Biblical Attitudes Toward Money
Sunday School Lesson
Grace International Baptist Church
Intro:
1 Tim 6:3-12 (NIV)
3 If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching,
4 he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions
5 and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.
6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.
7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.
8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.
9 People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction.
10 For the LOVE OF MONEY is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
11 But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.
12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
The love of money is a source of grief for many. It is a spiritual fight. Apparently Jesus taught more on this than any other subject. The big reason is as Richard Foster (1985,p.13) noted: “The demon in money is greed. Nothing can destroy human beings like the passion to possess.”
Illustration: The Trouble with Money
Guys, just remember, if you get lucky, if you make a lot of money, if you get out and buy a lot of stuff--it’s gonna break. You got your biggest,fanciest mansion in the world. It has air conditioning. It’s got a pool. Just think of all the pumps that are going to go out. Or go to a yacht basin any place in the world. Nobody is smiling, and I’ll tell you why. Something broke that morning. The generator’s out; the microwave oven doesn’t work. ...Things just don’t mean happiness.
H. Ross Perot (Billionaire and former Presidential candidate) in Fortune magazine.
Foster (1985,p.20-23).discovered there are 2 major streams of teaching in the Bible – “the dark side” (cf. Lk.6:24, 13, 30, 12:23, Matt.19:24; 1 Tim.3:1-5) and the “light side” (Lk.8:2-3, Matt.26:6-12; 27:57-61, Acts 4:36-37; Rom.12:8; Lk.11:37; 14:1; Mal.3:10)
1. God owns it all. Therefore I am only a m__________________ of His assets.
Psalm 24:1 (NLT) “The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him.”
1 Cor.6:19-20 (NLT) “You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price.”
Randy Alcorn (2001,p.24) “A steward manages assets for the owner’s benefit. The steward carries no entitlement to the assets he manages. It’s his job to find out what the owner wants done with his assets, then carry out his will.”
2. Earth is not my h_______________. My heart always goes where I put God’s money.
Alcorn (p.44) says “… I’m convinced that the greatest deterrent to giving is this: the illusion that earth is our home.” We are but pilgrims passing through, strangers and aliens here on the earth because our citizenship is in heaven (Heb.11:13, Phil.3:20). No one stores their best possessions in a hotel room, they store their prized stuff in their homes.
Matt. 6:19-21 (NLT) “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where they can be eaten by moths and get rusty, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where they will never become moth-eaten or rusty and where they will be safe from thieves. Wherever your treasure is, there your heart and thoughts will also be.
3. Never forget who gave you what you have today. It is not due to my ability. I o___________ it all to God!
Deut. 8:11-18 (NKJV) 11“Beware that you do not forget the LORD your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you today, 12“lest—when you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them; 13“and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied; 14“when your heart is lifted up, and you forget the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; 15“who led you through that great and terrible wilderness, in which were fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty land where there was no water; who brought water for you out of the flinty rock; 16“who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do you good in the end— 17“then you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.’ 18“And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.
4. We may not see an immediate return. I will still be faithful in g____________
Galatians 6:7-10 (NLT) “7 Don’t be misled. Remember that you can’t ignore God and get away with it. You will always reap what you sow! 8 Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful desires will harvest the consequences of decay and death. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. 9 So don’t get tired of doing what is good. Don’t get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time. 10 Whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone, especially to our Christian brothers and sisters.”
5. Hold lightly to things. I will have a spirit of t________________.
Foster (1985,p.48-9) “Often we miss the lavish provision of God – the air, the sunshine, the rain… When we have a spirit of thanksgiving we can hold all things lightly. We receive; we do not grab... Our lives do not consist of the things we have, for we live and move and breathe in God, not things.”
Phil. 4:4-13 (NIV)
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.
….for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.
12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.
13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
6. Enjoy a simple lifestyle, yet be g_______________. John Stott (1980) wrote:
We should be thankful to God our Creator and Father for the good things he has given us to enjoy; a negative asceticism – self-denial as an end in itself – is a contradiction of the biblical doctrine of creation, for it overlooks the generosity of God “who richly furnishes us with everything to enjoy” (1 Tim.6:17). At the same time, we have to remember the numerous biblical warnings against the dangers of wealth (that it easily engenders pride, materialism, and a false sense of security), against the evils of covetousness, and against the injustice of condoning the inequalities of privilege… Most of us (for I include myself) ought to give more generously to aid and development, as well as to world evangelization. In order to do so, we ought to develop a simple lifestyle.
Discuss the observations regarding money in Eccl. 5:10-15 (NLT)
10 Those who love money will never have enough. How absurd to think that wealth brings true happiness! 11 The more you have, the more people come to help you spend it. So what is the advantage of wealth—except perhaps to watch it run through your fingers!
12 People who work hard sleep well, whether they eat little or much. But the rich are always worrying and seldom get a good night’s sleep.
13 There is another serious problem I have seen in the world. Riches are sometimes hoarded to the harm of the saver, 14 or they are put into risky investments that turn sour, and everything is lost. In the end, there is nothing left to pass on to one’s children. 15 People who live only for wealth come to the end of their lives as naked and empty-handed as on the day they were born.
The more I have, the more _________________________________.
7. The Tithe: Let’s give God T___________.
Question to Tom Holloday : Isn’t the idea of giving 10 percent to the Lord just a legalistic, Old Testament rule? Why would we, as new covenant believers, do this today?
Answer: New covenant Christians can and should live out God’s moral and spiritual direction in the Old Testament. Jesus taught us in the Sermon on the Mount that we should do it with a new heart and a greater passion, not as rules to be kept but as directions from God’s heart to ours.
Of course, you can make God’s direction to tithe something that you do legalistically, just as you could make attending church or reading the Bible rules that you keep rather than a lifestyle God directs.
I don’t know all of the reasons why God gave us the direction to give 10 percent so often in the Bible, but I do know that this is a number that is high enough to be a real faith challenge to me. I can’t imagine God asking us to give in a way that would not be a challenge and a sacrifice.
I sometimes tell people (a little tongue in cheek, I must admit) that if you’re really worried about 10 percent being a legalistic requirement, just give 20 percent or 30 percent and then you’ll erase that concern!
"Just as you excel in everything ... in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness ... see that you also excel in the grace of giving." (2 Corinthians 8:7, NIV)
References:
Alcorn, Randy. (2001). The Treasure Principle: Discovering the Secret of Joyful Giving. Oregon: Multnomah.
Foster, Richard. (1985). Money, Sex and Power: The Challenge of the Disciplined Life. San Francisco: Harper and Row.
Stott, John. (1980). “The Just Demands of Economic Inequality.” Christianity Today, 23 May.
