Pastor Wayne Cordeiro
February 23, 2003 - W0308

The way we handle money says a lot about us. In fact, Jesus says more about the topic of money than He does on the subjects of heaven or hell. Money has the power to control us and we can turn gold into gods. The question is are we going to allow it?

Sometimes we rationalize our poor choices when it comes to money matters.  Then we rationalize that if we have a lot of money, then we donít need to be accountable to anyone.  In that way, money can give us a deceptive kind of temptation.  Then the god that glitters becomes the god that controls us.  And itís not just about money because such things as image and prestige can also become a god that controls our lives. 

We live the myth that more is better.  In fact, we've done this to the point of placing ourselves in debt.  In our country alone everyday there are at least 4,000 filings for bankruptcy. Our consumer debt is 5.7 trillion dollars! You may ask, ìHow much is a trillion dollars?î  Well, if you took one dollar bills and stacked one bill on top of each other every second for 24 hours a day for 11.5 days, you would have stack one million dollars. To reach a billion dollars using the same method would take you 31 years! A trillion would take you 32,000 years!   And often our greatest riches are left behind. 

God is not saying that money is not important or that it is righteous to be poor.  On the contrary, God just wants us to utilize money for His purposes and not be brought under its controlling power and influences. Some of the greatest saints in the Bible had a lot of riches.  But they chose to use it wisely. If we are not careful and wise in how we steward money, we can allow it to turn into a god.

ëìNo servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one, and love the other, or else he will hold to one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.í Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening to all these things, and they were scoffing at Him.î  (Luke 16:13-14)

Jesus said the Pharisees were lovers of money. When we become lovers of money, we reduce God's word for the god that glitters. You can also be religious about it, but that still would not be enough to protect you. It will still take over your life and move your heart away from God.

You may remember the story of Howard Hughes, who died believing in the myth of more. He started off greedy and ended up badly defeated. He died a billionaire junky who became totally insane. He had much to live on, but nothing to live for.

Remember, all that is gold does not always glitter. So we must find out what are the things that are actually rich in the eyes of God.

The Bible says to ìLove the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength and to love your neighbor as yourselfî.  The greatest treasures you have will be verticalóyour relationship to God and horizontalóyour relationships with one another. Too often we displace them for the god that glitters. Remember it is not always a stack of money. Sometimes it is prestige, control, power, pleasure or whatever money can buy.

There are two roles that money can play:

?        Money can be a LURE.

ìThe devil led Him up to a high place and showed Him the kingdoms of the world. And he said to Him, ëI will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want toí.î (Luke 4:5-6 NIV)

Here it reduces everything to a price that I either withhold or give. Satan led Jesus to see the glitter of the world.  And that is exactly what he does to us.  In the process, money can lure us to de-prioritize relationships. We see it happening all over America and it also encroaches on the church.   In fact, one statistic says that 40 percent of children are growing up in single parent homes.

We are a nation that will exchange our very lives for money.  Why do you think America is a place where people are suing others when things go wrong? For example, someone says, ìYou killed my brother -- how much? Two million? Okay, I'll take that.î Relationships and everything else thatís eternal is being reduced to a price.

Third World countries look at us and would rather choose their way over our way. They can see what is happening to us and choose not to follow our example. Instead, African churches start in the morning and continue until whatever time that may be. The Americans there say, "Hey, let's not forget lunch." The African pastors respond by saying, "You Americans have watches, but we have time."

The second role money can play is:

?        Money can also be a CURE.

When it is used correctly, it can feed the poor, advance the gospel, take the name of the Lord around the world, build leaders, plant churches, help others, but hereís the catch -- you have to choose to use it correctly.

Alfred Nobel was an inventor and one day when Alfred's brother died, the local newspaper made a mistake and printed his name in the obituary instead of his brotherís.  The newspaper wrote, ìAlfred Nobel, a man who made his millions from dynamite, an item used to kills millions of people in wars."  He looked at that and said, "I will not be known by that." So he established the Nobel Peace Prize that gives yearly financial help to those who made advancement in medicine, literature and peace.

