God owns everything and entrusts resources to us to manage. Money itself is neutral, but can become "Mammon" or an idol if we worship it over God. The Bible teaches that we should be good stewards of wealth and use it to help others rather than for selfish wants. While some see the Bible as condemning wealth, it also talks of wealthy men of God and promises blessings for those who obey God. We cannot serve both God and money, so we must put God first with our resources.

1. MONEY : GOD’S IDEA?

2. Listen to your money.
Money and the Bible:
Bible has 2,350 verses on money.
15% of Jesus teaching concerns
money. 16/38 parables.
Money matters!

3. Crusader’s baptism
Keep off! My money is mine to use.

4. 1. GOD OWNS EVERYTHING
+ v,14; Psalm 50:10; Haggai 2:8

5. 2. GOD ENTRUSTS HIS RESOURCES TO US.
Creation
mandate
Wealth
creation
17 You may say to yourself, “My power and the
strength of my hands have produced this wealth
for me.” 18 But remember the LORD your God, for it
is he who gives you the ability to produce
wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he
swore to your ancestors, as it is today.
Deuteronomy 8:17-18

6. 3. GOD’S IDEA OF MONEY – TWO VIEWS
(a)
KJV money = “filthy lucre”
The rich are cursed“Woe to you who are rich….” Luke 6:24
The poor are blessed
“Blessed are you who are poor for yours is the kingdom of God” v.20
The rich man and the camel Mk.10:24,25
Are we to adopt the vow of poverty?

7. (b)
Deuteronomy 28:2-14 2 All these blessings will come on
you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God: 3 You
will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country . 4 The
fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land
and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and
the lambs of your flocks.5 Your basket and your kneading
trough will be blessed. 6 You will be blessed when you come in
and blessed when you go out. 8 The LORD will send a blessing
on your barns and on everything you put your hand to.
The LORD your God will bless you in the land he is giving you.
Wealthy men of God – Abraham, Jacob, Job, Joseph
Philemon….

8. 4. WHEN MONEY BECOMES ‘GOD’
“You cannot serve both GOD and MAMMON” Lk. 16:13
Money becomes Mammon when we worship it.

9. Money can be very dangerous!
Root of all evil? It becomes our false god; unfulfilled
pleasure; pride; strife (divorce) and keeps us in debt trap. It
gives us false value and security. We go for wants rather than
needs.
Mammon is plastic. MasterCard : takes the waiting out of
wanting, I’ve got the whole world in my hand.
9 Those who want to get rich fall into
temptation and a trap and into many foolish
and harmful desires that plunge people 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. 1 Timothy 6:9-10

10. Our money which art in plastic,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy Cartier watch
Thy Prada bag
In Harrods
As it is Selfridges.
Give us each day
our Platinum Visa
And forgive us our overdraft
As we forgive those who stop
our Master Card.
And lead us not into Next
And deliver us from Benneton
For thine is the Gucchi,
The Dior, the Armani
For Ferrari and Eternity.
Amex.

11. 5. MANAGEMENT OF GOD’S MONEY
The parable of the Unjust Steward (Lk.16:1-14)
…. 8 ‘The master commended the dishonest manager because he
had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in
dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. 9 I tell
you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when
it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.
10 ‘Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with
much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be
dishonest with much. 11 So if you have not been trustworthy in
handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? 12 And if
you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who
will give you property of your own?
13 ‘No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and
love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the
other. You cannot serve both God and Money.’

12. The most controversial verse! Verse 8.
(a) Be shrewd, not dishonest v.8
(b) Be wise -investing material wealth for eternity
v.9 “lay up treasures in heaven”
(c) Be faithful over all that is entrusted vv11,12.
(d) Be sure to always put God first v.13
(e) Be sure to have God’s value and approval v.14

13. CONCLUSION: thankful—faithful—fruitful
1 Timothy 6: 6-10; 17-19.
Response: “All to Jesus, I surrender,
all to Him freely give”