Text: Matthew 6:19-21
Proposition: What is fool’s gold?
I. Gold for fools
II. It is pleasing to the eyes
III. It has no great value (I Timothy 6)
Introduction
Fool’s gold is Iron Sulfide, FeS2, also known as pyrite. Iron and sulfur are both useful, but neither is valuable like gold. Pyrite is the most common sulfide mineral. Millions of tons of pyrite are mined annually for the manufacture of sulfuric acid (International Encyclopedia, P, 195). Gold has been valued by man for thousands of years for its rarity and beauty. In this sermon fool’s gold represents the riches and pleasures of this life. Gold represents the wisdom that leads to eternal life, II Timothy 3:14-16. Wisdom is much more valuable than gold, Proverbs 3:13, 14, 8:10-11.
I. Gold for fools (Why is it gold for fools?)
A. Fools horde it.
1. Luke 12:13-21, This man thought he would be able to take life easy for many years to come. He had stored and saved so that he could take life easy. Many today do this. They save for retirement all their life. Some of them get to enjoy what they saved and some die before they get to enjoy it. This man gave only himself credit for his riches. He gave no credit to God who had provided the sunshine, rain, and the soil. He gave no credit to others who had worked for him. He had not put any treasure in heaven. He hadn’t used his money to help others. He had more stored up than he could ever use. He prepared himself to retire, but he hadn’t prepared himself to meet God.
2. There is nothing wrong with saving money or investing money. Proverbs 6:6-8 and Joseph saved grain in Egypt for seven years to be able to live during the seven years of famine. What is wrong is when you forget about God and what he wants you to do with your money.
a. God wants us to tithe and give an offering.
b. He wants us to use our money to help others. Invest money in other people and God’s kingdom.
B. Fools trust in it.
1. Fools trust in money instead of God
2. Psalms 49:6-8, no one can pay ransom to God for themselves or their brother on the day of judgment. God judges us by our deeds not how much money we have.
3. Luke 16:1-11, The only benefit you will receive from your money for eternity will be if you use it to make friends who will receive you into the eternal dwellings. Not like the prodigal son. He used his money and had friends while he had money, but when his money ran out he didn’t have anymore friends. There was no one to help him when the famine came, but like the unrighteous steward in a spiritual sense.
4. Luke 16:19-31 The rich man should have used his money to make a friend of Lazarus.
5. I Samuel 25:1-44, (Enrique, I will probably just tell this story and not read it.) Nabal should have used his riches to make a friend out of David. David had been good to Nabal. David wasn’t wealthy at this time. He and his men were poor. They were running from Saul and living in the wilderness. David’s request was not unusual, sheep shearing was generally a time of celebration, and he had kept Nabal’s flocks and shepherds safe. David had helped Nabal, it would be right for Nabal to help David. Nabal gave David nothing.
6. Ecclesiastes 2:26, We don’t know for sure who got Nabal’s possessions, but we do know that David got Nabal’s widow. If you get a man’s widow you generally get a considerable portion of his wealth.
C. Fools don’t think of anything else
1. Ecclesiastes 4:8, I talked to a man one day who worked hard all of his life. He never married and had no children. He does have brothers, but now he is old. His health is bad and he is depressed. He said to me, “I wish I had done things different. I have money, but I didn’t really enjoy life.”
2. Ecclesiastes 5:10 and 11, Those who love money will always want more.
3. We are to learn to be content with what we have.
4. Philippians 4:11 and 12.
II. It is pleasing to the eyes (Why is it pleasing to the eyes?)
A. Fool’s gold is pleasing to the eyes it is beautiful. It has the yellow luster of gold. It sparkles and looks like it has value. So it pleases the eyes.
B. Riches and pleasure in life are beautiful. We like shiny new cars. We like big beautiful houses. We like the shiny yellow luster of gold. These things have the lure of making us happy. But they have no lasting value.
1. Ecclesiastes 2:1-11
2. No one was as rich as Solomon
3. I Kings 10:27, he had silver to be as common as stones.
4. Michael Jackson had lots of money, fame, and pleasure, but he had lots of problems. He had a drug problem. He had financial problems. He had health problems. He has left everything he had behind.
