An Arrogance of Wealth or a Wealth of Generosity
The Apprentice
There was a TV show a number of years ago called "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous". In this presentation we were given a glimpse (just a quick peek - mind you) of the kind of life wealth can provide. It was ostentatious, opulent, and decadent to the extreme. And it made most people envious.
Today we have "The Apprentice" with Donald Trump. Different idea than that old TV show but the same old message with the same extravagances leaving us with the same wonder mixed with envy as we are allowed to catch glimpses of how he lives, where he lives, who he marries, and perhaps worst of all – his philosophies toward money.
Recently, I read this quote from Donald Trump concerning the bankruptcy of his casino in which he the bankruptcy was a setback.
"I don’t think it’s a failure, it’s a success," he said in the interview. "In this case, it was just something that worked better than other alternatives. It’s really just a technical thing, but it came together…” He said "the future looks very good."
And it’s been announced that there is a new show coming out called “The Apprentice – Martha Stewart”. I wonder what we’ll learn from a woman who was convicted of cheating other stockowners through insider trading? I shudder to think that these are the people who are being promoted as mentors training other businessmen and women.
Let us not go further down this path. Let us stop here and in the midst of all this silk, gold plated teaspoons and imported caviar let us one simple question, "What is the purpose of all this wealth?"
This leads to a second and more compelling question, "Why has God given me the things that I now possess?"
1 Timothy 6:17-19
17 Command those who are rich with things of this world not to be proud. Tell them to hope in God, not in their uncertain riches. God richly gives us everything to enjoy.
1 Timothy 6:17-19
18 Tell the rich people to do good, to be rich in doing good deeds, to be generous and ready to share.
1 Timothy 6:17-19
19 By doing that, they will be saving a treasure for themselves as a strong foundation for the future. Then they will be able to have the life that is true life.
Wealth Factoids
Wealth Factoid #1:
God owns all the Wealth in the World
The earth belongs to the LORD, and everything in it—the world and all its people.
Psalms 24
God owns all the wealth in the world. Psalms 24:1-2 says, "The earth is the Lord’s & the fullness thereof, the world & all they that dwell therein." Or as the NIV puts it, "All of the world is the Lord’s & everything that is in it."
So what is there to be proud about?
I own a home… If you go to the Ingham county courthouse you’ll find that Richard and Donna Stacy are recorded as the legal owners of a house at 4264 Graystone Drive in Okemos, MI. You’ll also find that there is a lien on the property in the form of a mortgage for a significant amount of money.
That mortgage says that the property isn’t really mine and that I can only stay there as long as I make the monthly payments, pay the taxes, and keep up the fire insurance. Not only that I get to shovel the snow, mow the grass, weed the dandelions, patch the roof, fix the leaky faucets, vacuum the carpets, and paint the walls.
Sure, some day it will be mine, provided I paid all the taxes, a tornado hasn’t knocked down, or a fire burned it up in the meantime.
But even then the house will not be mine, for it’s really just mine on loan from God. He is letting me live in it for a few years. He lets me breathe His air. He lets me drink His water. He lets me bask in His sunshine of a Sunday in February or glory in a winter snowstorm.
The point is, none of us could live even for a second on this planet if God didn’t abundantly share His wealth with us. In actuality, all we will ultimately have on this earth is a hole in the ground, 3’ by 6’ in size. And we won’t have it. It will have us. "The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof, the world & all they that dwell therein."
Wealth Factoid #2:
Wealth does not bring security and joy – God Does
17 …Tell them to hope in God, not in their uncertain riches…
We are all possessors of God’s wealth. God provides it to us, & He says, "Here you are, you are all stewards." We don’t have a choice in that. We are all stewards.
By "possessor" I simply mean that I’m a caretaker. I take care of the things that God gives me to use while I make my journey through this world.
There are so many warnings in scripture concerning these this issue.
