A Christianity That Works

Preached by Rev. Ed Brouwer at The Gathering Place, Osoyoos
Pulpit Series Volume 18, Issue 16 June 15, 2008

Part 13 “Managing Your Money”

James 5:1-6 As we continue in our series through James, we'll be looking at chapter 5, the first six verses. Many people wrongly believe that the Bible teaches that it's wrong to be wealthy. They think that the Bible says that “Money is the root of all evil”. It actually says “The love of money is the root of all evil.” God is not opposed to wealth, in fact, many of the people in the Bible were extremely wealthy.

Abraham was probably a millionaire in our terms. Job was the wealthiest man of his time. David and Solomon were both the wealthiest men of their time. We know that Barnabas made a lot of money because he was able to give it to the church. Joseph of Arimathea, the man who gave Jesus his tomb, was extremely wealthy. So God is not opposed to wealth, simply for being wealthy. But God is very much opposed to the misuse and abuse of wealth. He wants us to use our wealth wisely, no matter how much or how little we have.

James here gives a rebuke - probably one of the most negative passages in the entire New Testament. This passage is a healthy warning to us to make sure that no matter how much money we have, we use it wisely.

We're going to look at the wrong and the right uses of wealth. Everyone in this room is wealthy according to world standards. If you own a car, you're wealthy. If you have more than one change of clothes, you're wealthy. If you own a home, you're in the top 5% of the world. By world standards, by the very fact that we live in North America, we're wealthy. God has blessed us and we need to be grateful for what we have.

James mentions four common abuses of wealth. Let's look first at the wrong uses of wealth and how to avoid them and then we'll look at the right uses of wealth.

I. THE WRONG USES OF WEALTH
1. Accumulation of Wealth
James says in verse 3, “Don't hoard it”. “You have hoarded wealth in the last days.” God says that money is not to be stockpiled, collected in piles just for the sake of having it. God wants His money in circulation. He's not talking about savings, there's a legitimate place for savings. God encourages us to save money.

People can become so afraid of losing money, they won't spend it. In New Testament times, if you had money you would show it by having a lot of food, clothes and precious metals and jewels. James speaks about these three types of wealth in verses 2-3: “Your wealth has rotted, moths have eaten your clothes and your gold and silver are corroded.” Everything you've gotten, the food has
spoiled, the moths have eaten your clothes, and the gold and silver is rusting and corroding. The point he's making here that whatever you accumulate, deteriorates. God doesn't want us to get wealth just for the sake of getting wealth, He wants us to put it in circulation.

He says your clothes get moth-eaten. Which clothes get moth-eaten? The ones you wear all the time or the ones you keep stockpiled in the back of your closet? Your food has gone rotten. Which food goes rotten? The food you eat everyday? No, it’s the stuff in the back of the refrigerator that's been there for three months. We create new life forms in our refrigerator!

Wealth is to be used not hoarded. Last week we talked about the man in Luke 12 who was very successful and his crop had a great harvest. He said, “I know what I'll do. I'll just go build bigger barns.” He didn't think about giving any of it away. He didn't think about keeping any of it in circulation. It was a selfish use of wealth. He said, “I'm going to hoard it”. James says the wrong use of wealth, number one when it comes to accumulation, don't hoard it.

2. Appropriation of Wealth
God is not only concerned with what we've got but also how we got it. “Don steal it”. Don't use dishonest means to rip people off. There are a lot of different ways to make dishonest money. One way is to simply not pay your debts. “The wages you have failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you.” Verse 4

Don't be dishonest. If I charge too much, if I sell a used car to you and don't tell you about major repairs, if I cheat on taxes, if I waste time and I'm being paid for it, that is wrong.

3. Allocation of Money
The way we spend our money is very important. James blasts these guys for how they spent their money in verse 5 “You’ve lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence.” In the allocation of money, don't waste it. We're tempted to spend it selfishly on ourselves. The more money you make the easier it is to waste it. We tend to say things like, “I'm worth it, I can afford it, so why not?” Just because I can afford something doesn't mean I ought to buy it.

James says don't waste it. “You have fattened yourself for the slaughter.” Verse 5

4. Application of Wealth
He's talking about how we use it's influence. He says, don't abuse it. Wealth gives us much more than simply buying ability. Money has a lot more power than simply buying power. When you have money, it gives you influence, authority. We listen to people who make money more than people who are poor. Why do they get away with things that we don't get away with? Verse 6 “You have condemned and ruined innocent men, and they are powerless to stop you.” Even today, a lot of people use money to manipulate others.

So, how are we to manage our money.
1. The Right Accumulation
Proverbs 21:20 “The wise man saves for the future, but the foolish man spends whatever he gets.”
Proverbs 30:24 “Consider the ant how it stores up in the winter.”

Why do we save so little? I think it's because we live for today. We're the Now Generation. I want it now whether I can afford it or not. I'll buy it on credit.

Jesus told a number of parables. Over half deal with money. He talked more about money than he did about heaven or hell. He talks about investment, how the wise man invested his money and the unwise man didn't.

