WEBVTT 00:00:00.649 --> 00:00:06.410 Hello and goodbye. As much as money talks, we 00:00:06.410 --> 00:00:11.429 talk about money, too. David Bazelon, writing 00:00:11.429 --> 00:00:14.429 in the paper Economy, said, money is a dream. 00:00:15.650 --> 00:00:18.149 It is a piece of paper on which is imprinted 00:00:18.149 --> 00:00:22.109 an invisible ink, in invisible ink, the dream 00:00:22.109 --> 00:00:24.850 of all the things it will buy, all the trinkets 00:00:24.850 --> 00:00:29.170 and all the power over others. A kind of institutionalized 00:00:29.170 --> 00:00:32.479 dream. which, along with its companion dream 00:00:32.479 --> 00:00:37.679 of success, constitutes the main fantasy on which 00:00:37.679 --> 00:00:43.000 our way of life has been built. Somebody has 00:00:43.000 --> 00:00:45.100 said the reason you can't take your money with 00:00:45.100 --> 00:00:50.679 you is because it goes before you do. Well, of 00:00:50.679 --> 00:00:52.659 all the things said about money, it's remarkable 00:00:52.659 --> 00:00:55.500 to consider how much the Bible has to say about 00:00:55.500 --> 00:00:58.840 money. There are 700 direct references to money 00:00:58.840 --> 00:01:03.799 and 2200 indirect references. Jesus may well 00:01:03.799 --> 00:01:07.400 have said more about money than any other single 00:01:07.400 --> 00:01:13.159 theme in his teaching. Why is that? It seems 00:01:13.159 --> 00:01:15.459 to me the one reason is because money is the 00:01:15.459 --> 00:01:19.379 God that destroys more lives and damns more people 00:01:19.379 --> 00:01:25.010 than any other. In Matthew chapter 6, we have 00:01:25.010 --> 00:01:28.010 part of a sermon that Jesus preached on a hillside 00:01:28.010 --> 00:01:32.569 near Galilee. In it, he declares the manifesto 00:01:32.569 --> 00:01:36.769 of his kingdom. He tells us that those who are 00:01:36.769 --> 00:01:41.510 citizens of that spiritual realm have a different 00:01:41.510 --> 00:01:47.310 view about life than what is customary, a distinctive 00:01:47.310 --> 00:01:53.209 view, including their attitude about money. The 00:01:53.209 --> 00:01:55.790 sum of what Jesus says in the text I'm about 00:01:55.790 --> 00:01:59.549 to read is this, that money is a curse or a blessing, 00:02:00.290 --> 00:02:03.450 depending upon one's attitude toward it. Follow 00:02:03.450 --> 00:02:06.450 along with me as I read in Matthew chapter 6, 00:02:06.709 --> 00:02:11.469 beginning in verse 19. The words of Jesus. Do 00:02:11.469 --> 00:02:14.449 not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth, 00:02:14.689 --> 00:02:17.430 where moth and rust destroy and where thieves 00:02:17.430 --> 00:02:21.599 break in and steal. but lay up for yourselves 00:02:21.599 --> 00:02:25.099 treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust 00:02:25.099 --> 00:02:28.240 destroys and where thieves do not break in or 00:02:28.240 --> 00:02:31.620 steal. For where your treasure is, there will 00:02:31.620 --> 00:02:35.900 your heart be also. The lamp of the body is the 00:02:35.900 --> 00:02:39.680 eye. If therefore your eye is clear, your whole 00:02:39.680 --> 00:02:42.020 body will be full of light. But if your eye is 00:02:42.020 --> 00:02:44.620 bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. 