According to Ramsey Solutions, a third of Americans say they’re struggling or in crisis with money.
According to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, total U. S. Household Debt is over $18 trillion.
According to Axios, Americans are giving a historically low amount to charity, only 1.7% of their income.
I have a reminder on my phone to check my bank account balance every day.
By God’s grace, our church is very healthy and unified, but when we do have any minor conflict, it is generally about money.
Money is an issue for our culture, and Christians are no exception.
We’re continuing our series called “Difficult Topics for Our Day.” Today, we’re talking about “God and Money.”
Let’s pray together before we go any further.
(prayer)
As we’ve done the last two weeks with difficult topics, we’re going to see what God says about money.
Today, we have three biblical truths for us to discover from the Bible.
First, . . .
Biblical Truth #1 – All money belongs to God.
Actually, everything in the world belongs to God. Every human, every animal, every possession, every dollar, and everything else belongs to God.
Psalm 50:10 says:
“ . . . for every animal of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills.”
Psalm 24:1 says:
“The earth and everything in it, the world and its inhabitants, belong to the Lord.”
In Haggai 2:8, God gets specific about money. It says:
“‘The silver and gold belong to me’—this is the declaration of the Lord of Armies.”
(go back to Biblical Truth #1 slide)
If we’re going to understand what God says about money, we must start with the reality that everything belongs to God.
Whatever money and possessions we have, God has entrusted to us.
You might think, “Wait a minute . . . I worked for that money!” Or, “I saved for that money!” Or, “Someone else gave me that money.”
Well, who gave you the ability to work? God did.
Who gave you the money in the first place to save? Who gave you the wisdom to invest or save? God did.
Who provided that money for someone else to give you? God did.
God has made us stewards, or managers, of the money and possessions that we have.
That’s why our church has a stewardship committee. Our church is to be a good manager of everything God has given us.
That’s why in your life, you are to be responsible and wise with the way you earn and manage money, because God has entrusted it to you.
Listen, brothers and sisters: Every single breath that you are taking right now is a gift from God. Your money and possessions are certainly from the Lord as well.
That truth is where we must begin.
Next, . . .
Biblical Truth #2 – The love of money is dangerous.
How do we know that?
Well, the pursuit of money or possessions will lead you to do things that you wouldn’t normally do; things that are dangerous for you, dangerous for those around you, and dangerous for your future.
The Apostle Paul addresses this in 1 Timothy 6:10. He says:
“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and by craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”
Notice that Paul doesn’t say that money is the root of all kinds of evil. Money, in and of itself, is not evil. It’s the love of money that leads to all sorts of evil. The love of money is dangerous.
The love of money has led people to wander away from God. The love of money has pierced people with grief.
Ecclesiastes 5:10 says:
“The one who loves silver is never satisfied with silver, and whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with income . . . ”
I remember when Jennifer and I were first married. She worked a full-time job, and I worked a part-time job while going to school full-time. We did not make very much money. I often thought, if we could make a little bit more, we’d be alright.
Have you ever been there before? What happens when you make a little bit more? You find a way to spend it, don’t you?
I don’t make a little bit more now, I make WAY more than we made back then, yet sometimes on a day when I’m not very spiritual, it still feels sometimes like if I just make a little bit more, things would be alright.
However, as the Bible says, if we love wealth, we are never satisfied, and that is dangerous.
Listen to what Jesus said on the subject in Matthew 6:19-21:
“Don’t store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
What happens if our love for money leads us to put our hope and joy in earthly money or possessions?
First, it can take our devotion away from where it belongs, which is on God.
Second, all of those earthly treasures can come crashing down, can’t they?
Jobs can be lost. Markets can crash. Businesses can close. Possessions can be taken. Wills can be changed.
If your hope and joy are found in money and possessions, what happens when they are gone?
However, if you’re hope is found in the Lord God, then you’ve found something that can never be taken from you!
Psalm 43:4 says:
“Then I will come to the altar of God, to God, my greatest joy. I will praise you with the lyre, God, my God.”
Psalm 28:7 says:
“The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. Therefore my heart celebrates, and I give thanks to him with my song.”
