WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.000 Luke 12 we're going to be looking at verses 13 through 34. 00:00:05.000 --> 00:00:25.000 That's one of the interesting passages because it all started with Jesus teaching on various topics and then a man kind of interrupted Christ and he asked the Lord to settle a personal issue. 00:00:25.000 --> 00:00:34.000 His parents or his father had passed away and now he and his siblings were arguing about the inheritance. 00:00:34.000 --> 00:00:41.000 Most likely it was the older brother who was keeping it all for himself. 00:00:41.000 --> 00:00:47.000 And maybe this was the younger brother coming to Christ and saying, Christ, hey, would you help me out here? 00:00:47.000 --> 00:00:50.000 Will you tell my brother to share this? 00:00:50.000 --> 00:00:55.000 Give me at least some of it. I need my portion. 00:00:55.000 --> 00:01:01.000 And that's a reasonable request, it seems. 00:01:01.000 --> 00:01:05.000 But what's strange is how the Lord responded back in verse 13. 00:01:05.000 --> 00:01:09.000 He basically gave them the cold shoulder. 00:01:09.000 --> 00:01:13.000 He's like, who am I who made me to be your judge or your arbiter? 00:01:13.000 --> 00:01:19.000 I'm not worried about this and literally leaves it for himself to figure out. 00:01:19.000 --> 00:01:25.000 I'm not going to help you here. 00:01:25.000 --> 00:01:31.000 I mean, that's strange to me. I found that strange. 00:01:31.000 --> 00:01:37.000 And after he kind of tells them, I'm not going to figure this out for you. 00:01:37.000 --> 00:01:52.000 He warns them and warns everybody about covetousness and then goes and gives a sermon. It's kind of an impromptu sermon that was stimulated by this question. 00:01:52.000 --> 00:02:04.000 He turns and he's addressing the whole audience, the crowd, and gives them a sermon, a lesson on finances. 00:02:04.000 --> 00:02:18.000 He's giving them advice, wealth management advice, counsel, how to view their possessions, their resources. 00:02:18.000 --> 00:02:34.000 And I can see at least seven major points that Christ gives for us to have wisdom and how we deal with our money. 00:02:34.000 --> 00:02:39.000 Seven principles, if you would, on how to manage your resources. 00:02:39.000 --> 00:02:55.000 Before we go into these seven resources or seven principles on how to manage your finances, I pray that you're willing to listen to these counsel by God and say, I want to do these things. 00:02:55.000 --> 00:03:00.000 Now, don't hear Jeff Johnson. You're going to have to be a good Varee. 00:03:00.000 --> 00:03:03.000 And he goes, this is what indeed Jesus preached. 00:03:03.000 --> 00:03:11.000 And if this is what he preached, Lord, help me to listen. 00:03:11.000 --> 00:03:17.000 I want to be changed by this counsel. I want my life to be affected. 00:03:17.000 --> 00:03:20.000 I don't want to just hear the word and not be a doer of the word. 00:03:20.000 --> 00:03:29.000 I want to listen and I want to obey. I want to be a good manager, good steward of the resources God has given me. 00:03:29.000 --> 00:03:42.000 I also want you to think that you're not too poor to apply this to yourself or too young. We think, oh, this is for the wealthy among us or this is for the older generation. 00:03:42.000 --> 00:03:55.000 I wish my sons and my daughter would take heed to this and start applying it immediately, not wait until you have a career. 00:03:55.000 --> 00:04:00.000 And I want you to think that you're not too poor to apply this to yourself. 00:04:00.000 --> 00:04:05.000 I want you to think that you're not too poor to apply this to yourself. 00:04:15.000 --> 00:04:19.000 I want you to think that you're not too poor to apply this to yourself. 00:04:19.000 --> 00:04:24.000 I want you to think that you're not too poor to apply this to yourself. 00:04:24.000 --> 00:04:28.000 And that Christ, who was rich, became poor on our behalf. 00:04:28.000 --> 00:04:49.000 And He set the example of how to live a life and how to manage His resources and view it through the gospel that we don't have to earn our way to heaven, but we should apply this out of great gratitude for the riches that Christ has already given us in Christ Jesus. 00:04:49.000 --> 00:04:51.000 So this should be done out of a heart. 00:04:51.000 --> 00:04:59.000 These principles should be done out of a motivation of love, not out of some moral obligation. 00:04:59.000 --> 00:05:01.000 And we don't want to apply this away. 00:05:01.000 --> 00:05:08.000 So if we are excelling in this area that we look down upon others who may struggle in this area. 00:05:08.000 --> 00:05:13.000 Remember the guy that came into the temple, he says, I tithe everything I get. 00:05:13.000 --> 00:05:17.000 And he bragged in his tithing. 00:05:17.000 --> 00:05:20.000 That's not helpful. 00:05:20.000 --> 00:05:24.000 We don't actually know what the right hand is doing. 00:05:24.000 --> 00:05:29.000 But here are seven principles that I want to apply to myself. 00:05:29.000 --> 00:05:35.000 And I pray that you will see that these principles come from the very mouth of Jesus Christ. 00:05:35.000 --> 00:05:39.000 That He is going to instruct us on money. 00:05:39.000 --> 00:05:50.000 And though Christ is not worried about figuring out where the inheritance goes for this man, He was worried about something more important. 00:05:50.000 --> 00:06:02.000 And so don't mistake Christ as not being concerned about how you handle your pocketbook and how you divvy out your finances. 00:06:02.000 --> 00:06:09.000 He's very much concerned because how you handle your money is a indicator of where your heart is. 00:06:09.000 --> 00:06:13.000 It's an indicator of your love and your affection. 00:06:13.000 --> 00:06:17.000 And God is very much worried about your affections in your law. 00:06:17.000 --> 00:06:21.000 So let's apply these seven principles to our life. 00:06:21.000 --> 00:06:25.000 And may the Lord use it to shape us and transform us. 00:06:25.000 --> 00:06:36.000 Because no matter where we're at on this grid or how well we already do these things, we all know that we could do better. 00:06:36.000 --> 00:06:42.000 The first principle that Christ gives us is found in verse 13 and 14. 00:06:42.000 --> 00:06:44.000 If you're taking notes, write this down. 00:06:44.000 --> 00:06:49.000 Don't worry about being defrauded or cheated. 00:06:49.000 --> 00:06:55.000 In other words, don't allow your money to control you, but rather control your money. 00:06:55.000 --> 00:07:02.000 It's easy for your money to grip you and shape you and control you. 00:07:02.000 --> 00:07:06.000 But the Lord says we're to hold our wealth loosely. 00:07:06.000 --> 00:07:08.000 We're steward. It's not actually ours. 00:07:08.000 --> 00:07:16.000 And we don't need to be managed by our money, but rather we need to manage our money. 00:07:16.000 --> 00:07:22.000 Don't allow the pursuit of wealth to drive you or to control you. 00:07:22.000 --> 00:07:24.000 You said, well, Jeff, I don't do that. 00:07:24.000 --> 00:07:26.000 Well, put yourself under this test. 00:07:26.000 --> 00:07:32.000 Maybe you're already good at when you have a surplus and giving some out and helping out someone. 00:07:32.000 --> 00:07:38.000 But how would you do if someone stole your inheritance? 00:07:38.000 --> 00:07:44.000 You thought you were about to receive a windfall. 