Through captivating stories and biblical references, Brother Hardy presents a compelling narrative that scrutinizes the deceptive allure of wealth and pleasure. Emphasizing contentment and godliness as the pathway to true gain, this episode exhorts listeners to examine their hearts and ensure their treasure is firmly placed in God, not in worldly possessions.
Greetings, friends and new listeners, and welcome to this program of the R.G. Hardy Ministries. I’m Sharon Knotts thanking you for tuning in today because we know faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Today’s message by my father, Brother Hardy, is entitled, The Three Foolish Lovers. Paul wrote to Timothy that the last days would be perilous times, and he described 18 characteristics of the people who would be living in this age before the coming of Christ. And among those, he noted three foolish lovers, lovers of self, lovers of money, and lovers of pleasures. And to these he added, rather than lovers of God. So let’s join Brother Hardy now for the three foolish lovers.
SPEAKER 02 :
Let’s see what happens to the guy full of riches. See if you want it. See if you want to be rich. Rich is having God. And when you got God, he’ll make you rich in your pocket by giving you what you need. He’ll make you rich in your body that by his stripes you get healed and you have health. You’ll satisfy your mouth with good things so that your youth is renewed like an eagle. How many say amen? To be rich is to be an heir of God and to join heir with Jesus, to be full of the Holy Ghost and have the joy of the Spirit that’s unspeakable and full of glory and have your name written in the Lamb’s book of life. How many say amen? And have an inheritance incorruptible, unabombered, reserved in heaven. That’s being rich, brother. Paul said he had nothing. He was like Jesus, but he possessed all things. He was rich. He could sing in the Philippi jailhouse. Have any say amen. He could sing walking down the corners to go out and get his head cut off. I fought a good fight. I kept the faith. Henceforth. There’s a crown of righteousness laid up for me that the Lord shall give me in that day. And not only to me, but to all them that love his appearing. How many say amen? Hey, he went out rich. He went out victorious. He went out an overcomer. The Bible said with Lazarus, the rich man died and woke up into hell in the flames of fire. He was so rich, but that greed had him so much that he wouldn’t even give that beggar a meal. One of the servants had to come out and shake out the tablecloth so he could eat. the crumbs the dogs had more mercy because they licked his wounds go to first timothy the sixth chapter and the ninth verse i’m going to read the end of the fifth verse it says supposing the gain is godliness some people register how close you are to god by how much money you got I mean, you get a bunch of preachers on a platform, and all of them with the big mega churches, and you got the little guy with the small church, but he loves the Lord and getting people saved, and they look down their nose at them. And all these mega churches are saying, how many we got, and we got to expand our church. They don’t tell you how many souls they got saved, how much the power of God’s moving in their midst. I got a couple of amens. Supposing that gain is godliness from such withdrawal thyself. I wouldn’t get on some people’s platform if they sent a limousine to get me. I don’t care if I’m not one of them. There’s some satellite TVs I don’t want to be on. They’re hookup. Okay, Peter and Paul said, preach the word. That’s what I’ve got to do here. I’m reading out of the word. Don’t you get mad at me when I’m saying, because this ain’t my message. I’m like Jesus. This is not my message, but his that sent me. But godliness, the sixth verse said, with contentment is great gain. And the Greek word there should have been translated with sufficiency. Godliness with sufficiency from God, which means having your needs supplied, is great gain. Great gain. I don’t want riches without God. And if I got God, I’ll have what I’ll need. I mean, if I die right now, you could take and wash these clothes and put them on me, and they’re good enough to bury me in. You won’t see the pants anyhow. You won’t even have to try King Dakota there. And if I know the devil, he’s up there propositioning God, saying, God, just kill him, I’ll pay for his funeral. For kindness with having your needs supplied is great gain. You are rich! And you don’t have any of the burdens and the problems with the excess of filthy lucre. You don’t have to worry about anybody going to rob you. You ain’t got enough to rob. You can eat a steak and a rich guy can eat milver toast. 