Rick Warren - Transforming How I See and Use Money - Part 2

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TOPICS: Money

God's favorite tool to test you, listen, is finances, it tests all kinds of it. In fact, it tests three things, write these down. Number one, money tests, it shows what I love most, how I spend my money shows, reveals to God and everybody else, what I love most. Now, whatever you love most is what you're gonna give your most time to and you're gonna give your most money to. I don't care what you say you love, if you really wanna know what you love most, look at your calendar and look at your credit card statements, because the way you spend your time and your money tells me what you love the most.

Matthew chapter 6, Jesus says this, "Don't store up treasure here on earth". In other words, don't pile it up, don't hoard it. "Instead, store up treasure in heaven". We'll talk about how to do that later. "For wherever your treasure is," that's where, what? Yeah, "Your heart will be". "Wherever your treasures are," so wherever you want your heart to be, put your money there and you'll get interested in it. Believe me, the moment you put money into something, you get interested in it.

Right now, most of you couldn't care less how Microsoft does as a company, but if you bought some stock, all of a sudden, you're very interested in whether that company succeeds or fail, because you have just invested in it, you have put your treasure, and where your treasure is, your heart is. You couldn't care less about Toyota, but if you bought some stock in it, all of a sudden, you would want that company to succeed, because where you put your treasure, that's where your heart goes.

So, God is saying God uses money to test, to show, what I really love most. Number two, money shows what I really trust most, it shows what I have faith in. Am I trusting in my money for security or am I trusting in God for my security? Am I trusting in money for my happiness or am I trusting in God for my happiness? Am I trusting in money for my fulfillment, to make me feel good about me, or am I trusting in God to make me feel good about me? It shows what I trust most, it's the acid test of faith.

Proverbs 11:28 says this, "If you trust in your money, you will fall, but if you trust in God, you'll flourish like a green tree". You know, if you're saying, "You know, I don't really feel close to God right now, in fact, I feel pretty distant, my spiritual life is stuck at dead center, I got the spiritual blahs, I'm not growing, there's no power in my life, I don't feel close to God," I would challenge you to check your checkbook. You know, "What am I using my time and my money on"? It shows what I trust and it shows what I love.

Then, the third thing it tests, and this is the big one that this story is about, is it shows if God can trust me. This is the reverse, it doesn't just show if I trust God, it shows if God can trust me, because God says, "I'm looking to see how well you manage material things before I give you spiritual blessings. Can I trust you with more or are you blowing it with what little I've given you"? You see, out-of-control finances reveal an out-of-control life, okay? Unmanaged finances are a symptom of an unmanaged life, you need a manager, you need a Lord, you need a Savior, you need a CEO of your life, you need God, because your life has become unmanageable.

Now, the next verse that we're gonna look, there on the outline, verses 11 and 12, this is one of the most important scriptures in the entire Bible. When I understood this verse, when I finally understood the meaning of this verse, it so radically changed my life, about 40 years ago, I never looked at money the same way again and I got off the rat race. You know, even if you win the rat race, you're still a rat, so why do you want to run the rat race? I mean, why try to keep up with the Jones's? They just refinance and file for bankruptcy.

Now, here's what the Bible says, verse 11 and 12, listen to this, very important, "Whoever can be trusted with very little can be trusted with much". God's looking at you, "Can I trust you, to give you more, or not"? "Whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much". And who's ever irresponsible, obviously, with little will be irresponsible much. "If you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth". Circle that phrase, "Trustworthy in handling worldly wealth," what is that?

That's a phrase that means if you're not a good money manager, if you're spending more than you make, if you're not saving for the future, if you're not investing at all, if you're working for your money instead of your money working for you, if you're not really good at managing your money, he says, "Who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else's property, who will give you property of your own"? You don't own anything here on earth. In heaven, God wants to give you your own stuff, he wants to bless you for eternity, but God says, "If I can't trust you with little, in what is on loan to you, why should I give you more"?

I mean, what if, the world's wealthiest man, you were the child of the world's wealthiest man? You were Warren Buffett or somebody's daughter or son, and your dad came to you and said, "One day, I wanna give you everything I've got, you're gonna inherit it all, but I'm not gonna give it to you right now. In fact, I'm gonna give you a little bit right now, just a tiny, tiny bit, and I'm gonna see how well you handle it. And if you manage it well, I'm gonna give you the whole thing".

That's exactly what Jesus is saying right here, "Who will give you your own"? Jesus says how I handle money determines how much God can bless my life. I didn't say that, Jesus said it. Now, that is a mind blower when you think about it, that there's a direct connection between maturity and money, there's a direct connection between spiritual power and how I handle possessions, there is a direct connection between God's blessing in my life and what I do with my bucks. You've never heard that before, but that's exactly what Jesus says right there, there is a connection.

