Red Letters #13

Today we are going to talk about investments. And Money. And Possessions. And wealth. We live in a world that tells us how to grow our wealth, and a world that then tells us how to spend our wealth. And if we don’t have any wealth - well, that’s where loans or credit cards come in - just borrow and spend anyway, so you can have lots of nice things.

We are told to buy things, we are told that we have to have the latest gadgets, that life consists of our possessions. We are all told that we should be investors, so that we can get even more stuff with the money we have. There are seminars, books, TV shows and even stations devoted to good investment strategy. How to grow your money and create wealth. Some of the biggest selling books are about how to become wealthy, how to make money work for you. You would get the impression that life consists of possessions. Money, a nice house, fast cars, investment properties, an investment portfolio, whatever. As the saying goes, “Whoever dies with the most toys, wins.”

Suze Orman in her book, “9 Steps to Financial Freedom” writes, "When I was 13, my dad owned his own business—a tiny shack where he sold chicken, ribs, hamburgers, hot dogs, and fries. One day the oil that the chicken was fried in caught fire. In a few minutes the whole place exploded in flames. My dad bolted from the store before the flames could engulf him. Then my mom and I arrived on the scene, and we all stood outside watching the fire burn away my dad’s business.

All of a sudden, my dad realized he had left his money in the metal cash register inside the building, and I watched in disbelief as he ran back into the inferno before anyone could stop him. He tried to open the metal register, but the intense heat had already sealed the drawer shut.

Knowing that every penny he had was locked in front of him about to go up into flames, he picked up the scalding metal box and carried it outside. When he threw the register on the ground, the skin on his arms and chest came with it. He had escaped the fire safely once, untouched. Then he voluntarily risked his life and was severely injured. The money was that important.

That was when I learned that money is obviously more important than life itself. From that point on, earning money—lots of money—not only became what drove me professionally, but also became my emotional priority."

That is certainly one way to look at money and possessions in this life. Jesus had some things to say about money and possessions in the Sermon on the Mount. We have been diving in deep to the Sermon on the Mount over the last couple of months. We have just concluded a mini series within a series as we have been looking at the Lord’s Prayer over the last several weeks, but Jesus now turns His attention to what is valuable in life.

Matthew 6:19–21 NRSV

19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Jesus sets up a clear contrast for us in these verses. Verse 21 is the key “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Think about that story of Suze Orman’s father. His treasure was in that metal cash register, and it nearly cost him his life. Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Roger Hahn , in his commentary on Matthew says: “One could reverse the order of the phrases. It is equally true that where one’s heart is, there one’s treasure is found. We can talk about a heart for God, but if the investment of our time, money, and energy is given to our career, then the career is our treasure, not God. Our lips can say what they wish, but our hearts reveal where our treasures are.

Hahn, R. L. (2007). Matthew: a commentary for Bible students (p. 103). Indianapolis, IN: Wesleyan Publishing House.

We have been witnesses here in just the last few weeks of what can happen with the things we have in this life. Jesus says that treasures on earth can be destroyed by moths or rust, or they can be stolen by thieves. Much of the wealth in Jesus’ day was wrapped up in valuable linens - moths can quickly take the value. As we know from our cars - rust can certainly destroy anything made of metal - and thieves were a problem in Jesus’ day as well as they are in ours. When our heart is all about building wealth and investing in this world, it can all be taken in a moment. We have watched as hurricanes and fires and riots have destroyed much of this world’s treasures just in the last few weeks.

Let’s look at an Old Testament Psalm that talks some about this.

Psalm 49 NLT

For the choir director: A psalm of the descendants of Korah. 1 Listen to this, all you people! Pay attention, everyone in the world! 2 High and low, rich and poor—listen! 3 For my words are wise, and my thoughts are filled with insight. 4 I listen carefully to many proverbs and solve riddles with inspiration from a harp. 5 Why should I fear when trouble comes, when enemies surround me? 6 They trust in their wealth and boast of great riches. 7 Yet they cannot redeem themselves from death by paying a ransom to God. 8 Redemption does not come so easily, for no one can ever pay enough 9 to live forever and never see the grave. 10 Those who are wise must finally die, just like the foolish and senseless, leaving all their wealth behind. 11 The grave is their eternal home, where they will stay forever. They may name their estates after themselves, 12 but their fame will not last. They will die, just like animals. 13 This is the fate of fools, though they are remembered as being wise. Interlude 14 Like sheep, they are led to the grave, where death will be their shepherd. In the morning the godly will rule over them. Their bodies will rot in the grave, far from their grand estates. 15 But as for me, God will redeem my life. He will snatch me from the power of the grave. Interlude 16 So don’t be dismayed when the wicked grow rich and their homes become ever more splendid. 17 For when they die, they take nothing with them. Their wealth will not follow them into the grave. 18 In this life they consider themselves fortunate and are applauded for their success. 19 But they will die like all before them and never again see the light of day. 20 People who boast of their wealth don’t understand; they will die, just like animals.

Jesus says that our focus should be to store up treasures in heaven. How do we do that? He doesn’t give us much instruction on that in these verses because this was a common thought in Judaism.

It includes things like the ways we live our lives – our character – are we being obedient to God’s commands in our own life? It includes spreading God’s rule in our families and our church. That we grow more like Christ. It includes extending His kingdom right here in our community - our own personal evangelism and supporting those who are involved in evangelism. It includes doing what we can to see the Gospel proclaimed to the uttermost parts of the earth, where the name of Christ is not yet proclaimed and people know nothing of the kingdom of God and His will. It also includes feeding the hungry and helping those in need.

