Pastor Elwin Ahu
October 14, 2007 - W0741

Today I want to talk about something that has captured man’s heart since time began. It has caused acts of foolishness, victory and defeat, heights of great joy and the darkest depths of despair. No men, it is not women. I am talking about money and when your material wealth controls you and consumes you then the Bible calls it “Mammon”. Mammon is wealth that has become an object of worship or devotion. It is material wealth that has taken priority over God in your heart.

A lot of times Mammon is what drives the American Dream. Matthew Warshauer, Professor of History at Central Connecticut State University wrote, “How does one achieve the American Dream?  The answer undoubtedly depends upon one’s definition of the Dream, and there are many from which to choose.  John Winthrop envisioned a religious paradise in a "City upon a Hill."  Martin Luther King, Jr. dreamed of racial equality. Both men yearned for what they perceived as perfection.  Scholars have recognized widely varying conceptions of these quests for American excellence. One component of the American Dream seems, however, to be fairly consistent: the quest for money.  Few will deny that Americans are intently focused on the “almighty dollar.”  In a society dedicated to capitalism and the maxim that, “the one who dies with the most toys wins,” the ability to purchase a big house and a nice car separates those who are considered successful from those who are not.”

The American Dream.  Is it real or illusion? Dream or nightmare? There has been a shift in America and the American Dream during these past few decades. We have gotten away from the idea of working long and hard and have gotten more into instant gratification as a way of life. The idea of fast cash seems to dominate the media. We have very popular TV shows like “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” which has 2.9 million viewers per show. We even have “Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire?” America is consumed with the idea of attaining fast cash but not so much with working hard for success.

But it is all illusion.  We are focusing on the unimportant things in life. The American Dream itself is an illusion. It is the trick of the illusionist or magician to misdirect. He will have you focus on something unimportant so that you miss his sleight of hand or switch. Satan is a master illusionist. He has been tricking us for years into focusing on the unimportant like money and material wealth. He has fooled us into thinking that the more things or toys we can accumulate the less we need God. Satan wants us to serve our material wealth and not God.

The Lord knew from the beginning that that is what Satan had planned so the Bible warns, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” (Matt. 6:24) The two are complete opposites so you cannot serve both.

So we have to be very careful to see through that …

ILLUSION ABOUT WEALTH:

• MORE WILL ONE DAY BE ENOUGH.

We tend to think that if we keep focusing on getting more then one day we will have enough – that one day we will be free. We think that after we pay off the mortgage, tuition and car then and only then will we be happy and fulfilled. But it is all illusion because more money means more work.

Even the very prosperous King Solomon in Biblical times recognized the weakness and error of his ways when he said, “But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless. It was like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worth while anywhere.” (Eccl. 2:11 NLT) King Solomon realized that more money and material wealth did not equal happiness.

But that is what we have been told; that more money and material things will equal happiness. We are bombarded with advertisements everyday that we think are selling things but in actuality are attempting to sell happiness. The vacation ad to Disneyland is telling you that if you go there you will be happy. Basically, almost all ads are telling you that if you buy their thing then you will be happy. But happiness can never be bought. As the Bible says, “Those who love money will never have enough. How absurd to think that wealth brings true happiness! The more you have, the more people come to help you spend it. So what is the advantage of wealth – except perhaps to watch it run through your fingers!” (Eccl. 5:10-11 NLT)

One of the saddest examples of money not equaling happiness is the sorry tale of lottery winner Jack Whittaker. He won $314.9 million! Being a good man he donated $11 million to his church, gave his daughter $5000 per week and gave his granddaughter also $5000 per week. But he never imagined the negative impact it would have on their lives. His granddaughter attracted all sorts of so-called friends that would help her spend her money in all the wrong ways. She got into drugs and alcohol and eventually the sweetest girl turned into a demon. He buried his granddaughter within one year of winning.

Jack himself got into alcohol abuse, gambling and strip clubs.  He was arrested several times for Driving Under the Influence. He later said that he had wished that he had torn up that lottery ticket.  He admitted that he did not like the Jack Whittaker that he had become since winning the lottery.

So we must all recognize the real …

TRUTH ABOUT WEALTH:

1.     IT ALL GOES IN THE BOX.

You cannot take your material wealth with you to eternal life in Heaven. While it has been said, “the one who dies with the most toys wins,” you still die! As the Bible confirms, “As he had come naked from his mother’s womb, so will he return as he came. He will take nothing from the fruit of his labor that he can carry in his hand.” (Eccl. 5:15) No matter how much stuff you can fit in your coffin, it will not make a difference. Accordingly the Bible advises, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.” (Matt. 6:19 NIV) It is like the Lord is gently reminding us that if we are focusing on accumulating earthly things then we should first consider moths, rust and thieves. Consider when we move into a new house.  We are all happy because the paint, the plumbing and the carpet are all new. But eventually the excitement wears out because the house wears out.  The paint is peeling or there are marks on the wall, the carpet is stained and the plumbing needs fixing. We too were happily excited when my wife Joy and I moved into our new home. But since our little boy Jared came along our home no longer looks as new!

