In God We Trust

“In God We Trust” was preached at Sunnyside Presbyterian Church on Sunday, September 25, 2016. Inspirations found in the sermon include Scripture, commentaries, living by faith, money, and God’s providence.

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1 Timothy 6:6-19

6 Of course, there is great gain in godliness combined with contentment;7 for we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of it; 8 but if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these.9 But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.

11 But as for you, man of God, shun all this; pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life, to which you were called and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.13 In the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you 14 to keep the commandment without spot or blame until the manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which he will bring about at the right time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords. 16 It is he alone who has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see; to him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.

17 As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty, or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18 They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share,19 thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life.

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In the passage that you just heard, was there there a phrase that stood out to you? Or a phrase that sounds oddly familiar? “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.” I’m sure you’ve heard it before. “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.”

Money. That’s what we’re going to be talking about today. And if any of you don’t believe that hazing in the church is a thing, just remember they gave the new guy this topic and this text. They gave the new guy the sermon on money. No, we’re not in stewardship season… yet. Rather, this is a sermon on living by faith with your money. So I think this is good thing that they gave the new guy the sermon on money. It allows us to get to know one another. For you all to get to know me, for me to learn more about all of you, and for all of us together as a church—the body of Christ—to hear what God intended for us when it comes to our income, finances, and money.

From our earliest of years, we’ve made our own assumptions about what money is and what money can do for us. We’ve been developing that assumption ever since. I want you imagine each significant time you have received some kind of money. Whether it was a penny or a nickel as a young child—your first paycheck as a teenager—a gift in the mail at your graduation or wedding—or the first time you received an income as your started your career. Each time you have further developed this assumption. You saw the importance of money. You learned how to handle it. How you should use. What it is for. What it can do. And what it can’t.  Over time, a unique perspective on money was made, and to be honest, for most of us that perspective is a little off of what God intended. For some of us, it is more than a little off—it is way off. Through misinformation, bad habits, foolish choices, and our own desires; our perspective of money has gotten us into trouble.

That is why, in the passage from today found in 1 Timothy, we hear Paul write, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.” Our wrong perspective on money is a trap that we have set and fallen into ourselves. It is a trap filled with ruin and destruction. It is filled with sorrow and heartache. It is filled with pain. And as I said, we have set this trap ourselves. These are self-inflicted wounds. In the same way, our perspective on money has created more troubles that just individual problems. We see these problems in global economies, government policies, systematic injustices—these too are self-inflicted wounds. I recognize those troubles, but I believe if we take a moment and consider our own individual perspective on money, we can make a positive change that can be seen across the world. 

Let’s be honest for a second. Too many of us are constantly worried about our finances. We all experience this worry differently, but in one way or another, it is there for all of us. For some us, the struggle comes with not having enough money. How will I pay for this? Can I afford that? Am I able to provide for my family? For others, the struggle comes from spending too much time earning money. Does money really buy happiness? Am I spending too much time away from home? Have I saved and saved but never used my money for something good? This is where the worry begins to set in. The troubles start. The panic ensues. And then we find ourselves trapped all because the assumptions we have made about money.

There’s one big assumption that most of us share that gets us into all kinds of trouble with our money. Here it is: That because we assume money and other material things are in our possession, it is our possession. We’re not wrong to make this assumption. Why wouldn’t we feel that way? We worked hard for our money. We’ve earned our income. We made it through school. We worked long hours at our job. We budgeted and invested just like we should. We’ve achieved success. We deserve this! But when we consider who gave this to us—maybe we don’t. Maybe we don’t deserve what we have. Or at least, we don’t deserve to believe that what we own is ours to own. Maybe in the grander scheme of things when we consider it in relation to God… it is not my money; it is not your money; it is not our money. What we own is not ours to own.

Because we have made the assumption that our money is ours—because we think we can do with it what we please—we make foolish choices. Maybe we have wasted it. We spend money we don’t have to buy the things we don’t need. Or maybe we have become greedy with it. To get more we have spent long hours abandoning the time and life with the people we love. Either way, we haven’t used it for the good God intended it to be used for. It’s this perception that leads us to the ruin and destruction Paul wrote about. It’s dangerous to want more—to waste and to be greedy.

On every dollar bill and every monetary coin in the United States is our motto, “In God We Trust.” This is a reminder we can use every time we receive a paycheck. “In God We Trust.” This is a reminder we can use every time we pay a bill. “In God We Trust.” If we use this reminder every day and believe in what it says, maybe our perception of money will change. We’ll start to believe that we are God’s own and because we are God’s own, what we own is also owned by God. In this, we surrender our power and control—our wealth and our destruction—to God who in return allows us to pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness. In God We Trust.

