Mammon
(The God of the World’s Leading Religion)
Dick Schell
Midland SDA Church
July 18, 2015
Mammon is a Syriac word for money and the idol of wealth.
Alexander Berkman once said the following: “existence has become an unreasoning, wild dance around the golden calf, a mad worship of the God Mammon. In that dance and in that worship man has sacrificed all his finer qualities of the heart and soul- kindness and justice, honor and manhood, compassion and sympathy with his fellowmen.”
Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. said “a man or woman is usually more careful of their money than of their principles.” And Henry Ward Beecher said “He is rich or poor according to what his is, not according to what he has.”
Jesus said in Matthew 6:21, “for where your treasure is, there your heart is also.” Solomon in Ecclesiastes 5:10 wrote whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless. Paul wrote in Hebrews 13:5 saying keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.”
And Jesus said it best when he said, “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).”
THE PRESENCE OF MONEY IN OUR lives is natural and constant. Like time, gravity and oxygen, Zig Ziglar once said “money isn’t the most important thing in life, but it’s reasonably close to oxygen on the “gotta have it scale.” Money is a part of reality; a principle of life that cannot be escaped. Even in very simple cultures where personal and business transactions were carried on through a system of barter, the concept of money was present- the wampum beads of the Indians served the same purpose as the currency in our wallets today.
John Wesley said “When I have money, I get rid of it quickly, lest it find a way into my heart” Henry Shaw said “Money will buy you a pretty good dog, but it won’t buy the wag of his tail.” Henrik Ibsen said “Money may be the husk of many things but not the kernel. It brings food but not appetite; medicine, but not health; acquaintance, but not friends; servants, but not loyalty; days of joy but not happiness.” An unknown author said, “Money can’t buy happiness, but it can buy you the kind of misery you prefer.” We all know that saying “your money or your life” “We know what to do when a burglar makes his demand of us, but not when God does.” Mignon McLaughlin
If money is the bond binding me
to human life,
binding society to me, connecting me with nature and man, is not money the bond
of all bonds? Can
it not dissolve and bind all ties? Is it not, therefore, also the universal agent of separation?”
― Karl Marx, Economic
& Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844/The Communist Manifesto
In your life and mine money has played both a positive and negative influence.
v When I was a small boy I helped my mother organize and arrange her piece work slips allowing her to get money.
v Observed my father counting his money(cash) (since he never had a checking account) for tithe, taxes and living expenses.
v Early mornings found me in an amusement park hunting for the lost money of the night before riders. It was one of my major sources of income. It allowed me to have a nice cushion in savings which at times my friends made fun of me for having it.
v I learned as a small boy to pay tithe on found and earned money.
v I earned money for my schooling at Academy and College to help lessen the burden on my parents. I worked sometimes at two jobs for money, in the summer months, at a hot metal plating plant and then off to the restaurant as a bus boy.
v I helped start an Investment Club to grow money.
v Became involved in money making projects and saw money as a means of making a profit.
v Saw how money could be lost.
v Lent money/co signed for others.
v (Someone once said “I guess if you lend someone $20, and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.”)
v Saw the effects of compounding money. Remember the parable of the talents?
v (Someone once said “the safe way to double your money is to fold it over once and put it in your pocket”)
v Saw the damaging effect of money inherited rather than earned. Proverbs 20:21
v Saw rewarded patience in the earning of money. Proverbs 13:11
Wealth gained by dishonesty will be diminished. But he who gathers by labor will increase
v Saw members of this church learn to manage their money for positive results.
5 money rules: From Proverbs
As a complete guide for life, the Word of God gives instructions in all areas, including the wise use of money, how to use it, how not to use it, the proper attitude toward it.
So let’s see what the book of Proverbs has to tell us in regard to money. So turn in your bibles to the book of Proverbs from which we will be quoting texts.. Or you may just want to write the texts for later review.
THINKING
The first step in any worthy endeavor is to establish proper “thinking”. We certainly need proper thinking when it comes to handling money. The Bible may cause us to re-think some long held notions about money and how we use it.
Modern man usually does not think of God when he considers possible sources of wealth. However, the Bible says “The blessing of the Lord brings wealth, 10:22.
Materialistic thinking views the attainment of money worth any sacrifice. Yet there are many things in life worth more than money. We must therefore, allow God’s Word to mold our thinking when it comes to money lest we become deceived by the foolishness around us.
There are three watchwords in the Christian life, which must be heeded if we would not have Satan steal a march upon us; namely, watch, pray and work.