00:07:44.000 --> 00:07:47.000 You know, this money is about to come to you. 00:07:47.000 --> 00:07:54.000 And before your parents passed away or your father passed away, you loved your siblings. 00:07:54.000 --> 00:07:56.000 And we're not going to fight about this. 00:07:56.000 --> 00:07:58.000 You know, it'll all work out. 00:07:58.000 --> 00:08:11.000 We'll be just fine until a week after the funeral and your older brother or your older sister thinks all of it belongs to him or her. 00:08:11.000 --> 00:08:16.000 Then things change because you feel it's not just about not getting the money. 00:08:16.000 --> 00:08:18.000 It feels I'm getting defrauded. 00:08:18.000 --> 00:08:19.000 I'm getting cheated. 00:08:19.000 --> 00:08:24.000 I'm getting what rightfully belongs to me as being taken away. 00:08:24.000 --> 00:08:26.000 And surely Christ cares about this. 00:08:26.000 --> 00:08:35.000 Surely Christ would stand on my side and He would defend me and He would go and tell my brother or my sister to share the inheritance. 00:08:35.000 --> 00:08:37.000 We see that in verse 13. 00:08:37.000 --> 00:08:45.000 Someone in the crowd said to Him, Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me. 00:08:45.000 --> 00:08:50.000 He just wanted things to be right. 00:08:50.000 --> 00:08:53.000 But Jesus said this is not my concern. 00:08:53.000 --> 00:08:55.000 Look at verse 14. 00:08:55.000 --> 00:09:00.000 But He said to Him, Man, who made me a judge or arbiter over you? 00:09:00.000 --> 00:09:03.000 Why are you coming to me about this matter? 00:09:03.000 --> 00:09:06.000 I mean, if you want to be healed, I'll heal you. 00:09:06.000 --> 00:09:10.000 If you want to know the gospel, I'll preach it to you. 00:09:10.000 --> 00:09:12.000 But this is not why I'm here. 00:09:12.000 --> 00:09:15.000 I'm not here to make sure you get your inheritance. 00:09:15.000 --> 00:09:17.000 I'm not worried about that. 00:09:17.000 --> 00:09:22.000 But it's as if the Lord is saying, I am worried based upon the sermon He's about to preach. 00:09:22.000 --> 00:09:25.000 I am worried about your heart. 00:09:25.000 --> 00:09:33.000 I am worried about your issues of how you think about money. 00:09:33.000 --> 00:09:42.000 And He warns him and all those who are listening, beyond your guard against covetousness. 00:09:42.000 --> 00:09:48.000 That is, I'm not worried about you getting all that you deserve in this life. 00:09:48.000 --> 00:09:50.000 I'm not worried about that. 00:09:50.000 --> 00:09:52.000 If you lose out, that's fine. 00:09:52.000 --> 00:09:53.000 I'm not too concerned. 00:09:53.000 --> 00:09:56.000 You'll be okay. 00:09:56.000 --> 00:10:02.000 But I am worried about you coveting your inheritance. 00:10:02.000 --> 00:10:04.000 I am worried about that. 00:10:04.000 --> 00:10:08.000 You see, it's not a sin to be cheated. 00:10:08.000 --> 00:10:12.000 But it is a sin to covet. 00:10:12.000 --> 00:10:15.000 And that takes me to the second principle. 00:10:15.000 --> 00:10:22.000 First principle is, don't worry about being defrauded when it comes to the world's goods. 00:10:22.000 --> 00:10:26.000 Someone sues you, someone asks for your coat, your jacket. 00:10:26.000 --> 00:10:27.000 Go ahead and give it to them. 00:10:27.000 --> 00:10:31.000 Don't worry about losing out in this world. 00:10:31.000 --> 00:10:32.000 Principle number one. 00:10:32.000 --> 00:10:38.000 Secondly, principle number two, don't covet. 00:10:38.000 --> 00:10:40.000 Don't covet. 00:10:40.000 --> 00:10:46.000 Be on guard, verse 15 says, against covetousness. 00:10:46.000 --> 00:10:50.000 Jesus said to them, take care, I mean, pay special attention. 00:10:50.000 --> 00:10:52.000 Be mindful of this. 00:10:52.000 --> 00:10:54.000 Don't worry about getting your inheritance. 00:10:54.000 --> 00:10:56.000 Don't make that the focus of your thoughts. 00:10:56.000 --> 00:10:58.000 But rather focus on this. 00:10:58.000 --> 00:11:03.000 Take heed and be on your guard against all covetousness. 00:11:03.000 --> 00:11:06.000 Covetousness is a sin. 00:11:06.000 --> 00:11:11.000 It's brought out of jealousy and greed. 00:11:11.000 --> 00:11:17.000 But really, it's a sign of discontentment and unhappiness. 00:11:17.000 --> 00:11:22.000 Solomon said, Ecclesiastes 5, 10, whoever loves money never has enough. 00:11:22.000 --> 00:11:27.000 And whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with income. 00:11:27.000 --> 00:11:32.000 You see, be on guard about discontentment. 00:11:32.000 --> 00:11:43.000 If you're not content with what you have right now, you wouldn't be content if you got your inheritance. 00:11:43.000 --> 00:11:52.000 If what you have is not enough, and I'll make this clear, all of us have enough. 00:11:52.000 --> 00:11:58.000 I mean, all of us are wealthy compared to the average person of the world, especially throughout history. 00:11:58.000 --> 00:11:59.000 You have enough. 00:11:59.000 --> 00:12:00.000 We have enough. 00:12:01.000 --> 00:12:03.000 We have more than enough. 00:12:03.000 --> 00:12:06.000 We all really have surplus. 00:12:06.000 --> 00:12:08.000 We have extra. 00:12:08.000 --> 00:12:19.000 And if we're not content with being so wealthy, then we wouldn't be content if we had twice as much as what we have. 00:12:19.000 --> 00:12:23.000 The problem with covetousness is why we had to be our guard against it. 00:12:23.000 --> 00:12:26.000 It's one of the greatest of all sins. 00:12:26.000 --> 00:12:27.000 It's just a small sin. 00:12:27.000 --> 00:12:29.000 Everybody does it. 00:12:29.000 --> 00:12:34.000 No, it's a great sin because the Bible says covetousness is idolatry. 00:12:34.000 --> 00:12:36.000 Jesus put it this way. 00:12:36.000 --> 00:12:38.000 No one can serve two masters. 00:12:38.000 --> 00:12:43.000 Either he will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one who despises the other. 00:12:43.000 --> 00:12:48.000 You cannot serve both God and money. 00:12:48.000 --> 00:12:58.000 So be careful that you don't covet after money, that that's not your passions or your heart's desire. 00:12:58.000 --> 00:13:06.000 You see, Paul tells us in the Empathy 6.6, Godliness with contentment is great gain. 00:13:06.000 --> 00:13:11.000 For we brought nothing into this world and we cannot take anything out of this world. 00:13:11.000 --> 00:13:15.000 But if we have food and clothing, now that's all of us. 00:13:15.000 --> 00:13:16.000 We have that. 00:13:16.000 --> 00:13:18.000 With these we will be content. 00:13:18.000 --> 00:13:30.000 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plague people into ruin and destruction. 00:13:30.000 --> 00:13:33.000 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. 00:13:33.000 --> 00:13:40.000 It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pinks. 00:13:40.000 --> 00:13:48.000 The Puritan Thomas Burke said, Solomon, from his wealth, then he got good by his wisdom. 00:13:48.000 --> 00:13:56.000 Charles Spurgeon says, it is very difficult for a man to have much money running through his hands without some of it sticking. 00:13:56.000 --> 00:13:58.000 It's a very sticky stuff. 00:13:58.000 --> 00:14:03.000 And once it sticks to the hands, they are not clean in the sight of the Lord. 00:14:03.000 --> 00:14:21.000 Unless a man is able to use money without abusing, accepting it as a talent lit to him and not as treasures given to him, it will very soon happen that the more money he has, the more troubles he will have. 00:14:21.000 --> 00:14:32.000 The reason guard against covetousness, we see in verse 15, the end of verse 15, is because one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. 