Wise Wealth

What comes to your mind when you hear someone talking about being blessed? So often automatically our thoughts go to the ‘prosperous’ things of life! I’ve been blessed with good health, I’ve been blessed with a family, I’ve been blessed with a good job! And in many ways that’s right, every good gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights…James tells us. It’s God who richly supplies us with everything to enjoy…().

But this is an area we need real wisdom in, because before we know it, we can start living as though we believe in a prosperity gospel! We can start acting as if the sign of God’s favour is material and physical good, and when we don’t have it, we question what He’s up to! And one area that this can be seen so blatantly, is with money!

It’s interesting in Scripture just how much time is given to the theme of money! It is a huge topic throughout both the Old and New Testaments. And I think it’s such a huge topic, because there are few things that reveal the heart more!

When we have money we can do as we want, buy what we desire, go where we please, live as we like. Money gives us the platform to pursue the things that our hearts truly worship!! If you want to see what a person loves above all, look at how they spend their money. What a challenge!

So how can we be wise with our wealth or lack of it? What does God teach us in Proverbs...

Wealth is given by God

‘The blessing of the Lord makes rich, and he adds no sorrow with it’ ()

‘Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it’ ()

Now it’s important to remember that Proverbs is written to the people of Israel, under the old covenant. This was a covenant that was much more physical in nature than then New covenant that we are now under in Christ. There were physical descendants of Abraham, physical blessings, physical land of Israel. Where as now in Christ the blessings are spiritual in nature, it’s those born of the spirit that are God’s people, it’s a new heaven and a new earth that we await as our home, it’s a treasure laid up for us in heaven that we invest in!

But that’s not to say that God doesn’t still at times bless physically, the difference it’s no longer a reliable sign or measure of his blessing.

Recently I was down in Belfast and around the Ulster hall area there was a cafe with a sign outside it. The sign read, ‘If money is the root of all evil, why does the church always ask for it’. Now what’s the problem with that quote? It’s a miss quote of , For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils.

Money is not evil, wealth is not sinful! In fact every single penny we have, is always in some measure given by God! From the most faithful believer, to the most hardened atheist, their money is given by the Lord! Think about it, It’s only by His grace that someone has the strength to get out of bed and go to work, it’s only by His grace that they have the cognitive ability to think and reason and process the tasks they’re faced with. It’s only by His grace that they have enough breath in their lungs to infuse their blood with oxygen and cause their body to function!

‘We constantly swim in an ocean of His grace’! Now that’s not to say we can’t act unrighteously to get money, we can cheat and lie, exploit and steal! But even in those cases, God is the one who is still sovereign over every penny! Although rather than being a blessing, that money will be a curse, and means of judgement, and it’s going to dwindle quickly!!

We can acquire money sinfully, we can use money sinfully! But money in itself is not wrong!

For some here this morning you’ve known the blessing of God financially! You’ve seen God provide and multiply in amazing ways! And it’s not that you’ve worked to get rich! In many cases you’ve simply gathered little by little, you’ve just worked faithfully and God over time has given you the increase.

You haven’t been fooled into thinking wealth is a pursuit worthy of striving for, but rather as you’ve worked faithfully, God has chosen to give, He has in a sense blessed!

If we want to be wise with our money, we must see firstly that wealth is given by God!

If we want to be wise with our money, we must see firstly that wealth is given by God!

Wealth is given for God

Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; ()

Here’s the question for all of us in regards to our money, what do we do with it? Money is not evil, wealth is not wrong, but the way we use it, so often is! What are some of those ways??

We Pursue it!

‘Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist. When your eyes light on it, it is gone, for suddenly it sprouts wings, flying like an eagle toward heaven… ()

So often in life money becomes the end game, the pursuit, the thing that we strive for. Think even about how often when speaking to young people, we advise them in such a way that lifts up wealth as a worthy goal. We rightly encourage hard work in school, doing their best in exams, etc. but 9 times out of 10 its not because that’s what honours God, it’s because that’s what you need to get a good job. And by a good job so often it means a job that will pay well. Because if we have money then things will be better for us!