The real measure of your wealth is how much you’d be worth if you lost all of your money.
Borrow and Lending
A good definition of Modern Man: one who drives a mortgaged car over a bond financed highway on credit card gas.
Our culture has deeply ingrained ideas about borrowing and lending. – Ideas that are certainly not reflected in the Bible. For example, borrowing is accepted as necessary and normal part of everyday life.
Our news sources tell us that a strong economy is one characterized by more spending and less saving. The use of credit cards to extend spending capacity is seen as a positive sign of confidence in the economy.
An increase in the savings rate among Americans is always interpreted as the sign of weakness motivated by fear and selfishness. Furthermore, since the events of 9/11 the purchase of consumer goods on credit has been advertised as almost a patriotic duty. How many people purchased a new car recently, putting their families in big time debt, and then walked away from the deal with the feeling that they just helped defeat the British at Saratoga (or the Taliban at Kandahar)?
The Bible has a different perspective on debt. No where in either the Old or New Testament is borrowing money ever recommended or even spoken of in positive terms? It is always described as unwise. The practice of lending money is viewed similarly. “The rich over the poor and the borrower is servant to the lender (22:7).
If you have contracted a debt to some individual or institution, you have placed yourself in slavery to them. (6:1-5) My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor, if you have struck hands in pledge for another…then do this, my son, to free yourself….go and humble yourself; press your plea with your neighbor! Allow no sleep to your eyes, no slumber to your eyelids. Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hands of the hunter, like a bird from the snare of fowler”. If you are in debt or have co-signed for someone else’s debt take the wise man’s advice and free yourself as quickly as a gazelle running from the Jaws of a hungry lion.
Proverbs 23:1-3: Turn to
When it comes to the use of credit cards consult the wise advice of Solomon (with editorial comment) David will read the words of Solomon and I will provide the editorial comment.
“When you sit to dine (i.e. walk into a department store and observe the fine
things laying on the tables) with a ruler (i.e. Visa, MC)
Note what is before you (i.e. things, neat things that you just have to have),
Put a knife to your throat (i.e. scissors to the credit card) if you are given to gluttony (i.e. in the habit of buying things you can’t afford. Don’t fool yourself. If you could afford the stuff you would not be using a credit card! And just because you can afford a minimum monthly payment does not mean you can afford it!). Do not crave his delicacies (i.e. the clothes and other stuff that will make everyone say WOW!), for that food is deceptive” (i.e. it will cost a lot more and take a much longer time to pay for than you realize.)
Don’t allow your attitude toward the borrowing and lending of money conform to the world. What the world accepts as normal is not always good. Average people are in debt and stay in debt most of their lives. God wants better than that for His children.
SPENDING
Jefferson said: “Never spend your money before you have it.
The only reason a great many American families don’t own an elephant is that they have never been offered an elephant for a dollar down and easy weekly payments.
There is nothing wrong with spending money. There is nothing wrong with spending a-lot of money. However, there may be something wrong with HOW we are spending money. For example, if we are neglecting to purchase or invest in things that we need in order to spend money on things we don’t need, then we are spending foolishly. Remember car sickness is the feeling you get when the monthly payment is due.
Wisdom and discipline are needed in this area. “He who ignores discipline comes to poverty and shame 13:18. Wise spending is the result of thinking and planning ahead, i.e. budgeting, however, many people throw discipline out the window when spending money. The only rule is “how much can I beg, borrow and steal” then we proceed to spend until all resources are used up. “In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has 21:20. If we have trouble controlling our spending habits Solomon tells us to take drastic measures, “…and put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony” 23:2. I suppose gluttony can apply to our consumption of things as well as food.
Why we spend money can be as much of a problem as how we spend. Spending for many people is not just a matter of deciding what is needed, then going out and finding the item at the lowest cost. Modern shopping is about fulfilling emotional needs.
We have a disease called “stuffitis” and it is treated with a heavy dose of spending. People go out to malls and spend because it makes them feel good.
For many, shopping thus becomes a confidence builder. There is a certain pretentiousness involved in the shopping habits’ of people in our materialistic culture; a pretentiousness that is condemned. “Better to be a nobody and yet have a servant, than pretend to be somebody and have no food 12:9. “One man pretends to be rich, yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth” 13:7.
We should not depend on spending to bolster a false confidence. Exercising self-discipline and bringing our spending habits under the control of God will produce a true confidence that spending cannot duplicate. “For the Lord will be your confidence” 3:26.
