Becoming Money Wise

​Stewardship 3                                                                                                LSB #’s 902, 851, 842
Text – Luke 16:13
 
Becoming Money Wise
 
 
This is the final sermon of the stewardship emphasis, Living Wisely in an Unwise World.  The text reads: “No servant can serve two masters,  for either he will hate the one & love the other, or he will be devoted to the one  & despise the other.  You cannot serve God & money.” 
The almighty God comes to us through His Word to give us wisdom.   In what area of life do you think we need the most wisdom?   What causes the most tension, anxiety, stress & problems within families, marriages, communities, churches & governments?  The answer quite often is  the love of money. 
Hundreds to thousands of time a day,  you & I are faced with making decisions,  many of which relate to money.  In this election season, I get at least three texts messages per day  asking for money.  You have to decide if you buy coffee at Starbucks or Tim Horton’s or  not at all.  Should we buy gas  or should we give an offering to God? 
So much of life revolves around money.  However, we are blessed that God’s Word gives insight & wisdom  so we can be money wise.  Some of that will be considered today.  The Bible has over 2,000 verses that relate in some way to money & possessions.  Scripture is full of warnings about the misuse of money.  Paul tells us:
“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils.”  (1 Timothy 6:10a ESV)    He adds, “As for the rich in this present age,  charge them not to be haughty,  nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.  They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous & ready to share.”  (6:17-18 ESV) 
Jesus said, “Take care, & be on your guard against all covetousness,  for one’s life does
not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”  (Luke 12:15 ESV)   A list of verses would not be complete without a couple from the book of Proverbs.  In verses 13-14, of chapter three  we read, “Blessed is the one who finds wisdom,  & the one who gets understanding,  for the gain from her is better than gain from silver  & her profit better than gold.” 
In Proverbs 8, “Take My instruction instead of silver,  & knowledge rather than choice gold,  for wisdom is better than jewels, & all that you desire cannot compare with her.”  (8:10-11 ESV)   Proverbs 22:9 reads, “Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor.”     That tells us  the Lord blesses the hands of the generous. 
In order for you & me to become money wise,  we need to acknowledge that God is the owner of everything  including  our money.   Our perspective on ownership does affect our attitude toward money.  If we view it all  as our own,  rather than belonging to God, we will use it very differently  than if we acknowledge that it all belongs  to Him. 
Psalm 24:1 clearly states that God is the sole  owner  of all things: “The earth is the Lord’s, & the fullness thereof,  the world & those who dwell therein.”  (ESV)   Spiritual life goes better if we remember that we are stewards, entrusted by God with the goods He  has given to us.  How you look at the ownership of money is pivotal,  because it is so desirable. 
Will you acknowledge God’s ownership & control?   Do you see yourself as a steward, not an owner?   Does your life give evidence  to what you say?     Because money & material things can become sources of pride & self-sufficiency, you can easily live with the attitude that you are in control, even while following the ways of the world & your own desires. 
In fact, having money & possessions can deceive you into believing that nothing is more important than owning things & enjoying the stuff that money can buy.   If the love of money controls your heart, God is pushed aside, & you will endanger your eternity with Him.  Like the Rich Young Ruler (Luke 18:18-30), you will walk away sadly, unable to part with your money  so that God may have first place in your life.  Only through faith in Christ as your Lord & Savior can you understand & take to heart the words of Deuteronomy 8:17-18:
“Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power  & the might of my hand  have gotten me this wealth.’  You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He Who gives you power to get wealth…”  (ESV)   God is not only the owner of everything,  He even gives you the desire & the ability to work & earn a living. 
Another key to becoming money wise  is to make plans for spending,  saving  & giving.  H. Stanley Judd wrote, “A good plan is like a road map: it shows the final destination &  usually marks the best way to get there.”   As we never go on a long trip without directions, we should not try to manage our money  without a plan. 
A common phrase puts it bluntly: “If you fail to plan,  you plan  to fail.”    Whether God gives you little or lots  of money, responsible planning is vital.   It enables you to accomplish more with the money God entrusts to you.  Proverbs 16:3 says: “Commit your work to the Lord, & your plans will be established.”  (ESV) 
You can plan with confidence  because God will always be with you   to bless & watch over the plans you have committed to Him.  “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.”  (Proverbs 16:9 ESV) 
