1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:07,040 You are listening to a sermon from Pastor Colin Smith of Open the Bible. 2 00:00:07,040 –> 00:00:16,580 To contact us call us at 1-877-OPEN-365 or visit our website openthebible.org. 3 00:00:16,580 –> 00:00:17,580 Let’s get to the message. 4 00:00:17,580 –> 00:00:19,379 Here is Pastor Colin. 5 00:00:19,379 –> 00:00:26,139 I invite you to join me again this morning on another journey into the secret life of 6 00:00:26,139 –> 00:00:27,600 the soul. 7 00:00:27,660 –> 00:00:31,660 This morning, we’re going to talk about the subject of money. 8 00:00:31,660 –> 00:00:34,919 Now I need to stay up front that we’re not doing this because the Church is in some kind 9 00:00:34,919 –> 00:00:36,160 of financial crisis. 10 00:00:36,160 –> 00:00:41,419 In fact, the generosity of the congregation indicates that many have learned to live by 11 00:00:41,419 –> 00:00:44,599 the principles we’re going to talk about today. 12 00:00:44,599 –> 00:00:49,160 But we are going to talk about this subject from the Scriptures for this reason, that 13 00:00:49,279 –> 00:00:56,279 Bible makes it repeatedly clear that what you do with your money will have a profound 14 00:00:57,480 –> 00:01:02,759 effect upon the life of your soul. 15 00:01:02,759 –> 00:01:09,480 Money is presented to us in the Bible as a power – a power that seeks to master your 16 00:01:09,480 –> 00:01:16,480 inner life, a power that, if you allow it to, will become a tyrant that will make a 17 00:01:17,080 –> 00:01:24,080 slave of the members of your soul. If, however, you manage to master money, if your soul, 18 00:01:27,900 –> 00:01:34,900 by the power of the Spirit, gains mastery over it, then you can use it as your servant 19 00:01:36,239 –> 00:01:43,239 in such a way that it will enhance and even strengthen your devotion to God. 20 00:01:43,639 –> 00:01:48,440 Now, we’re going to be looking at two passages of Scripture today. The first has been read 21 00:01:48,440 –> 00:01:52,800 to us from Deuteronomy in chapter 6, and then we’re also going to turn to the teaching 22 00:01:52,800 –> 00:01:56,760 of Jesus that we find in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew in chapter 6. 23 00:01:56,760 –> 00:02:00,699 But if you’d like to follow, I’d be grateful if you would have your bibles open at this 24 00:02:00,699 –> 00:02:07,699 point at Deuteronomy, as we begin our journey into the inner life together. 25 00:02:08,419 –> 00:02:15,020 The atmosphere must have been electric as the old man rose to speak for the last time. 26 00:02:15,020 –> 00:02:20,979 He had seen after all miracles of God’s grace as they had crossed the Red Sea. God had provided 27 00:02:20,979 –> 00:02:26,979 for 2 million people food every day for nearly 40 years in the wilderness. They had faced 28 00:02:26,979 –> 00:02:31,179 disappointment of course – Moses had brought them to the edge of the Promised Land, and 29 00:02:31,179 –> 00:02:36,059 their courage had failed, and for the next 38 years they had wandered round in the wilderness 30 00:02:36,580 –> 00:02:42,020 with people getting older and going nowhere, until eventually a whole generation had passed 31 00:02:42,020 –> 00:02:48,539 away. Now a new generation was about to enter the land that God had promised to give them, 32 00:02:48,539 –> 00:02:55,539 but Moses was now old, and before he died, he seized this one last opportunity to talk 33 00:02:56,580 –> 00:03:03,320 to a generation born and raised in the desert about what now lay ahead of them, and what 34 00:03:03,320 –> 00:03:09,940 he said in that final speech is recorded for us in this book of Deuteronomy. Remember that 35 00:03:09,940 –> 00:03:16,619 everyone in this vast audience on the verge of the land of Canaan, everybody under the 36 00:03:16,619 –> 00:03:23,619 age of 40 had actually been born in the desert. Many of the rest had been children or teenagers 37 00:03:25,899 –> 00:03:31,500 at the time when they had left Egypt. Most of the others who were older than that had 38 00:03:31,500 –> 00:03:37,419 already died. So Moses is now speaking to a community of people who have only ever known 39 00:03:37,419 –> 00:03:43,460 life under canvas. The only food that they have ever eaten or tasted is the food that 40 00:03:43,460 –> 00:03:50,259 is miraculously provided by God. But now they stand on the verge of the promised land. They’re 41 00:03:50,259 –> 00:03:57,259 about to be given this most wonderful gift in which they will enjoy freedom and prosperity 