Man And His Money

This sermon from the Adrian Rogers Legacy Library © 2010 Rogers Family Trust. Used by permission. www.pastortraining.com www.adrianrogerslibrary.com

Introduction

I want to talk to you about a subject that’s on every body’s mind and that’s the subject of money. We’ve heard a lot about money these last several days and the things that have been happening in the stock market. I know that many you are interested in money. If you say that you are not I have a tendency to believe that you are not telling the truth. All people are interested, most all people I believe to some degree. And, you can tell a lot about a man’s character by his reaction to money whether it be in plenty or whether it be in poverty.

A. Story of family who got their pastor to talk to their grandfather about his money.

I heard about a man who came into a large inheritance, several hundred thousand dollars. It was such a great amount of money that the man was old and had a bad heart they thought they better not tell him that he had so much money just bluntly because they thought he might have a heart attack. They said, “Well, the preacher is good with words, we’ll ask the preacher to tell him.” And, so the minister went over to tell him. The minister thought rather than telling him just straight out he’d kind of ease into it. So he put, rather than a statement, he put a question to the old man, and he said, “Grandpa, what would you do if you had two hundred thousand dollars?” He said, “Pastor, I would give it all to the building fund.” The pastor fainted.

B. Wrong ideas about money.

Now, you can tell what a man’s attitude is and a lot about his character by his relationship to money. There are a lot of deceptions about money. A lot of people have some wrong ideas about money.

1. Brings happiness.

Some people think that money brings happiness. It doesn’t. It can buy almost anything but happiness. Take you almost anywhere but Heaven.

2. Brings security.

Other people think money brings security. It doesn’t.

3. Is sinful.

Other people think that money is sinful. It isn’t. It is a necessary means of exchange.

The Bible doesn’t say that money is the root of all evil contrary to popular opinion. “For the love of money is the root of all evil…” (1 Timothy 6:10). There are a lot of deceptions about money. There are a lot of disagreements about money and you can get criticized more over money matters than almost anything else.

C. Names people are called – miser, playboy, money mad, parasite

If a man runs after money he’s called money-mad. If he keeps it he is called a miser. If he spends it he is called a playboy. If he doesn’t get it he is called a ne’er-do-well. If

he gets it without working for it he is a parasite. If he doesn’t try to get it he is without ambition, and on, and on, and on. A lot of disagreements about money, a lot of disasters concerning money. Right here in our own congregation, our city, and our nation there are some real financial disasters.

D. Statistic – money is source of 89% of all family argument

As a matter of fact, I read a statistician and a marriage counselor who said that “Money is the source of eighty-nine percent of all family discord and arguments.” Eighty- nine percent. Now, whether that is true or not I can’t really prove, but even if it approximates that the same statistician and counselor has said that eighty percent of all divorces have money is management at their sources. Eighty percent of divorces, and it is probably your attitude toward money and not the amount of money that really matters.

If you can’t manage on little you wouldn’t be able to manage on much. And, that next raise that you are hoping that you will get that will get you out of your financial distress may only open the gate to wider and greater debt if you don know how to handle your money. Let’s see what the Bible has to say about wealth today because it is very pertinent with the love offering that’s coming this coming Sunday.

E. A man’s spirituality may be measured by money more than anything else.

Now, I want to tell you one more time that a man’s character and a man’s religion and a man’s spirituality may be measured by his attitude toward money more than anything else.

F. Stewardship is the area of life that tells how men make money and God makes men.

Somebody once said that, “Stewardship is that area of life that tells how men make money and how God makes men.” So, we are going to be talking about a man and his money, or if you please, a woman and her money.