The Reward of the Wealthy

Posted on September 25, 2022

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Amos 6:1-7

Psalm 146

1 Timothy 6:7-19

Luke 16:19-31

There are many people in our world today who are very wealthy. Many who have little or are less fortunate may often time look at such people with envy wishing that they too had such wealth for themselves. They may dream about what it would be like to have riches beyond their dreams and how life would be for them if they just had all that money. Such people may often play the lottery often in the hopes of a quick way to gain such riches. We then hear horror stories about such people winning then leaving their families to squander their new found wealth and finally losing everything and they are back to where they started but only worse. Then on the other hand there may be some who are wealthy that just like to squander their wealth in luxury and comforts for themselves and this becomes the sole purpose for their lives. They hoard their wealth to themselves and live only for themselves. Such people on both ends of the spectrum will receive what is due to them because of how they have lived their lives seeking out riches.

Our passage from Amos this morning speaks about the reward for those in Israel who are wealthy. Such people were like the ones I described above. They were like man in the parable who had a surplus of grain and stored it up for himself so that he could live life as a party, taking it ease and lounging around and drinking as he please. Yet these people were so focused on their wealth and they didn’t care that the nation was falling into sin and was about to be destroyed. They didn’t care about the repentance of Israel. They only cared about their comforts. Therefore, the Lord explains to them that they will be the first into exile. That is exactly what happened. The Babylonians took the elites with them back to Babylon and left the poor behind. This was the reward of the wealthy.

We all know the story of the rich man and Lazarus. In fact, it is told and retold continually. Story is that there was a wealthy man who lived his life in luxury while a beggar who would hang outside his home would long for the scraps from the rich mans table and even dogs would come and lick the sores on his body. The time came when they both died. The rich man entered Hell while Lazarus entered heaven. Upon receiving punishment, the rich man feels regret but it is too late for him. Therefore, he requests that his family members who are also living as he had, that they be warned of their coming doom if they continue on their course of living. Abraham explains that they have the law which is everything they need to warn them but if they will not listen to the law than they may see the same reward.

The thing is that the wealth did not have to receive such a punishment. It wasn’t their wealth itself that caused them to fall but it is how they were using their wealth. The rich man had the opportunity to be kind to Lazarus and help him out of his poverty but he chose not to. The wealthy who were exiled could have gotten out of their lounge chairs and influenced the people of Israel to stop sinning but they chose to continue in their luxury. Therefore, they all received their just reward due to their actions and how they were living their lives.

However, the same rewards could have easily been given to Lazarus or any other poor person who would seek out to be rich for the sake of being rich. If they seek out to be rich to simply enjoy the riches of life. It is what you do with such things and the reason for seeking to be rich and wealthy which decides your final reward. Paul gives a warning in his letter to Timothy about such things. He explains that if we have our bodies clothed and our bellies full then this should be enough for us to feel content. But he warns that those who seek to be rich will be opened to temptations which may trap them into many harmful desires that will lead them into destruction. For the love of money is a root to all kinds of evil.

It does not have to be this way though. Money can also give root to all kinds of good as well. That is if our love is not for the money itself but for the Lord and for his people and creation. But where our heart is focused may decide our reward. The reward of the wealthy will be eternal punishment if their heart and trust is in their wealth alone. As Jesus said, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven. In the same token, the poor will also receive a reward of eternal punishment if their focus is on obtaining riches for themselves to be used only to please themselves. If their trust is in the things for which they long for then they two are expressing a love for money even though they do not have any.

Those who are wealthy and seek to use their wealth to please the Lord, to help those in need and to do good with their wealth, will see a greater reward in heaven. In the same token, those who have little yet seek wealth and riches with the purpose to make a difference in the world and please the Lord will also receive a reward of heaven. The main thing for all people whether rich or poor is to put their trust in Jesus Christ and not in the money that they have or don’t have.

We must always be on guard against sin though. Money does have power. It can be used as a tool for doing good or it can be used as a tool for causing harm. The love of money corrupts and we can see that in our government leaders around the entire world today. However, the respect of money and the Love of Jesus has the power to do great and wonderful things for the world.

Three of the richest men from the industrial age lived their lives seeking wealth and protecting that wealth. Morgan, Rockefeller, and Carnegie all created an empire for themselves. They had a race to see who could become the richest. However, as they got older, they found emptiness in all of this wealth. Therefore, the race changed from gaining wealth to seeing who could give the most away. For the love of money had led these men towards all kinds of evil and temptations. But all of that could change if their love and focus would shift to something more noble.

I say all of these things today because wealth and riches often are given a bad reputation. However, having an abundance does not have to be a bad thing. What matters most is the heart of a person. Is their heart to serve the Lord or serve themselves. If it is to serve the Lord then their goal to increase their wealth is for the purpose of serving the Lord. However, one must be careful for in the sinful nature it is easy for one to seek out wealth simply for one’s self. The bottom line though, we will all be rewarded based upon what seeds we sow. Is it going to be seeds of love and compassion or seeds of greed? I pray that we all seek to please Jesus with our money whether we have it or not. For Jesus is our great reward if choose him over wealth and money. It is a reward far greater than we could ever imagine.