Ecclesiastes 5:10. He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income.

Transcription

1 Ecclesiastes 5:10 He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income.

2 Psalm 62:10 If riches increase, set not your heart on them.

3 Psalm 135:15-18 The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of human hands. 16 They have mouths, but do not speak; they have eyes, but do not see; 17 they have ears, but do not hear, nor is there any breath in their mouths. 18 Those who make them become like them, so do all who trust in them!

4 1 Timothy 6:9-10 those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

5 Hebrews 13:5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you.

6 Matthew 6:19-20 Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven

7 Matthew 6:24 You cannot serve God and money.

8 Mark 4:18-19 the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, 19 but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.

9 John 6:27 Do not labour for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you.

10 Luke 8:24 How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!

11 But how do we discern whether this is a problem?

12 Tim Keller (pg. xvii) [an idol is when] a good thing among many is turned into a supreme thing, so that its demands override all competing values

13 Tim Keller (pg. xviii) [an idol is] anything so central and essential to your life that, should you lose it, your life would feel hardly worth living

14 Tim Keller (pg. xxii) we can locate idols by looking at our nightmares. What do we fear the most? What, if we lost it, would make life not worth living?...we look to our idols to provide us with a sense of confidence and safety.

15 Tim Keller (pg. xxii) we can locate idols by looking at our most unyielding emotions. What makes us uncontrollably angry, anxious or despondent?

16 Tim Keller (pg. 56) For Jesus, greed is not only love of money, but excessive anxiety about it.

17 Tim Keller (pg. 65) Surface idols are things such as money, our spouse, or children, through which our deep idols seek fulfilment. We are often superficial in the analysis of our idol structures, For example, money can be a surface idol that serves to satisfy more foundational impulses. (cont.)

18 Tim Keller (pg. 65) Some people want lots of money as a way to control their world and life. Such people usually don t spend much money and live very modestly. They keep it all safely saved and invested, so they can feel completely secure in the world. (cont.)

19 Tim Keller (pg. 65) Others want money for access to social circles and to make themselves beautiful and attractive. These people do spend their money on themselves in lavish ways. Other people want money because it gives them so much power over others. (cont.)

20 Tim Keller (pg. 65) In every case, money functions as an idol and yet, because of the various deep idols, it results in very different patterns of behaviour.

21 Some biblical principles on giving

22 1. God, our Father, is THE Giver; He meets ALL the needs of His children Jas. 1:17; Phil. 4:19-20; Heb. 13:5; 2 Cor. 9:10; Mat. 6:25-34; 7:11; Ps. 84:11; Rom. 8:31-39 Are you concerned about giving because you are fearful that God will leave you short?

23 2. Nothing we have ultimately belongs to us Jas. 1:17; Ps. 24:1; Lev. 25:23; Deut. 8:17-18; 1 Chron. 25:11-16; Mal. 3:8-10; Rom. 11:33-36; Mat. 25:21 Do your finances suggest that it s God s money or your money?

24 3. Giving is part of our worship Phil. 4:18; 2 Sam. 24:18-25; Mat. 2:11; 6:21; 2 Cor. 9:13 What does your level of giving suggest about how much God is worth to you?

25 4. We should be happy as we give 2 Cor. 9:7; Ac. 20:35; Rom. 15:25-26; Lk. 6:34-35 What gift could you give, in Jesus name, that would fill you with joy?

26 5. Our giving to God should be our highest priority God should get our first and best Lev. 23:9-14; Ex. 13:12-13; 2 Cor. 8:4; 9:6-7; Pr. 3:9; 1 Cor. 16:2 Is God getting your first and best? In what way does that show itself?

27 6. Our giving should generally be proportional to our income Ac. 11:29; 2:45; 2 Cor. 8:3, When was the last time you reviewed your regular giving to God?

28 7. Our giving to God should be both regular/planned, and also spontaneous 1 Cor. 16:1-2; Gal. 6:10; Mk. 14:3-9; Lk. 6:27-36 Which of these do you more comfortably incline towards? How can you develop in the other way?

29 8. Our giving should be sacrificial 2 Cor. 8:2-3; Mat. 10:8; Mk. 12:41-44; 14:3-9; Phil. 2:1-11 What have you had to give up because of a heart to give generously to God?

30 9. Giving sacrificially to God reveals something of the gospel 2 Cor. 8:1, 8-9; Lk. 19:1-10; Jn. 3:16; Mat. 10:8 Freely you have received. Are you, in light of that, freely giving?

31 10. Giving to God brings reward 2 Cor. 9:6, 11; Mat. 6:19-20; Lk. 6:34-35; 12:31-34 Are you storing up treasures for yourself in heaven, or on earth?