7 verse 4, we brought nothing in this world and it’s certain that we will take nothing out. Only what we’ve done for Christ. And having food and raiment Let us therewith be content. The Greek word for raiment means cover, and it means not only clothes but house. In other words, the necessities of life. If you’ve got the necessities of life, that’s great gain. Be content. And in Paul’s day, we need some things that they didn’t need then. Not only food and clothing and a house, but we need an automobile. But it don’t have to be a Rolls Royce. Something that’s dependable. You couldn’t give me a Jaguar. Amen. That’s the worst record of repairs of any car at all. And they’re taking it up the arm to get it fixed. And it’s always going to be in the shop. Give it to the devil’s folk. Give it to the rich man. He’s got money to take over, Lord. Give your saints a good car. Amen? Be content. The devil’s always trying to get you to… The Joneses got something. You got to go out and I got to beat the Joneses. And the Joneses said, man, I ain’t going to let that Christian beat me. I’m going to go out and get something else. And all you’re doing is trying to outdo the other one. Caught up with all that stuff. Tell that again, sister. Got it right. And having food and covering clothes and a roof over your head and the necessities of life, therewith be content. Now the ninth verse says, but they that will be. How many want to fall into a wall of temptation? Do you want your life one temptation after another where you don’t want riches? Did you know that? You know, when you just got enough money to meet your bills and food and the normal things without any pressure on you, you’re blessed. And you’re not tempted to go out and buy a $30,000 ring. That if you go in some neighborhood, you’re going to lose your hand. They’re going to cut it off. I don’t care for jewelry. When I was young, I put on a brass bolt. A guy would give it to me. Of course, we used it, as you know. And me and my finger grew up at that big, and I had to saw it off. I ain’t never putting up with all my fingers. What am I going to do with all that jewelry? I’m going to have everybody come say, he must be rich. I’ve got to go in there and hit him off. You read about those guys hit the lottery. Everybody needs brothers coming. He ain’t got no rest, knocking on the door, giving no sad story. But they that will be rich, listen to what those that have become lovers of their self and lovers of silver and gold and lovers of pleasure, listen to what will happen to them. They will fall into temptations and a snare. That you’ve opened a door with riches for the devil to tempt you to do things you’d have never done before and wouldn’t have thought about. And it’ll be a snare. You’re like an animal caught in a trap. He’s trapped you. It’s not a blessing. He tempted you. Let’s take a Bible illustration of somebody that loved riches. When the church first enacts, they all gave what they had and put it in a general pool and they gave it to the people that had need. But Ananias and Sapphira They loved that money, and they wanted to have a pretense that they were doing right, and they put some in their pocket. You know, Ananias come in, and Peter said, hey, did you give me all the money? Said, yes, said, you’re a liar, and he fell down dead. Then Sapphira come in and said, is it true that you and your husband gave us all the money? Said, yes, said, the feet of the ones that buried your husband is coming in now to bury you, and she fell down dead. And what happened to Judas? My God, help me, Jesus. Here he is, a thick disciple of the Lord. Here he is chosen to such a high office. Here he’s chosen to have the power of God and do miracles. He was saved, brother, because nobody can cast out devils unless they’re saved. And he was one of the 12 that had it. Somebody said he was a devil incarnate. Well, why did the devil kill himself? Why was he sorry and threw his money back? He was a devil, but he wasn’t the devil. What got him was the 30 pieces of silver. But Jesus was showing how much he had faith in him. He put him a treasure over the money. Just saying, I got faith in you. You won’t do wrong. But temptation got him. Got to have that money. And he figured out, I don’t know how to do it. The devil says, all you got to do is betray him. And Jesus was doing a miracle act. He’ll be invisible and get out. And when it didn’t happen, then Judas was stunned. He thought Jesus was going to get out and he went to him and said, hey, here’s your money. He threw it back at him. I betrayed innocent blood. And they said, who cares? You did it. See to it yourself. And he went out and hung himself, which means he put a stake up there and he ran and impaled himself on the stake and his entrails gushed out all over the ground. They didn’t hang him with ropes. They hung him on a cross. Cursed is he that hangs on a tree. Fall into temptations and snares. The devil’s got traps out there. You’ve got to wait from him, but he can’t stand that. You’re deprimental to his kingdom. He’s got to get you. You’re a preacher who comes on in the beginning. You don’t know nothing. You don’t know nothing. God picks you up, fills you with the Holy Ghost, then begins to give you the power of God, and you begin to be an instrument in his hands to sign wonders and miracles. And all of a sudden, the people start praising you, and your head gets big, and you go after money, and you forget it’s God that’s doing it. How many say amen? You’re like Samson. You think it’s you until you lost your consecration and your dedication. And what happens? You get your eyes put out. And the devil makes you a beast of burden, a slave to your appetites. And old Samson woke up because when he could see, he couldn’t see. He was blind. But when he got blind, he could see. And he finally said, Lord, one more time, let your spirit come on me. One more time, let the power come on me. Get all the devils in one place. and let your spirit come on me one more time. And he said, let me die. Don’t let me live, because I might get tempted again and lose this thing. I lost it once, but not twice. How many say amen? And there’s only two people in the Bible that did more in their death than the life, and that was Samson and Jesus. Hey! The devil’s got snares. And when money’s got you, you’re blinded. You can’t see it. You can’t hear God. You’re