Markers of Maturity - Money

Series: Markers of Maturity

Maturity moves us from ownership to stewardship. and finds hope in God not riches.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Lord, we thank you today for your word. We thank you that it is such a beautiful gift to us. Lord, I pray today that as you speak to us, Lord, that I would decrease and you would increase. Lord, I pray that you would push down anything that is my idea or my agenda, God. And raise up your agenda, your truth. Elevate yourself above me, Lord. As I just say, Lord, I want to be a vessel today. Would you use me? Would you speak to your people? Holy Spirit, would you awaken the word in our hearts today? We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Good morning, everybody. How are we doing?

SPEAKER_01 0:47

Good.

SPEAKER_00 0:48

Well, good. I've been trying to get out of today, you know. I'm not gonna lie. I really have all over the last few weeks, you know. I feel like the Lord had placed a word on my heart to bring, and I'm like, get behind me, Satan. No. Um, and then I began to explore it a bit. I'm like, no, Lord, Lord, no, I don't think you want me to speak on that. I think that's definitely one that Matt would bring. Um, definitely not me, but still, still there. And I said, Oh no, no, it's Pentecost Sunday. So surely we'll you know, we'll preach something, you know, get acts and preach. No, no, no. That like I've given you this word for today. And even this morning, even this morning, you can ask Ruth and Matt, I'm going, Are you sure, Lord? Like, do you know it reminded me of the um the crafty serpent in the garden? Are you sure are you sure the Lord said that? You know, the little prods. And I'm even saying to Matt and Ruth this morning, ah, like maybe, maybe it's not for today, you know, but actually, just in the worship this morning as well. God's like, No, I need you to stand up firm, bring the word that I've put on your heart to bring. Um, my word will not return void. Um and you'll understand a bit more when I tell you what I'm preaching on, right? Because it's probably the topic that makes people squirm the most out of all things we're gonna talk about. As we're in this series of markers of maturity, I'm gonna talk about money. On Pentecost Sunday, I'm gonna talk about money. I don't want to, but I'm going to because the Bible talks about money a lot, doesn't it? Jesus talked about money a lot, and we can't ignore that, we can't push it to one side. And honestly, today is not, I'm not even talking about giving or generosity that much. That's next, that's next week if I do it too far. Um it's about our heart around money, right? Our maturity around money, and um, I don't know what comes up for you when I say, Oh, we're gonna talk around money, whether that feeling inside's like, oh, here we go, here we go. Church just talks about money all of the time. Church just wants more of my money. What's church even doing with my money anyway? Like, oh, I don't really trust like where I'm giving money to. Like, if you've ever had any of those thoughts, yeah, I have. And you know, we do um an offering encouragement every single week. And I'd be lying if I said the church doesn't use money. God partners with us, like Matt said. But that's not why I'm bringing this word today. We're not taking an offering after this. This is not to guilt trip anybody, it's not about seeing the church bank account numbers go up, it's not about the church getting more, it's not about twisting your arm. Don't do that. It's about something so much more important, it's about our spiritual growth, our maturity in Christ, the condition of our heart, our relationship with God, and relationship with money. So, are you with me?

SPEAKER_01 4:02

Are you sure?

