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.
I. HOW A MAN SAVES HIS MONEY
The very first thing I think that God is interested in so far as our wealth is concerned is, or our money is how a man saves his money. Let’s look in chapter 5 verse 1: “Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth eaten. Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days” (James 5:1–3). Here James is talking about how a man saves his money. There are some people who just treasure up money. The word treasure is the word we get our word “thesauruses” from and it actually means “a collection.” Some people collect money like other people collect stamps. I mean, they have money—not necessarily money that they are going to need for retirement, or money they are going to need for the future—but money that is kept for money’s sake.
A. Stagnant wealth. James 5:1–3
What James is talking about here is stagnant wealth. Wealth that has been heaped up, wealth that has been salted down, wealth that has been hoarded, the Bible condemns. God wants us, I am certain, to save money. The Bible tells us to “Go to the ant… and be wise” (Proverbs 6:6). And, the ant saves a certain amount for the future, etcetera. And, the Bible talks about leaving an inheritance. God wants us to save money. I believe that with all my heart that the saving of money is not wrong, but wise.
But, the Bible warns against hoarding money, treasuring money, keeping wealth beyond that which is proper and that which is right. That is loving money for money’s sake. Again, I remind you that the Bible says, “The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10).
B. God doesn’t condemn wealth. Genesis 13:2, 1 Chron. 29:28, Matthew 27:57.
Now, the Bible does not condemn wealth. Some people think that the Bible condemns wealth, but the Bible does not. As a matter of fact, the Bible says that, “…it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth…” (Deuteronomy 8:18). And, you can study the Bible and you can find some of God’s saints have been wealthy. For instance, the Bible said Abraham in Genesis chapter 13 and verse 2: “And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold” (Genesis 13:2). Yet he was the father of the faithful—“…very rich…in silver, and in gold” (Genesis 13:2). And, when David died here’s the way the Bible described him, 1 Chronicles, chapter 29, verse 28: “…in a good old age, full of days, riches, and honour…” (1 Chronicles 29:28).
The Bible says, “Both riches and honour come of thee…” (1 Chronicles 29:12). The Bible didn’t condemn David for dying with riches and honor, it seems to commend him. There was a rich man who was used of our Lord. As a matter of fact, he loaned the Lord Jesus his burial place. His name was Joseph of Arimathea. He was a disciple of Jesus and the Bible says of him in Matthew 27, verse 57: “…a rich man…” (Matthew 27:57).
I was preaching when we were preaching through the book of Acts about a man named Barnabas. And, there is great indication that Barnabas was a man who had money. He was a wealthy man, but he used his money for the Lord. Good old Barney, son of consolation. Mary, and Martha, and Lazarus, in whose home Jesus would frequently stay, must have been people of means because they had a large home. It was a place where they could have banquets, they had feasts, and they had guests come in, yet they were able to show their lavish love to the Lord Jesus Christ.
C. Bible condemns the hoarding of wealth/covetousness. Luke 12:15, Col. 3:5.
So, the Bible does not condemn wealth so much, but the Bible does condemn the hoarding of wealth—the loving of money—what the Bible calls that is covetousness. We would call it today, ruthless greed. Luke chapter 12, verse 15: “And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness…” (Luke 12:15). Now, listen folks, I have been a preacher for a long time and I have had people confess all kinds of sins to me, but I don’t ever believe I have ever had a man confess to covetousness…or a woman. It is a very deceptive sin. And, that’s the reason our Lord said, “…Take heed, and beware of covetousness…” (Luke 12:15). The Bible calls covetousness, “idolatry” in Colossians 3, verse 5: “…covetousness, which is idolatry…” (Colossians 3: 5). And, idolatry is no small sin. It could be that I am speaking to some today who little would dream that God is estimation of them is that they are idolaters. It is one thing to possess money and it is another thing for money to possess you.
D. Story of Hetty Green.
I was reading about a woman named Hetty Green. Hetty Green lived a number of years ago. When she was living she was reputed to have been the richest woman in America. When she died, old Hetty had one hundred million dollars, and that’s back when a million was a million. But, you know what this woman was like? Let me tell you some things I found out about her. Rather than buying thicker clothes, she would stuff newspapers into clothes to keep from getting cold. Speaking of newspapers, when she read her morning paper she sold it again that night to somebody else. That’s right. She thought, “Well, I can get a little bit for this newspaper so she would read it and resell the newspaper.”
She had a warehouse where she collected rags. And, old Hetty, herself, worth a hundred million dollars went in that warehouse and separated rags the white ones from the colored ones because she got a penny a pound more for the white rags. She had most of her investments in New York City. And, rather than paying income tax in New York, she lived in little hovels and apartments under assumed names so they wouldn’t know she had a residence there and tax her.
