April 13, 2008 Sermon Notes

Pastor Marty Grubbs -- April 13, 2008
“The Gift of Money”
Life Strategies series, part three

“You cannot serve both God and money.” –Jesus in Matthew 6:24

When it comes to the subject of money, there is one question we all must answer.

Do you have money, or does money have you?

 

Let’s look at two confusing statements made by Jesus:

1.  The story of the rich young ruler. -Luke 18:18-23

Confusing statement:  “Sell everything you have …”

The lesson?

a. He had money, but the money had him.

 

 

2.  The story of the rich man and a camel. -Luke 18:24-27

Confusing statement:  “... it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

The lesson?

a. Jesus changes our attachment to things into a love for treasures in heaven.

b. You have money, but Jesus has you.

 

 

“But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing
into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.”         I Timothy 6:6-7

 

 

A morning thought...

In this world, it is sometimes difficult to recognize the power of ownership. For once I own something, it then owns me. I become responsible for it. Money is the commodity that most often affords me the opportunity to own what my heart desires. But it is the emotional, the mental, and the personal need to have and to hold it that destroys. To use money wisely, to hold it lightly, and to share it kindly with God and others brings honor to the person, as well as those who surround him/her. There is no law against generosity, and knowing how to take care of oneself while serving others has its own rewards and fulfillments.

The Aramaic term for wealth is “mammon” and Jesus condemns it as a rival of God: “No servant can serve two masters; for he will either hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon” (Luke 16:13). Eugene Peterson translates this last statement to read: “No man can serve both God and the Bank.”  When I am serving God, the bank takes its proper place.

—George R. Skramstad