Now, here's the third truth you gotta remember, and these are all important, but they build in radical. First, it all belongs to God, and second, God is using money to test me. Number three, money is a tool, money is a tool to be used for God's purposes. You say, "What do you mean, 'Money is a tool,' doesn't the Bible say, 'Money is the root of all evil'"? No, it does not say that, it says, "The love of money is the root of all evil," not, "money," but, "The love of money is the root of all evil," okay? Money is neither good nor bad, right nor wrong, it's just there, it can be used to build great churches or it could be used to finance drugs, it's just a tool. Luke 16, verse 9, notice, he says, "I tell you," Jesus says, "Use your worldly wealth"! Circle the word, "Use".

Now, remember, earlier we said we're not to love it, and here he says to use it. Hey, everybody look up here, this is really important. The Bible says you are to love people and use money, love people use money. Now, the problem is, everybody gets that reversed, and when you start loving money, you use people, you end up using people to get more money. The Bible says love people, people are to be loved and money is to be used, and if you start loving money, you're gonna start using people. God says, "That's bad, personal foul, you're out of the game".

Now, let's look at this dishonest manager. Why did Jesus make him the hero of the story, what did Jesus like about this guy? He certainly didn't like his dishonesty. Remember, the guy is gonna get canned, he's gonna get fired? And so he brings in these people and the first guy says, "Let's write down your debt 50%, okay? Just write it down 50% and it'll be fine, just write it down and we won't tell the boss about it". Then, the second thing, he brings another guy in and he says, "Write down your debt 20%, okay? We're gonna write down your debt 20% and we'll take care of that, just between you and me, all right"? Obviously, he's dishonest, but he did three things, right, and these are the three things that God wants you to do with your money.

Okay, number one, what did he do? He looked ahead, he looked ahead. In verse 3, he says, "What am I gonna do now"? He's thinking about the future, and you know what? Most people never look ahead when it comes to their finances, they're living for today, because every advertisement in our society, this culture teaches you, "Have it now, spend it now, make it now, use it now, forget about the future". Look at this verse on the screen. Proverbs 14, verse 8, says this, "The wise man looks ahead. The fool attempts to fool himself and won't face the facts". What facts do you need to face up to in your finances?

Number two, he made a plan, and that's the next verse. He says, "I know what I will do". Do you have a plan? How do you know if you've got a financial plan? That's real simple. Do you have a budget, are you following it? A budget is simply planned spending, that's all a budget is, you gotta have a plan. Look at this verse on the screen. Proverbs 16:9, "We should make plans," the Bible says, "Counting on God to direct us". So, the third thing that he did, he looked ahead, he made a plan, he acted quickly, and he gets commended for that. He didn't procrastinate, he didn't delay, he set his plan in motion. He didn't say, "Someday I'm gonna get my finances in order, someday I'm gonna start saving for retirement". He doesn't say, "Someday, I'll," "One of these days," one of these days is none of these days.

Now, the Bible says this in Luke 16, verse 4, "I know what I'll do, so that when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses". Now, see that verse on the screen? That is the very thing Jesus is commending, not his dishonesty, but that attitude, which says this, "I'm gonna think ahead, I'm gonna make a plan, and I'm gonna invest in some relationships so that when I'm out on my rear end, they're gonna be people who will take me into their homes". He says that's smart, think ahead, make a plan. Now, most people have no plan for the future, they're just drifting through life, day by day. He says that's not very wise, he says you need to take the long view. Now, when Jesus talks about the long view, he's not talking about retirement, he's talking about the long view on the other side of death. "Are you storing up treasure in heaven or are you spending it all here"?

Now, number four, this fourth truth is really, really counterculture, but Jesus says it so I have to teach it to you, and it's this. The best use of money is to use it to get people into heaven, the best use of my money is to use it getting people into heaven. Now, let me read, this is the most problem verse people don't understand. Verse 9, Jesus says, "I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves," he's talking about building relationships, "so that when it is gone, they will welcome you into your eternal dwelling". He's talking about heaven, and he says, "Just like this dishonest guy made friends that he could count on later," he says, "You need to use some of your money to make spiritual friends, eternal friends, friends you're gonna have forever in heaven, who will welcome you when you get to heaven".

And does that shock you? Now, what is he not saying here? He's not saying you can buy your way into heaven, because you can't, you can't buy your way into heaven, the price has already been paid by Jesus on the cross. He's not saying you can purchase your salvation, because you can't, you can't purchase your eternal salvation, it's free, it's a gift, it's by grace. What he's saying is, use your money to build relationships that are gonna go on and on and on and on for eternity, spiritual friendships, use your affluence for good influence. And he says that when I use my money to help other people meet Jesus, I make friends for eternity and I gain rewards for eternity.

Now, circle of the phrase, "When they will welcome you into eternal dwellings". He's talking about heaven there. Now, imagine, one day you're gonna die, and you get to heaven and there's 100 people there standing at the entrance to heaven, clapping and cheering you, saying, "We've been waiting on you, we're so glad you're here, we're here because you spent some money to tell us the good news, and we're your friends for life. No, we're your friends for eternity, because we're indebted to you. If it weren't for the way you used your money, we wouldn't have heard how to get to heaven". Are you using any of your money for that kind of thing, is anybody gonna be in heaven because of you, because of the way you used your money?

