doesn’t want something from us
as much as God wants something FOR us:
salvation, a relationship, --to be responsible with
blessings. (Ephesians 2:10)
Remember Annabelle Beam, “Miracles from Heaven”
Jesus told Annabelle: “My child, I have plans for you
to complete on earth that you cannot complete in Heaven.”
We want to do what our Lord wants us to do.
We want to want what our Lord wants for us—no more,
no less. Amen.
https://www.history.com/news/seven-deadly-sins-origins
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