Harvest Pointe Christian Church, Milford Ohio is a non-denominational Christian Church (Church of Christ) on the Eastside of Cincinnati OH

Keeping Possessions in Perspective | Series: Money Wise | 01-03-10

Keeping Possessions in Perspective
Series: Money Wise

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Billy Graham once said, "If a person gets his attitude toward money straight, it will help straighten out almost every other area of his life."

Today we are beginning a series entitled, Money Wise. Perhaps no other issue creates more personal stress, splits more marriages, alienates more friends, motivates more crime and stimulates more sinful behavior than money.

That's probably why there are over 2,000 verses in the Bible that discuss our attitude toward possessions. That's why the Bible contains 5 times as many references about our use of wealth as it does about the subject of prayer. That's why Jesus spoke more about money than he did about Heaven and Hell combined.

God wants us to get our attitude toward possessions straight. That's why Jesus told us in Matthew 6:19-21, "19Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, … 20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, … 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." That's why He said in Luke 12:15 "… 'Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.'" What we do with the things God has given us is very important to the Lord. That's why we're going to talk about it this month.

Now, you can relax because this is not a series simply on giving, but rather a series on our attitudes towards our use of our resources. This is what the Bible calls stewardship. How we manage our money is a spiritual matter and we all need to be reminded about what the Bible has to say about the subject.

The book of Proverbs is a great place to gain wisdom about the management of money. Proverbs is the accumulation of wise sayings mostly from King Solomon. And who better to learn from than the wealthiest, the wisest man who ever lived? Especially when we remember that what he wrote was inspired by the Holy Spirit. So this month we're going to study selected Proverbs and a few verses from the book of Ecclesiastes, which is a spiritual autobiography of Solomon.

Today we're going to think about "Keeping Possessions in Perspective." Because in God's economy the necklace you wear, the car you drive, the home you live in are just temporary things. But your baptism into Christ, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, your relationship with the Lord are eternally priceless.

But most people in our culture put an overemphasis on money and things. It's hard not to exaggerate the value of things when you live in a culture that assesses a person's importance by their net worth. The people around you every day are talking and thinking about money constantly. TV stations run a continual scroll of stock prices. Advertising stimulates a desire to have more and more. Credit makes it so easy to accumulate things we can't afford. Money is the bottom line interest for most people in the world.

But Christian people are told in Scripture, not be conformed to this world. And nowhere is that counsel more needed than in our attitude toward things. Most of us Christians make a conscientious effort to be different in speech, in moral values, in worship habits; but we are so much like the world in our daily attitude toward things.

First of all this morning,
I. Be alert to the dangers of money.

Now, the first step in becoming wise about money is to develop a godly perspective of things. So let's begin by seeing the dangers of money.

Danger # 1: The desire for possessions can stimulate evil desires and evil behavior.

Proverbs 1:10-11, 13-16, 18-19. "10 My son, if sinners entice you, do not give in to them. 11 If they say, 'Come along with us;  let's lie in wait for someone's blood, let's waylay some harmless soul; …13 we will get all sorts of valuable things and fill our houses with plunder; 14 throw in your lot with us, and we will share a common purse'- 15 my son, do not go along with them, do not set foot on their paths; 16 for their feet rush into sin, they are swift to shed blood. …18 These men lie in wait for their own blood; they waylay only themselves!  19 Such is the end of all who go after ill-gotten gain; it takes away the lives of those who get it."

Christmas Day the Cincinnati Enquirer had an article entitled, "Christmas Eve brings rash of thefts". It said, "The last-minute rush on Christmas Eve isn't limited to the legitimate.  While most people were patiently waiting in line and exchanging money for their purchases on Thursday, more than a few Cincinnatians tried to take the easy way out - and took an unscheduled trip to jail." The article went on to tell about 11 shoplifters who wound up in jail. The desire for more and more things can lead people into all kinds of evil behavior. But in the end they not only destroy others; they destroy themselves as well.

And the desire for things tempts people to lie and deceive. Proverbs 21:6 reads, "A fortune made by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor and a deadly snare." People lie on their income tax forms, their resumes, and their expense accounts. And even though they may achieve temporary success, in the end they lose their integrity. Proverbs 16:19 says, ""Better to be lowly in spirit and among the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud."