trusting in the money. When I came in 50 years ago, the healing revival was running strong. People didn’t run to the doctor. No. Number one, they didn’t have money. And they didn’t have the insurance. They ran to Jesus. And God did healings and miracles. God raised the dead. I’ve had God to raise three dead in the service. Create eyeballs. Open up blinded eyes. Raised that girl from the dead, didn’t she? Your little granddaughter. But you see, we got HMO and MOH and Y and Z. I mean, we’re really covered. They can cut us from A to Z, from top to bottom, because our insurance is going to take care of it. I wish Sister Hardy would have rolled me up here in the church when they took me to the emergency room, because it took God to heal me anyway. I died four times on the table. God brought me back, Jack. How many say amen? Everybody run into the doctor. Here I am, doctor, where do you want to cut me? I tell you what, whenever they send you the surgeon, the right thing the surgeon’s going to do is say, I’m going to operate, because that’s what he does. He makes money that way. His job is to cut. And when they say, I’m going to send you the surgeon, I say, you ain’t sending me no meat, doctor. I mean, it’s all right to go and get a physical when you find out what’s wrong. Quit glutting yourself. You need the right things, and you’ll straighten your body out. I mean, you that were there in William Street, every night was miracle night. Seven days a week. How many say amen? We had more miracles in a week than the Lord had in his whole three and a half year ministry. That’s what he meant to do greater works, not greater in quality, but quantity, because he was limited to the Jew in three and a half years, and we’re to go into all the world. God, take us back to the old landmarks. Find us a good way where we can walk in and get our faith in your word. If I’m the Lord God that healeth thee in no good, then John 3, 16 in no good. I mean, here I was, not even worried, and I already found the penny on my first million. I mean, I could come out of the hotel to the park and out of the restaurant, and I’ll see the money. Sister Arnie says, you find all that money. I said, yeah, man. The Lord put it there for me. Snares. They’re so encumbered with their money and their pleasures. They don’t need God. They don’t need to pray. Amen. They got everything they need, all the money they got. They got the best insurance plan. They can get the best doctors. What do I need God for? Remember that rich ruler came to Jesus? He said, what must I do to inherit eternal life? And the Lord quoted the law except one. He left the one out because that’s the one the boy was guilty of. You have to ask, thou shalt not covet. Paul thought he was perfect to the law until God convicted him, one, thou shalt not covet. Then he found out he was a sinner. And the Lord loved him. He loved him because he didn’t murder and kill, lie, steal, commit adultery. He said, you lack one thing. If you would be complete or perfect, sell what you have and give to the poor and follow me. And the boy went away sad because the Bible said he had much riches. Then another one, he said, had big barns and a big crop. And here he comes a bumper year. And he said, here’s what I’ll do. I’ll go out and get the poor. I’ll find Lazarus and I’ll feed him. And I’ll set up a bread place. I’ll tell you what I’m going to do. I’m going to tear my barns down, big, bigger ones, and God appeared to him the night he says, thou fool. This day, your life, your soul is required of you. In a minute, I’m going to take you into that. A lot of people make riches. They can’t enjoy it, and when they leave it, they leave it to somebody that’s irresponsible and is going to blow it. They fall into snares, and many foolish, many stupid, and hurtful lusts Which draw men into destruction. How many say amen? And perdition. Which drowns men. And the Greek word is like. You fell in the river. And an alligator come and got you and grabbed you and pulled you down in the death twirl. You know, when the alligator gets his prey, he then spins, they call it the death twirl, and takes him to the bottom. And that’s what happens when you have riches. You’ve got lusts and snares that the devil traps you and grabs you like an alligator and pulls you down into the death throes, and you’re destroyed and ruined. Now, that’s what the Word of God says. Don’t argue with me. I mean, if you don’t like what he’s saying there and you don’t agree, talk to God. Tenth verse. For the love of money is the root of all evil. If the money wasn’t behind it, there would be no drug trade. There wouldn’t be no prostitutes. There wouldn’t be drive-by gang fights for their turth. our city would be safe enough to live in any place. There wouldn’t be a miscarriage of justice if leaders didn’t love money. How many this week, they were gotten for stealing a million here and robbing this for something, and it was always from the poor. Root of all, they were the love of it. It causes all evil. You get riches, you got the thing that causes all evil and the devil’s tempting you. Tempting you with that money. Everybody say amen. Show you things that you shouldn’t have but he’s tempting you and you’re losing out because you don’t forgot God. You don’t pray no more. You don’t need God. Oh my God, I need thee. Don’t make me poor that I curse thee. Don’t give me riches that I forget thee. Let me know that I need thee. And I want to pray, give us this day my daily need. For the love of money is the root of all evil, which some