Pathway to Victory

Speaker 1

Hey, podcast listeners, thanks for streaming today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.

Pathway to Victory is a nonprofit ministry featuring the Bible teaching of Dr. Robert Jeffress. Our mission is to pierce the darkness with the light of God's word through the most effective media available, like this podcast.

To support Pathway to Victory, go to ptv.org/donate or follow the link in our show notes.

Now here's today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.

Speaker 2

Hi, this is Robert Jeffress, and I'm glad to study God's Word with you every day.

Speaker 3

This Bible teaching program on today's edition of Pathway to Victory.

Speaker 2

Why is it people crave money? Why do they worship money? It provides security. It reduces stress. It fulfills our desires. It provides us for what we think is independence. Money's promise to provide happiness is only an illusion.

Speaker 1

Welcome to Pathway to Victory with author and pastor Dr. Robert Jeffress.

It's been said that money is the root of all kinds of evil, and it drove one young man to reject his father, abandon his home, and wander off into a far country. Today on Pathway to Victory, Dr. Robert Jeffress reveals how money can be a person's single greatest barrier to God.

But first, let's take a minute to hear some important ministry updates.

Speaker 3

Thanks, David, and welcome again to Pathway to Victory. Recently, I heard someone say that if Alaska were a book, it would be written in God's own handwriting. Every glacier is a sentence declaring God's majesty. For those reasons and more, I invite you to come see this incredible masterpiece with me during our Pathway to Victory cruise to Alaska. The dates are June 13 and 20, 2026. Together, we'll turn the pages of this magnificent wilderness while enjoying the fellowship of believers who share our love for the authority of all creation. Make plans to join us by visiting ptv.org.

Well, in today's message, I want to show you how the pursuit of wealth is like chasing an imposter. Why did our Savior single out this one thing above all other potential competitors for our hearts? Because money is a great charlatan. It whispers the same promises that only God can truly deliver.

To complement this teaching series, I've written a book for you. It's called *Coming Home to the Father Who Loves You*. Whether you're the prodigal who's chasing after wealth and success, or someone you love is far from home, the biblical principles in this book will guide you, and a copy is yours when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory.

All right, let's get started. In this next study, using the timeless story of the Prodigal Son, we'll uncover money's hidden dangers and discover how to guard your heart against its deceptive power. I titled today's message *Money Mania*.

Speaker 2

Howard Dayton tells a story about a man named Roger Morgan who emerged from the Appalachian Mountains with one desire in life: to amass a fortune. Over the course of his life, Roger Morgan accumulated millions of dollars, only to lose them in the Great Depression. Becoming penniless once again, without a dime to his name, Roger Morgan traveled across the country trying to eke out a living, but with no success. One day, he found himself standing on the edge of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, staring into the icy water below. A fellow hobo was there, trying to talk Roger Morgan down from the edge of the bridge. Morgan said, "Be quiet. I'm thinking to myself, I know there's something more important in life than money. I'm just trying to remember what it is."

Money has the power to consume all of our attention and affection in life. But I think the greatest danger of money is the power it has to lure us away from our relationship with God. That's why I believe Jesus said in Matthew 6:24, "No man can serve two masters. He will either hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money." I've always thought it was significant that Jesus never said, "You cannot serve God in sports." He didn't say, "You cannot serve God in your job." He didn't say, "You can't serve God in sex." But Jesus did say, "You cannot serve God in money." It's not because those other things can't become an idol in our lives as well, but the fact is, there is something unique about money in its ability to sap our attention and our affection.

Perhaps when Jesus spoke those words, he thought about the rich young ruler who was willing to give up eternal life in order to hold on to his fortune. Perhaps he was thinking of Judas Iscariot, who would trade 30 pieces of silver for his eternal soul. Money has a way of causing otherwise rational people to do irrational things. Jesus, I think, perhaps had that in mind as well when he told the story of the Prodigal Son. If you have your Bibles, turn to Luke chapter 15. On these Sunday evenings, we're using the story of the Prodigal Son as an analogy of how we, as believers, wander away from our Heavenly Father. Remember last time we said that Satan doesn't need any new tricks; the old ones work just fine. The same temptations that led the son away from his father are at work to lead us away from our Heavenly Father. Satan uses the same three temptations in every believer: a lust for money, materialism, a lust for pleasure, and a drive for success or significance in life.