Saving
A discussion about spending is also a discussion about saving. Uncontrolled spending will undermine saving, whereas a disciplined savings plan will control spending.
An old man preached for a denominational church. He maintained a very modest income during all the years of his preaching life but retired with more than two million dollars in the bank. How did he do it? By saving a little at a time, consistently over many years.
The wisdom of such discipline is reflected in 13:11, which states: “Dishonest money dwindles away, but he who gathers money little by little makes it grow.” Verse 18 same chapter says “He who ignores discipline comes to poverty and shame….”
The principle of compound interest working together with the lifelong habit of saving a little each week will provide all the savings you will ever need, not only in retirement, but also for all the material possessions a reasonable person would ever need.
However, you are not likely to learn these common sense principles in high school or college business classes. The financial wisdom taught by the world is based on making a high annual income, crafty use of credit and the benefits of government hand-out programs. There are thousands of “get rich quick” schemes, but such will never come close to providing for you financially like the application of the principles found in the Bible. Go with God’s wisdom. “The plans of the diligent lead to profit, as surely as haste leads to poverty 21:5. “The wealth of the rich is their fortified city, but poverty is the ruin of the poor” 10:15. “In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has” 21:20. All of these passages speak of the wisdom of saving.
Giving
Someone has said there are three kinds of givers: the flint, the sponge, and the honeycomb. To get anything out of a flint you must hammer it. And then you only get chips and sparks. To get water out of a sponge you must squeeze it, and the more you use pressure, the more you will get. But the honeycomb just overflows with its own sweetness. This morning which kind of giver are you?
Giving as we should involves two-fold responsibility of duty toward God and benevolence toward others. 3:9 the wise man instructs, “Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of you crops…”
The Old Testament often speaks of tithing. The practice of giving a tenth of one’s income or property as an offering to God.
The first recorded instance occurs in Gen. 14:17-20 with Abraham giving to Melchizedek a tithe of all the goods he had obtained in battle. The law of Moses prescribed tithing in some detail in the books of Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy The principle of giving of one’s best was an important part of Old Testament law concerning tithing. Proverbs 3:9 makes mention of the “firstfruits” of your crops, not the leftovers.
Giving to others was also commanded in the Old Law. Lev. 19:9, 10 instructs the Israelites to leave grain in their fields during harvest that the poor might gather the gleanings. Prov.14:21 says “…blessed is he who is kind to the needy”, 3:27 do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act”, and 22:9 “A generous man …shares his food with the poor.” Proverbs teaches that God will bless those who are benevolent, 19:17 states: “He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and He will reward him for what he had done.” Many other proverbs state the same truth that the making of money and the owning of property and material goods is not just for our own enjoyment.
We must learn the virtue of sharing with God and others.
A guy went to church with his family. As they were driving home afterwards he was complaining about everything. He said the music was too loud. The sermon was too long. The announcements were unclear. The building was hot. The people were unfriendly. He went on and on, complaining about virtually everything. Finally his observant son said, Dad, you’ve got to admit it wasn’t a bad show for just a dollar.”
Leighton Farrell was the minister of Highland Park Church in Dallas for many years. He tells of a man who once made a covenant with a former pastor to tithe ten percent of their income every year. They were young and neither of them had much money.
But things changed. The layman tithed one thousand dollars the year he earned ten thousand, ten thousand the year he earned one-hundred thousand, one hundred thousand the year he earned one million.
But the year he earned six million dollars he just could not bring himself to write out a check for six hundred thousand to the church. He telephoned the minister, long since having moved to another church, and asked to see him.
Walking into the pastor’s office the man begged to be let out of the covenant saying, this tithing business has to stop. It was fine when my tithe was one thousand dollars, but I just cannot afford six hundred thousand dollars.
You got to do something, pastor!” The pastor knelt on the floor and prayed silently for a long time. Eventually the man said, “What are you doing? Are you praying that God will let me out of the covenant to tithe? “No, said the pastor. “ I am praying for God to reduce your income back to the level where one thousand dollars will be your tithe!”
ENTERPRISING
The Lord has a lot to say to the business man (or woman) in Proverbs. For example. If you are in business with the public you’re dealings must be honest.. “Differing weights and differing measures – the Lord detest them both” 20:10. Again, “a fortune made by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor and a deadly snare” 21:6.