How do we choose rightly?  Here are two guidelines to help you steward what God has given you.  First you must:

1. Establish your ETERNAL CALLING.

ìWhat good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his own soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?î (Mark 8:36-37 NIV)

Ask yourself, ìWhat is my reason for being alive?î  The answer is simple, it is to love God youíre your neighbor.  Therefore, use the things God blesses you with wisely.  Donít forfeit eternity chasing after what is temporary.  So how can you establish your eternal calling without being distracted by the god that glitters?  First you mustÖ

• Focus your ATTENTION to FULFILL it.

ìBrethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.î (Phil. 3:13-14)

Your attention ought to be your relationships both with God and with others.  If thatís not a priority in your life, you will end up selling it to the god that glitters. And like Esau, you could end up selling your birthright for a pot of stew.

As my kids were growing up I knew that I had to make time for them. So twice a week, I would get them up early and take them to McDonaldís and sit with them. We would have breakfast and I would talk to them about things regarding life. We did this for years. They loved it.  For me it was making sure my kids were doing well as they were growing up.

With your marriage, try to be together once a week and talk about things. Donít argue, just find something nice to talk about and just simply talk. Someone once said, ìIf there would be more courting in marriage, there would be fewer marriages in courtî.

Please remember, God cannot change the past.  However, He will take you right where you are and help you to move forward.  Be aware though that the devil will try to condemn you and make you feel guilty, but donít you receive it.  Condemnation from the devil is designed to drive you away from God.   On the other hand, conviction by the Lord is designed to draw you near to Him.  Conviction of God focuses on change.  So receive that and God will give you the strength and grace to change and make a difference toward your eternal assignment.

The second point in helping you establish your eternal calling is to:

• Establish the ROLE that money will play.

ìNo servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.î (Luke 16:13 NIV)

Sometimes the god that glitters is strongest to those fathers who just have had their first child and are starting a business. The temptation to leave the greatest treasure (their families) behind will be more popular for them because of their circumstances. However, with Godís help, you can resist and stand firm.  The greatest treasures in life are relationships. Donít exchange that for the lure of money.  Remember, if God adds to your life and blesses you with other things, great!  That is extra -- icing on the cake.

If you love money, you will despise God. You have to love God to the point where you hate money. If you love God, take authority over money and say, ìYou will not control me, but In Jesusí Name, I take authority over you and will use you for kingdom purposesî.  Does this mean God wants us poor? Absolutely not.  Some of the greatest saints in the bible had a lot of money. But they chose to use it wisely. No matter what your role in life, you will be just as accountable to the way you use leadership or other gifts as well as the one who is a millionaire.

Money plays two roles.  It can be a lure and lead you down a wrong path.  Or it can be a cure to be used for the purposes of God.  So you must choose rightly and first establish your eternal calling and secondly:

2.  Invest your life in what God calls ìwealth.î

ìBut God said to him, ëYou fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?í So is the man who lays up treasures for himself, and is not rich toward God.î (Luke 12:20-21)

Your life is too precious for the accumulation of temporal things. What does it mean to be rich toward God?  Where do the riches toward heaven really lay? Sometimes the greatest treasures are right next to us. And the god that glitters has a crafty way to dupe us into believing it is somewhere else.

We must understand our calling in life, the role of money, and what it means to be rich toward God.  Keep all of this in perspective and you will understand what God can do through you. Remember, God wants to restore your heart to purity and devotion to Him, because out there in the real world, there are no other gods, but the Lord Jesus.

Care Group Questions:

1.      Be imaginative: If you were put in charge of the national debt, what steps would you take to solve the problem?

2.      Group Facilitator: Take a poll. Ask, how many hours does each person work in your care group? Ask if they are comfortable about it. Find out if they are working to:

1. To make it from month to month.
2. To get out of debt.
3. To maintain a chosen lifestyle.

3.      Whatís wrong with this phrase: ìMoney is to root of all evilî (1 Tim. 6:10)?

4.      Can you give personal examples how you were led by God to use your money for Kingdom purposes and were later blessed by it?

5.      What would be your ìeternal calling?î How are you investing in it today?

6.      Is it easier for you to be on the giving end or receiving end? Are there lessons to learn from both of these?

7.      Either as a group or break in pairsñCommit to God all your resources. Ask Him to give you wisdom and strength as you walk with God not to go after gods that glitter. Start by offering yourself to God and all your talents and gifts for kingdom purposes. Commit to the Lord that you will NOT forsake key relationships in your life for the gods that glitter.

Mahalo NUI (HUGE THANKS) to volunteer Rich Wilbur for this labor of love!