1.All of us have money (even Jesus and the apostles carried a money box – John 12:6; 13:29).Therefore, we all need to learn how to use the money we have.
2.We do not have to become financial wizards, but we should understand God’s principles for obtaining and using money.
B.With this lesson, we will begin a series of studies focused upon “Money Matters.”
1.Much of the text for our lessons will come straight from the Proverbs, which have much to say about the subject of money.
2.Presently, let us consider what our attitude should be toward money according to the word of God.
II.“FILTHY LUCRE” OR A BLESSING FROM GOD?
A.Money is neither good nor bad, but rather it is a tool that can be used for either good or bad.
1.Money is a blessing from God when it is obtained and used in godly ways.Consider these proverbs:
a.“Poor is he who works with a negligent hand, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.” (Prov. 10:4-5)
b.“Wealth obtained by fraud dwindles, but the one who gathers by labor increases it.” (Prov. 13:11)
c.“Honor the LORD from your wealth and from the first of all your produce; so your barns will be filled with plenty and your vats will overflow with new wine.” (Prov. 3:9-10)
d.“The generous man will be prosperous, and he who waters will himself be watered.” (Prov. 11:24)
2.Not all money is filthy lucre, but it becomes filthy when it is obtained by evil.
a.“Filthy lucre” literally means “filthy gain” or wealth that is obtained by dishonest means (see this term in 1Tim. 3:8; Tit. 1:7, 11; 1Pet. 5:2).Money that is gained by sordid ways is unclean and cannot be a blessing to its owner.
b.Proverbs 10:2 – “Ill-gotten gains do not profit, but righteousness delivers from death.”
B.It is the selfishness of men that leads to the abuse of money.
1.The Bible warns of the dangers of loving money in 1Timothy 6:10 – “For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”See also Hebrews 13:5.
a.Men who love money will stop at nothing, including harming others, to get it.
b.Notice Proverbs 22:16 – “He who oppresses the poor to make more for himself or who gives to the rich, will only come to poverty.”
2.The love of pleasure that can be purchased by money leads to ruin.Notice Proverbs 21:17 – “He who loves pleasure will become a poor man; he who loves wine and oil will not become rich.”
3.The love of power that comes through money gives a false sense of security.Consider Proverbs 18:11 – “A rich man's wealth is his strong city, and like a high wall in his own imagination.”
C.Therefore, let us obtain and use money as God directs us so that it will be a blessing unto us.This understanding is the goal of this lesson series.
III.WHAT IS MONEY WORTH?
A.Money is usually worth as much as it cost us to get it.
1.When we work to earn money, we are trading a portion of our lives in exchange for money.The worth of the money we have is the worth of the time it took to earn that money.
2.On the other hand, when we are given money without working or we obtain it dishonestly, its value decreases.
a.Consider Proverbs 12:17 (NIV) – “The lazy man does not roast his game, but the diligent man prizes his possessions.”
b.Notice Proverbs 20:21 – “An inheritance gained hurriedly at the beginning will not be blessed in the end.”This is illustrated in the parable of the prodigal son, who squandered his estate freely given to him by his father (Luke 15:11-32, esp. v. 13).
3.Therefore, if you are ever given money or an inheritance, then be appreciative of the efforts made by others to earn that money.(If you cannot appreciate an inheritance of money earned by others, then how can you appreciate an inheritance of eternal life earned by Christ?)
B.Money’s value can also depend upon how much we have.
1.If we say that someone has “money to burn,” we mean that nothing is expensive to him because he has so much money.
2.Notice Proverbs 27:7 – “A sated man loathes honey, but to a famished man any bitter thing is sweet.”
a.The meaning here is that a man who has everything he wants might not properly value what he has.He thinks little of his bounty, whereas the poor man thinks much of his poverty.
b.This is a great danger for the rich man.It leads to ingratitude and wastefulness (i.e., being spoiled).In fact, studies have found that families often consume a large fortune just three generations removed from the one who earned the fortune.
3.Therefore, let us never loose sight of the value of the material blessings that God gives us.Having an abundance should never provoke to wastefulness and ingratitude.
C.Money cannot buy the truly valuable things.
1.We might not think it possible, but riches can actually be a great burden.
a.Consider Proverbs 13:8 – “The ransom of a man's life is his wealth, but the poor hears no rebuke.”
b.Some of the richest men in the world have testified to this fact.
i.“I have made many millions, but they have brought me no happiness.” – John D. Rockefeller.
ii.“The care of $200,000,000 is enough to kill anyone. There is no pleasure in it.” – William Henry Vanderbilt.
iii.“I am the most miserable man on earth.” – John Jacob Astor
iv.“I was happier when doing a mechanic’s job.” – Henry Ford
v.“Millionaires seldom smile.” – Andrew Carnegie
2.Consider the following quote from an unknown source:
“Money will buy: a bed but not sleep; books but not brains; food but not appetite; finery but not beauty; a house but not a home; medicine but not health; luxuries but not culture; amusements but not happiness; religion but not salvation; a passport to everywhere but heaven.”
3.Let us give particular attention to the last two parts of this quote regarding money’s effect upon our salvation.
a.Notice Proverbs 11:4 – “Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.”
b.Read Psalm 49 and notice that the rich man who trusts in his wealth to save him will not endure.“He is like the beasts that perish.”
c.The Lord taught this lesson in the parable of the rich fool (Luke 12:16-21).
i.Although he was rich in worldly things, he was not rich toward God, and God pronounced him to be a fool.
ii.His riches went to someone else, and his soul was lost.
4.Therefore, let us never confuse monetary wealth with success in life.Remember, “The rich and the poor have a common bond, the LORD is the maker of them all” (Prov. 22:2).
IV.CONCLUSION
A.Having a proper, godly attitude about money will lead us to seek after money in godly ways and to use money in godly ways.
B.In the next lesson, we will answer the question: How shall we obtain money?