SPEAKER_00 4:06

Okay, would you turn in your Bibles with me to Luke 12, verse 13 to 21? I'm just gonna try and make this a little bit bigger. There we go. And Jesus tells the story, tells a parable of the rich fool, which many of you have probably heard. And um, Jesus is about to rebuke a man, all right, who's called out to him from the crowd, and he's asking Jesus to solve a dispute that he's having with his brother about a family inheritance. And just before this, Jesus has been speaking to his disciples and telling them to avoid the yeast of the Pharisees, who love money, by the way, it says in Luke 16. So Jesus actually, in the previous chapter, is like ripped into the Pharisees. He has really called them, and then he's moved outside, starts to speak to his disciples on some pretty heavy stuff, and then a man calls out to him. Verse 13 says, Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me. Can you imagine Jesus? I just think, I mean, he must be the most patient man. Like, you know, when you sit at home and you have a really good chat with your kids, and you're like, you know, guys, we are a family that shares, we are a family that puts one another first, and then two minutes later they start arguing over whose turn it is to have the TV remote, and you're like, oh, and I sometimes wonder in this moment is Jesus like, come on. Um but in first 14, Jesus replies, Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you? Then he said to them, Watch out, be on your guard against all kinds of greed. Life does not consist in an abundance of possessions. He told them this parable. The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops. Then he said, This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones. There I will store my surplus grain. And I'll say to myself, You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said to him, You fool, this very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself? This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich towards God. Hard one to read. Which takes me on point one. Maturity shifts us from ownership to stewardship. Maturity shifts us from ownership to stewardship, because everything we have, everything belongs to him. Right? Psalm 24, verse 1 says, The earth is the Lord's and everything in it, and all who live in it. Psalm 15, 9 to 12 says, I have no need of a bull from your stall, or of goats from your pens, for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird in the mountains, and the insects in the fields are mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world is mine and all that is in it. We've got to remind ourselves, haven't we, that actually every single thing, everything that we have belongs to the Lord. But the rich fool didn't understand this at all. He yields an abundant harvest, and what does he say? He says, What shall I do? What shall I do with my stuff? I have no place to store my crops. This is what I'll do. I'll tear down my barns, I will store my surplus grain. Hmm. And do you know? Of course, this man, clearly a farmer, cultivates the soil, he's working hard. It's not to say that he's not putting any effort in. Remember that partnership I talked about? He's putting work in to cultivate the soil, and he's you know playing his part. But who created his hands? Who supplied the seed in the first place? Who bought the rain? Who made the sun shine for the harvest to grow? And like maybe you're here as well this morning, and maybe you're thinking, well, I know what you're saying, I know that you know, but is everything really God's? Like I I've I work really hard for my job. I'm not saying me, I'm saying that's what we can say, right? And oh, I've studied really hard the amount of money that I've poured into my education, the early alarms. You don't want to know what time Matt's alarm goes off every morning, wakes me up. Anyway, that was a side note. But the early mornings I get up and the late evenings that I that I have in the office, the stuff I've sacrificed, like it's it's my paycheck, my house, my car, my stuff, my body, it's all mine. 1 Corinthians 6. This I don't have this scripture, Jess, but um verse 19 says, Do you not know that your bodies are a temple, are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God. You are not your own. You were bought at a price, therefore honour God with your bodies. Everything belongs to him. It's him that put breath in our lungs. He wired our brains to do what we can do. He purposed each and every one of us to be here alive today with the skills that you have for such a time as this. He knew exactly when you were going to be here on the earth, but all comes from him, all belongs to him. You know, if we flip back, um, about 1400-ish years earlier to the book of Deuteronomy, Moses warns the Israelites about something quite similar because for 40 years they've been in the wilderness in that harsh, barren, desert environment, and they had to trust God for daily bread. Every single day they had to trust God to provide everything that they needed. But Moses knew what was going to come next. He knew that they were about to cross the Jordan into a completely different season, come out of the wilderness into the promised land, a land flowing with milk and honey, going from a season where they had just enough to survive into a place of abundance. Can I read to you from Deuteronomy 8, 6 to 18? This is what Moses says to the Israelites. Observe the commands of the Lord your God, walking in obedience to him and revering him. For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land with brooks, streams, and deep springs gushing out into the valleys and hills, a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil, and honey, a land where bread will not be scarce, and you will lack nothing. A land where the rocks are iron, and you can dig copper out of the hills. When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the excuse me, for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws, and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build the fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large, and your silver and gold increase, and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud, and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. He led you through the vast and dreadful wilderness, that thirsty, waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions, he brought you water out of hard rock. He gave you manna to eat in the wilderness, something your ancestors had never known to humble and test you, so that in the end it might go well with you. And listen to verse 17 and 18. You may say to yourself, My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me. But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors as it is today. We have a generous father, don't we? We have such a generous father, he wants to bless us, he likes to give good gifts to his children, and the blessing isn't the problem. The blessing isn't a problem. God brought the Israelites out of this place, he provided the promised land for them. Just like the Lord provided the abundant harvest for the rich fool. Right? The harvest wasn't the problem, the abundance wasn't the issue, the paycheck isn't the problem, the promotion isn't the problem, the beautiful home, the car that you love isn't a problem. What becomes a problem is when we think it's all down to us and that it all belongs to us, and that it's all for us to store up in our barns, our pens. You still with me? Sure?

