Please read Part One if you haven’t already.
Treasures in Heaven
Matthew 6:19-21 19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal;
20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Most Christians recognize the concept of a heavenly account where we will receive a reward for good works. But we’ve taken our religious pencils and annotated vs. 20 “…. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal…. and where you can’t touch it until you get there.” We’ve assumed our heavenly account is a retirement account – we can make deposits into it but we can’t take anything out until we retire from this life.
I want to change gears at this point and focus on one aspect of the heavenly account – money and material goods – things. We have seen that our giving makes deposits into the heavenly account. It is certainly not the only thing, but it is an important one. We can judge how important it is by the number of times the Bible talks about money. It is also one of the areas that people get the most hung up over.
God’s Attitude Towards Money
I want to start with a question – why do we need treasures in heaven? Specifically, why would we need to send money ahead, so to speak? Is it so we can pay the rent on our mansion? You know the homeowners’ association fees to maintain those streets of gold are really steep. And the cost of pumping the river of life into it, or the cleaning bills for our white linen…
I think we could all agree that money is irrelevant in heaven. There is no need for it. And why not? It is because everything you could ever need or want will already be supplied in abundance. Every person in heaven will be exceedingly rich by any earthly measure. You won’t need to give a single thought towards your needs.
In heaven, God’s exhibition of wealth is extravagant. And yet there is a prevalent thought that God is against money and wealth. That it’s not something you can have and be spiritual at the same time.
Without looking it up, what does the Bible say is the root of all evil? How many thought it was money? Wrong! It is the love of money that is the root of all evil, or as some translations say, the root of all kinds of evil.
The love of money is not the same thing as having money. There are people that love money – that seek after it, that it constantly fills their thoughts, that they will do almost anything to get – that don’t have a dime. Isn’t that true? Then on the other hand there are those that are wealthy, and the money isn’t their central focus, they’d be willing to give it away. So they have money, but they don’t love it.
If God were truly against His people having money and the things money could bring, then He would be consistent in His instructions to people who had wealth, that they should give it away or sell all their possessions and give to the poor, like Jesus told the rich young ruler.
1 Timothy 6:17-19 17 Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.
18 Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share,
19 storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.
According to some people’s beliefs, these verses should read more like “Charge them that are rich in this world’s goods to get rid of that filthy lucre.”
What is “filthy lucre”? Another way of saying it is “dirty money”. That would be money obtained by questionable means. God is not against you having money, but it does matter how you got it and what you do with it afterwards.
The first thing Paul addresses in this passage is the attitude that the person has towards other people: Don’t be conceited, haughty, snobbish. That is someone that thinks they are better than someone that doesn’t have money, or has less than they do. I.e., they are “high class” and others are “lower class”. Their “nose is in the air”. What does that mean? They ignore the others, they think they are beneath their attention, or even belittle them. But they, of course, are important, and their every want is paramount. They are entitled.
The second thing Paul addresses is the same thing that Jesus addressed with the rich young ruler: their attitude toward their money. Do not trust in the riches, do not fix your hope on the riches, but rather on God. And look at the last part of that verse: “….but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.” So apparently God is not against us having things just because we enjoy them. In fact, He will supply those things, richly – in abundance.
The third thing Paul addresses is what to do with your money: Do good (note: when the Bible talks about “doing good” to or for someone, it is almost always talking about sharing with them in a material and monetary form. In fact, a good percentage of the time when the Bible talks about God being good to people, it is referring to blessings in a material form), be rich (means abundant) in good works, be generous, and share.
Vs. 20 tells the results of doing these things: “…store up a treasure of a good foundation for the time to come, and lay hold of what that which is life indeed.” That sounds very much to me like laying up treasures in heaven – and they didn’t have to give everything away to do it.
Concerning the rich young ruler again: it says that Jesus looked at him and loved him, and asked him to follow Him – to be a disciple. Certainly that shows that Jesus saw value in him. But He saw one area in the man that could hinder him: his attitude towards his wealth. “One thing you lack: sell what you have…” That was not a general instruction to all that have wealth, it was an instruction to this particular man.
Being Content
1 Timothy 6:5-10 5 avoid useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself.
6 Now godliness with contentment is great gain.
7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
8 And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.
9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.
10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
The key in this passage is to be content with what you have. Paul also talks about being content in Phillipians 4, which we’ve already looked at.
Philippians 4:10-13 KJV 10 But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity.
11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.
12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.
13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Paul had learned a secret, how to have his happiness and contentment independent of how he was doing financially at the time. He had gone through times when he lacked and was short, and times when he had abundance and more than enough.