42 00:03:57,559 –> 00:04:03,979 in a beautiful place that is the promise of God to them. It was more than most of them 43 00:04:03,979 –> 00:04:09,720 had ever dreamed of or imagined and certainly more than any of them had ever experienced 44 00:04:09,720 –> 00:04:16,119 before. So Moses tells them what lies ahead. God is going to give this land, this beautiful 45 00:04:16,119 –> 00:04:20,279 land flowing with milk and honey, to you. God will give it to you. Your enemies will 46 00:04:20,279 –> 00:04:25,440 flee from you. There’ll be some battles, but largely what is going to happen here is 47 00:04:25,579 –> 00:04:31,739 will abandon their homes. They will leave their fields. They will walk away from their 48 00:04:31,739 –> 00:04:36,339 vineyards. The Lord will give these things to you. You will walk in and you will take 49 00:04:36,339 –> 00:04:41,339 possession of them. Of course they had a system for apportioning 50 00:04:41,339 –> 00:04:46,859 out the land to each of the tribes and to each of the families so that they took possession 51 00:04:46,859 –> 00:04:52,040 of the land in an orderly way. It wasn’t to be one national scramble. But imagine what 52 00:04:52,040 –> 00:04:57,220 it must have been like as the diagrams have been drawn and the plots have been allotted 53 00:04:57,220 –> 00:05:01,820 and you with your family come to the brow of the hill and looking over the top of you 54 00:05:01,820 –> 00:05:08,820 hill there down in the valley you see a house with some fields and you say that’s it. That’s 55 00:05:08,820 –> 00:05:14,260 going to be ours. You go down the side of the slope, you come up to the little house, 56 00:05:14,260 –> 00:05:20,299 you walk and you go inside and there’s no one there. The whole place is deserted, furnishings 57 00:05:20,359 –> 00:05:21,600 just left. 58 00:05:23,600 –> 00:05:25,420 While you’re looking round, the kids go outside 59 00:05:25,799 –> 00:05:29,859 into the fields and they’re running around to the marvel of all of this, they’ve been 60 00:05:29,859 –> 00:05:36,839 in the desert for so long, they come back and they’re shouting, we found a well! They’ve 61 00:05:36,839 –> 00:05:42,000 found some soft fruit, they wonder what it is. Can we eat it? Yeah, sure! You taste it 62 00:05:42,000 –> 00:05:49,000 and you taste a grape for the first time in your life. My, you see, we’ve moved a 63 00:05:49,880 –> 00:05:56,320 long way beyond manna now. Now the children have moved on and they’ve found some animals, 64 00:05:56,320 –> 00:06:02,940 some sheep and some goats. Dad, are these animals our animals? Yeah, I guess they are. 65 00:06:02,940 –> 00:06:07,980 At the bottom of the little garden there’s a shed and dad goes in and to his absolute 66 00:06:07,980 –> 00:06:13,440 delight finds a full set of power tools! Well, sorry. Well, the equivalent, you know what 67 00:06:13,440 –> 00:06:22,140 I mean. Hey, says dad, I could start a little business with these. Now says Moses back in 68 00:06:22,140 –> 00:06:28,500 the desert, in just a short period of time that’s what it’s going to be like. God is 69 00:06:28,500 –> 00:06:35,820 going to give you, chapter 6 in verse 11, houses that you did not build, wells that 70 00:06:36,059 –> 00:06:43,440 you did not dig, vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant. Suddenly you’re going 71 00:06:43,859 –> 00:06:49,420 to be put in a situation, in which the good, by the goodness of God, you will have the 72 00:06:49,420 –> 00:06:56,299 capacity and the opportunity to produce wealth. And that is exactly what happened, over the 73 00:06:56,299 –> 00:07:00,859 next few years after this long period in the desert with very little happening, they took 74 00:07:00,859 –> 00:07:10,100 possession of the land and an economy gets going. They harvest the fields, the animals 75 00:07:10,440 –> 00:07:17,440 are bred. Dad uses his power tools in the shed and creates a little business. And under 76 00:07:18,299 –> 00:07:27,019 the blessing of God, wealth is created. God blessed these people with more gifts than 77 00:07:27,559 –> 00:07:33,480 they could ever have imagined, and if their parents could have seen it, they would never 78 00:07:33,480 –> 00:07:40,000 have believed it. Well, now, says Moses back in the desert. 79 00:07:40,000 –> 00:07:45,959 This is what is going to happen, and when it does, let me give you a warning. 80 00:07:45,959 –> 00:07:51,540 Look at chapter 6 and verse 12. Be careful that you 81 00:07:51,540 –> 00:08:01,480 do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt and out of the land of slavery. 