SHOW ME THE MONEY
Show me the money. SHOW ME THE MONEY
Is this what your Christianity is saying?
Is money the driving force for WHAT you do and HOW you do it?
How much money is needed to make you happy today?
How much money would it take to make you content? 50,000.00 - 100,000.00 - 1 million - 100 million
Not to long ago the lotto was up to about 100 million. People all over the country were buying tickets.
What is the draw to buy a chance at becoming a millionaire? Is it so that all their wishes for a happy life would come true, but remember what your mother always said money can’t buy happiness.
Then of course you always have the guy who tells you that you may not buy it, but he would like to rent it for a while.
The world tells us that if we make enough money all our troubles will be easy to take of.
Maybe that is why rich people never have any trouble right? Today there are men playing baseball, football, basketball or Corp. heads that will make millions of dollars a year, yet still they are not content or happy with it.
Matt 6:19 Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasure in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do n break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart is a1s49’No one 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 can not serve both God and money.
How many times have you heard someone say I don’t need to be rich but I just want enough money that I do not have to worry about anything. Then I would be content and happy. If I didn’t have to work I could help people all the time.
Or I just want a nice car or a house that is paid for, then that would be enough.
Have you ever noticed the old saying the more you make the more you spend is pretty true most of the time. We always want more. A nice old car will get you to the church building just fine, but a new Chevy would be even better, or maybe a Lexus would do. How about a BMW, or a ROYAL ROYCE.
Do you let money dictate if you will help someone?
Do you qualify the poor or needy with words like “they are not that bad off I have been there and I got out of it without anybody helping. I worked hard for this money and I want to buy something for me. Let someone with more money or time can help them I am to busy right now.
Deut 8:17&18,You say to yourself “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me” but remember the Lord your God, for it is HE who gives you the ABILITY to produce wealth.
I Sam 2:7 The Lord sends poverty and wealth.
Proverbs Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.
Where in the bible does it say to work hard to make as much money as you can and you will be content and happy.
If you and a coworker did the exact same job and received different amounts of pay. If you received more than your coworker would you be happy? Would you try to justify the reason for the extra money to you? ( better worker, always on time, things like that) Or if you received less than them would you be mad?
Does not God provide for the needs of those who seek Him? Then why does it bring such anger to us when we don’t get what we want? It is the world and the devil that say we must act this way and we follow. If we look to God to provide us with what we need He will do it, He told us so.
Jesus told the disciples in Matt 10: to go to the lost sheep of Israel heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demon’s, freely you have received freely give. Do not take along any gold or silver or copper in your belts, take no bag for the journey or extra tunic or sandals or staff for the WORKER is worth his keep.
How many of us would go some where with taking any money cards, credit cards, check books, or clean nice clothes
Now a long with money comes obligation. The parable of the talents comes to mind
To one man he gave 5 talents, one man He gave 2 talents and one man He gave one talent. What happen? The man who received 5 talents turned it in to 10 talents, and the man who received 2 talents turned it in to 4 talents, but the man who received one talent did nothing with it but hide it so he would not lose it.
Luke 16:10 Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?
I rode motorclye’s when I was younger and I saw a couple of friends of mine die in a car motorcycle wreak. So I thought I would buy a helmet. So I took my 50 dollars and when to the parts window. At the motorcycle parts store they had a sign above the window that said “put as much money in your helmet as your head is worth to you”. Well I think my head is worth a lot more than 50 dollars, so I went home with the 100 dollar helmet.
Turning this to God and Jesus how much money would you put in to your salvation? How much is salvation worth?
Who made the rich man anyway? God made the rich man and He made the poor man also.
When is it enough? How much money does it take to buy one day in heaven?
Ask yourself how money does it take to save our soul?
Do you plan to show the money to God, and show Him the gory of working so hard for money that He does not need?
Who is rich anyway? Someone who has less than you is poor and anyone that has more than you is called rich.
I work just a block a way from a homeless shelter and I think in their eyes I’m a rich man, but to me I’m not rich but I see other’s I think are rich.
1 Tim 6: 5-10 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. But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing we will be content with that. 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. 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 grief’s.
It is the balance of rich and poor to the church to bring contentment to the body. The rich are to give as they have been blessed and so are the poor. Who will give more, hopefully it the rich man because he has received more earthly blessings. If the poor and the rich give the same amount, who is giving more to God the father?
If all I have to last me the week is twenty dollars and my church tells us that they need some help and I give it to God. I know that I will be eating out of a can or making up some kind of meal with leftovers. Then the rich man has one hundred dollars on him so he gives it. And then after he leaves he goes to an ATM machine and takes out two hundred dollars and goes out to eat, who is giving the blessing to God? If all of us at this body lost all money support, what would happen to this body of believers?
Jesus said it is harder for a rich man to get into heaven than putting a camel into the eye of a needle, but nothing through God is impossible.
Then why do some of us Christians put money first in our lives. Sometimes the job or overtime comes before God and family.
Luke 12:14 parable of the rich fool; Jesus said “watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” And He told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, what shall I do? I have no place to store my crops. “Then he said, this is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I’ll say to myself, You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” But God said to him, you fool! This very night your life will demanded from you. who will get what you have prepared for yourself?” This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.
Hebrews 13:5 keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you because God l never will I leave you, never will I forsake you
1 Tim 6:1 7Command 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. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In 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.
WHO is or was the richest man the world has ever known? Did you think Bill Gates? If you had to think about it you are thinking with a worldly mind of money. Or maybe Soloman who asked for a discerning heart to govern God’s people and to distinguish between right and wrong. More over God gave him what He did not ask for-both riches and honor so that in his life time he will have no equal among kings.
Jesus is the richest man to ever live. He gave up heaven to come down to earth to save us.
Paul talking to Timothy said in 2 Cor. 8:9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich yet for your sakes. He became poor, so that you though his proverty might be come rich. And here is my advice about is best for you in this matter. Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire do so. Now finish the work so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have.
And again the worker is worth his keep.
In the eyes of world Jesus was very poor He did not have a lot of sheep, camels, property or money. Yet He had the greatest thing of all, salvation for all that come to Him.
Proverbs 23:4 Do not wear yourselves out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint.
So what will it be? What will YOUR Christianity say about your money? Is money the driving force for you today? I hope not.
Do you let money dictate what you do and when you do it? Do you look toward money or God to make you happy and content?
If you have been looking in the wrong place and now want to look to God. If you see that the only true happiness comes from God through Jesus Christ.
If you see that money is just a tool that we as Christians use to bring the good news of Jesus to the world. We do not look for money, but for the lost souls to help save.
Or you want us as a body of Christ to pray to help you stay looking to Christ.
Please come forward, If you are ready to turn your life to God, come. We will take your confession. We will bury you in baptism, and raise you up anew in the name of Christ Jesus.
Come forward as we sing God’s inventions song and we will show you the way.