00:02:45.360 --> 00:02:47.800 If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, 00:02:48.340 --> 00:02:52.819 how great! is that darkness. No one can serve 00:02:52.819 --> 00:02:55.319 two masters, for either he will hate the one 00:02:55.319 --> 00:02:58.560 and love the other, or he will hold to the one 00:02:58.560 --> 00:03:03.199 and despise the other. You cannot serve God and 00:03:03.199 --> 00:03:08.180 mammon. Money is a curse or a blessing, depending 00:03:08.180 --> 00:03:12.979 upon one's attitude toward it. Money itself is 00:03:12.979 --> 00:03:17.479 amoral. It is neither good nor bad. Its moral 00:03:17.479 --> 00:03:21.439 value is attributed to it by how it is used. 00:03:22.419 --> 00:03:24.840 A .M. Sullivan said, there's no such thing as 00:03:24.840 --> 00:03:28.360 dirty money. The stain is only on the hand that 00:03:28.360 --> 00:03:34.939 holds it as the giver or taker. The particulars 00:03:34.939 --> 00:03:37.560 about Jesus' teaching on money can be found in 00:03:37.560 --> 00:03:39.479 the following statements. First of all, that 00:03:39.479 --> 00:03:43.919 money presents a choice to us. Money presents 00:03:43.919 --> 00:03:48.379 a choice. we can use it to lay up treasures for 00:03:48.379 --> 00:03:55.360 ourselves on earth or in heaven. And the choice 00:03:55.360 --> 00:04:02.139 that we make has eternal ramifications. What 00:04:02.139 --> 00:04:05.500 is said here does not condemn wealth or possessions, 00:04:06.659 --> 00:04:09.400 nor does it command poverty of Christians by 00:04:09.400 --> 00:04:14.340 giving away everything. In fact, it indicates 00:04:14.340 --> 00:04:16.860 in the Scriptures that God is the one who provides 00:04:16.860 --> 00:04:19.759 us with a measure of money and of possessions 00:04:19.759 --> 00:04:23.420 in this life, and that having provided them, 00:04:23.439 --> 00:04:28.439 God then wants us to enjoy them. In 1 Timothy 00:04:28.439 --> 00:04:34.060 6 we read, instruct those, that is, order those 00:04:34.060 --> 00:04:39.319 who are rich in the present world not to be conceded 00:04:39.319 --> 00:04:42.519 or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, 00:04:43.680 --> 00:04:50.360 but on God, who richly supplies us with all things 00:04:50.360 --> 00:04:56.019 to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich 00:04:56.019 --> 00:05:00.579 in good works, to be generous and ready to share, 00:05:01.959 --> 00:05:05.720 storing up for themselves the treasure of a good 00:05:05.720 --> 00:05:09.860 foundation for the future, so that they may take 00:05:09.860 --> 00:05:14.220 hold of what is life indeed. In those verses, 00:05:14.300 --> 00:05:17.759 the Apostle Paul tells us exactly how it is that 00:05:17.759 --> 00:05:21.939 we lay up treasures in heaven. He says it is 00:05:21.939 --> 00:05:26.699 to do good with our money, to be rich in good 00:05:26.699 --> 00:05:32.540 works, to be generous and ready to share. In 00:05:32.540 --> 00:05:35.259 doing those things, he says, we will store up 00:05:35.259 --> 00:05:39.220 for ourselves the treasure of a good foundation 00:05:39.220 --> 00:05:47.160 for the future. The Bible teaches us that God 00:05:47.160 --> 00:05:51.720 intends for us to own things. In fact, it extends 00:05:51.720 --> 00:05:55.920 to us the right of ownership. Although capitalism 00:05:55.920 --> 00:05:58.579 does have its weaknesses, primarily because of 00:05:58.579 --> 00:06:01.620 the greed of the human heart. It nonetheless 00:06:01.620 --> 00:06:04.300 is based upon a sounder biblical principle than 00:06:04.300 --> 00:06:08.500 socialism, because it is based upon the idea 00:06:08.500 --> 00:06:12.319 of ownership, private ownership. John MacArthur 00:06:12.319 --> 00:06:15.920 writes, both Testaments recognize the right to 00:06:15.920 --> 00:06:18.500 material possessions, including money, land, 00:06:18.759 --> 00:06:21.300 animals, houses, clothing, and every other thing 00:06:21.300 --> 00:06:24.620 that is honestly acquired. God has made many 00:06:24.620 --> 00:06:27.300 promises of material blessing to those who belong. 