Now that’s the kind of a woman she was. When Hetty Green died she was on her deathbed and they wouldn’t let the nurses come in a regular uniform because she thought it would be a waste of money to hire a real, genuine registered nurse. So, they had to take the uniforms off the women. She couldn’t die in peace if she thought they were wasting money paying that much salary for nurses to take care of this woman.
What was her problem? You see, she had more money than she could possibly spend. It wasn’t money that she needed, it was money that she loved. And, do you know that there are some folks who ought to make a generous and lavish love offering this Sunday, but you know why they won’t do it? They just hate to let it go. I mean, they love it.
E. Poem about a pious Baptist totally immersed except his pocketbook.
Once I knew a Baptist, he had a pious look. He had been totally immersed except his pocketbook. He put a dollar in the plate and would sing with might and man “When we asunder part, it gives us inward pain.” Now, I know folks like that. I mean they are making money. They don’t need any more money. They are really just kind of keeping score and they don’t want that money in circulation.
F. God wants money in circulation. Eccl. 5:1.
You see, God wants money in circulation. God wants everything in circulation. There is enough to go around. There is enough to take care of everything and when God created the world, if you will think about how God made everything, He made everything with a propensity and the ability to give. The sun gives and because the sun gives we have light. The earth gives and because the earth gives we have life. The trees give and because the trees give we have life.
There is just a reciprocal service that God has put into humanity and that God has put into nature. That we are given to give, and we give to get, and we are given to give, and that’s the way God intends for us to live. But, some people can’t trust the Lord that much. And, they say, “Well, Lord I’ve just got to keep hoarding it up. I’ve just got to keep stashing it away. I’ve got to keep salting it down.” And, it’s an inordinate love of money that the Bible condemns.
“A bell,” somebody said, “Is not a bell until you ring it, a song is not a song until you sing it, love is not love until you give it away, joy is not joy until you share it, and wealth is not really wealth until you spend it.” I mean, what good is paper sitting around somewhere. So, let me give you a verse, Ecclesiastes 5, verse 13: “There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt” (Ecclesiastes 5:13). You can keep money and it will hurt you. That’s what James is saying here, look, “Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth eaten. Your gold and silver is cankered”—watch it—“and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days” (James 5:1–3).
Now. James was writing to rich people. You say, “Well, he is not writing to me.” Let me say something folks. Almost every body in this congregation is rich compared to most of the people in this world. The clothes we wear, the houses we live in, and the beds we sleep on. Most of the people in this world, and especially those in the third world country, if they were to see your life style they would think you lived like a king. You know that? We are wealthy. Don’t get the idea we are talking about millionaires. Now, when we are talking about rich people, these people that James was talking too, he said, “Listen, misery is coming to you.”
Let me tell you what happened when Jerusalem was destroyed, about ten years. One million people died, at least in the destruction of Jerusalem. And, do you know whom the looters, and the vandals, and the murderers went for first? The most wealthy people. Those were the very first people to go under. You see, these people were hoarding up all this, and James said, “Listen it would be a lot better if you had gotten it to work for the Lord Jesus Christ, rather than having it hoarded away somewhere, rather than having it salted down somewhere.”
I think what James is saying, “If you are saving for a rainy day, you are going to have one, you are going to have one.” And, he talks about not only that, but he talks about the judgment when rusty riches will testify and say, “Here was money that could have been used to win souls, here was money that could have been used to build a church, here was money that could have been used for the glory of God, but it wasn’t. It was just kept for the shear love of money.” Now, friend I want to tell you, God looks at a man and God is interested in that man and his money first of all as to how he saves it.
II. HOW A MAN SECURES HIS MONEY
Secondly, God is interested in a man not only as to how he saves it, but as to how he secures it. Look, if you will in verse 4: “Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth” (James 5:4). Now James says, “Not only are some guilty by the way they save money, but some are guilty by the way they have secured their money.” That is, there are some wealthy that are suppressing the poor, and they were not paying on time, and they were keeping back wages, and somehow because of the strength and the economic power they had they were oppressing the poor.
A. James 5:4. God is against gain that is wrongly gotten.
Let me tell you something folks, God is against gain that is wrongly gotten.
B. God is also against those who oppress the poor.
And, God is especially against those who oppress the poor. I’ll just give you a hint about something, which will help you all your life, God is always on the side of the poor. Now, you think about it. You read the Bible through and you will find that God is always on the side of the poor and you had better have a heart of love and compassion that wants to share with those who are in need. God is interested not only in how a man saves his money, but how a man secures his money and the curse of God is upon ill- gotten gain.