Look at Luke 15, beginning with verse 11. Jesus said, "A certain man had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me.' So the father divided his wealth between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country, and there he squandered his estate with loose living." Think about this boy for a moment. He enjoyed the kind of existence that most of us can only dream of. He lived in a mansion, had servants that waited on him around the clock, and knew for sure that one day he would inherit a great fortune from his father. But that wasn't enough. He goes to his father and says, "Dad, I want my money, and I want it now."

Imagine the father going through a range of emotions. First, anger: "You want me to do what? Are you out of your mind? After all that I've done for you?" But the anger soon turned to hurt as the father realized what he had always secretly suspected: his son only cared about him because of the money he had. When the son said, "Father, divide the estate," he was really saying, "Dad, I wish you were dead right now so I could get your money. But since it looks like you're going to hang around a while, I don't want to wait any longer. Just give me my share right now so I can get out of here." That request must have come like a dagger into the father's heart. But he relented and divided the estate according to the custom of the day: two-thirds going to the older son, and a third going to the younger son.

What is it that would cause a son to leave the security of his home and alienate a powerful and loving father? By the way, what is it that causes us to allow money to lure us away from the Father who has everything? Why do we do it? Why do we allow money to become our God? I want to point out to you four qualities of money that fuel what I call "money mania." To worship money means to ascribe to it the same characteristics that we ought to ascribe only to God. It means to give money the same amount of respect that we give God. Quite frankly, there's a reason we tend to worship money more than anything else. In many ways, money can at least appear to do the things that God can do for us.

For example, money can promise security for the future. We all want to be secure, and we think money is the passport to that security. We have a friend who recently sold his business for a billion dollars. Can you imagine that? A billion dollars. He was in my office recently to pay his tithe. No, believe me, I wish he had been in my office to give his tithe. But he's a very humble Christian. We were talking, and he was just telling me about the mechanics of getting a billion dollars. You know, you close the deal, and the people who are buying your business say, "Okay, we've got your billion dollars. Where do you want it sent?" Just think about that. Where would you send a billion dollars? What bank would you trust enough to put a billion dollars in right now? You sure wouldn't put it at home under your mattress. I mean, that presents a problem, doesn't it? Money promises security for the future.

Yet, for all of the security money appears to offer, there are some things from which money can never protect us. Jesus reminded us of that in Luke chapter 12. Turn back there a few chapters. Remember the story of the rich fool? Here is a man who had so much he didn't know what to do with it. So he had this idea. Look at Luke 12, beginning in verse 16. Jesus said, "The land of a certain rich man was very productive. He began reasoning to himself, saying, 'What shall I do since I have no place to store my crops?' And he said, 'This is what I will do. I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store my grain and my goods. I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink, and be merry."'"

This guy had a problem most of us would kill to have. He had so much he didn't know what to do with it. So he started talking to himself during one of his sleepless nights. What shall I do with all of this stuff? The truth is, there are many things he could have done. He could have called his family together and had a Thanksgiving service to God for his good fortune. He could have used the money to invest in God's work or distributed it among his heirs. But no, he decided to stockpile his money and worship it. To worship money again means to ascribe to it those qualities that belong to God.

This man thought that money was the key to a secure future. Specifically, he thought he had enough money that, first of all, he would never have to depend on anyone for anything again, and secondly, he knew he could quit work and live a life of luxury if he so chose. Let me remind you that neither of those goals is in keeping with God's plan for your life. Did you know God does not want you to have so much money that you don't have to depend on anyone or anything? That is not part of His plan for your life. In fact, in Proverbs 30, verses 8 and 9, listen to what Solomon, the richest man of his day, said: "Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread; otherwise I might have too much and disown you and say, 'Who is the Lord?'"

That's the danger of having too much money. You can have so much that money becomes your God, and you don't think you need God for your protection. By the way, that's exactly what happened to Solomon. He was writing from personal experience in his younger years. Remember 1 Kings, chapter 11? It says that women and wealth turned his heart cold toward God. That is why God commanded kings not to amass great treasures of silver and gold, so they wouldn't grow cold in their dependence upon Him. Interestingly, both Solomon and his father David ignored that commandment and ended up leaving the God of their creation.

