Money: The second knockout punch

Last week we looked at the problem we are facing in the area of sex and
pornography and how it can destroy the life of a believer. It is probably the
strongest punch the enemy uses to knockus out of the ring as we fight the
fight of faith. Tonight I want to look at the second punch he uses and that is
money.

During the past week the USA experienced one of its most critical financial
crises since the Great Depression. The very foundations of our financial
system have been shaken and the government had to intervene to prevent
another depression from occurring.

NBC news reported that 10,000 families have lost the mortgage on their
home every day.

Part of the cause of the fall of three large companies came as a result of
giving out loans that people were not qualified to receive and eventually
were unable to pay. Once the company’sfinances were scrutinized several
things came to light. One issue many have questioned is the practice of
paying executives of these companies enormous wages and bonuses that
leave them multimillionaires when the company goes bankrupt. Nicholas
Kristof wrote about an executive with Lehman Brothers in an editorial in the
NY Times on September 18,

Last year, Mr. Fuld earned about $45 million, according to the calculations of
Equilar, an executive pay research company. That amounts to roughly
$17,000 an hour to obliterate a firm.

Mr. Fuld when he was an executive with Tyco billed the company $6000 for a
shower curtain!

1 Timothy 6:10
10 For the love of money is at the root of all kinds of evil. And some people,
craving money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with
many sorrows.1

The Bible states that the love of many is a root of all kinds of evil. We see
the destructiveness that comes when people become greedy to gain money
at all costs or make it one of the highest priorities of theirlife. A survey of
college freshmen revealed that 75% of those surveyed felt that making a lot

1Holy Bible, New Living Translation, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.) 1996.

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of money was a high priority. Having a large amount of money is appealing
to them because it represents the ability to do whatever they want to do. It
represents security and power along with prestige. It seems that a spirit of
greed is sweeping over many people lives and is driving behavior that leads
to great problems. A person who is motivated by greed is blind to the needs
of others as they are focused primarily on themselves, making their life
comfortable. Greed is like an incurable cancer that does not stop growing. It
continues to grow until it totally consumes and destroys the person. Greedy
people do not know when to say they have enough. Enough to them is
always just a little bit more.

Solomon was one of the richest men of his day and he understood very
clearly what happens to people who seek after wealth and become greedy.
In Ecclesiastes 5:10-17

Ecclesiastes 5:10-17
10 Those who love money will never have enough. How absurd to think that
wealth brings true happiness! 11 The more you have, the more people come
to help you spend it. So what is the advantage of wealth—except perhaps to
watch it run through your fingers!
12 People who work hard sleep well, whether they eat little or much. But the
rich are always worrying and seldom get a good night’s sleep.
13 There is another serious problem I have seen in the world. Riches are
sometimes hoarded to the harm of the saver, 14 or they are put into risky
investments that turn sour, and everything is lost. In the end, there is
nothing left to pass on to one’s children. 15 People who live only for wealth
come to the end of their lives as naked and empty-handed as on the day
they were born.
16 And this, too, is a very serious problem. As people come into this world,
so they depart. All their hard work is for nothing. They have been working for
the wind, and everything will be swept away. 17 Throughout their lives, they
live under a cloud—frustrated, discouraged, and angry.2

The writer of this book points out several important things about greed.

First greedy people never have enough. John Rockefeller one of the richest
men everwas asked how much money was enough and he said a little bit
more. When he made his first million he was asked how much more he need
and he replied another million. It almost becomes a game to them to see
how much they can accumulate and it drives them to seek for more each

2Holy Bible, New Living Translation, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.) 1996.

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day. We live in a day of excess and the media does everything they can
through their advertizing to convince us we need more stuff.

The second thing about greedy people is that once you have money others
will be attracted to you to get it out of you. People who win the lottery are
prime examples of how bothersome wealth can be. Everyone becomes your
friend and everyone wants a piece of the pie. You attract people who are
really parasites who want to live off of the wealth you have obtained. It is
difficult to have genuine relationships with people because you are always
wondering what they are after.

