How to Handle Money

August 25, 2004

"No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold
to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”
– The Lord Jesus Christ (Luke 16:13)

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”The thing that was most transforming for me personally was [when I started] to understand that
everything that has ever run through my hands belongs to God, and once I take that perspective- that God
is the owner- then I look a little further into God’s Word and ask ‘What’s my responsibility?’”
– James Wise, author of Five Steps to Financial Freedom: Money Management Made Easy.
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Scripture Focus: Matthew 6:19-21 “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth
and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves
treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break
through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

INTRODUCTION
The subject of money is probably one of the most difficult to deal with in the church because
people are generally possessive and private when it comes to how they handle money.
But no matter how private we would consider our thoughts and actions relating to money, Jesus
Christ made this a very public issue. In fact, He dealt with the subject of money more often than
He did the subjects of Heaven and Hell combined.
Jesus knew that money is a very powerful force; and He knew that His Church would need
guidance in understanding what the proper attitude toward money and possessions should be and
how we should handle our monetary affairs.
It is often easy for people to rationalize or explain away or even ignore certain subjects because
there may not be a wealth of information in the Bible about that subject, however, we will soon
see that Scripture is full of teaching about money – teaching that is clear, consistent, and radical.
All that is required for us is to learn it, understand it, and obey it. So, let’s take a look at what
God has to say about money.
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Be Content with having your needs met – Beware of Materialism

Being envious or jealous of another’s wealth, or constantly desiring to have more for possessions
or money is sin. The tenth of the Ten Commandments instructs us, “Thou shalt not covet…”
• Hebrews 13:5 "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such
things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”
 • Proverbs 23:4-5 “Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom. Wilt thou set thine
eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as
an eagle toward heaven.”
• 1Timothy 6:8 “And having food and raiment let us be therewith content”
Desiring to have more that what we already have is a vicious cycle of destruction and lust. The
man who is not satisfied with what he has will never be satisfied, even if he gets more. The
Preacher wrote in Ecclesiastes 5:10 “He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he
that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity.”
• Psalm 37:7, 6 “Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of
him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.”
“A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked.”
• Luke 3:14 “And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do?
And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content
with your wages.”
Contentment is the foundation of good money management.
The Test of Riches and the Test of Poverty
If poverty is accompanied by physical dangers, prosperity is accompanied by spiritual dangers.
God will often move us through both for the purpose of testing us.
• 1 Samuel 2:7 “The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up.
• Proverbs 30:8b-9 “…give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for
me: Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’ or lest I be poor, and steal,
and take the name of my God in vain.”
• Philippians 4:11b-13 “…for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be
content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all
things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.
I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Will We Follow if Jesus Asks Us to Enter Poverty For a Season?

Let’s say that you had a vision, and God spoke directly to you and told you that you would be
entering a season of poverty, but not to worry, for it was from Him and He would see you through
it. You would probably deal with that pretty well, right? How would you handle it if the Lord
called you to a season of hard times?
Consider the man in this next passage of Scripture…
Mark 10:17; 21-23 “And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and
kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?”
“ Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way,
sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and
come, take up the cross, and follow me. And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved:
for he had great possessions. And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How
hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!
Is it possible, if not probable that with all of his contacts and experience the young man in this
passage of Scripture would not have remained poor for long. Yet, even though he undoubtedly
had social advantages, he was still unwilling to obey Christ.
We must realize that good and bad times come from God, whether directly or indirectly. Our
responsibility is to be content and trust Him no matter the circumstance.

The Risks of Wealth...

• No eternal life for those who trust riches for security - Luke 9:25 "For what is a man
advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?

• No fruit from the Christian to offer to God - Mark 4:18-19 "And these are they which
are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, and the cares of this world, and the
deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it
becometh unfruitful.
• Money can insulate us from God - Have you ever noticed that many people have more
confidence in money than they do it God to provide them with security? Money, and all
that it affords, easily takes control of us, masters us, and becomes a “god" to us. We dream
of and cling to money because we don't want to be totally dependent on God.

Job 31:24-25,28 "If I have made gold my hope, or have said to the fine gold, Thou art my
confidence; If I rejoiced because my wealth was great, and because mine hand had gotten
much…” “This also were an iniquity to be punished by the judge: for I should have denied
the God that is above.”
Loosening Our Grip
The formation of the Church of Jesus Christ brought a radical change to living for those who
followed Jesus.
• Acts 2:44-45 “And all that believed were together, and had all things common; and sold
their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.”
• Acts 4:32, 34-35 “And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one
soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own;
but they had all things common.” “Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as
many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the
things that were sold, and laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made
unto every man according as he had need.”
God calls all believers from every age to let avoid possessiveness. We must be willing to let go of
any thing (and everything!) if and when God calls us to do so. Notice what Jesus thought about
being possessive…
 • Luke 14:33 "So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he
cannot be my disciple.”
• Luke 6:30 "Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods
ask them not again.”

Jesus Gives Investment Advice...

Invest without expecting a return.
• Luke 14:12-14 "Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a
supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbors;
lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee. But when thou makest a
feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind: And thou shalt be blessed; for they
cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.”
• Luke 12:15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's
life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.
• Luke 12:33 “Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old,
a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth
corrupteth.”
Dying with the most toys does not mean we win!
• Luke 12:16-21 “And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich
man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do,
because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull
down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And
I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease,
eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be
required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that
layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
• Psalm 49:16-17 “Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, when the glory of his house is
increased; for when he dieth he shall carry nothing away: his glory shall not descend after
him.”
Now that you know...
Matthew 7:24-27 “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will
liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the
floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded
upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be
likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the
floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of
it.”
Learning the dangers of materialism and the proper way to view money management is not
enough – the result must be action. Begin today to practice what the Bible teaches by
tithing faithfully and giving to others as often and as much as possible!