00:06:28.110 --> 00:06:32.449 to and are faithful to Him. The foundational 00:06:32.449 --> 00:06:35.029 truth that underlies the commandments not to 00:06:35.029 --> 00:06:38.550 steal or covet is the right of personal property. 00:06:39.430 --> 00:06:41.670 Stealing and coveting are wrong because what 00:06:41.670 --> 00:06:45.230 is stolen or coveted rightfully belongs to someone 00:06:45.230 --> 00:06:49.850 else. So when we talk about being generous and 00:06:49.850 --> 00:06:52.930 ready to share and rich in good works, we're 00:06:52.930 --> 00:06:55.629 not denying that God gives us the privilege and 00:06:55.629 --> 00:06:58.160 the right of ownership. of our own property. 00:06:59.839 --> 00:07:04.220 But what is said is that we are to use what God 00:07:04.220 --> 00:07:08.300 puts into our hands wisely. We're to make the 00:07:08.300 --> 00:07:12.439 choice, the right choice, to use our money so 00:07:12.439 --> 00:07:18.379 that it will bring us reward in heaven. The warning 00:07:18.379 --> 00:07:21.120 that Jesus makes here is that if we lay up treasures 00:07:21.120 --> 00:07:25.980 for ourselves on earth, those treasures will 00:07:25.980 --> 00:07:30.259 be lost. And it's certainly true that we cannot 00:07:30.259 --> 00:07:34.040 take them out of this world to the next. Someone 00:07:34.040 --> 00:07:36.579 has aptly pointed out there are no pockets in 00:07:36.579 --> 00:07:41.180 shrouds. And so Jesus says, lay up treasures 00:07:41.180 --> 00:07:45.620 for yourselves in heaven. Which means, says Warren 00:07:45.620 --> 00:07:48.839 Wiersbie, to hang loose when it comes to the 00:07:48.839 --> 00:07:54.540 material things of life. Our tendency is to hang 00:07:54.540 --> 00:08:01.639 tight to them, but hang loose. Do not hoard or 00:08:01.639 --> 00:08:06.079 stockpile for selfish purposes what God gives 00:08:06.079 --> 00:08:10.420 to us. Rather choose to use it to bless others 00:08:10.420 --> 00:08:14.639 and to advance the gospel of Jesus Christ so 00:08:14.639 --> 00:08:18.639 that you will be rich toward God, because it 00:08:18.639 --> 00:08:26.889 is what you give away that you send ahead. Now 00:08:26.889 --> 00:08:28.649 in the particulars, there's a second statement 00:08:28.649 --> 00:08:30.949 that I want to make based upon what Jesus says 00:08:30.949 --> 00:08:34.870 in verse 21. It is this, that money follows the 00:08:34.870 --> 00:08:39.590 heart. Don Delosier, a speaker regarding finances 00:08:39.590 --> 00:08:43.450 and a man who ministered a number of years ago 00:08:43.450 --> 00:08:47.190 here to our board, made the statement that verse 00:08:47.190 --> 00:08:51.210 21 is the most profound biblical principle regarding 00:08:51.210 --> 00:08:55.779 money. It says, where your treasure is, there 00:08:55.779 --> 00:09:01.120 will your heart be also. The point that Jesus 00:09:01.120 --> 00:09:06.840 is making is that our heart determines where 00:09:06.840 --> 00:09:10.919 we put our treasures. If you look to see where 00:09:10.919 --> 00:09:14.700 your treasure is, that is where your heart is. 00:09:16.159 --> 00:09:21.909 Money follows the heart. As a man thinks in his 00:09:21.909 --> 00:09:26.389 heart, so is he, says Proverbs. It is the heart 00:09:26.389 --> 00:09:31.090 that is the steering wheel of the life. And it 00:09:31.090 --> 00:09:35.570 determines the direction of the life. Jesus taught 00:09:35.570 --> 00:09:39.049 that there are two things that expose the direction 00:09:39.049 --> 00:09:43.750 and the destiny of the heart. What the tongue 00:09:43.750 --> 00:09:51.159 says and how money is used. Those two things 00:09:51.159 --> 00:09:53.960 are the barometer of the heart telling its temperature. 