In order to develop the habit of saving, you've got to do some things. First, you need to learn to live on a margin. That means live on less than you make. John D. Rockefeller said many times, “Save 10%, tithe 10%, live on 80%.”

What is the purpose of saving? Here's where the Bible differs from the world's thinking in a major way. The world thinks you save money for security. If I could just accumulate a big enough bank account, I would be financially secure. The problem is, there is no such thing as absolute security. No matter how much money you've got, you could lose it instantly.

In order to have security, you've got to put your security in something that cannot be taken away from you. Everything that I have in life can be taken away from me: my family, my money, my reputation, everything. There is only one thing that cannot be taken away from me and that's my relationship to Jesus Christ.

Paul said in Philippians 4:19 “My God shall supply all your needs.” That's security! That's the way to be prepared for financial reverses to find security in the Lord.

Why do we save? (for stewardship reasons)
Three reasons for saving:
i) It prevents us from impulse buying. We don't spend money on foolish impulses. If we're not saving it, the tendency is to spend it as soon as you get it.

You'll see things you want and buy it and you really don't need it. Proverbs 21:20 says “The wise man saves for the future, but the foolish man spends whatever he gets.” He does it hastily too. You've got to save it so you don't use it on foolish impulses.

ii) Saving allows us to be able to help other
people when they have a need.

iii) Saving gets your money working for you rather than you working for your money. That's the principle of investment. When you're saving your money, it's being invested wisely.

2. The Right Appropriation
Proverbs 13:11 “Wealth from gambling quickly disappears; wealth from hard work grows.”

What is gambling? A get-rich-quick scheme. In the book of Proverbs, at least six or seven times, scripture teaches us to not get involved in rich quick schemes. Easy come, easy go. You make it quick, you'll lose it quick.

Proverbs 14:23
“Hard work brings a profit; mere talk leads to poverty.”
Proverbs 14:23
“Work brings profit, talk brings poverty.”
Proverbs 11:16
“A lazy man will never have money but an aggressive man will get rich.”
Proverbs 12:27
“If you're lazy you'll never get what you're after. But if you work hard, you can get a fortune.”

How much money can I make?
Scripture says you can make as much money as you can in your life as long as you meet these 4 qualifications.
1. As long as it doesn't hurt your own health
Some people literally work themselves to death. Scripture teaches that health must always take priority over wealth.

Proverbs 23:4 “Do not wear yourselves out to get rich. Have the wisdom to show restraint.”

There are so many people that are working themselves to death trying to afford things they really don't need.
2. As long as it doesn't hurt your family
How many homes have fallen apart because kids are being ignored while parents are too busy making money to buy things for the kids? I've learned that what my kids wanted was my time more than anything I could afford to buy for them. We can get so busy making a living that we can forget to make a life.

3. As long as it doesn't hurt other people
Proverbs 21:20 “A fortune can be made from cheating but there's a curse that goes with it.” We're going to reap what we sow.
Proverbs 16:8 “It's better to have a little, honestly earned, than a large income dishonestly gained.”

4. As long as I keep my spiritual life on the same level
III John 2 “Beloved I wish that you may prosper and be in health even as your soul prospers.”
God wants us to be in balance.

If you're going to set financial goals you need to set spiritual goals too.

3. The Right Allocation
“The plans of the diligent lead to profit as sure as haste leads to poverty.” It is easier to get into debt than to get out of debt. Buy now, pay later. Only 162 easy payments. I've never had an easy payment.

Our problem is not that we don't make enough, but rather that we don't spend it wisely. The more your income goes up it seems your expenses go up.

How do you spell relief? B-U-D-G-E-T. What is a budget? Planned spending. Telling your money where you want it to go rather than wondering where it went.

4. The Right Application
Proverbs 11:24-25 “It is possible to give away and become richer. It's also possible to hold on too tightly and loose everything. Yes the generous man shall be rich. By watering others, he waters himself.”

This principle is taught over and over again in Scripture. Give and it will be given unto you. Just like seeds, the more we sow the more we reap. There are more promises in the Bible related to giving than any other subject. No matter how wealthy I've become, I'm not financially free until I've learned to give. In order to live abundantly, I've got to give abundantly.

I Corinthians 16:2 “On every Sunday, put aside something from what you have earned during the week, and use it for the offering. The amount depends on how much the Lord has helped you to earn.”

In Deuteronomy 14:23 we see that the purpose of tithing is simply to teach us to put God first in our life. God doesn't need our money. He's wealthy. But He wants us.

I believe the Scripture teaches that God wants us to be financially free. If your finances are in a mess right now, God promised over and over again to care for us who will place our financial burden in His care and follow His principles. These principles are all through Scripture. If we try to live without the principles of this book we're going to get into trouble - in our time, money, relationships, health, any area of life. Unmanaged finances simply mean misplaced priorities.

The starting point for financial freedom is to make Jesus Christ the manager of your life.
Make Him the manager of not just your money, but of your time, home and past.
And most important, make Him number one in your life.