The Money Pit
1 Timothy 6:10
Message #8
This is our eighth week talking about giving up the things that control us. And it’s our last week talking about this. We started talking about Giving Up our pride that controls us. We talked about Giving Up the lordship of “self” that controls us. We talked about Giving Up the sin of unforgiveness that controls us.
Today I would like to talk about one more thing that controls so many of us more than we’d like to admit. I want to talk about giving up the control that money has over us. There is so much in regard to our money that we must learn to Give Up, Give In, and Give Over. In fact, just me saying that cause some of you to (mentally) hold on to your money tighter right now. This (in just a minute) already proves the significant control your money has over you.
Today we want to talk about the pit of being controlled by our money, “The Money Pit.” And we will talk about how to get out of that pit.
So often, money is the last thing a Christian will surrender control of to God. Martin Luther said there are three conversions necessary 1) The heart 2) The mind 3) The wallet. And the conversion of the wallet is usually the last thing we give over to God because money has so much control over us.
Guys, we’ve got to learn to surrender to God the control that money has over us because our love for money and the control it has over us is what makes the difference between a life of bondage to money and the life of freedom and joy in the area of money.
We think money is the answer, but so often, money is actually the problem. We have all heard the horror stories of lottery winners and the rich and famous taking their own lives or utterly destroying them. But still, we think money is the answer. We think that money will fix our problems. We think money will make things right. But we are so wrong. The Bible’s warnings in this area are so clear, but we are so controlled by money that we refuse to hear what God is shouting to us in his Word.
There are about 500 verses in the Bible on prayer. There are fewer than 500 verses in the Bible on faith. However, there are over 2,000 verses on money and possessions. In fact, fifteen percent of everything Jesus taught while on earth had to do with money and possessions. Jesus taught more on money than he did on heaven and hell combined. And the bulk of Jesus’ teaching on this subject was on the danger of money and warning to not love or be controlled by it. There’s a warning about the money pit throughout the Bible.
Now, most of us have heard it’s not money in and of itself; it’s the love of money that’s the problem, and that is true.
1 Timothy 6:10 (NLT)
10 For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.
The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil - and for the LOVE of Money - many have wandered from the faith and have pierced themselves thru with many sorrows.
And right about now, there are many who would say, “See, see, it’s the love of money, not money itself.” And then they would quickly commit to working harder to not appear to love money so much themselves.
Most of us have heard the Bible’s warnings about money, and we don’t want to blatantly ignore the Bible’s warnings, so instead, we subtly ignore the Bible’s warnings.
Hebrews 13:5 (ESV)
5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Keep your life free from love of money - be content with what you have - Rest in God’s Promise - He will never leave you nor forsake you -
Can we just be honest with ourselves for a minute? I’m not asking you to be honest with anyone else right now; just be honest with yourself and God. Are you keeping your life free from the love of money? Are you truly content with what God has given you?
Is his promise to never leave you nor forsake you truly a higher priority in your life than having money? God is interested in the condition of our heart toward money, and he knows what it truly is. But we so easily deceive ourselves in this area because we’re afraid of what we might have to do if we admit to how we truly feel about money.
Does money have a hold on us? Do we honestly think money is the answer? Now obviously, as a good Christian, we would never admit that (not out loud). But remember, we are just being honest with ourselves and God right now.
So, here’s a quick test. When you think about how to fix things in your life, is “More money” your first answer? If so, there is a chance you might be trusting in money more than trusting in God. And you might be looking to money to be your answer instead of looking to God to be your answer. In doing so, you might be sending your heart to a place of bondage and despair called “The Money Pit.”
Let’s turn to Matthew chapter 6. This is a great chapter for you to meditate on. Of the five sections there, three are about money. So, first, let’s talk about how the choices you make with your money determine where your heart will be going in the future. Jesus says how we handle our money determines where our heart will be.
Matthew 6:19–21 (ESV)
19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal,
20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Notice Jesus doesn’t say, “Where your treasure IS, that’s where your heart IS.” But he says where your treasure is today is where your heart will be in the future. So, if you’re saying, “No, it’s just for now, I just need money now. I just need to focus on money now.” Can I just tell you; Jesus says where you choose to put your treasure today is where your heart will be in the future?
The more you are focused on and controlled by money today, the more you will be focused on and controlled by money in the future. The good news is the more you have the right heart about money today, means the more you will have the right heart about money in the future. That is what Matthew 6, verse 21 says.
And one of the best-known warnings about money is just three verses later in Matthew 6, verse 24.
