Let's pray. Let's ask God for help as we look
at his word now. Heavenly Father, we thank you
that you speak to us in your word. We thank you
that your word is full of life -giving wisdom.
And we pray, Father, that you would help us to
see how to have true riches this morning. And
we ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. Well in 2016
a new book came out written by an Aussie actually
it was a smash hit sold over 2 million copies
Many families found this book to be a lifesaver
Anyone know for a free cup of coffee what that
book is? No, it's the Barefoot Investor by Scott
Pape And the book aims to help people be smarter
and wiser with what they've got. It does so by
challenging false scripts. So we've got false
scripts, according to Scott Pape, that we rehearse
around money. Think like false narratives, beliefs
and assumptions. And we have these false scripts
and we internalise them and we never question
them. Things like... I can't get on top of my
finances because I'm just not good with money.
Or I don't earn enough so investing is not for
me. Or I've left it too late to invest and save.
And what Scott Pape does in the book is he confronts
those false scripts and he reshapes how people
see themselves and their money. And he helps
them become wise with their wealth. Well today,
I kind of want to do the same thing as we look
at Proverbs and as we look at the whole Bible.
There are some things here in the Bible that
I reckon would make Scott Pape nod his head and
go, yeah, that's pretty wise. I think there are
things here that Scott Pape would find very confronting
as well. I think all of us probably will. I know
I did as I was preparing this. We've all got
these false scripts, these false narratives,
and we need to see what our false narratives
are about money. And the big one we need to see
that we tend to get stuck in is we see money
as only for this life, as it's only a thing for
this material world. Let me show you how to be
wise with wealth. Here's the big point for today.
We use our wealth wisely when we have an eternal
perspective. You want to be wise with wealth?
That's the key. We use our wealth wisely when
we have an eternal perspective. We're going to
look at three things about money that Proverbs
is teaching us. Money can be a useful tool. Money
can be a deadly trap. and money is not everything.
Three things we're going to look at about money,
and the big overarching thing is we use our wealth
wisely when we have an eternal perspective. So
let's start with the first one. Money can be
a useful tool. I mean, money makes the world
go round in many ways. Have a look at this. A
man's gift makes room for him and brings him
before the great. So Proverbs is telling us that
money opens doors. I think of my uncle, he used
to be a senior partner at KPMG and he would go
out on the most exquisite expensive lunches.
He had a cool little company credit card and
he'd go out and he'd take people out on expensive
lunches to get potential new clients because
Yeah, oh, they took me out to lunch. I think
I'll go with them, you know. Or I remember a
few times going out with my dad to the SCG and
watching the swans and some test cricket in one
of those fancy boxes. Now, I actually reckon
they're overrated. All the good food is found
down in the other area. They have all these,
like, little hand things that, you know, you
need a solid meat pie when you're at the footy.
You know, my dad got invited to these fancy boxes
because people were trying to win his business.
You know, people go, there's a law of reciprocity.
You know, if I treat you well, you're probably
going to go with me for the business. If the
deal's good, it might just get me over the line.
See, money can be used to buy gifts and lunches
and things like that that gets you noticed. Now,
is that manipulative? Possibly. Doesn't have
to be. If your motive is loving, it definitely
isn't. But it can be. But it's also wisdom, isn't
it? Money can be used to win favour. It can be
used to help influence people. Yet the reverse
is true as well. Have a look at this. Many curry
favour with a ruler. And everyone is the friend
of one who gives gifts. The poor are shunned
by all their relatives. How much more do their
friends avoid them? Though the poor pursue them
with pleading, they are nowhere to be found.
So if you're rich or powerful, it's saying, you're
probably going to be more popular. Because people
are all trying to curry favour with you. They
all want to get a bit of influence from you.
That's why it's very hard when you're rich and
powerful. to make authentic friends, isn't it?
Because are they loving me for my money? Are
they loving me for me? You know, it can be really
tricky, especially when someone's, you know,
people who are celebrities and rich and things
like that, they love to go back to their roots,
the friends they had before they became famous
or before they came rich. Because it's like I
at least know they'll treat me for me, or more
likely to anyway. But the poor and the needy,
it's saying here, they often drive people away.
I'm not saying we should like that, I'm not saying
that's a good thing, but it's trying to tell
us how the world works, isn't it? Especially
if these folks are seeking a handout all the
time. I remember a couple of years ago, we went
down to Sydney and we had a little stave as a
family in a Airbnb enduro and we were out in
the bush. and there was a nice little creek and
I said to some of our kids, let's go for a bush
walk. Well, this little short bush walk, we got
lost and it turned into an hour and a half bush
walk and it started to rain and we're in by the
creek and we get back and we find all over our
legs and things there are leeches everywhere.
