A Strange Response to a Shrewd Plan...

This week, we are looking at what the Bible teach when it comes to how we are to manage the money, possessions, and treasure we have on earth. We are asking the question: “Will we be held accountable for how we manage all that God owns? And if that is that case; if we will be held accountable, then what is the standard we will be held to? How will God measure and judge our management?”

Yesterday, we looked at a section of an account of Jesus life that is recorded for u sin the Bible called the gospel of Luke. In Luke 16, Jesus is telling a parable where a wasteful manager had contacted each person who owed money to his master and renegotiated the terms of their debt in what we would call in our culture today a series of short sales. While these short sales were a great deal for those who owed money to the rich man and would earn the wasteful manager favor in the eyes of those whose debt to his master was being eliminated from the short sale, these short sales were not a great deal for the rich man. The rich man would end up losing money. Which is why what Jesus says next, in Luke 16:8, is so surprising. So let’s look together at what Jesus had to say about this plan:

"And his master praised the unrighteous manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the sons of this age are more shrewd in relation to their own kind than the sons of light.

Jesus explains that the rich man was not mad at the wasteful manager for losing him more money. Instead, the rich man expressed admiration and approval for the wasteful manager because he acted shrewdly. Now this word shrewdly, in the language that this letter was written in, refers to having an understanding that was associated with insight and wisdom. Jesus then reveals what gained the wasteful manager admiration and approval in the eyes of the rich man: “for the sons of this age are more shrewd in relation to their own kind than the sons of light.” But what does that mean? What is Jesus talking about here?

Jesus point here is that people who are far from God tend to be more prudent in dealing with those who are far from God than those who are close to God are in dealing with those who are far from God. The unrighteous and wasteful manager displayed more insight and wisdom in dealing with others around him that were far from God than someone who was close to God would have demonstrated.

What the master praised the manager for was not the fact that he handled his money well. That is not Jesus point here. What the master praised the manger for was his cleverness and prudent self-interest that would result in him developing relationships that would provide and support him after he lost his job as manager. Now if you find yourself a little confused by this parable, just wait until you see what Jesus says next in verse 9:

"And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the wealth of unrighteousness, so that when it fails, they will receive you into the eternal dwellings."

I imagine that this was one of the times where Jesus followers looked at one another and said “why does He always talk like that? Why does He say things like this?” So what is Jesus saying here? Is Jesus saying that you can earn your way into Heaven? Is Jesus saying that we are to use money to somehow influence and buy our way into Heaven? Because, that is what it seems that Jesus is saying, doesn’t it? At first glance, Jesus seems to be saying that we are to make friends with God with the treasure we have on earth, so that when those temporary treasures cease to exist upon our death that we can get into Heaven. So, what is Jesus saying here?

To understand what Jesus is saying here, we first need to understand what He is not saying. Jesus is not saying to those who are far from God that they should use their money to buy their way into Heaven. This is not a command to use ill-gotten gain for one’s selfish desires. Instead, Jesus is using this parable, this earthly story, to reveal the reality that those who are His followers will demonstrate the proof of their faith and their relationship with Him by how trustworthy they are in handling the money, possessions, and treasure of this world.

We know this to be the case because of what Jesus says in verses 10-13. When we read the accounts of Jesus life that are recorded for us in the Bible, Jesus often will first tells a parable and then explain the parable to His confused followers. In Luke 16:1-9, Jesus tells the parable. And in Luke 16:10-13, we see Jesus explain the parable. And it is in His explanation that we see Jesus reveal for us a timeless principle about how God will measure and judge how we manage the money, possessions, and treasure we have been given.

Tomorrow, we will look at the explanation of this parable....

Does Money Management Matter to God?

For the past three weeks we have been looking at what the Bible has to say about the subject of money and finances. Last week, we discovered that when it comes to the money, possessions and treasure we have here on earth, God is the owner and we are the managers. This week, I would like for us to address a natural question that arises out of last week. And that natural question is this: If God is the owner and we are the managers, then how are we supposed to manage all that God owns? What does the Bible teach when it comes to how we are to manage the money, possessions, and treasure we have on earth? Will we be held accountable for how we manage all that God owns? And if that is that case; if we will be held accountable, then what is the standard we will be held to? How will God measure and judge our management?

