(Learning To Let Go - And Let God)
It is easy enough to explain away one or two verses of Scripture to come to the conclusions we want about money and
wealth. But what you are about to read is more than one or two verses. Scriptural teaching about money and the
accumulation of wealth is clear, consistent, and radical. ALL is required, and the flesh must die in order to be able
to obey.
The Scriptures are very clear about wealth and treasures – make no mistake about what they say. We have two
options when dealing with wealth.
1. Here On Earth – we can spend all of our time and effort trying to accumulate wealth and status while we are
here on earth (for a very short period of time)
2. Heavenly Wealth and Riches – we have been promised wealth and riches beyond anything we can comprehend
when we reach Heaven. Our Father has prepared for us a mansion, and all the wealth (here on earth,
and in Heaven) is HIS (not ours) to do with as He pleases. He will reward us in Heaven.
Luke 16:13
13“No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the
one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”
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; 20but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not
break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
I. Be Content With Your Needs being Met – Beware Materialism
When we think about money, wealth, possessions, etc… we need to take a long hard look at what our true motives for
wanting these things are. Are we needing them, or just wanting them. If we are just wanting them, why are we wanting
them? Is there ever a level where we can be satisfied with what we have, and be content in what we possess, and who
we are on the social scale? If we get what we seek, do we end up wanting more? Do you think Bill Gates wants more?
At what point do we think we reach happiness and a sense of well being?
Jesus went into the wilderness right after He was baptized. Satan tempted Him for forty days, promising Him wealth,
power, nations to rule, etc… if He would just bow down and worship him (Matthew 4:8-10). Jesus told him to take a
hike, and explained that we shall worship the Lord our God, and Him only shall we serve. All else is irrelevant.
Heb 13:5
5Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will
never leave you nor forsake you.”
Psalms 37:7, 16
7Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him;
Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.
16A little that a righteous man has
Is better than the riches of many wicked.
Proverbs 23:4-5
4Do not overwork to be rich;
Because of your own understanding, cease!
5Will you set your eyes on that which is not?
For riches certainly make themselves wings;
They fly away like an eagle toward heaven.
The Father knows of your needs before you do! He will make sure that you have everything that you need, when you
need it. For us to accept this, we need to walk in faith. This is a tough step for us, but a very necessary step. I have
taught a lesson on this very thing (Dealing With Worry), and the scriptures are very clear about letting God take care
of us without sweating it out.
Our hearts will tell the true picture of where we stand in regards to trusting in God for our needs and being satisfied.
The scriptures warn us against being covetous, and teach us to trust in God for our needs.
II. The Test Of Riches And The Test Of Poverty
If poverty is accompanied by physical dangers (lack of shelter, lack of food, lack of clothing to protect us from the
elements, etc…) prosperity is accompanied by spiritual dangers. We, as human beings, are cursed by emotions,
feelings, and our own bad judgment. By our very nature, we get jealous of others when they are a financial success
and we are not, or when they achieve status, and we do not. This shows a true sense of our human nature putting our
priorities in the wrong place. We should be concentrating on serving God first, and seeking Him above all else. When
we do this (seek first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness) then all these things that we are in need of (true
need, not our version of need) shall be added unto us. God will often move us through both riches and poverty for the
purpose of teaching us, and testing us.
1 Sam 2:7-8
7The LORD makes poor and makes rich;
He brings low and lifts up.
8He raises the poor from the dust
And lifts the beggar from the ash heap,
To set them among princes
And make them inherit the throne of glory.
Proverbs 30:8-9
8Remove falsehood and lies far from me;
Give me neither poverty nor riches—
Feed me with the food allotted to me;
9Lest I be full and deny You,
And say, “Who is the LORD?”
Or lest I be poor and steal,
And profane the name of my God.
Phil 4:11-13
11Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: 12I know how to be
abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both
to abound and to suffer need. 13I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
III. Will We Follow Jesus If He Asks Us To Enter Poverty For A Season?
Mark 10:21-27, 31
21Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have
and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.”
22But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
23Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom
of God!” 24And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, “Children,
how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God! 25It is easier for a camel to go through the
eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
26And they were greatly astonished, saying among themselves, “Who then can be saved?”
27But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are
possible.”
31But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”
This rich young man put his priorities in the wrong place. He was not willing to give up his vast fortune, even though he
says that he had remained faithful to the Laws all of his life. The one thing that kept him from following Jesus, and
receiving his abundance of riches in heaven was his wealth, and his perceived importance of his riches and his status.
He did not want to give them up, even though he believed that Jesus was the Christ.
IV. Loosening Your Grip On Your Possessions/Wealth
God is asking us to let go of our possessions and wealth. He is trying to convey on us that they belong to Him anyway,
and not us. We have them because He allowed us to have them. If we do not willingly loosen our grip on our
possessions, we are likely to watch God do it for us. It is a sure sign that we are sons. We should be thankful whenever
God wrenches a dangerous thing from our hands. Maybe we should even be cooperative about it! Wealth (almost
without fail) leads to a falling away from God and His ways. This is NOT what God has in mind, or in store for His
children!
