Sermon Central
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Christian Atheist: Money Series
Contributed by Troy Borst on Nov 28, 2017 (message contributor)
Summary: Do we really trust in God? Do we really trust in our money? Do we say we believe in God and yet live as though He doesn’t exist? Do we say we trust in God and in His security and yet live as though we trust only in money?
IV. (>) greater than
One of the biggest questions we always have when we think about 1 Timothy 6 is we wonder “Is it me?” Do I have a problem with making money more of a priority than it should be? Am I someone who has fallen into the trap of the love of money and I am headed down a path of many griefs and destruction? Is God happy with how I spend my money? How do I know if I have contentment or not? How do I know if I have divided loyalties? How do I know if I am a Christian Atheist in this area… saying that I believe in God, but living as though He doesn’t exist or hasn’t spoken about money?
We are going to use the “greater than” sign to put some of these questions into perspective and hopefully give us some guidance. In the end, what we want is for God, His will, His opinion, and His manner of managing money to be our priority and the way we run our lives. Here is where the sermon moves from preaching God’s Word to meddling and often makes us angry, but I hope that you think about these items as a way to self-reflect on how we are doing in this area.
To be honest, only one of these next examples I can say for sure. For sure, I know without a shadow of a doubt, that if you don’t tithe at all or tithe just a couple bucks whenever you feel like it, then you do not understand God. You do not understand His commands to His people about money and it is true that you love money more than God. I know for a fact that if you do not tithe, you have an issue in this area.
The rest of these may indicate an issue with money. None of this is fun, but it is necessary to talk about if we are going to cease fooling ourselves that we are acting like Christians when indeed we are not:
* If you love God more than money, then giving to God each month will be greater than the cost of your entertainment. If it isn’t, you might be a Christian Atheist in this area.
* If you love God more than money, then giving to God each month will be greater than the amount you spend going out to eat. If it isn’t, you might be a Christian Atheist in this area.
* If you love God more than money, then giving to God will be greater than your cell phone bill. If it isn’t, you might be a Christian Atheist in this area.
* If you love God more than money, then helping others and serving God will be greater than the desire to keep money in your wallet. If it isn’t, you might be a Christian Atheist in this area.
* If you love God more than money, then effort with God, with worship, and with Bible study will be greater than your money making opportunities and your job effort. If it isn’t, you might be a Christian Atheist in this area.
* If you love God more than money, then going on a mission’s trip and giving to missionaries will be a greater desire than your desire to take and spend money on vacations and cruises. If it isn’t, you might be a Christian Atheist in this area.
CONCLUSION “In God We Trust”