Wealth Factoid #2:
Wealth does not bring security and joy – God Does
Here’s a piece of bad luck I’ve seen happen: A man hoards far more wealth than is good for him. And then loses it all in a bad business deal.
Ecclesiastes 5:13-17 Msg
He fathered a child but hasn’t a cent left to give him. He arrived naked from the womb of his mother; He’ll leave in the same condition—with nothing. This is bad luck, for sure—naked he came, naked he went.
So what was the point of working for a salary of smoke? All for a miserable life spent in the dark?
Ecclesiastes 5:13 says, "I have seen a grievous evil under the sun: wealth hoarded to the harm of its owner. . ."
Wealth Factoid #2:
16 Then Jesus told this story: “There was a rich man who had some land, which grew a good crop. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What will I do? I have no place to keep all my crops.’ 18 Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and other goods. 19 Then I can say to myself, “I have enough good things stored to last for many years. Rest, eat, drink, and enjoy life!”
Wealth does not bring security and joy – God Does
20 “But God said to him, ‘Foolish man! Tonight your life will be taken from you. So who will get those things you have prepared for yourself?’
Luke 12:16-21 NCV
20 “But God said to him, ‘Foolish man! Tonight your life will be taken from you. So who will get those things you have prepared for yourself?’
21 “This is how it will be for those who store up things for themselves and are not rich toward God.”
The day of judgment will be a day of accounting. The day will come when the possessor will give an accounting to the owner.
What is the purpose of Wealth?
Now we get to the question we started with. So what is the purpose of wealth? What does the owner want me to do with the wealth I have been allowed to possess?
This is the essence of stewardship teaching in the Bible. Stewardship being the responsibility I have for managing that which I possess for the benefit of those for whom it is intended.
And here is where I have a choice. I can be either a good steward or a bad steward. If I’m a bad steward then I hoard it. I keep it to myself. I become selfish with it. I interpret the right of use to be the certificate of ownership, & pretty soon I begin to think to myself, "It is mine. I worked for it. I earned it. I saved it. Therefore I can keep it or do with it whatever I want."
What is the purpose of Wealth?
Wealth is ours to enjoy
17 …God richly gives us everything to enjoy
I’ll bet you didn’t think you’d hear that in a sermon before today! Money is to enjoy! Wealth is to enjoy! There is nothing wrong with enjoying the blessings of God in life!
This comes mostly from an attitude of gratitude. We need give God thanksgiving and gratitude for what he has given to us and to ENJOY what we have!!!
One day a father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the firm purpose of showing his son how poor people live, and how fortunate they were.
They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family. On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, "How was the trip?"
"It was great, Dad."
"Did you see how poor people live?" the father asked.
"Oh yeah," said the son.
"So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?” asked the father. The son answered: "I saw that we have one dog and they had four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night. Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon. We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight. We have servants who serve us, but they serve others. We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them."
The boy’s father was speechless. Then his son added, "Thanks, Dad, for showing me how poor we are."
This young man learned his lesson well and so did the father.
Learn to enjoy all that God has given you by giving thanks for all he has given you to possess and use.
That’s the real issue of praying before the meal! My grandchildren taught me a lesson a couple of months ago…
Say in Unison:
Hands, Hands, Hands - Thank You God for Hands
(hold up your hands palm out)
Food, Food, Food - Thank You God for Food
(Curl up arms as if under a big log you are carrying in front of you)
Friends, Friends, Friends - Thank you God for Friends
(Stretch out your arms as if to put them around your friends)
AMEN!
(Shout)
Now I wouldn’t do that at Applebee’s or Culvers but what a fabulous prayer!
What is the purpose of Wealth?
Wealth is ours to do good for others
18 Tell the rich people to do good, to be rich in doing good deeds, to be generous and ready to share.
If you want to really enjoy your wealth – spread it around. Giving is a huge amount of fun!
But he said, "Give with a smile on your lips. Give with joy in your heart. Give cheerfully because God loves a cheerful giver."
