Sermon Tone Analysis

OPENING ILLUSTRATION

Video clip Money money money ABBA

PREAMBLE ... We’ve been looking at this great book and have seen that it contains WISDOM and PRUDENCE and DISCIPLINE .. these are TOOLS not RULES for living life in God’s world and making sense of a very complicated and messed up environment we live in .. how do we become the BEST people we want to be ... how do we relate to people around us

We’ve seen TWO paths .. LADY WISDOM and LADY FOLLY .. ways that lead to life and death .. and it all depends on our focus in life .. or our FOUNDATION

Proverbs states it well .. and repeatedly .. it’s all bound up in the FEAR OF THE LORD .. here’s a snapshot

““The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

The fear of the LORD teaches a man wisdom, and humility comes before honour.

Better a little with the fear of the LORD than great wealth with turmoil.

Ect (; ; ; , ; ; ; NIV)

And many more ...

You sort of get the idea .. Do you what to be wise?

START with the FEAR of the Lord

We’ve started looking at the bulk of the rest of the book and as you know there are heaps of wise sayings .. pithy one-liners .. practical thoughts and directives and they build on the FOUNDATION of the FEAR of the Lord .. there are TWO main pillars of FRAMEWORK

1) OBLIGATIONS and 2) OBSERVATIONS

OBLIGATIONS .. we see that there are attitudes and actions that we MUST do if we fear God .. there are value judgements to be made .. morally there are directives that are no brainers ... better this .. than that .. these are issues of RIGHT and WRONG ... these are not options but just the way the godly live as they FEAR God and TRUST Him and what you find is that there are so many instructions on a wide range of topics .. all aspects of life .. which is true isn’t it .. God’s Word has bearing on ALL OF LIFE .. Jesus isn’t just a HOUSE GUEST in our lives .. as a Christian He is the OWNER OCCUPIER

So how I use my tongue .. not deceiving or lying .. not insulting or gossiping .. that’s a no brainer

Being honest in my dealings with people ... not exaggerating ... not illegally downloading from the internet (... Australians download music illegally more frequently, by head of population, than any other country) flirting with other men / women ... enjoying your marriage and not looking to other spouses ... being generous .. having integrity .. being a good friend .. all these areas get attention and as the Lord’s people we DELIGHT to walk that path .. it is not drudgery

The second pillar

OBSERVATIONS .. there are parts of the book ... some of the sayings .. that just describe the way things are without any value judgement .. so there are sayings like

“the poor are despised but the rich have many friends”

“It is bad, it is bad says the buyer, but when he goes away he boasts”

“Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it”

That’s life ... the way it can be .. but not always and there is no moral judgement being made ... yes poor people can have friends (and who are the rich man’s REAL friends?) ... and sometimes well trained and loved and instructed kids do depart from what they’ve been taught ... it’s not hard and fast

But these are helpful things to consider when applying wisdom in life

SO ... this morning we are going to look at just ONE aspect of life and see what Lady Wisdom says about WEALTH .. riches

The Blessing of Wealth

When we look at the book of Proverbs there is clearly a very positive attitude toward money .. Proverbs .. in fact the OT often talks of blessing in terms or PHYSICAL things

“The blessing of the LORD brings wealth, and he adds no trouble to it.”

( NIV)

“Honour the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.”

( NIV)

and yet there are some warnings and observations as we will see

We have to admit .. sadly .. that money can have an almost hypnotic spell over us .. our own Aussie history is spotted with GOLD RUSH fever ... I recently read Peter Fitzsimmons book EUREKA .. interesting history .. the whole cross section of the community .. police .. teachers .. lawyers .. sailors pulling into Australian ports abandon ship and join the traffic heading for the gold fields starry eyed in believing they’d make their fortune in a day

There is lots of instruction about MONEY .. the LOVE of MONEY etc ... our world is fixated with wealth / greed .. so .. what do we learn from Proverbs about WEALTH or RICHES .. these are the areas PROVERBS wants to address

MONEY : earn it honestly ... esteem it accurately ... share it generously OR it will destroy you

EARN IT HONESTLY ... yes honest .. hard work ... don’t be lazy .. don’t be a SLUGGARD .. get in there and do something ... pay your taxes .. don’t defraud people or rip them off ... do a hard days work so you can hold your hand out for the pay cheque .. or not feel guilty when you see the $$$ added to your account

Poverty because of injustice is no disgrace, but laziness is Ray Ortlund

Poverty because of injustice is no disgrace, but laziness is

“Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth.”

( NIV)

“He who works his land will have abundant food, but he who chases fantasies lacks judgment.”

( NIV)

Some people live a lie to get wealth .. claim to be Godly but they will forget/subdue their own principles to gain wealth .. pretending to be something they are not to get rich ... don’t compromise your integrity for money .... honest dealings with people .. no exaggerations to get someone’s custom

I know of a Christian guy who was in that notoriously shonky industry of car sales ... he was salesman of the year 2 years running ..Why .. because he served people and was honest with them

“Better a poor man whose walk is blameless than a rich man whose ways are perverse.”

