Where do you go for financial advice? Newspapers, the Internet comparethemeerkat.com? Your Financial Advisor? Or the Bible?

Transcription

1 St John s Woking 22nd September 2013 Stewardship Sunday Readings: Matt 6:19-34 ; 2 Cor 8:1-15 Hook Liza Minnelli and Joel Grey from the movie Cabaret. We could have played Money, money, money by Abba. If in money we trust off Van Morrisson s latest album. There s Money by Jessie J. and by Pink Floyd. We could have had a musical extravaganza! And of course, we all know Money can't buy me love! But it also can't buy me:- self-discipline, encouragement or reassurance. guaranteed good health. peace of mind, real friendship, happiness, a sunrise or the miracle of a new birth those are God s free gifts. And money can't buy you a clear conscience. That cost Jesus his life, on the cross, for your and my sin. If you want a clear conscience, the only option is trusting in Jesus death for you; money can t buy it! All that money can buy is your basic needs and comforts. That's good but that s pretty much all! So then, why are most of us so hooked on the stuff? Why is it easier to trust wealth than God? Why do you worry so much about tomorrow? Why are so many of us Christians as materialistic as the world, when we should be the Light of the world? Why are you storing up treasures on earth rather than in Heaven? If you re not, take a nap! Introduction Where do you go for financial advice? Newspapers, the Internet comparethemeerkat.com? Your Financial Advisor? Or the Bible? Page 1 of 11

2 The Bible? Surely that's about spiritual stuff prayer, worship, sin. Wrong money is a major topic in the Bible! There are more than 2,500 direct references to money. The New Testament says more about money than about Heaven and Hell combined. 5 times more than about either prayer or faith! So we need to teach in church about money! Can I just say that this is not me getting at you about your attitude to money. I know nothing of anyone s giving to our churches. I m just trying to teach the whole counsel of God. And so, just one Sunday a year, it s money. I said it s not about me getting at you. In fact, I want to commend very many of you. For your ongoing, extraordinary, sacrificial generosity. This church has very little income except what you give. And it costs a lot to run this church and all its activities. Our total costs this year will be around 330,000. And 92p in every pound comes from you. So a huge thank you and a big well done! But of course, many in our church are fairly new Christians. And I ve found that trusting God financially comes slowly! Martin Luther said this: There are three conversions necessary in the Christian life: the conversion of the heart, the mind, and the purse. And the conversion of a Christian s purse takes longest. So as we look at some of Scripture s teaching about money, please keep asking yourself this question. If you re not yet a Christian, then this question isn t for you; you have other questions to deal with. But Christians, ask Is my purse truly converted yet? Page 2 of 11

3 I.Money is a blessing So four headings: Money is a blessing, Money is deceitful, and then Money is to be used well. And then some practical pointers for you. Firstly, Money is a blessing, like everything God created. How could it not be? Paul wrote: everything God created is good, so nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving 1Tim 4:4 Christians sometimes say money is bad and being poor is holy, but it s the poor in spirit, the humble, whom Jesus calls blessed in the Sermon on the Mount. Not those who sleep in the gutters. There s nothing blessed about real poverty: try the gutter! In Genesis chapter 1, after God had finished creating his universe, we read God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. 1v31 And in chapter 2 he mentions gold! So God said through the prophet Haggai: the silver is mine and the gold is mine. Haggai 2:8 Your current account, your savings account, your Cash ISAs and your pension scheme. Oh, and the bit of your home that the bank doesn t own! They re all mine, God says, because I made them! II.Money is deceitful So, money is good, it s a blessing from God. But Money is also deceitful. So, people say The Bible says money is the root of all evil. But it doesn t! 1 Timothy 6:10 says The love of money is the root of all evil. The rich young ruler who came to Jesus in Matthew 19 loved his wealth more than anything. That s why he went away sad. Page 3 of 11