One must be kind in business. “He who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth. Comes to poverty” 22:16. There is much oppression of the poor in our society. State lottery’s. gambling, casinos(Someone said there is a very easy way to return from a casino with a small fortune: go there with a large one) all these are a plague on the poor. Many in impoverished neighborhoods look to the lottery as their retirement program. Credit card companies, banks and many high ticket products (autos, homes, etc.) manufacturers lure the public into time payments which they cannot afford but foolishly take advantage of, causing many to go into debt and eventual bankruptcy. Yes, there are a lot of unscrupulous business practices that a Christian should have no part in, many of which are an accepted part of otherwise well established and legitimate businesses.
The Book of Proverbs also has something to say to the greedy individual who is obsessed with making money to the neglect of others. 15:16 states, Better a little with the fear of the Lord than great wealth with turmoil.” Also, do not wear yourself out to get rich, have wisdom to show restraint. 23:4
LOVING
The book of Proverbs speaks of many things that we should love, or at least be greatly concerned with—money is not one of them. Righteousness is to be sought after: “Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death” 11:4. “Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf 11:28
Honest concern about the welfare of others rather than how much money is at stake in any given situation is also a matter addressed by the wise man: Do not eat the food of a stingy man, do not crave his delicacies; for he is the kind of man who is always thinking about the cost. ‘Eat and drink’ he says to you, but his heart is not with you” 23:6-7. The principle of moderation in material things is an important virtue:”…Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread 30:8. Finally, “a good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold” 22:1.
MANAGING
Concerning the wise use of money is that we must all be wise managers of what God has given to us. We spoke earlier about the financial institutions in our land taking advantage of people’s ignorance of the money game as played. Now is the time to issue a warning that it is our personal responsibility to learn the facts and take precautions to avoid being taken advantage of. Note the instructions of Proverbs 5:7-10 as wisdom addresses us:” Listen then, my sons, listen to me; lest you give your best strength to others and your years to one who is cruel, lest strangers feast on your wealth, and your toil enrich another mans house.” Diligence is recommended in this area: “the sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied” 13:4
These divinely given instructions will lead us to responsible money handling habits and to the financial security that God gives as a blessing to those who follow his will in this area.
I would be remiss to not bring JESUS, Paul and the New Testament into the discussion on money.
The thoughts I am about to bring to you may be very foreign and challenging. Foreign to the course we westerners are following when it comes to money and how we related to it. Maybe these thoughts will challenge and change how we relate to the assets entrusted to us.
Woe to the Rich
At the beginning of his ministry, Jesus set out his core teaching in the Sermon on the Mount. Luke records the version he gave after he had descended to the plain and called the twelve disciples. He covered money in this teaching.
Looking
at his disciples, he said:
Blessed are you who are poor,
for yours is the kingdom of God.
Blessed are you who hunger now,
for you will be satisfied.
But woe to you who are rich,
for you have already received your comfort.
Woe to you who are well fed now,
for you will go hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now,
for you will mourn and weep
(Luke 6:20,21,24,25).
Jesus’ coming turned the world upside down. Those who have plenty already will be disappointed. Mary had prophesied the same thing before Jesus was born.
He
has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty (Luke 1:53).
These prophecies will not be fulfilled by force or through a revolution. They will be fulfilled voluntarily through giving and sharing. They were fulfilled by the early church, but they are not so often fulfilled in the modern world. This is a challenge. If the gospel is working effectively, the poor and hungry should be lifted up and be satisfied.
Jesus had some strong words about money. Many Christians find his teaching hard to accept.
Seek the Kingdom
Christians should have a different attitude toward wealth. We are not to worry about our life and basic things such as what to eat and drink.
Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?.... O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them (Matt 6:25, 31, 32).
For most of Jesus listeners, the daily battle for survival was totally real. Most of their day would be devoted to finding something to eat. Getting new clothing was an ongoing struggle. Jesus teaching was a totally radical outlook on life. How could they stop worrying about food, when starvation was often only a few hours away?
Jesus suggested a totally different approach.
Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own (Matt 6:33,34).
This message was very clear to Jesus listeners. Most were totally worried about what they would eat tomorrow. By going out to listen to Jesus, they had probably missed an opportunity to earn tomorrow's food. The idea that they could stop worrying about tomorrow by focusing on the kingdom was absurd.
However, the early believers who followed Jesus saw this become a reality.
New King
People who follow Jesus have a new King. This is important because a king owns all the property within his Kingdom. He will assign some property to his followers, but they will only hold it while they remain in his favor. When Christians decide to "seek the kingdom", all their possessions become the property of their new king. Giving a tenth of what they own is not an option. Everything! they own now belongs to Jesus, and must be used as he directs. This produced the change of thinking recorded in Acts 2:44,45.