SPEAKER_01 13:46

Yeah, great.

SPEAKER_00 13:47

Right. How do we then protect our hearts around this? Shall we look?

SPEAKER_01 13:52

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 13:53

Awesome. Number one, remember the Lord your God. Praise your the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget. We need to remind ourselves often, don't we, who the owner is, who the provider is. Doesn't mean we can't enjoy things, buy things, doesn't mean we can't enjoy the things money can bring. But it means we don't forget where it came from in the first place. That we are a steward of all that God has blessed us with. What might that look like? The business is taking off, the business is growing. Thank you, Lord, that the finances are looking better. Have your way, Lord. Thank you for this home. Thank you, Lord, that we have a safe place to sleep at night, a roof over our heads. I want to make it a wonderful place for my family, but I know it belongs to you, Lord. Thank you for providing this home for me. Have your way. The car might be on its last legs. I could really use a new vehicle, Lord. But I'm gonna take care of this one. I'm gonna steward this one well, the one you've given to me until you provide another. This is yours, Lord. You know, some of you in the room, I really believe that the Lord is bringing you into a season of abundance. He's bringing you into a season where there's gonna be more poured in, whether that's through business taking off, or you know, a promotion or wherever, wherever that might come from, there's gonna be a fresh harvest in your life. But remember, be on guard, remember the Lord your God, remember where that came from, stay faithful and be a good steward. And I know that some of you in this room, you are in a wilderness in terms of your finances, and things are feeling really, really hard. And I don't want to downplay that at all. We're gonna talk about that a little bit more later. Whether we have a little or a lot, the pressure is off when we know and trust and believe that he is our provider, Jehovah Jireh. We can trust in him whether we have a little or a lot, and we can steward the things that he gives us. Alright, should we go to the next point to help us be on guard against that greed that can creep into our heart, challenge the checklist mentality? Because it's easy, isn't it, as Christians to look at the rich fool, right? And go, I'm so glad I'm not like him. It's just me that'll do that, not you. Well, I'm so glad I don't store up everything for myself, you know. I I contribute, I give, I contribute to my local church, I contribute. I like to think that I'm generous. I don't hoard 100% of my income in a big barn, all for me. But the Lord really challenged me on this a few years ago, where he said, you know, Judith, I know that you're contributing and I know that you're giving, but it's still like, is your heart really in it? Because honestly, it's like you're paying, you pay your tithes, you pay your you give your offering, you give that bit to God, and then you use the rest of the money that you have left like the rich fool. I was like, oh really? And I had to think about it, I was I was letting my my giving go out by stand and order, which is what I'd chosen to do. But that was it, like I just knew that bit was taken care of, right? And then I was just me, myself, and I with the stuff that was left. You know, this is something Jesus rebuked the Pharisees with in Luke 11. Woe to you, Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, roux, and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone. Oh so easy, isn't it? To like pay the God, think pay the God bill. Think I've done that bit, I've been faithful in that bit, like the rest is mine. It's so easy, and I just felt like the Lord had to remind me, like, no, no, no, I I don't want your money. Don't want your money, don't need your money. I want you, I want your heart, don't want your money. I don't want you to pay me a monthly bill, I want you to be generous, I want you to live a generous life and steward everything that I give to you. You know, something that I did practically, and it doesn't mean you have to do the same, is I shifted from letting that come out, come out of my bank account, my giving, as a as a stand in order, to actually physically logging on every time God gave me money and given a portion back to him in the moment, physically. And I'm not saying that's everyone has to do that, but that just really helped me to like worship the Lord in that moment. That was just something practical that helped. Um, which leads me on to point two. Honestly, I've got about seven different points, so this could be multiple messages, but it's not meant to be a series on money, and you you might not come back next week. Um so because I don't have long left either, I'm gonna move on to number two. Maturity finds hope in God, not riches. Maturity finds hope in God, not riches.

