Preaching on money can be a challenge. To the best of my recollection,
I’ve preached on it maybe two or three times in my thirty plus years here. I
think that I have avoided it because too often in my past, preaching on money
has been a lead up to exhorting people to give more money to the church. But it
was recently suggested to me as a topic to address. And it’s an important topic
to address. So, this morning we’re going to take a look at some of what the
Scriptures have to say about money.
We’ll start, of course, with a definition. What is money? It’s the
ability to get stuff. I’m sure that I could present a more sophisticated
definition if I had taken a course or two in economics at some point in my
academic career. But this definition will work for our purposes. Money is the
ability to get stuff.
There is quite a lot of stuff that you can get with money. You can
enjoy a vacation, buy a car, fix up your house, get an education, buy more
books to read and of course, get a really good cup of coffee.
On the other hand, there is quite a lot of stuff that you can’t get
with money. You can’t get lasting happiness, satisfying contentment, lifelong
friendships, deep family bonds, the affection of a spouse or the ability to
understand God.
I suspect that understanding the difference between those two lists
goes a long way to enjoying a life lived well.
It is important to know that there is no sin in having a lot of money,
in being rich. And that’s important for you to know because, according to a
biblical way of thinking, you are all rich. There are basically two classes of
people referred to in the Bible: the rich and the poor. The rich have the
basics and at least a bit more. The poor don’t even have the basics. You are
among the rich. But again, there is no sin in that.
There have been those whom God blessed with great wealth, with Bill
Gates kind of wealth. Consider these Scriptures.
Here, God is speaking to Solomon.
Because you have
asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of
your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is
right, behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and
discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you
shall arise after you. I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and
honor, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days. 1 Kings 3.11–13
God decided to make Solomon not just rich, but filthy rich. Solomon
had more wealth than any other king all his days.
Then, there’s this from Job’s life.
And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job, when
he had prayed for his friends. And the Lord
gave Job twice as much as he had before. Job 42.10
And I hope that you remember how wealthy Job was before his troubles
started.
Being rich - having more than the basics - is not sinful. God,
sometimes blesses people with great wealth.
However, being rich is dangerous. And the Scriptures have much to say
about that.
Here, Jesus warns His disciples.
Truly, I say to
you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 19.23
Then, there’s this from the parable of the four soils.
As for what was
sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the
world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves
unfruitful. Matthew 13.22
Having money is dangerous. It is dangerous to the point that someone
can lose his soul because of it. So, there is great wisdom in this prayer from
Proverbs.
Keep falsehood and
deceitful words far from me. Give me neither poverty nor wealth; feed me with
the food I need. Otherwise, I might have too much and deny You, saying, “Who is
the Lord?” or I might have nothing
and steal, profaning the name of my God. Proverbs 30.8-9
There is wisdom in praying not to have to little but, at the same
time, not to have too much.
Now it’s time for a question. Why is it that money could be such a
problem? And again, the Scriptures have much to say.
Take care lest you
forget the Lord your God by not
keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you
today, lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and
live in them, and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold
is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, then your heart be lifted
up, and you forget the Lord your
God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery…
Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have
gotten me this wealth.’ Deuteronomy 8.11–14, 17
How shall we label this problem of forgetting where the blessings have
come from? How about calling it pride? Yes, there is great potential for a
Christian to forget how his God has blessed him and instead, to take the credit
for his good situation. Pride. Money can do that to you.
Here’s another potential problem with having money.
A rich man’s wealth is his strong city, and
like a high wall in his imagination. Proverbs 18.11
The assumption here is that there is enough money to deal with
whatever comes down the pike. Car repair? I can handle that. Some surprise
bill? I have plenty in savings to deal with that. How about being without a job
for some months? Not a problem. I have my emergency fund, six months of
expenses, ready to go. As far as this person is concerned, his money is the
high wall that protects him, the high wall in which he finds refuge. There is
danger here.
Paul is aware of the deceits of money. So, he tells Timothy how to
instruct those with money in the church that he is pastoring.
Instruct those who
are rich in the present age not to be arrogant or to set their hope on the
uncertainty of wealth, but on God, who richly provides us with all things to
enjoy. 1 Timothy 6.17
Do you see what Paul is saying here? Timothy is to warn the saints
under his care that, because of their wealth, they just might become proud,
forgetting that it is their God who has blessed them and then, actually expect
to find refuge in their money instead of in their God.
Paul describes money well when he writes, ‘the uncertainty of wealth’.
Proverbs explains.
Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning
enough to desist. When your eyes light on it, it is gone, for suddenly it
sprouts wings, flying like an eagle toward heaven. Proverbs 23.4–5
Here today and gone tomorrow. Money is a hope that, all too often,
doesn’t keep its promises.
I’ve listed some of the dangers of having money. But now, let’s go
deeper. To be sure, there is the issue of pride and the deceitfulness of riches
that fool so many. Those really are dangers when it comes to money. But I don’t
think that they are the heart of the matter, at least not for most people in
this culture. There is something more basic that is going on. There is a
dynamic of the heart behind it all. That’s where you’ll find the root of the
problem. And if there is going to be a lasting solution to these sorts of
problems, it is the root that will need to be addressed. Doing anything less
than that will ultimately fail.
So, what’s going on down deep? Here’s one key heart issue that needs
to be addressed: the demand to be in control.
We live in a fearful society. And it’s getting worse. Demands for safe
spaces and trigger warnings and the like are just symptoms of the deeper
problem. But this fear isn’t reserved for the young. We older ones also have
our fears. And one very popular way of dealing with fear is to work to be in
control of your life. That’s how you can protect yourself. Just control things
and you’ll be safe. And that explains why so many are on anti-anxiety drugs and
the like. It’s clear to them that they are not in control. But the pills give
them some relief from the anxiety, a truce in the war with life.