The Bible makes that very plain. In my estimation, those who make money by the liquor industry, by the gambling industry those who make money by oppressing the poor, slumlords and all the rest of them have the curse of God on them. If you are in the business, if you are in the business that somehow collects money in a wrong way, get out of that business. You don’t need that kind of money, just get out of that business. God looks at a man, and God looks at a man’s wealth, and God sees how that man saves his money, God sees how that man secures his money.
III. HOW A MAN SPENDS HIS MONEY
I’ll tell you a third thing God looks at. God also looks at how a man spends his money. Look if you will now in verse 5: “Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton”—that is you have taken your pleasure, you have done what you wanted—“ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter” (James 5:5).
Now, God speaks of those who live for pleasure and pleasure alone. He speaks of those who selfishly take money that God has given them that ought to be a blessing unto other people. God has made them a steward over it and they just lavish it upon themselves.
A. James 5:5-6, 1:17. God is not against rightful and legitimate pleasure, but He is against wantonness, selfishness, and wastefulness.
Now, God is not against having pleasure, God wants you to have pleasure. The Bible says that, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” (James 1:17). The Bible says that God “…hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant” (Psalm 35:27). And, that God wants us to enjoy the things of this world. He is not against that, but while God is not against rightful and legitimate pleasure, God is dead set against wantonness, selfishness, lavishness, wastefulness, how we spend our money.
Many of us, dear friends, are spending money that could be used for soul winning.
Money that could be used for missions, money that could be used for church building, it is money that is lavished upon ourselves. And, dear friend, I just want to tell you that a miserly man is a miserable man. And, people whom live for self and self alone, as though Christ never lived, as though Christ never died. These are people who one day are going to have to answer to Our Lord at the judgment.
B. Story of John D. Rockefeller and how when he began to give away his money, his bleeding ulcer healed and he lived 30 more years.
John D. Rockefeller was dying at the age of fifty-five. He had a bleeding ulcer. About the only thing he could eat was crackers and milk. He could not sleep for one solid hour without being awakened by pain. He had millions and millions of dollars. The doctors said, “Mr. Rockefeller, you are dying and will be dead in a short time.” He got to thinking—he wasn’t a stupid man—he got to thinking, “It is time for me to stop concentrating on making money and start doing some of the things that I always wanted to do and ought to do.”
C. Acts 20:35.
He said, “One of the things that I am going to begin to do that I have been too busy to do before is, I am going to start giving my money.” And, he started giving his money and the more he gave, the more God gave to him. And, the more he gave the happier he got. And, he started giving money, he testified later, that, “When I learned to give, it so changed my life my ulcer healed up. I began to sleep and he lived for thirty more years in wonderful health.” A dying man who learned a secret that is there in the Word of God. “…It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).
I wonder if we really believe that. Most of us don’t believe that. Our motto is, “Get all you can. Can all you get, sit on the lid, and poison the rest.” That’s the way most of us believe. But, my dear friend, the Bible says, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). And, God looks down from Heaven and God sees how a man saves his money. And, when a man begins to hoard it God says, “You are hoarding up trouble.” God sees how a man secures his money and God says, “If you did it the wrong way, you are headed for trouble.” God sees how a man spends his money and God says, “If you spend it the wrong way you are headed for trouble.”
IV. HOW A MAN SHARES HIS MONEY
I’ll tell you one other thing God also says. God sees how a man shares his money. God sees how a man shares his money and God says, “You are headed for blessings.” Look therefore in verse 7: “Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman”—and that means the farmer—“waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned”—that is don’t be selfish, don’t complain, don’t be stingy—“behold, the judge standeth before the door” (James 5:7–9).
A. James 5:7. We are going to have to give an account for our stewardship.
What is James saying? James is saying, “One of these days, and soon, very soon we shall see the Lord. We are going to give an account of our stewardship.” One of these days Joyce and Adrian are going to have to answer for every penny that God has given us. How we saved it how we secured it, how we spent it, and how we shared it. The Lord is at the door.
Now folks, I’m telling you, just as sure as I am standing here He is going to look at me, He is going to look at you and say, “Give an account of your stewardship.” And, we are going to answer to the Lord. Now, He says, “The farmer waits for the fruit of the earth.” Now, what He is saying is that, “When you give it is like planting a seed and the crop is going to come.” And, if we, dear friend, have sown seeds of kindness and seeds of sacrifice and seeds of faith, and seeds of obedience, those seeds are going to produce the precious fruit that be is talking about. That means that one day our Lord is going to come and He is going to reward His saints.
D. Saying—though you carve your name high above the shifting sands where the steadfast rocks decay, all you can hold in your cold, dead hand is what you have given away.