And number five, this is the last truth and this is an important one, one day I'll give an account to God, one day there's gonna be an audit on my life, how I used, not just my money, but everything that God gave me. What did you do with what you were given? Your talent, your relationships, your opportunities, your mind, your creativity, your contacts, your networks, what did you do with what God gave you?

Now, it doesn't really matter whether you got a lot or a little, our church is a church family with people at every level of economic status. In our church, we have many people who are very, very, very poor, and in our church we have some people who are very, very, very rich, and the rest of us are all somewhere in between. It really doesn't matter, it doesn't matter how much or how little you've got, what matters is, what are you doing with what you've been given, and can God trust you with more? You're gonna stand before God one day, he's gonna do a life audit. Verse 2 says this, "You must now give an account of your stewardship and report what you've done with what I entrusted to you because your time as a manager is ending"!

One day, your time as a manager on earth is gonna end, you're not gonna live on earth forever, no, no, you weren't meant to live on earth forever. But God has entrusted certain assets to you, as the manager, and he says, "Okay, I'm gonna watch you, and I'm gonna test you, and I'm gonna see what you're doing with what you've been given. What are you doing with the mind I gave you, what are you doing with the health I gave you, what are you doing with the freedom I gave you? Are you spending it all on yourself? Oh, well, time out, wait a minute, you think that's the whole purpose of life, to live for you? You think I created you just to live for yourself? Uh-uh, wrong answer". One day your management career is gonna end, and the Bible says this, look at this on the screen, "Yes, each of us will have to give a personal account to God".

Now, there's one last principle, I didn't put it on your outline. so, just write it over in the corner somewhere, here's the last principle. If I'm faithful with a little, God can trust me with more. If I'm faithful with a little, then God will be able to trust me with more. And that's what verse 10 says, "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with little will be dishonest with much". And obviously, whoever is irresponsible with little but will be irresponsible with much. Are you using your money in such a way that God says, "Man, I want to give them more"? Are you using your time in such a way, are you using your influence? This principle applies to every area.

Now, follow me on this, if God has given you just a little bit of talent, you just got a little bit of talent, but you're faithful to use it, you don't say, "I'm not a superstar, so I won't do anything," "I'm gonna use what little talent I've got," you know what'll happen? God will increase your talent. If you just got a little bit of influence, but you say, "You know what? I'm going to use what little influence I've got for good and for God," God will increase your influence.

If you just got a little bit of money, you said, "But I'm gonna use this wisely, the way God says to use it," then God will increase your possessions, your material possessions. It's true of opportunities, it's true of network, it's true of everything in life. Look at this verse on the screen, Matthew 25. Jesus said, "To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have," what? I want, as your pastor who loves you, I want you to have that abundance in every area of your life, but you gotta use what you've been given. Faithfulness in little ways produce fruitfulness in big ways.

Most of you know that when I wrote "Purpose Driven Life," it became the best-selling book in the world for four years. That brought in enormous amounts of attention and enormous amounts of money. And people often ask, "Why do you think God chose you"? I'm not even an author, I'm not a professional author, I'm a pastor, I've never taken a class on writing, so how do you write the best-selling book in American history? Why do you think God chose me? I didn't know for a long time, I know now. He knew he could trust me with the money, he knew I wouldn't use it on myself, he knew I would give it away, because I had a 30-year track record. I want God's blessing on your life, but you got to do it God's way.

Let's bow our heads. So let's do a little personal evaluation in your own life, I want you to ask yourself some questions. First, "Does God really have first place in my life or is something else first place in my life? Can God trust me with what he's allowed me to have? Am I managing my money well, am I managing my opportunities well, am I managing my life well, am I managing my health well, or everything else God has given me? Does the way that I'm using my money show God that I can be trusted with more? What or how much am I investing for eternity, will anybody be in heaven because of the way I'm using my money"? Why don't you pray this prayer? Say, "Dear God, I don't want to waste money". Just say that in your mind:

God, I don't want to waste your money, I don't wanna love it, I don't wanna live for it, I don't want to trust in it for my security, and I don't want to expect it to satisfy and meet needs that only you can meet. God, from this day forward, help me to remember, every day, that it all belongs to you, that I don't really own anything, that it's all just on loan from God and you're gonna loan it to somebody else after I die. God, I want what I do with my money to show that I love you the most, and I want what I do with my money to show that I trust you for security, not my bank account. And God, I want you to look at the way I'm using my life and my money and know that you can trust me with greater responsibility. Help me to remember that money is just a tool, while many people use it for bad, I want to use it for good and for God. Help me to do what this manager did right, help me to look ahead, help me to make a plan, help me to act quickly and not procrastinate.

Lord, you've said, from your own Words, that the best use of money is to help get people into heaven, so that that's storing up treasure in heaven. Lord, I want to use some of my money to do that. I know that one day I'll give an account to you for how I used my life and what I did with what I was given. You said that, 'Where your treasure is, your heart is,' so, God, I wanna give you my heart, today. Jesus Christ, I don't understand at all, but as much as I know how, I ask you to come into my life. I want a relationship with you, not a religion, but I want to learn to know you and love you, and serve you and feel your love. And I pray this in Jesus's name, amen.