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Biblical Attitude Toward
Money
Dr. Marc A. Graham, Director
Biblical Counseling Center of Southeast
Michigan
(This material was
presented at a Couples Retreat with Evangel Baptist Church, Taylor,
MI.)
Introduction:
A. The subject of money is a very
important theme in the Scriptures. Why?
1. Because the love of money and the
deception that happiness can be found through possessions is a
fundamental instinct of our fallen flesh.
2. The nature of sin---the
fundamental drives of the flesh: (1 John 2:16)
a. The lust of the flesh (desire for
pleasure).
b. The lust of the eyes (desire for possessions).
c. The pride of life (desire for popularity).
B. Therefore, more verses of the
Bible are devoted to the subject of money than to faith and prayer
combined (2, 350 verses).
C. Jesus taught more on the subject
of money/possessions than He did on the subjects of Heaven and
Hell.
1. 15 percent of Christ's recorded
words are devoted to the subject.
D. Noteworthy judgements of people
by Jesus, based on how they used their money.
1. Jesus' judged the reality of
Zaccheaus' salvation by his willingness to part with money (Luke
19:9).
2. The Rich Young Ruler, on the
other hand, proved that he wasn't saved by his love of money and
unwillingness to give to the poor (Matt. 19:16-30).
3. The poor widow who gave all that
she had (the Widow's Mite) is regarded by Jesus as a wise woman
(Mark 12:43-44).
4. On the other hand, we have the
rich man who built bigger barns to store more wealth called a
short-sighted fool by Jesus (Luke 12:20-21).
I. Asceticism: Is there
something noble and righteous about poverty?
A. Money is not inherently
evil.
1. Money is fundamentally a
convenient instrument for trade.
B. Israel was commanded by God to
celebrate feasts to recognize and rejoice in His material provision
(Deut. 16:13-15).
C. Asceticism can be an attempt to
win favor with God or man.
1. Jesus condemned the Pharisees for
attempting to impress the people with their public self-denial of
giving, prayer and fasting (Matt. 6:1-18).
D. The issue is not money or wealth,
but the "love of money." (1 Tim. 6:6-10).
E. Ascetics often condemn others for
choosing a different lifestyle.
F. Scripture says the ideal state is
somewhere between poverty and riches. (Prov. 30:8-9).
G. Think about it---it would be
disastrous if every believer dropped out of society and stopped
making money.
II. Materialism: Are earthly
possessions the key to real happiness?
A. Strict definition of materialism:
"…a theory that physical matter is the only or fundamental
reality and that all being and processes and phenomena can be
explained as manifestations or results of matter." (Webster's New
Collegiate Dictionary).
1. A secondary definition flowing
from above: "A doctrine that the only or the highest value or
objectives lie in material well-being and in the furtherance of
material progress."
2. In short, a materialist is a
practicing Evolutionist. He/she believers and or lives as though
there is no eternity, no spiritual realm----this world is all there
is to it. So eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die (go out of
existence)!
B. Materialism began in the Garden
of Eden when the first man and woman chose to follow their
appetites rather than God. (Gen. 3:1-8).
C. Materialism results from a
failure to realize that we were made for only one person (Jesus
Christ) and for only one place (Heaven). Anything less than this
cannot bring us true happiness. (1 Cor. 10:31; Col.
1:15-18).
D. The stupidity of materialism:
"What doth it profit a man if he gain the whole world but lose his
own soul, and what would a man give in exchange for his soul?"
(Matt. 16:26).
E. The danger of materialism: "For
where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." (Matt.
6:19-21).
1. It involves idolatry, which God
hates.
2. It entices our hearts down a path
that can never satisfy. (Jer. 2:11-13).
3. The law of diminishing returns:
the more you feed an appetite the more it wants. You will never own
enough to make you happy.
4. It causes our hearts to grow
proud. (Ezk. 28:4-5). It leads to elitism.
5. It spawns independence and
self-sufficiency.
6. It obsesses us with the
temporary, which is passing away and blinds us to true riches.
(Matt. 13:44).
7. It turns our hearts away from
God. (Matt. 6:24).
F. A case study in true wealth: The
Rich Man in Hell and the Beggar Lazarus. (Luke
16:19-31).
Am I a materialist?
1. Test: Are there material
possessions that I believe I could not be happy without, were they
to be taken away?
2. Test: Would I be willing to give
up everything I have in order to follow Christ?
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