Jesus is clear that money will try to steal our affection, time, and heart away from God. He plainly states, you cannot serve both "God and mammon". Mammon was the Syrian god of riches. Today, we may not bow down to idols, but our hearts still get wrapped around money. Working late, sacrificing family time (notice the word sacrifice, like what people used to do for idols), lying on taxes, not putting God first in our finances, being unwilling to share or give when the Lord nudges us to serve someone. These are all symptoms on mammon in our lives.
Matthew 6:24 NKJV
24 “No one 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.
If we know that Jesus warned us against serving mammon, what else did He say on money?
1) God is Our Provider
Matthew 6:25-32 (NKJV)
25 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? 28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
2) Good Stewards Bear Fruit
Matthew 7:16-20 (NKJV)
16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.
3) God Cares More About The Heart Than The Gift
Matthew 6:1-4 (NKJV)
“Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 3 But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.
4) God Rewards Good Stewards
Matthew 16:27-28 (NKJV)
27 For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works. 28 Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”
5) Our Identity is in Christ and that Comes with Authority and Responsibility
Mark 6:7-12 (NKJV)
7 And He called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits. 8 He commanded them to take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bag, no bread, no copper in their money belts— 9 but to wear sandals, and not to put on two tunics.
10 Also He said to them, “In whatever place you enter a house, stay there till you depart from that place. 11 And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!”
12 So they went out and preached that people should repent. 13 And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.
6) We Must Hear the Lord and Obey
John 8:47 (NKJV)
47 He who is of God hears God’s words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God.”
Hearing God
John 10:3-4 (NKJV)
3 To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep byname and leads them out. 4 And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.
Hearing God
John 10:27 (NKJV)
27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.
7) Our Heart Should be to Bless Others and Give with and Open Hand
Mark 9:41 (NKJV)
41 For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.
Mark 12:41-44 (NKJV)
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.”
These 7 truths are the outline for the book Jesus on Money. I went through and highlighted every single verse on money, stewardship, and our role as managers in the all four of the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). I then went through the rest of the New Testament to see where else Jesus spoke to His disciples and highlighted anything pertaining to stewardship.
The book Jesus on Money categorizes every single verse I highlighted in my study and lays it out in an easy to read format.