The third thing about greedy people is they find it hard to not be
anxiousabout their money. It becomes the consuming thought of their lives
is how to get more and how to manage and protect what they have. Wealth
can be taken away very quickly and those who have placed their confidence
in their wealth will always have anxiety and worry about losing it. Many do
not experience a good night of sleep and do not have true peace in their
lives.

The fourth thing about greedy people is they have a false sense of security.
Wealthcan be lost quickly in a bad investment or stolen by a con artist. In
the end they have nothing but their birthday suit. Placing one’s trust in the
temporary riches of the world is a false security. During the recent rise in oil
prices many speculators were driven by greed as they saw no end to the rise
in the price of oil. Those who bought oil at $150 a barrel have lost their
investment as the prices have plummeted. Our faith must be in God who is
our security. He will never leave us or abandon us. He promised to take care
of all who seek first his Kingdom and his righteousness.
The final aspect of greedy people is that they are not joyful. True joy comes
from being in right relationship with God and other people. When one’s
focus is on materialism, people become objects or obstacles to one’s desire
to obtain more. Everything is centered on money and it becomes the
controlling factor of their emotional health. The recent hurricane that swept
through Texas gives evidence to what really matters in life. Those who
placed their happiness in their possessions were greatly saddened when it
was all stripped away while those who valued life and relationships saw
beyond the set back and expressed gratitude for the families and friends that
surrounded them.

The opposite value of greed is contentment. A person who is content is not

dependent upon their financial situation to determine if they are happy.

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Contentment is learning to appreciate all that you haveand being able to be
fully satisfied with what you have.

Hebrews 13:5,6
5 Stay away from the love of money; be satisfied with what you have. For
God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never forsake you.”
6 That is why we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper, so I will
not be afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?”3

It is not wrong to desire to have certain things, we all have dreams that keep
us motivated to improve and be successful. The problem lies with whether
or not we can truly enjoy and becontent with what we have now. We have to
be able to say, “yes it would be nice to have that but I am happy with what I
have right now and if the Lord wants me to have something else I will wait
until I have the money to purchase it and will ask the Lord at that time if it is
something I really need.” We all have to examine our motivations regarding
why we want certain things. If we want something based on greed we have
wrong motivations. I heard itsaid that “we buy things we don’t need with
money we don’t have to impress people we don’t like.” Being ruled by greed
will do this to you. It is a never ending battle in which you are guaranteed to
be the loser.

We can be confident that God will never fail us in regard to our needs. We
can place all of our trust in his promises to never leave us in a desperate
situation. Our confidence is that God will show up to help. He is our ever
present help in time of need.

Another money issue or attitude that also leads to trouble is

mismanagement of finances. All of us are subject to temptation in areas
of greed and mismanagement and the enemy has used them both to destroy
many Christian’s witness and ministry. Currently in the USA there is an on-
going investigation of several ministries that are being accused of misusing
money given to them. They are being asked to give account for the money
they have received and how they have spent it. Some do not feel itis the
legal right of the government to meddle with their finances with the
exception of the IRS that has the right to reject non-profit status if there are
violations. Regardless of the legality of these inquiries the real issue for the
believer has to do with stewardship ofthe resources God has given us.
Someone described stewardship as “Everything that happens to a person

3Holy Bible, New Living Translation, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.) 1996.