have coveted after, lusted after. They have erred from the faith. The faith here means the teachings of God. You’ve erred from it and pierced themselves. Don’t blame the devil. Paul said they pierced themselves through with many sorrows. You want sorrows? Then go after money. But the 11th verse, but now, oh man of God, he’s sure talking to me. These things flee, flee, run. Run, run from these things. You hear them? Run from that easy way to get loot. Run from that guy selling you the lotto ticket rub off instant. How many instants you got to rub off to catch up with the ones you rubbed off and lost? How many lost millions of dollars yesterday for Smarty Jones didn’t do it? And for two weeks they were saying he was invincible. And it costs you five dollars to get two back. He was a five to two favorite. What happened in the crash of 29? That was the year I was born and the world couldn’t take it. And the stock markets crashed. Millionaires jumped out of windows because they couldn’t cut it selling apples on the street. They couldn’t live their lifestyle anymore, and they killed themselves. How many say amen? Flee these things, but rather follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, and meekness. Fight the good fight of faith. Lay hold on eternal life, whereunto also that was called. Up there that verse says they have erred from the faith, and you can’t fight the good fight of faith when you erred from it. Let me give you the perfect illustration of somebody… that was the richest person that ever was. Even to that guy that owns Microsoft doesn’t have as much as he had. Richard Gates or whatever his name was. Thank God he’s got enough sense to give to the poor. You find it in the book of Ecclesiastes, which is the name for preacher. He’s a preacher. In the second chapter he starts off God had given him the wisdom above anybody that ever lived. And according to God, before anybody ever lived and before anybody had ever lived after him, he had the greatest wisdom. Jesus had divine wisdom. We get parts of it, but naturally he was the wisest person that God ever lived. And he was going to take his wisdom to search out the sorrows of the things that man did on the earth. And in the second verse he said, I said in my heart, go to now, or let’s listen to this. I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasures. And behold, this also is what? Vanity. Feudal. I said of laughter, it’s mad. And of mirth, what do with it? I sought in my heart to give myself unto wine, yet acquainting my heart with wisdom, and to lay on folly, till I might see what was the good for the sons of man, which they should do under the heavens all the days of their life.” Now listen to what he got. Now listen, I want to show you the man that’s the epitome of riches. I made me great works. I built me houses. I planted me vineyards. I made me gardens and orchards. I planted me trees in them and all kinds of fruit. How many say amen? I made me pools of water to water them or the wood that bringeth forth fruit. I got me servants and maidens. and servants born in my house. I also got great possessions of great and small cattle above all that were in Jerusalem before me. I gathered me also silver and gold and the particular treasures of kings of the providences. I got me men singers. I didn’t have to have TV. I just bought my own opera company. I didn’t have to go to Washington to the gardens over there. I built my own gardens. I built my own orchards. I had my own beautiful animals. I had my own racing horses. I had my own great bulls. I had everything. I had men’s servants. I had lady’s servants. They were born in my house. I had houses and lands. I had everything that I desired. I had it. Heavenly say amen. I gathered me silver and gold. and the particular treasures of kings and of the providences. I got me singers, men singers and women singers, and the delights of sons of men as musical instruments, and that of all sorts. So I was great and increased more than any that were before me in Jerusalem, and my wisdom remained with me. Even though he was backslidden, he still had his wisdom. this is him talk when he backslid and listen to the tempers and whatever my eyes desired I kept not from them whatever I saw I got it I’ve got whatever I saw whatever I wanted I got it I was not held my heart from any joy From my heart rejoiced in all my labor, and this was my portion of all my labor. And I looked on all the works that my hand had wrought and on all the labor that I had labored to do, and behold, he said what? All was vanity and vexation of spirit. Amen. having everything, anything that he wanted and got it. And he said, I was vexed. I was vexed and full of grief and sorrow. It didn’t bring me any pleasure. Then he said, I’m going to go now to the lust of the flesh. These were the lust of the eye. And I turned myself to behold wisdom and madness and folly. For what can a man do that cometh after the king, even that which is already done? Then I saw wisdom was excellent. that excel of folly, and as far as light excel of darkness, that the wise man’s eye are in his head, but the fool walketh in darkness. How many say amen? And myself perceive also that one event happens to all, rich and poor. Then I said in my heart, as it happened to the fool, so it happened even to me. And why was I more wise than I said to my heart, this also is vanity. For there’s no remembrance of the wise man than of the fool forever, seeing that which is in the days to come shall all be forgotten. And how dieth the wise man