“God & Money in the New Covenant”

 

 

    MT 6:19 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

 

22 The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.

 

Jesus considered earthly wealth deceitful and unfruitful to his message.

 

   MT 19:21 Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."

    MT 19:23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

 

 

 

Lavishness in the New Testament

 

  JN 12:4 But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, 5 "Why wasn't this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year's wages. " 6 He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it. JN 12:7 "Leave her alone," Jesus replied. "It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. 8 You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me."

 

    Judas had been appointed treasurer of the band of disciples, but he had been using his office for his own enrichment. His remonstrance over Mary's gift revealed that he had a sharp sense of financial values and no appreciation of human values.

Note, Judas’ motivation for objection was not one of anti-lavishness or anti-prosperity doctrine but one of greed. In fact Judas would probably promote prosperity teaching.

 

7-8 Mary seems to have been the only one who was sensitive to the impending death of Jesus and who was willing to give a material expression of her esteem for him. Jesus' reply shows his appreciation of her act of devotion. His words disclose also the current of his thought, for he was anticipating death. His comment on the poor was not a justification for tolerating unnecessary poverty; but it was a hint to Judas that if he were really concerned about the poor, he would never lack opportunity to aid them.

 

 Jesus distinguishes between giving to the poor and the extravagance lavished on himself on the grounds that he will not always be physically present to receive it. His followers will always find poor people to help. Implicitly, the distinction Jesus makes is a high Christological claim, for it not only shows that he foresees his impending departure but also that he himself, who is truly "gentle and humble in heart", deserves this lavish outpouring of love and expense.

“You will always have the poor with you” implies that when Jesus is gone, then the money will and should be used for the poor.

 Jesus never encourages men to lavish money or treasures on themselves.

 

 

 

MK 10:21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."

 

Notice that Jesus never told anyone to prove their love for God and not for money by directing them to give their money to his ministry or any ministry but always said “give to the poor”.

 

 

 

 LK 6:22 Blessed are you when men hate you,

    when they exclude you and insult you

    and reject your name as evil,

      because of the Son of Man.

 

    LK 6:23 "Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the prophets.

 

  LK 6:24 "But woe to you who are rich,

    for you have already received your comfort.

 

  LK 6:25 Woe to you who are well fed now,

    for you will go hungry.

  Woe to you who laugh now,

    for you will mourn and weep.

 

  LK 6:26 Woe to you when all men speak well of you,

    for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets.

 

 

 

LK 12:32 "Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

 

Note here that Jesus is not talking to the rich young ruler, but to His followers (believers). His instruction to them is the very opposite of a life of acquiring and maintaining earthly possessions, or what the American church calls “being blessed”.  Again he says, “ give to the poor”.

 

   LK 14:12 Then Jesus said to his host, "When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. 13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."

 

Jesus’ way of being blessed is to lay down pursuit of present self centered pleasures and to love people who cannot repay you by blessing them and trusting God for future reward in heaven.

 

 

 

LK 16:13 "No 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."

    LK 16:14 The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. 15 He said to them, "You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God's sight.

 

Here Jesus says that the Pharisees justify their wealth and love of money (like many in the church today). But Jesus clearly states that what is highly valued among men (materialism) is detestable to God.

 

Were the Apostles wealthy?

 

Peter and John

3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. 4 Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, "Look at us!" 5 So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.

    AC 3:6 Then Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you.

 

 (Would  Peter lie like Annanias and Saphira?)

 

 

Paul

 

  2CO 6:3 We put no stumbling block in anyone's path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. 4 Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; 5 in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; 6 in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; 7 in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; 8 through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; 9 known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; 10 sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

 

(Was Paul just being dramatic? Let’s look at some of his teachings.)

 

1TI 3:1 Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task. 2 Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.

 

 

1 Ti 6:9 People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

 

Notice,” wandered from the faith” refers to Christians eager for money. Being eager for money is to wander from the faith..

 

2TI 3:1 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves,(self centered) lovers of money, boastful, proud, arrogant, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God-- 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.

 

Notice this is referring to the last day’s apostate church, “having a form of godliness”.

 

 

Prosperity is a false doctrine:

   1TI 6:3 If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, 4 he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions 5 and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.

What 5 attitudes seem to characterize prosperity preachers?

1. Boastful- “I flew here on my own jet and it’s paid for”!

2. Proud- “I’m a King’s kid”

3. Arrogant- “I follow in the footsteps of Jesus, that’s why I drive a Rolls Royce”!

4. Lovers of money- self explanatory

5. Lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God- Their god is prosperity (pleasure) in the name of Christianity.

 

 

 

Heb 13:5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have.

 

If you’re not content with what you have, then you have the love of money

 

Jas 2:5 Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?

 

1 Pe 5:2 Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers--not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve;

 

 

Rev 3:17 You say, `I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.

 

Notice Jesus equates riches and wealth with spiritual purity not material possessions.

 

“The Gospel of greed”

 

Greed-An excessive desire to acquire or possess more than what one needs.

 

As I look back at my 3 years of training in the prosperity doctrine one thing that stands out to me is that the motivation to grow in the “word” was always focused on building faith to believe for ways that I could be more blessed. Whether it be faith for more money, a better job, a new car, boat or toy or basically anything else I coveted. (oops did I say coveted? I meant, needed to be more blessed in my life.)

 

It never occurred to me or anyone else I knew that since we had this great new “power” called faith, we could actually use our faith to believe for other stuff like loving and serving others, giving rather than receiving, witnessing, feeding the poor, visiting the widows and orphans etc…I guess we were so distracted by the “promises” of God we missed the premises of God. 

 

    MT 23:25 "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.

 

15 Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."

 

11 But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy,

 

…..nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

 

EPH 5:3 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. 4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. 5 For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person--such a man is an idolater--has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God

 

 

COL 3:5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.

 

2PE 2:1 But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. (in the church)They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them--bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2 Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. 3 In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up.(divine revelations)

 

 

In short one, is hard pressed to  find anywhere in the new testament (our covenant) where Jesus or the disciples ever encouraged, promoted , desired, or pursued material wealth or possessions. But only an arsenal of teachings against it.