Following Jesus with Your Finances
Part 1- The Money Thermometer
Matthew 19:16-24
March 6, 2011
Audio of this message can be heard at www.aberdeenwesleyan.org.
Introduction
We’re starting what will be a four-part series on following Jesus with our finances.
For our guests today, I just want to assure you that we don’t talk about money a lot around here, and you’ve already seen how we handle the offering.
But this year, we’re focusing on this whole area of discipleship – being a disciple, or follower of Jesus, in every area of our life.
Money is talked about a LOT in Scripture, through both the Old and New Testaments.
Jesus talked a lot about money, and I felt that this would be a good time to take another look at what God’s Word says about money so we can make sure we’re following Jesus in that area of our life.
BIG DISCLAIMER: I’m not preaching this series because the church budget is tight. I’m talking about this because Jesus talks about it.
And so we need to look at it.
Apparently how we view and handle money is important to Jesus, so it should be important to us, right?
God: To help us get started on this little journey, I want us to take a look at an episode of Jesus’ life that characterizes the way so many people view money and the effect that can have on our spiritual lives, and therefore the effect it can have on the rest of our lives.
Matthew 19:16-24 –
16 Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?"
17 "Why do you ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments."
18 "Which ones?" the man inquired. Jesus replied, "'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, 19 honor your father and mother,' and 'love your neighbor as yourself.'"
20 "All these I have kept," the young man said. "What do I still lack?"
21 Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
22 When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.
23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
Okay, so let’s think about this a bit:
A guy comes to Jesus to ask about heaven. That’s a good thing to talk to Jesus about, right?
He’s apparently heard that this Jesus guy was someone he could trust to give him a solid answer about the most essential of all questions: how can I be sure of heaven?
And Jesus ends up talking about money.
Why is that?
This young man was probably a fine young man in his own right.
He seems devout, wanting to follow God’s commands, and all.
But Jesus helps him and us see something that the young man – and so many people today – don’t get, and that is that…
Our relationship with God and how we handle our money are intertwined.
This guy didn’t come looking for financial advice. He came looking for spiritual advice. But Jesus points to his pocketbook.
Jesus knew that this would be the one thing that stood in the way of this guy getting what he said he wanted: eternal life.
I think it’s important to note that Jesus isn’t against wealth. He doesn’t say it’s wrong to be wealthy. Wealth itself isn’t the issue.
The issue is that this guy’s wealth got in the way of following Jesus – and therefore experiencing the joys and fulfillment found in following Him.
What Jesus is against is anything that gets in the way of loving and following Him.
For this guy it was money. And truth be told, that’s what it’s going to be for most people.
Money has such a grip on us, doesn’t it?
Our day-to-day living depends on money and what it gets us – or doesn’t get us, right?
How many of you can honestly say that you can go a full day without thinking about money in some way, shape, or form?
Probably none of us, if we’re honest with ourselves.
I think that’s why Jesus talked even more about money than He talked about heaven and hell.
It’s not that heaven and hell aren’t important, obviously. They are all-important.
But humans have such a grip on their money, it can get in the way of having a relationship with God, and can even stand in the way of someone getting to heaven.
People will let their bank accounts determine their eternity because they are more fearful of God asking them to do something with their money than about spending eternity in hell.
And you know what? It’s not just rich folk that can be obsessed with money. It can be poor folk, too.
Most of you know our background, so I won’t get into all the details of where we were financially.
But we were so broke we couldn’t even pay attention!
And for a long season, I became obsessed with money – getting enough to feed my family and pay the bills, always fearing the phone calls and collection letters.
And it got in the way of my relationship with Jesus.
I had gotten eternity squared away years before that by putting my faith in Jesus, but here I was, consumed with money to the point that I couldn’t concentrate on Jesus.
And some of you have either been there, or you’re there right now.
Money has such a grip on you that Jesus isn’t even in the picture. Just like this rich young man.
Or if He’s in the picture, He’s so far out of focus you can’t recognize Him.
Jesus says that it’s hard for a rich man to get to heaven. Not because God is against wealth, but because of the grip that wealth can have on a person.
What am I trying to say with all this?
Money is a thermometer.
Here’s what I mean:
A thermostat sets the temperature of something. A thermometer measures the temperature of something.
How we view money measures a person’s commitment to Christ and faith in God’s provision.
If we view money is something that we own and that needs to be protected and hoarded, then our temperature toward God is going to be pretty cold.
If we view money as God’s, that He has entrusted to us to use to take care of our families and invest in His kingdom, then our temperature toward God is generally pretty hot.
It’s hot because we know what God says about giving to Him and receiving His blessings.
It’s hot because we don’t live in fear of not having enough for our needs,
It’s hot because we see what God is doing in the lives of other people through our investing in the ministries of the local church.
It’s hot because we see that it’s not just an issue of heating the building or keeping the lights on, but rather using this as a tool to help people find Jesus and live for Him.