And so we had to like get them off and it was
like, oh, you know. But rightly or wrongly, that's
just how the world works. No one wants to be
leeched off of. And it's the same with actual
leeches and it's the same with money, isn't it?
That sort of leeching repulses people. And so
the wise person understands this and acts accordingly.
They see money as a useful tool and they try
to wield it with skill so that they can reach
their goals. If in need, they try to sort it
out themselves or they ask sparingly or they
try to reciprocate in some way. I mean, even
Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 4, 11 and 12 that
Christians should seek not to be dependent on
anyone. So there is a good side here, isn't there?
But when it comes to money, just as a skilled
craftsman looks after their tools so they work
well, it's the same with the wise. They look
after their money and grow their wealth so it
can be a useful tool for them. And here's how
they do it. Look at this first. Dishonest money
dwindles away, but whoever gathers money little
by little makes it grow. So the wise person doesn't
steal or con to get more. They squirrel away
their money. They save it. Some might have a
budget. You know, it's a great thing to plan
it out and have a budget. I think it's even a
good thing to do with your kids is to at least
try and teach some of the concepts and the principles.
So you could do something like this. You could
get three buckets in front of your kids and you
say, okay, with your money, have you ever thought
about what you want to do with it? You want to
put your money into three different buckets.
You want to have a bucket for spending? So that
would be your bills and your fun things. Maybe
you put 70 % in that bucket and then 20 % in
the savings bucket and then 10 % in the giving
bucket. Now, that's just one idea, one way to
teach it to kids. But you want them to learn
how to be wise and we all want to be wise. We
want to try and avoid debt. We want to sharpen
our tool and grow our wealth. Now, don't get
me wrong. I'm oversimplifying something very,
very complex. I mean, I haven't talked yet, and
probably won't, about the state of the economy
or the wage to house price ratio. I'm still kicking
myself that I didn't buy property in Sydney when
I came out of the womb. That would have been
really good. All you can do... is be wise with
what you've got during the times you live in.
But the wise see the value and the help that
money can give. And so they think about how to
grow it, how to steward it and how to best use
it. Now let me ask, what false scripts do you
have about money? I think for some Christians
one would be It's all too hard. I know, I struggle
with that one. It's all too hard. Oh man, there's
that many bills and there's that thing to navigate
and oh, I've got to deal with that and how do
I? If it's all too hard, hey, you know, it's
great to get a bit of help, get someone to come
alongside you, or maybe just start with one thing
you can change. Okay, I'm just gonna work on
cancelling unnecessary subscriptions. Do I need
Netflix, Stan, Prime, Apple TV? I might just
take it down to 27 or to maybe two, whatever
it might be. Maybe another false script is stewardship
doesn't matter. Well, no. I hope you've seen
money matters. It's a useful tool. It's got a
purpose. We want to be wise. We want to use it
well. So it's important to reflect on how we're
using our money and seek to improve it where
we can. So money is a great tool. We want to
wield it well, but with that said, there's a
dark side to money too. Because money can be
a deadly trap. Money can be a deadly trap. And
both physically and spiritually. Have a look
at this. The ransom of a man's life is his wealth.
But a poor man hears no threat. Many, many years
ago, I was an Ozkink umpire. Do you know what?
In all my years as an Ozkink umpire, I never
got violently robbed. I used to also be a bank
teller. I did get robbed as a bank teller. Guy
ran in with a screwdriver and pushed someone
out of the way, got past the teller door and
took a bunch of money. And that's nothing. I
had it easy. I had one colleague I worked with.
She'd been robbed five times at gunpoint. See,
poor footy umpires are rarely targets for robbery.
They're targets for verbal abuse. I've got plenty
of that. But banks, they hold a lot more money.
And so they're a common target. Actually, when
I worked at the bank, we had 10 robberies in
nine months in our 16 branches. It was nuts.
But see, like, our money, in many ways, paints
a target on us. It reminds me a bit of this far
side picture. I don't know if you've ever seen
this one. I love that. Bummer of a birthmark
howl. And there you've got Howl, who's this deer
with a giant target on his chest. I think that's
awesome. But that's the thing with money. In
one way, we never think about this, but money
paints a bullseye on our chest. That's why people
invest so much in insurance and security systems,
isn't it? Yet the danger of money is not just
physical, actually more importantly, it's spiritual.