So, to answer these questions, I would like for us to spend our time together looking at a section of an account of Jesus life that is recorded for us in our Bibles, called the gospel of Luke. In this section of this letter, we see Jesus telling a series of parables. And it is in the explanation of one of these parable that we discover the timeless standard that God will use to measure and judge how we manage the money, possessions, and treasure we have been given. So let’s look at this parable together, beginning in Luke 16:1:

Now He was also saying to the disciples, "There was a rich man who had a manager, and this manager was reported to him as squandering his possessions. "And he called him and said to him, 'What is this I hear about you? Give an accounting of your management, for you can no longer be manager.'

To understand what Jesus is communicating here, we first need to understand what a parable is and how parables function. A parable is an earthly story that reveals a deeper spiritual truth. In this parable, there are two characters. The first character is a rich man, who represents God. The second character is a manager, who represents us. Jesus explains that word came back to the rich man that his manager was squandering his possessions.

In other words, the manager was wasting all that the rich man had given him responsibility to manage. After receiving the report that the money, possessions, and treasure that he owned was being wasted by the manager, the rich man called the manager in for a meeting. The owner confronts the manager in a very direct manner: “What is this I hear about you? Give an accounting of your management, for you can no longer be manager.”

In other words, the owner is saying to the manager “I have received a report that you are wasting my money, possessions, and treasure. I have seen the evidence in the report and believe that it is true. So, I want to know what you have to say for yourself. You were under obligation as the manager of my finances to manage my finances. But what I am hearing and seeing is that you are not fulfilling your obligation to responsibly manage my finances. And, because of that reality, you are going to have to give an account for why you have failed to fulfill your obligation to manage my finances. In addition, you are no longer going to be in a position to have access to or manage my finances. I am no longer going to enable your irresponsibility by continuing to provide for you financially. Jesus then tells us how the manager responded as He continues this parable in verse 3:

"The manager said to himself, 'What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig; I am ashamed to beg. 'I know what I shall do, so that when I am removed from the management people will welcome me into their homes.'

Now the manager’s response, if communicated in the language we use in our culture today, would have sounded something like this: “Uh oh, I am about to lose my job because I have wasted my boss’s treasure; my irresponsibility is going to result in a loss of my job and income. What am I going to do? How am I going to support myself financially? I am too weak to work a job that requires manual labor. And I am too proud to beg. How am I going to survive?”

Jesus then explains that the manager comes up with a plan; a plan that would result in the people around him being receptive enough of him that they would provide hospitality and support him financially until he is able to find work. Jesus then reveals the wasteful managers plan in verse 5:

"And he summoned each one of his master's debtors, and he began saying to the first, 'How much do you owe my master?' "And he said, 'A hundred measures of oil.' And he said to him, 'Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.'  "Then he said to another, 'And how much do you owe?' And he said, 'A hundred measures of wheat.' He said to him, 'Take your bill, and write eighty.'

Jesus tells us that the wasteful manager contacted each person who owed money to his master and renegotiated the terms of their debt. The manager negotiated what we would call in our culture today a series of short sales. In these short sales, the manager would collect what he could on the outstanding debt instead of risking never receiving any money from the debt that was owed. Now, as you might imagine, these short sales were a great deal for those who owed money to the rich man.

And the great deals that would come about as a result of these short sales would earn the wasteful manager favor in the eyes of those whose debt to his master was being eliminated from the short sale. However, these short sales were not a great deal for the rich man. The rich man would end up losing money. Which is why what Jesus says next, in verse 8, is so surprising.

Tomorrow, we will see what Jesus had to say about this plan...

The Biblical Theology of Stewardship...

This week, we are addressing a tension and frustration that can arise when it comes to money, finances, and treasure. Where we get off track, frustrated, and in trouble when it comes to finances is when we try to fulfill roles and responsibilities that belong to God, or ignore or fail to fulfill responsibilities that belong to us. So, in Psalm 50, we are looking at what roles and responsibilities are God’s and what responsibilities are ours when it comes to money and finances. We looked at the reality that when it comes to our role and God’s role in money, possessions, and treasure, is that we can find ourselves falling into some faulty theology. We looked specifically at the faulty views of prosperity theology and poverty theology.

