The Money Connection Part 3 Kevin Muyskens Various Scripture Gravity Globe … common kids question … why don’t we fall off? Answer: Gravity … Mass attracts More mass more attraction Sun keeps earth from hurtling off through space Black hole … incredibly dense gravity … pulls whole stars and solar systems into … Mass attracts Bible suggests that the same is true in respect to our treasures … the mass of them attracts us … grabs hold of us … ever tried to deny gravity … jump up … fly … hold yourself off the ground? In the end you can’t … the greater the mass the greater hold it exerts …  Rockets: incredible thrust to break the hold of gravity Treasures have that hold on us …  Where your treasure is there your heart will be also … store up treasures in heaven …  Jesus goes on from there into today’s verse: “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”  Mammon I prefer the translation “Mammon” because this is about more than money … the question is the things of this earth verses the things of God … the more treasure we amass here … whether it is money or possessions or less tangible things like fame or power … Mammon is the stuff of this earth ... the more we have, the more we are attracted to it …  -been here before the last couple weeks … don’t want to beat a dead horse … generally the bigger the house the more time and energy it takes … the nicer the car the more time we spend maintaining it … the more successful the business the more time and effort it takes … the greater the prestige of the position the more we’ll do to maintain it …  All these things … not bad in themselves in mass exert a pull on us …  Finally there can be only one final goal of our lives … You cannot have two masters … either we serve God or we serve mammon (our own comfort and interests as seen through the eyes of fallen humanity that only look at the things of this earth) You cannot serve both God and mammon. You are here … want to serve God … or at least learning and considering … Bible clear … can’t serve both!!! -Mammon is attractive … how do we break hold? What is the rocket fuel that will break the gravitational hold of mammon and give us the opportunity to orbit around God instead? GIVING!! Give it away … can be position, power, possessions, time … truth is it begins with money … why there is a question how to translate the word in Matthew 6:24 Money or Mammon… so closely tied Giving … you hold loosely what you are willing to give away … doesn’t hold you as tightly … Talked last week about perspective five minutes after we die … what will we wish we had done differently with the resources that God has entrusted to our care? How do we break the hold of mammon to allow us to soar free from the tyranny of our possessions? 1 Timothy 6:17-19 “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that the may take hold of the life that is truly life.” Generous and willing to share … take hold of life that is truly life … Break the hold of the treasures of this life, the mammon, by giving it away in ways that will build treasures in heaven … then the gravitational pull of your treasures will pull you heavenward. Key #5 Giving is the only antidote to materialism. Giving is the fuel for the rocket … The act of giving is a vivid reminder that it’s all about God, not about us. It’s saying I am not the point, He is the point. He does not exist for me. I exist for Him. God’s money has a higher purpose than my affluence. Giving is a joyful surrender to a greater person and a greater agenda. Giving affirms Christ’s lordship. It dethrones me and exalts Him. It breaks the chains of mammon that would enslave me.  As long as I still have something, I believe I own it. But when I give it away, I relinquish control, power, and prestige. At the moment of release the light turns on. The magic spell is broken. My mind clears. I recognize God as owner, myself as servant, and others as intended beneficiaries of what God has entrusted to me. If we have this attraction to mammon, and we do. And if we need to have rocket fuel to blast away from the gravitational pull of this earthly stuff … Why does God give us so much?  Wouldn’t it just be easier if he gave everyone the same?  -too tempting then to say this is my own … my fair share -no care for the one in need  -building community … love and care for others -sharing for mutual benefit Baseball vs. football – individual vs. team Why do we have so much? -we do … some more than others …  “At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need.” 2 Corinthians 8:14 Abundance isn’t God’s provision for me to live in luxury. It’s His provision for me to help others live. God entrusts me with this money not to build my kingdom on earth, but to build His kingdom in heaven. (Alcorn 75) Key #6 God prospers me not to raise my standard of living, but to raise my standard of giving. God provides more so we can give more.  Examples: King David Kings personal treasure … security … placate foreign leaders… gifts to gain the good will of the peasants …pay troops … very important for king to have that treasure stored up … his security  David’s passion … treasure … gravitational pull … temple! -He wanted to build it -God said, “No, your son will” Yet God gave David plans …vision Saw plans would take huge amount of resources … dedicated his personal treasure … his security … Where is security … in stuff? In God!!!! “Then King David said to the whole assembly: “My son Solomon, the one whom God has chosen, is young and inexperienced. The task is great, because this palatial structure is not for man but for the LORD God. 2 With all my resources I have provided for the temple of my God—gold for the gold work, silver for the silver, bronze for the bronze, iron for the iron and wood for the wood, as well as onyx for the settings, turquoise, stones of various colors, and all kinds of fine stone and marble—all of these in large quantities. 