82 00:08:01,480 –> 00:08:04,420 You see what he’s saying? You’re suddenly going to be put into a new 83 00:08:04,440 –> 00:08:08,540 situation in which you have the capacity to produce wealth. Your life is going to 84 00:08:08,540 –> 00:08:12,079 be entirely different from anything that you have experienced before, and as soon 85 00:08:12,079 –> 00:08:18,920 as you have money, you’re gonna have to be very careful. Because money is a power 86 00:08:19,100 –> 00:08:26,200 that can choke the life of the soul, it can thwart your love of God, it can give 87 00:08:26,200 –> 00:08:36,099 you a sense of independence even from him. It can seduce your soul so that 88 00:08:36,099 –> 00:08:45,020 having once walked with God, you now are at a distance from him. Money is a power, 89 00:08:45,020 –> 00:08:52,940 it exercises influence over the soul. It has, as we think about the members of the 90 00:08:52,940 –> 00:08:58,460 soul we’ve been meeting, it has the part to absorb the mind. And often the pattern 91 00:08:58,460 –> 00:09:03,539 is that the more that we have of it the more of our mind is focused around it. It 92 00:09:03,539 –> 00:09:14,900 can draw the heart, it motivates the will, it fires the imagination, it consumes 93 00:09:15,099 –> 00:09:20,820 the memory, and it can dull the conscience. In other words Moses is 94 00:09:20,820 –> 00:09:29,419 saying money has the potential to take the place of God in your life. It can set 95 00:09:29,419 –> 00:09:36,539 itself up as it were as a rival God making offers, making promises, making 96 00:09:36,539 –> 00:09:42,020 demands upon the soul. It seeks to exercise power upon the soul so when you 97 00:09:42,119 –> 00:09:49,380 have it says Moses you’re going to have to be very careful. Now Jesus takes up 98 00:09:49,380 –> 00:09:53,559 this same theme in our Lord’s wonderful teaching in the Sermon on the Mount if 99 00:09:53,559 –> 00:09:58,940 you turn over now to Matthew and chapter 6 and we’re looking 100 00:09:58,940 –> 00:10:05,900 at verse 24. Seeing that money is a power that exercises influence over the soul 101 00:10:06,080 –> 00:10:15,799 Our Lord Jesus says, Matthew 6 24, no one can serve two masters for either he will 102 00:10:15,799 –> 00:10:21,739 hate the one and love the other or he will be devoted to the one and despised 103 00:10:21,739 –> 00:10:30,559 the other you cannot serve both God and money really Christ is saying the same 104 00:10:30,559 –> 00:10:34,619 thing here as Moses was saying in the desert money is a power he is saying it 105 00:10:34,619 –> 00:10:40,500 will try to master you it’ll make promises and it will make demands it 106 00:10:40,500 –> 00:10:45,599 will attempt to take the place of God in your life and if it does it will keep 107 00:10:45,599 –> 00:10:53,340 you from fulfilling the purpose of God because no man can serve two masters 108 00:10:53,340 –> 00:11:00,080 before I went to a seminary I worked at a home for mentally handicapped children 109 00:11:00,380 –> 00:11:06,080 and young people in Scotland it was a wonderful year and I thank God still for 110 00:11:06,080 –> 00:11:11,979 the opportunities that I had when I was there it was a community in a rural part 111 00:11:11,979 –> 00:11:17,359 of the country of around 50 residents and then another 50 who came in each day 112 00:11:17,359 –> 00:11:23,940 on the buses for the school it was run by two twin sisters who gave their lives 113 00:11:24,020 –> 00:11:29,200 to the work. Both of them had their own agendas 114 00:11:29,200 –> 00:11:34,520 one of the joys of working there was the sheer variety of opportunities there was 115 00:11:34,520 –> 00:11:39,780 a craft centre there was a sawmill there was a school then of course there was 116 00:11:39,780 –> 00:11:43,760 food to be prepared there was a laundry to be maintained and run there was 117 00:11:43,760 –> 00:11:47,299 maintenance and painting to be done on the various houses about a dozen 118 00:11:47,299 –> 00:11:51,659 different buildings on a hillside in a beautiful setting and apart from that 119 00:11:51,760 –> 00:11:57,299 one of the sisters was running a distribution network in which some 120 00:11:57,299 –> 00:12:03,219 American preachers would you believe sent tapes to them which they copied and 121 00:12:03,219 –> 00:12:07,719 then distributed throughout the United Kingdom. So there was no lack of variety 122 00:12:07,719 –> 00:12:12,780 and no shortage of activity. Now the routine in the