Do these passages mean you should never have aspirations for anything beyond having your basic needs met? Not at all. They mean that your fulfillment, your contentment, your happiness, should not depend on the material. Gaining wealth should not be your primary focus. “Seek first the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you.” Notice it did not say to seek only the kingdom of God.
I have a confession to make. I desire to be rich. But let me define my terms. The word “rich” means to have an abundance, more than is needed, a surplus. Here’s the verse that I take my definition of “rich” from and which is my goal for finances.
2 Cor 9:8 AMP 8And God is able to make all grace (every favor and earthly blessing) come to you in abundance, so that you may always and under all circumstances and whatever the need, be self sufficient – possessing enough to require no aid or support and furnished in abundance for every good work and charitable donation.
What I see from this verse is that money for yourself is no longer the focus – you have everything you need, even things you want, and so your attentions and energies are turned towards what you can do for others.
I was in the position of 2 Corinthians 9:8 in the fall of 2008. We received a large sum of money. My wife and I purposed that we would use a big part of it in giving. Yes, we did use some for ourselves – we paid off some bills, and remodeled our kitchen. But we also gave more than we had ever given before. We gave to various ministries, but we also set aside a few thousand dollars to give to individuals, and then prayed for the Lord to show us who we should bless.
Luke 6:38 38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
We purposed in our hearts that we wanted to be some of the “men” that were doing the pouring. This was one of the most exciting things we’ve ever done. And I have a desire to always be in the position to be able to do so. People who settle for just their needs being met and nothing more are only thinking of themselves.
Numbers Do Matter
God’s accounting system is different than ours. In the area of financial giving, the reward is dependent on attitude and percentages rather than absolute numbers.
Mark 12:41-44 41 Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much.
42 Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans.
43 So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury;
44 for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.”
The widow was giving out of her poverty. The percentage of what she had versus what she gave was much higher than the rich people who gave out of their abundance. As such, her heavenly reward for giving would be higher.
“Oh, if I get rich, then I’ll give all kinds of money to the Lord.” That is a good attitude and a good thing to do, but you should not wait until you are “rich” before you give. What you give now when you aren’t rich has the potential to earn you a greater reward than what you give when you are rich.
There is one thing I think people have assumed about the story of the widow’s mites that is wrong – writing in their Bible with their religious pencil again. Jesus was commending the widow for her sacrificial giving, but he was not chastising the rich people for “only giving out of their abundance.” They were doing what they were supposed to do. But the widow was going beyond what she was supposed to.
In the parable of the talents in Matthew 25, the servant who started with 5 talents and the one that started with two talents both increased what they started with by the same percentage – they doubled it. And therefore they received the exact same reward, even though the servant who had 5 talents earned more for his master.
There is a heavenly side and an earthly side to giving. The deposit or reward that goes into your heavenly account does not depend on the absolute amount you give, it depends on the percentage you give based on what you have.
But on the earthly side, numbers do matter – to the ones that are the recipients of your giving; whether it be a ministry, the poor, or just blessing some individual.
What goes into your heavenly account only benefits you: (Matthew 6:20) “…. Laying up for yourselves treasures in heaven.”
The more you give in the here and now does have an effect on the recipients. You give someone $100, that’s a blessing. But if you give them $1000, that’s a greater blessing, because they can do more with it. If you make $50,000 a year and faithfully tithe on it to your church, that is a good thing. But if you make $150,000 a year and tithe on it, you do your church three times as much good.
Other factors come into play. If you are making just enough to meet your needs and tithe, and you increase your giving, you will then have less than you need. If you do that under the Lord’s leading, He will honor your faith and obedience, and increase your income. But you will still have limitations on how much you can give, or who you can give to.
2 Corinthians 8:12 12 For if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have.
As your income increases, a couple of things can happen. First, you might increase your spending – you can buy a new house or a car, go on better vacations, etc. And there is nothing wrong with that. But you also have the potential to increase the percentage of your giving – so instead of just tithing to your church, in addition you give to other ministries and individuals.
Do not criticize the rich
There is a prevailing attitude these days that rich people have done something wrong because they have so much when others have so little. There are plenty of rich people who are greedy and have ill gotten gains, either illegally or ruthlessly. But there are also plenty who have earned their wealth through ingenuity and hard work and have helped others along the way by providing jobs, etc. They are criticized for “not doing their share”, even though the top 5% of the wealthiest people pay a higher percentage in taxes, and in charitable donations, and more dollars than all the rest of us put together.
The one group of people that get this criticism more than any others are preachers – those in the ministry. People think nothing of it if a movie star, or professional athlete, or a successful businessman has a big fancy house, drives a big fancy car, and wears a Rolex. But woe if a preacher ever has these things!