But it’s never a worthy pursuit, like the wise Father teaches us here, the moment you think you have it, it’s as if it flies away! It’s never enough, there’s more to have, more to pursue, more to strive for. And so the cycle continues! An endless chasing after nothing!

A businessman bought popcorn from an old street vendor each day after lunch. He once arrived to find the peddler closing up his stand at noon. "Is something wrong?" he asked.

A smile wrinkled the seller's leathery face. "By no means. All is well."

"Then why are you closing your popcorn stand?"

"So I can go to my house, sit on my porch, and sip tea with my wife."

The man of commerce objected. "But the day is still young. You can still sell."

"No need to," the stand owner replied. "I've made enough money for today."

"Enough? Absurd. You should keep working."

The old man stopped and stared at his well-dressed visitor. "And why should I keep working?"

"To sell more popcorn."

"And why sell more popcorn?"

"Because the more popcorn you sell, the more money you make. The more money you make, the richer you are. The richer you are, the more popcorn stands you can buy. The more popcorn stands you buy, the more peddlers sell your product, and the richer you become. And when you have enough, you can stop working, sell your popcorn stands, stay home, and sit on the porch with your wife and drink tea."

The popcorn man smiled. "I can do that today. I guess I have enough."

"Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income" ( NIV).

Wealth is not a worthy pursuit! It was never designed to be so!

We Trust in it!

A rich man’s wealth is his strong city, and like a high wall in his imagination ()

‘Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death’ ()

‘Whoever trusts in riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf’ ()

‘A rich man’s wealth is his strong city, and like a high wall in his imagination’ ()

How easy it is to look to money for our hope, security, refuge! We live in a culture that tells us that ‘money makes the world go round’. Therefore if we have it, we’re in a good place, we’re in control of our world, we have prospects, we’re doing well. And if we don’t, we’re in trouble! We can be so easily defined by our bank accounts.

And money is such an attractive thing to trust in! Because as we mentioned already, money can often get us what we really want! It’s like that genie in a bottle, money can make the desires of our hearts come to life! It not only gets us the day to days things, but if we have enough of it, it can also get us the extra things! The toys, the designer clothes, the flashy cars, the multiple holidays. It promises us all these things and before we know it, our hearts are given to it! It becomes our master, it’s the strong city that we live in, it’s the high wall of protection around us that we look to, it’s the place of security, or so we think!!

We’ll work more to get more, thinking that’s what makes the difference. And all the while we can so easily neglect the things of real value that God calls us to! Often some of the greatest casualties of this are children! Both parents working long hours to get more money, to provide the kids with a ‘better life’, not realising that money will never bring what they’re looking for! In fact as they pursue it it’s doing the opposite as their kids are missing out of time with their parents!

The reality is it’s all a delusional! It’s smoke and mirrors! It’s a fake master, that only covers our eyes to the true King and Lord of all! And when all is said and done, it will profit us nothing on that day of wrath! It’s like the worst of banking scams! You think you’re in this secure position, but it actually leads to your downfall! You’ve put your trust and hope in a fake!

Let me ask you this morning, are you trusting in money? Does how much you have govern the way you feel? Does you bank statement determine whether you are anxious or at ease? Your flourishing will not come from riches, but only from you’re standing before the King of Kings. The One who we owe the greatest debt to, but has paid it in full for us in Christ Jesus! That is the only place worth putting our trust!

We Keep it!

‘Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him’. ()

A stingy man hastens after wealth and does not know that poverty will come upon him. ()

Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him. ()

It is not wrong to be wealthy, it is not sinful to have money! But it is wrong to keep it!! To live as if the money is ours and we can do what we want with it. To receive God’s blessing and just store it all up to spend on ourselves and our desires!

When we do that we live as if this is our heaven! We live as though our lives are measured by what we have! We end up laying up treasure here that will only fade, rot and disappear! Do you remember the parable Jesus told in Luke 12:15-21...