Money is different kind of drug that is supposed to grant peace. It
offers a sense of control. Money can give the feeling that so many long for: ‘I
can handle what comes down the pike. I have the resources that are needed. I
won’t be surprised by some misfortune. I have the hope that money gives. It is
a high wall protecting me. I will be kept safe.’ How sad.
So, that’s one basic problem, one heart problem, when it comes to
money, at least in our day and age, the demand to be in control. I will leave
for some other time another basic heart problem when it comes to money: our
demand to satisfy our lusts - another big problem in our culture.
So, what’s the solution to the problem of demanding to be in control?
And, of course, the solution is obvious. Repentance of sin and faith in the
Gospel.
But we need to be sure about what sin we are repenting of. I’ve been
talking about wanting to be in control. But let’s label that wisely. How is
that sin?
Control is the sin of not believing the part of the Gospel that
teaches that you have a Father who cares for you because He cares about you.
Therefore I tell
you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will
drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food,
and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow
nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are
you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a
single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing?
Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,
yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of
these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and
tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of
little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What
shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these
things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. Matthew 6.25–32
Does the Father care enough to take care of you? Will you believe that
He does?
Control is also the sin of idolatry. Here, hope for provision and
protection is expected from money. But what do the Scriptures say?
God is our refuge
and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though
the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling.
Psalm 46.1–3
Where is true refuge, even in the midst of great trouble? Will you
find it in your money or in your God?
And control is also the sin of rebellion. The rebel determines, on his
own, the way to life. He turns to his money to be saved from life’s troubles.
He submits to the promise of his wealth and expects life to work. But listen to
what God says.
Turn to me and be
saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. By
myself I have sworn; from my mouth has gone out in righteousness a word that
shall not return: ‘To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear
allegiance.’ Isaiah 45.22–23
I hope that you see how the demand for control is sin needing
repentance.
Now, it may be that you have not fallen prey to the lure of money. It
may be that you are not trying to control your life in this way. Great! That
means that you have nothing to repent of here. But you still need to be aware
of the danger. You need to be aware of the threats against your soul. So,
please take to heart the things that I have told you about the danger of money.
On the other hand, it may be that you actually have fallen prey to the
lure of money, that you actually are trying to control life in this way. If
that is the case, then you have some things that you will need to repent of,
sins that you need to put to death.
Now, there are those who think that they haven’t sinned by using money
to take control of life. And they tell themselves that because they know that
they don’t have enough money to build that imaginary high wall of protection.
So, they think that they have nothing to repent of.
But that way of thinking doesn’t understand the real nature of sin.
The root problem of sin isn’t how you behave. It’s how you desire. The real
nature of sin has to do with the heart. So, people like this have no wall of
protection because they have no money to build it. But they would still love to
have the money to be able to build that wall. They are still looking to money –
money that they don’t have - for refuge and hope instead of looking to God.
That’s the same sin that plague so many who do have lots of money. Here, the
poor and the rich need to repent of the same sin.
Now remember that repenting is turning from something evil in order to
pursue what is good and right. It’s clear what to turn from, the various ways
of using money to control life, the different expressions of unbelief. But what
are you to turn toward? What are some ways that you are to believe the Gospel?
First, aim for contentment. So, from Hebrews,
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.” So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my
helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” Hebrews 13.5–6
You can be content with what you have if you cling to the Father’s
promise never to leave you or forsake you. Never to leave you or forsake
you. He is that high wall of protection. He will take care of you.
There will be times when your expectations of the Father will be
challenged. At that point the question is simple. Shall I trust the Father to
keep His promise to care for me or shall I trust the promise of some
alternative, like money?
As part of that contentment consider this.
Do not toil to
acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist. Proverbs 23.4
There comes a point when you really need to tell yourself, ‘I have
enough’. That’s when you desist. That’s when you stop trying to acquire more
wealth. And that is one way that wisdom shows itself. But how many in this
culture think like this?
Now, here’s an interesting question for you to consider in light of
all of this: how much is enough? Remember, you don’t have to try to build that
high wall. People in our culture don’t know that. So, they tirelessly work to
build the wall a little higher. But their god, money, never gives them lasting
peace. So, the answer to the question about how much is enough is clear to
them: a little more.
Once you work through what the Scriptures have to say about money and
that true refuge is found in God, believing the Gospel will show as generosity.
Listen again to Paul’s instructions to Timothy.
Instruct those who
are rich in the present age not to be arrogant or to set their hope on the
uncertainty of wealth, but on God, who richly provides us with all things to
enjoy. Instruct them to do what is good, to be rich in good works, to be
generous, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good reserve for the
age to come, so that they may take hold of life that is real. 1 Timothy 6.17–19
The ability to be generous does not come from having a huge pile of
money. Remember the widow’s mite. The ability to be generous comes from having
a solid trust in the Father who promises to care for you.
And here’s some homework for you. Follow up on Paul’s phrase ‘storing
up for themselves a good reserve for the age to come’. What’s that about? How
does it relate to Jesus’ words to the rich, young ruler?
You lack one thing:
go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure
in heaven; and come, follow me. Mark 10.21
So, to you, the rich people of Faith Reformed Church, how are you
doing when it comes to money? Is it a source of anxiety? Or do you have some
sort of peace because you’ve constructed a high wall that’s supposed to protect
you? Could this be an area that you need to examine? Have you been fooled by
the deceitfulness of riches?
Jesus has come to free you from sin. That means that He has come to
free you from the lies that the world has taught you about the power of money. Money
cannot save you when you are confronted by the issues of life. Only Jesus can
do that. So, be wise when it comes to your money and set your hope firmly on
Jesus, the only savior.