1. Cares Riches Pleasures

2. What Can Make Us Unfruitful?
Worldly immorality
Unauthorized practices
False teaching
What about simple distractions, material things, or desires?

3. The Word Choked Out Luke 8 Matthew 13 Mark 4
Cares [...of the world, Gr. aionos, age]
Riches [deceitfulness of...]
Pleasures [Lust of other of this life things]

4. Cares Gr. μέριμνα = lit. to draw in different directions; to distract
Not all cares are bad (1 Cor. 12:28; 2 Cor. 11:28; Phil. 2:20)
But, cares (of the world, age) can cause us to be unfruitful

5. Common Cares Necessities of life (Mt. 6:25, 28, 31)
Physical body (Mt. 6:27)
The future (Mt. 6:34)
Daily routines (Lk. 10:41-42)
Marriage (1 Cor. 7:33)

6. Don’t Let Cares Choke Be different (Mt. 6:32; Lk. 12:30)
Greater faith (Mt. 6:30)
True priorities (Mt. 6:33)
Better choices (Lk. 10:41-42)
Pray and trust (Phil. 4:6; 1 Pet. 5:7)

7. Riches
One can be rich and faithful: Abraham (Gen. 13), Job (Job 1), Zacchaeus (Lk. 19), Joseph (Mt. 27)
But, riches can deceive and cause us to be unfruitful

8. Riches Deceive
They can keep one from sacrificing (Lk. 18:23-24; Mk. 12:41)
They can give one a false sense of security (Lk. 12:16, 21)
They can blind one to spiritual responsibilities (Lk. 16:19; Jas. 5:1-4)

9. Riches Deceive They can lead one away from the faith (1 Tim. 6:9-10)
They can blind one to his real needs (Rev. 3:17)

10. Don’t Let Riches Choke Be like Zacchaeus (Lk. 19) and Joseph (Mt. 27)
Use your riches to stay faithful and fruitful (1 Tim. 6:17-19)

11. Pleasures
Pleasures (Gr. ἡδονή, hedonism, hedonistic) = sensual pleasure; what is enjoyable to the natural/physical senses; made as an end in itself; made at the expense of other things or persons
“Lusts (Gr. ἐπιθυμία = strong desire) of other things” (Mk. 4:19)

12. Pleasures It can become a goal in itself (Eccl. 2:1; 12:13)
It can make us a mediocre Christian (2 Tim. 3:4-5)
It can cause one to focus on personal happiness instead of our duty to God (Tit. 3:3)

13. Pleasures It can hurt ourselves and our brethren (Jas. 4:1-4)
It can make us more brazen (2 Pet. 2:13)

14. Don’t Let Pleasures Choke
Make better choices (Heb. 11:25)
Focus on doing God’s will (1 Jn. 2:15-17)

15. Cares, Riches, Pleasures
Family
Jobs
Vacation
Sports, recreation, hobbies
Non-Christian friends

16. Chokes the Word Local church work (1 Cor. 15:58)
Assembling (Heb. 10:25)
Giving (2 Cor. 9:6-7)
Bible study (2 Pet. 1:5)
Personal work (Jn. 1:41, 45)

17. Chokes the Word Teaching (2 Tim. 2:2) Hospitality (1 Pet. 4:9)
Benevolence (1 Jn. 3;17-18)