Full Sermon Stewardship Sermon #1 Lot Shows Us Money's Dark Side

Let us pray: Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. Amen.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I. Introduction with Ecclesiastes 10:19 and Ecclesiastes 5:10. The author of Ecclesiastes wrote in Ecclesiastes 10:19, “Bread is made for laughter, and wine gladdens life, and money answers everything.” Whatever your problem is, more money is the answer. End of sermon. The writer of Ecclesiastes is using exaggeration to make his point. Just as eating bread does not always make people happy and wine does not always make people glad, so also money does not solve every problem. Earlier in Ecclesiastes 5:10 we read, “He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity.”

II. Money Troubles of Adrian Peterson. A few days ago I read about the money troubles of Adrian Peterson, the rushing leader of the Minnesota Vikings. According to one report, “Peterson has been ordered by a Houston judge to turn in numerous assets to help pay back his debt that is estimated to be north of $12 million. This is the latest in an ongoing legal battle that started with the former All-Pro running back taking out a loan from a Pennsylvania lending company back in 2016 that was intended to pay off other lenders, according to court records (via USA Today). Peterson did not pay it back and it since has grown with interest that led to an $8.3 million judgment against him back in 2021. …

“Peterson, 39, made over $103 million during his 15-year NFL career, but the majority of his earnings took place prior to 2016 when he took out the loan. After making about a combined $25 million during the 2015 and '16 seasons, Peterson made about $3.5 million in 2017, just over $1 million in 2018, $2.5 million in 2019, $1.154 million in 2020 and just over $300,000 in 2021, his final season.”

Sadly, making millions of dollars has not made Adrian Peterson’s life easy and without problems. The Beatles sang, “Money can’t buy you love.” Other athletes and entertainers have gone from having millions of dollars to going bankrupt, too.

III. Manage Money Biblically. Money is an essential part of life for most people. Money can bring some happiness and less stress when you can pay your bills without going into debt. If we do not manage our money in a Biblical way, then every area of our life will collapse. Listen to those words again: If we do not manage our money in a Biblical way, then every area of our life will collapse: our marriages, our families, and our physical and mental health.

IV. Dark Side of Money. Money can have a bright side. Money can have a dark side for people, too. Seeing the damage the dark side of money can have can be seen in the life of Lot. What is the dark side? The idea that money is literally the answer to everything.

V. Lot and Abraham’s split. Lot, the nephew of Abraham, shows us money’s dark side. Abraham traveled to the land of Canaan and took Lot with him. Abraham’s livestock grew in number and so did Lot’s livestock. Abraham decided to split the livestock, so he told Lot to choose first where he wanted to raise his livestock. Lot chose the land near Sodom and Gomorrah before that area was destroyed by the Lord. At the time the land was like the garden of the Lord. Lot sees money, money, money. Wealth and prosperity are in his mind.

VI. Dark Side of Money is Wanting More. Here is money’s dark side. Life thought of mainly in financial terms causes people to think “once I get that land, once I get that promotion, once I get that inheritance, once I get retire, once I get more money in the bank, then life will be like paradise.” With his new land, Lot thinks he is in paradise. Money has a dark side.

VII. Read Genesis 13:13 and comment. Genesis 13:13 tells us about the men in Sodom, “Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the Lord.” They were mainly concerned with making a lot of money. They were willing to oppress people who stood in their way. Having boatloads of big bucks was their main goal in life.

VIII. Two angels sent to destroy Sodom. The outcry against Sodom was very great, so the Lord sent two angels—disguised as men—to destroy Sodom. Before the destruction the Lord had mercy on Lot and his family. Lot invited the two angels to stay in his home. The men of Sodom wanted to abuse the two men. Lot offered to let the men of Sodom abuse his daughters. Instead, the two angels struck the men of Sodom with blindness.

Lot told his wife and daughters about the Lord’s plan to destroy Sodom. When he told the two men who were going to marry his two daughters about the upcoming destruction, they thought he was joking and did not believe him. The two angels took Lot and his wife and daughters out of Sodom and told them to not look back. Lot’s wife looked back and she became a pillar of salt. The result of Lot and his family thinking money would answer everything was that they ended up losing everything instead. That is money’s dark and destructive side.

IX. Read Genesis 12:3 and comment. God promised Abraham in Genesis 12:3, “In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Through Abraham God wanted to bless Lot and his family, but they ended up losing everything dear to them. God wants to bless families today, too. How? Through the One who would come out of the line of Abraham and Issac and Jacob. Through Jesus.

X. Money vs. Jesus and our deepest needs. Money can buy things like cars and houses and clothing and food. Money can give us some security and help in life. Only Jesus’ death on a cross, outside the city of Jerusalem, meets our deepest needs—forgiveness, love, meaning, acceptance, purpose. Only Jesus’ death on the cross fills the big emptiness in our hearts. Jesus’ death on a cross and His rising on the third day, that is how God blesses all the families on earth including even and especially you.

XI. Money is fleeting, but Jesus is forever. Money is fleeting. Jesus is forever. Money is here today and gone tomorrow. Jesus stays with us through good days and bad days. Money says, “Work hard to keep more of me.” Jesus says, “I have completed the hard work on the cross for you.” Money leaves us in the end. Jesus stays with us every day and leads us to everlasting life!

XII. Conclusion. There is a way to break the dark side of money. “On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income.” (1 Corinthians 16:2) God directs our giving to be regular and on purpose. Whether that amount is ten percent of the money God gives us or twenty percent or five percent, the important thing is to bless others with the money God has blessed us with on a regular basis.

The dark side of money says, “Get! Get! Get!” That destroys us and our families. Remember the example of Lot. Want a better way to live? G-I-V-E. Give! Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.