4 The man in Jesus' parable in Luke 12 who stored up more and more in his pension funds sorry, his barns found he was utterly bankrupt when he died & stood before God. Because he loved money more than God. And Hebrews 13 says Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have... Why?...because God has said, Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you. Hebrews 13:5 As an accountant, I met loads of people who loved money. If you think about that for only a minute, isn't it bizarre? Money is just stuff; gold, silver, coins, bank notes, cars. Your loft is full of it; stuff. Actually most of it s just 0 s or 1 s on your bank s computer! It s just stuff; and digital stuff at that! I don t love money; do you know what I love most? I told you two years ago; I love... leaves! I do; I ve decided they re the most precious things in life! And guess what! Having got back from holiday, I m rich! I ve got leaves everywhere! And they re my leaves, not yours or anyone else s! So I m installing electric fences to stop you taking them! The love of money is bizarre, but it s also the root of all evil. So here's a question that's launched a 1,000 paperbacks. What is the secret of contentment? That verse from Hebrew 13 I just read says it is knowing & trusting the God who promises you Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you. The love of money is the root of all evil because loving money means trusting wealth rather than God. And that s another bizarre thing to do! Page 4 of 11

5 No, money s deceptive alright! It whispers in your ear: You could trust God for all your needs, but I'm more real, more accessible there are holes in walls everywhere! I m more controllable; I m more reliable... than God. Four deceptions, all starting with the word more. More real, more accessible, more controllable; more reliable. If you want a good reply to use next time money whispers that deception in your ear, include words like Euro or Greece! Oh yes, money is deceptive! In fact, loving money will make you poor, because it will destroy your spiritual life. It will come between you and the God who made you and money. Jesus said don't be like thorny soil, where the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful (Mark 4:19) Don't let money choke out the Word of God that the Holy Spirit wants to grow in your life money is only stuff! Digital stuff at that! Money really is deceptive. I expect you, like me, think you have no problem with money but then, neither did the rich young ruler until Jesus said give it away! III.Money is to be used well So, money is a blessing, but can be very deceitful. Promising what it can t give. But thirdly, money is to be used, and used well, as any good steward should. Jesus said in our gospel reading You can t serve both God and Mammon. Mammon was the name of a pagan god of wealth. Which is why it s translated both God and money. Page 5 of 11

6 Pray to the god Mammon and give your money to Mammon s temple and the priests who work there and guess what you ll get rich! No you won t you ll get poor. Like doing the lottery! And did you notice Jesus take on how the money thing works? Rich people have often told me that money serves them. Jesus said it s the other way round. If you love money and wealth, you serve it. You can t serve both God and money. Jesus uses the image of someone bowing down and worshipping an idol made out of wood or stone. It s a pathetic image wealth for many is a ball and chain! So because money can be dangerous, Jesus advised an alternative investment strategy. Treasures in heaven. Matt 6:19-24 Take your money out of Far Eastern Technology stocks and put it where there s a better and guaranteed return Heaven! Those words follow on from words about doing our good works to please God rather than man. We should pray in secret; likewise we should give in secret. Not for reward here and now, but for reward in heaven. Just to put a smile on your Heavenly Father s face. In the early twentieth century in Togo, West Africa, some pioneer missionaries were holding an evangelistic outreach in the Togolese backwaters. On the first night of their preaching, a destitute peasant woman was powerfully impacted and decided to surrender her life to Christ. As was the cultural custom, each subsequent evening, those touched by the message would bring gifts of yam or maize and lay them on the altar at the front in gratitude to God. Page 6 of 11

7 This woman was so poor that she had nothing to bring each evening, although she desperately longed to show how grateful she was. However, on the last night of the week's outreach, she came forward in the throng and triumphantly placed a silver coin on the altar... The missionary in charge saw her and feared that she had stolen it, but not wanting to embarrass der in public, waited until after the meeting had finished before he approached her and asked her how she could have afforded the gift. Eyes beaming, she replied that she was so happy to be free from her crippling guilt, to know where she was headed, and to discover the depth of the love Jesus had for her, that she wanted to contribute to making Jesus known to others who had not yet heard. She had considered it a privilege to go to a nearby plantation owner and sell herself as a slave for life for that silver coin. That was the gift she had laid on the altar that night. A very similar point is made in the intriguing parable of the dishonest steward in Luke 16. Jesus said a corrupt steward is a good role model for us! Which is a bit weird! In explaining why, Jesus points to the steward's skill in using money to gain friends who would secure his future: I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it s gone, you ll be welcomed into... eternal dwellings. Lk 16:9. Think yourselves clear with me on this. He's saying Use your money to gain friends to secure your eternal future. Only God our Father and Jesus can do that. Use your money to show God you mean business with him and that your Christian faith is real! Page 7 of 11