00:09:55.460 --> 00:09:58.139 Those two things expose the atlas of the heart, 00:09:58.220 --> 00:10:01.139 what road it's traveling and where it's headed. 00:10:02.340 --> 00:10:04.779 Out of the heart, the abundance of the heart, 00:10:05.200 --> 00:10:10.259 the mouth speaks, said Jesus. And here he says 00:10:10.259 --> 00:10:13.659 that it is the heart that determines where we 00:10:13.659 --> 00:10:18.120 place our treasures, our money. And so to find 00:10:18.120 --> 00:10:20.000 out where a person is heading, all you have to 00:10:20.000 --> 00:10:23.500 do is follow the trail of words and money in 00:10:23.500 --> 00:10:28.259 his life. Regarding verse 21, John MacArthur 00:10:28.259 --> 00:10:31.360 writes, Jesus goes on to point out that a person's 00:10:31.360 --> 00:10:35.659 most cherished possessions and his deepest motives 00:10:35.659 --> 00:10:40.620 and desires are inseparable. They will either 00:10:40.620 --> 00:10:45.870 both be earthly or both be heavenly. It is impossible 00:10:45.870 --> 00:10:50.070 to have one on earth and the other in heaven. 00:10:52.649 --> 00:10:55.350 And so the moral of this is that if the heart 00:10:55.350 --> 00:10:59.049 is right, everything else in the life will tend 00:10:59.049 --> 00:11:03.490 to be right. Because every problem is ultimately 00:11:03.490 --> 00:11:10.429 a problem of the heart. Both generosity and greed 00:11:10.429 --> 00:11:16.600 come from the heart. Well, I can almost hear 00:11:16.600 --> 00:11:20.080 someone rationalizing that until my heart is 00:11:20.080 --> 00:11:23.840 right, I shouldn't give. Until I get my attitude 00:11:23.840 --> 00:11:27.379 right, I shouldn't give anything. I like what 00:11:27.379 --> 00:11:30.080 Charles Swindoll said this last week in his program. 00:11:31.039 --> 00:11:34.080 God loveth the cheerful giver, but he accepteth 00:11:34.080 --> 00:11:40.159 from grumps too. The difference is that the cheerful 00:11:40.159 --> 00:11:44.179 giver gets his reward in heaven. while the grump 00:11:44.179 --> 00:11:48.919 gains nothing. But it's because of the heart. 00:11:51.440 --> 00:11:55.299 So we have to ask ourselves today, where is your 00:11:55.299 --> 00:11:59.580 heart headed? What does the management of your 00:11:59.580 --> 00:12:04.840 money say regarding your heart? It tells the 00:12:04.840 --> 00:12:09.799 story. There's a third particular that arises 00:12:09.799 --> 00:12:13.250 from Jesus teaching on money. that may be summarized 00:12:13.250 --> 00:12:15.830 in this statement that money threatens the conscience, 00:12:16.190 --> 00:12:20.110 verses 22 and 23. The parable that Jesus tells 00:12:20.110 --> 00:12:23.889 of the eye is a warning about the ability of 00:12:23.889 --> 00:12:28.750 the heart to negotiate right and wrong when there 00:12:28.750 --> 00:12:33.029 is darkness within. He says if the eye is working 00:12:33.029 --> 00:12:36.669 properly, then one's body can move safely and 00:12:36.669 --> 00:12:40.769 with coordination. But if the eye is not working 00:12:40.769 --> 00:12:44.950 properly, then the whole body is threatened by 00:12:44.950 --> 00:12:50.230 that condition. Clear or single vision, as Jesus 00:12:50.230 --> 00:12:54.230 describes it here, enables one's life to discern 00:12:54.230 --> 00:13:00.970 godly values and thus to keep the life on course. 