MONEY

 In the Old Testament:

Having a whole heart for God, so that there is no room for money - Deuteronomy 18 v 13

God is sovereign, He does what He wants, and He has no accountability to us - 1 Samuel 2 v 7

God's work is free, those who get paid for healings are impostors - 2 Kings 5 v 15 - 16

God himself is our wealth, our treasure, our fortune - Job 22 v 21 to 30

The bad guys who got rich by deceiving and exploiting the poor (Banks get rich especially on the backs of the poor!) "The villain in his pride pursues the unfortunate, They are victims of the plots he has designed. For the wicked prides himself on his lust, and the contemptless abductor despises the Eternal. The villain says with arrogance: He does not punish! There is no God! These are all his thoughts. His ways succeed at all times; Your judgments are too high to reach him, He blows against all his opponents. He says in his heart: I do not stagger, I am forever safe from misfortune! His mouth is full of curses, deceptions and frauds; There is under his tongue malice and iniquisity. ».

There will be no more poor during the messianic reign: "The Eternal is king forever and in perpetuity; The nations are exterminated from his country. You hear the wishes of those who suffer, O Eternal! You strengthen their hearts; you listen to do justice to the orphan and the oppressed, so that the man drawn from the earth may cease to inspire dread. Psalm 10 v 2 to 18

"Don't worry if a man gets rich and increases his lifestyle. When he dies, he will take nothing, his goods will not follow him into the grave. In his lifetime, he may say he is happy, but he is happy that everything is going well for him, but he will have to join the generations that have overtaken him, and who will never see the light again. Yet, in the midst of his luxury, man does not understand that he is coming to an end, like a mere animal." Psalm 49 v 17 to 21

What if you get richer? Don't put our heart into it, and stay detached - Psalm 62 v 11

Ps 111 v 5: "It provides for the needs of those who revere it. He still remembers his wedding ring."

God provides for his children, and intelligent work enriches - Proverbs 10 v 3 to 5

"The work of the righteous is for life, The gain of the wicked is for sin."

The rich confide in their fortunes, their money is used to spread evil, they worship the "god" Mammon - Pr 10 v 15 - 16 (Pr 18 v 11)

True wealth comes from God. May God deliver us from worldly lusts - Pr 10 v 22

Generosity and greed. We must rescue the real poor - Pr 11 v 24

"He who confides in his riches will fall, but the righteous will green like the foliage." Pr 11 v 28

"The poor man is obnoxious even to his friend, but the rich's friends are many." Pr 14 v 20. They are usually parasites.

"To oppress the poor is to offend the one who did it; But to pity the needy is to honor him. Pr 14 v 31

God takes good care of his faithful children - Pr 15 v 6 Love and peace are more important than money - Pr 15 v 16 -17 (Pr 17 v 1) "Better the honestly earned little than big, ill-gotten income." Pr 16 v 8.

"Wealth is a strong city for the rich; In his imagination, it is a high wall" Pr 18 v 11. It is not money, but it is GOD alone that secures us. "He who pity the poor man lends himself to the Eternal, Who will return to him according to his work." Pr 19 v 17. Smart management enriches, but mismanagement impoverishes - Pr 21 v 20

In the world, it is the rich who dominate, but this is not the case in the church. Whoever borrows is a slave to the one who pays (watch out for credit purchases), if we really need something, put money aside, until we have the money to buy it - Pr 22 v 7

Generosity will be rewarded by God when the Lord comes for us - Pr 28 v 27

The dangers of wealth and poverty. Let's seek balance to avoid these 2 temptations - Pr 30 v 8 – 9

The love of money, dissatisfaction, parasites, and worries of the rich - Ecclesiastes 5 v 9 to 11

Here we are talking about those who want to "serve" the Lord, to receive a salary: "His leaders judge for presents, His priests teach for a salary, and his prophets predict for money; And they dare to lean on the Lord, they say: Isn't the Lord in our midst? Unhappiness will not reach us." - Micah 3 v 11

« ... Woe to the one who accumulates what is not his! How long ?... Woe to the one who increases the burden of his debts! Won't your creditors suddenly rise? Won't your oppressors wake up? And you will become their prey" - Habakuk 2 v 6 - 7