No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own,
but they shared everything they had (Acts
4:32)
This was not unusual behavior, but the natural outworking of the Kingdom. Nor was this joint ownership of property, but an acknowledgment that their possessions now belonged to Jesus.
For modern Christians, seeking first the Kingdom means surrendering all our income and wealth to the Holy Spirit and using it as he directs. If he tells us to sell our property and give it away, that is what we must do. It no longer belongs to us, but to our king. If the Holy Spirit tells us to share our possessions, then we have no option. From reading Acts, it seems that the Holy Spirit likes telling people to share, so we should not be surprised if that is what he asks us to do.
Counting the Cost
Jesus warned his listeners to count the cost before choosing to follow him. A king who goes into battle without planning if he has enough troops to win is foolish. Jesus illustrated this choice with a reference to money and wealth.
So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions. Therefore, salt is good; but if even salt has become tasteless, with what will it be seasoned (Luke 14:33-34)?
The cost we have to count is real. To be a disciple of Jesus we must give up all our possessions. The Greek work for "give up" is "apossetai". It means "renounce" or "say goodbye". Those who follow Jesus must say goodbye to their possessions. They might still be close by, but they no longer belong to the believer. They belong to Jesus, so the Holy Spirit can use them as he chooses.
That changes our questions. We should not ask, "Can I buy a new television?" Rather we should be asking the Holy Spirit, "What do you want me to do with the money in the bank account that has my name on it?" "What do you want to do with the wealth that used to belong to me?" If we asked these questions, we might be surprised at what the Sprit tells us to do. If we don't ask these questions, we will be like salt that has lost its flavor. If we are not willing to say goodbye to our possessions, we cannot expect to influence our culture.
In Acts 4:34 we read, there were no needy persons among them.
This was not the result of gold dust falling from the sky.
They shared everything they had (Acts 4:32)
Believers no longer had to worry about what they would eat tomorrow.
Most modern Christians do not have to worry about what they will eat tomorrow. We tend to assume that Jesus’ teaching means that people who seek God's kingdom
The Rich Young Ruler
SPURGEON was once invited by a wealthy man to come down and preach in a country church in order to help them raise funds to pay a debt. The man told Spurgeon he was free to use his country house, his townhouse, or his seaside home. Spurgeon wrote back and declined coming and said, “Sell one of your homes and pay the debt yourself”.
One person who was unwilling to say goodbye to his wealth was the rich young ruler. He had asked Jesus what he needed to do to obtain eternal life. When Jesus told him to keep the commandments, he said he had kept them all since he was a boy.
Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property (Luke 18:22-23).
When John Wesley visited his congregations he would question his assistants as to their progress in the faith. He would often ask if their Christianity had affected their pockets. That can be an acid test of our values.
The Rich Young Ruler was very rich. The only way you could get rich in Jesus time was to collude with Herod or with the Romans, so the young man was lying when he said he had kept all the commandments. He was living on wealth that had been stolen from its owners. The young man was a ruler. To retain this position, he would have had to collude with the violence of the Roman political and military system. Riches and rulers go together.
When rulers fall, the rich suffer, because their riches came from their links with the rulers. That was true in Jesus time, and is often true today.
Mathew records that the young ruler owned much property. You may have wondered why Matthew used a different word for the rich young ruler. A possible answer is in the Lexicon of Ardnt and Gingrich. They quote a reference which uses this word to mean "acquire in reward for wickedness". The wealth that this man controlled was probably the rewards of wickedness. He could not retain the fruits of unrighteousness and follow Jesus. We too must get rid of all wealth that is the fruit of unrighteousness behavior, if we are serious about following Jesus.
“It’s good to have money and the things that money can buy, but its good, too, to check up once in a while and make sure that you haven’t lost the things that money can’t buy.” George Horace Lorimer.
Owning Property
Many Christians respond to Jesus teaching by asking, "Can a Christian own property?" The New Testament answer is "No". Christians cannot own property. The reason we cannot own property is that we have a king. When we commit to Jesus, all our property belongs to him. We cannot own property, because we and everything we hold belongs to him.
Some Christians ask a different question. "Do I have to sell everything I own?" This question does not make sense, because a Christian does not own anything. Everything we owned transferred to Jesus when we surrendered to him. We cannot sell what we do not own.
