1. Matt. 6:24 You You Cannot Cannot Serve Serve God God and and Mammon Mammon

2. You cannot serve God and Mammon!!! No man can serve 2 masters; Ye cannot serve God and mammon!” Matt. 6:24 No man can serve 2 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!”

3. Example: Solomon Turned Away From God

4. I Kings 11:1-13 1 But King Solomon loved many foreign women, as well as the daughter of Pharaoh: women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites— 2 from the nations of whom the Lord had said to the children of Israel, “You shall not intermarry with them, nor they with you. Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love.

5. Started out Good…but turned bad Daughter of Pharaoh –wives from Moabites,-Descendants of Lot’s Oldest Daughter… Gen. 19:36-38 Ammonites,-Desc. Of Lot’s Youngest-Gen.19:36-38 Edomites,-Isaac’s son Esau Gen.26:34 Father of the Edomites Sidonians,-Sidon -lst.born of Canaan…(Noah – Ham- Canaan-Sidon).Gen.10:15. Hittites –Heth-’father of the Hittities’ (Noah-Ham- Canaan -Heth) (Gen. 10:15-18)

6. 700 Wives, Princesses 300 Concubines

7. A Concubine: a legal mistress. O.T. Abraham (Genesis 25:6), Jacob (Genesis 35:22), Caleb (1 Chronicles 2:46), Saul (2 Samuel 3:7), David (2 Samuel 5:13), and Rehoboam (2 Chronicles 11:21).

8. What happened to Solomon’s heart? V.3 His wives turned away his heart. V.4 When did this happen? When he was old. “His wives turned his heart after other gods.. He did not have the same kind of heart that David had. I Sam. 16:7; Matt. 15:19,20

9. 3 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart. 4 For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the Lord his God, as was the heart of his father David. 5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.

10. What did Solomon do? … Solomon did evil 6 Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and did not fully follow the Lord, as did his father David. 7 Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, on the hill that is east of Jerusalem, (A Moabite god..destroyed by King Josiah 2 Kings 23:13)and.. for Molech the abomination of the people of Ammon. (A Ammonite god) (ibid..2 Kings 23:13) 8 And he did likewise for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.

11. 9 So the Lord became angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned from the Lord God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice, 10 and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he did not keep what the Lord had commanded. 11 Therefore the Lord said to Solomon, “Because you have done this, and have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant.

12. 12 Nevertheless I will not do it in your days, for the sake of your father David; I will tear it out of the hand of your son. 13 However I will not tear away the whole kingdom; I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of My servant David, and for the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen.”

13. Great Lessons we Must learn from this

14. Narrow Broad

15. You cannot serve God and Mammon!!! No man can serve 2 masters; Ye cannot serve God and mammon!” Matt. 6:24 No man can serve 2 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!”

16. Matt. 7:13,14 Running With the Devil Walking With God

17. Matt. 7:13,14 13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

18. Are you committed or Merely Involved?

19. Who owns you? I Cor. 6:19-20 19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. Rom. 5:8,9 While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us

20. Titus 2:11-14 11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, 12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; 13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; 14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. NKJV purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. ASV - purify unto himself a people for his own possession, zealous of good works.

21. Resist the devil… James 4:7-10 1.Draw near to God and remain close to God 2. Put on the whole armor of God. Eph. 6:10-13 David and Goliath. 3. Pray at all times. I Thess. 5:17

22. Why does the devil hate mankind so????? Look what he did to Job! Took all that he had…made him suffer…but in all this Job did not sin! Job 1 The devil lost that battle! Look what he did to Achan! Joshua 7 He Won that one. Look what he did to Ananias and Sapphira Acts 5:1-11 He won that one.

23. Oh how Solomon needed to listen to God…But what about us…. In the New Testament, Paul was faithful to God. He knew something! … He was not ignorant of the devil’s devices. 2 Cor. 2:11 In telling the Corinthians to forgive the man that had sinned, and obviously repented and changed his life, he notes: “Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices!”

24. Devices …of the Devil…. Satan has schemes/ plots/ plans/ devices/ strategies under his belt.

25. How long does it take Satan to get people to fall for his schemes? the FIRST TWO HUMANS WHO EVER WALKED THE FACE OF THE EARTH were deceived by Satan in his FIRST attempt! Someone has said: He has been practicing for years…and he has gotten real good at it.

26. Do we know what those devices are? Solomon was warned what a life in immorality would do for a person!...”turn his heart away from God”. It will do the same thing today!. Illustration: If you are living with a man or woman that you have no right to be living with, God has spoken…Adultery, fornication. Matt. 19:9 John the baptist---to Herod Mtt. 14:4 “For John said unto him (Herod) : It is not lawful for thee to have her. (Herodias, Herod’s brother Philip’s wife!)

27. What are some of the devices of the Devil? Same Sex marriages are okay. Illinois another state just added to those who can Be married to same sex!. Rom. 1:28-30 Divorce for any reason..Incompatibility You can’t get along, just divorce…and marry someone else. Matt. 19:9

28. Lie, steal, be dishonest, …God’s not mad At you no matter what you do!. I Kings 11:9 Lord became angry with Solomon, Let’s read I Kings 11:9 “so the Lord became angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned from the Lord God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice, l0 And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he (Solomon) did not keep what the Lord had commanded.”

29. Are we ignorant of the devil’s devices? Ignorance Ignorance Hosea 4:6 “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou has forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children”

30. What are the devices of the devil? 1. What God loves, Satan hates. 2. God’s business—forgiveness…Satan Hates that. 3. Satan’s devices: Ignorance;

31. We should know to avoid: Drunkenness, Drugs, Sensual parties, Secular vulgar music, Sex with someone other than your husband or wife, Profanity Pornography

32. Gal. 5:19-21 Works of the flesh I Cor. 6:9-11 Unrighteousness Matt. 15:19-210 Defiles us

33. Other things that are Satan’s Devices Pride… Greedy… Divisive.. Gossip. Offensive… Angry (A great sermon is forthcoming on this subject by Al Burns next Sunday night!. I

34. O if only Solomon would have listened to God! O, if only we would! I do not know if Solomon ever turned back to God before he died and slept with his fathers. Some of the last words of Solomon seem to indicate he at least knew what all men should know.

35. Ecc. 12:13,14 hear the conclusion 13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

36. You can’t serve God and Mammon. You can’t serve 2 masters…Solomon couldn’t do it, and you and I can’t either! Whom are you serving? _______________ Can you say He is first in your life?(Mtt.6:33) Can you say you are serving Him with all your heart, soul, and mind? (Matt. 22:36-39) Rom. 6:16-18

37. Get Right with God today… Obey the Gospel of Christ. 2 Thess. 1:7-9 7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, 8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: 9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;

38. If you are a Christian and not living right, make a change today. I John 1:9 “IF” (conditional!!) “WE” (who?..we..John includes himself confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness..