[I’ve taken the major pointers of this sermon from Rick Warren’s sermon on Setting Financial Goals - Growing through Goal Setting Part 2, May 26-27, 2007.]
If you go around asking people “What is the greatest need you have?” a high chance the answer is money.
• We spend so much of our lives stressing out over it. Worrying about it, being uptight about it, trying to save it, protect it, invest it, spend it, use it, make it – on and on.
• It is not just close to our wallet but close to our heart, something we are concerned about; let us look at what Jesus has to say about it.
It’s amazing to know that Jesus talked more about money than He did about heaven or than He did about hell.
• Half of all of the stories, the parables that Jesus told involved possessions, involved money.
• This is an area that messes so many people up.
If we are to take everything that Jesus said about money and summarize it in a sentence, here it is: (1) Money is a tool, and (2) Money is a test.
First, it is a tool to be used for God’s purposes in your life.
God allows you to have money. It’s all a gift from God.
• Even your ability to make it is a gift from God.
• He gives you money to use for the purposes He put you on this planet to do.
Let’s read the parable that Jesus shared in Luke 19:11-27
He tells about an employer who brings all his employees in and he gives them each a set amount of money.
• He gives each of them ten minas. A mina (in the small print) is an amount of money that would be about three months’ wages.
• He said, I’m going to give you this amount of money and I want you to take it out and use it. I want you to put it to work. Do that until I come back.
The point of this story is that God gives you an amount of money and He says I want you to put it to work. I want you to use it.
• Money is a tool. You are to use it and you use it until I come back.
• It wasn’t really their money. It was their master’s money that he had just loaned it to them.
This is the principle of stewardship.
• You don’t really own anything. You think you do but you don’t.
• What you own is really on loan. It wasn’t yours before you were born. It’s not going to be yours after you die.
• You just get to use it for about 80 years or maybe a little more or a little less.
• Then God will let somebody else use it for a while. You’re not taking any of it with you and you didn’t bring any in. So it’s just tool that you are to use.
The only other thing He says about it is that money is a test.
It is a test of your character. It is a test of your values. It is a test of your priorities. It is a test of your responsibility.
• Money is a test. God says I’m watching you to see how you deal with money.
• He’s checking to see how much you trust Him. He’s checking to see the principles by which you use it, save it, spend it, or invest it.
Let’s say that you got a call one day and there was a billionaire who decided to adopt you as his child. Say it’s Bill Gates. Let’s say Bill Gates calls you up and said, “I have decided to adopt you into my family.”
Wow! This is a good thing. It’s like God has adopted us into His family.
Let’s say Bill Gates informs you that one day he intends to give you as your inheritance, his entire fortune. But he says, “I need to make sure you can use it well, that you know how to be responsible with it. So I’m going to test you first, before I give you your inheritance. What I’m going to do is I’m going to give you a much, much, much smaller amount of money and I’m going to watch how you use it, invest it, spend it, or distribute it.”
He says, “I only have one condition. I do not want you to spend everything on yourself. I want you to learn to live on less than I give you so you can use some of it to help other people. I’m going to watch and see how well you do this. If you can live on less than I give you in order to help other people so you don’t spend it all on yourself then at the end of the test I’m going to will to you my entire wealth and fortune as your inheritance.”
If a billionaire adopted you and said those things, would that change the way you use your money? Yes. Would it likely make your goals of how you use your finances different than your neighbour’s? Quite likely. Because you would know that you were being watched and you were being tested.
This hypothetical story I just shared is what the Bible says God is doing with you right now.
• You’re not going to live on earth forever. This life is a test.
• And it’s preparation for eternity. In eternity God has certain roles and rewards and responsibilities for you in heaven.
• He is watching to see how faithful you are with what He’s given you here and if you use it in the right way He’s going to share more with you in heaven.
He says it over and over again in Scripture.
• Jesus says in Luke 16:11 “So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?”
• Jesus said if I can’t trust you with how you manage your money on earth then I’m not going to be able to trust you in handling the great riches of heaven, which I’ve planned to give you as my child for eternity in heaven.
Do you see now how important and how vital it is that you learn to manage your money well?
• What we’re talking about is not just a good idea. It is not just about getting out of debt.
• It is the test of your character and responsibility in handling God’s stuff.
• And it will determine the rewards and responsibilities you receive in heaven, for eternity. So this is no small issue.
This is about good stewardship. Stewardship is just an old English word that means management.
• A steward is a manager and stewardship is simply management.
• So as stewards of God’s gift, we need to adopt certain right attitudes, biblical attitudes towards wealth or money, not as the world sees it but how God sees it.
What Not to Do with Your Money
1. DON’T LOVE IT.
Money is not to be loved. We are to love God and we are to love people and we are to use money.
• We’re not to love money; we are to use money. Always check your heart on this.
• Howard Hughes once was asked, “How much does it take to make a man happy?” He said, “Just a little bit more.”
• That’s what the Bible says. Eccl 5:10 “Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income.”
The Bible says “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.” (1 Tim 6:10)
• The Bible does not say money is evil. It is not evil. Money is a tool. It can be used for good or it can be used for bad.