Matthew 6:24 (ESV)
24 “No one can serve two masters, for 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 God and money.
And again, we might say, “I’m not serving money. I just NEED money. That’s where I get my SECURITY. But that doesn’t mean I am serving money or that it has control over me.”
Are you sure? Because if money is your answer (and it’s your security) and it is what you are trusting in, you might have a desperate need to surrender this area of your life to God. Why not right now? While you’re being honest with just yourself and God, why not begin to Give Up your trust in money? Why not begin to Give Up your desire for money? Why not begin to surrender this to God and trust him instead of money and seek him instead of money?
We have God’s Word, we have his promise, and in the next verse in Matthew chapter 5, Jesus begins to explain how and why we need to stop trusting in and desiring money instead of God. You should really spend some time in Matthew 6, verses 25-34 because I can’t go through it all today. I can only survey it. Jesus begins in Matthew 6, verse 25 by saying:
Matthew 6:25 (NLT)
Stop worrying about your everyday life - What you Eat, Drink, Wear. Isn’t life more than these things?
And then Jesus goes to great lengths to explain how well God takes care of all that is his, and so, if we are God’s, then we can absolutely trust God to take care of us. We then read in Matthew 6, 31-32,
Matthew 6:31–32 (NLT)
31 “So don’t worry about these (daily life) things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’
32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.
And you might say, “Yeah, but I don’t worry about all those things. How am I going to get all the stuff I need?”
Again – Verse 32 - These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers
“Yeah but… yeah but.”
These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers
God has made a way for us to think differently, and act differently than unbelievers. And it is Matthew 6, verse 33, where Jesus says:
Matthew 6:33 (NLT)
33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
Jesus is talking about a matter of priority, isn’t he?
Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and God will give you everything you need.
It’s all about what your heart is set on. It’s about what you are focused on. It’s about what controls you.
And as Christians, how are we supposed to handle something that controls us? The Bible calls us to release that thing to God
to give it over to him
to surrender to him.
And when it comes to our money having control over us, how are we supposed to do this? What does it look like when our money no longer has control over us? It looks like – us starting to live – (in regard to our money) as God has called us to live. We start actually paying attention to the 2,000 verses about money in the Bible. Instead of politely ignoring them and giving lip service to God (which he hates). We start actually surrendering control of our money to God. We start living as he calls us to live. We start giving as he calls us to give.
And some of you are like, “Oh man, I knew it. What a bummer. If I do this, I’m gonna have to start giving up some of my money. Great.”
Again, that would be an indication that you might have an incorrect understanding of God’s economy, and when you begin to have a correct understanding of God’s economy, you’ll begin to say, “Alright, I’m finally going to be free from my bondage to money. And finally, begin to live a joy-filled life in my finances and finally get to experience God meeting all my needs.”
Guys, when we finally start to surrender this critical area of our lives, it looks like freedom from the bondage and fear of being controlled by money. That is what it looks like.
And there are clear signs that a Christian has begun to surrender to God and trust God in this area.
You know what a “tell” is, right? A tell is an unknowing sign a poker player gives as to what cards he’s really holding.
Here’s your tell in this area – It’s how you give.
The way we give is a tell; it’s a sure sign of what we believe about God and our money. Please have the courage to see your giving as a tell, as a sign of whether you’ve surrendered control of your money to God or whether money still has control of you. How we give is a clear sign of where our heart is truly at between God and money.
So, let’s close with a quick review of what it looks like when we do have the right heart toward money and giving. The Bible is full of evidence and examples of what it looks like when our money doesn’t have a hold on us. But we only have time to look at one quick example.
Turn over to 2 Corinthians Chapter 8. I wish I could teach all of chapters 8 and 9, but make a note, please, to read this on your own for homework. In 2 Corinthians 8 and 9, Paul is encouraging the Corinthians to embrace giving as a joy-filled part of their relationship with the Lord, and he used the churches in Macedonia as an example to explain this truth to us. I am going to read just a bit here, but please read both chapters to yourself later.
2 Corinthians 8:1–4 (NLT)
1 Now I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, what God in his kindness has done through the churches in Macedonia.
2 They are being tested by many troubles, and they are very poor. But they are also filled with abundant joy, which has overflowed in rich generosity. (troubled and poor - but still JOY and GIVING)
3 For I can testify that they gave not only what they could afford, but far more. And they did it of their own free will.
4 They begged us again and again for the privilege of sharing in the gift for the believers in Jerusalem.
What an incredible description of people who understand giving. Though they were tested by many troubles and very poor, they were also filled with abundant joy, and it overflowed in rich generosity.