It’s hot because we have chosen to not let our money get in the way of our relationship with God.
The rich young man in this passage of Scripture, was at best, lukewarm toward God.
He had a form of religion, and was willing to do what God wanted – up to a point. But when God asked for his most prized possession – his money, that was the limit of his commitment.
So now I want to ask you: if Jesus were to ask you to cash it all in and give Him all your earthly possessions, what would you do?
I know what some of you would do, because it’s what I did when I thought of this: break out in a cold sweat, right?
Folks, let me tell you something:
Jesus isn’t after your money. He’s after your heart. If money is in the way, then you need His help to put it in its proper perspective.
And the first thing you need to recognize is that it’s not yours in the first place.
We’re going to look at that more in the coming weeks.
But when you recognize that God owns it all anyway and He’s just letting you use it, then it gives you a whole new outlook.
You: Let me give you some suggestions that will help you put this message and this passage into application in your life.
Check your temperature.
You know how you do that?
Look at your checkbook.
Take a look at how often you’ve written a check to advance God’s kingdom, especially through the local church.
And take a look at how much you give, especially in terms of percentage of your income.
Can you honestly say that you’re giving a tenth of your income?
Compare how you spend on the luxuries of your life – cable TV, cell phone plans, expensive cars, bass boats, deer rifles (“Hey, Pastor Brian, now it’s getting’ personal!!”), or whatever with how you give to God.
That will tell you your temperature.
If you can look at your checkbook and say that yeah – you’re living a life of faith, expecting God’s blessing as you give His money back to Him through the church, then that’s cool – as long as you don’t become prideful in that.
But if you’re like me the first time I took a look at that, years before I became a pastor, then you’d have to admit that maybe the thermometer looks a little on the cold side.
Like our rich young man here.
We treasure our money for what it can get us rather than giving some of it back to God so He can use it to bless others.
Figuring where you are is the first step.
The next step is to see why you’re at where you’re at...
Check your thermostat.
Remember, the thermostat is the thing that sets the temperature, so what I’m saying is that you need to check what is behind your giving to God’s kingdom:
• Habits
• Wrong teaching
• Fear
• Desire to invest in the Kingdom
• Faith in God’s provision
The idea is to see what you base your attitudes on money, and especially giving, on.
When you see what’s driving your attitudes toward money and giving to the Kingdom, then you can move on to the next step, and that is to…
Adjust your thermostat.
The bottom line of that is the Scriptures and prayer.
Get into the Scriptures so you can better understand God’s view of money and His ownership of it.
Get into the Scriptures so you can better appreciate God’s promises to take care of those who seek His kingdom above all else.
And ask the Holy Spirit to change your heart to better reflect God’s heart on this whole issue of finances.
Decide today that your handling of money in general and your giving in specific will be determined by faith in the God who provides for His people as they live for Him.
We: You want to know a sad fact?
Christians can be just as greedy as those who don’t know Jesus yet.
They live for themselves as much as anyone else, and sometimes give a little token amount to try and cover their consciences.
They can have low temperatures on the thermometer.
And the sad thing is that society knows that and it taints their view of not just Christianity and the Church, but their view of Jesus.
When Christians get past the platitudes of caring about their fellow man, and actually start putting their money where their mouth is in regard to investing in the kingdom of God so others can have their lives changed by the good news of Jesus, other people take notice.
And they start to see that maybe there is something different about those people who call themselves Christians.
They start to see that they have a whole different view of possessions and money that frees them from the controlling worries that consume other people, and allows them to do something tangible in the lives of other people.
And then they can get a glimpse of Jesus.
My hope is that they’ll see that glimpse in you because your temperature is on the high end.
Invitation
Before we sing our last song, I just want to take a moment and extend the invitation that Jesus gave to this one man to you as well.
My prayer for everybody here is that you will abandon whatever it is that’s holding you back from Jesus and follow Him.
It might be money, like the young guy in our passage today.
It might be fear of what your friends might think if you got serious with Jesus. But let me tell you something: your friends aren’t the ones who will determine whether or not you get to heaven, are they?
It might be some pet sin, or some past sin, that you’re not willing to let go of, or that you think God can’t forgive you of. But nothing’s too big or too small for God to forgive.
Or it might just be that you think you know better than God about such things as how to live your life and get into heaven. You’d be wrong, but maybe that’s what you’re thinking.
The invitation is the same: come follow Jesus.
Confess your need for the forgiveness He bought on the cross, putting your trust in Him to gain that forgiveness and give you a home in heaven.
Yes, you need forgiveness. You’ve blown it and broken God’s laws, just like everybody else in this room and everybody you’ve ever known.
And you need Jesus. Just like everybody in this room and everybody you’ve ever known.
I’m going to say a prayer that you can pray in your heart. And if you want to walk out of here today knowing you’re forgiven and have a home in heaven, then you can pray along with me.
And then you can begin this great journey of living for Jesus from this point on, and you gain access to the blessings that God has for His children.
Let’s pray.
