It's all about the heart (4)

Understanding money in the kingdom

Good morning, CHURCH!

(Opening joke)

I normally tell you something interesting or funny to start the message.

But today I have something a little sad to tell you.

I got robbed this week. I’m okay, i wasn’t hurt.

I was at a gas station when I got robbed.

The police came fairly quickly and asked if I knew who it was that robbed me or if I could give them a description.

I said, “Yes officer, I know exactly who it was, and I gave them a description.

It was pump number 9.”

Are you ready to be equipped today?

Let me see your Bibles.

Let’s go to the book of Luke 16:13 for this week’s wisdom Vaccination.

This Week’s Wisdom Vaccination

Luke 16:13 ESV

No servant 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.”

What is mammon?

Some scholars site mammon as a God of the Syrian’s and Chaldean’s.

The Syrians felt they didn’t need God if they had riches.

Although we translate mammon as money, it’s a spirit that tries to replace God with money.

That’s why you can’t serve both.

You will either be loyal to God over money or love money over God.

When people buy into this spirit of mammon, or in churches we see it disguised as the prosperity gospel, there trust is in the money.

If something goes wrong with their money, they get mad at God.

Mammon promises (Identity - security - significance - happiness - joy), but these are things only God can give.

The lies of mammon are that if you had more money…everything would be okay.

Isn’t it interesting that Jesus never told anyone they needed more money.

We’ve all thought before, I either need God to come through or someone to give me some money.

And if the money comes first, then I don’t need you God.

Mammon shows up in how we think about money. Do we envy others who have more of it, are we anxious about unmet needs, do we disobey God’s directions of what to do with it, is our thinking out of balance concerning it…?

Mammon is a spirit that rests on money.

All money either has the spirit of God on it or the spirit of mammon.

Your money is either blessed because it’s been redeemed, or the spirit of mammon is on it.

Luke 16:11 ESV

If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?

True riches are people/souls.

Souls are the only thing that will last forever.

That’s why giving is a spiritual act because it leads to true riches which are people.

Why would our Heavenly Father give you more when you care more about getting rich than about true riches?

Today’s message title is:

Understanding money in the kingdom

We’ve been in a series talking about generosity.

Although our focus hasn’t been on receiving, generosity does lead to abundance in the Kingdom of God.

Let’s look at this principle of multiplication in the Bible that is based on trusting God to bless, what He tells you to give away.

Matthew 14:14-21 ESV

When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

15 As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”

16 Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”

17 “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.

18 “Bring them here to me,” he said.

19 And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people.

20 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.

21 The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.

I usually have 3 points.

Today I have 6 shorter points

Point #1

They had a need.

Before we get to the needs of the people. Let’s talk about the mental state Jesus was in. Earlier in this chapter John, Jesus’ cousin and forerunner was beheaded. Jesus was told about it, and he went off to a secluded place to be alone.

Just like most of us want to be alone when we lose someone we love.

But the people in the region also heard where Jesus was going and they followed him on foot.

(I don’t know if they wanted to see his reaction to the news or if they just wanted something from him like everyone else.)

Matthew 14:15 ESV

15 As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”

(Because they followed Jesus they ended up in a deserted, isolated and uninhabited region.)

It’s like what we call today, being in the middle of nowhere. No grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations just nothing but land.

Since you’ve bee following Christ, have you ever ended up in a deserted place?

What’s next God? Where am I supposed to go? What am I supposed to do? How come I can’t seem to hear you talking?

I went through that when God released me from a ministry I served in for 26 years.

point #1 They had a need

Point #2

“You” meet the need.

When we find ourselves in need, our go to is not usually to think about how we can meet the needs of someone else.

Our minds are usually full of anxiety about how we can get our own needs met.

But in the kingdom of God, Jesus was showing the disciples that we do things a different way.

Matthew 14:16 ESV

16 Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”

So, we see here the people had a need for food and the disciples were looking for a way to meet their needs by getting Jesus to wrap this thing up and let them go fend for themselves.

But Jesus charged them to meet the need from what they already had on hand.