And the desire for possessions tempts people to reject their moral values. Proverbs 15:6 says, "The house of the righteous contains great treasure, but the income of the wicked brings them trouble."

In 2000 Fox aired a show, Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire?  But when it was over it was discovered that the millionaire wasn't who he said he was and the marriage was annulled before it was consummated.

Darva Conger, the young woman on the show who married the millionaire claimed to be a Christian. But later she posed for Playboy Magazine as a way to earn back the income she missed after she lost her job as an emergency room nurse. Miss Conger told a Rooters interviewer that she was in conflict with God over appearing in Playboy but she was confident she was forgiven because God sees her heart. She explained, however, that it was all about money. "What was I supposed to do? Stay at home and watch as they foreclosed on my house?"

Well, the answer is yes. Some people have gone to prison for their faith. Surely she could have kept her clothes on and trusted God to provide. Proverbs 28:6 says, "Better a poor man whose walk is blameless than a rich man whose ways are perverse."

Danger # 2: Possessions can create a false sense of security.

Proverbs 18:11: "The wealth of the rich is their fortified city; they imagine it an unscalable wall." So many people are working so hard to develop a portfolio that they think is airtight, that has all the bases covered: retirement fund, disability insurance, contingency fund, 401K. But no matter what you have, it can be taken from you in a moment through a lawsuit, a divorce, a stock market collapse an illness. Only recently have some realized that Wall Street is not an unscalable wall. It can erode quickly. Proverbs 23:5 says, ""Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle." You can imagine that your possessions provide security but it's a false security.

Danger # 3: Possessions can increase anxiety.

Ecclesiastes 5:12 tells us, "The sleep of a laborer is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of a rich man permits him no sleep." Today we imagine that it's just the opposite: The more you have, the more secure you'll feel and the more at peace. But just the opposite is true! The more you have, the more you have to protect, polish, paint, insure, store and pay taxes on.

John Ortberg in his book, The Life You've Always Wanted, related that he and his wife bought their first piece of new furniture, a mauve sofa. He said, "The man at the furniture store warned us not to get it when he found out we had small children. He said, 'You don't want a mauve sofa. You get something the color of dirt.' But we said, 'Well, we know how to handle our children, so give us the mauve sofa.' And from that moment on we all knew clearly the #1 rule in our house: Don't sit on the mauve sofa. Don't touch the mauve sofa. Don't play around the mauve sofa. Don't eat on, breathe on, look at or think about the mauve sofa. Remember the forbidden tree in the Garden of Eden? On every other chair in the house you may freely sit but upon this sofa, this mauve sofa, you shall not sit, for in the day you sit thereon you shall surely die." He said days later, to her horror, his wife discovered there was a red jelly stain on the mauve sofa. So she lined up their three children and asked for a confession." And Ortberg said, "There was silence for the longest time. No one said a word. I knew the children wouldn't for they had never seen their mother so upset. I knew they wouldn't because they knew that if they did they would sit for eternity in the Time Out Chair. I knew they wouldn't because I was the one who put the red jelly stain on the mauve sofa…and I wasn't saying anything."

Now, isn't that true? The more you have, the more tension you've got to protect it. The blue collar worker who drives home after working on the assembly line is more likely to be at peace in the evening than the broker who has millions invested and can't sleep at night worrying about what the market is doing in Japan. "The sleep of a laborer is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of a rich man permits him no sleep."  Anxiety…

Danger # 4: Possessions can lead to ingratitude.

Proverbs 27:7: "He who is full loathes honey, but to the hungry even what is bitter tastes sweet." In other words, if you're really hungry any food tastes good, but if you're full you don't even enjoy the good stuff. You complain about how its cooked. And if you have too much of this world's goods, you get spoiled and if you're not careful nothing pleases you any more.

Martha Stewart is worth millions. One time she told an interviewer, "I have a beautiful weekend house in the Hamptons but it is not, as it turns out, my summer dream house. It doesn't have the view of the ocean that I absolutely want; it doesn't have the rustic wood floors that I absolutely crave; it doesn't have a little dock to which I can untie my little rowboat, and it doesn't have the shallow water of a quiet lagoon where I can pick my plants."