00:14:32.000 --> 00:14:35.000 That is, God made you for a purpose. 00:14:35.000 --> 00:14:36.000 He designed you. 00:14:36.000 --> 00:14:38.000 He crafted you. 00:14:38.000 --> 00:14:42.000 For his glory, he did not make you simply so you could make you. 00:14:42.000 --> 00:14:46.000 Simply so you can gather possessions. 00:14:46.000 --> 00:14:53.000 Your life doesn't consist of how much stuff you have. 00:14:53.000 --> 00:15:02.000 Hebrews 13, 15 says, make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have. 00:15:02.000 --> 00:15:09.000 For he himself has said, I've never deserted you, I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you. 00:15:09.000 --> 00:15:21.000 You see wealth, your clothing, your car, your vehicles, your home, that doesn't determine your value. 00:15:21.000 --> 00:15:23.000 Your value. 00:15:23.000 --> 00:15:42.000 Now, man may value that and deem you more valuable in their eyes, but God, he doesn't look upon a man and look at the outward appearance and he doesn't look at the possessions and think, oh, this one's more important than another. 00:15:42.000 --> 00:15:48.000 Our value is not determined by our wealth. 00:15:48.000 --> 00:15:57.000 We are not born to simply gather an abundance of possessions. 00:15:57.000 --> 00:16:00.000 So that's the second principle that Christ gives us. 00:16:00.000 --> 00:16:02.000 Guard against covetousness. 00:16:02.000 --> 00:16:16.000 The third principle in his sermon, he gives us illustration, he gives us kind of a parable or story to tell us not to hoard our possessions. 00:16:16.000 --> 00:16:19.000 We see this in verse 16 through 21. 00:16:19.000 --> 00:16:32.000 And he told them a parable saying, the land of a rich man produced plantifully, and he thought to himself, what shall I do for I have nowhere to store my crops? 00:16:32.000 --> 00:16:47.000 And he said, I will do this, I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and all my goods, and I will say to my soul, soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years. 00:16:47.000 --> 00:16:52.000 I mean, you can retire, relax, eat, drink, be merry. 00:16:52.000 --> 00:17:01.000 But God said to him, fool, this night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be? 00:17:01.000 --> 00:17:06.000 So is one who lays up treasures for himself and is not rich towards God. 00:17:06.000 --> 00:17:12.000 Now this is odd financial advice, counterintuitive. 00:17:12.000 --> 00:17:18.000 This is not what you are going to hear when you go sit down at the desk at Edward Jones. 00:17:18.000 --> 00:17:21.000 They are not going to give you an illustration like this one. 00:17:21.000 --> 00:17:27.000 In fact, it is strange because he had bumper crops. 00:17:27.000 --> 00:17:29.000 What is he supposed to do? 00:17:29.000 --> 00:17:32.000 He is going to let the crops rot? 00:17:32.000 --> 00:17:38.000 Is he going to say, I just can't reap all this, I just need to let it go to waste. 00:17:38.000 --> 00:17:41.000 What is he supposed to do? 00:17:41.000 --> 00:17:50.000 Is it not good califold to make good investments and use your wealth to turn it over to build more will? 00:17:50.000 --> 00:18:02.000 And maybe this guy was on the verge of having enough for retirement, but with this bumper crops he could settle the matter and have all that he needed to retire upon. 00:18:02.000 --> 00:18:05.000 Now isn't that good counsel? 00:18:05.000 --> 00:18:12.000 Why did Christ call this man a fool when everybody else would say he was wise? 00:18:12.000 --> 00:18:18.000 Why is he a fool? 00:18:18.000 --> 00:18:22.000 Because he thought of himself and not of God. 00:18:22.000 --> 00:18:26.000 He is rich towards himself and not rich towards God. 00:18:26.000 --> 00:18:30.000 He didn't go, I have more than enough, how can I help the poor? 00:18:30.000 --> 00:18:36.000 He thought, how can I enrich myself even the more? 00:18:36.000 --> 00:18:43.000 He put his desires upon himself in this life and not in the life to come. 00:18:43.000 --> 00:18:47.000 This is a poor investment indeed. 00:18:47.000 --> 00:18:56.000 Remember death ends your retirement fund. 00:18:56.000 --> 00:19:04.000 We gather and gather and gather, we may build bigger and bigger barns, but for what? 00:19:04.000 --> 00:19:10.000 For what? 00:19:10.000 --> 00:19:23.000 Before dying at the age of 40 from stomach cancer, the world famous designer and author, Christa Rodriguez, wrote on her social media account these words. 00:19:23.000 --> 00:19:28.000 I mean this is days before her death. 00:19:28.000 --> 00:19:35.000 I had the most expensive car in the world in my garage, but now I have to use a wheelchair. 00:19:35.000 --> 00:19:38.000 She is 40 years old when she wrote this. 00:19:38.000 --> 00:19:50.000 In my house there are all kinds of branded clothes, shoes and valuables, but now my body is wrapped in a small cloth provided by the hospital. 00:19:50.000 --> 00:19:59.000 I got plenty of money in the bank, but now I'm benefiting from, I'm not benefiting from that amount. 00:19:59.000 --> 00:20:05.000 My house was like a castle, but now I'm sleeping on two beds in the hospital. 00:20:05.000 --> 00:20:12.000 From five-star hotel to now spending time in hospitals moving from clinic to clinic. 00:20:12.000 --> 00:20:21.000 I've been to seven barbers to get my hair done, but now I don't have a hair on my head. 00:20:21.000 --> 00:20:30.000 With a private jet I can fly anywhere, but now I need two assistants to walk to the hospital gate. 00:20:30.000 --> 00:20:39.000 Although there are many foods, now my diet is two tablets a day and a few drops of salt water at night. 00:20:39.000 --> 00:20:48.000 This house, this car, this plane, this fortune, this bank, this excessive fame and glory, none of these things are useful to me. 00:20:48.000 --> 00:20:51.000 None of this will relax me. 00:20:51.000 --> 00:20:56.000 There is nothing real except death. 00:20:56.000 --> 00:21:09.000 You fool, Jesus would say to someone like this, you've gathered this all up and this day your soul is required of you. 00:21:09.000 --> 00:21:12.000 Now who's wiser? 00:21:12.000 --> 00:21:16.000 I've heard of two different men. 00:21:16.000 --> 00:21:20.000 One man was very wealthy in a city not too far from here. 00:21:20.000 --> 00:21:23.000 I just heard this last week. 00:21:23.000 --> 00:21:32.000 That in his office is a secret room, and if you go into that secret room, I haven't seen it but I heard about it. 00:21:32.000 --> 00:21:47.000 You go in the secret room behind his desk or somewhere in his office, it's full of guns and stacks of cash and stacks of gold. 00:21:47.000 --> 00:21:50.000 He's prepared. 00:21:50.000 --> 00:21:57.000 He has what he needs for the zombie apocalypse that's to come. 00:21:57.000 --> 00:22:03.000 I heard of another wealthy man. 00:22:03.000 --> 00:22:21.000 In fact, I know of another wealthy man that gave so much away that he had to push back his retirement and work longer because he gave so much of the way. 00:22:21.000 --> 00:22:29.000 You know John Calvin, John Wesley and Charles Spurgeon all died poor men. 00:22:29.000 --> 00:22:43.000 John Wesley died a pauper with no more than equivalent to today's economy,$2,000 in his account when he had over $6 million that he gave away. 00:22:43.000 --> 00:22:49.000 He built Methodist churches around Britain. 