Philippians 4:4 says:
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”
The love of money will lead you to do things that are foolish, and sometimes downright sinful.
The love of money will lead you to be let down and disappointed.
The love of money will take your focus away from loving the Lord.
The love of money is dangerous.
The final biblical truth is . . .
Biblical Truth #3 – God loves when we are generous.
Our God is a generous God, isn’t He?
Every good thing comes from Him.
He’s given us more than we need.
Just think for a moment about everything God has given you.
Most of all, He’s given us our salvation and a seat in His heavenly kingdom.
God is generous, and you are like God when you are generous.
We cannot be like God in every way, but we can in some.
The attributes, or characteristics, that we can share with God are called communicable attributes (we can have them in common with God).
Generosity is a communicable attribute. You can be like God by being generous.
Listen to what the Bible has to say about God’s desire for you to be generous:
Proverbs 19:17 says:
“Kindness to the poor is a loan to the Lord, and he will give a reward to the lender.”
Did you catch that? When you are kind to the poor, it’s like giving a loan to God, and He will certainly pay you back! God will reward you for your generosity.
2 Corinthians 9:7 says:
“Each person should do as he has decided in his heart—not reluctantly or out of compulsion, since God loves a cheerful giver.”
God loves a cheerful giver. Here’s what that means: God loves when we love to be generous.
It should bring us joy to give to others. It should bring us joy to give to the work of God through His church. It should bring us joy to help those in need.
We should love to give. We should be cheerful givers.
Psalm 37:21 says:
“ . . . the righteous one is gracious and giving.”
To be righteous is to do what is right according to God’s design. To be righteous is to be gracious and giving. To be righteous is to be generous.
God loves when we are righteous; He loves when we are generous.
Brothers and sisters, ask yourself this question in your own heart and mind: Am I generous?
Are you generous towards those you encounter?
Are you generous towards other ministries and those in need?
Are you generous to your church?
Some people ask me, “Pastor Matt, do you believe in the tithe?”
Tithe means ten percent. So, they’re asking me if I believe folks should give ten percent of their income to the church.
Well, the tithe is certainly taught in the Old Testament. It’s not spoken about much in the New Testament.
Here’s what I believe: Ten percent is a good place to start for those who are learning how to give to the church. However, the New Testament speaks about sacrificial generosity.
If God loves generosity (and He does), shouldn’t we love it also? Shouldn’t we want to be more and more generous as God grows us to be more like Jesus?
So, give to the church in a sacrificially generous way.
Now, some might think, “Well, you’re just saying that because you’re paid by the church.”
First of all, if you think that about me, you probably don’t know me very well.
Second, I will never apologize for teaching our church to read the Bible. I will never apologize for teaching our church to pray. I will never apologize for teaching our church to share the gospel, be on mission, or love others. So, also, the Bible is full of teaching about money. Listen, I will never apologize for teaching our church to be generous. That command is not from me, it’s from the Lord God.
God loves when you are generous.
Let this bottom line summarize what we are learning today:
Bottom Line: God wants to use money in your life as a blessing, not a curse.
God wants to bless you when you trust Him to provide for you. God wants to bless you and others through your generosity. God wants to bless you by you being a good steward and making wise financial decisions.
So also, God does not want you to be cursed by the love of money. He doesn’t want you to be a slave to debt and financial mismanagement. God doesn’t want you to live under the curse of money.
Listen to these words from Jesus in Matthew 6:24:
“No one can serve two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
Will you serve God and be blessed or will you serve money and be cursed?
Challenge yourself this week in this one way:
Weekly Challenge: Commit to be a godly money manager.
God has entrusted money (and possessions) to you to use for His glory and for your good. Be a good manager of what He’s given to you.
Work hard for what God is going to give you.
Be wise with what He gives you.
Be generous with what He gives you.
Some of you may need some guidance and help with how to learn financial wisdom. I highly encourage you to check out Christian Money Solutions at www.christianmoneysolutions.com.
Will you challenge yourself this week to be a godly money manager?
If you’re not there yet, that’s ok. Make a commitment and see how God changes you.
(Gospel presentation)
(closing prayer)
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