The Reverend John Wesley shared these wise & helpful words regarding money, “Earn as much as you can,  save as much as you can,  invest as much as you can,  & give as much as you can.”  Though Pastor Wesley served the church more than 250 years ago, those thoughts are as relevant today as they were then. 
We honor God when we put our abilities & talents to work in our vocation.   When we
spend less than what we make, we put ourselves in position to save money.  By God’s grace, we understand the importance of giving our time & our money to the Lord.   By giving, we express our gratitude to God for Who He is &  for what He has done for us through Jesus.   Whether or not our church needs our money,  God created you & me with a purpose & with a need  to give. 
St. Paul wrote, “On the first day of every week,  each of you is to put something aside & store it up…”  (1 Corinthians 16:2 ESV)   Jesus said, “…It is more blessed to give than to receive.”  (Acts 20:35 ESV)   We are to give on a regular basis as we are blessed   & it is God’s grace  that enables us to give our best  to Him.  When you feel you can’t give generously, Jesus responds:
“Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’   For the Gentiles seek after all these things, & your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.  But seek 1st the kingdom of God & His righteousness,  & all these things will be added to you.”  (Matthew 6:31-33 ESV) 
With God’s help, we can become money wise.  Seeking His wisdom, power & guidance, we can control our money before it controls us.  We’ve heard about our need to acknowledge God as the source & owner of money.  We highlighted the importance of planning.  A money- wise person saves diligently & invests wisely. 
As God’s people, we faithfully return to Him a proportionate amount of our income   to our church & to people in need.  To save regularly & give generously,  takes discipline in our spending.  It should be obvious that the key to being money wise is to spend less than we make. 
If we are disciplined in spending, & make sacrifices, we’re likely to meet our needs & the needs of those who depend on us.   If God blesses you with additional income,  do you remain disciplined & refrain from spending more  just because you have more to spend?   Understanding that our goal is giving to God first,  & saving second,  we seek to control our spending.   If it’s out of control, our goals won’t be met & our giving & saving will be minimal.  Lifestyle choices are a major factor in how much we spend. 
God does not list the specifics regarding what we should own,  & there is tremendous diversity among Christians on how they spend their money.   If we have comfortable homes & new cars, we can serve & love the Lord just as faithfully as someone who lives in poverty.  God does not condemn being rich, but He speaks against the self-centered attitude wealth can cause. 
However, if our lifestyles are wasteful or overly self-indulgent, we are violating God’s plan for our stewardship.  There is nothing wrong with being wealthy, but Jesus warns in Mark 8:36 NIV, “What good is it for a man to gain the world, yet forfeit his soul?” 
Because of sin,  all of us are unable to follow God’s wisdom regarding our money  as we should.  Bible study, prayer, using our spiritual gifts, serving & loving others – we don’t do any of that very well,  yet  God still loves us.   In spite of our wrong choices & sinful ways, God does not love us any less. 
Christ died for all of our sins, including poor money management & lack of generosity.  Each day we receive  a clean slate.    The Bible says, “But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners,  Christ died for us.”  (Romans 5:8 ESV)   Jesus effected the redemption of all mankind in that act of sacrifice.  Therefore, we now count ourselves:
“…dead to sin & alive to God  in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:11 ESV),  & the Holy Spirit working through God’s Word & Sacraments  continues His work of sanctifying us.   As we grow as disciples who seek to follow God’s wisdom, we understand more & more  what God has done for us in Jesus.  We see the infinite love of God that allows the death of His Son on the Cross. 
Through God’s love for us, we are prompted by the Holy Spirit to respond by sharing the resources that God has given us  in order to help meet the needs of others.  Because of Christ, we aim to control our sinful nature.  We are different & transformed people who,  by God’s grace,  strive to be money wise.  May our Lord give to us the joy of wanting to honor Him with how we view, spend, save, manage & give our money.  In the name of Jesus, Amen. 
 
 
Lord of glory,  You have bought us  with Your lifeblood as the price,  never grudging for the lost ones that tremendous sacrifice;  & with that have freely given  blessings countless as the sand  to the unthankful & the evil  with Your own unsparing hand.    Grant us hearts, dear Lord, to give You gladly,  freely of Your own.   With the sunshine of Your goodness  melt our thankless hearts of stone  till our cold & selfish natures,  warmed by You,  at length believe  that happy & more blessed ’Tis to give  than to receive.  Amen.  LSB 851:1-2.