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Discipling
Your Wallet
Psalm 24:1-2;
1 Timothy 6:6-10)
Pastor Jeff
Stam
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Introduction
I have a list of six men [slide]…I’m wondering if you recognize any of them? In 1923 these six got together in Chicago (don’t know why), but I do know that they were “highly esteemed,” probably because they were also the wealthiest men in the nation at that time. Their combined wealth exceeded the total funds in the U.S. Treasury!
- Charles Schwab – one-time president of the largest independent steel company lived on borrowed money the last five years of his life and died penniless.
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Richard Whitney – president of the NYSE ended his life serving in Sing-Sing.
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Albert Fall – a member of the president’s cabinet was pardoned at the end of his life so he could leave prison and die at home.
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Jesse Livermore, a great bear of Wall Street;
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Ivan Krueger, once controlled the world’s largest monopoly;
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Leon Frasier, president of the Bank of International Settlement
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—all committed
suicide.
Money not only didn’t but these men love…it seems to have failed them in a lot of other areas too.
Have you ever heard the phrase, “you can’t lead any further than you’ve gone yourself?” Neither can we bring something to someone else if we don’t have it to bring. So we need to talk about our own wholeness and holiness. We would expect scripture—especially the teaching of Jesus—to be of great value for this.
The Preacher’s Bane – the Money Connection
There is something I refer to as “the preacher’s bane.” It’s a word that we don’t hear very often (bane, not preacher). While most preachers may have more than one bane, there is one that most preachers do have…the topic of Money.
Preachers are loathe to talk about money b/c most people are loathe to listen to preachers talk about money. Bold preachers can get away with stepping on people’s toes, but “don’t be steppin’ on my wallet…”. While many topics that at one time were taboo in proper social circles are now talked about quite freely, discussion of our money and the use thereof still seems to fall under the rules of a code of silence, much like a lady’s age and weight.
This is strange, b/c money and our personal possessions is one of the most talked about topics in the Bible:
• more than 2300 vs in 800+ passages refer to money and possessions
• 16 of Jesus’ 38 parables deals with money/possessions
• synoptic’s: 1 in 7 words…
• more than heaven/hell combined…only exceeded by the Kingdom of God
You see, there is a very definite connect in Scripture between our spiritual lives/growth (wholeness/holiness) and our attitude/actions re. money/ possessions. Wholeness/holiness means serving God. Jesus says (Mt. 6:24) [slide] that we cannot serve both God and money; if we love our money/ stuff, we will hate God. Paul writes to Timothy (1 Tim. 6:10) [slide]
The Secret of Success
Let’s look at the context of that passage in 1 Timothy… [read 6-10]
If you walk into a reader’s superstore, you can find scores of titles on success, providing a variety of formulas and remedies for success. They will open up for you the secrets of success, while laying out for you today’s latest definition of success. Let me suggest that you save your money and focus first on this advice from Paul to Timothy. There are two key pieces.
Contentment (Phil 4:11-13) – the first is contentment:
• Most people associate “great gain” w/success. Here we’re told that godliness with contentment is great gain.
• If we have food and clothing, it will [should] lead to contentment. Don’t abuse this passage…it’s not intended to be the “official list of everything we need.” For instance, shelter isn’t mentioned. The point being made is that we need to be able to distinguish between what we need and what we want.
I’m not going to try to dictate the rules that differentiate a need from a what (I don’t think Scripture does either), that’s an issue we each need to bring before God. Paul is stating that a key to success is being (a choice) content with having what we need.
• Phil 4:11-13 – this was written to Timothy after Paul’s first imprisonment in Rome. During that imprisonment he also wrote about contentment to the Philippians. [read 4:11-13] Contentment leads to success; note how Paul defines success in v.13—“I can do all things through him [Christ Jesus] who gives me strength.”
Warnings – another secret to success that we see in our 1 Timothy passage is warnings that should be heeded:
• People who want to be rich are going to face temptation; they’re going to start experiencing different desires (trouble distinguishing the desires from needs) and some of those desires are just plan foolish and others are harmful.
• Some—eager for money—have, in fact, wandered from the faith… remember what Jesus said about not being able to serve God (your faith) and mammon (possessions).
Note the result—they have pierced them-selves with many griefs. Remember the six very wealthy, respected and esteemed we mentioned in the beginning? Everyone was pierced with many griefs.
• v10 Does not say that money is evil. Evangelical Christians sometimes have the mistaken idea that wealth is wrong; that rich people are all really miserable wretches, experiencing no joy or satisfaction in life. Dave Ramsey’s response to that is “un-unh…”.
The text says that it’s the love of money that is the root of all kinds of evil. Falling in love with what money will get you: material possessions, power, prestige. Some fall so to this evil that they hoard money just for the sake of having money…
Money is not intrinsically evil. God sometimes uses material wealth as a channel of his blessing. Money is a tool that can be used great harm or for great good. That’s why the Bible has so much to say about it. That’s why we offer Financial Peace University, because God calls us to be good managers of that with which he has entrusted us.
2 Overriding Principles
Obviously, we can’t cover all that the Bible teaches on money and it’s use, but there are two over-riding principles that we need to know and to apply to our money-management style.
1) It’s God (Ps. 24:1-2)
That first is that it all belongs to God. I don’t know how many of you reflect upon or try to memorize our recommended memory verse each week, but the one for this week envelops a concept you’ve got to understand.
“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it”—that’s pretty all-inclusive. V.2 goes on to explain why—“for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters.”— It’s His! All of it!
There isn’t one square inch of creation; there is nothing we possess; there is no part of us as beings that does not belong to God!
It’s all God’s, but we “possess it.” We possess it by God’s grace and permission with the expectation that we will care for it well. May we use it? Yes, we may use it, but we’re expected to do so appropriately. What does God expect in return? – Obedience, Faithfulness.
I think maybe to make sure we don’t keep too tight a grip and to remind us of it’s true owner, God “withdraws” on his account from time to time. Some of that withdrawal is set up to happen automatically. Does God need money? No—but he does reserve the right to involve himself in the management process. [take $10 down] …that’s what 90% of $100 looks like. You hardly even notice the $10 that’s missing, do you? But some of us really balk at releasing that $10 for God to manage. I’m amazed that he let’s us have pretty much free reign with 90!
Next week we’ll talk more about that $10, but I think I might surprise you…
2) You Can’t Take it With You
The second overriding principle is rather simple—you can’t take it with you. I know—that sounds so like a no-brainer, but I’m amazed at how many people live like they’re trying to do just that.
Look at v. 7—“for we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.”
Since we can’t take any luggage when we leave this world, we must be expected to use everything we’ve got—everything (I’m not talking about any measly 10%)—and we use it to bring glory to the one who gave it to us.
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