3 Besides, in my devotion to the temple of my God I now give my personal treasures of gold and silver for the temple of my God, over and above everything I have provided for this holy temple: 4 three thousand talents of gold (gold of Ophir) and seven thousand talents of refined silver, for the overlaying of the walls of the buildings, 5 for the gold work and the silver work, and for all the work to be done by the craftsmen.” 1 Chron 29:1-5a God had richly blessed David … and David was faithful. Rick Warren … Willow Creek leadership conference … like him …humble man God is using … Saddleback church … 2 goals in life … pastor same church for whole career … help other pastors … going along nicely with that twenty to twenty-five years … Purpose Driven Life … 30 million copies … brings a couple things with it … fame and fortune … getting calls from all kinds of business and political leaders asking for input, advice … influence? Never wanted … also lots of money … how much does an author get from each book? Can’t imagine its less than $1 … All of a sudden he has $30 million … What do you do with that? So humble … made decision: same house; same car … told board of church he no longer wanted a salary … went back figured out what the church had paid him for the twenty or twenty-five years and paid it all back … Reverse tithe 90% -Interview with national news magazine .. typical Easter week … Time; Newsweek ??? First question: WHAT IS YOUR SALARY? $0 … great witness for Christ Rick Warren has been richly blessed and given back faithfully. Didn’t start when he was richly blessed with money … Saddleback … Build first building … already big church … $17 or $20 million dollar structure … Set example … lead people in giving … he and his wife come up with $100,000 figure … don’t know where it is coming from … let people know … set example -leads church … $23.5 million in 2 days … only needed 20 … saw the leader putting money where mouth was …  Leaders setting an example: David … remember what we read ..  “Besides, in my devotion to the temple of my God I now give my personal treasures of gold and silver for the temple of my God, over and above everything I have provided for this holy temple: 4 three thousand talents of gold (gold of Ophir) and seven thousand talents of refined silver, for the overlaying of the walls of the buildings, 5 for the gold work and the silver work, and for all the work to be done by the craftsmen.” We didn’t finish the verse or the passage. “Now, who is willing to consecrate himself today to the LORD?”  David intentionally set himself as an example … What leaders are supposed to do (vs. not let left hand know … for personal credit … he did it to encourage others) “Then the leaders of families, the officers of the tribes of Israel, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, and the officials in charge of the king’s work gave willingly. 7 They gave toward the work on the temple of God five thousand talents and ten thousand darics of gold, ten thousand talents of silver, eighteen thousand talents of bronze and a hundred thousand talents of iron. 8 Any who had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the temple of the LORD in the custody of Jehiel the Gershonite.”  How to get started. One word: Tithe … that word has a meaning … 10% … Banks for children … follow their example … Start less? OT … tithes and offerings … in excess … tithe is minimum  Malachi … rebuilding temple after exile … “Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me.  “But you ask, ‘How do we rob you?’ “In tithes and offerings.” –Malachi 3:8 Robbing God … going to leave it there How to get started: TITHE – first 10% to God … giving covenant next week … at least 10% Not trying to be self-serving as a church … this is how to blast away from the gravity of mammon.  That said … pledge cards in boxes … local church first … have said 6% …  Fund denominational ministries as is our responsibility … take this seriously as a council … need your help … comes with pledges … local ministry … things we’d like to do …  Leadership setting an example: My wife and I pledged to church … significantly more than 10% of my salary …… We will increase our pledge this year …  Next Sunday … giving covenant … opportunity with pledge card to put teeth into it right away … step out of the boat …  Do you believe what you’ve been hearing here? It comes back to a question of faith. Not how much faith do you have, but is the one who promised faithful. If he is we are absolutely foolish to hoard treasures in this life at the expense of heavenly treasures. One parting word …the people’s response after such great gifts were given to build the temple … JOY The people rejoiced at the willing response of their leaders, for they had given freely and wholeheartedly to the LORD. David the king also rejoiced greatly.  I like joy. Do you?

4-Part Series by Kevin Muyskens - Index go to Part 4 of this series ...