00:22:49.000 --> 00:22:56.000 Charles Spurgeon died with just a little over $100,000 in today's equivalent funds. 00:22:56.000 --> 00:22:59.000 He died with just a little over $100,000. 00:22:59.000 --> 00:23:02.000 He goes, well that's a pretty good stash. 00:23:02.000 --> 00:23:08.000 Well, not when you consider that he gave away $26 million. 00:23:08.000 --> 00:23:15.000 He built the metropolitan tabernacle almost himself with his own funds. 00:23:15.000 --> 00:23:18.000 He didn't take a salary from the church. 00:23:18.000 --> 00:23:28.000 He made so much money through the book sales that he funded orphanages in his own college and gave it all away. 00:23:28.000 --> 00:23:35.000 He was a steward of money that come to him and he would pass it on for the calls of God. 00:23:35.000 --> 00:23:38.000 Now he died with nothing. 00:23:38.000 --> 00:23:45.000 In fact, many men die with nothing and you have some men that die with a fortune. 00:23:45.000 --> 00:23:52.000 Tell yourself, ask yourself, which is wiser? 00:23:52.000 --> 00:23:56.000 So this is the third principle that Christ is giving. 00:23:56.000 --> 00:23:59.000 Don't hoard your wealth. 00:23:59.000 --> 00:24:04.000 Don't just collect it just for yourself. 00:24:04.000 --> 00:24:11.000 The fourth principle that he gives us, we see in verse 21, honor God with your wealth. 00:24:11.000 --> 00:24:18.000 We see this in verse 21, so is the one who lays up treasures for himself and is not rich towards God. 00:24:18.000 --> 00:24:22.000 The fool is the one who is thinking about himself. 00:24:22.000 --> 00:24:29.000 The wise man is the one who is thinking about God, is rich not towards self but rich towards God. 00:24:29.000 --> 00:24:36.000 You see, when it comes to our money, our first priority, our first priority should be the Lord. 00:24:36.000 --> 00:24:39.000 We get some money, what should we think first? 00:24:39.000 --> 00:24:47.000 Not second or third or down the list or hopefully if I have a little left over, I'll help God out or I'll give to God or honor God. 00:24:47.000 --> 00:24:56.000 No, the Bible says in 2 John 8, 18, remember the Lord your God for he who gives you the ability to produce wealth. 00:24:56.000 --> 00:25:07.000 And then Solomon said in Proverbs 3, 9, honor the Lord with your wealth and from the first of all your increase. 00:25:07.000 --> 00:25:19.000 My grandfather, my mother has told me, was take his paycheck, cash it and he would take the percentage out of it that he was going to give the first percentage out of it. 00:25:19.000 --> 00:25:24.000 First thing he would do is take that out of the cash and he put it in a secret spot in his wallet. 00:25:24.000 --> 00:25:52.000 So on Sunday he could take that out of that secret spot and put it in an offering plate and one particular cold day, my mother being a twin and said the twins need a new jackets and my grandmother suggested to my grandfather, well here we have the money in this, you know, you have some money set aside, we could pay the Lord back later, not necessarily steal it from the Lord, but pay that back later, we need the jackets today. 00:25:52.000 --> 00:25:59.000 And my grandfather stood his ground and says, no, I've already given that to the Lord. 00:25:59.000 --> 00:26:08.000 And they leave town and come home without jackets to only find two jackets in the mail. 00:26:08.000 --> 00:26:15.000 Do you not realize keeping your wealth is robbing God? 00:26:15.000 --> 00:26:20.000 Does not what Malachi 3, 8 tells us, will man rob God? 00:26:20.000 --> 00:26:25.000 Yet you are robbing me, but you say, how have we robbed you? 00:26:25.000 --> 00:26:28.000 In your tithes and offerings. 00:26:28.000 --> 00:26:37.000 He goes on to say, bring the full tithe into the storehouse that there may be food in my house, and therefore put me to the test, says the Lord of Hosts. 00:26:37.000 --> 00:26:56.000 If I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you blessings until there is no more need, has God not promised you and I that if we give generously, He will generously bless us? 00:26:56.000 --> 00:27:09.000 There's not Proverbs 11, 24 says, there is one who scatters yet increases all the more, and there is one who withholds what is justly due, and yet it results only in want. 00:27:09.000 --> 00:27:14.000 Spurgeon says many people will always be poor because they never give to the cause of God. 00:27:14.000 --> 00:27:22.000 Proverbs 22, 9 says whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed for he shares his bread with the poor. 00:27:22.000 --> 00:27:31.000 Spurgeon says God has a way of giving by cartloads to those who give away with shovelfuls. 00:27:31.000 --> 00:27:38.000 Jesus put it this way in Luke 6, 38, if you give, you will get. 00:27:38.000 --> 00:27:47.000 Your gift will return to you in full, an overflowing measure, press downs shaken together to make room for more and running over. 00:27:47.000 --> 00:27:55.000 Whatever measure you use to give, large or small, will be used to measure what is given back to you. 00:27:55.000 --> 00:28:08.000 I don't know if we believe that, I have a hard time believing that, as evidenced by my giving little. 00:28:08.000 --> 00:28:20.000 Proverbs 3, 9 tells us to honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops, then your barns will be filled to overflowing and your vats will brim over with new wine. 00:28:20.000 --> 00:28:26.000 Proverbs 11, 25, a generous soul will prosper and he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. 00:28:26.000 --> 00:28:39.000 Well that's Old Testament, well here's what Paul said in 2 Corinthians 9, 6, whoever souls sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever souls bountifully will also reap bountifully. 00:28:39.000 --> 00:28:47.000 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 00:28:47.000 --> 00:29:13.000 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency and all things at all times, you may abound in every good work, as it is written, he has distributed freely, he is given to the poor, his righteousness endures forever, he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. 00:29:13.000 --> 00:29:21.000 You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. 00:29:21.000 --> 00:29:27.000 What Paul is saying, the more you give, the more God will give you to give. 00:29:27.000 --> 00:29:32.000 The goal is not I'm going to give so I can build well for myself. 00:29:32.000 --> 00:29:35.000 That's not the heart and the issue here. 00:29:35.000 --> 00:29:41.000 The more flows out of you, more will flow into you to continue to flow out to you. 00:29:41.000 --> 00:29:54.000 You could be a conduit of giving more and more to the Lord by just stretching what you and I already give. 00:29:54.000 --> 00:30:04.000 You see this is the fourth principle, according to Christ, we are to honor the Lord with our wealth, to be rich towards God. 00:30:04.000 --> 00:30:18.000 Fifth principle we see in verse 22, don't focus or make it your aim, or don't be anxious or overly concerned with becoming wealthy. 