Hold Money Loosely

Let’s talk about money!

In a Gallup poll in 2011, Americans were asked to name the most important financial problem facing their family today: not having enough money or having too much debt.

World Population by Income (Pew Research Center) in 2011

Income groups:

The poor live on $2 or less daily ($730/yr) (15% of world population)

Low income live on $2.01-10 (3,650/yr) (56% of world population)

Middle income live on $10.01-20 ($7,300/yr) (13%)

Upper middle income $20.01-50 ($18,250 year) (9%)

High income on more than $50 (7%)

$50,000 or more a year (1% of the world)

A 2023 survey by Bankrate found money is often a significant cause of stress for most Americans: 52 percent say money has a negative impact on their mental health, up significantly from 42 percent a year ago.

The Bible is not silent when it comes to money. Listen to our passage today.

Hebrews 13:5–6 “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 So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?””

The kingdom of God works upside down compared to the way the world operates.

“The early church was strikingly different from the culture around it in this way - the pagan society was stingy with its money and promiscuous (unrestricted) with its body. A pagan gave nobody their money and practically gave everybody their body. And the Christians came along and gave practically nobody their body and they gave practically everybody their money.” Tim Keller

I learn three things about how we must relate to money in light of the gospel.

Keep your life free from the love of money

Why? First of all, money is not inherently evil. The love of money is the evil to avoid at all cost.

The love of money will slowly eat you up. The love of money will end up destroying your soul and your relationships.

The “love of money” takes place when my heart places its hope and trust in human resources to provide satisfaction and security rather than God.

The love of money is synonymous with idolatry

Ephesians 5:5 “5 For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.”

Colossians 3:5 “5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.”

Your money says, “In God we trust” while your heart says, “My heart trusts money.”

Proverbs 30:7–9 “7 Two things I ask of you; deny them not to me before I die: 8 Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, 9 lest I be full and deny you and say, “Who is the Lord?” or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.”

The “love of money” takes place when my heart places its hope and trust in human resources to provide satisfaction and security rather than God.

One practical way to fight against money is by taking time to give a heartfelt prayer of thanksgiving for your meals.

Ecclesiastes 5:10 “10 He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity.”

John Rockefeller, the founder of the Standard Oil Company, the first billionaire of the United States of America and once the richest man on Earth was asked by a reporter, “How much money is enough?” He calmly replied, “Just a little bit more”.

Matthew 6:24 “24 “No one can serve two masters, for 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 God and money.”

The “love of money” takes place when my heart places its hope and trust in human resources to provide satisfaction and security rather than God.

Luke 12:15 “15 And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness (greed), for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.””

Matthew 13:3–8 “3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, 6 but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”

Matthew 13:22 “22 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.”

The “love of money” takes place when my heart places its hope and trust in human resources to provide satisfaction and security rather than God.

Show me your bank account statements, your credit cards statements and I’ll you what your heart treasures. That is, the trail of how you spend your money will lead me to what your heart treasures.

Matthew 6:19–21 “19 “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, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Dozens of funerals: obituary never mentions the person’s net-worth as he/she passes to eternity. “Grandpa Smith takes $1.2 million dollars into eternity.”

Excerpt from The Treasure Principle by Randy Alcorn

Imagine you’re alive at the end of the Civil War. You’re living in the South, but you are a Northerner. You plan to move home as soon as the war is over. While in the South you’ve accumulated lots of Confederate currency. Now, suppose you know for a fact that the North is going to win the war and the end is imminent. What will you do with your Confederate money? If you’re smart, there’s only one answer. You should immediately cash in your Confederate currency for U.S. currency—the only money that will have value once the war is over. Keep only enough Confederate currency to meet your short-term needs. As a Christian, you have inside knowledge of an eventual worldwide upheaval caused by Christ’s return. This is the ultimate insider trading tip: Earth’s currency will become worthless when Christ returns—or when you die, whichever comes first. (And either event could happen at any time.) Investment experts known as market timers read signs that the stock market is about to take a downward turn, then recommend switching funds immediately into more dependable vehicles such as money markets, treasury bills, or certificates of deposit. Jesus functions here as the foremost market timer. He tells us to once and for all switch investment vehicles. He instructs us to transfer our funds from earth (which is volatile and ready to take a permanent dive) to heaven (which is totally dependable, insured by God Himself, and is coming soon to forever replace earth’s economy). Christ’s financial forecast for earth is bleak—but He’s unreservedly bullish about investing in heaven, where every market indicator is eternally positive! There’s nothing wrong with Confederate money, as long as you understand its limits. Realizing its value is temporary should radically affect your investment strategy. To accumulate vast earthly treasures that you can’t possibly hold on to for long is equivalent to stockpiling Confederate money even though you know it’s about to become worthless. According to Jesus, storing up earthly treasures isn’t simply wrong. It’s just plain stupid.

1 Timothy 6:9–10 “9 But 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.”

The “love of money” takes place when my heart places its hope and trust in human resources to provide satisfaction and security rather than God.

Where is your heart setting its hope and trust to provide satisfaction and security?

Do you find yourself wishing, “If I only had _____ then I would be happy & secure?

Be content with what you have

1 Timothy 6:6–8 “6 But godliness with contentment is great gain, 7 for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. 8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.”

Contentment does not come naturally. It is a supernatural act of the Holy Spirit.

Contentment is satisfaction with what God has given me. Wether much or little, contentment finds its satisfaction not on the gifts but on the giver.

Philippians 4:10–13 “10 I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. 11 Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. 12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. 13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

Contentment is not based on circumstances. Paul gives us a spectrum to give us a picture of the human experience in relationship with material things: food, clothing, money, resources.

Paul says that at times we might experience highs and lows when it comes to material things: surplus and deficit. The amount of material things will vary but only one thing will remain constant: contentment in Christ.

I can be content in any circumstance because of a secret.....I can do all things through Christ who strengths me.

All things involved prosperity and hardship.

Philippians 4:13 is not a promise that God will give every believer the strength to run a marathon or that every believer will complete an iron man triathlon. Rather, Philippians 4:13 is a promise given to all believers that no matter what circumstance they are experiencing in their life, Jesus will be more than enough.

Are you content? What was the most recent thing you were looking forward to getting that you now have? How long was it before you were daydreaming about purchasing the next upgrade?

Toy catalog (“I don’t have…)

Are you living like you are poor?

We’ve been given precious promises

Hebrews 13:5–6 “...for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 6 So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?””

God will never leave you nor forsake you

This promise is given to Jacob and Joshua as each faced an uncertain future.

Genesis 28:15 “15 Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.””

Joshua 1:5 “5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you.”

Now we have this group of believers also facing an uncertain future. In this case with their economy. Hebrews 10:34 speaks of the plundering of their property, “and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one.”

They lost everything yet they had everything.

My family might turn their back on me, but God will never leave nor forsake me

My boss might turn his back on me, but God will never leave me nor forsake me

The world might turn its back on me, but God will never leave me nor forsake me.

Are you living like you are poor?

You’ve been gifted the presence of the Holy Spirit

The author of Hebrews reminds his audience of another promise: The Lord is your helper.

Psalm 118:6–7 “6 The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? 7 The Lord is on my side as my helper; I shall look in triumph on those who hate me.”

The Lord is on my side as my helper!

Are you living like you are poor?

John 14:16 “16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever,”

John 14:18 “18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”

John 14:26 “26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”

Your future is secure in God’s hands

I will not fear, what can man do to me?

Psalm 118:8–9 “8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man. 9 It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.”

Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.

Corrie Ten Boom

Don’t worry about tomorrow.