Have a look at these verses. Whoever mocks the
poor insults his maker. He who is glad at calamity
will not go unpunished. Whoever closes his ear
to the cry of the poor will himself call out
and not be answered, presumably by God. Proverbs
is littered with passages that show that God
is serious about caring for the poor. Those who
have no heart for the poor are actually angering
and insulting Yahweh. So how we treat the poor
is no small thing to God. And the reason people
often ignore this and we're tempted to ignore
this is because we often become self -deceived
into idolatry. Have a look at this verse. The
name of the Lord, the name of Yahweh is a strong
tower. The righteous man runs into it and is
safe. A rich man's wealth is his strong city
and like a high wall, he's the key bit, in his
imagination. Some people trust money to keep
them safe. If I have enough dollars I can get
enough fences and enough good doctors and enough
things that will handle the problems of life.
And look, there is some truth to that. Yet, if
we're being real, we need to remember that money
is so fragile. Money can't always protect us
from war or betrayal or death or crime. Plus,
money can disappear very quickly. You know, think
of some of the economies, like I think it was
Argentina and Greece where just the dollar devalued
instantly. Big market crash. Not worth the paper
it's written on. See, money reminds me a bit
of the three little pigs. Think of the three
little pigs. You know, you've got the straw house
and the wood house, and money is a bit like those.
We think, yeah, I'm safe from the big bad wolves
out there. No, actually, you're not. It's very
fragile. The only thing that is like brick is
God. And actually to be on the wrong side of
him is scarier than any wolf as well. Only God
can protect us. And only God can give us treasures
that won't rust, corrode or wither away. Only
God can give us eternal riches that can't be
stolen or lost. I mean money... You know, it's
got some great things. It can keep death at bay
a bit longer. It can buy you more time. But only
Jesus, only the risen Jesus can give you life
after death with eternal heavenly riches. See,
money can be a trap. We've got a bug zapper in
our backyard. I think here in Cairns it works
over time. And for flies, have you ever tried
to get yourself into the head of a fly? I think
that's what the people who made the bug zapper
did. But for the flies, it's glorious. They see
this light and it's like, whoa, I can't wait
to get there. But for them, it's a deadly trap,
isn't it? And they're gone. But that's the danger
of money for us, isn't it? We think, it's glorious.
I'll have ultimate safety, security and satisfaction
if I just have enough money. But those things
are only found in the grace and salvation of
the risen Lord Jesus. So how do you stop yourself
from being trapped by money? Well, we've got
to expose the false scripts the world is telling
us. I mean, that's what the advertisers and marketers
are all trying to do, aren't they? You'll be
happy, your life will be satisfied, you'll be
secure if you have this product, if you bank
with our bank, you know, whatever it might be.
And we need to keep reminding ourselves as God's
people. that actually satisfaction and security
are found in Jesus alone. But not only that,
we've got to put our money where our mouth is.
We can't just think the right things, we've actually
got to do things that will help us. And that
involves joyfully giving our money away. Because
here's what happens, if you hold money too tightly,
It sinks into your bloodstream and runs up into
your heart. And it takes over. Well, of course
you're saying that, Brendan. Your income comes
from our giving. True. But it's not based on
commission. If the giving goes up, I don't get
a bonus. But no, I mean, maybe we could work
that. No, no, no. See, I'm so glad when people
give to Northern Hope. Because I believe in our
mission. Remember our mission? We exist to see
souls from Cairns and beyond saved on the last
day. Now, I hope you give to that. I hope you're
invested in that. But I want to encourage you
to give, not because just, I mean, I want to
encourage you to give for that. But I want to
encourage you to give for the sake of your own
heart, to protect your own heart. And if you're
going, well, that Brendan's a sleazy, you know,
scumbag, okay. For the sake of your own heart,
give to something else. Give to Compassion. Great
organisation. Helping kids all over the world
through the local church. caring for their physical
needs as well as their spiritual ones. Give to
open doors. I'd love you to give to our church.
I believe in that. I hope you do too. But there
are so many ways you can protect your heart by
giving. Don't let money trap you and capture
your heart. So money can be a tool and it can
be a trap. But there's one last thing that Proverbs
teaches us about being wise with our wealth.
And it's that money is not everything. And this
applies to life now and also to the life to come.