00:30:18.000 --> 00:30:30.000 He said in verse 22, and he said to his disciples, therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you put on it. 00:30:30.000 --> 00:30:37.000 Proverbs 24 for says, do not told or acquire well, be discerning enough to desist. 00:30:37.000 --> 00:30:44.000 John 6, 27, do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life. 00:30:44.000 --> 00:30:54.000 First Timothy 6, 9, those who want to be rich fall into temptation and snared by many foolish and harmful desires that plague them into ruin and destruction. 00:30:54.000 --> 00:30:57.000 Don't make it your life focus to be wealthy. 00:30:57.000 --> 00:31:10.000 Don't teach your kids, Christian parents, don't teach your kids that being successful means being wealthy. 00:31:10.000 --> 00:31:13.000 That's not what we are here for. 00:31:13.000 --> 00:31:15.000 It's not the purpose of life. 00:31:15.000 --> 00:31:18.000 And we are not to be anxious about this. 00:31:18.000 --> 00:31:21.000 And real quickly I know you are going to go, what? 00:31:21.000 --> 00:31:23.000 There are six reasons why not to be anxious about money. 00:31:23.000 --> 00:31:30.000 So there are seven principles, there are six reasons not to be anxious or overly concerned about principles. 00:31:30.000 --> 00:31:32.000 Let's run through these six real quick. 00:31:32.000 --> 00:31:37.000 Verse 23, because you were not created to build wealth. 00:31:37.000 --> 00:31:41.000 Look at 23, for life is more than food and body is more than clothing. 00:31:41.000 --> 00:31:52.000 You think Jesus when he came and lived among us, he goes, I just have to have all the designer clothes and I've got to have all this wealth and I need all this stuff. 00:31:52.000 --> 00:32:01.000 You know, why did he say foxes have homes and birds have places to live in, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head. 00:32:01.000 --> 00:32:03.000 Well, he didn't have anything. 00:32:03.000 --> 00:32:11.000 You may think to yourself, well, that's because Christ knew he had a purpose greater than all that. 00:32:11.000 --> 00:32:16.000 Or do you not have a purpose greater than all that? 00:32:16.000 --> 00:32:19.000 Well, that's because Christ knew he was going to die young. 00:32:19.000 --> 00:32:21.000 I mean, he didn't need a retirement. 00:32:21.000 --> 00:32:25.000 He knew he was going to die at an early age. 00:32:25.000 --> 00:32:29.000 Who says you are going to live that long? 00:32:29.000 --> 00:32:33.000 Wait a minute, wait a minute. 00:32:33.000 --> 00:32:38.000 You are going to make it past your thirties, you are going to live into your sixties. 00:32:38.000 --> 00:32:43.000 Okay, that's a long time. 00:32:43.000 --> 00:32:47.000 Oh, wait, no, you will make it into your nineties. 00:32:47.000 --> 00:32:53.000 In the scheme of all eternity, that's just a long time. 00:32:53.000 --> 00:32:56.000 You see, we are not here, but for a moment. 00:32:56.000 --> 00:32:58.000 We are pilgrims. 00:32:58.000 --> 00:33:01.000 We are passing through this world. 00:33:01.000 --> 00:33:06.000 It's not about I am in a tent, you know, and I have to hang the Mona Lisa up in my tent. 00:33:06.000 --> 00:33:08.000 We are just passing by. 00:33:08.000 --> 00:33:11.000 We are not here to collect the stuff. 00:33:11.000 --> 00:33:16.000 We are not here to build bigger barns. 00:33:16.000 --> 00:33:23.000 We are here to serve Christ and use our resources for His kingdom. 00:33:23.000 --> 00:33:27.000 At least this seems to be what Christ is telling us. 00:33:27.000 --> 00:33:35.000 Second reason not to be overly anxious and building wealth, we see in verse 24, consider the ravens they neither sold or reed. 00:33:35.000 --> 00:33:38.000 They neither storehouse nor barn yet God feeds them. 00:33:38.000 --> 00:33:41.000 How much more valuable are you than the birds? 00:33:41.000 --> 00:33:51.000 It's like, well, you know, I need a big pantry and I need multiple deep freezes and I need security. 00:33:51.000 --> 00:33:54.000 I need a retirement fund. 00:33:54.000 --> 00:33:56.000 Well, consider the birds. 00:33:56.000 --> 00:33:59.000 They are not worried about that. 00:33:59.000 --> 00:34:12.000 Charles Spurgeon talks about, in fact, there's an American who is visiting Spurgeon and they were driving in a carriage and Spurgeon looked out the window and said, hey, there's my bank. 00:34:12.000 --> 00:34:15.000 The American looked out the window and says, what bank? 00:34:15.000 --> 00:34:17.000 I don't see a bank. 00:34:17.000 --> 00:34:23.000 All there was was just a little plaque and the plaque read two words. 00:34:23.000 --> 00:34:27.000 Jehovah Jireh. 00:34:27.000 --> 00:34:30.000 My God supplies. 00:34:30.000 --> 00:34:41.000 He says, that is the bank I depend upon for my orphanages. 00:34:41.000 --> 00:34:46.000 Why do we worry about such matters when God has already given you and I a promise? 00:34:46.000 --> 00:34:48.000 I feed the birds. 00:34:48.000 --> 00:34:51.000 I clothe the lilies of the valley. 00:34:51.000 --> 00:34:54.000 I'm going to take care of your deeds. 00:34:54.000 --> 00:35:05.000 The reason we may worry about it is we know we're going to have food in our stomach and clothes on our body, but we're worried about our standard of living. 00:35:05.000 --> 00:35:11.000 We may not have the standard of living that we would want. 00:35:11.000 --> 00:35:14.000 It says, don't worry about this. 00:35:14.000 --> 00:35:23.000 The third reason not to worry, we see in verse 25 and 26, is because anxiety and worry and concern is just a waste of time. 00:35:23.000 --> 00:35:28.000 Verse 25, in which of you being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life. 00:35:28.000 --> 00:35:34.000 If then you're not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? 00:35:34.000 --> 00:35:38.000 Why are you worried about the stock market? 00:35:38.000 --> 00:35:42.000 If there's going to be a recession or not? 00:35:42.000 --> 00:35:47.000 Why are you worried about these matters? 00:35:47.000 --> 00:35:50.000 Your anxiety doesn't change a thing. 00:35:50.000 --> 00:35:59.000 I hear report after report people say, I've watched Fox News for so long and I realize that all it does is make me anxious and nothing changes. 00:35:59.000 --> 00:36:03.000 And now that I've turned off the television, I'm happier. 00:36:03.000 --> 00:36:12.000 Well, don't, I mean this is a wonderful promise that God says to all his children. 00:36:12.000 --> 00:36:17.000 You seek first the kingdom of God and I'll take care of this. 00:36:17.000 --> 00:36:27.000 But you see, forcefully, why we're not to be anxious, about tomorrow and about our future and about our retirement and about security. 00:36:27.000 --> 00:36:30.000 It shows that we don't have faith or we lack faith. 00:36:30.000 --> 00:36:39.000 Look at verse 27, consider the lilies how they grow, they neither toil nor span, yet I tell you, even Solomon, all of his glory was not a raid, like one of these. 00:36:39.000 --> 00:36:48.000 But if God so clothes the grass which is alive in the field today and tomorrow he is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you? 00:36:48.000 --> 00:36:53.000 Oh, you of little faith. 00:36:53.000 --> 00:37:02.000 You see, are you worried about the down economy, the falling value of the dollar, the real possibility of recession? 00:37:02.000 --> 00:37:05.000 Are you worried about the future of your financial stability? 