While both prosperity and poverty theology find no support in the Bible, there is a third theological view when it comes to our role and God’s role in money, possessions, and treasure that is clearly supported by the message and teachings of the Bible. And that third theological view is called stewardship theology. Stewardship theology maintains that, when it comes to treasure, God is the owner and we are the manager.

And when we embrace what the Bible actually teaches about stewardship theology, spiritually mature followers of Jesus view wealth and possessions as a responsibility to be managed. When we embrace stewardship theology, generosity and giving is driven by the mentality that “I give because I love God and want to respond to the generosity of Jesus by being generous”. So our giving is motivated by a delight in God.

And when we embrace stewardship theology, the management of the money, possessions, and treasure that they have is motivated by a prayerful and responsible recognition that God is the owner and that we are the managers of the money, possessions, and treasure we possess. Because, when it comes to treasure, God is the owner and we are the manager.

So which theological view of how God and money relate and interact with humanity are you holding? Prosperity theology, where God is our spiritual Santa Claus that we use in order to get what we really worship, which is money, possessions, and treasure? Poverty theology, where we interact with money, possessions and treasure out of duty rather than delight?

Or stewardship theology, where we view God as the owner of all and embrace the role and responsibility that we have to manage all that God has given us in a way that reveals and reflects Jesus and God’s generosity to the world?

The Faulty Theology of Poverty...

This week, we are addressing a tension and frustration that can arise when it comes to money, finances, and treasure. Where we get off track, frustrated, and in trouble when it comes to finances is when we try to fulfill roles and responsibilities that belong to God, or ignore or fail to fulfill responsibilities that belong to us. So, in Psalm 50, we are looking at what roles and responsibilities are God’s and what responsibilities are ours when it comes to money and finances.

Yesterday, we talked about the reality that when it comes to our role and God’s role in money, possessions, and treasure, is that we can find ourselves falling into some faulty theology. We looked specifically at a faulty view that is referred to as prosperity theology. Proponents of prosperity theology maintain that God desires that everyone prosper financially and physically as a result of their spirituality. Prosperity theology maintains what is called a “name it and claim it” mentality when it comes to money, possessions, and treasure.

However, there is a huge problem with prosperity theology. And that problem is that any theology that is true to the Bible must be able to have Jesus fit into that theology. Because, when you look at the definition of a spiritually mature person in prosperity theology; that a spiritually mature person is wealthy, with good relationships and without pain or anxiety, that definition excludes Jesus. When you look at the tenets of prosperity theology, Jesus would not be able to fit into their theology. And if Jesus cannot fit into your theology, then your theology is faulty.

Today, I would like for us to look at a faulty view that is referred to as poverty theology. Proponents of poverty theology maintain that the love of money is the root of all evil in the world. For those who embrace poverty theology spiritually mature followers of Jesus view wealth and possessions as evil and corrupting. So, if someone is wealthy materially or financially, it is due to the fact that they are either unsaved, spiritually immature, or have the sin of greed and covetousness in their life.

For those who embrace poverty theology, generosity and giving is driven by the mentality that “I give because I must”. So giving is motivated by duty to God. And for those who embrace poverty theology, the management of the money, possessions, and treasure that they have is absent of gratitude to God because money and possession are evil. Poverty theology actually flows from an ancient heresy called asceticism, which viewed the physical and material as evil and the spiritual as good.

There is a huge problem with prosperity theology, however. And that problem is that throughout the Bible we see individual after individual that were wealthy that were used by God in powerful ways to advance His Kingdom and enhance His reputation. In the Old Testament there was Abraham, there was Job, there was King David and King Solomon, all of whom were wealthy and used by God in powerful ways to reveal and reflect His nature and character to the world.

In addition, nowhere in the Bible is the money, possession, or treasure mentioned as being evil. You see, money is amoral. It is neither inherently evil nor intently good. It is what we do with money that determines whether it is leveraged in a way that is morally good or evil.

While both prosperity and poverty theology find no support in the Bible, there is a third theological view when it comes to our role and God’s role in money, possessions, and treasure that is clearly supported by the message and teachings of the Bible.

Tomorrow, we will look at that third view...

The Faulty Theology of Prosperity...