*Holy Spirit will move you towards getting your needs met by leading you to meet the needs of others.

*Even if you don’t think you have enough to meet both your needs and theirs.

Point #2 You meet the need

Point #3

We have a shortage.

I’m sure there are people listening to me right now that may have a shortage in some area of your life.

How does God meet our needs through shortage or lack?

Matthew 14:17 ESV

17 “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.

The disciples gave their excuse of why they could not carry out the wishes of Jesus.

This is all we have.

We are to listen to the voice of the LORD and then obey what he tells us to do even if we can’t figure out how He will bring it to pass.

I believe Jesus was being an example to the disciples and to us today.

I can see Jesus remembering from his studies as a young lad what happened in 2 Kings 4.

2 Kings 4:42-44 ESV

A man came from Baal-shalishah, bringing the man of God bread of the first fruits, twenty loaves of barley and fresh ears of grain in his sack. And Elisha said, “Give to the men, that they may eat.” 43 But his servant said, “How can I set this before a hundred men?” So he repeated, “Give them to the men, that they may eat, for thus says the Lord, ‘They shall eat and have some left.’” 44 So he set it before them. And they ate and had some left, according to the word of the Lord.

Jesus was like, this is how my father rolls.

This is what we are going to do with this shortage situation.

point #3 we have a shortage

Point #4

Bring your shortage to Jesus.

Matthew 14:18 ESV

18 “Bring them here to me,” he said.

That’s what we should do.

God is already preparing our miracle of increase. Some will get the manifestation of the miracle and some will never see it.

Why is it that some never see it?

Because some never bring the shortage to Jesus!

In 1 Kings 17 God sent Elijah to a woman who was in lack and ready to eat her last meal with her son and then starve to death.

She didn’t know her miracle of increase was already in the works.

1 Kings 17:12-16 ESV

And she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. And now I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die.”

13 And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said. But first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make something for yourself and your son.

14 For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the Lord sends rain upon the earth.’”

15 And she went and did as Elijah said. And she and he and her household ate for many days.

16 The jar of flour was not spent, neither did the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah.

point #4 bring your shortage to Jesus

Point #5

He blessed it by giving thanks.

Usually when we need a blessing from God, we’re not thinking to bless the shortage that we already have.

And the last thing we are doing is acting in anticipation of the miracle God is about to do in our lives.

But not Jesus. In anticipation of the miracle, he set the people down in position to receive what they needed.

Faith acts in anticipation of the miracle.

Matthew 14:19 ESV

19 And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people.

As the disciples began to obey Jesus and pass out the food, they began to quickly see that it never ran out.

I believe Holy Spirit is saying to you, “If you do what I tell you when I tell you, yours will never run out.”

point #5 he blessed it by giving thanks

Point #6

You give it away and it meets the need and some.

This is what we call upside down kingdom thinking.

This is not how the world thinks. They think if I give it away it’s a loss.

In the kingdom of God, when you give it away it ends up being a gain.

Why? Because in the kingdom of God, giving is like seed being sown.

Matthew 14:20 ESV

20 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.

This is not some myth that everyone had a little crumb of bread and flake of fish and it filled them up.

They all ate enough bread and fish to satisfy them.

And then the real kingdom part that always kicks in was that they ended up with an abundance after all was said and done.

After the dust settles in your life, will you be still trying to figure out how you will make it or will you be living in the overflow.

(Closing illustration)

Pastor Robert told us about a businessman in the Gateway ministry, Mr Dooling, who had a bright idea to add up his money. From cash on hand, savings and checking. When he came up with the figure which was rather large, God asked him how much did he have. God asked him would he give it to him. After his initial fear and resistance, he said yes God I will. He got his wife in agreement and he sowed it.

In about a year and a half, God asked him again how much money he had. Reluctantly he obeyed and added up all he had again. To his amazement, each account that he added had double the amount they had when God first asked him to give it to him.

God told him, “I can out do in 15 months what it took you 15 years to do.”

If you’re watching online or here in the room, I have a very important question to ask you.

What is Holy Spirit saying to you right now?