Title: A Biblical Understanding of Money and Work

Author: Crown Financial Ministries

Sermon/Teaching Outline
1. The Bible & Money
2. Gods Responsibilities and Our Responsibilities with Money
3. Gods Perspective on Work
4. Summary

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The Bible & Money

Because God cares for us, He gave us guidelines for handling money. The Bible contains more than 2,350
verses dealing with money and possessions. Jesus taught more about money than almost any other
subject.

The Lord said so much about money and possessions for both spiritual and very practical reasons.

i. Spiritual reasons
A. How we handle money has a big impact on the intimacy of our relationship with Christ.
If you have not been faithful in the use of worldly wealthy, who will entrust the true riches to
you? (Luke 16:11 NASB)
A more intimate relationship with Christ is the true riches.
B. Money is a primary competitor with Christ for the lordship of our lives.
No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be
devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money (Matthew
6:24)

ii. Practical reasons

The Lord knew we needed wisdom in using money. He revealed in Scripture His principles for
working, earning, spending, saving, investing, giving, getting out of debt, and teaching children
how to handle money.

If people have been taught anything about Gods ways of handling money, it has usually been
about giving. And although giving is very important, the principles of earning and spending have
rarely been taught. Therefore, Gods people have managed their money from the worlds
perspective, rather than Gods.

Author: Crown Financial Ministries http://crownsa.weebly.com/

 Gods Responsibilities and Our Responsibilities with Money
i. Gods responsibilities

A. God is the owner of everything.

The earth is the Lords, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it (Psalm 24:1).
1) God owns all the silver and gold.
The silver and gold is mine, declares the Lord Almighty (Haggai 2:8).

2) God owns the land.

The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is mine (Leviticus 25:23).

3) God owns all the animals.

Every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills....the creatures of
the field are mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell you, the world is mine, and all that is
in it (Psalm 50:10-12).

God created all things. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1). God owns
all things, and He never transferred the ownership of His creation to people.

As followers of Christ, we recognise that God owns all our possessions. Jesus said, ....any of you who does
not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple (Luke 14:33).

B. God is in control
Our loving heavenly Father is in ultimate control of every event.
The Lord does whatever pleases Him, in the heavens and on the earth, (Psalm 135:6). I praise
the Most High.... He does as He pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth.
No one can hold back His hand or say to Him: What have You done? (Daniel 4:34-35).

It is comforting for those who follow Christ to realise that God uses everything, even different
circumstances, for ultimate good. And we know that in all things God works for the good of
those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28)

This is illustrated in the life of Joseph, who was sold into slavery by his jealous brothers. Joseph
told his brothers: Do not be angry with yourself for selling me here, because it was to save lives
that God sent me ahead of you.....it was not you who sent me here, but God......You intended to
harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of
many lives. (Genesis 45:5-8; 50:20).

C. God will provide our needs

In Genesis 22:14 God is spoken of as Jehovah-Jireh, which means, the Lord will provide.
Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things [meaning food and clothing]
will be given to you as well (Matthew 6:33).
My God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus. (Philippians
4:19)

God is both predictable and unpredictable in His faithfulness to provide. He is unpredictable in

how He will provide. In the Bible, the Lord provided for His people in many different and often
unexpected ways.

Author: Crown Financial Ministries http://crownsa.weebly.com/

 The same Lord who fed manna to the children of Israel during their forty years of wandering in
the wilderness, and who fed 5,000 with only five loaves and two fish, has promised to provide
our needs. This is the same Lord who told Elijah, I have ordered the ravens to feed you...The
ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening. (1
Kings 17:4,6).

ii. Our responsibilities with money

A. We are stewards of Gods possessions

A steward is a manager of someone elses possessions.

B. We are to be faithful
God owns all that we have, and He gives us the responsibility to manage our things faithfully
according to the financial principles of Scripture. It is required in stewards that a man be found
faithful (1 Corinthians 4:2 NASB).