When we bought a shiny new car, we had the same happy feeling.  But eventually my wife put a huge dent in it and I was upset. Then ofcourse I put a huge gash on the car myself. So all things will not be new eventually. The Lord looks at the temporal or in other words, everything on earth that will not last and says to not focus on that because it will not last because moths, thieves or rust will take them. Remember, you can lose all your material wealth so easily through illness or the lost of your job. If you support all your weight on something earthly – you will fall. We are all going to die and death will steal it all ultimately. How often do we hear people in the hospital asking about their stock market investments? Everything earthly that we have will perish eventually.

So does that mean that we should give everything away? No, because …

2.     SERVING GOD OR MAMMON ISN’T AN ISSUE OF HOW MUCH; IT’S AN ISSUE OF THE HEART.

Some heroes of the Bible were very prosperous. It depends on what our heart tells us to do with what we have. We are suppose to use what we have to help people and for God. As the Bible says, “[Tell] those who are rich … not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. [Tell] them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.” (1Tim. 6:17-19) In other words, God provides so we can enjoy what we have but we should use it for good works. Too often we focus on getting money but life should instead be about giving. Money is not the problem - being consumed by the pursuit of money is.

What is in our heart is important because the outside is a reflection of what is on the inside. As the Bible says, "What comes out of a man is what makes him 'unclean.'” (Mk 7:20 NIV) Greed, murder and sexual immorality all flow out of the condition of the heart. It is similar to having a damaged heart that impairs you ability to be physically active. The defect or damage to your heart on the inside hurts your ability to be active on the outside. If we have spiritual weaknesses on the inside it will affect us adversely in our spiritual walk on the outside. So guard your heart with diligence. If our heart feels that we need a lot of material things then our mind will accept it too. We will begin to rationalize buying things we do not need. For example, we will buy 16 pants at Macy’s that we do not need because it is on sale and will supposedly save $50, if our hearts are not correct.

A husband may look outside of his marriage for his unfulfilled needs to be met, if his heart is not correct. A married man with children will be looking at pornography if there is a problem with his heart on the inside.

So where should our hearts be? As the Bible says, “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do no break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matt. 6:20-21 NIV) In other words, focus on investing in your Heavenly afterlife not on earthly things and what you value the most is where your heart truly is. Too often we spend all our money and time that we do not have on impressing people that we do not like. If God did an ultrasound on our hearts, what would he find?

I used to give only dollar to New Hope each week.  When I started giving $5, I thought it was a big deal. Where my treasure was was where my heart was. But my heart has grown and matured since then and I realize that you cannot out give the Lord. Investing in people is what it is all about.

So what is true wealth?

3. TRUE WEALTH: “HEAVENLY” TREASURES WE INVEST IN TODAY!

Timing is everything! If you invested only a little in Googol stock years ago, you would be a rich man today. As the Bible says, “For I was hungry and you gave Me food … thirsty and you gave Me drink … a stranger and you took Me in … naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me … in prison and you came to Me.” (Matt. 25:35-36) When Jesus needed something, that is when it was given to Him, not later when it was convenient for the giver. It is all about investing in others. When blessing others, timing is everything. The time is now. You cannot wait to already be in Heaven and then try to invest in others!

When my wife Joy quit her job to care for our young son Jared it was a huge financial sacrifice but the timing was now for Jared. As it turned out the sacrifice was nothing compared to the reward. Recently, Jared told Joy that he when he grew up he was going to buy a house and take good care of her. We are so glad we took the risk and time to invest in Jared back then. Our son is our heavenly treasure that we invested in.

So invest in others by sharing Christ with them - even if you disagree with them because it is not who is right but what is right that is important. I myself regret not sharing Christ with my father before he died because I was afraid of rejection. I regret that very much and so will not let that happen with my mom. When my mom asked about Christ, I lovingly explained to her and prayed with her.  At the end of our talk she said, “See you in Heaven when the time comes.” I was so grateful to God for that talk.

So remember, absolutely no one escapes; we will all stand before God and His judgment in the end. What do you want Him to see? As the Bible cautions, “The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.” (Eccl. 12:13-14) So be sure to invest heavily in the Heavenly world to come.

No one can serve two masters so you must choose between serving God or Mammon. Mammon is defined as wealth that is an object of worship or devotion. One illusion about wealth is that some day “more” will be enough. If money and material wealth comes before God in your heart, there will never be enough. The truth about material wealth is that you cannot take any of it with you to Heaven so you should invest in Heavenly treasures like God, good works and helping other people. Serving God or Mammon is not an issue of how much wealth you have; it is an issue of the heart. Your heart must be in the right place and you should treasure the right things. You should be using your wealth for God. True wealth is “Heavenly” treasures that we invest in today like investing in other people now rather than waiting for when it is convenient for us. Timing is very important. What is in our hearts is important because that dictates our actions and in the end God will judge everyone.

DISCUSSION SUGGESTIONS

1. What happened when you served two masters or when you served mammon?
2. What strategy should you use when you find yourself thinking that more will one day be enough? How do you know when you have too much material wealth?
3. While you cannot take it with you, what is wrong with enjoying the wealth on earth?
4. What happens when you delay investing in heavenly treasure? Are there times when delaying investing in a heavenly treasure is the right thing to do?
5. Are you ready at this moment for the final judgment from God? Why or why not?
6. How are you using your wealth for God and others?