morning was fairly simple 123 00:12:12,780 –> 00:12:17,539 the staff in their various houses we got the kids up we got them dressed and 124 00:12:17,559 –> 00:12:21,859 organized and then brought them over to the dining room for breakfast. Then we 125 00:12:21,859 –> 00:12:27,940 waited to see which of the two sisters would arrive first one lived up the hill 126 00:12:27,940 –> 00:12:34,460 and one lived down the hill and whichever one arrived first determined 127 00:12:34,460 –> 00:12:41,219 the priorities for the day. After you would assign to a particular task life 128 00:12:41,219 –> 00:12:46,099 became even more interesting. I remember vividly and this was certainly not 129 00:12:46,179 –> 00:12:50,479 unusual one particular morning when I was up a ladder painting one of the 130 00:12:50,479 –> 00:12:57,919 houses on the outside when the other sister came over oh she said some 131 00:12:57,919 –> 00:13:02,820 friends have arrived with a catch of fish we were very near the coast in 132 00:13:02,820 –> 00:13:07,020 Scotland and some friends from time to time if they had had a good catch they 133 00:13:07,020 –> 00:13:11,659 would bring barrels literally of fish enough to keep this community of a 134 00:13:11,659 –> 00:13:19,580 100 going for several meals and these fish had arrived and she would say could 135 00:13:19,580 –> 00:13:27,440 you just drop what you’re doing and could you cut the fish so you say well 136 00:13:27,440 –> 00:13:35,640 your sister said it was really important that the painting was finished don’t you 137 00:13:35,640 –> 00:13:45,400 worry about her I’ll have a word with her later you go and cut the fish so 138 00:13:45,400 –> 00:13:52,919 having Julie washed one’s brushes and cleanse one’s hands one went to cut the 139 00:13:52,919 –> 00:13:57,919 fish all of this made for excellent variety but over the course of a year 140 00:13:57,919 –> 00:14:03,659 when it happened more than once in a day it’s somewhat diminished the sense of 141 00:14:03,760 –> 00:14:10,520 focus in actual fact it was unsustainable and here’s the most 142 00:14:10,520 –> 00:14:18,919 interesting thing what I noticed was that very quickly one or other of the 143 00:14:18,919 –> 00:14:26,859 sisters came to have the stronger say in what you did it was almost as if the 144 00:14:27,179 –> 00:14:31,739 staff became without it ever being recognized invisibly divided between 145 00:14:31,739 –> 00:14:38,099 them some worked more with one sister on her projects and the others worked more 146 00:14:38,099 –> 00:14:42,659 with the other and every time a new member of staff came on board the rest 147 00:14:42,659 –> 00:14:50,500 of us would all watch with fascination to see which sister would win now that 148 00:14:50,500 –> 00:14:58,299 is exactly what Christ is talking about here no man can serve two masters no 149 00:14:58,299 –> 00:15:07,000 human soul can fulfill two fundamentally different agendas money he says we’ll 150 00:15:07,000 –> 00:15:13,059 try to master your heart and if money masters your heart then your soul will 151 00:15:13,059 –> 00:15:17,299 shrivel of course because we’ve seen that whatever takes the place of God 152 00:15:17,419 –> 00:15:23,500 diminishes the soul you will find says Jesus that your soul is torn between 153 00:15:23,500 –> 00:15:28,940 these competing claims and it is unsustainable until you make a decision 154 00:15:28,940 –> 00:15:35,619 as to where authority lies now once we’ve understood that power struggle 155 00:15:35,619 –> 00:15:45,659 there are two very obvious conclusions number one don’t let money be your 156 00:15:45,900 –> 00:15:52,940 master we’re using the analogy of the soul being like a boardroom where six 157 00:15:52,940 –> 00:15:56,700 appointed board members debate the decisions in the direction of your inner 158 00:15:56,700 –> 00:16:04,179 life so come with me again today into the board room of the soul and see if 159 00:16:04,179 –> 00:16:12,179 something like this has not happened to you mind calls the meeting and the other 160 00:16:12,260 –> 00:16:16,059 board members heart and will and conscience and memory and imagination 161 00:16:16,059 –> 00:16:20,719 Julie turn up and take their seats around the polished oak board table I’ve 162 00:16:20,719 –> 00:16:27,919 called the meeting says mind because we are at last in the happy situation of 163 00:16:27,919 –> 00:16:33,520 having some money and I’d been thinking says mind about 164 00:16:33,520 –> 00:16:40,500 how we should handle it yes as