00:37:05.000 --> 00:37:12.000 And maybe you're not giving or you can't give as much or you're worried about giving because you're worried about all these things. 00:37:12.000 --> 00:37:13.000 What does Jesus say? 00:37:13.000 --> 00:37:17.000 Oh, you of little faith. 00:37:18.000 --> 00:37:25.000 Fifth, don't be anxious because all that does is take your focus off the kingdom of God. 00:37:25.000 --> 00:37:34.000 You see, unbelievers are the ones that give their attention and their worry to financial security and matters of that matters of wealth. 00:37:34.000 --> 00:37:45.000 Verse 29, and do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink nor be worried, for all the nations of the world seek after these things. 00:37:45.000 --> 00:37:47.000 That's what they worry about. 00:37:47.000 --> 00:37:51.000 But second, God already knows you need these things. 00:37:51.000 --> 00:37:54.000 It says, and your father knows that you need them. 00:37:54.000 --> 00:37:56.000 He knows what you need. 00:37:56.000 --> 00:37:58.000 He's got you. 00:37:58.000 --> 00:38:01.000 He's promised to take care of you. 00:38:01.000 --> 00:38:11.000 Rather, when we're worried about this, it keeps us from worried about what God does want us to worry about and that his kingdom, his mission. 00:38:11.000 --> 00:38:17.000 Verse 31, instead, seek the kingdom, his kingdom, and these will be added to you. 00:38:17.000 --> 00:38:25.000 You know, you go work on the front lines, battle in the war, fight. 00:38:25.000 --> 00:38:29.000 God says, if you're fighting on the front line, I'm going to keep the supply chain coming to you. 00:38:29.000 --> 00:38:31.000 I'll keep you fed. 00:38:31.000 --> 00:38:33.000 I'll keep you clothed. 00:38:33.000 --> 00:38:35.000 You just worry about fighting. 00:38:35.000 --> 00:38:39.000 You worry about why you're here and do that. 00:38:40.000 --> 00:38:42.000 Six is one of the most. 00:38:42.000 --> 00:38:44.000 This is the last reason not to be anxious. 00:38:44.000 --> 00:38:47.000 It is the most glorious. 00:38:47.000 --> 00:38:50.000 You're already rich as can be. 00:38:50.000 --> 00:38:56.000 Why are you worried about becoming wealthy when you're already filthy rich? 00:38:56.000 --> 00:38:58.000 Look at verse 32. 00:38:58.000 --> 00:38:59.000 Fear not. 00:38:59.000 --> 00:39:02.000 Don't be anxious about what you're going to eat or drink, little flog. 00:39:02.000 --> 00:39:07.000 For it is your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 00:39:07.000 --> 00:39:11.000 I mean, God says I'm going to give you everything. 00:39:11.000 --> 00:39:14.000 You're going to have wealth untold. 00:39:14.000 --> 00:39:16.000 I'm going to give you all of it. 00:39:16.000 --> 00:39:19.000 I've already made you joint heirs with Christ. 00:39:19.000 --> 00:39:21.000 You're a brother and sister with the Lord. 00:39:21.000 --> 00:39:26.000 You're the son and daughter of God. 00:39:26.000 --> 00:39:28.000 It's an argument from the greater, the lesser. 00:39:28.000 --> 00:39:34.000 If he's going to give you the world, if he's going to give you riches, he's going to give you eternal life and heaven and everything you can imagine. 00:39:34.000 --> 00:39:38.000 You're not going to make sure you have food and clothing. 00:39:38.000 --> 00:39:40.000 So don't worry, little flog. 00:39:40.000 --> 00:39:46.000 It is God's good pleasure to give you everything. 00:39:46.000 --> 00:39:51.000 So this is the fifth principle that Christ gives us about wealth. 00:39:51.000 --> 00:39:54.000 Don't be overly focused on it. 00:39:54.000 --> 00:39:58.000 Six. 00:39:58.000 --> 00:40:00.000 Oh, this one's good. 00:40:00.000 --> 00:40:04.000 This is where it gets very practical. 00:40:04.000 --> 00:40:08.000 According to Christ, exchange God's wealth. 00:40:08.000 --> 00:40:15.000 That is what you merely steward because none of you own anything in this life. 00:40:15.000 --> 00:40:18.000 You're just stewards. 00:40:18.000 --> 00:40:20.000 You own nothing. 00:40:20.000 --> 00:40:22.000 Hey, we're all on the same playing field. 00:40:22.000 --> 00:40:24.000 We're all equally broke. 00:40:24.000 --> 00:40:29.000 Now we have the joint heirs with Christ and we're going to have everything given to us. 00:40:29.000 --> 00:40:34.000 And this life, we have nothing. 00:40:34.000 --> 00:40:36.000 We'll keep nothing. 00:40:36.000 --> 00:40:43.000 We're just stewards of God's talents, God's wealth. 00:40:43.000 --> 00:40:52.000 So we'll steward it well. 00:40:52.000 --> 00:41:00.000 We're to take what doesn't belong to us and exchange it for possessions that will never be taken away from us. 00:41:00.000 --> 00:41:06.000 Now, he starts by giving us the craziest of all the council. 00:41:06.000 --> 00:41:15.000 You thought, you know, the council of this story about a guy that wanted to invest his crops and build bigger barns was crazy. 00:41:15.000 --> 00:41:18.000 This is definitely not what we do. 00:41:18.000 --> 00:41:29.000 We don't want to hear from Edward Jones or even so much from any financial advisor. 00:41:29.000 --> 00:41:32.000 You're worried about tomorrow? 00:41:32.000 --> 00:41:34.000 Do this. 00:41:34.000 --> 00:41:37.000 Sell your possessions. 00:41:37.000 --> 00:41:39.000 I want my inheritance. 00:41:39.000 --> 00:41:41.000 Hey, I'm not worried about your inheritance. 00:41:41.000 --> 00:41:43.000 If you get it, don't get it. 00:41:43.000 --> 00:41:46.000 But I'll tell you this, you should sell what you have. 00:41:46.000 --> 00:41:49.000 Look at verse 33, sell your possessions. 00:41:49.000 --> 00:41:51.000 What kind of califel is this? 00:41:51.000 --> 00:41:53.000 Liquidate. 00:41:53.000 --> 00:41:57.000 Liquidate, not build bigger barns. 00:41:57.000 --> 00:42:00.000 How about decreasing? 00:42:00.000 --> 00:42:04.000 That seems so counterintuitive. 00:42:04.000 --> 00:42:08.000 What would you do if you decrease sell your stuff into what? 00:42:08.000 --> 00:42:10.000 Give to the needy. 00:42:10.000 --> 00:42:15.000 Give to those who don't have as much. 00:42:15.000 --> 00:42:22.000 Now, you might want to think of this council as hyperbole. 00:42:22.000 --> 00:42:28.000 You know, when Jesus says, if your hand offends you cut it off, your eye offends you pluck it out. 00:42:28.000 --> 00:42:29.000 Well, that's hyperbole. 00:42:29.000 --> 00:42:30.000 Well, maybe this is hyperbole. 00:42:30.000 --> 00:42:31.000 Sell your possessions. 00:42:31.000 --> 00:42:35.000 We'd like for that to be hyperbole, so I don't plan on selling anything. 00:42:35.000 --> 00:42:36.000 I don't want to sell anything. 00:42:36.000 --> 00:42:39.000 And remember, this is not a command. 00:42:39.000 --> 00:42:43.000 This is council. 00:42:43.000 --> 00:42:47.000 I'm not here saying all of us need to start selling our stuff. 00:42:47.000 --> 00:42:48.000 This is just council. 00:42:48.000 --> 00:42:50.000 In fact, it's wise council. 00:42:50.000 --> 00:42:56.000 When you think of eternity, it's wise. 00:42:56.000 --> 00:42:59.000 Because this is what he says. 00:42:59.000 --> 00:43:02.000 Sell your possessions and give to the needy. 00:43:02.000 --> 00:43:04.000 And this is why. 00:43:04.000 --> 00:43:08.000 Provide yourself with muddy bags. 00:43:08.000 --> 00:43:13.000 Some translations, purses, or other translations say treasures in heaven. 00:43:13.000 --> 00:43:20.000 I mean, sell what you have and get real well. 00:43:20.000 --> 00:43:29.000 Teaching us, exchange what really doesn't belong to you for things that will belong to you. 00:43:29.000 --> 00:43:32.000 Nothing we have is eternal. 