LUKE 16:1-13
"The Use of Money"
Ask almost any pastor what causes the most divisions within a church and
he or she will tell you money!
Money.
In our Gospel Lesson for this morning Jesus tells us that the children of
the world
those who are not saved
Those who live only for the present are truer to their admitted
principles and more consistently pursue their goals than those who see
"the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus
Christ."
John Wesley, the founder of Methodism often warned both the unconverted
and the converted against the dangers of riches:
"I fear, wherever riches have increased, the essence of religion, the
mind that was in Christ, has decreased in the same proportion."
Furthermore, Wesley insisted that we are not owners of our assets, but
stewards.
The original meaning of the word stewarda ward of the sty, a keeper of
pigsgoes back to a simple order of life.
We are Gods stewards to rule over a lower level of life.
Now, we are not to become part of that lower level of lifewe are not to
become pigsas Christianswe are to be above being mastered by what God
has put under our care.
We are stewards---we are not owners! God is the only Owner.
Our job is not to hoard money or use it for our own pleasuresour job is
to circulate it properly.
The fact that this is true is hardly open to questions.
For example, if we treat even the forests as our own, dust storms and
droughts come upon us: the universe knows its rightful Lord, and rebels
against us piously trying to take it over.
As Christians, we have a right to a livelihood, but only on a commission
basis.
Gods gifts of money are giftsthey are a trust, not a possession; and
with this trust comes a great amount of responsibility.
Jesus emphasizes that all money belongs to God, and if we realize this,
it becomes easier for us to give back to God.
For example, if we drive a company car, we know that it is not our carit
is to be used for the company
And God wants us to use our possessions with that attitude.
God is letting us use the money He gives us in order to reach the world
for Jesus Christ.
And just as a company gives a salesperson rules and limits on how the
company car is to be used, God has instructed us on how we are to use His
money.
As Christians, we are called to be discipleswhich means to live a
disciplined life.
And because stewardship is management, or discipleship, how we use the
gifts God has put in our care is an expression of our Christian livesof
our faith in Christ.
Jesus stressed these truths repeatedly.
Just look at the parable of the talents in Matthew chapter 25.
In that parable, the Masteror Godentrusted His servants with differing
amounts of His money
and the servant who had hidden Gods money in the ground
had that money taken from him and as Matthew 25 verse 30 tells us: God
said, "throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where
there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
Remember Julie Longs sermon on Manna last week?
The Israelites were not to hoard the Manna
those who didshowed just how little faith they had that God would send
this Manna to them the next day.
We are not to be afraid of using Gods resources for His kingdom.
And we are not to worry where these resources will come from.
God will provide.
God will provide what we need, when we need it!
We are to step out in faithbelieving that God will provide us with what
we need for Gods work to be accomplished.
A church is not a business.
A church is a community of faith which trusts in God to provide what is
needed for Gods ministry to continue.
We are not to store up for ourselves treasures on earth.
As Jesus tells us: "Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or
drink, or about your body, what you will wearLook at the birds of the
air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet their
heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
O you of little faith
the pagans run after these things, and your heavenly Father knows that
you need them.
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things
will be given to you as well."
Are we seeking first Gods kingdom and righteousness?
If so, there is no need to worry, and store our money in barns.
One of our biggest problems with money is that money possesses us, rather
than us possessing it.
"No servant can serve two masters."
When we, as Christians, see how much God has entrusted to our careit is
embarrassing to see how little we return to Him.
One day, every one of us will have to give an account of how we have used
Gods money.
Our handling of the money that God has entrusted to us is stewardshipit
is a direct dealing with God
from Whom we came from
and to Whom we go.
Lets face itlets embrace it: A biblical outlook on money and its use
radically clashes with the natural inclinations of humankind.
In one of his sermons, Wesley writes: "Of all the temptations none so
struck at the whole work of God as the deceitfulness of riches."
And as "Children of the Light" we are not to become trapped by this
deceitfulness.
In order to follow Christ we must be willing to die to this worldto the
desires of this worldto the ways of this worldand live only for Christ!
And when we do thiswe come to know the true meaning of the Words of
Christ
Money is not the root of all evil
it is the love of money that is the root of all evil.
The fault doesnt lie in the money, but in those who use it.
Money can be used wronglyand what cant be used wrongly?
But money can also be used properly.
If humankind were in an uncorrupted state or if all of us were filled
with the Holy Spirit, there would be no misuse of money.