imagination I’m very pleased at this 165 00:16:40,799 –> 00:16:46,340 now that we have a little money I have been able to contemplate says 166 00:16:46,340 –> 00:16:51,820 imagination all kinds of things that previously were outside of my reach it 167 00:16:51,820 –> 00:16:59,380 has opened up all kinds of new avenues of interest for me yes says heart I’ve 168 00:16:59,380 –> 00:17:03,559 been talking with imagination and the two of us have now come up with a list 169 00:17:03,559 –> 00:17:10,800 of things that we are both set on the past round photocopies of this lengthy 170 00:17:10,800 –> 00:17:18,219 document to the members of the board it’s called the wish list the other 171 00:17:18,219 –> 00:17:23,400 members of the board leaf through the pages of this hastily prepared document 172 00:17:23,400 –> 00:17:31,359 is all of this really necessary asks conscience change days says memory in 173 00:17:31,359 –> 00:17:36,000 the past when imagination got going on this kind of thing mind used to tell him 174 00:17:36,000 –> 00:17:42,260 not even to think about it it’s out of our league yes there’s mind and I think 175 00:17:42,260 –> 00:17:46,640 we should be still a little careful not to get too carried away even now we do 176 00:17:46,640 –> 00:17:51,359 have more than we used to but we certainly don’t have enough to fund all 177 00:17:51,400 –> 00:18:03,319 yes says heart but we can work towards it I agree says imagination let’s 178 00:18:03,319 –> 00:18:11,280 dream big you’ve been strangely quiet Will says mind you know if we’re going 179 00:18:11,280 –> 00:18:18,140 to fund the wish list we’ll need your support you would have to be absolutely 180 00:18:18,300 –> 00:18:24,380 committed to driving to raise the money in fact we can’t commit to a project 181 00:18:24,380 –> 00:18:29,119 like this around this board table unless the whole board is unanimous 182 00:18:29,119 –> 00:18:38,520 will looks at heart and has never seen heart Luke so happy hearts eyes are 183 00:18:38,520 –> 00:18:46,199 dancing as he looks through the wish list and will finds it hard to resist 184 00:18:46,660 –> 00:18:55,819 I’ve never seen heart Luke this happy says will if hearts for it and for it 185 00:18:55,819 –> 00:19:00,760 I’ll support the list. 186 00:19:00,760 –> 00:19:04,680 Okay says mind the wish list is approved and we are all 187 00:19:04,680 –> 00:19:10,219 committed to it will you need to start working on raising the money. Mind will 188 00:19:10,219 –> 00:19:15,560 worry about maximizing its power heart and imagination will determine the 189 00:19:15,560 –> 00:19:18,880 spending priorities conscience and memory you don’t need to worry too much 190 00:19:18,880 –> 00:19:22,800 about this project you can focus on some other things. Now let’s move to other 191 00:19:22,800 –> 00:19:27,680 items on the agenda. Over the next few years board meetings 192 00:19:27,680 –> 00:19:33,880 gradually begin to change more and more time in board meetings is spent 193 00:19:33,880 –> 00:19:40,780 considering the wish list that didn’t exist before they had some money but now 194 00:19:40,780 –> 00:19:45,959 it’s really the central thing in the agenda and interestingly enough it seems 195 00:19:45,959 –> 00:19:49,780 that almost every time the board meets something else is added to the wish list 196 00:19:49,780 –> 00:19:54,400 in fact heart and imagination now we’re reading some magazines they never 197 00:19:54,400 –> 00:19:57,739 received before and I find all kinds of interesting things to add to the list 198 00:19:57,739 –> 00:20:02,280 and Will has eyed a few items as well after all he’s working so hard on the 199 00:20:02,280 –> 00:20:07,439 fundraising side why shouldn’t he? And even memory has recalled a few things 200 00:20:07,560 –> 00:20:12,920 he did not have when he was young and so he’s put them in for good measure 201 00:20:12,920 –> 00:20:19,979 Will looks increasingly anxious at board meetings he’s throwing all his energy 202 00:20:19,979 –> 00:20:25,699 into raising the money to support and fund the wish list but it’s harder than 203 00:20:25,699 –> 00:20:32,380 he thought he reports that he was hoping for a promotion soon and has been driving 204 00:20:32,459 –> 00:20:38,160 for it but it hasn’t come and sometimes he wonders if he should maybe go and try 205 00:20:38,160 –> 00:20:44,099 something else he’s feeling pressure the other members of the board keep telling 206 00:20:44,099 –> 00:20:48,459 and he does have to come up with the funding for the wish list