A different question is more relevant. "Can a Christian hold property". The answer is yes. We can manage Jesus property on his behalf. We can act as his steward. The key is a shift in attitude. We no longer own property, so we cannot "claim our possessions as our own". They belong to Jesus, so we must use them as the Holy Spirit directs. That changes everything.
The Holy Spirit will tell some people to sell their property. He told Barnabas to sell his property (Acts 4:36-37. Barnabas obeyed and it opened up a wonderful ministry as an apostle to Asia Minor. I am sure he had no regrets.
The Holy Spirit may tell other people to use their property for a particular purpose. He told some women to use their property to support Jesus. These women were helping to support, out of their own means (Luke 8:3).
These woman held their property as stewards, but the Holy Spirit prompted them to use it to support Jesus. In the same way, The Holy Spirit told Joseph of Arimathea to pay for Jesus to be buried (Matt 27:57-58).
The answer to every question about property is simple. Jesus owns it all. He may allow us to hold some of his property as stewards, but we cannot call it our own. Good stewards must use his property as the Holy Spirit directs. The answer to all questions about property is to obey the Holy Spirit.
Security
The reason that people store up wealth is to provide security for the future. We store wealth for a rainy day. We save money, so we can provide for ourselves, if we are sick. We fill an investment portfolio, so we can retire at the age of sixty-five.
All these actions are done to take care of tomorrow. Jesus ruled them out, when he told us to trust God for the future.
Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own (Matt 6:34).
Storing wealth for security into the future is pointless, as no earthly store is safe. If thieves do not steal it, corrupt bankers will steal it, or monetary inflation will slowly eat it away. Wealth can never provide security in an uncertain world.
Jesus did not pretend that the future will be free of problems. He knows that we will face trials, but he tells us to prepare by storing up treasures in heaven.
“Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. Sell your possessions and give to the poor.” (Luke 12:33)
True security comes from treasure in heaven.
“The little money I have-that is my wealth, but the things I have for which I would not take money that is my treasure.” Robert Brault
Better Solution
Caring and sharing is the best solution to the problem of security. Resources that were previously tied up in personal security accounts of the early church were no longer needed, because individuals trusted the body of Christ instead. The gospel of the kingdom had transformed their lives so much that they felt secure in the love of the Christians around them.
Modern Christians focus on Jesus teaching about treasure in heaven and feel uneasy. The reason is that we have missed the point. We focus on not worrying about tomorrow, and find it too hard. Jesus main point was that we have the kingdom. People with the kingdom do not need storehouses on earth.
The Kingdom comes first. Obeying Jesus teaching about wealth is not practical in the modern world because we do not have the Kingdom. We are not "all together in the same place" (Acts 2:44). We still consider our property our own. We do not give to everyone who has need. We do not have the Kingdom, so of course we need insurance and superannuation and money in the bank.
When sharing and caring are normal, we will find that we do not need insurance or a nest egg in the bank. Instead, of storing money in case to provide for ourselves in a day of trouble, we will be saving to help others in their day of trouble. Treasure on earth will be irrelevant, because we have the treasure of the Kingdom.
The best way to shift wealth to heaven is to give to the poor.
The Modern Problem
Our modern problem is different. Uneven distribution of wealth is still serious, but it is not the "show stopper" it was in Jesus time. Most people in the Western world have escaped subsistence and own some property.
The big problem eating the heart out of our modern culture is the collapse of community. Industrialization, globalization and urbanization have eliminated the links between people that once held society together. Family members can travel all over the world to live and work. People and families live in isolation.
The collapse of community is greatest in modern cities, where migration and urbanization have broken down traditional community relationships. Social mobility prevents stable relationships from developing and family life is breaking down. People become cogs in the corporate machine and life is often characterized by loneliness and personal insecurity.
Modern suburban culture creates barriers to communication and encourages individualism. As communities are breaking down and fear is rising, high fences are going up between houses isolating people from each other. This isolation means that most people do not belong to the community where they live.
This isolation and dislocation of urban society has been accompanied by the aggregation and accumulation of political power to the modern state. We now face the bizarre situation where needs are concentrated in individuals, but power and money is concentrated at the national level. This leaves families and individuals powerless before a faceless government.
To restore cohesion of our societies, real community will have to be restored to our societies, but it is not clear who will do it. Politicians have an inbuilt tendency to push power and money to the top, which will weaken society.
Isolated Christians
The church should be strengthening the foundations of society, but this is not happening.