Kenneth Copeland tells the story how he was given a Mercedes Benz by a wealthy person who had been blessed by his ministry. He said at that time he never would have spent that kind of money on a car, but now he had one that didn’t cost him a dime. But when he started to drive it, he began receiving all kinds of criticism from Christians – first, many assumed he had spent ministry money on the car, and secondly, he didn’t need such a fancy car, he should sell it and put the money into the gospel.
There was another who had this kind of attitude. His name was Judas Iscariot.
John 12:1-8 1 Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead.
2 There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him.
3 Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.
4 Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, which should betray him,
5 Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?
6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein.
7 Then said Jesus, Let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this.
8 For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always.
There are many parallels here. Firstly, is it right for a preacher to receive an expensive gift? Well, Jesus did. Jesus had raised Mary’s brother Lazarus from the dead. It was because of love and gratitude for the ministry of Jesus that had so blessed her, that Mary poured that expensive spikenard on His feet. It was an act of worship. And He received that gift.
In vs. 6 we see Judas’ real motivation for criticizing Mary. He did not care for the poor at all. He wanted that money in the bag so he could pilfer from it. He wanted the money – he was covetous. He was using concern for the poor to mask his own covetousness.
Covetousness – longing or desiring something that someone else has. Being jealous of them for it. Using wrong means to obtain things. This is the love of money. The Bible warns us against covetousness in many places.
God is not against His people being rich. He is against them being covetous.
People hold a double standard for those in the ministry. They think nothing of the head of a corporation living in a big house, driving the best cars, and flying around in a corporate jet. But you see a preacher doing these things, and they are criticized as if they did something wrong.
In 2007 there was a Senate investigation headed by Senator Charles Grassley brought against six of the top televangelists – Paula White, Joyce Meyer, Creflo Dollar, Eddie Long, Kenneth Copeland and Benny Hinn. What they have in common is that they all have ministries that bring in lots of money – and realize this is because they are reaching lots of people – and they live “lavish lifestyles”. In Sen. Grassley’s own admission, he said that the thing that pushed him over the edge in wanting to call these ministries into account was that their ministries all owned private jets.
And what is so wrong with having a private jet? If a good part of your ministry involves you having to physically be in different parts of the world to conduct meetings, then having an efficient means to get there enables you to have more meetings over a wider area. “Well, you could fly commercial”. And what kind of shape would you be in when you got there, with all the waiting in lines, checkpoints, the airlines losing your luggage, etc? Sen. Grassley suggested they lease the jets. It turns out that depending on how much you use them, it is actually less expensive to own than to lease.
The concern that these six ministries had was that Sen. Grassley’s investigation had privacy issues, and that there was already an organization that they were accountable to – the IRS. In the case of the Copeland ministry, they hand delivered a letter to the IRS inviting them to audit their ministry.
Do not judge lest you be judged
Those that judge others that have nice things, and say the money should have been used for the poor or put into the gospel – do you do it yourselves? What have you sold and given to the poor? What percentage of your income have you given into the gospel?
People who judge others for what they do with their money feel that they are exempt from the same considerations. “Well, if I had their kind of money, I’d use it differently”. Not according to the Word, you wouldn’t.
Luke 16:10-11 10 He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.
11 If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?
These people, especially ministers, started giving when they had little – giving of themselves and their finances. At every level, they increased their giving and were giving a greater percentage of their incomes than you ever did. And over the years as they continued to prove themselves faithful and their ministries grew, God blessed them financially. And a lot of that income came from sources other than donations and offerings, like book or CD sales, or outside investments. Joel Osteen’s book Your Best Life Now sold four million copies in its first printing. How much per book do you think he got from that? And wouldn’t he have the right to do whatever he wanted with that money?
When you judge others for the things they have and what they do with their money, you judge yourself unworthy to ever have those things or that kind of money yourself.
Now it is true that there have been ministers who have abused their position to gain wealth for themselves. And they will have to give an account to God for that. My point is that you should not make the assumption that a minister who is successful and has a lot of money has obtained that through questionable means.
What should our attitude be towards paying ministers?
1 Timothy 5:17-18 17 Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine.
18 For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer is worthy of his wages.”
When this verse is talking about “double honor”, it is talking about pay. Often when the Bible talks about “honoring” someone, it is talking about giving them money. For example, Matthew 15:3-6 where Jesus lambasts the Pharisees for saying money was “given to God” and therefore they couldn’t help their parents out. Jesus said this was disobeying the commandment to honor your father and mother.
We should count that ministers – especially those that teach and preach the word – be worthy of getting double the pay someone in the world in a similar position gets. We should honor our pastors and want them to be blessed financially. As a congregation and as individuals, we should give them gifts beyond whatever salary the church pays them.
A church that is stingy with its pastors will not grow. But a church that honors its pastors will be honored in return.
To be continued in Part Three…