Life is about glorifying God! Every single part of it! You’re health good or bad, you’re abilities many or few, your intellect vast or limited, your strength great or weak, your money rich or poor!! It is all for the glory of God! That is why we exist!!!! That is why we have what you have! And the moment we lose sight of that, or if this morning you still don’t see the reality and truth of that, your life will be wasted!!

John Piper has a really helpful quote, ‘Money exists to show that money is not our god, but Christ is our God’.

Life is about glorifying God! Every single part of it! You’re health good or bad, you’re abilities many or few, your intellect vast or limited, your strength great or weak, your money rich or poor!! It is all for the glory of God! That is why we exist!!!! That is why we have what you have! And the moment we lose sight of that, or if this morning you still don’t see the reality and truth of that, your life will be wasted!!

So if our wealth is for God, how do we fight to honour God with it?!

Fix our eyes upon the True Treasure

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places…()

For those of you in Christ Jesus this morning, and what I mean when I say that, is those who are trusting in Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, those who have turned to Jesus in faith to save them and rescue them from sin. For all those in Christ this morning, we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.

John Piper has a great quote

We may have little or plenty here and now, but that is no longer the sign of His blessing! Because what awaits us, no eye has seen or mind imagined! There is ...an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time…()

But here’s the thing, if we fail to gaze upon that, if we don’t take time to fix your eyes on Jesus our true treasure, the One in whom we have all things! Then we’ll see the treasures of this world as more attractive!

It’s John Piper who coined the term, see and savour Jesus Christ! If we don’t fight to continually do that, we’ll see and savour other lesser things like money! And we’ll then use it to honour ourselves rather than the Lord!

Give Regularly and Sacrificially

Whoever despises his neighbor is a sinner, but blessed is he who is generous to the poor. ()

Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed. ()

The way we honour God with our money is by showing that money is not our god! We have a greater treasure and therefore we can give generously, we can give sacrificially! That is the way to know true blessedness with our money!

Jesus said it is more blessed to give than to receive. It’s through giving to God’s kingdom that we lay up treasure in the life to come, and even know joy in life now!

And it’s through giving that we help to reorient the desires of our hearts......Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. ()

If you invest your money in your shares, in your possessions, in your holidays, you can be assured that your heart will follow! But if you give, if you invest in the Kingdom then your heart will begin to be re orientated!

Why not take time today to look through your finances, and ask how much money do I keep for myself, and how much do I give? What does my expenditure reveal about where my true treasure is?

And why not start encouraging our children to work hard and seek good jobs, so that they can earn as much as possible to be able to give as much as possible Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. (Eph.4:28)

Learn the lesson of true contentment

…Two things I ask of you; deny them not to me before I die: Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, 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. ()

Everywhere we look we constantly being encouraged to covet! Want more, bigger, better, newer, faster!! That’s the whole purpose of advertising. To be content is such a struggle!

But here at the end of Proverbs we hear this wisdom from Agur! He asks God to give him only what he needs to honour Him, neither poverty nor riches! And what a helpful prayer that is! God give me only what is necessary that I might glorify you! Don’t give me too much that would mean I forget you and trust in money, don’t give me too little that I would in desperation dishonour you! Just give me what I need and I’ll be content!

But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 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. 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. ()

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.” So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” ()

How can we be wise with our money? We must remember any wealth we have is from Him, and any wealth we have is also for Him! Let’s by His grace strive to live in such a way that shows the world, that shows our neighbors, that shows our family members, that money is not our god! Jesus Christ is! He is the treasure worth living for and losing all for!

And all of a sudden, A rich man’s wealth is his strong city, and like a high wall in his imagination ()

Money becomes our refuge, our shelter, our strong tower, our god! The state of our bank balance determines how ‘good a place’ we’re in, what our prospects are, how secure we feel! We live in a world that measures a persons significance by the amount of money they have! The richer someone is, the more worthy of attention they are! And all the while our money is not about us, it’s a gift to be used to honour Him!