Western society has been shaped by the automobile and the church has gone along for the ride. We do not have relationships with Christians committed to providing financial support to each other.
Isolated Christians have no choice but to fend for themselves by storing up treasure on earth. The most urgent need in our society is the restoration of local community. Were we are "all together in one place", modern Christians drive to church, just as they drive to work and to shop. The church is almost as socially fragmented as the rest of society. This is sad, because Christians are supposed to be experts on fellowship and loving one another. We should be strengthening local communities like Midland.
The collapse of community and our fragmented lifestyle prevents us from living out Jesus teaching on money. We have to build up treasures in superannuation’s (organizational pension programs) and insurance schemes, because we are not part of Christian communities that will support us in time of trouble.
Righteous and Unrighteous Wealth
Jesus speaks of unrighteous mammon. The wealth of the rich man was unrighteous mammon, because it had been gained by unrighteous means. The corollary of this is that there must be righteous wealth as well. Wealth that is earned by working hard to meet the needs of other people is righteous wealth. Any honestly earned money that is saved is righteous wealth. Any capital goods that have been paid with honestly saved money are righteous wealth.
In Jesus time, there was not much righteous wealth, because the only way to obtain wealth was to do deals with political and religious powers. There is plenty of unrighteous wealth in the modern world too, but it is possible to gain wealth righteously as well. People who work hard for their wages can gain righteous wealth. The owners of businesses that provide reliable goods and services that people need can gain righteous wealth.
Righteous wealth is not an obstacle to the gospel. Unrighteous wealth creates hostility, so it hinders the gospel. It can distract a Christian from God.
Leaving Unrighteous Mammon
Jesus warned that unrighteous mammon can prevent us from serving God.
No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (Luke 16:13).
We are servants of God. We cannot serve God and mammon. This creates a problem for people who become Christians. If their wealth has been gained righteously, it should not have a hold on them. If they are the owners of wealth that has been gained unrighteously, they have a serious problem, because they will be partly controlled by the spirit of mammon.
A new Christian is required to repent from all "dead works" (Heb 6:1). Repentance means turning around and going in a new direction. The old unrighteous life must be left behind. This means that the owners of unrighteous mammon must turn from their unrighteous wealth and leave it behind.
When people repent and follow Jesus, they need to get rid of their unrighteous wealth. They cannot be servants of unrighteous mammon and a servant of Jesus.
Identifying Unrighteous Wealth
How do we distinguish righteous from unrighteous wealth? The key is in the way it was acquired. Unrighteous wealth will have been obtained through deception, theft, manipulation or dishonesty. In Jesus time, it was often acquired through collusion with the political and religious powers. That problem has not changed, but the form will be different. Today the government will often give a group of people a monopoly power over an aspect of the economy that enables them to become wealthy.
Most unrighteous wealth will be obvious. If it is not obvious, we can leave it to the Holy Spirit. He will convict the new/old Christian, We can trust the Spirit to do this task. Christian leaders must not get into the business of forcing new Christians to give away their wealth, whether it is unrighteous or not. (The Ananias and Sapphire incident probably occurred because people were coming under inappropriate pressure to give wealth away (Acts 5:1-10)).
Repenting from Unrighteous Wealth
To repent is to turn and leave something behind. There are four ways to repent from unrighteous wealth.
1. Restore Capital
The best way to deal with unrighteous wealth is to return the capital to the people from whom it was extorted. The shrewd steward is a good example. He had previously squeezed the rich man's tenants hard by enforcing exorbitant rents that made their lives miserable. He put things right by letting the tenants change their written tenancy agreements to a more reasonable rental. By halving the payment to 500 bushels of wheat, the steward made the tenants wheat farming economical. By halving the payment of olive oil to 400 gallons, the steward was making the farming of the olive grove economical for the tenant farmer.
The best option for the repentant owner of unrighteous wealth is to return some wealth to the people that were de-capitalized when the unrighteous wealth was acquired from them. If the asset cannot be returned, the rent should be reduced. This has the effect of re-capitalizing the strugglers.
2. Make Restitution
If the unrighteous wealth has been stolen from innocent people, the repentant owner should make four fold restitution.
If a man steals an ox or a sheep and slaughters it or sells it, he must pay back five head of cattle for the ox and four sheep for the sheep (Ex 22:1).
Zachhaeus the tax collector promised Jesus that he would fulfill this command.
Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold (Luke 19:8).
He promised to make restitution for everything that was stolen. He could not identify all the people that he had stolen from, so he gave half his possessions to the poor as an alternative.