In the infant church in Jerusalem, "no one claimed private ownership of
any possessions." Money "was distributed to each as any had need."
In the hands of those who are totally committed to Jesus Christ, money is
food for the hungry, drink for the thirsty, and clothing for the naked.
For the homeless and the stranger, money provides them a place to lie
down to rest.
By the right use of money we can provide for others.
Money can serve as a husband for the widow and as a father to the
orphans.
We can supply protection for the oppressed, a means of health for the
sick, and comfort for those in pain.
Money can become as "eyes to the blind, and feet to the lame"; and
indeed, money can lift others up from the gates of death and hell.
Therefore, it should be one of our highest concerns that we become
faithful managers of Gods money.
Some years ago, a 94-year-old widow died in her home in Chicago.
She was known as a collector of antiques.
The Administrator of her estate found an astonishing collection of
things.
There was a 50-year-old collection of chinaware, paintings, and unopened
trunks.
It was reported that altogether there were 20 rooms packed with rare and
expensive furnishings.
A fortune in diamonds was found in the false bottom of an old trunk.
A desk revealed $5,000 in cash, as well as many uncashed checks and money
orders.
Some of the checks were so old they were worthless, and many of the money
orders were sent to Washington for redemption.
What would we have done with such a vast fortune?
Do you think the poor, rich woman knew what life was all about?
Like the eccentric lady in Chicago, we too are connoisseurs of what we
term valuables
yet if we fail to use them properly
we leave Gods gifts and promises unclaimed.
John Wesley had a Stewardship plan: "Gain all you can, save all you can,
give all you can!"
In gaining all we can Wesley says that "we must never harm others
We cannot scheme to undercut our neighbors
We cannot sell anything that tends to impair the health of others.
Gain all you can by honest industry."
In saving all we can Wesley tells us: "Do not waste your resources on
trivial expenses, which is the same as throwing your money into the sea
Spend none of your money merely to gratify the desire of the flesh, the
desire of the eyes, and the pride of riches.
spend no money to gratify the pride of life or to gain the admiration
and praise of others."
In giving all we can, Wesley writes: "Do not imagine that you have done
anything merely by gaining and saving all you can. Do not stop here.
Making and saving money is nothing if we fail to go forward to the final
purpose.
People cannot rightly be said to save money if they only store it away.
You might just as well throw your money into the sea as bury it in the
ground. And you might as well bury it in the ground as to store it in [a]
Bank."
If we are at a loss as to when and how and on what we are to spend our
money Wesley lays down these 4 questions that we are to ask ourselves: 1-
"In spending this money, am I acting according to my character? Am I
acting not as an owner, but as a steward of my Lords goods?
2- Am I giving this money in obedience to Gods Word? In what Scripture
does God require me to spend this money?
3- Can I offer up this action or expenditure as a sacrifice to God
through Jesus Christ?
4- Do I have reason to believe that for this very work I will receive a
reward at the resurrection of the righteous?"
One Sunday morning a pastor encouraged his congregation to consider the
potential of the church.
He told them, "With Gods help we can see the day when this church will
go from crawling to walking.
The people responded: Let the church walk, Pastor. Let the church walk.’
He continued, And when the church begins to walk, next the church can
begin to run.
And the people shouted, Let the church run, Pastor. Let the church run!
The pastor continued, And finally the church can move from running to
flying. Oh, the church can fly! But, of course, thats going to take lots
of money for that to happen.
The congregation grew quiet and from the back someone mumbled, Let the
church crawl, Pastor. Let the church crawl."
Brothers and sistersParkview can either fly or crawl.
We can be either unwise or faithful stewards.
God will judge us, not on the basis of what we did not have, but for what
we have done with what we have been given.
A pastor got up at the beginning of a huge stewardship rally, held his
hands up for silence, and said, "Friends, I have a marvelous announcement
to make about our stewardship campaign for the coming year."
He paused to let the importance of his opening remark to sink in. He then
added with dramatic phrasing: "Friends, we have the money!"
A buzz of excitement went through the congregation. He held up his hands
for quite once again. He finished, "Yes, we have all the money we need.
Now all we have to do is give it and use it."
We are called to give all we have and all we are as living sacrifices to
God Who did not withhold His only Son from us.
Remember, Jesus said: "No servant can serve two masters. Either he will
hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and
despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."
Who do we love?
Who do we serve?