00:13:01.049 --> 00:13:04.570 But on the other hand, darkness in the conscience 00:13:04.570 --> 00:13:08.509 or double vision, that is with an eye on earth 00:13:08.509 --> 00:13:12.580 and an eye on heaven, endangers the soul's welfare. 00:13:15.080 --> 00:13:17.500 Warren Worsby again writes, if our aim in life 00:13:17.500 --> 00:13:20.700 is to get material gain, it will mean darkness 00:13:20.700 --> 00:13:25.340 within. But if our outlook is to serve and glorify 00:13:25.340 --> 00:13:29.340 God, there will be light within. If what should 00:13:29.340 --> 00:13:32.360 be light is really darkness, then we are being 00:13:32.360 --> 00:13:37.440 controlled by darkness. And outlook determines 00:13:37.440 --> 00:13:44.210 outcome. That's a great statement. Outlook determines 00:13:44.210 --> 00:13:48.809 outcome. The allurement of money and self -indulgence 00:13:48.809 --> 00:13:52.350 of materialism have wrecked many promising people. 00:13:54.370 --> 00:13:57.090 By these things, they have defiled their conscience. 00:13:58.149 --> 00:14:05.110 They lost a clear vision of values. And in doing 00:14:05.110 --> 00:14:09.940 so, they ruined themselves. As the apostle says 00:14:09.940 --> 00:14:15.139 in 1 Timothy 6 again, those who want to get rich 00:14:15.139 --> 00:14:21.860 fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish 00:14:21.860 --> 00:14:27.179 and harmful desires, which, he says, plunge men 00:14:27.179 --> 00:14:32.340 into ruin and destruction. For the love of money 00:14:32.340 --> 00:14:37.259 is a root of all sorts of evil and some by longing. 00:14:38.559 --> 00:14:42.600 have wandered away from the faith and pierced 00:14:42.600 --> 00:14:50.279 themselves with many a pang. Proverbs 23 says, 00:14:50.559 --> 00:14:54.519 don't weary yourself trying to get rich. Why 00:14:54.519 --> 00:14:58.899 waste your time? For riches can disappear as 00:14:58.899 --> 00:15:06.639 though they had the wings of a bird. We can defile 00:15:06.639 --> 00:15:10.879 our conscience and lose the clear vision of godly 00:15:10.879 --> 00:15:15.360 values, and then stray and make shipwreck of 00:15:15.360 --> 00:15:20.240 our lives. Money is a useful servant, but it 00:15:20.240 --> 00:15:26.580 is a ruinous slave master. We need to beware 00:15:26.580 --> 00:15:33.789 lest we be caught by what we chase. There's a 00:15:33.789 --> 00:15:36.429 final summation statement, a particular of what 00:15:36.429 --> 00:15:39.629 Jesus taught from verse 24, that I would put 00:15:39.629 --> 00:15:45.789 this way. Money seeks your allegiance. Jesus 00:15:45.789 --> 00:15:49.669 personifies money here with this word mammon. 00:15:50.710 --> 00:15:54.250 Mammon is a word that likely comes from the Aramaic, 00:15:54.649 --> 00:15:59.690 meaning money or possessions. God and mammon. 00:16:00.269 --> 00:16:06.629 Both demand our service. But Jesus says we cannot 00:16:06.629 --> 00:16:12.529 serve both of them. All of us must choose which 00:16:12.529 --> 00:16:17.649 master we will serve. A master by the very definition 00:16:17.649 --> 00:16:22.809 of the term means the one who has complete right 00:16:22.809 --> 00:16:27.950 to control of our lives. Servants are owned. 00:16:29.710 --> 00:16:32.409 Servants must give allegiance to their master. 00:16:33.529 --> 00:16:38.509 Jesus calls upon us here to give God our allegiance. 