How your spend your time, where you direct your energies, what you do with your money - they are the indicators of where your heart is. And in a sense – they tell whether you really are in God’s kingdom, under His rule, and therefore whether Jesus truly is your Lord – and Saviour.

Jesus’ investment advice is to invest in those things with our time, effort and money. Sure, they won’t help build up our earthly investment portfolio, but they will build our heavenly investment portfolio. They are things we can take with us. People who were fed because we cared for them. People who came to know Christ because we witnessed to them or supported someone else who did. If we do these things, we will be storing up treasures in heaven!

Then Jesus uses an illustration that seems to go in another direction, but let’s read what He says in verses 22 & 23

Matthew 6:22–23 NRSV

22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light; 23 but if your eye is unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

Roger Hahn says:

These verses should be understood in relation to the Hebrew text of Proverbs 22:9; 23:6; and 28:22.

Proverbs 28:22 NRSV

22 The miser is in a hurry to get rich and does not know that loss is sure to come.

Hahn says: In the original Hebrew text, this verse describes the person who chases after wealth as having an evil eye.

Proverbs 23:6 NRSV

6 Do not eat the bread of the stingy; do not desire their delicacies;

This verse, in the Hebrew advises against eating the food of a person with an evil eye.

Proverbs 22:9 NRSV

9 Those who are generous are blessed, for they share their bread with the poor.

This verse in the Hebrew speaks of blessing the person with a good or bountiful eye because that person will share with the poor. So, Hahn says: “when Jesus speaks of eyes that are good (Matt. 6:22), He is speaking of a generous person. In contrast, eyes that are bad (6:23) point to a person who is stingy. Verses 22–23 call on the disciple to be generous because the true source of security is not wealth but God.

Hahn, R. L. (2007). Matthew: a commentary for Bible students (p. 103). Indianapolis, IN: Wesleyan Publishing House.

So, according to these verses, part of storing up our treasure in heaven is living a life of generosity - holding on loosely to the things of this world.

Why?

Matthew 6:24 NRSV

24 “No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.

This imagery from slavery is again, something that is difficult for us to fully understand. We often times will translate these passages that talk about masters and slaves as bosses and employees, but that breaks down here. A person can have 2 jobs - when you are at 1 job you have 1 boss, but while at the other job, you have another boss. That is not how it worked with a slave and a master. A slave was not free to have a different master. The imagery breaks down in that a slave didn’t choose who would be their master.

But, when it comes to what will be our master, we have a choice. We can choose to have God as our master, or we can choose, as the King James translates it, we can have mamon as our master. Most of the modern translations render that word mamon as wealth or money. This word is actually a Hebrew idea that means “that in which one trusts.” You cannot serve both God and that in which one trusts. In other words, you cannot serve both God and anything else! He must be Lord of your life. Everything else is subservient to Him and His direction in your life. You cannot serve God and trust in anything else for your security in life.

Now we still need to deal with money. We still need to work for money to pay for our needs, and if we have the opportunity, which we generally do in our economic situation here in America, it is wise to put money aside for that time in our life when we are no longer able to work. We even discovered a few years ago as many of us went through Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University that if we handle our finances in the right way, we can give so much more. What we do with our time, effort and money shows who our real Lord is.

Who or what is Lord of your life?

The Communion Supper, instituted by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is a sacrament, which proclaims His life, His sufferings, His sacrificial death, and resurrection, and the hope of His coming again. It shows forth the Lord’s death until His return.

The Supper is a means of grace in which Christ is present by the Spirit. It is to be received in reverent appreciation and gratefulness for the work of Christ.

All those who are truly repentant, forsaking their sins, and believing in Christ for salvation are invited to participate in the death and resurrection of Christ. We come to the table that we may be renewed in life and salvation and be made one by the Spirit.

In unity with the Church, we confess our faith: Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again. And so we pray:

The minister may offer a prayer of confession and supplication, concluding with the following prayer of consecration:

Holy God,

We gather at this, your table, in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, who by your Spirit was anointed to preach good news to the poor, proclaim release to the captives, set at liberty those who are oppressed. Christ healed the sick, fed the hungry, ate with sinners, and established the new covenant for forgiveness of sins. We live in the hope of His coming again.

On the night in which He was betrayed, He took bread, gave thanks, broke the bread, gave it to His disciples, and said: “This is my body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”

Likewise, when the supper was over, He took the cup, gave thanks, gave it to His disciples, and said: “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this in remembrance of me.” Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Matthew 26:27–29, Luke 22:19)

And so, we gather as the Body of Christ to offer ourselves to you in praise and thanksgiving. Pour out your Holy Spirit on us and on these your gifts. Make them by the power of your Spirit to be for us the body and blood of Christ, that we may be for the world the Body of Christ, redeemed by His blood.

By your Spirit make us one in Christ, one with each other, and one in the ministry of Christ to all the world, until Christ comes in final victory. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Amen.

And now, as our Savior Christ has taught us, let us pray:

(Here the congregation may pray the Lord’s Prayer)

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

Before the partaking of the bread, let the minister say:

The body of our Lord Jesus Christ, broken for you, preserve you blameless, unto everlasting life. Eat this in remembrance that Christ died for you, and be thankful.

Before the partaking of the cup, let the minister say:

The blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, shed for you, preserve you blameless unto everlasting life. Drink this in remembrance that Christ died for you, and be thankful.