This week, we are addressing a tension and frustration that can arise when it comes to money, finances, and treasure. Where we get off track, frustrated, and in trouble when it comes to finances is when we try to fulfill roles and responsibilities that belong to God, or ignore or fail to fulfill responsibilities that belong to us. So, in Psalm 50, we are looking at what roles and responsibilities are God’s and what responsibilities are ours when it comes to money and finances.

Yesterday, we saw a man named Asaph reveal a timeless truth that provides clarity about our role and responsibilities when it comes to money, possessions, and treasure in that when it comes to treasure, God is the owners and we are the managers. The timeless reality is that we never really own anything. We only manage God’s money, possessions, and treasure for a period of time. We are only on earth for a finite period of time and, when our time on earth is over, all of the money, possessions and treasure that we accumulate while on earth stays here.

But what can tend to happen when it comes to our role and God’s role in money, possessions, and treasure, is that we can find ourselves falling into some faulty theology. Throughout history, when it comes to theology, which simply means the study of the nature and character of God, human beings have tended to fall into one of two extreme and faulty views of how God and money relate and interact with humanity.

The first faulty view is what is referred to as prosperity theology. Proponents of prosperity theology maintain that God desires that everyone prosper financially and physically as a result of their spirituality. Prosperity theology maintains what is called a “name it and claim it” mentality when it comes to money, possessions, and treasure. In other words, if you just have faith, you can ask God for material or physical blessings and He will provide. All you need is faith. “Just name it by faith and you can claim it by faith”. Those who embrace prosperity theology will refer to themselves as being “word of faith communities”. 

For those who embrace prosperity theology, spiritually mature followers of Jesus are wealthy and possessions are a right that one receives as a result of faith. So, if someone is poor materially or suffering physically or emotionally, it is due to the fact that they are either unsaved, spiritually immature, or have sin in their life. For those who embrace prosperity theology, generosity and giving is driven by the mentality that “the more I give by faith, the more I will get because of faith”.  So giving is motivated by faith in what they will get from God. And for those who embrace prosperity theology, the management of the money, possessions, and treasure that they have is driven by a carefree attitude that is focused on consuming all that they have been given by God.

However, there is a huge problem with prosperity theology. And that problem is that any theology that is true to the Bible must be able to have Jesus fit into that theology. Because, when you look at the definition of a spiritually mature person in prosperity theology; that a spiritually mature person is wealthy, with good relationships and without pain or anxiety, that definition excludes Jesus. When you look at the tenets of prosperity theology, Jesus would not be able to fit into their theology.

Prosperity theology maintains that the spiritually mature will be blessed financially, yet, when we read the accounts of Jesus life that are recorded for us in the Bible, we discover that Jesus was poor. Jesus was born into a lower, working class home of a carpenter and lived His life as poor itinerant preacher who was homeless and dependant on the support of others.

Prosperity theology maintains that the spiritually mature will be blessed emotionally and relationally, yet, when we read the accounts of Jesus life that are recorded for us in the Bible, we discover that Jesus was ridiculed, rejected and scorned. Prosperity theology maintains that the spiritually mature will be blessed physically, yet, when we read the accounts of Jesus life that are recorded for us in the Bible, we discover that Jesus was beaten and crucified.

So did Jesus not have enough faith? Did Jesus have sin in His life? Was Jesus spiritually immature? You see, Jesus would not fit into the prosperity theology’s definition of spiritually maturity. And if Jesus cannot fit into your theology, then your theology is faulty.

Tomorrow, we will look at another faulty theology when it comes to money possessions and treasure...

When It Comes To Treasure, God Is The Owner, We Are The Managers...

This week, we are addressing a tension and frustration that can arise when it comes to money, finances, and treasure. Where we get off track, frustrated, and in trouble when it comes to finances is when we try to fulfill roles and responsibilities that belong to God, or ignore or fail to fulfill responsibilities that belong to us.  So, in Psalm 50, we are looking at what roles and responsibilities are God’s and what responsibilities are ours when it comes to money and finances.

Yesterday, we saw a man named Asaph, who was being used by God to confront the Jewish people for selfishness and rebellion that was arising in their lives, explain that the Jewish people did not need to be corrected because they were failing to show up for church. The Jewish people did not need to be set straight when it came to their worship activity for God. Then, if that was the case, what was the problem? Asaph reveals the problem for us in verse 9:

"I shall take no young bull out of your house Nor male goats out of your folds.”For every beast of the forest is Mine, The cattle on a thousand hills. "I know every bird of the mountains, And everything that moves in the field is Mine.