God is the owner of the money, and we are the managers - Aggée 2 v 8

New Testament:

Give discreetly so as not to lose his reward - Matthew 6 v 1 to 4

Investing in the Bank of Heaven is the best investment - Mt 6 v 19 to 21

The love of money is a block to be saved and to bear fruit. Let's pull out the brambles and thorns that grew in our hearts - Mt 13 v 22

We must pay our taxes to the legitimate authority - Mt 22 v 19 to 21

We can die at any moment, so there is no need to attach ourselves to material goods - Luke 12 v 16 to 31

Selflessness. Give without a second thought, and without expecting anything in return - Luke 14 v 12 to 14

Renunciation and detachment to be a true disciple - Luke 14 v 33

"For it is easier for a camel to pass through the hole of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." Luke 18 v 25

There must be no (real) poor people in the church - Acts 4 v 34 - 35

Ask God to support us, not men - Philipians 4 v 6 - 7

Being happy in the situation you are in, it avoids a lot of torment - "I've learned to be happy with the state I'm in. I know how to live in humiliation, and I know how to live in abundance. In all and everywhere I have learned to be full and hungry, to be in abundance and to be in a scarcity. I can do everything by the one who strengthens me. - Ph 4 v 11 to 13

Churches must support the true servants of God full-time, so that they do not lack for anything - "You know yourself, Philippians, at the beginning of the preaching of the Gospel, when I left Macedonia, no Church took into account with me for what she gave and received; you were the only ones to do so, for you already sent me to Thessaloniki, and twice, enough to provide for my needs. It's not that I'm looking for donations; but I'm looking for the fruit that abounds on your behalf. I have received everything, and I am in abundance; I have been filled with goods, receiving by Epaphrodite what comes from you as a perfume of good smell, a sacrifice that God accepts, and which is pleasing to him. Ph 4 v 15 to 18.

Brothers who wish to serve the Lord "full-time" must trust him completely, that is, believe that He will support all their needs, and not rely on men by asking them for donations or a salary. If we do not have faith for money, how can we have faith for the rest?

It is God himself who provides for our needs, we can trust Him, He will never abandon us, He takes care of his children. Let us not waste the goods that Heavenly Father entrusts to us- "And my God will provide for all your needs according to His wealth, with glory, in Jesus Christ." Ph 4 v 19 - 20

True poverty is a lack of food or clothing, let us not be influenced by the mentality of the world that is materialistic. The danger of wanting to get rich - 1 Timothy 6 v 6 to 10

We can fully enjoy the goods God gives us. Let's pray to use them well: Helping people in difficulty, making our belongings grow, and not wasting them - 1 Tim 6 v 19

"Don't indulge in the love of money, be content with what you have, for God himself said, I will not abandon you, and I will not abandon you" - Hebrews 13 v 5

We must be freed from the lust of the eyes. Advertising is based on this principle, it tries to make us believe that if we buy this object, we will be happier, do not let ourselves be seduced. 1 John 2 v 15 to 17

Helping our poor brothers - 1 John 3 v 17 to 19

In the past, it was the kings who were the rich of the Earth, but today most billionaires are traders. "Merchants are the greats of the Earth." Revelation 18 V 3 - 23

What will become of the riches of this world?

EZEKIEL 7 v 19: "They will throw their money in the streets, and their gold will be for them an object of horror; Their money and gold will not be able to save them, on the day of the wrath of the Lord; They will neither be able to satisfy their souls, nor fill their bowels; For that is what made them fall into their iniquisity."

Conclusion: It is better to be poor with God than rich without God!

Questions

1. Is there greed (love of money) in your heart?

2. What percentage of their income did the Israelites have to pay to the temple?

3. Can this serve as a model for Christians?

4. Is material prosperity an obligatory sign of blessing in the new covenant?

5. How can we manage what God has entrusted to us?

6. How do we buy something we need?

7. How should we put an offering in the crate of the congregation?

8. What if I just have some food for my family?

9. Is it a sin to make our goods prosper?

10. Are you a slave to someone by one or more debts?

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