Treasuring Jesus and His Mission Together
August 29, 2007 6:32 pm BlogsOn Sunday my father-in-law and our church’s financial administrator, Gary Warkentin, gave an introduction to our service on comparing cultural worlviews of money to the bibical gospel worldview. This week we take a break from the “Developing the Disciplines” blog series to summarize his talk on Treasuring Jesus and His mission.
1. Faith and Financies are Connected
Matthew 6:20-21 “…lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
The normal cultural conception is to think that what you do with your money has nothing to do with God. But Jesus in this passage puts money (treasure) at the heart mankind’s pursuit and desire of heaven and happiness.
2. Wealth is not our Security
Matthew 6:25-26
“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”
For most of us who live in the U.S. having enough money, i.e. “financial stability” is the goal or source of one’s security. Here, Jesus puts our security not in our money but in our trusting the heavenly Father, that He is the Father and that He does care for us and will care for us.
3. We are Stewards of our Possessions not Owners
Psalm 24:1
“The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein.”
The main cultural tendency is to think that money is ours, because we work to earn it, and thus the things we buy are ours because we used the money we worked for to buy them. The Bible here teaches that everything is his and that how we work and how we buy is a stewardship of God’s work and wages. We are to work hard and spend wisely so that God will be pleased with what we have done with his labor and his money.
4. Possessions are Eternal not Temporal
Matthew 6:19-20
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.”
Cultural tends to value certain items very highly: expensive cars, TV’s, clothes, etc. Jesus says here that all those things will lose their value so we should seek after the treasure which lasts, the treasures of heaven…the things which glorify God.
5. Give Rather than Accumulate
Acts 20:35
“In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
2 Corinthians 9:6-7
“The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
Culture tends to emphasize that what you get is what makes you happy. New things. New experiences. But the Bible’s perspective that it is much more enjoyable to give to a person(s). Giving is the Bible’s main paradigm for how we are to look at our money, we are to be a giving people.
Application
Some may have been burned by churches that seemed like they were only after your money and sadly sometimes that may be the case. However, the biblical guidline is not dependent on select indivudals abuses but on God. Giving in the Old Testament was a tithe or ten percent, which can be a good guidline for us today in how much you regularly support Jesus church and mission.
Jim Elliot the famous missionary said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose.” If you want to know how you are doing on these things just take a look at your checkbook or think about what Jesus would see if he looked as well. Praise God for his grace which changes us and grows us up into him who is our perfect head.
May God continue to bless The Resolved Church as we attempt to treasure Jesus and His mission together by realizing that faith and financies are connected, that wealth is not our security, that we we are stewards and not owners of our money and things, that we are first and foremost to seek eternal possesions not temporary ones, and lastly, that we are to be a giving people.
Thanks to Gary Warkentin for those great insights and that consise theology of money. As many of you know we are entering our make it or break it year with the church plant. So I encourage all of you to invite whoever you can think of to come and partner with us in the plant together. In addition, if you can think of any individuals who do not live in San Diego but would like to help support the church financially, I am sending our a support letter to several of our family and friends and you are welcome to send it out as well. CLICK HERE to read and/or print our the letter.
Much love to you all,
-Pastor Duane