Let me say this very clearly to you: it is not God's will for you to stockpile a large amount of wealth. You shouldn't do it. First of all, you're going to leave it all behind. But while it's here, money has the ability to turn your heart away from God. If God has blessed you with money, use it. Use it to build God's kingdom. Don't allow it to cause your heart to grow cold and turn away from God. Secondly, God never meant for us to quit working and live a life of luxury. I've said it before, but I'll continue to say it again: this whole idea of retirement—meaning not just quitting your normal job, but spending the last 30 years of your life with no greater thought than what am I going to do to entertain myself today—is not part of God's plan for your life. There is nothing that will lead to a more ungodly life than becoming self-focused in the last 30 years of your life. Yes, you may quit the job that you've held; you may change positions, but God wants you to be productive until the day you die, doing His work, working in His kingdom.

Again, this man didn't understand that although he trusted in money to provide him security in life, there was one contingency he failed to plan for. Look at verse 20: "But God said to this man, 'You fool! This very night your soul is required of you. And now who will own what you have prepared?'" Hear me tonight: as powerful as money is, there are some things from which money can never protect you. Money can't protect you from a stranger who steals your mate's affection and ends up dissipating your wealth. Money can't protect you from somebody who sues you for everything you have. And money can't protect you from that blood clot or that tumor that takes your life prematurely and sends you to your maker stripped of every material possession you now have. Solomon was right when he said, "Riches are worthless in the day of wrath."

Secondly, money is so appealing to us because it relieves stress, or at least it promises to. Money relieves stress. That's why people end up worshiping money. We all worship anything that promises to relieve the stress we're dealing with. Now, again, let's be honest: money can relieve some stress. I imagine if you had a billion dollars right now, it could take care of some problems you have, some challenges you're facing. Money can reduce stress. But money also has the ability to induce stress. For example, the poor person, the person with no money, doesn't wake up every day and check the Dow Jones Industrial Average to see if it's up or down. A poor person doesn't worry whether the Federal Reserve is going to raise or lower interest rates. The person with no net worth doesn't have to worry that somebody's going to sue him for everything he has. The fact is, money can induce stress in our lives.

That is why in Ecclesiastes 5:11-12, Solomon observed, "As goods increase, so do those who consume them. And what benefit are they to the owner except to feast his eyes upon them? The sleep of a laborer is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of a rich man permits him no sleep." The wealthy person has to sleep with one eye open at night, worried about what's going to happen to his wealth.

Thirdly, money can fulfill our desires. That's another reason many people are attracted to money. It is the passport to fulfilling our greatest desires in life. I have a friend who gave me a challenge one time. He said, "You ought to make a list of 10 things you want to do before you die." In fact, he did this. He's a very successful businessman, and in the back of his notebook he carries around with him, he has a list of 10 things he wants to do before he dies. Sometime when you have a little bit of time—not right now during the sermon, but sometime—you might think about those 10 things you would like to do before you die. I imagine on your list might be the kind of house you would like to build one day and live in. Perhaps it would be some trips you would like to take, an automobile you would like to drive, or clothes you would like to wear. Other things you would like to do may even be ministry goals that you have.

What is it that stands between us and our dreams? Usually, it's the lack of financial resources. The only reason we don't do those things now is that we don't have the resources to do them. So we think, "You know, money is the key to fulfilling our desires in life." But the truth is, money can also lead us into fulfilling foolish and harmful desires in our lives. Money's a two-edged sword. Listen to 1 Timothy 6:9: "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." Will you notice which kind of desires Paul says you need to be on guard against? He says money can lead you to fulfill foolish desires. That word "foolish" could mean frivolous desires. You see, that's the problem with money: its ability to fulfill our desires is a two-edged sword. The Bible says beware of money because it plunges us into foolish and harmful pursuits.

Fourthly, the danger of money is that it can provide us with independence. One reason we worship money is that it provides us with what most of us crave most: independence. We talk about people being "independently wealthy"; the two are tied together. If you're wealthy, you can be independent. You can get to the point in your life that you don't need anyone; you're self-sufficient. God doesn't want us to be independent. I think, by the way, that's what was at work in the life of the Prodigal Son. Here, more than anything, he wanted his share of the father's estate so he could get out from under the authority of his father and live on his own. He wouldn't have to answer to anyone except himself. We all have that independent spirit within us; it's what we desire in life. But independence is not good for our spiritual health.

May I remind you, it's that independent spirit that caused Satan to be cast out of heaven as Lucifer? He said, "I will be like the Most High. I want to be like the number one guy." And God cast him out of heaven. It's no coincidence that Satan used that same temptation, the first temptation with Eve in the garden: "If you will eat of this fruit..."