Here's how it applies to life now. Better a little
with the fear of the Lord than great wealth with
turmoil. And better a small serving of vegetables
with love than a fattened calf, which is like
rich, indulgent luxury in the ancient world,
better a small serving of vegetables with love
than a fattened calf with hatred. See, as important
as money is in this life, I hope we all know
other things are far more important. But sometimes
we need that reminder, don't we? I mean, I'd
rather be a poor Christian who takes God seriously
and trusts Jesus, who has a loving family, but
struggles to put food on the table, than be a
rich, agnostic hedonist. I'd rather know God,
I'd rather know the hope that is found in Jesus,
I'd rather have the love that comes from knowing
him. Because the money stuff doesn't sort out
those deeper heart problems. There was some American
billionaire, I can't remember if it was Henry
Ford or Rockefeller, but one of them, and they
said, how much money would ever be enough? And
they said, just one dollar more. It's never going
to satisfy. But knowing the infinite God gives
me so much. And that's now, isn't it? It's so
much better to have spiritual riches than material
ones. But it's also beneficial for the future,
not just now. Riches do not profit in the day
of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.
So think of monopoly money. Monopoly money, it's
fun, but it's only valuable during the game,
isn't it? It's no good trying to buy a house
in Cairns with monopoly money. I mean, you might
want to try, see how it goes, but you'll only
be able to buy Mayfair. You can't get anything
else. And after the game, it's worthless. It
has no value. Well, it's the same with money
in this life. There will come a day when the
money we have now will be worthless. When we
stand before the Lord Jesus, our money will have
no value. You can't slide Jesus a 50 under the
table and get into heaven. It doesn't work like
that. But you know what? Jesus' death and resurrection
proves just how serious this is. Because the
game is ending. There's an ultimate GFC that
is coming. A global financial crisis is coming.
An eternal one. And being ready for that day
is what ultimately matters. Have you got heavenly
riches? Because they're the riches that count.
They're the things that have real value. See,
some Christians have a false script that money
doesn't matter at all. And I hope you've seen
it's a tool for eternity. But some Christians
struggle with a false script that money matters
way too much. And looking at the cross is what
reorients us. back into balance. When money is
becoming too important in my heart here's a verse
I come back to. For you know the grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ that though he was rich yet
for your sake he became poor so that you by his
poverty might become rich. It's saying We were
spiritually bankrupt. We were facing God's wrath
for eternity because of our idolatry and our
sin. And Jesus, he had infinite riches because
he's the second person of the Trinity. He's God's
only begotten son. But what did Jesus do? He
did a swap at the cross. He traded places with
us. He experienced ultimate poverty for us. He
took our punishment, God's wrath, for our idolatry.
And then, as if that wasn't enough, he gave us
eternal riches that we could have what he deserved.
Eternity in paradise. When I reflect on that,
When that is my beating heart, I have a new perspective
on my money. It puts money back in its place.
Yes, it's important, but it's not everything.
Do you have a verse like that that you can go
back to? Do you remember to put money in its
place? Because sometimes that's what we need
to do. All right. Well, let's draw some threads
together. We saw three things that Proverbs is
telling us about how to be wise with wealth.
We saw that money can be a useful tool. We saw
that money can be a deadly trap. And we saw that
money is not everything. And what binds these
things together is eternity. We use our wealth
wisely when we have an eternal perspective. We
use our worth wisely when we have an eternal
perspective. But, Brenda, what's all this mean
for us? How's this shaped my day to day? Well,
it depends. Because there's two types of people
here in the room today. Two different heart postures.
Remember, we had extra bang for your buck. You
got three Bible readings today, two from the
New Testament. We had the one about the rich
fall and the one about the shrewd manager. So
the rich fool, he's not rich toward God, and
the shrewd manager, he's one who plans for the
future. See, what did the rich fool do? He stored
up possessions for himself. He was not rich toward
God. I mean, many would say he was very wise.
I mean, he was an astute businessman. I mean,
he got to early retirement, living well, living
it up. I mean, it sounds great, doesn't it? And
in some ways, he used wisdom. But ultimately,
it was foolish. Because he was too short -sighted.
Ultimately, he died. And when he did, he wasn't
ready to meet his maker. He lived for comfort
and stuff, not for God. Not for eternity. And
that's why God calls him a fool. how well you
can grow your wealth in this life if you're not
living for God. You can make more money than
Elon Musk and Bill Gates combined and it's of
no value if you forfeit your soul. What did Jesus
say? What good is it to gain the whole world
if you lose your soul? Don't be foolish. There
might be some of us in this room who are living
like that rich fool. But what we want to be doing
is living like the shrewd manager. Now the shrewd
manager in Luke 16, it's a fascinating little
one and the point here is not to be dishonest.
