Preached on money on Sunday. Here's the sermon - Matt 6:19-24 was the text.
Here are some other sermons on money that have helped me. Check them out, but be warned:
These sermons could seriously harm your wealth (i.e. your earthly treasure !)
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Mark Prentice on Matt 6:19-24 (seriously awesome)
John Piper on Matthew 6:19-34 - part one and part two.
Tim Keller on Radical Generosity (2 Cor 9:6-15), Treasure vs Money (Matt 6:19-34), Grace and Money (Acts 4:32-37), Two Men with Money (2 Kings 5:13-19; Luke 19:5-10)
Anything by KP Yohannan (Update: links now work!). Why not start with Christ's Call part one and part two. Or how about Investing Your Life in the Harvest part one and part two
And once convicted - why not give to Gospel for Asia. I dare you to find a better kingdom investment!
hey glen!
i'm going through randy alcorn's book right now on money, and am a little confused on the part where he compares christian reward and christian justification.. if i grapple it right, he means that christian reward is something that occurs AFTER one is completely saved by Christ (e.g. Romans 5:19; 2 Corinthians 5:21).
now, the thing is mike reeves in his table talk on justification used those two exact verses and spoke of two things:
(1) righteousness of Christ on the cross imputed to us, thus justifying us
(2) (the more neglected of the two) positive obedience of Christ imputed to us, so God is always pleased with us.
if i got mike reeves' table talk right, i'm having some struggle with reconciling his reading of Romans 5:19; 2 Cor 5:21 with randy alcorn's who seems to separate (1) and (2), but mike says (1) and (2) are part and parcel of salvation..
i remember u wrote s'th on this with the david and goliath story (about us being the israelites, and we going out to take the rewards AFTER david has won the battle)... but i'm not sure how that plays between Christ's positive obedience from birth to cross (rather than just the typical death/resurrection/ascension, but inclusive of his life of righteousness prior to his death), and our positive obedience (i.e. our grieving of the Spirit, and not looking to the rewards in heaven vs. Christ's positive obedience imputed to us as well as 'justification' per se).
needed to vomit that out on paper and get some thoughts going! thanks!
FWIW, whenever I think of rewards I turn to 1 Thess 2:19 "For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you?" Paul's reward is the people he has converted / encouraged / built up etc.
Could it be that, by sponsoring one of Gospel for Asia's missionaries, who then goes and plants 10 churches with 20 believers each, in the New Creation we will have 200 believers come to us and say "Jesus mentioned to me the way you invested in that missionary. Thank you."
Am I saved any more or less by giving to Gospel for Asia? No. But I'd love to stash 200 people in my heavenly treasure chest.
What do you reckon?
Hi Jacky - what Tim said!
In the David and Goliath example, David's victory gives us both relief from Goliath *and* the positive status of victors. THEN we go over the top for the reward. And this reward is to be brought back to the feet of David (I'm improvising not exegeting here!!) - and enjoyed by casting these crowns before Him.
And the crowns are people - people we've brought to the Lord. I think I mention Luke 16 in my talk. We use unrighteous mammon to gain friends that we will be welcomed [implied- BY THEM!] into eternal habitations.