We must learn to get over the sense of possessing things. Look at it more like we are just “caretakers” or “managers”
of His stuff. We get to use it while it is on our care, but He could come and get it any time He chooses. We must be
ready, and willing to let those things go that He chooses to take away.
The Apostles, and the disciples of Jesus Christ who were filled with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit learned very
quickly what was important, and what was not. They learned to live simply, seeking Him first and foremost, and trusting
in Him to take care of them.
Acts 2:44-47
44Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, 45and sold their possessions and goods, and
divided them among all, as anyone had need.
46So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with
gladness and simplicity of heart, 47praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church
daily those who were being saved.
Acts 4:32-35
32Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the
things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. 33And with great power the apostles gave witness
to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all. 34Nor was there anyone among them who
lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were
sold, 35and laid them at the apostles’ feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need.
36And Joses, who was also named Barnabas by the apostles (which is translated Son of Encouragement), a Levite of
the country of Cyprus, 37having land, sold it, and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
Jesus is very clear and concise in the following statements that He makes. Bearing of the cross does not mean
“burdens” as some have taught before. It means death to your old self. He is telling us to let our old self die, become
new creatures, and follow Him. In following Him, we seek Him first, His Kingdom, and His righteousness. We do not
seek worldly things, wealth, or power. We seek Him, and follow Him with every fiber of our beings.
Luke 14:27, 33
27And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.
33So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.
Luke 3:11
11He answered and said to them, “He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let
him do likewise.”
Luke 6:30
30Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back.
V. He Who Dies With The Most Toys – Still Dies!
Christians (as well as others) hope in eternal security, and God would have us give up “carnal security” to get it. The
flesh wants the security of money. It wants to be in control, to be master, to be “god”. So we dream of, and cling to
money because we don’t want to be totally dependent on God. We fear the unknown, and faith (relying on God for all
of our needs) is something that is not physical, or something that we can readily see the results of. If we can’t see it, or
feel it, we don’t really trust it. Money we can see– we see the effects of money - we see the power of money – we see
the influence of money. We think it makes us important to the world. In fact, it makes us hated by the world. Jealousy,
resentment, and fear are the things that the rich of this world produce in “common” people. But yet everyone still
dreams of, and strives to become rich!
Luke 12:15-21
15And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of
the things he possesses.”
16Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. 17And he thought
within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ 18So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull
down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. 19And I will say to my soul, “Soul,
you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.”’ 20But God said to him, ‘Fool!
This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’
21“So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
Psalms 49:16-19
16Do not be afraid when one becomes rich, When the glory of his house is increased;
17For when he dies he shall carry nothing away; His glory shall not descend after him.
18Though while he lives he blesses himself (For men will praise you when you do well
for yourself),
19He shall go to the generation of his fathers; They shall never see light.
Ecc 5:10-15
10He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver;
Nor he who loves abundance, with increase.
This also is vanity.
11When goods increase,
They increase who eat them;
So what profit have the owners
Except to see them with their eyes?
12The sleep of a laboring man is sweet,
Whether he eats little or much;
But the abundance of the rich will not permit him to sleep.
13There is a severe evil which I have seen under the sun:
Riches kept for their owner to his hurt.
14But those riches perish through misfortune;
When he begets a son, there is nothing in his hand.
15As he came from his mother’s womb, naked shall he return,
To go as he came;
And he shall take nothing from his labor
Which he may carry away in his hand.
Prov 11:4, 28
4Riches do not profit in the day of wrath,
But righteousness delivers from death.
28He who trusts in his riches will fall,
But the righteous will flourish like foliage.
Eze 28:2-10
2“Because your heart is lifted up,
And you say, ‘I am a god,
I sit in the seat of gods,
In the midst of the seas,’
Yet you are a man, and not a god,
Though you set your heart as the heart of a god
3(Behold, you are wiser than Daniel!
There is no secret that can be hidden from you!
4With your wisdom and your understanding
You have gained riches for yourself,
And gathered gold and silver into your treasuries;
5By your great wisdom in trade you have increased your riches,
And your heart is lifted up because of your riches),”
6‘Therefore thus says the Lord GOD:
“Because you have set your heart as the heart of a god,
7Behold, therefore, I will bring strangers against you,
The most terrible of the nations;
And they shall draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom,
And defile your splendor.
8They shall throw you down into the Pit,
And you shall die the death of the slain
In the midst of the seas.
9“Will you still say before him who slays you,
‘I am a god’?
But you shall be a man, and not a god,
In the hand of him who slays you.
10You shall die the death of the uncircumcised
By the hand of aliens;
For I have spoken,” says the Lord GOD.’”