00:16:39.690 --> 00:16:44.129 But money seeks it. We sing again one of those 00:16:44.129 --> 00:16:48.570 simple choruses that is common in our day. He 00:16:48.570 --> 00:16:52.049 is Lord. He is Lord. He is risen from the dead. 00:16:52.389 --> 00:16:59.149 And He is Lord. And He is. But how we manage 00:16:59.149 --> 00:17:04.029 our money confirms or denies, at least in part, 00:17:05.130 --> 00:17:11.190 whether we sing the truth. Some closing thoughts 00:17:11.190 --> 00:17:14.190 regarding what Jesus says about money. First 00:17:14.190 --> 00:17:16.509 of all, you should see your money as a stewardship 00:17:16.509 --> 00:17:21.670 from God. God truly is the owner of your money 00:17:21.670 --> 00:17:25.170 and mine. He is the master who gives us what 00:17:25.170 --> 00:17:31.299 we have in our hands. We then are both responsible 00:17:31.299 --> 00:17:36.259 for how we use it and accountable to Him. That's 00:17:36.259 --> 00:17:38.539 why it is so important for us to have a message 00:17:38.539 --> 00:17:43.299 like this. Because it helps prepare us for the 00:17:43.299 --> 00:17:48.180 judgment seat of Christ. For how we have managed 00:17:48.180 --> 00:17:54.119 our money will be examined by the Lord. We often 00:17:54.119 --> 00:17:56.359 think of our money as ours, but in fact it is 00:17:56.359 --> 00:18:01.670 God's. It is God's. And while you may have a 00:18:01.670 --> 00:18:04.450 hard time giving away your money, I doubt that 00:18:04.450 --> 00:18:06.569 you would have a hard time giving away somebody 00:18:06.569 --> 00:18:14.730 else's. And in fact, it is. A second closing 00:18:14.730 --> 00:18:16.589 thought is this, that you should use your money 00:18:16.589 --> 00:18:20.910 to lay up for yourself treasures in heaven. That's 00:18:20.910 --> 00:18:23.170 the best advice I can give you this morning regarding 00:18:23.170 --> 00:18:28.279 money. By denying the greedy tendency of the 00:18:28.279 --> 00:18:33.900 human heart to self -indulgence, to a materialistic 00:18:33.900 --> 00:18:39.859 lifestyle, to overspending, to envy of others. 00:18:42.180 --> 00:18:45.819 By making a point of giving generously to God's 00:18:45.819 --> 00:18:49.559 kingdom work in the world, to be rich in good 00:18:49.559 --> 00:18:54.869 works and ready to share. By looking beyond retirement 00:18:54.869 --> 00:18:58.430 age, because after all, you may never get there, 00:19:00.349 --> 00:19:03.309 by doing these things, you can lay up for yourself 00:19:03.309 --> 00:19:08.210 treasures in heaven. You see, the light is going 00:19:08.210 --> 00:19:14.789 out in here, and there is darkness. There's one 00:19:14.789 --> 00:19:17.470 final closing statement, and it is this. You 00:19:17.470 --> 00:19:25.619 must ask yourself, whom do I worship? The throne 00:19:25.619 --> 00:19:32.140 that is in your heart has only one seat. Jesus 00:19:32.140 --> 00:19:35.380 said there is not room on that throne for God 00:19:35.380 --> 00:19:40.839 and money. You say, well, if I give my money 00:19:40.839 --> 00:19:43.059 away, does that guarantee that I will be spiritual? 00:19:43.059 --> 00:19:47.279 Of course not. You can give without loving God. 00:19:49.200 --> 00:19:56.740 Friends, you can't love God without giving. God 00:19:56.740 --> 00:20:00.519 wants us to be generous in our giving. The principle 00:20:00.519 --> 00:20:05.259 in the Word is for 10 % of giving, of tithing. 00:20:05.839 --> 00:20:07.680 You say, well, why does God give that as a principle? 00:20:07.940 --> 00:20:13.740 Because 10 seems to represent the whole. The 00:20:13.740 --> 00:20:17.619 Ten Commandments often represent the whole law. 00:20:19.440 --> 00:20:22.700 And when we bring 10 % of our increase to the 00:20:22.700 --> 00:20:27.019 Lord, it represents the whole. It's not that 00:20:27.019 --> 00:20:30.160 tithing is a great place to stop, but it's a 00:20:30.160 --> 00:20:33.480 great place to start in our giving to the Lord. 00:20:35.019 --> 00:20:37.880 God spoke directly to the people of Israel in 00:20:37.880 --> 00:20:40.920 the book of, how was it pronounced, Malachi? 