For Richer or Poorer (February 28th)
1 Corinthians 13
1.) I have a five dollar bill. A few months ago I took a five dollar bill and I invited you to give a five dollar bill so we could pay for a tank of gas for cars coming the gas station right next to this building. There were several people who received a tank of gas with the money we gave away. One person was recently unemployed and appreciate of the gift.
Five dollars is nice but when combined with other five dollar bills and given away can touch a life. As we live out our life as disciples money can be a way we transform the world.
Money is a part of our lives so today I want to talk about money.
2.) The wedding vows promise that a husband and wife will hold each other for richer or poorer. Couple’s actually say that, but isn’t it true that we only want richer moments, they don’t want poorer times.
I want to talk about money and our perspective, because we have different perspectives of it and different experiences with it.
So, I invite us to examine money, like this five dollar bill, in two biblical passages, our current financial context and see what John Wesley taught about money.
3.) As we read the opening verses of 1 Corinthians 13 Paul teaches that love is vital, critical, vital and central. We realize how important love is in our lives as we read verse three. “If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.”
We realize that if we give all of our money away without love there is no virtue in that, it is as if nothing happened. If we keep all the money we have without love there is no virtue in that, its as if nothing was experienced. The virtue, the gain, is letting love lead us as and our hearts we give or keep money.
Love in the heart must guide our use of money.
Jesus said when asked what is the most important commandment, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mark 12:30, 31)
We love God. We allow this love of God to guide our money. We worship God, we love God as we give 10%, a tithe, to God. It is out of love that we make this decision and give it.
We love others as we love ourselves. We spend money on our needs and wants as we keep the needs and wants of others in our hearts. We give money to others, not out of guilt, but out of love, like we do for ourselves.
4.) Let us discover insights from Matthew 6:24 – 33. (Read it out loud.) What does Jesus appear to tell us? My insight is this. Focus on our Heavenly Father as we consider money.
In the midst of our life filled with money, needs, concerns, etc. we keep our focus on God.
I have always appreciate the focus of Matthew 6:33. “Seek first his Kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Focus on God first and our needs will be taken care of.
5.) As we consider love in the heart and what we focus on we need to identify our perspective and experience of money as it relates to our lives.
We need to examine three aspects of our contexts; Our American culture, our generational experience and our specific circumstance.
a.) We live in an American culture. It has a unique framework of money. The world is different and had differing countries and cultures in their economic identity.
The US economy is based on a free-market system of capitalism. That is how we have operated. That has shaped our understanding of money. Have any of you lived in another country? If so you know that each country has a different perspective.
b.) Each of us are a part of a generation. Each generation had different events that shaped us. If you lived through the Great Depression of the 1920’s and 30’s you have a perspective of money. If you lived through WW2 you have a perspective of money. If you were born in 1980 you have a perspective of money. Each generation has different events that you hold in the heart.
c.) We all have a unique situation related to the money we currently have and what it means to us. It could be related to your job, your inheritance, your land, your goals, your unique needs.
6.) So, as we examine scripture and our money circumstances how do we focus on God and let love guide us as we use money? That is a great question that each person who follows Christ must wrestle with.
One simplistic guide I shared with our High School graduates last year was to keep the 10-10-80 principle. If they gave God 10% and saved 10% and used 80% for their needs they would do well in the future.
Another guide is to look to John Wesley who sought to teach and guide disciples. John wrote a sermon called, “The Use of Money,” in 1872. From that sermon we have his thoughts. (If you type in “The Use of Money” by John Wesley into Google you will be able to read a copy.)
John Wesley’s sermon on money in one sentence is this, “gain all you can, save all you can, give all you can.”
7.) a.) Gain all you can. John Wesley described that it was important that you gained all you can in honest work, in hard work, in work that did not hurt others, or harm yourself. Work in such a way that God would be honored as you gain all that you can.
That sounds very self focused. It is. John Wesley said you must not stop there but move to the second point. (Our culture and its consumerism wants us to gain and consume all that we can. That is why in Wesley’s day and our day we must hear the total message of Wesley.)
b.) Save all you can. John wants us to not be superficial consumers and allow every fancy item capture our affection. Wesley wanted disciples to be savers. It was a spiritual discipline and it was a financial strategy that allowed disciples to use money for the future. When you save you are denying self and allowing financial discipline to enter your thinking this creates a pattern for life. Have as a goal to save a lot of money. Don’t spend it all, even though that is what our culture is trying to lure you to do.
John Wesley says that if you gain and save you still haven’t fulfilled what you need to with the use of money. Gaining and Saving are still self focused.
c.) Give all you can. John desired Methodist disciples to be known for being givers of money. When you give money away you take its power over you and you let it be used for worship or as an expression of love.
When we give to God in our offering it is a special moment, an act of worship. When we give to someone something that costs money they are touched and blessed.
It is important that we have a focus of giving for missions in the life of the church.
Wesley said to gain all we can, save all we can, give all we can. We are standing with Epworth Forest to give to the needs there for that ministry that we have benefited from.
If John Wesley were alive today what would he say to us about our culture and the Bible and how we live out our faith? Would they be any different than what he shared 128 years ago?
8.) Years ago there was a little boy who for weeks prayed and prayed and prayed for $100. He didn’t receive anything and was dissapointed. He decided to write a letter to God requesting the $100 and see what would happen.
When the Post Office received a letter addressed to “God, USA” they weren’t sure what to do with it. They decided to send it to the President of the United States. When the President read the letter he was so impressed that he told his secretary to send the little boy a five dollar bill. “That would seem like a large sum of money to one so young.”
Well the boy received the money and was delighted. He sat down to write God a thank you letter. The letter read; “Dear God, thank you for sending me the money. However, I notice that for some reason you had it sent through Washington D. C., and as usual, the government deducted ninety-five percent.” (World’s Greatest Collections of Church Jokes, Paul M. Miller, editor, page 94)
It might seem like God gives and the government takes away some days! It is all a part of our living in these days, in this country.
9.) I pray that as we think about money we keep it in perspective. There are things that money can buy and things that money can’t buy.
Money can buy a house, but not a home. Money can buy you medicine but it can’t buy you health. Money can buy you a bed, but not a good nights’ sleep. Money can buy you entertainment but not happiness.