It's Jesus not commending dishonesty. It's saying
to be wise and to be shrewd. And the key to that
is seeing the big picture and acting accordingly.
It's preparing for the future. I mean, the application
Jesus makes is this. He says, and I tell you,
make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous
wealth, worldly material possessions and money,
so that when it fails, they may receive you into
the eternal dwellings. Jesus saying, using money
and possessions as a tool to save souls. That's
what it's there for. And it stops money being
your master and your idol. It helps you be rich
toward God because God's heart is for the lost
and so if you're using your money toward saving
the lost and seeing people know and love Jesus
then you're on about the things God's on about.
At least with your money. But are you doing that?
What's it look like to be doing that? Now let
me say it doesn't mean liquidating everything
you've got and giving it to the church. Because
far out that would mean I'd have a much bigger
pastoral care list that I'd have to deal with.
No, it's okay if you've got responsibilities
to look after yourself. That's good and right
and proper. But what it does mean is stewarding
all you have for the cause of Christ. So yes,
give. I hope you do. Give to the cause of Christ.
But use everything you have for the cause of
Christ. Back in Broken Hill, we had some friends
who were school teachers, Jesse and Mez. And
at their school, they had a few other teachers
who were interested in finding about Jesus. And
so they went, OK, we're going to do something
about that. And they went, I've got an idea.
We're going to do Bible Book Club. That's what
they came up with, Bible Book Club. And they
all got together, and they had dinner together,
which Jessie and Mez paid for and organised.
They opened up their home, and they bought their
friends' Bibles, as well as some other books
as well, and they sat together and they read
Mark's Gospel. They used their money, they used
their home, they used the resources they had
to try and help people know and love Jesus. Or
think of a dad. He's trying to be a good dad
with his kids. He reads the Bible with his kids.
He prays for them. He sets routines. You know,
sometimes they're like, Dad, you're always so
harsh, you know, but he's just trying to love
them and lead them well. But he's there and he
feels like, gee, work's busy and I'm not connecting
with my kids. So he uses his money to take them
out for a milkshake. Occasionally, maybe they
go go -karting up at Smithfield, whatever it
might be. because he wants to connect with them,
because he wants his kids to grow up having a
great time in a Christian family. That's a wise
way to use money, isn't it? Or think of a Christian
at work. They buy coffee for the co -workers
occasionally. They take some of their co -workers
to lunch because they're going, I want to build
relationships with these non -Christians. And
just as, you know, Jesus here, he says, you know,
in Luke 16, I thought this is a fascinating one,
for the people of this world are more shrewd
in dealing with their own kind than are the people
of the light. Just saying, we've got to get better
at this. God's people need to get better at this.
Is that we're shrewd with our money. You know,
this is the one time in the Bible, I think, where
it tells us, hey, maybe go read the business
section of the newspaper. Go find out what other
people are doing in the world, how they're shrewd,
how they're wise, and then copy some of those
ideas as long as they're godly, but copy them
so that you can help people know and love Jesus.
I mean, it's going to look different for each
Christian, but the heart is the same. There's
an eternal perspective where to have driven by
God's generosity to us. That's what shapes us,
that's what controls us. So which one are you
like? Are you like the rich fool or the shrewd
manager? If you're like, if you think, yeah,
I might be like the rich fool, let me or another
Northern Hope person buy you coffee. I'd love
to take you out for coffee and let's talk about
if you have a false script or not. You can convince
me and try and convince me that I've got the
false script. Well, I'm happy to do that. But
if you're trying to be like the shrewd manager,
keep going. Keep growing in wisdom. Keep thinking
it through how you can invest in eternity. Because
Jesus' death and resurrection gives us confidence
it will be worth it. Let me close with this.
Imagine for a second you could jump into a DeLorean
and go back to the future. Michael J. Fox style.
You've got your own time machine. How good would
it be to go back into the past and buy shares
in Apple or Google, or maybe buy some of those
Sydney properties? But I want to suggest as cool
as that would be, What if you went to the future
first? I mean, the movie is called Back to the
Future, right? They're always going back to the
past. Go to the future for a bit. See what it
would be like at the last day. I wonder how that
would shift how you use your money, how you think
about your money. I even reckon it would shift
how Scott Pape, the barefoot investor, sees his
money. Let's keep eternity in sight as we use
our money. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank
you so much for the riches you've given us in
the Lord Jesus. And we ask that you would help
us to use the things of this world well in the
light of eternity. Please keep us from greed,
guard us from covetousness and help us. to enjoy
you more than anything else. Amen.