Can you believe it? No matter what you've got, it can't satisfy. Ecclesiastes 5:11 says, "As goods increase, so do those who consume them. [You're going to spend whatever you have.] And what benefit are they to the owner except to feast his eyes on them?"

Danger # 5: Possessions can invert our priorities.

Possessions can become an obsession and they can crowd out God and family and things that are really important. Proverbs 23:4 says, "Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint." There have been young couples start out with noble ambitions. They want to have enough to provide for their family and to have a Christian testimony. But its not long before the desire for possessions consumes them and they wear themselves out. Sometimes they alienate friends, neglect family, stop going to Church, and disobey God.

That's why, when the Children of Israel were about to enter the Promised Land, Moses warned them in Deuteronomy 8:12-14, "12 Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, 13 and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, 14 then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God."

That's why Proverbs 30:8-9 reads, "8…give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. 9 Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, 'Who is the LORD?' Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God."

II. Recognize the value of money.

While I Timothy 6:10 does say "the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil", the proper use of money can be a tremendous spiritual asset. Whenever you are around bodies of water, you will usually see some warning signs. They caution you about undertows, tides, and depth. But even though lakes and oceans and swimming pools are filled with danger, they are also fun for swimming, fishing, boating, snorkeling or whatever. In the same way, Solomon warns about the spiritual dangers of wealth, but there is an awesome potential for good in wealth, too. So recognize the value of money.

Value #1: Money can be the reward of obedience.

Proverbs 3:1-2 says, "1 My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, 2 for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity." The Bible does teach that God sometimes blesses people financially if they walk in obedience.

Now, we don't emphasize that very much because the Health and Wealth Gospel preachers have exaggerated it and left the impression that if you're righteous you're always going to be very rich. That's NOT what the Bible teaches. The Bible teaches that if we walk with God he will bless us. But in God's economy, relationships, character and wisdom are far more significant blessings than money. So the Bible does not teach that if you're obedient God will always make you financially wealthy. But it does promise that in the long run God blesses those who walk in obedience and sometimes that includes possessions.

Abraham, David, Moses, Daniel were all people of means. Malachi said if we tithe God will open the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing. Jesus said if you give it will be given to you. The Apostle Paul said you reap what you sow. So riches can be achieved by evil means, but sometimes possessions are God's tangible reward for faithful living.

Proverbs 21:21 says, "He who pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor." Proverbs 22:4 says, "Humility and the fear of the LORD bring wealth and honor and life." So prosperity is not in itself evil. It can be an evidence of God's blessing in our lives.

Value #2: Money can provide a reasonable sense of security.

Proverbs 10:15 says, "The wealth of the rich is their fortified city, but poverty is the ruin of the poor." Wealth can be a fortified city. It can provide a means of security. Yes, it can be false security if you depend on it too much, but if you have enough to provide food, shelter, clothing and a reasonable lifestyle for your family, that's a source of security.

I read that the average American dies with only $200 in his savings account. Proverbs 21:20 says, "In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has." If you don't have to lie awake at night wondering how you're going to feed and clothe your children, how you're going to pay their college education, then you've got some degree of security and that is a blessing. Ecclesiastes 7:12 says, "Wisdom is a shelter as money is a shelter."

Value #3: Money can be a source of joy.

Ecclesiastes 5:19 "Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work-this is a gift of God." In other words, if you are happy in your job and God gives you enough possessions to provide for your family, you enjoy what God has given you and don't be jealous over what somebody else has. After all, you're the rich kid. That's wealth.

God wants us to enjoy what he has given. Paul told Timothy in I Timothy 6:17,
"Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment." And if you enjoy what you have instead of being jealous about what others have, that is a blessing.

Value #4: Money can be used to nurture friendships.

Proverbs 19:4 says, "Wealth brings many friends, but a poor man's friend deserts him." The proper use of resources can be a source of establishing and deepening relationships. In Luke 16:9 Jesus said, "I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings."