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after they give their lives to Christ.” Stewardship involves every aspect of
our life not just our finances. The concept is that God is the one who gives
us everything we have and it is still under his control after we receive it. We
are not free to use what he has blessed us with in whatever way we choose.
The ministries that are being questioned have used donations to purchase
homes, cars, jets, vacations etc. that to many people seem quite extravagant
and an unjustified use of the money. Are these ministries being wise
stewards of God’s resources or have they mismanaged the money given by
others who in good faith gave money to beused to further the gospel? It is
not just ministries that need to be open to examination of their finances but
individual believers must come under the same scrutiny. Each of us must
hold ourselves accountable first to God but also to each other. We must first
go to God and ask him how we are to use the resourceshe has given us. We
need to ask him first if what we plan to do with the money is what he wants
us to do. I think we fail to ask because we are afraid he will say no. We have
a warped attitude about God and forget that he is the giver of all good gifts.
If we feel a check in our spirit or know that we are violating scriptural
principles then we need to stop pursuing whatever we are doing. We also
have to be willing to submit our decisions to the scrutiny of other believers.
If we are uncomfortable allowing others to question our financial decisions or
see our financial records then one has to question if there is some
impropriety involved. We need to be transparent and open to the counsel of
other believers who have our best interest in mind. This becomes very
critical in the marriage relationship as disagreement regarding finances is
one of the leading factors of stress and divorce in marriages. I know of
husbands who buy things behind their wives backs because they are afraid
that they will be denied if they should ask. They hope that forgiveness will
prevail. This is a recipe for failure, mistrust and revenge that is rationalized
as justifiable. It is often expressed in these terms, “You bought this so I am
buying this.” This does not promote harmony in the home but rather
competition. One of the best coursesyou can ever take is one on money
management from a Christian perspective. I have seen many young people
with desires to go to the mission field thwarted because they have not
learned to manage their money and have accumulated great debt which will
take time to pay back. Keep track of how you spend your money and you be
in control of where it goes rather than at the end of the month when you
come up short wonder where it went. Many financial advisors give a simple
plan of 80-10-10. Use 80% of your money to meet your needs; give 10% to
God as your tithe and save the other10%. Learn how to be a wise steward of
the resources God has given you. If you will prove to be faithful in little God
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will be able to entrust you with more.

Another temptation we often face is stinginess. We hoard things for

ourselves and do not freely give when legitimate needs are presented.
Sometimes we may give a token offering to satisfy our conscience but we
miss out on the blessing because we have not given generously with a
cheerful heart. The Bible says if we see a brother in need and are able to
meet the need but fail to do so we lack the love of God. Love by its nature
always wants to give.
1 John 3:17
17 But if anyone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister
in need and refuses to help—how can God’s love be in that person?4

God told Abram that he would be blessed to be a blessing to the nations

(Gen. 12:1-3) When we are blessed by the Lord we are to use those blessing
to help other people and not spend it all on ourselves. When we are aware
of needs and we have the resources available, we need to respond with
generosity and cheerfulness knowing that we are blessing the person who is
receiving. Generosity is the mark of a believer who has placed his trust in
God to be his provider. When we give we know that God has promised to
give back,
Luke 6:38
38 If you give, you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full measure,
pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, and running over.
Whatever measure you use in giving—large or small—it will be used to
measure what is given back to you.”5“

Our motive in giving is not to get back but to be a blessing to other people.
God will reward our obedience in a variety of ways but the true joy in giving
is knowing we are helping another person.

I listened to the life story of John Lake and was impressed with acouple of
things. One was his obedience to God and the other was the obedience of
people who gave to help him fulfill the mission God called him to. Dr. Lake
was called by the Lord to go to South Africa. He had no contacts in South
Africa and had no money to takehis family of seven there. Yet he knew that
God had clearly spoken to in a vision for him to go and he knew that God
would be his provider.

4Holy Bible, New Living Translation, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.) 1996.

5Holy Bible, New Living Translation, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.) 1996.

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Lake invited a friend and his family to go with him and they had no money
either. They prayed about the money and the Lord spoke to Lake’s friend
and said they had the money to go. Within a few days they received $2000
in the mail and they had all the money they needed to buy their train and
ship fare to get to S. Africa.

On the train ride to get to the port, they met a lady who neededto buy a
ticket to get on another train. They took the lady to buy her ticket even
though they had no money. While in line a man came up and gave him $10
in obedience to the Lord and this was just what the lady needed to buy her
ticket.