00:43:32.000 --> 00:43:34.000 We brought nothing in this world. 00:43:34.000 --> 00:43:39.000 We're going to carry absolutely nothing out of this world. 00:43:39.000 --> 00:43:43.000 Nothing. 00:43:43.000 --> 00:43:47.000 Everything we do own is waxing old. 00:43:47.000 --> 00:43:50.000 I mean, everything is in the long run. 00:43:50.000 --> 00:43:55.000 I like to think I have some things that I appreciate in value. 00:43:55.000 --> 00:44:00.000 I mean, I think my house is appreciating in value, especially with inflation. 00:44:00.000 --> 00:44:07.000 But ultimately, you take enough time, you know, I just take about enough time going by. 00:44:07.000 --> 00:44:12.000 My house is going to depreciate eventually. 00:44:12.000 --> 00:44:21.000 In fact, everything is going to wax old. 00:44:21.000 --> 00:44:29.000 Why not take what doesn't belong to us and exchange it for something that can never be taken away from us? 00:44:29.000 --> 00:44:30.000 This is what it says. 00:44:30.000 --> 00:44:40.000 Jesus said, provide for yourself money bags that do not grow old, with treasures in heavens that do not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. 00:44:40.000 --> 00:44:44.000 I think this is the lesson of the unjust steward. 00:44:44.000 --> 00:44:49.000 The unjust steward is another parable that Jesus says that gives a couple of chapters later. 00:44:49.000 --> 00:44:53.000 And the unjust steward is a man that knows he's going to lose his job. 00:44:53.000 --> 00:44:58.000 And he takes what doesn't belong to him unjustly, by the way. 00:44:58.000 --> 00:45:05.000 And forgives everybody's debt so that he can secure himself a better future, a job, when he loses his job. 00:45:05.000 --> 00:45:09.000 Now, Christ is not commending the unjustness of those actions. 00:45:09.000 --> 00:45:11.000 That's pretty sinful behavior. 00:45:11.000 --> 00:45:17.000 But he is commending the person taking what doesn't belong to him and securing a better future. 00:45:17.000 --> 00:45:19.000 And that's pretty wise. 00:45:19.000 --> 00:45:27.000 And he says the children of this world are wiser than the children of the kingdom. 00:45:27.000 --> 00:45:34.000 Luke 16, Jesus says, for the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. 00:45:34.000 --> 00:45:45.000 And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails, as all money will fail, they may receive you into eternal dwelling. 00:45:45.000 --> 00:45:52.000 One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. 00:45:52.000 --> 00:46:01.000 If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust you to true riches, those real moneybags? 00:46:01.000 --> 00:46:07.000 And if you have not been faithful in that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own? 00:46:07.000 --> 00:46:14.000 No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one in love the other, or he will be devoted to the one in despising the other. 00:46:14.000 --> 00:46:18.000 You cannot serve God and money. 00:46:18.000 --> 00:46:24.000 This is why Jim Elliott says he is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose. 00:46:24.000 --> 00:46:29.000 That is no foolishness. 00:46:29.000 --> 00:46:32.000 No foolishness. That is why. 00:46:32.000 --> 00:46:42.000 If we were wise, now this is not commands we're not going to go around and say, if you sold your possessions or how much money you're giving, but if we were wise, we would be generous. 00:46:42.000 --> 00:46:45.000 We would stretch ourselves. 00:46:45.000 --> 00:46:56.000 Over the years I've tried to collect various things that I think appreciate in value. 00:46:56.000 --> 00:47:10.000 And so you take $500 every now and then and take it from the cash, put it into some physical object, precious stones or precious actually metals. 00:47:10.000 --> 00:47:15.000 And so you're putting and buying silver here. 00:47:15.000 --> 00:47:19.000 I wish I could afford gold, but I can't buy a little silver here. 00:47:19.000 --> 00:47:23.000 Hopefully buy a little silver there and you do it in a way you never lose. 00:47:23.000 --> 00:47:25.000 You never miss the money, right? 00:47:25.000 --> 00:47:28.000 It's like, well, I wasn't going to miss that $100 or $500. 00:47:28.000 --> 00:47:37.000 I'm just as it's kind of collecting there, I just kind of transfer it there that the silver just hopefully grows. 00:47:37.000 --> 00:47:59.000 You know, that sounds pretty cool and all, but I thought to myself, how much wiser would have been for all the money I put in silver to have put it in to the church coffers or to give to the needy, to give to the poor. 00:47:59.000 --> 00:48:11.000 You know, if we, you know, that money is if you just just kind of let it shovel over to the kingdom of God and to the needs that you see. 00:48:11.000 --> 00:48:17.000 I mean, you say, well, I'm going to miss it. I need that money. 00:48:17.000 --> 00:48:20.000 Do you know how long forever is? 00:48:20.000 --> 00:48:24.000 And I don't understand what money bags are in heaven. 00:48:24.000 --> 00:48:26.000 I don't understand what treasures in heaven are. 00:48:26.000 --> 00:48:29.000 I don't understand that. 00:48:29.000 --> 00:48:37.000 But what we can't keep turns into that which we cannot lose. 00:48:37.000 --> 00:48:43.000 Oh, if we just follow Christ's counsel, we would be wise. 00:48:43.000 --> 00:48:46.000 This brings me to the last piece of counsel found in verse 34. 00:48:46.000 --> 00:48:50.000 We're bringing this sermon to a conclusion here. 00:48:50.000 --> 00:48:52.000 And I think this is the heart of the whole matter. 00:48:52.000 --> 00:49:00.000 He ends his sermon with kind of getting to the heart of the issue because it's not about the value amount of what we give or we can afford to give. 00:49:00.000 --> 00:49:04.000 This is nothing about if it's ten dollars or ten billion dollars. 00:49:04.000 --> 00:49:06.000 That's not the issue. 00:49:06.000 --> 00:49:09.000 It's the heart that Christ is worried about. 00:49:09.000 --> 00:49:18.000 So the seventh and final principle that Christ gives us is place your affections on things above. 00:49:18.000 --> 00:49:23.000 Verse 34 says, for where your treasure is, there were heart be also. 00:49:23.000 --> 00:49:25.000 You see, this is a heart issue. 00:49:25.000 --> 00:49:33.000 Where you spend your money is the biggest indicator, one of the biggest indicators, that in your time, which is your resources. 00:49:33.000 --> 00:49:40.000 Where you spend your time and money is the indication of where your heart is. 00:49:40.000 --> 00:49:44.000 You can look back over your life and kind of evaluate your checkbook. 00:49:44.000 --> 00:49:46.000 I mean, I don't have a checkbook. 00:49:46.000 --> 00:49:50.000 Those are long gone for anybody my age or younger. 00:49:50.000 --> 00:49:56.000 But you can go back and look at your bank account and evaluate how you spent your money over the years. 00:49:56.000 --> 00:49:58.000 You can see your affections change. 00:49:58.000 --> 00:50:01.000 When you're small kids, you had a little extra money. 00:50:01.000 --> 00:50:03.000 You go to Walmart and buy toys. 00:50:03.000 --> 00:50:06.000 So toys was where your hearts were located. 00:50:06.000 --> 00:50:10.000 Then it goes when you're teenagers, you start buying clothes. 