3. Give to the Poor
Sometimes the Christian will not be able to return their unrighteous wealth to the people from whom it was acquired. The owners may have gone away, or died, or simply be unknown. In this situation, the unrighteous wealth should be given away to the poor and needy.
Jesus challenged the rich young ruler to give all his wealth away, because it was unrighteous wealth that had been acquired by unrighteousness.
Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven (Luke 18:22).
The book of Acts records examples of new Christians selling their unrighteous wealth and giving it to the poor.
Sometimes the repentant person will give the money away themselves. In most situations, they will work with leaders they trust. leaders will have relationships with many people in need, so they can help the person give their unrighteous wealth to deserving people.
Leaders can provide advice to Christians. They will know about needs that could be met. They will handle money that is entrusted to them, but they must not tell Christians what to do
4. Even Up Capital
The reason for the uneven distribution of wealth in the modern world is that capital is unevenly distributed. Yet Paul says that equality is an important goal.
Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality (2 Cor 8:13).
This is a dilemma. Everyone thinks equality is a good idea, but no one knows how it can be achieved. Robin Hood tried to achieve it, by robbing the rich and giving to the poor. Socialists try and achieve it by taxing the rich and giving benefits to the poor. Neither of these methods has worked. Nor has Communism that stated from each according to his ability, to each according to his need
Andrew Carnegie made millions in the steel industry. He worked hard helping the poor and underprivileged. Once a socialist came to see him in his office and was soon railing against the injustice of Carnegie having so much money. In his view, wealth was meant to be divided equally. Carnegie asked his secretary for an assessment of everything he owned and at the same time looked up the figures on world population. He did a little arithmetic on a pad and then said to his secretary. “Give this gentlemen 16 cents. That’s his share of my money.
The Christian answer to the dilemma of equality in an unequal world is radical sharing, particularly sharing of capital. Those who have plenty of capital should give to those who don't have much. This was Jesus solution to the problems cause by inequality of capital.
Sell your possessions and give to the poor (Luke 12;33)
Sometimes people will give food and clothing to the poor, but in many situations, providing the poor with capital (land, fishing boats, nets, tools) will help them more.
When helping people to give away unrighteous wealth, leaders should channel gifts of capital to poor people who have the capability to use it responsibly to be more productive. They would need training in conserving capital and using it wisely. Transferring capital to the poor by giving and sharing will move the world closer to equality.
Christians should not hand out capital carelessly, as this would lead to serious waste. They should train up potential recipients, so they know how to care for capital and not dissipate it in pointless consumption.
Capital is Important
When leaders are assisting new Christians to give away their unrighteous wealth, they must be careful that they do not de-capitalize the Christian community. Leaders must understand the importance of capital. Capital goods are important, because they make humans more productive. Capital and trade are the keys to escaping subsistence
Hold Capital Lightly
Nothing in this world is certain. We never know what the future will bring. The capital of Christians can be taken from them at any time. If Christians work hard and consume frugally, they will gradually build up their capital. This may cause the enemies of the gospel to become envious. If persecution takes hold, their righteous wealth might be confiscated. If this happens, Christians should rejoice that they are able to share in the sufferings of Jesus.
You joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions (Heb 10:34).
The Christians referred to in this letter had lost their property. They rejoiced because they knew that God had given them the kingdom.
one who has the right All our property belongs to Jesus, so if it is confiscated, he is the only ONE to be upset. We have not lost anything, so we cannot complain. We still have the Kingdom of God, so we have riches far beyond what we deserve. We can rejoice in the privilege of being part of the Kingdom.
John D. Rockefeller is a modern day example of the benefits of giving away unrighteous wealth. He achieved what our culture calls success. He had amassed more wealth than he could spend. By the time he was 53 his life was a wreck. Through out his business career he said, “I never placed my head upon the pillow at night without reminding myself that my success might only be temporary.” He was the richest man in the world at that time yet he was miserable in every sense of the word. He was sick physically, mentally and emotionally. There was no humor, balance, or joy in his life. Then a transformation occurred. He determined to become a giver rather than an accumulator. He began to give his millions away. He founded the Rockefeller foundation, dedicated to fighting disease and ignorance around the world. He lived to be 98 years old and was a happy man in those years because of his new and revitalized definition of success.
My (3) questions this morning are:
1. What is our definition of success this morning?
2. Where is our treasure?
3. Which master are we serving?
Joshua said “As for me and my household we will serve the Lord”