8 IV.Practical pointers So what does it mean in practice, to use money in ways that please our heavenly Father, have treasures in Heaven. Turn to 2 Corinthians 8 on page... These two chapters are really important passages on the Christian use of money. Yet the word money isn't mentioned! What is mentioned 11 times is grace or gift. The New Testament never says how much we should give to God's work that s left to each Christian to decide. So you decide, I m not going to tell you how much! What it does teach is the principles behind our giving. And the first is that is should be sacrificial and generous. Chapter 8v1: And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. What did God give those Christians in Macedonia? Overflowing joy! Yes, but the overflowing joy of giving in rich generosity to others in need, despite their own severe trials and extreme poverty! When did you last ask God to give you that kind of overflowing joy? Lord, please give me the chance to be that generous! Isn't that what verse 4 tells us? They d heard of the plight of the Christians in Jerusalem so, v4, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service... When did you last urgently plead for the privilege of giving generously to support other Christians in need? Page 8 of 11

9 The church in Corinth loved their spiritual gifts. So he tells them in v7: just as you excel in everything in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us see that you also excel in this grace [could translate it gift ] of giving. Next time you want to ask God for a gift of the Holy Spirit, try starting with that one! Won t impress your mates much. Because they won't know about it, because Jesus tells you to give in secret! But it will impress your Heavenly Father. Because he ll know that if only he knows, it s for him! It s what spies call For your eyes only. It s not the be-all and end-all, but one clear measure of spiritual growth in a church is how generously we give. Look at v8: I m not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love... They talk the talk; do they walk the walk? St John s, is your love for God and your neighbour sincere? Or are you all talk? I don t know and I don t want to, frankly! But God knows, because he sees you heart and he sees your bank statements! So God wants our giving to be sacrificial and generous. Then, in v9 Paul explains why: For [because] you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you, through his poverty, might become rich. The more you realise how rich Jesus has made you by giving you eternal life, the more generous you ll become. Because God is like that and I m made in his image, I should be it too! Page 9 of 11

10 Then Paul tells them at the end of v12 to give in proportion to their income: the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have. He s already written to them at the end of his first letter On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income 1 Cor 16:2 So our giving should be proportionate and planned. Don't leave it to a whim or a mood or whether you happen to have money on you plan and organise your giving. That s why we have planned giving schemes by bank standing order. And if there s anyone without a bank account, we still operate a weekly envelope scheme. But Christians often still ask how much they should give. The word tithe means a tenth, and comes from the Old Testament rules that Israel had for giving to God's work. Some Christians say we should tithe as it s in the Bible. But careful Israel had to pay several tithes. They paid the Lord s tithe 10% And they paid the Festival tithe we re up to 20%. And every third year they paid the Poor Tithe 23 1/3 % There were other small ones that brought it up to just over 25% of their income they had to give to God every year. And then there are rules about how you give on top of that, just because you want to, just to say thank you to God! Go very careful before you promise to tithe your income! But although 10% isn't taught, it s what many Christians have used as a starting point. Certainly, anything less than 10% is difficult to fit in with the principles I've just outlined. But how much you give is between you and God and you only have to explain yourself to him nobody else. Page 10 of 11

11 Two years ago Lynn and I were very challenged by this treasures in heaven teaching, like John Wesley s example. He didn t decide what proportion to give away; he worked out how much he needed to keep, and gave away the rest. Why? Because he was so alarmed at the thought that he might be storing up more treasure on earth than in heaven. You need to know we don t just teach this stuff, we do it. And don't ask whether it should be a proportion of income before or after tax. It s having a generous heart that matters. v12 For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable... For what it s worth, we go for the option that means we give most that way, we re covered! So pray, decide, plan and do it. And ask God to prick your conscience if you're being too stingy. If you're a couple, pray and decide as a couple. If you're a family, why not pray and decide as a family. What fun, and what a life example so set your kids! You've been ed or given our church s leaflet on giving. Why not review your giving now? V.Conclusion But my final point is this. The only time in Scripture when we re encouraged to put God to the test is in giving back to him. It s on the last page of the Old Testament and God says: Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. Malachi 3:10 If you really want some excitement in your Christian life, try to out-give God he loves that challenge! VI.Prayer (do business) Page 11 of 11