SPEAKER_01 19:28

Come on.

SPEAKER_00 19:30

1 Timothy 6 17 says, Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant, nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain. But to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Oh, this one should help us relax, shouldn't it? Shouldn't it? The first one's like, oh, this one's like, oh no, like our hope is in him. That should encourage us, that should help us relax. You see, the rich fool placed all of his hope in his wealth and his possessions. He had so much that he was like, I can just take it easy. Life's made. I can eat, drink, and have a grand old time, the pressure's off. But God said to him, You fool, this very night your life will be demanded from you, and then who will get what you have prepared for yourself? See, he had a false sense of security, financial freedom. Do you not think like if he was alive today, like he would have his own Netflix documentary? Self-made millionaire, wouldn't he? Be on the front cover of Forbes magazine or a million followers on TikTok. Because the world would look at him and think, what a successful guy. What a brilliant. And I'm not saying that he hasn't worked hard, right? But he missed the point.

SPEAKER_01 20:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 20:48

Because his bank account and his stuff and his possessions were his saviour. Our saviour is the Lord. Look at how that turned out when we don't make God the centre. Money's good, right? Saving is good, budgeting's good, being prepared is good. Ask Andy, right? I'm sure he will tell everybody to have an emergency fund. Andy told everyone, he's told us to have an emergency fund. By the way, if you're looking for someone to help you with your finances, Andy is your guide. Awesome. Amazing. To have someone, a good, godly man, help and speak into your life around finances. What a blessing. He's amazing. Um, and the Bible encourages us to be diligent, right? Proverbs 21:5 says, the plans of the diligent lead to profit, surely as haste leads to poverty. So spending money is not bad, saving money, being prepared at diligence, right? The Lord, the Lord wants to bless us with money, He wants us to be able to use it for His glory, right? I want to take my kids on holiday, that's okay. But it's not where our hope is, it's not where our soul finds rest. The rich fool. In his stuff, that's where he was trying to find rest for his soul. We can't trust in our riches. Proverbs 11, 28 says, Those who trust in their riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf. It's hard though, isn't it? Especially when so many of us in this room are facing different financial situations. I look around this room and I know there's some of you, and I know some of the financial situations that you're walking through, and there'll be some that I don't know. And I know some of the situations where you've had to make incredible sacrifices for your family and for your children, and to be obedient to what God's asked you to do. So can I encourage you with the word of God? I am only halfway through, so this is going to be like five-part series. Right, let me read to you from Luke 12, 22 to 31. Then Jesus said to his disciples, Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear, for life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens. They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn, yet God feeds them. And how much value much more valuable are you than birds? Who of you, by worrying, can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? Consider how the wildflowers grow, they do not labour or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, you of little faith? And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink, do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. Amen, amen. All right, so like I said before, God doesn't say, Don't plan, don't budget, don't have an emergency fund. That would be irresponsible. What does he say? Quickly. Number one, he says, do not worry. It's easier said than done, isn't it? Do not worry. Okay, but this is where we do. We have to rely and speak the word of God. Consider the ravens, they do not sow or reap, but they have no storeroom or barn, yet God feeds them. How much more will he do for me? How much more will he clothe me? You know, just like God fed the Israelites with fresh manna from heaven every single day. Let's remind ourselves that He will give us our daily bread. He's going to give us what we need. The Lord will provide. Number two, don't set your heart on it. If I can just earn this much money, then things will be okay. If I can just get this extension built on my house, or I can just afford that that next house, then everything will be okay. Then our family will finally be settled and happy. Jesus isn't saying don't earn more money, don't not buy a new house. He says don't set your heart on it. Don't let your bank balance be the thing that consumes your very being. Don't let your financial status be the thing that defines your worth. Don't try and find true contentment in your riches. Because money's great, but it cannot satisfy our soul. Successful business will not satisfy your soul. Come and talk to me, I'll tell you a story personally about how I learned that. It sounds really obvious, doesn't it? But actually, when you get pulled in, it's amazing when we don't guard