In other words, God is explaining to the Jewish people “My issue with you is not your acts of worship. My issue with you is the motivation that is driving your worship. You are not offering your sacrifices and offerings to Me because you recognize that your selfishness and rebellion requires a sacrifice that atones or provides a covering for your sin and rebellion. You are not offering your offerings out of thanksgiving to Me because of who I am and what I have done in your life. Instead you are offering these acts of worship because you think that I am needy and dependant on you to provide something for Me. But, here’s the deal. I do not need to take any of your animals for my sake, because I own everything. You do not need to give Me anything, because I am the One who has given you everything you have”.

You see, what the Jewish people were guilty of was thinking that God was dependent upon them.  The Jewish people were offering worship to God as though He needed animals to be provided for Him and they were afraid that they would experience God’s judgment if they did not provide for Him. The Jewish people failed to recognize that the purpose of these acts of worship was to fulfill their responsibility that flowed from their selfishness and rebellion against God. The Jewish people made a fundamental mistake that we can make today, which is that they Jewish people thought that they were the owners and that they needed to fulfill the responsibility provide for God in order to meet His needs. And God wanted the Jewish people to clearly understand that they needed to be set straight. The Jewish people needed to have a correction in their perception when it came to their role and responsibilities. God then proceeds to set them straight in and correct their misperception in verse 12:

"If I were hungry I would not tell you, For the world is Mine, and all it contains. "Shall I eat the flesh of bulls Or drink the blood of male goats?

In verse 12-13, we see God, through the Psalmist, set the Jewish people straight when it came to their roles and responsibilities through a statement and a rhetorical question. First, God makes a bold and blunt statement: “If I were hungry, I would not tell you, For the world is mine and all it contains”. In other words, God is saying, if I was hungry, I would not need to tell you so that you could go down to the store to buy Me some food to eat. I am not dependant on you to provide for Me, because I own it all. If I was hungry, I am quite capable of providing for Myself.”

 God then asks the Jewish people a rhetorical question designed to reveal the ridiculous nature of the motivation that was driving their worship of God. "Shall I eat the flesh of bulls Or drink the blood of male goats?” In other words, God is saying, “Do you even know who I am? I am a Spiritual Being; I do not eat food and I do not need to eat food in order to survive. I have existed for all eternity, before the universe even existed and I was able to survive without you”. You see, God wanted the Jewish people to clearly understand that He owned everything. God was not dependant on the Jewish people and their acts of worship in order to survive. Instead, the Jewish people needed to come back to the reality that they were totally dependent on God for their survival. The Psalmist then closes this section of this psalm of worship by revealing the motivation that should be driving their acts of worship in verses 14-15:

"Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving And pay your vows to the Most High; Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me."

To understand what Asaph is communicating here, we first need to define some terms. When Asaph refers to sacrifice of thanksgiving, this phrase, in the language that this letter was written in, refers to thanksgiving in the form of praise. When Asaph refers to vows, he is referring to an oath or a promise that one makes to another. So when Asaph calls the Jewish people to pay your vows to the Most High, he is calling the Jewish people to keep the promises that they had made to God. The psalmist is saying “what God wants from you when it comes to worship is that you offer up praise and thanksgiving to Him as your provider, your protector, your rescuer, and your deliverer. What God wants from you when it comes to worship is that you are faithful to follow God’s word and keep the promises and commitments that you make to Him. God wants you to recognize that He is the all powerful and self sufficient owner and provider of everything that you have.”

You see, the Jewish people failed to recognize that they were to worship out of a response of their desperate need for Him and to bring Him glory as the owner of everything. The Jewish people failed to recognize that their worship should be a response of thankfulness for His activity in their lives. And it is in this Psalm that we are able to discover a timeless truth that provides clarity about our role and responsibilities when it comes to money, possessions, and treasure. And that timeless truth is this: When it comes to treasure, God is the owner and we are the manager.