How do you do that with everyone coming at you with their hand out! It seems like there are so many needs and the resources are limited. How do you do good deeds without being worn down and becoming cynical?
Let me give you a couple of pointers:
A Wealth of Generosity
Plan your Giving
7 Each one should give as you have decided in your heart to give.
2 Corinthians 9:7-8 MSG
Most people give randomly and without thinking about what they are doing. They don’t budget or plan for giving they just do the token $20.00 or the guilt driven $25 dollar check.
This kind of giving is generally NOT satisfying – it is usually and decidedly joyless.
The greater the planning and anticipation, the greater the joy we gain when we are able to give to a cause that is great and meaningful.
A Wealth of Generosity
Give Cheerfully
You should not be sad when you give, and you should not give because you feel forced to give. God loves the person who gives happily.
2 Corinthians 9:7-8 MSG
Giving is not a matter of duty. The word used here in the greek language is the root word for hilarious.
Our giving is supposed to be done with hilarity.
Giving is pure fun!
How does this come to be – it comes out of the decisions you must make about money! We’ve been studying the last couple of weeks about those decisions and how we must choose to live.
Planning makes it easier to give cheerfully – When you choose prosperity (rather than chasing wealth) and when you choose the winning combination of right living before God (rather than the love of money) your life becomes focused on others and how you can make a difference – that’s roller coaster ride exhilaratingly FUN!
A Wealth of Generosity
Give Expectantly
8 And God can give you more blessings than you need. Then you will always have plenty of everything—enough to give to every good work.
2 Corinthians 9:7-8 MSG
Give expecting to receive more of God’s blessings than you give to others
When I give – I can hardly wait to see what God will bring from this.
This is NOT health and wealth teaching. – This is NOT about giving to get rich or to defeat cancer.
This IS about God’s blessings and the joy of living!
Those preachers who promise to give you a 100-fold return on your giving have missed the point entirely. You know they say if you send me $100 dollars God will bless you 100 times implying or sometimes stating you’ll get rich by giving to God. I always want to say to them – you send me the $100 dollars and you can get the 100-fold return!
The purpose of wealth is giving – not getting! And it’s about giving to something that has great value – something that will keep.
What is the purpose of Wealth?
Wealth is our to save a lasting treasure
19 By doing that, they will be saving a treasure for themselves as a strong foundation for the future. Then they will be able to have the life that is true life.
One of the greatest mistakes, I think, that we make when we talk about money in the church is that we often do it in the context of a special appeal or in a crisis situation.
If I stand up & tell you that there are thousands of starving people who need our help & we’re going to take up an offering to send food - if that strikes your fancy - you’ll probably give & maybe even give sacrificially to help meet that need.
We respond as a nation to the tsnomoui, to hurricanes in Florida, to tornado’s in the Midwest. We really are a giving people. But as important as these things are they focus on that which will not last.
It is far better for us to understand that our wealth is not only for doing this kind of good but also for investing in the kingdom of God – the work and ministry of the church – so that people can be saved and restored to a forever relationship with God – here is a lasting treasure!
The Greatest Cause
All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I will be with you always, to the very end of the age. (Matthew 28:18-20)
More millions of men and billions of dollars have been mobilized by one single speech than any other. Easily the most incendiary speech of human history, the final earthly words of Jesus comprise the most compact expression of the Christian mission ever uttered.
It’s all there. Authority. Challenge. Mission. Adventure. Power. Direction. Purpose. Comfort. It is our task. It is our mission.
Nothing should make a Christian man more "cheerful" than to hear that his financial investment helped someone pass from death to eternal life.
This is exciting; fun; exhilarating. Giving at MCC brings great joy because of what we are doing with the wealth –
A tribe of the redeemed. Lost souls brought home to God.
Helping People Find The Way Home.
19 …Then they will be able to have the life that is true life
Helping People Find The Way Home
When you give to MCC you are giving to help build God’s church. Will you give to help build a great church? I call you to help.