If you have the gift of mercy and you comfort someone, that gift will be a source of friendship. And if you have the gift of generosity, that gift can be a source of friendship. There was a man that went to a young preacher and told him that he wanted him to put down some roots in the community and to buy a house. The young preacher had nothing and was living from week to week on a small salary. The man told him, if you find a house you like, I'll loan you the down payment and you can pay me back however you want.

The preacher found a house and the man loaned him $4000, which the preacher paid back $35 a month for fifteen years. Years later that preacher and his wife were still giving a Christmas gift to that man's widow, even though she had Alzheimer's and probably didn't even know they were there. Using your gift can sometimes establish long term friendships.

III. Realize possessions have limitations.

There are three things the book of Proverbs teaches that all the money in the world cannot do.

Limitation #1: Money cannot make you happy.

Ecclesiastes 5:10 says, "Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless."

Christina Onassis, daughter of Aristotle Onassis, at one time the wealthiest man in the world said, "Happiness is not based on money. The greatest proof of that is our family."

Proverbs 15:16 says, "Better a little with the fear of the LORD than great wealth with turmoil." Some of the most miserable people in the world have all kinds of resources, but there is turmoil and strife in their family every day. Proverbs 17:1 says, "Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting, with strife."

Haven't you seen families just absolutely ripped apart by the settlement of an estate? Or somebody borrowed money and didn't pay it back? Or went into business together and both business and relationships broke up? If you're going to be a happy person, you've got to recognize that relationships are a whole lot more important than possessions.

Whenever someone is in an accident we ask, "Are you OK?" Who cares about the vehicle. Cars can be replaced. It's just a car compared to a person. Maybe there is someone here today that is at odds with someone you ought to be close to and it's over things.  You'll never be happy until you recognize they're just things.

Ecclesiastes 6:3 says, "A man may have a hundred children and live many years; yet no matter how long he lives, if he cannot enjoy his prosperity and does not receive proper burial [in other words, nobody in his family cares about him], I say that a stillborn child is better off than he." What good are all those things if you don't love each other? Just things.

Limitation #2:  Money cannot give you character.

Proverbs 16:16.  "How much better to get wisdom than gold, to choose understanding rather than silver!"

Wick Allison is the publisher of a Dallas Magazine called D. One time he flipped through an advance copy of his latest issue and was shocked to see there were two ads that he considered obscene. Copies of D were already on their way to the newsstands, but Allison didn't hesitate. He ordered the trucks to make a detour straight for the local recycling center and the entire monthly issue of D, all 70,000 copies, were turned into pulp. The Wall Street Journal said it was a costly decision, but honor, justice and reputation were more important than profit. Proverbs 16:8 says, "Better a little with righteousness than much gain with injustice."

Finally, Limitation #3:  Money cannot save you.

Money cannot make you happy; money cannot give you character; and money cannot save you. Proverbs 11:4.  "Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death." When your life is over and you stand before God, all the money in the world is not going to mean a thing. When you stand before God, the only thing that will is your relationship with Jesus.

Think about the famous, rich, powerful people who died this past year:  I Googled it and found there were 142!!! Actors and actresses like, Ed McMahon age 86 and Brittany Murphy, age 32. Michael Jackson and Farah Fawcett. Soupy Sales and Patrick Swayze. Political power Ted Kennedy. "The Most Trusted Man in America," Walter Cronkite. retired Tennessee Titans and Baltimore Ravens quarterback, Steve McNair. And even our own Chris Henry of the Bengals. Famous and powerful. Young and old.

But no matter how rich, famous, or powerful these people were, there is one thing they all had in common:  they left it all behind. And when they stand before God, none of the "things" matter. But if they have a relationship with Jesus Christ, that is priceless.

One day your name and my name will be in the obituaries. Cash won't matter; Jesus Christ will. All the money in the world can't save you. Jesus asked in Mark 8:36, "What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?" So, value the things that are of an eternal significance.

And if you haven't given your life to Jesus Christ, receiving His forgiveness and His promise of eternal riches, we invite you to do that today. Walk forward and give your life to Christ. We'll help you confess Him and be baptized into Him. What a great day to do that on the first Sunday of the new year. If you've already done that and you've considered making Harvest Pointe your church home, come, as we stand and sing.

Based on a 1/7/2001 sermon by Bob Russell of South East Christian Church, Louisville, Kentucky