What you give is never lost. “Though you carve your name high above the shifting sands where the steadfast rocks defy decay. All you can hold in your cold dead hand is what you have given away.” We say that, “You can’t take it with you.” I guess you have heard that, “You can’t take it with you.” We have all heard that.
E. Story of man who was dying and the jug with all his money—attic or the basement?
I heard of a man who said, “Well maybe you can’t.” but, he wouldn’t be one to say, “You can’t” until he tried. He was dying in his own home and he said, Honey, “I want you to take all my money, put it in a big jug, and put it up in the attic, a jug with a handle on it. And, when I die, on my way up I am going to snatch at that jug and see if I can take it with me.” So, they put all his money in that big jug and set it in the attic up there. Sure enough he died and after the undertaker had done his business she decided she would go up in the attic and look. She went up in the attic and it was still there. She thought, “Well, maybe I should have put it in the basement.”
F. Send your money on ahead, by investing it in soul winning.
Now, folks, listen, you can’t take it. I’ll tell you what you can do, you can send it on ahead. You really can. There is a parable, Jesus said, “you can take your money and invest it in soul winning. And, when you get to Heaven, people there will welcome you in Heaven.” Now, folks, the only way to get your money to Heaven is to invest your money in something that is going to Heaven. And, the only thing I know that’s going to Heaven is souls of men.
Conclusion
Now, I have come to the end of my message, but I want you to look at me, I want you to hear your pastor’s heart. God is interested in money today. God is interested in how you save it, God is interested in how you secured it, God is interested in how you spend it, and God is interested in how you shared it. I am not ashamed to ask you, this coming Lord’s Day, to ask you to make an investment in foundations for the future. I know churches, and I want to tell you that God has blessed us with a wonderful church. Now, there are lots of things that are asking for your money.
There are many causes Billy Graham, Campus Crusade, mission causes around the world. They are all good and they are all wonderful, and we ought to support causes like that, but I want to tell you something, folks. The most needful giving today, the giving that pays the best dividends, is for a Christian to support His local church. You hear me? His local church. That’s God’s plan. Now, our church is not some get rich quick scheme. We are not a bunch of folks that just got here yesterday. This is a church that has a past, a church that has a record, a church that has a future. We are not interested in building buildings for building’s sake. These things are tools.
I believe with all of my heart that your gift will be a wise investment that will count for all eternity. I want us to build a base for missions and evangelism that will be used of God to multiply thousands and perhaps millions to Jesus and to send missionaries around this world. God has given us a rare and a precious privilege and I am going to ask you and your family to see what God wants you to do this coming Lord’s Day.
I would not dare tell you what to give. I wouldn’t if I could, and I couldn’t if I would. But, I am going to ask you, every family, to get alone before God, and pray, and beware of rusty riches. Beware of hoarding that which God wants in circulation. Surely, God knows we need to plan for the future. But, friend, there comes a place where we are going to have to trust God. Do what God tells us to do and do what I did last night in my study, this morning early in my study. That is, to get on our knees before God and not to say, “What part, dear Lord, do you want?” But, to give it all to Him first, and then say, “What part, dear Lord, can I keep?” I want you to do that. Then you come next Sunday, and whether it be little or it be big, if you do God’s will you’ll be blessed.
Woodrow Wilson was on a train. He was in Billings, Montana. He was making whistle stops. He was the President of the United States. He was on that last coach. He was on that platform there out behind. You have seen pictures of them. His wife was next to him. There were important men in government who were there. And, there was a crowd in Billings, Montana, who had come to see the President of the United States.
Two little boys kind of elbowed their way through the crowd and got right up close. One little boy had an American flag. He gave it to the President. The President took that flag and the little boy was so happy. The other little boy had nothing to give to the President that he knew of, and he wanted to give him something, and he reached down in his pocket. The little feller found a dime, took it out of his pocket, and he handed that dime to the President of the United States.
And, the President of the United States reached down and took that dime and thanked the little feller. Woodrow Wilson lived for five years after that and then he died. His wife going through his personal effects going through his billfold and she found that dime, wrapped in a piece of paper, tucked in the President’s billfold. It had been with him in the most important meetings on the person, on the body, in the billfold of the President of the United States, one dime. I’ve thought about that and I’ve thought about how God knows the fact of love that will be displayed by many of you next Sunday. And, how God will keep that as a token, because He will know why you gave it and the spirit that you gave it in.
Father, use what we bring next Sunday. And, I pray, dear God, that the offering will be one that will glorify you Lord. We will be satisfied with it if it just glorifies you. In Jesus name, Amen.