There are some that are looking for easy money ... lottery ticket mentality but it’s a snare

“Dishonest money dwindles away, but he who gathers money little by little makes it grow.”

We might want to dispute whether lottery money is “dishonest” money .. but talk to those who have won big time .. it has caused pain and distrust .. who are my real friends .. what do I do with this wealth ... some who are bored because they threw in their job .. thinking work was all about gaining wealth .... the pursuit of money can bring out some horrible things in people

I heard of a mother and son going halves in a lotto ticket .. which won a mottsa .. the son then said he’d actually bought another ticket which was the winning ticket ... the mum is now suing the son

Esteem Money accurately ..

Some people think money can make them : happy .. content ... appreciated by the family .. feel better about themselves ... be accepted by others

Some think wealth is security

..“The wealth of the rich is their fortified city; they imagine it an unscalable wall.”

wealth = strong city .. security / protection ..

Some tend to think they are more important .. rock stars .. celebrities .. mining magnates .. politicians

“Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle.”

Striving .. working hard .. overworking to be rich .. we can think that it will bring security to our children .. in our western world this is a great trap

We that are blessed with children have to ask ourselves .. what attitudes are we setting/have set in our homes ... what examples models are we to the kids re WEALTH .. what do we pursue .. talk about .. think is so important we get into our children’s ear?

We can get sucked into the effort .. honest hard work earning good money to give to our children .. we can knock ourselves out to give them what we never had .. better education .. more stuff ... things they can’t go without .. give them a leg up in life ... try and take away financial burdens ... give them a better chance .. we don’t want them to struggle

And while we are doing that we can be depriving our children of what they desperately need .. a loving “together” family ... parents that get on and love each other and have time for each other ... a dad /mum who is home … a strong spiritual foundation .. time to read and pray with kids ... show the priority of the christian community

... “The righteous man leads a blameless life; blessed are his children after him.”

And sometimes we parents don’t listen to what we are saying .. or implying

Some parents are actually saying ... “Well I want to give my kids GOD and MONEY”

.. I think Jesus gave us some clear teaching on that ... our kids are growing up very rich on the world stage .. we want more .. they want more .. and it’s dangerous .. you can’t serve God and Money .. you’ll hate one and love the other

Here’s the remedy

SHARE IT GENEROUSLY ...

Do you want to break the BIND of money Give it away .. bless others with your wealth

“A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor.”

( NIV)

“Honour the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.”

( NIV)

“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.”

( NIV)

“A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.”

( NIV)

Now this is a constant theme in the scriptures ... if only we would see that we are constantly swimming, every moment, in an ocean of divine generosity ... the father of lights gives us good things ...

He created this world for us to enjoy ... and to share

Some people have more financial opportunities than others .. but no matter what we have we can be generous and share it .. that’s true wealth

And when we move to the NT .. there is so much more incentive to be generous

There’s that great passage in

... But just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.

I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others.

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.”

( NIV)

Doesn't the gospel infuse us with generosity?

... look at Jesus’ great love .. laying down His life for us .. though He was RICH He became poor ... the great exchange .. HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS for my SINFULNESS

Jesus DISADVANTAGED Himself for OUR ADVANTAGE

Isn’t that what happens as people come to faith in Jesus .. the early church saved and looking for ways to help others .. share with them ... look after the needs .. some sold their property so that they could give to the leadership for them to distribute to others .. we read there was NO NEED in their community

It’s a hallmark of our maturity in the faith .. that the gospel has taken root .. our generous heart

Friends so much competes for our time and our wealth we need WISDOM to balance all these things out .. yes there are bills to pay .. and yes there are good things to enjoy .. but what are we buying/spending .. AND what do we purposely put away so we do not neglect the work of the gospel .. sometimes they are tough decisions

In the OT it was a black and white decision .. Israel were called on to give 10% .. a TITHE of what they had

A common question is .. do I still have to tithe today as a Christian .. and it it GROSS or NET income??

Friends we can’t reduce our OBEDIENCE to percentages!

Our systematic giving to the work of the gospel is a vital part of our discipleship .. considering where we put our funds can’t be sloppy and haphazard when we consider all that Christ has done for us .. and the importance of getting that message to others around us

Yes .. 10% is a good guide but this is ENTRY LEVEL OBEDIENCE .. not high end commitment .. we can’t lose sight of the fact that EVERYTHING is the Lord’s.

And giving generously will be SACRIFICIAL .. it will hurt .. and it will mean we go without .. it won’t be convenient.

It won’t be measured by what we give so much as what we keep for ourselves.

Are we prayerfully seeking God’s guidance and WISDOM .. money is a resource to be used and enjoyed .. and don’t we need heart felt .. God honouring WISDOM to glorify God with our cash