The timeless reality is that we never really own anything. We only manage God’s money, possessions, and treasure for a period of time. We are only on earth for a finite period of time and, when our time on earth is over, all of the money, possessions and treasure that we accumulate while on earth stays here. But what can tend to happen when it comes to our role and God’s role in money, possessions, and treasure, is that we can find ourselves falling into some faulty theology. Throughout history, when it comes to theology, which simply means the study of the nature and character of God, human beings have tended to fall into one of two extreme and faulty views of how God and money relate and interact with humanity.

Tomorrow, we will look at the first of two faulty theologies when it comes to God and money...

The Tension of Handling Treasure...

This week, I would like for us to address a tension and frustration that can arise when it comes to money, finances, and treasure. To understand the nature of this tension and frustration, however, we first need to understand how prevalent money is in our day to day lives. You see, virtually everything that we do on a day to day basis involves the use of money. It isn’t that much of our life involves the use of money; much of our life revolves around the use of money. If you do not think that is the case, just take a minute and consider this question: What do you do in your day to day life that does not involve money? Is there anything that you do on a day to day basis that does not involve money? Where and how you live, what you do and don’t do, what you wear, what you eat, how you travel, all involve money.

And because virtually everything that we do involves and revolves around money, we are continually making decisions when it comes to how we handle money, finances and treasure. We have roles and responsibilities when it comes to money and finances. The tension and frustration, however, that we can experience when it comes to our roles and responsibilities, usually surface in one of two areas. The first area that we can experience this tension and frustration is when we fail to recognize and fulfill the responsibilities that we have when it comes to money. The second area that we can experience tension and frustration is when we fail to understand what responsibilities are ours and what responsibilities are God’s when it comes to money and finances.

You see, God has certain roles and responsibilities that He retains when it comes to money and finances, and there are roles and responsibilities that God has delegated to us. Where we get off track, frustrated, and in trouble when it comes to finances is when we try to fulfill roles and responsibilities that belong to God, or ignore or fail to fulfill responsibilities that belong to us.

 So, what roles and responsibilities are God’s and what responsibilities are ours when it comes to money and finances? We find the answer in a section of a letter that is recorded for us in our Bible called the book of Psalms. The book of Psalms is a series of prayers and worship songs that were used in worship in the temple that were written down, recorded and preserved for us by God. The Psalm that we are going to look at this morning was written by a man named Asaph. Now Asaph was the Chris Tomlin of the Old Testament. Asaph was an outstanding musician during the reign of King David who was appointed to be the worship pastor at the temple.

  In Psalm 50, we see Asaph, moved by the Holy Spirit, write a worship song that confronts the Jewish people for selfishness and rebellion that was beginning to surface in their lives. In verses 1-6, Asaph begins by painting a courtroom scene in which God is summoning the Jewish people to hear the charges against them. Asaph explains that God is the Creator and Judge of the universe who is ever present and ever aware of His creation. And as Creator and Judge, God was summoning the Heavens and the earth as witnesses to testify as to what they have seen from the Jewish people when it came to their rebellion. After summoning the Jewish people and the witnesses to the courtroom, Asaph reveals the charges against the Jewish people that God would be judging. Charges that are recorded for us in Psalm 50:7:

"Hear, O My people, and I will speak; O Israel, I will testify against you; I am God, your God. "I do not reprove you for your sacrifices, And your burnt offerings are continually before Me.

Asaph begins by telling the Jewish people what they were not guilty of. As the One who had entered into a covenant relationship with the Jewish people, God was not reproving them because of a lack of worship activity. When Asaph refers to sacrifices and burned offerings, he is referring to the sacrificial offerings that the Jewish people were required to complete two times a day. In the Jewish sacrificial system, there were two times every day that sacrifices were made to God for the sins of the people, one early in the morning and one in the in the late afternoon at 3 p.m.

The sacrificial offerings involved animals who were offered as a substitute to pay the penalty for acts of selfishness and rebellion that had been committed against God. The burnt offerings were expression of worship and thanksgiving to God. You see, the Jewish people did not need to be corrected because they were failing to show up for church. The Jewish people did not need to be set straight when it came to their worship activity for God. Then, if that was the case, what was the problem? Tomorrow, we will see Asaph reveals the timeless problem for us.

In the meantime, is there anything that you do on a day to day basis that at some point does not involve money?