our hearts against this stuff, the lies that can creep in. Psalm 145 says that he satisfies the soul of every living thing. He says, I am the bread of life. Okay. Am I alright for a few more minutes? Number three, learn to be content. Bear with me. Because I know you're thinking, great, because if it was just about saying, I'm content, I'd be content by now. But Paul says, learn to be content. He says in Philippians 4 12, I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I've learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well-fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or want, I can do all this through him who gives me strength. It's a process, isn't it? Like Paul writes this from prison. Amazing. But he says, I've learned. So isn't just instantly being able to do it. And he also says in verse 13, I can do all this through Christ who gives me strength. Paul isn't learning to be content in his own strength. It's not willpower. He's not like, come on, just be content. No, no. Through Christ. Maturity means stepping away from that hustle of the flesh and stepping into the effortless sustaining power of the Holy Spirit. It's the Holy Spirit that's going to help us in these times to be content. It's not by our willpower. Invite him in. Invite the Holy Spirit into your situation. And the last one, if Gav wants to come back, seek first his kingdom. Seek first his kingdom. Because it's easy, isn't it? Like, especially if things are tricky, it's really easy to focus on finance very heavily, isn't it? And to think, I've got to go after that, I've got to go after that, because that's what's gonna, you know, that's what's gonna rescue my situation. And actually, sometimes when we've got a lot, that can become very Moorish as well. So whether whichever situation, maybe it's somewhere in the middle, it can still pull us in. But he says, seek first the kingdom of God, and then everything else will be added. So whether you are in a season of struggle or abundance, can I read to you Romans 12 from the message? I think this is probably my favorite scripture. Place your life before God, it says. So here's what I want you to do: God helping you take your everyday, ordinary life, your sleeping, eating, going to work, and walking around life and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for Him. Don't become so well adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of maturity. God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you. You know, God cares about our hearts so much, which is why He talks about money so much. Because the two we we cannot separate. And there are so many other things that I could go into because the Bible talks about this topic so much, about being generous and our giving, and and that can that will come in time. I will bring that next part of the message. But I just want to speak to hearts this morning in the room, and I don't know where you're at when it comes to your relationship with money, because it can be a really tricky thing. So I just wonder if we could just close our eyes just for a moment. Is he saying anything specific to you when it comes to your heart? When it comes to priorities, when it comes to your finances, you know, God doesn't want us to live like monks or with nothing, or he wants to bless us, but he also wants you to live a life that's free. And he wants us to live a life that's free from the love of money. Where our contentment is found in him, where we rely on him for every single thing, where we lift up our eyes to the hills and know and know, no, no where our help comes from. So whether you're in a season right now and it's really tough, I really don't want to belittle that. You know, sometimes we do walk through those seasons where we have to change things, don't we? And live a bit differently, but we can hold on to his promise that he is Jehovah Jireh. He will provide, he will break through, he will bring what you need, he will pour out everything that you need for this season. And maybe you're here, and like I said before, some of you in this room, you're gonna step into a season of abundance. There's gonna be a ripe harvest. Businesses are gonna take off, businesses are gonna flourish and grow, promotions are gonna come, God is gonna entrust you with more money. There are people in this room, God is gonna pour that blessing into your life. And he says, Thank you for being so faithful with your finances. Please keep on being faithful, be on God, remember where it came from. Remember where it came from, continue to honor me. I just want to pray for you. Lord, I thank you that you care so much about the condition of our heart. And Lord, we just ask right now, would you just invade our hearts? Invade our finances, Lord. We say this morning it's all yours. Because we don't just want to sing empty words from our lips saying, You are the center of it all, or you are Lord of all when actually we haven't made you Lord of all. So we say again today, Lord, you are king in our lives, and that means you are king over everything. So would you help us, Father, as we rely on the Holy Spirit? Would you help us learn to be content in every circumstance? To put you first and seek your kingdom in every single situation. We thank you, God. We thank you that you are a generous Father. I wonder if we could just take a moment to just center on Him.