1) We are to be faithful with all that we have.

Not only are we to be faithful stewards of the ten percent tithe that we give but also of
the other ninety percent. All we have is the Lords and we are to manage it in a way that
is pleasing to Him.

2) We are to be faithful in the little things.

Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much and whoever is
dishonest with very little also be dishonest with much (Luke 16:10).

If we are faithful with small things, God can trust us with greater responsibilities. We
must not spend our money in ways that we know would displease Him because this
would make us unfaithful stewards.

C. When we are faithful, we will benefit in 3 ways.

1) We will grow closer to Jesus Christ.

When we are faithful to obey and serve the Lord, we grow in our love for Him. Jesus
said Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who
loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him
(John 14:21). Faithfully applying Gods financial principles will help you grow in your
love for Christ.

2) We will develop godly character.

God uses money to reveal and refine our character. How we handle money is an outside
indicator of our true spiritual condition.

You can tell a lot about the character of people by examining how they handle money.
For example, are they dishonest or honest? Do they gamble or do they give?

3) We will begin to have financial stability.

As we apply Gods principles to our finances, we will begin to spend more wisely, start
saving for the future, and give even more to the work of Christ.

Author: Crown Financial Ministries http://crownsa.weebly.com/

Be careful of extreme teachings on wealth and poverty. One extreme is that godliness can only occur
in poverty.

Money and possessions can be used for good or evil. A number of godly people in Scripture were
among the wealthiest people of their day.

In the Old Testament the Lord extended the reward of abundance to His people when they were
obedient, while the threat of poverty was one of the consequences of disobedience. Deuteronomy
30:15-16 reads, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you
today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commands....and the Lord your
God will bless you.

Psalm 35:27 reads, The Lord...delights in the prosperity of His servant. [NASB] We may legitimately
pray for prosperity when our relationship with the Lord is healthy and we have a proper perspective of
possessions. Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be on good health, just as your
soul prospers. (3 John 2 [NASB]). The Bible does not say that a godly person must live in poverty. A
godly person may have material resources.

The opposite extreme is that all Christians who truly have faith will always prosper financially. This
extreme is also an error.

Study the life of Joseph. He is an example of a faithful person who experienced prosperity and
poverty. He was born into a prosperous family, then thrown into a pit and sold into slavery by his
jealous brothers. While Joseph was a slave, his master promoted him to be head of his household.
Later he made the righteous decision not to commit adultery with his masters wife. The result? He
suffered years in prison for that right decision. But then, in Gods timing, he was promoted to Prime
Minister of Egypt.

The guideline for prosperity is found in Joshua 1:8, Do not let this book of the law depart from your
mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then
you will be prosperous and successful.

This passage offers two requirements for prosperity: meditate on the scriptures and do everything
they command. When you do this, you place yourself in a position to be prospered financially. There is
no guarantee, however, that God will choose financial prosperity for you. He knows what is best for
you and requires that you trust Him for whatever He chooses.

Please review this diagram, which contrast the three perspectives:

Poverty Steward Prosperity

Possessions are: Evil A responsibility A right
I work to: Meet only basic Serve Christ Become rich
needs
Godly people are: Poor Faithful Wealthy
Ungodly people are: Wealthy Unfaithful Poor
I give: Because I must Because I love God To get
My spending is: Fearful and joyless Prayerful and Carefree and
responsible consumptive

Author: Crown Financial Ministries http://crownsa.weebly.com/

 Gods perspective on work
Over a lifetime, the average person spends 100,000 hours working. Often this work carries some
dissatisfaction with it. Understanding scriptural principles that relate to work help you find satisfaction
in your work. It will also place you in a position where the Lord can prosper you.

1. God created work for our benefit

The first thing God did with Adam was to assign him work. The Lord God took the man and put him into
the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. (Genesis 2:15). The Lord created work for our benefit
in the sinless environment of the Garden of Eden.

After the Fall, when sin entered the world, work was made more difficult.
Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will
produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you
will eat your food. (Genesis 3:17-19).