While on the boat they had very little money to spend and had only $.25
when they arrived in England. They had to wait a couple of days to transfer
to a different boat that would take them to S. Africa and they needed to do
their laundry but they did not have enough money to do it. They decided to
send their clothing in to be washed and trusted the Lord to provide for the
payment. After a couple of days they needed to pick up their laundry but
they still had no money to pay for the service. Lake went on a walk and
prayed about the need and while walking a man came up to him and gave
him enough money to pay for his laundry and have a little extra.

When they got to S. Africa, the immigration office told him he needed $125
to be able to enter the country. Lake got in line to see the immigration
officer even though he had no money. A man who was behind him in line
asked if he could talk with him in private so they stepped out of line. The
man gave him $200 out of obedience to God speaking to him.

Lake still had no contacts once they passed through immigration. They saw
a lady from America standing outside of immigration. His friend Tom was in
front of him and the lady walked up to him and asked him how many were in
his family, he replied 4 and she said you are not the one I am supposed to
meet. She proceeded to talk to Dr. Lake and asked the same question. He
replied 9 and she said you are the one. God spoke to her the night before
that she was to go to immigration where she would meet a missionary family
of 9 from America and give them a home to stay in while in S. Africa.

Talk about a faith builder not only for Lake and the other family but also for
the people who God strategically put in their pathway who responded in
obedience to meet needs that some did not even know existed. They gave
willingly and generously to a person they did not even know. John Lake went
on to have a tremendous ministry in S. Africa but without the help of the

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people who gave in obedience to the Lord it may not have happened or may
have been delayed.

We need to be led of the Lord with our finances. When God speaks to us to
give we need to respond because he has a definite purpose in asking us to
give. We can cooperate with him and be a blessing to others or we can hang
on to what we have, give sparingly and cautiously according to our own plan.
When you feel the prompting of the Spirit to give, don’t delay because you
may miss out on an opportunity to bless someone in ways that are beyond
your understanding. God wants us to be a channel of blessing he can freely
flow through not a safe vault that is only accessible to you.

Money can be a root of all kinds of evil if it is used to meet selfish and greedy
desires or it can be a tremendous blessing ifit is used according to God’s
purposes and principles.

I believe we are entering a time when our finances will be shaken. Nations
as well as individuals will undergo a great shaking but God will show himself
faithful to those who have surrendered their lives to him and are living
according to his purposes.

Hebrews 12:26,27
26 When God spoke from Mount Sinai his voice shook the earth, but now he
makes another promise: “Once again I will shake not only the earth but the
heavens also.” 27 This means that the things on earth will be shaken, so that
only eternal things will be left.6

The Bible says that in the last days everything will be shaken that can be
shaken and I believe this includes our finances. Only those who have their
foundation in the truth of God’s word will be able to stand.

The enemy has used money to distract many people from seeking after God
and unfortunately many believers have lost perspective on how they should
view money. They are spending more time seeking after wealth than they
are seeking after God. They are working extra jobs so they can buy things
that will need to be replaced or repaired and are neglecting themost
important aspect of their lives, their relationship with God and the family
they are a part of. Treasure the time you have with your family and
especially your children who all tooquickly grow up and move on with their
lives. If you have not built a solid relationship with them because you have

6Holy Bible, New Living Translation, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.) 1996.

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neglected them it is very unlikely that they will want to have much of a
relationship with you after they leave home. The bad choices you make
regarding the pursuit of wealth above relationships have consequences that
you may live to regret for a long time.

We can have an attitude of greediness, recklessness or stinginess regarding

the financial resources God gives us or we can have anattitude of
contentment, wise stewardship, and generosity. One attitude will bring
calamity and the other will bring great blessings. Purpose in your heart
tonight that you will use the resources God has blessed you with to advance
the Kingdom of God and be a blessing to others.