00:20:42.000 --> 00:20:46.619 Malachi, there we go, Malachi. And he said, bring 00:20:46.619 --> 00:20:49.299 the whole tithe into the storehouse so that now 00:20:49.299 --> 00:20:52.140 there may be food in my house and test me now 00:20:52.140 --> 00:20:55.400 in this, says the Lord of Posts. If I will not 00:20:55.400 --> 00:20:58.519 open for you the windows of heaven and pour out 00:20:58.519 --> 00:21:02.700 for you a blessing until it overflows." Why did 00:21:02.700 --> 00:21:08.039 God say that? Because His people were robbing 00:21:08.039 --> 00:21:13.279 Him. He says, will a man rob God, yet you are 00:21:13.279 --> 00:21:19.119 robbing me in tithes and offerings? You see, 00:21:19.140 --> 00:21:24.609 we cannot love God without giving. There was 00:21:24.609 --> 00:21:27.670 a woman who met a friend of her father's whom 00:21:27.670 --> 00:21:30.109 she had not seen for a number of years. This 00:21:30.109 --> 00:21:33.789 woman's father was a Christian, a devout Christian, 00:21:34.150 --> 00:21:37.329 and had great joy in telling his old acquaintance 00:21:37.329 --> 00:21:39.730 about her dad's trust in Christ and the way that 00:21:39.730 --> 00:21:43.269 he had faced suffering and trials in his life 00:21:43.269 --> 00:21:47.569 and even the prospect of death. The father's 00:21:47.569 --> 00:21:49.609 friend, however, had chosen to live a different 00:21:49.609 --> 00:21:53.640 kind of life. He gave himself over completely 00:21:53.640 --> 00:21:56.880 to the earning of money and the hoarding of every 00:21:56.880 --> 00:22:00.299 cent that he earned. He had become very wealthy, 00:22:01.700 --> 00:22:04.460 but he didn't have the same glad anticipation 00:22:04.460 --> 00:22:08.579 of the future as his friend had had. He put it 00:22:08.579 --> 00:22:11.680 to his daughter in this way. Your father can 00:22:11.680 --> 00:22:14.880 be more optimistic about heaven than I, for a 00:22:14.880 --> 00:22:18.960 very simple reason. He is going to his treasure. 00:22:20.519 --> 00:22:27.799 I... will be leaving mine. Ebeneezer Scrooge 00:22:27.799 --> 00:22:31.460 in Dickens' A Christmas Carol was able to see 00:22:31.460 --> 00:22:36.880 the error of his life in time. He was able to 00:22:36.880 --> 00:22:40.359 see the corruption to his own soul brought about 00:22:40.359 --> 00:22:44.099 by his attitude toward money. It was not too 00:22:44.099 --> 00:22:48.940 late and he made the change. And died a happy 00:22:48.940 --> 00:22:55.769 man. Jesus says a lot about money. And he knows 00:22:55.769 --> 00:22:59.549 this, and we need to know it, that our money 00:22:59.549 --> 00:23:05.150 represents us. And when we give our money to 00:23:05.150 --> 00:23:09.170 God, it indicates that we're really giving ourselves 00:23:09.170 --> 00:23:14.269 to God, all of us. May we do that freely and 00:23:14.269 --> 00:23:19.750 as generously as grace demands that we should. 00:23:21.930 --> 00:23:26.349 And Father, I pray that the Holy Spirit will 00:23:26.349 --> 00:23:31.450 bring this message to our hearts and will deposit 00:23:31.450 --> 00:23:36.309 it there, resulting in our being able to evaluate 00:23:36.309 --> 00:23:40.630 our lives as we must as those who will give account 00:23:40.630 --> 00:23:47.509 and help us to hear what Jesus says about money.