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13.Nov.2007 The Kingdom Principles on Money

Filed In: Bible-based Teachings, Kingdom of God

Matthew 5, 6 & 7 – The Kingdom of God is not a place we go – it is a way we live.

Money:
Matthew 6:19-24 – “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasure sin heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. Your eye is a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is good, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is bad, your whole body is filled with darkness and if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is! No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

You cannot serve both God and money. In this passage, Jesus elevates money to be on the same level as God (the center of our lives) to demonstrate that we cannot serve both God and money. When we put God first in our lives we move out of the “Kingdom of Self” – where money and serving ourselves rule – and into the Kingdom of God which focuses on serving God and others.

Kingdom of Self:

  • When we live in the kingdom of self, money economic purposes become diluted by our emotional attachments – it becomes something that we love. Power is released in money.
  • When power is released in money it makes us do things that we didn’t think we’d ever do. (Divorce, stealing…)
  • People are divided when money gains a god like status in their lives.

    • Kingdom of God:

  • God knows our needs. He knows that we need things. We have to trust in His provision and not live in fear over what we have – fear gives money power over our worlds.
  • We need to decrease the God of money and elevate the God of the Universe.
  • God is our provider. He sits above all things.

    • Just like God can change us, so can money.

  • When money is given power it makes us do things we didn’t think we’d ever do.
  • Coming into the shopping season we need to be aware of the pressures to overspend and be controlled by money.

    • Kingdom of God on money and on giving. We can’t help everyone we see, but we can help our neighbor.

  • Don’t even let people know when you do good deeds for them. Your father will see your heart.
  • The reason why the Good Samaritan was able to help was because he was wise with his money. He didn’t run his bank account dry or live extravagantly beyond his means.
  • Who is your neighbor?

    • Our God doesn’t just tell us what to do – he shows us what to do. Everything about Jesus reflects who God is. He is the light for our path: If you think you’re living correctly, but you’re not… how much greater is the deception because you think you are in the right? Being even one degree off at the start of something causes us to be so off course once we’re into it that we don’t even recognize where it was we were supposed to be going. When you look with the right eye (perspective) you will see your path more clearly. That is why is so important to give God control of our lives – especially with things that can have power over us, such as money.

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