as a fool without God? Therefore, I did what? 17th verse. What did the 17th verse say? I hated life. The richest man beyond comprehension that had whatever he wanted and whatever his heart and eyes saw said, I hated life. None of the things he got. In another place, further on he said, in a thousand I found one man But in 1,000, I didn’t find a woman. And Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines, 1,000. He didn’t have one woman that he loved. And if you read Song of Solomon, he went after the Shulamites, betrothed, trying to get her. Talking about sex, he had 1,000 of the most beautiful women in the whole world, and he said, I don’t like them. should have did that before he married him because he married this heathen woman and he built up their idols and their places of worship and they forget God and God got angry at him how many say amen they left him the women and his riches brought him to idol worship that David destroyed that God hated he set up those idols that plagued Israel all the way up to Jesus day Therefore I hate life, because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me. For all of vanity and vexation of spirit. The little of a poor man with God is better than the riches. I don’t want to be in the first one’s poor. And if I get saved in that position, God will transfer me to the second. I don’t want to jump out in the third and be rich. In fact, when God found me, I was crippled drawing $24 a week compensation. Sharon was just born. I couldn’t work. I had nothing. You couldn’t have been any more poor and destitute I was. It was Sister Hardy and the new little baby. Had nothing, but her mother left us some old furniture that the junkyard wouldn’t want. Amen. And I was in such a miserable condition, I was going to commit suicide. Oh, but I like that word, but. But, but, Jesus came. Hallelujah. He healed my broken heart. He healed my broken soul. He healed my tormented mind. He healed me. My sick body. He saved me. How many say amen? Until 57 years later. Brother, I have sufficiency in all things. I don’t need anything. I’m sorry. Financially, I don’t need anything. I got a nice house. I’m not after one that’s $5 million. I paid $30,000 for it. And now they’ve took and said it’s worth a quarter of a million dollars. How many’s out there? I don’t need anything else. You see, you make God happy. the head, you serve God, you put him first, you put his people first, you put his work first, and God will make all sufficiency abound unto you, that you always have all sufficiency in all things, may abound unto every good work. Take out the two parentheses, being enriched in everything to bountifulness. I tell you, when I began to get too much money, I get scared. I do. I start looking to give it to somebody. Amen? I got enough clothes. Don’t give me any more. I got enough houses. I got enough land. I still got half my teeth. I can eat the steak if I want it. My stomach’s still in good shape. It’ll digest it. And the main thing I got… It’s the joy of the Lord. The joy of the Lord is my strength. The joy of the Lord is my strength. The joy of the Lord is my strength. And when it’s all done, then that day, I want to hear him say, well done, thou good man. And faithful servant. You’ve been faithful in the least. That’s what I wanted. Everything over there. Everything over there. Forever there. Be thou ruler of the most. I’ll get by with what I got now. Don’t feel sorry for me. I’m not suffering. Don’t feel sorry because I don’t have a mega church. I don’t have mega problems. I got enough problems with the church that I got. Trying to keep you saved and on the right track. I’m going to ask God to prosper you. to give you what you need when you need it, to give you sufficiency every day, every day. If I can get by the day and he calls me, I got everything I need.
SPEAKER 01 :
Amen. What a word-induced season by God’s servant, Brother Hardy, the three foolish lovers. I believe you have been arrested by the Holy Spirit to receive these words of admonition and wisdom for the last days. The time has come for each of us to ask ourselves, what kind of lover am I? Am I a lover of self? Am I a lover of money? Or am I a lover of pleasures? Or am I truly a lover of God and the things of God? Because we can never be satisfied with these other lovers. You cannot satisfy the immortal soul of man with mortal things. Jesus especially warned that it would be the love of money and the deceitfulness of lust and riches that would snare many of his own people. Yet some… ignored the warning, and heaped themselves teachers who preach a gospel of greed. Paul said they count gain as godliness. To them, their prosperity is proof they are blessed of God. But Paul said to turn away from these, because godliness with contentment, godliness with your needs supplied, is great gain. So where is your treasure? Jesus said, where your treasure is, your heart will be. He did not say where your heart is, your treasure will be, because your heart follows your treasure. This message, The Three Foolish Lovers, can be ordered on CD for a love gift of $10 or more for the radio ministry. Request offer 305. That’s offer 305. Send your love gift of $10 or more to R.G. Hardy Ministries, P.O. Box 1744, Baltimore, Maryland, 21203. Or if you prefer, go online at rghardy.org. That’s rghardy.org. Once again, the mailing address is R.G. Hardy Ministries, P.O. Box 1744, Baltimore, Maryland, 21203. Until next time, this is Sharon Knott saying, Maranatha.
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