Preaching On Money, Part 4
A New Story for Money
So far in this series of posts, we have explored some “seeds” for a “Big-Story” sermon series on the topic of money. We have asked the first two questions that can help us to train our hearers toward “gospel fluency” on any topic.
First, we asked, “What is God’s purpose for our relationship with the material world?” We learned that the material world is a place for us to fulfill God’s purpose for our lives, exercising godly dominion over creation as his image-bearers. We also saw that the material realm gives us a physical sphere in which to bear witness to God, acknowledging and trusting him. And we recognized that our relationship with material things gives us the truest measure of our discipleship.
Second, we asked, “How has sin distorted God’s purpose for our relationship with the physical world?” We discovered that sin distorts God’s purpose in relation to material things at three points: contentment, identity, and security. Financial “assets” become liabilities when we begin to imagine that our hearts could be satisfied in material things instead of God himself — leading us to be always hungry and never satisfied. Sin also leads us to try to find our identity/significance in our possessions, or in our ability to accumulate wealth — sacrificing God’s eternal purpose (godly dominion) for a temporal “score." Finally, sin leads us to look to our bank account in stead of to God for security, ironically leaving us more stressed than ever.
Now we come to our third “Big Story” question: How does Jesus redeem this area of our lives? How does the gospel change our perspective and our practice when it comes to money? Specifically, since we are searching for sermon “seeds,” we are interested in finding specific biblical passages that will help us answer this question.
Jesus and Money
A good place to start is simply to ask, “What did Jesus say about money?” The answer is, “Plenty!” Generally, Jesus came talking about the “Kingdom of Heaven.” The essence of this message is that there is a reality that is above the physical realm, but that is lived out and seen within the physical realm. It gives significance to our material life and keeps it in perspective at the same time.
We might begin with Jesus’ Interactions with people in which he confronted priorities that had been distorted by sin. For example, in his conflicts with the Pharisees, he revealed that legalism about tithe was a way to avoid real generosity, and so addressed heart issues related to money (Matthew 23:23).
On one occasion, he contrasted their attitude with that of a poor widow who gave a “mite,” — all she had. (Mark 12:42-43).
In other interactions, we find Jesus engaging the Rich Young Ruler whose identity and security so wrapped up in his wealth that he couldn’t even participate in the kingdom (Luke 18:18-25). Then there was the rebuke he gave to those who criticized the woman who anointed his feet days before his death. They were preoccupied with the price of the perfume because they couldn’t see the value of worshiping Jesus extravagantly (Mark 14:3-98). And, of course, we could consider Jesus’ confrontation with the moneychangers in the temple who had clearly lost sight of God’s purpose and had become fixated on profit. (Matthew 21:12-13)
We might also turn to the miracle stories in the Gospels – especially those that highlight the material abundance of the kingdom. The striking point to notice here is that this abundance was never an end in itself. It always pointed something more important:
Jesus turned the water into wine to reveal his glory, and to demonstrate that he had come to bring joy. (John 2:1-11)
When he provided an abundant catch of fish for his disciples, he was really inviting them to an intimate moment of fellowship with him on the beach. (John 21:1-10)
The feeding of the five thousand was a major messianic sign, in John’s gospel portraying specifically the truth that Jesus is the “bread of life.” (John 6)
And when he provided a coin from a fish’s mouth to pay his follower’s taxes, it was an occasion to teach his disciples about their true citizenship. (Luke 20:22-25)
Finally, there is no lack of reference to money in Jesus’ teachings. Consistently in his parables Jesus pointed to the passing nature of material wealth and the priority of the Kingdom. Here are just a few examples:
The parables of the Rich Fool (Luke 12:15-21) and of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31) both highlight the passing nature of wealth and its uselessness for eternity.
The Pearl of Great Price and the Hidden Treasure in the Field emphasize the surpassing value of the Kingdom – worth trading everything we have. (Matthew 13:44-46)
Jesus indeed had a lot to say about money! And all that he had to say pointed back to God’s purposes: that we should find contentment in him, and not sour stuff; that our identity should be grounded in God’s purpose, not our possessions; and that we should find our security in God’s provision, not our own financial planning.
Money in the Early Church
Jesus’ life blazed a trail back toward God’s purpose for money. But the question remains: how did his death and resurrection pave the way for us to return to that purpose? To answer this question, we need to turn to the life of the early church.
In Acts 2:42-47 we find an excellent example of the impact of the gospel on the material lives of Jesus’ followers. Here we see people making financial decisions based on Jesus death and resurrection in the context of a community gathered around the gospel. Notice how the life of this community speaks to the issues we have been exploring:
Wealth was seen as a means to participate in what God was doing.
There was great contentment, but it was not found in material things.
Their identity was shaped not by what they possessed, but by how they used it — by how they gave it away! They were known for their generosity.
Their security was in the ongoing work of the Spirit among his people. People freely gave their nest eggs and trusted God for their future.
We might also turn to the Epistles for insights into how the gospel restores God’s purpose in regard to material things. As an example of New Testament thinking, talking, and acting in regard to money, consider Philippians 4:10-19. We might outline the flow of thought in these verses something like this:
Contentment is not linked to our circumstances, but to our saviour! (11-13) In an epistle of joy, written from a prison cell, Paul could say, “I can do all things through Christ …” This did not mean he could accomplish any goal, but that he could endure any trial. He did not get his strength to go on from anything other than Christ.
Identity does not come from your possessions, but your partnership. (14-18) The priority in Paul’s thinking was meeting the needs of the community and moving the gospel forward. It was more important to him that they had given than that he had received – because he knew it was crucial to their discipleship. The gospel teaches us that our identity is rooted in Christ’s sacrifice for us and discovered in our sacrifice for him!
Security is not based on the supply, but the source. (19-20) Like the children of Israel eating Manna in the wilderness, Paul’s trust was in the giver, not the gift. When this is the case, we can live with a mentality of plenty rather than a mentality of scarcity. When we look for security in our material wealth, we will always want to hold it close. But generosity flows naturally from a heart that trusts God completely.
The Path towards True Financial Freedom
One final preaching text can give us a clear picture of the path to gospel transformation in our relationship to material things. It is actually a continuation of one of the texts we considered in the previous post. In Matthew 5:25-44, Jesus gives his cure for anxiety over money: “Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.”
“Kingdom” implies restored dominion – a return to recognizing Him as king, so we can be the reflections of His image that we were created to be. As we fulfill this God-given purpose, we find true contentment.
“Righteousness” peaks to identity. In Christ, we experience a new creation as we find our true nature not in how well we measure up, but in what he has done in us. We discover, for the first time, our true humanity.
“All these things shall be added” points to a security that is grounded in the unlimited and eternal sufficiency of our creator. It no longer matters what we hold in our hands; he holds us in his.
What difference does the Gospel make for our financial lives? The Gospel sets us free!
Free from the hamster wheel of consumerism to find contentment in the one who has set us free.
Free from the image games the world plays, to find our identity in the new creation/restoration of God’s image in us.
Free from the need to have a bigger and bigger bank account to feel secure, to actually trust God and live our lives in his hands.
Most people today would define “financial freedom” as “being debt free and having money in the bank.” There’s certainly nothing wrong with being debt free and having money in the bank, but true “financial freedom” is much more than this. You can be debt-free and have money in the bank and still be a slave to material things. Financial freedom is being set free by the gospel to find our contentment, our identity, our security in Christ, and Christ alone!