00:50:10.000 --> 00:50:15.000 Then you get older and older, almost in your twenties, you start thinking about your cars and vehicles. 00:50:15.000 --> 00:50:17.000 You put all your money in that. 00:50:17.000 --> 00:50:21.000 Then finally, you get a little bit wiser, you start thinking about your homes and your houses. 00:50:21.000 --> 00:50:23.000 Then after you get a house, you think, well, maybe I need more land. 00:50:23.000 --> 00:50:27.000 You start buying land or build your business a little bit more. 00:50:27.000 --> 00:50:29.000 Your heart and your affections are changing. 00:50:29.000 --> 00:50:32.000 You get older, you're like, I'm not too worried about clothes anymore. 00:50:32.000 --> 00:50:38.000 I've got to close the, you know, kind of like, hopefully you get a point where it's not about what I wear. 00:50:38.000 --> 00:50:41.000 It's not indication of my wealth or my status. 00:50:41.000 --> 00:50:44.000 I need to actually spend my money more wisely. 00:50:44.000 --> 00:50:52.000 You start seeing things, shh, and you start, then you get my age and older, you start, well, I've got to start thinking about retirement. 00:50:52.000 --> 00:50:54.000 I wish I would have thought about that when I was younger. 00:50:54.000 --> 00:51:02.000 But now I'm thinking about it a little too late, you know, and you start thinking about that. 00:51:02.000 --> 00:51:08.000 It's only on your death bed that you start thinking about laying up treasures in heaven. 00:51:08.000 --> 00:51:09.000 We shouldn't wait. 00:51:09.000 --> 00:51:15.000 You know, you hear of people that they're on their death bed and they've collected all this wealth and they disperse it, not throughout their life. 00:51:15.000 --> 00:51:21.000 They wait until they're about dead when they realize, I don't need this anymore. 00:51:21.000 --> 00:51:23.000 My kids don't need it. 00:51:23.000 --> 00:51:25.000 In fact, I want my kids to have it. 00:51:25.000 --> 00:51:29.000 Then they start thinking about how can I prepare myself treasures in heaven. 00:51:29.000 --> 00:51:31.000 I hear about that quite a bit. 00:51:31.000 --> 00:51:35.000 In fact, I know one guy that built two churches because he thought he was going to die. 00:51:35.000 --> 00:51:39.000 Then he started going to church, got diagnosed, and terminal cancer. 00:51:39.000 --> 00:51:40.000 He thought he was going to die. 00:51:40.000 --> 00:51:41.000 He gave a lot of money to the church. 00:51:41.000 --> 00:51:42.000 They built a new church. 00:51:42.000 --> 00:51:43.000 And then he got better. 00:51:43.000 --> 00:51:45.000 He didn't die, so he quit going to church. 00:51:45.000 --> 00:51:48.000 You know, I was like, like, yeah, you get right on your death. 00:51:48.000 --> 00:51:51.000 But now let me think about the next lie. 00:51:51.000 --> 00:51:57.000 But see, I want your kids, children, the smallest of us. 00:51:57.000 --> 00:52:02.000 Don't wait until you have a career to start thinking, I need to give to the Lord. 00:52:02.000 --> 00:52:10.000 If you have an allowance, even if it's a dollar a week or dollar a month, how do I honor the Lord with that? 00:52:10.000 --> 00:52:14.000 How do I invest for all eternity with what I have? 00:52:14.000 --> 00:52:29.000 If you can be faithful with just a little, God might give you a raise in your allowance so that you can be more generous and more because, you know, where you spend your money is going to be where your heart is. 00:52:29.000 --> 00:52:44.000 And the reason we're buying all this stuff, you know, we buy yard sales and storage sheds tell us that we buy too much stuff that we really don't need or want. 00:52:44.000 --> 00:52:45.000 What a shame. 00:52:45.000 --> 00:52:47.000 I mean, let's rebuke myself. 00:52:47.000 --> 00:52:54.000 What a shame that we have surplus of stuff and we just buy more stuff. 00:52:54.000 --> 00:52:58.000 And what a shame, you know, that, well, I don't waste my money. 00:52:58.000 --> 00:53:01.000 What a shame if you just put in the bank. 00:53:01.000 --> 00:53:05.000 Seriously, you're just collecting so you can die. 00:53:05.000 --> 00:53:12.000 What a shame. 00:53:12.000 --> 00:53:14.000 Take your heart not in this world. 00:53:14.000 --> 00:53:17.000 You say, don't put your heart in this life. 00:53:17.000 --> 00:53:19.000 This is not the life that we're seeking. 00:53:19.000 --> 00:53:21.000 This is world is not our whole. 00:53:21.000 --> 00:53:23.000 This is not where our love should be. 00:53:23.000 --> 00:53:29.000 But, you know, where love is, think about Christ and his calls and his purposes, his kingdom. 00:53:29.000 --> 00:53:31.000 Think about heaven. 00:53:31.000 --> 00:53:34.000 You know, that is where your affections are. 00:53:34.000 --> 00:53:37.000 That's where you're going to put your treasures. 00:53:37.000 --> 00:53:39.000 Where your treasure is, that's where your heart is. 00:53:39.000 --> 00:53:46.000 And if your heart is on Christ, it'll be easy to give. 00:53:46.000 --> 00:53:48.000 It'll be easy. 00:53:48.000 --> 00:53:55.000 Clausius tells us, if things have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 00:53:55.000 --> 00:54:00.000 Set your minds and your affections on things that are above, not on the things of the earth. 00:54:00.000 --> 00:54:09.000 If you have died and your life is hidden with Christ and God, when Christ who is your life appears then, then you will appear with Him in glory. 00:54:09.000 --> 00:54:13.000 That is what we're shooting for, eternity. 00:54:13.000 --> 00:54:18.000 So lay out treasures in heaven. 00:54:18.000 --> 00:54:25.000 And the more we give to God, the more our affections will rise up towards God. 00:54:25.000 --> 00:54:28.000 Closing. 00:54:28.000 --> 00:54:34.000 Children start now, poor people, as if they were poor among us. 00:54:34.000 --> 00:54:37.000 But there are poor people. 00:54:37.000 --> 00:54:44.000 There are some of us, like myself, you, some of us are the lower end of things, maybe. 00:54:44.000 --> 00:54:46.000 This applies to us. 00:54:46.000 --> 00:54:50.000 Remember the widower who gave a might. 00:54:50.000 --> 00:54:55.000 Don't think, well, this applies to wealthy. 00:54:55.000 --> 00:54:57.000 This applies to all of us. 00:54:57.000 --> 00:55:01.000 Remember, as I started this, this functions out of the Gospel. 00:55:01.000 --> 00:55:03.000 We don't earn our way to heaven. 00:55:03.000 --> 00:55:05.000 We don't buy our way to heaven. 00:55:05.000 --> 00:55:19.000 This is not something we have, if we fail, we know the Gospel forgives us and we've been unwise and we have motivation out of the love of Christ to give. 00:55:19.000 --> 00:55:27.000 So maybe the Lord help us look at these seven principles and say, this is an amazing sermon or counsel. 00:55:27.000 --> 00:55:33.000 This is, if you would, financial counsel from the book. 00:55:33.000 --> 00:55:37.000 Let's pray. 00:55:37.000 --> 00:55:51.000 Lord, we are thankful for that Christ moment to instruct us how to view our money, how to view our possessions. 00:55:51.000 --> 00:55:59.000 Lord, increase our faith in eternity, in Your Word, in Your promises. 00:55:59.000 --> 00:56:14.000 And use us as conduits, as good stewards of the wealth that You have invested or You have temporarily given us to steward. 00:56:14.000 --> 00:56:17.000 For this we pray for Your name's sake. Amen. 00:56:17.000 --> 00:56:19.000 . 00:56:19.000 --> 00:56:21.000 Thank you.