which they’ve 207 00:20:48,459 –> 00:20:54,579 all approved the members of the board notice that mines report is getting 208 00:20:54,579 –> 00:20:58,900 longer as he seems to be becoming more and more anxious about what’s happening 209 00:20:59,420 –> 00:21:06,079 money and every time the board meets they check off some items from the wish 210 00:21:06,079 –> 00:21:13,000 list that have now been attained at the beginning when they did that heart was 211 00:21:13,000 –> 00:21:19,680 filled with joy but the members of the board have noticed that as time has gone 212 00:21:19,680 –> 00:21:25,459 by heart seems to have less pleasure in the 213 00:21:26,060 –> 00:21:29,339 the new things that are achieved that the others have worked so hard to obtain 214 00:21:29,339 –> 00:21:37,579 and most interesting of all every time an item was obtained and checked off the 215 00:21:37,579 –> 00:21:45,420 wish list imagination lost interest in it completely as time went on it seemed 216 00:21:45,420 –> 00:21:50,500 that the list had mastered the soul 217 00:21:51,099 –> 00:21:56,800 you know says memory one day I’ve been talking with conscience and the two of 218 00:21:56,800 –> 00:22:01,680 us are concerned that more and more time in our board meetings is being taken up 219 00:22:01,680 –> 00:22:06,920 with this wish list well that’s what we’re here for says heart I’m not so 220 00:22:06,920 –> 00:22:11,680 sure said conscience I’m not so sure either said memory 221 00:22:11,680 –> 00:22:15,040 you know there was a time when we had excellent meetings before there ever was 222 00:22:15,040 –> 00:22:26,579 a list heart you were happier then than you are now the truth is that all of us 223 00:22:26,579 –> 00:22:29,939 have become slaves to this list and there is no room for anything else 224 00:22:29,939 –> 00:22:37,699 something has gone terribly wrong in this boardroom no one to ask honestly 225 00:22:38,040 –> 00:22:47,920 has that happened in your soul is there a dream list that has somehow captured 226 00:22:47,920 –> 00:22:56,119 your inner life and its your master it drives 227 00:23:00,239 –> 00:23:05,439 you know if you’re married I want to challenge you to talk about this issue 228 00:23:05,439 –> 00:23:14,060 before today is done together you see when a couple marry God makes two one 229 00:23:14,060 –> 00:23:22,780 and what can sometimes happen is that the wish list of the one drives the 230 00:23:22,780 –> 00:23:31,180 other and that can happen in more than one direction she has a dream list and 231 00:23:31,680 –> 00:23:43,560 he loses his soul trying to fulfill it he has a dream list and she loses her 232 00:23:43,560 –> 00:23:57,319 soul waiting while he fulfills it either way when the list is your master you 233 00:23:57,359 –> 00:24:04,540 lose your soul it will increasingly dominate your life and it will 234 00:24:04,540 –> 00:24:12,239 increasingly erode your love for God that’s why Moses back in the desert was 235 00:24:12,239 –> 00:24:19,400 saying to these people when you get a little money be very careful they’re 236 00:24:19,439 –> 00:24:27,680 very careful so why Jesus said so clearly you can’t serve two masters 237 00:24:27,680 –> 00:24:36,300 money has the power and the potential to seek mastery of your life and it will do 238 00:24:36,300 –> 00:24:41,560 that unless there is some point where you come to say I will not allow the 239 00:24:41,560 –> 00:24:48,520 list to dominate my life this is one of the greatest battles of the soul it will 240 00:24:48,599 –> 00:24:52,819 determine in many ways the direction and the outcome as well as the priorities of 241 00:24:52,819 –> 00:24:59,439 your life don’t let money be your master 242 00:24:59,859 –> 00:25:10,119 the second thing briefly is this make very sure that money is your servant now 243 00:25:10,119 –> 00:25:18,719 remember money is a power and remember that with any power a power that can 244 00:25:18,719 –> 00:25:26,880 destroy if it’s rightly channeled can also be a great benefit what if we were 245 00:25:26,880 –> 00:25:33,520 able to take this power that wants to become a tyrant over me and what if I 246 00:25:33,520 –> 00:25:39,000 could channel that power so that instead of drawing my heart away from God it 247 00:25:39,000 –> 00:25:47,219 actually reinforces my love for God wouldn’t that be good and that’s exactly 248 00:25:47,219 –> 00:25:54,619 what Jesus says you can do in Matthew 6 in verse 21 statement you know well 249 00:25:54,619 –> 00:26:02,880 where your treasure is there