• But the Bible says the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. The verse went on to say “Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” (6:10b)
We know of people who have lost their health, lost their families, lost their reputation, lost their senses (sue their family members) simply because they were after the ‘mighty dollar’ and they would not stop.
• The author of Hebrews puts it very well - Heb 13:5-6 “5Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." 6So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”
• The Lord says, “I’m going to be with you all the time. If you’ve got me, it doesn’t matter how much you’ve got in your bank account. I’m going to take care of you. I’m your security not your bank account.” Don’t love it.
2. The second thing God says is DON’T LIVE FOR IT.
Don’t live for money. Don’t make getting rich the goal of your life.
• It could be a by-product of your life but it should never be the goal of your life.
• God may bless us with the talents and wisdom to make money and be rich, but remember - that’s not our goal in life.
• God didn’t put you on earth just to pile up money because you’re not taking it with you anyway.
Luke 16:13 Jesus says this: “No one can serve two masters. You’ll be devoted to one and despise the other. You can’t serve both God and money.”
• Notice He didn’t say you shouldn’t serve God and money. He says you can’t. It’s impossible. You can only have one number one in your life.
• Whatever is in first place in your life is your god. So what’s first place in your life? It’s whatever you think about most. The thing that is occupying the first place in your life is the thing you are thinking about most.
So the Lord says you can’t have two masters.
• You’ve got to decide, “Am I going to live for God? Or am I going to use my life just to make money?”
• Don’t love it and don’t live for it. The purpose of life is not acquisition because you’re not taking any of it with you.
• Money should serve you. Not vice versa. It’s a tool for you to use not for it to use you.
• We use money for eternal purposes, to fulfil God’s plan.
3. The Bible says DON’T TRUST IT.
Don’t love money, don’t live for money, and don’t trust in money.
• In other words don’t think that money is going to be your security.
• It’s easy to think that way, because we really need money. But we have to put money in its right place. We have to see it in the right perspective.
• Don’t trust in money for your happiness. Don’t trust in money for your protection.
• Put that trust in God.
It is a myth that having more will make you happier, more secure, or more important. This is just not true.
• You can lose it all overnight, in a thousand different ways.
• The recent financial turmoil clearly tells us that. Our true security is in God!
1 Tim 6:17-19
17Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 19In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.
• First, the Bible says our hope is in God.
• Secondly, God gives us everything for our ENJOYMENT. Can we enjoy? Yes, but don’t put your trust in it. Enjoy it without depending on it.
• Thirdly, verses 18-19 says GIVE IT AWAY! Use it to bless others, to help others. I am laying treasure in the coming age, eternal treasures.
• So the 4th thing we learn is…
4. God says DON’T HOARD MONEY.
Hoarding means stingy stockpiling, amassing for the sake of keeping stock.
Eccl 5:13-15 “13I have seen a grievous evil under the sun: wealth hoarded to the harm of its owner, 14or wealth lost through some misfortune, so that when he has a son there is nothing left for him. 15Naked a man comes from his mother’s womb, and as he comes, so he departs. He takes nothing from his labour that he can carry in his hand.”
Saving money and hoarding money is not the same thing.
• This is not savings. We’re going to talk about the importance of savings in a minute. In fact, God commands you to save money.
• Hoarding is when you amass it and keep it to yourself. Or you’re just amassing it out of greed; you just keep piling it on and you’re building bigger and bigger barns.
• You don’t even think about sharing it with anybody else. God says don’t do that.
Matt 6:19-21 Jesus says:
19 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Circle “for yourselves.”
• Notice it says, DO NOT store up for yourself treasure on earth, but STORE UP treasure for yourself in heaven.
• Did you know that you can store up treasure for yourself – i.e. for you to use – in heaven?
• Jesus said it. He said you can actually store up treasure for yourself in heaven.
• You can either bank it here or bank it there. You can invest it here or you can invest it there. You can pile it up here or pile it up there.
• Up there you’re going to get to use it for eternity. Here you get to use it for eighty years. It is foolish to store it up here. So don’t hoard it on earth.
It is the same as the successful farmer that Jesus mentioned in Luke 12:18ff, who just kept building bigger and bigger barns to store up his grains and goods.
• He "stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God" (Luke 12:21). And then God said, “You fool.”
Rick Warren had this interesting illustration.
• He said money is a lot like manure or dung that a farmer uses in the field. You pile the fertilizer up, it stinks. But when you spread it around, thrown it down the ground, it makes things grow.
• Money is the same way. If all you do is to hoard and pile them up, your life starts stinking like poo-poo. You pile it up, it starts stinking. You spread it around, it makes things grow.
1. God gives you money as a TOOL to fulfil the purposes He put you here on earth to do.
2. God gives you money as a TEST to see how much He can trust you with here on earth and particularly in heaven.
Next sermon I will share on the positive – so what am I suppose to do with it?
• If I am God’s steward of this gift from Him, then I want to know what the Bible has to say about the use of money. What kind of financial goals should I have in life?
