Sex, Power, Riches, and Materialism

A Billy Graham Sermon Summary

Whatever Solomon wanted, he got. He had more knowledge, pleasure, wives, wealth, fame, and power than anyone in his time. But to him, everything under the sun was meaningless [1]. Will chasing after what Solomon pursued give us meaning and satisfaction?
 
Solomon had great knowledge, but his knowledge gave him grief [2]. In the beginning, humans gained the knowledge of evil after rebelling against God. The devil can blind our minds to spiritual things, manipulating us to see the Gospel as stupid [3]. Knowledge enables us to create bombs and weapons that can kill people in an instant. Knowledge alone isn’t enough. We need to love God with all our heart and soul, not just our mind.
 
Solomon was extremely wealthy. But riches will leave you like an eagle taking flight. What good is it if we gain the whole world but lose ourselves [4]? It is better to have little and seek God’s will than to be wealthy and wicked [5].
  
Solomon had every pleasure at his fingertips [6]. He had great military power. He had great music, art, and culture. He built a phenomenal temple.
 
But when Solomon surveyed all he had and all his achievements, he found them meaningless. They didn’t give him peace or joy. To him, nothing under the sun could satisfy his deepest needs [7].
   
Solomon concluded that the key is God—humbly follow Him and prepare for His judgment [8]. On our own, we will fail.
 
Christ is the Son of the living God. He is the way, truth, and life [9]. All wisdom and knowledge are in Him [10]. No riches are comparable to His [11]. He has all power and authority [12].
 
Come to Christ. Let God forgive our sins through Christ. Know Christ, and the truth will set us free [13], not free from problems but at least free from problem-caused anxieties. We will gain wisdom and knowledge. We will gain supernatural joy and pleasure that we can’t get anywhere else [14]. We will gain riches [15]. And we will receive power, love and self-discipline [16].
 
Surrender to Christ. Seek a personal relationship with Him. He will transform our minds to His mind, giving us a new life of peace, purpose, joy, riches, and power [17]. Why wait?
 
Summary of a sermon by Billy Graham, titled, “Sex, Power, Riches, and Materialism.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-Fe0KIbjd0
 
[1] Ecclesiastes 1:2
2 Ecclesiastes 1:16, 18; 1 Kings 4:30
3 2 Corinthians 3:14, 4:4; Ephesians 4:17-18; Titus 1:15; 1 Timothy 6:5; and 1 Corinthians 1:20-21
4 Matthew 16:26
5 Luke 12:15, Proverbs 23:5, Psalm 37:16
6 Ecclesiastes 2:1
7 Ecclesiastes 2:10-11
8 Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
9 John 8:32, 14:6
10 Colossians 2:2-3
11 2 Corinthians 8:9
12 Matthew 28:18
13 John 8:32
14 Hebrews 12:2, Psalm 149:5, 1 Peter 1:8, Psalm 16:11
15 2 Corinthians 8:9
16 Matthew 28:18, Romans 1:16, 2 Timothy 1:7
17 Philippians 2:5, Romans 12:2