2. Toys Children love playing with their toys & have so much that they can’t fit them all in their toy box. They get older and want the latest game systems (Wii U, Playstation 4, X-Box One, etc.) When children grow up & leave, they see what their parents have (cars, cell phone, computers, clothes, etc.) and want it ASAP.

3. Why Do We “Need” So Much? We’re saturated with 5,000 ads daily (TV, radio, email, internet, billboards, magazines, regular mail, etc.) The advertising industry spends about $100 billion a year which leads us to want more so that we will spend more. We live in a prosperous nation where we as Americans want better for our children than we had it- especially through the depression. So we try to buy their affection or try to keep up with Jones’ family.

4. What is “Greed”? “an excessive desire to acquire or possess more than what one needs or deserves, especially with respect to material wealth” (American Heritage Dictionary)

5. Jesus Warns About “Greed” "Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions“ (Luke 12:15).

6. Greed Can Become Your God "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth” (Matt. 6:24). What you treasure in your heart is what you will follow (Matthew 6:21).

7. Greed Can Become Your God Balaam was bribed by Balak (king of Moab) to curse Israel so he could defeat them in battle (Num. 22:5-7). Being a prophet of God, he had to obtain permission... God said, “No.” (Num. 22:12). The king’s men came back with offers of more wealth. Balaam said he couldn’t go against God’s commands, but he really wanted the money (Num. 22:15-19). Balaam placed a stumbling block before Israel which led to idolatry, sexual immorality, and the death of 24,000 Israelites (Num. 25:1-9; 31:16; Rev. 2:14).

8. Greed Will Rule & Ruin Your Life “But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, & some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs” (1 Ti. 6:9-10). Many today are forsaking the right way, having trained their heart in greed, and are following the way of Balaam (2 Peter 2:15).

9. What Would You Do For $10 Million? 2/3 would do one or more of the following: 25%- abandon their church 25%- abandon their family 23%- become prostitutes for a week or more 16%- give up their American citizenship 16%- leave their spouses 10%- withhold testimony & let a murderer go free 7%- kill a stranger 3%- put up their children for adoption (James Patterson & Peter Kim, The Day America Told the Truth, 1991)

10. You Wouldn’t Do That? How about gambling? How about overextending your credit? How about consistently making minimum credit card payments while charging more? How about “robbing Peter to pay Paul”? How about bankruptcy?

11. What are you thinking about? Do you spend more time thinking about your bank account or the stock market than the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16-17)? Do you dream, imagine, or think about your next purchase that will make you happy or are you setting your affections on things above (Colossians 3:1ff)?

12. Money Will Never Make You Happy Solomon, a very rich man, said that you will never be satisfied with money or things (Ecclesiastes 5:10-11). You cannot serve two masters (God and money) because you will hate one and love the other (Matthew 6:24).

13. Trust in God to Take Care of You Greed leads us to think that God can’t take care of us so we trust in what we see but we are supposed to “walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7) Don’t “fix your hope on the uncertainty of riches but on God who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy” (1 Tim. 6:17).

14. Admit, Confess, & Forsake Your Greed “He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, But he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion” (Proverbs 28:13).

15. Seek God’s Kingdom First- Count Blessings If we seek His kingdom first, God will take care of all our needs according to His riches in Christ Jesus so that we don’t have to worry (Matt. 6:33-34; Phil. 4:19). Learn to count all the many blessings that you have from God.

16. Conclusion If greed is your god, it will rule and ruin your life (like Balaam). It must not be named among Christians (Eph. 5:3). But if you store up for yourself treasures in heaven it will not corrupt and thieves can’t break in or steal (Matthew 6:19-20).

17. Conclusion Everything that you cherish on the earth will be burned up (2 Peter 3:10) but God desires to show us the surpassing riches of His glory in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:7). You must be willing to surrender all to Jesus or you cannot be his disciple (Luke 14:33).

18. He who dies with the most toys wins? If you live with this attitude you will be like the man who built bigger & bigger barns … Luke 12:20-21 In the end, you will lose everything dear to you and will suffer eternal torment! Surrender all to Jesus now!