2. Gods perspective of work

A. Work is necessary.
Work is so important that in Exodus 34:21 God gives this command: Six days you shall labour. The
Apostle Paul wrote, If a man will not work, he shall not eat (2 Thessalonians 3:10).

B. Work develops character.

One of the primary purposes of work is to develop character. While the carpenter is building a
house, the house is also building the carpenter. His skill, diligence, manual dexterity and judgement
are refined. A job is not just a task designed to earn money; its also intended to produce godly
character in the life of the worker.

Diligence hands [a good worker] will rule, but laziness ends slave labour Proverbs 12:24.

C. We work for Christ.

Scripture reveals that we are actually serving the Lord as we work. Whatever you do, work at it with
all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men...It is the Lord Christ you are serving (Colossians
3:23-24).

Consider your attitude towards work. If you could see Jesus Christ as your boss, would you try to be
more faithful on your job? The most important question you need to answer every day as you begin
your work is this: For whom do I work? You work for Christ.

3. Gods work responsibilities

A. God gives us our job skills.

And every skilled person to whom the Lord has given skill and ability to know how to carry out all
the work..(Exodus 36:1).
Because God has given each person unique skills and talents, Scripture does not elevate any
occupation above another. A wide variety of jobs are represented in the Bible. David was a shepherd
and a king. Luke was a doctor. Lydia was a retailer who sold purple fabric. Daniel was a government
worker. Paul was a tentmaker. And finally, the Lord Jesus was a carpenter.

B. God gives us our success.

Joseph is an example of God helping a person to succeed. The Lord was with Joseph and he
prospered....his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in

Author: Crown Financial Ministries http://crownsa.weebly.com/

 everything he did.... (Genesis 39:2-3). We have job responsibilities, but we need to recognize that it
is ultimately God who gives us success.

C. God controls promotion and advancement.

No one from the east or the west or from the desert can exalt [promote] a man. But it is God who
judges: He brings one down, He exalts [promotes] another (Psalm 75:6-7). As much as it may
surprise you, people do not control whether you will be promoted. The Lord controls your success
and promotions.

4. Our work responsibilities

A. We are to work hard.

Whatever your hand find to do, do it with all your might (Eccelesiastes 9:10). The precious
possession of a man is diligence (Proverbs 12:27 NASB). Scripture, while condemning laziness,
encourages diligence and hard work. One who slacks in his work is brother to one who destroys
(Proverbs 18:9).

Pauls life was an example of hard work. We worked night and day labouring and toiling so that we
would not be a burden to any of you.....in order to make ourselves a model for you to follow (2
Thessalonians 3:8-9).

B. We are not to overwork.

Hard work however, should be balanced by the other priorities of life. If your job demands so much
of your time and energy that you neglect your relationship with Christ or your loved ones, then you
are working too hard. Exodus 34:21 reads, Six days you shall labour, but on the seventh day you
shall rest; even during the plowing season and harvest you must rest.

Rest can become an issues of faith. Is the Lord able to make our six days of work more productive
than seven days? The Lord instituted weekly rest for our physical, mental, and spiritual health.

C. We are to be honest.
Do not steal. Do not lie. Do not deceive one another (Leviticus 19:11).

D. We are to honour our employers.

Godly people always honour their superiors. 1 Peter 2:18 reads, Slaves, [employees] submit yourself
to your masters [employers] with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but
also to those who are harsh.

E. We are to honour our employers.

Do not slander a servant [employee] to his master [employer], or he will curse you

Summary
Jesus spoke so much about money and possessions because He knew much of our lives would be involved
with them.

God owns everything and He has entrusted some of His possessions to each of us to manage. He wants us
to be wise and faithful stewards by applying the financial principle in His word.

He has given us the activity of work to provide for our needs and to develop our character. We should work
hard and try to be excellent because we are really working for Christ.

Author: Crown Financial Ministries http://crownsa.weebly.com/