Is that not what Paul is saying? To place our trust and hope in God. Listen again to the portion of 1 Timothy that we read together: “As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty, or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life.”

We were always destined to pursue a certain quality of life that has nothing to do with money or other material possessions. It is a different kind of wealth. It’s the wealth we celebrate. It is finding our meaning and calling. It is having a sense and a purpose in life. It is investing in something such as the earth that will be enjoyed by generations to come. It is being surrounded by friends and family who love and need us. It is allowing these relationships to grow deeper throughout the years. It is to be grateful for what we have. It is to be thankful for the people we have. It is to celebrate that God is our God and we are God’s children. We do not find our meaning in life by what we can or cannot buy with our money. We find it in our calling to serve God and to serve others. Let us be rich in good works in response to God’s glory and grace. This is our calling. This is how we live faithfully.

In comparison to all of this, money is not the key to happiness. It’s not critical. It’s not at the heart of the matter. But that being said, we have to be honest. We live in a capitalistic society. Money is necessary. It is a tool we have to use. While we would love to focus only on the things that actually provide fulfillment and joy, we have to be realistic and recognize money is a part of life. So how do we use our money in a way that is pleasing to God? Especially when recognize that it is not ours to own but rather God’s.

What would be the odds that every member of this church owns the exact same amount of money? It’s not likely. This church like all churches reflect society as a whole. Some folks have more, some folks have less. But yet it is true. Every member of this church—every single member of society—owns the same amount of money. Nothing. Zip. Nada. Zero.

This is God’s world and we are just one small part of it. Our money is an even smaller part… but even this is also God’s.

Paul is telling us in this passage that assumed ownership is an illusion. After all, it is God who not only created everything but still continues to provide us with everything we need. Paul writes, “We brought nothing into the world, so that can take nothing out of it.”  We’re just passing through this earthly life till one day we head to our heavenly home.

We may control a few things such as money and other material possessions for a while, but we don’t actually own anything. Everything that we think we own will be owned by someone else eventually. It just passes from generation to generation. We do not and never will take our money with us after this life. It will be gone and passed on.

The Bible tells us this over and over. We don’t own a thing. We are just managing it. You and I, we’re just managing God’s stuff. We are managing it for the Great One who does own it. Just because something is in our possession, doesn’t mean it is our possession. It is and always has been and always will be God’s.

Here’s another crucial thought. At some point we have to give an account for it. We have to account for how we’ve managed God’s stuff, God’s money, God’s possessions. A good manager tries to manage well. Wisely. Carefully. Considerably. Not only that, a good manager not only tries to manage well, but a good manager does so out of the respect for the owner. A good manager tries to advance the plans and follows the desires of the owner. If we remember that this owner is God, then this new perspective can change how we handle our money. Maybe we’ll make less foolish choices. We’ll avoid that trap of ruin and destruction. Rather, if we remember it is in God we place our trust and our hope and that we are just managers for God’s stuff—then a miraculous thing happens. We begin to open our eyes and start to see the world just as God sees it.

God doesn’t care about only this or only that. Not just our spiritual bodies or our physical possessions. No, God cares for it all. God owns it all. When we begin seeing the world as God sees it—it alters our perception on money—the needs it can meet—the good it can do! The good that we can do!

Now the moment you’ve been waiting for… you’ve been waiting for me to tell what the good is that you can with your money. But I’m afraid I can’t do that. I can’t tell you to do this or to do that. To give here or the spend it there. No, I can’t do that. After all, I’m just another manager of God’s stuff. What I’m trying to do is for all us to consider our perspective on money in relation to God who is the Owner. So instead of me telling you what to do, you and I both need to go and talk to the Owner. You and I both need to talk to God. I don’t know exactly what God wants each of you to do. The changes God wants each of you to make. I don’t know how God wants you to spend or give your money. You have to go and ask God yourself. Have that conversation. Spend time in prayer. And then as you figure out what God wants for you, go do it.

It is the love of money that traps us. It is the love of God that frees us. Open yourself to a new perspective of viewing your money. Allow it to free you from ruin and destruction. Allow it to let you pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness. Place your trust and hope in God. We are the managers. God is the Ultimate Owner. Open your eyes and allow yourself to see how God sees the world. Use your life and the money you manage and the stuff you possess, use that to glorify God and bring purpose and meaning to your life. This is God’s world. Everything we are and everything we own are a part of that. In God We Trust. That’s where we start. Thanks be to God. Amen.

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