III. Fool’s gold has no great or lasting value (Why doesn’t it have great value?)
A. It is easy to obtain
1. Fool’s gold is easy to obtain. Gold is hard to obtain and you can get it only with hard work and great expense.
2. Matthew 7:13-14
3. The majority of people are not going to heaven. There are many going into eternal destruction.
4. There were 8 people on the ark
5. There were 3 who made it out of Sodom and Gomorrah.
6. There were 2 who made it to the Promised Land.
B. It’s value doesn’t last
1. Gold has had value for thousands of years. In 1970 it was $35 an ounce. Last Friday it was about $940 an ounce. The dollar was backed by gold in 1970. In 1971 it was no longer backed by gold. Paper currency becomes worthless when governments print to much. Gold holds its value for years and years.
2. But in heaven gold isn’t valuable. It is used for street pavement. Gold in reality is fool’s gold. In eternity it has no value.
C. You can’t take it with you
1. Luke 12:20-21
2. You must leave it to the one who comes after you.
3. Ecclesiastes 2:18-21
4. Solomon left his to Rehoboam. Rehoboam was a fool.
5. I Kings 12:1-14
6. Rehoboam lost the 10 northern tribes. Solomon’s descendants lost his treasures and his riches to foreign kings.
D. The true riches have lasting value.
1. I Timothy 6:17-19
2. Riches are uncertain. The true riches of heaven are certain.
3. The love of money is the pursuit of fools.
4. I Timothy 6:6-10
5. Many who pursue riches end up poor.
6. The Comstock Lode in Nevada yielded about $400 million
Those who discovered the famous mine were ignorant as to the value of their find, as they were not well educated in mineral sciences. The "blue stuff" kept clogging the rockers, and eventually the men grew frustrated and discouraged from their gold mining.
Patrick McLaughlin sold his interest in the Ophir claim for $3,500 which he soon lost. He then worked as a cook at the Green mine in California. He died working at odd jobs.
Emanuel Penrod sold his share of the interest for $8,500 [4].
Peter O'Riley held on to his interests collecting dividends, until selling for about $40,000[4]. He erected a stone hotel on B Street in Virginia City called the Virginia House, and became a dealer of mining stocks. He began a tunnel into the Sierras near Genoa, Nevada, expecting to strike a richer vein than the Comstock. He lost everything, went insane and died in a private asylum in Woodbridge, California.
Comstock traded an old blind horse and a bottle of whiskey for a one-tenth share formerly owned by James Fennimore ("Old Virginny"), but later sold all of his holdings to Judge James Walsh for $11,000 [4]. He opened trade good stores in Carson City and Silver City. Having no education and no business experience, he went broke. After losing all his property and possessions in Nevada, Comstock prospected for some years in Idaho and Montana without success. In September 1870, while prospecting in Big Horn country, near Bozeman, Montana, he committed suicide with his revolver. (Wikipedia, Comstock Lode)
E. Pursue true riches.
1. Matthew 13:44-46
2. The only reason you would sell everything you have to buy a treasure in a hidden field or to buy a pearl is that they are worth more than everything you have.
3. The kingdom of heaven is worth more than everything we have. Don’t be like the discoverers of the Comstock lode and sell out for less than what your treasure is worth. Satan offers you Fool’s gold for real gold.
4. Matthew 4:1-11, Satan offered the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life lots of fools gold. In exchange for his soul.
5. Satan offers us the same thing.
6. He offers you a few dollars for missing church on Sunday. Sometimes we have to work, but most of the time we can work things out so that we can be off on Sunday.
7. Sometimes he only offers a few hours of sleep because you stayed up too late on Saturday night.
8. Sometimes he offers a few minutes of sexual pleasure in exchange for your soul.
9. He offers to let you keep your tithe money and steal from God so that you can have a new video game, satellite TV, or a new boat.
Conclusion
Satan offers Fool’s God for real gold. Many people take his offer. They don’t realize the value of the kingdom. Many trade the true riches for the pleasure and riches of this life. There is nothing wrong with having wealth, but when you trade your soul to obtain it you are a fool. Don’t let Satan fool you with his offers. He wants to see you pursue fool’s gold. He wants to see you on the broad way that leads to destruction.
If you have been on the path that leads to destruction chasing fool’s gold, REPENT. Change your ways. Get on the narrow path that leads to life. Jesus offers us eternal life. He has provided a way for us to be on the narrow path.
Acts 2:38
Repenting and being baptized is the beginning of the way to eternal life the true riches. | 