Speaker 3

What?

Speaker 2

You can be like God. You don't have to be subservient to God. You can be just like God. The independence we all crave can actually be very harmful to our spiritual health.

Why is it people crave money? Why do they worship money? It provides security. It reduces stress. It fulfills our desires. It provides us for what we think is independent.

But ladies and gentlemen, if you don't hear anything else I say tonight, here are these two truths about money. First of all, money's promise to provide happiness is only an illusion.

Listen to what some of the wealthiest men in history have said about money:

"The care of $200 million is enough to kill anyone. There is no pleasure in it." - W.H. Vanderbilt.

"I am the most miserable man on earth." - J. Astor.

"I have made millions, but they have brought me no happiness." - John D. Rockefeller.

"Millionaires seldom smile." - Andrew Carnegie.

"I was happier when doing a mechanic's job."

Speaker 3

Henry Ford.

Speaker 2

The power of money to destroy a life is very, very real. Paul said it this way: "But those who want to get rich fall into many foolish and harmful desires. For the love of money is the root of all sorts of evil."

And some, by longing for it, have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.

Speaker 3

Well, it's possible. You're listening to Pathway to Victory right now. And it's not you that's the prodigal. You're thinking about a son or daughter who's lost their way. Maybe your heart is aching for the loved one who has defied God to pursue his own agenda.

I've put together a helpful prayer card for you. It's designed to guide your thoughts and prayers and to serve as a constant reminder of the Savior's love. If you will contact me today, I'll make sure you receive a copy without cost or obligation. It's called A Prayer for Your Prodigal.

But that's not all. My companion book is called Coming Home to the Father Who Loves You. This 200-page book resonates with readers because all of us carry a heavy burden for someone who has lost their way. My book, written with the drifter in mind, gives tangible, measurable ways to make a comeback. In this practical favorite, you'll discover how God uses a crisis to get your attention. I define the extent of God's amazing grace and forgiveness, and I identify four principles that will keep you from obsessing about money.

Let me send you my book Coming Home to the Father Who Loves You. I'll send a copy to your home right away when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory. Thank you for giving generously to Pathway to Victory during these painful and stressful times in our nation's history. Your gift unleashes the power of the Gospel all across North America and beyond, as we call men and women to come home to the Father who loves them.

Thanks so much for responding today. Here's David to tell you more.

Speaker 1

When you support the ministry of Pathway to Victory by giving a generous gift, we'll say thanks by sending you *Coming Home to the Father Who Loves You*. That's the uplifting book from Dr. Jeffress that dovetails with our current series. To request the book, call 866-999-2965 or go online to ptv.org.

You know, time and again, folks share how they've come to depend on Pathway to Victory for solid, trustworthy Bible teaching that they can apply to their daily lives. As a thank you for your gift today, you'll also receive a prayer for your prodigal to help you lift up that wandering heart that's never far from your mind. Call 866-999-2965 or go online to ptv.org. You can also mail your gift to P.O. Box 223609, Dallas, Texas 75222. That's P.O. Box 223609, Dallas, Texas 75222.

I'm David J. Mullins inviting you back next time when Dr. Jeffress presents a message called *Addicted to Pleasure*. That's Wednesday on Pathway to Victory. Pathway to Victory with Dr. Robert Jeffress comes from the pulpit of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas.

You made it to the end of today's podcast from Pathway to Victory, and we're so glad you're here. Pathway to Victory relies on the generosity of loyal listeners like you to make this podcast possible. One of the most impactful ways you can give is by becoming a Pathway Partner. Your monthly gift will empower Pathway to Victory to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ and help others become rooted more firmly in His Word. To become a Pathway Partner, go to ptv.org/donate or follow the link in our show notes.

We hope you've been blessed by today's podcast from Pathway to Victory. Oh, and one last thing before we go: Have you reserved your spot yet for the 2026 Pathway to Victory cruise to Alaska? You've been hearing me and Dr. Jeffress mention it, so what are you waiting for? Just picture yourself on the deck of Holland America's elegant Koningsdam and stepping out on deck to witness nature's grandeur. It's beautiful. These moments in God's creation will deepen your faith in powerful ways. It really will.

Experience five-star dining, luxurious staterooms, and visit iconic ports like Juneau, Ketchikan, and Skagway. We're also bringing along our own Christian entertainment. You'll love it! Seats are filling up, so book your spot today at ptv.org.