MONEY : GOD’S IDEA?

Listen to your money.

Money and the Bible:Bible has 2,350 verses on money.15% of Jesus teaching concerns money. 16/38 parables.Money matters!

Crusader’s baptism

Keep off! My money is mine to use.

1. GOD OWNS EVERYTHING

+ v,14; Psalm 50:10; Haggai 2:8

2. GOD ENTRUSTS HIS RESOURCES TO US.

Creation mandate

Wealthcreation

17 You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” 18 But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today. Deuteronomy 8:17-18

3. GOD’S IDEA OF MONEY – TWO VIEWS(a)

KJV money = “filthy lucre”

The rich are cursed “Woe to you who are rich….” Luke 6:24

The poor are blessed “Blessed are you who are poor for yours is the kingdom of God” v.20

The rich man and the camel Mk.10:24,25

Are we to adopt the vow of poverty?

(b)

Deuteronomy 28:2-14 2 All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God: 3 You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country . 4 The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. 5 Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed. 6 You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. 8 The LORD will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The LORD your God will bless you in the land he is giving you.Wealthy men of God – Abraham, Jacob, Job, Joseph Philemon….

4. WHEN MONEY BECOMES ‘GOD’ “You cannot serve both GOD and MAMMON” Lk. 16:13 Money becomes Mammon when we worship it.

Money can be very dangerous!

Root of all evil? It becomes our false god; unfulfilled pleasure; pride; strife (divorce) and keeps us in debt trap. It gives us false value and security. We go for wants rather than needs.Mammon is plastic. MasterCard : takes the waiting out of wanting, I’ve got the whole world in my hand.

9 Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people 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. 1 Timothy 6:9-10

Our money which art in plastic, Hallowed be thy name. Thy Cartier watchThy Prada bagIn HarrodsAs it is Selfridges.Give us each day our Platinum VisaAnd forgive us our overdraftAs we forgive those who stop our Master Card.And lead us not into NextAnd deliver us from BennetonFor thine is the Gucchi, The Dior, the ArmaniFor Ferrari and Eternity.Amex.

5. MANAGEMENT OF GOD’S MONEY The parable of the Unjust Steward (Lk.16:1-14) …. 8 ‘The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. 9 I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.10 ‘Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. 11 So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? 12 And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?13 ‘No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.’

The most controversial verse! Verse 8. (a) Be shrewd, not dishonest v.8 (b) Be wise -investing material wealth for eternity v.9 “lay up treasures in heaven” (c) Be faithful over all that is entrusted vv11,12. (d) Be sure to always put God first v.13 (e) Be sure to have God’s value and approval v.14

CONCLUSION: thankful—faithful—fruitful 1 Timothy 6: 6-10; 17-19.

Response: “All to Jesus, I surrender, all to Him freely give”