your heart will be also now notice the way around 250 00:26:02,900 –> 00:26:10,359 it is notice what he’s saying your heart follows your treasure it’s true the 251 00:26:10,359 –> 00:26:14,280 other way round as well of course but what Jesus is saying here is your heart 252 00:26:14,280 –> 00:26:21,839 follows your money so if you want to move your heart move your money and your 253 00:26:21,839 –> 00:26:27,359 heart will go with it now the Bible gives us two wonderful 254 00:26:27,359 –> 00:26:31,959 illustrations of the connection between these two things one is negative and the 255 00:26:32,040 –> 00:26:35,699 other is positive you know them both well the negative one of course is the 256 00:26:35,699 –> 00:26:39,560 story of the rich young ruler remember he came to Jesus because he wanted to 257 00:26:39,560 –> 00:26:45,479 have eternal life Jesus saw that his heart had a fundamental problem that it 258 00:26:45,479 –> 00:26:52,079 was mastered by the wishlist and so Jesus applied this principle to him move 259 00:26:52,079 –> 00:26:58,380 your money and that will change your heart Jesus said to him go sell what you 260 00:26:58,380 –> 00:27:03,780 have give to the poor and then come follow me address the money release the 261 00:27:03,780 –> 00:27:15,839 heart but he wouldn’t move his money and so he couldn’t change his heart so he 262 00:27:15,839 –> 00:27:21,500 went away sorrowful but then there’s another story that was very different 263 00:27:21,500 –> 00:27:25,239 the story of Zacchaeus this man had lived for money it had been the master 264 00:27:25,739 –> 00:27:44,020 and then one day Jesus came to his time and his curiosity was arised he wanted 265 00:27:44,020 –> 00:27:47,300 to see Jesus he climbed the tree and Jesus stopped right underneath it and 266 00:27:47,300 –> 00:27:54,000 said Zacchaeus I must stay in your house today Christ came into his home and I 267 00:27:54,079 –> 00:28:00,000 wish I could have had that conversation don’t you but something happened within 268 00:28:00,000 –> 00:28:07,920 the man’s soul and he said to Jesus here and now he said Luke 19 I give half my 269 00:28:07,920 –> 00:28:13,719 possessions to the poor and if I have cheated anybody out of anything I will 270 00:28:13,719 –> 00:28:20,900 pay back four times the amount then notice what Jesus said I wish we could 271 00:28:20,939 –> 00:28:31,040 have heard the expression he said today salvation has come to this house and I 272 00:28:31,040 –> 00:28:35,599 think it probably sounded like this Jesus here’s what I’m going to do I’m 273 00:28:35,599 –> 00:28:41,319 gonna give half my money to the poor and if I’ve cheated anybody out of anything 274 00:28:41,359 –> 00:28:47,420 I’ll give them back four times as much Wow 275 00:28:47,500 –> 00:28:56,319 salvation has come to this house today and it had moved his money that had 276 00:28:56,319 –> 00:29:02,839 mastered his heart and when he moved it it released his heart. You’re saved from 277 00:29:02,839 –> 00:29:10,760 a tyrant today you’re a free man Jesus was saying to him salvation has come to 278 00:29:10,760 –> 00:29:21,619 your house now we want to put the issue of money way way down the list of the 279 00:29:21,619 –> 00:29:32,000 road of the Christian life come to Jesus we want to say give him your heart but 280 00:29:32,000 –> 00:29:35,939 you see the Bible is making it clear that you can’t separate your heart from 281 00:29:36,000 –> 00:29:45,640 your treasure and if Christ doesn’t get your treasure he doesn’t get your heart 282 00:29:47,380 –> 00:29:52,199 so try in these final moments to come with me into the inner life one more 283 00:29:52,199 –> 00:29:59,199 time remember that in our picture there are these six members of the board but 284 00:29:59,199 –> 00:30:04,520 there is an empty chair into which the spirit of God himself may come and 285 00:30:04,540 –> 00:30:13,640 preside. The spirit of God enters the soul and takes his place chairing the 286 00:30:13,640 –> 00:30:21,199 board. That’s what conversion is that’s what salvation brings to us. God coming 287 00:30:21,199 –> 00:30:28,880 into the soul and assuming the directive position in your inner life. The new 288 00:30:28,880 –> 00:30:36,260 chairman convenes the meeting I want to talk with you board members today about 289 00:30:36,260 –> 00:30:41,719 what’s been going on here, frankly all of you look a bit exhausted, 290 00:30:41,719 –> 00:30:48,199 what’s been happening? Well says Will I’ve been putting my strength into 291 00:30:48,199 –> 00:30:51,800 trying to support hearts wish list it’s not been easy has been pretty draining 292 00:30:51,800 –> 00:30:56,880 let me ask you a question says the spirit of God. 293 00:30:56,900 –> 00:31:05,099 Suppose you members of the board at the end of your term of service had 294 00:31:05,099 –> 00:31:08,920 fulfilled everything on this wish list 295 00:31:08,959 –> 00:31:15,800 but that was all you had gained, would any one of you be satisfied with 296 00:31:15,800 –> 00:31:25,359 that? Well no says Will. I really want to count for more than that there was life 297 00:31:25,359 –> 00:31:32,680 before the wishlist and there must be life after. Heart, you had pleasure in 298 00:31:32,680 –> 00:31:36,420 this wishlist at the beginning and you worked on it with imagination, it seems 299 00:31:36,420 –> 00:31:41,520 that pleasure is diminishing am i right? Yeah that’s true but the wish list is 300 00:31:41,520 –> 00:31:51,439 still important, says heart. I don’t want to give it up. I’m not comfortable with 301 00:31:51,439 –> 00:31:54,400 the way things are around here any more, says conscience, none of us are 302 00:31:54,479 –> 00:31:59,400 functioning as we used to do. Well, says the spirit of God, here’s a 303 00:31:59,400 –> 00:32:04,199 proposal. The wish list has become the master of the soul so we’re going to 304 00:32:04,199 –> 00:32:13,719 take it and we’re going to table it. It cannot be the agenda of our life. There’s 305 00:32:13,719 –> 00:32:21,439 a new chair and I’m writing a new agenda. Instead of letting the wish list drive 306 00:32:21,439 –> 00:32:29,040 our pursuit of money, we’re going to take the money that we are given and we’re 307 00:32:29,040 –> 00:32:34,260 going to make it our servant. Well, how are we going to decide what to do with 308 00:32:34,260 –> 00:32:41,040 it, says imagination, who for once was stuck for an idea. We will use it 309 00:32:41,040 –> 00:32:48,660 according to the master’s priorities. That means that we will take whatever we 310 00:32:48,859 –> 00:32:52,800 are given, and we will divide it in three ways. We will spend some, we will save 311 00:32:52,800 –> 00:33:02,140 some, and we will give some. Hart looks askance at the thought of giving. How 312 00:33:02,140 –> 00:33:09,939 much should we give. Yes, says conscience, he’s hoping for a number. He’d be much 313 00:33:10,079 –> 00:33:17,079 easier if there was a number. We’ll give, says the Spirit of God, until 314 00:33:21,819 –> 00:33:28,819 it affects Hart. I’m not sure I’m happy about that, says Hart. I do have the list 315 00:33:31,680 –> 00:33:38,680 of priorities, you know? Let me make this promise, says the Spirit. 316 00:33:40,760 –> 00:33:43,660 Speaker You have found diminishing pleasure in the 317 00:33:43,660 –> 00:33:50,660 pursuit of your own wish list. You will find increasing pleasure in following the master’s 318 00:33:53,219 –> 00:34:00,219 priorities. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 319 00:34:00,219 –> 00:34:07,439 Father, we bow in your presence and acknowledge the power of money. 320 00:34:30,899 –> 00:34:38,300 And not even so much the notes themselves but the wishlist that they support. 321 00:34:41,780 –> 00:34:47,219 What a tyrant it becomes in our souls and even in our families and even over our marriages. 322 00:34:51,500 –> 00:34:55,719 Thank you that salvation can come to this house today. 323 00:34:56,620 –> 00:35:03,580 Thank you for the freedom of operating under the Master’s priorities, taking 324 00:35:03,580 –> 00:35:14,879 what we’re given and dividing it as he shall direct. Grant we pray that we may 325 00:35:14,879 –> 00:35:19,620 be those who have learned to give in such a way that it reinforces and 326 00:35:19,959 –> 00:35:25,280 expresses our love for you. 327 00:35:28,659 –> 00:35:36,899 May there be deliverance in some souls today. May there be deliverance, 328 00:35:36,899 –> 00:35:44,739 salvation in some marriages today. May there be liberty come to some 329 00:35:44,739 –> 00:35:53,219 households today. May there be joy in all the places of the soul, 330 00:35:53,219 –> 00:36:00,399 as Christ is truly Master and Lord, and joy is found in 331 00:36:00,399 –> 00:36:08,020 stewarding all that he trusts to us, for Jesus’ sake. 332 00:36:08,560 –> 00:36:11,560 … 333 00:36:11,560 –> 00:36:15,060 You’ve been listening to a sermon with Pastor Colin Smith, of Open the Bible. 334 00:36:15,060 –> 00:36:23,739 to contact us call us at 1-877-OPEN-365 or visit our website opensmithbible.org