Warren Wiersbe
No computer could analyze this amazing formula: great affliction and deep poverty plus grace = abundant joy and abounding giving!
Paul continues in verse 5.
2 Corinthians 8:5 (NLT)
5 They even did more than we had hoped, for their first action was to give themselves to the Lord and to us, just as God wanted them to do.
First, they gave themselves completely to the Lord. Then, they saw themselves as stewards, not owners of all that God had given them. And from that point on, giving became a joy, and they entered a new level of their relationship with the Lord.
I wish I could teach more about how giving is really the answer to the bondage that money has so many of us in. We have some other good messages on giving, so if God convicts you in this area, just go to the Word By Mail phone app or online at wordbymail.com and search the keyword "money."
But all I’m saying here is that you can look at the way you feel about money and giving, and you can tell for sure whether money has you in its controlling grip or not. How tightly do you hold on to your money? How deeply do you trust in your money? How much do you feel it is the answer to your problems? And how you give or not give to the Lord. These are all tells, and they are clear signs of whether money has you in its dangerous grip.
And if it does, God has the answer for you. Give this area of your life over to him. Trust him. Honor him. Believe what God says about your money, both the warnings and the promises. Don’t be afraid to look into what God says about how we should view and treat our money. For the most part, Christians refuse to look into what God says about money; because they’re afraid it might cost them some of theirs. If that is you, I say as gently as I can, you may very well be totally ignorant of how God’s economy works.
Here is how God’s economy works.
Proverbs 3:9–10 (NLT)
9 Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce.
10 Then he will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with good wine.
Don’t be in bondage to your love of money. Break the control money has over you.
Be willing to
Give Up your Pride
Give in to the Lordship of Jesus Christ
Give over to God what you can’t handle…
Including your love for money and its control over your life.
Today I would like to talk about one more thing that controls so many of us more than we’d like to admit. I want to talk about giving up the control that money has over us. There is so much in regard to our money that we must learn to Give Up, Give In, and Give Over. In fact, just me saying that cause some of you to (mentally) hold on to your money tighter right now. This (in just a minute) already proves the significant control your money has over you.
Today we want to talk about the pit of being controlled by our money, “The Money Pit.” And we will talk about how to get out of that pit.
So often, money is the last thing a Christian will surrender control of to God. Martin Luther said there are three conversions necessary 1) The heart 2) The mind 3) The wallet. And the conversion of the wallet is usually the last thing we give over to God because money has so much control over us.
Guys, we’ve got to learn to surrender to God the control that money has over us because our love for money and the control it has over us is what makes the difference between a life of bondage to money and the life of freedom and joy in the area of money.
We think money is the answer, but so often, money is actually the problem. We have all heard the horror stories of lottery winners and the rich and famous taking their own lives or utterly destroying them. But still, we think money is the answer. We think that money will fix our problems. We think money will make things right. But we are so wrong. The Bible’s warnings in this area are so clear, but we are so controlled by money that we refuse to hear what God is shouting to us in his Word.
There are about 500 verses in the Bible on prayer. There are fewer than 500 verses in the Bible on faith. However, there are over 2,000 verses on money and possessions. In fact, fifteen percent of everything Jesus taught while on earth had to do with money and possessions. Jesus taught more on money than he did on heaven and hell combined. And the bulk of Jesus’ teaching on this subject was on the danger of money and warning to not love or be controlled by it. There’s a warning about the money pit throughout the Bible.
Now, most of us have heard it’s not money in and of itself; it’s the love of money that’s the problem, and that is true.
1 Timothy 6:10 (NLT)
10 For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.
The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil - and for the LOVE of Money - many have wandered from the faith and have pierced themselves thru with many sorrows.
And right about now, there are many who would say, “See, see, it’s the love of money, not money itself.” And then they would quickly commit to working harder to not appear to love money so much themselves.
Most of us have heard the Bible’s warnings about money, and we don’t want to blatantly ignore the Bible’s warnings, so instead, we subtly ignore the Bible’s warnings.
Hebrews 13:5 (ESV)
5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Keep your life free from love of money - be content with what you have - Rest in God’s Promise - He will never leave you nor forsake you -
Can we just be honest with ourselves for a minute? I’m not asking you to be honest with anyone else right now; just be honest with yourself and God. Are you keeping your life free from the love of money? Are you truly content with what God has given you?
Is his promise to never leave you nor forsake you truly a higher priority in your life than having money? God is interested in the condition of our heart toward money, and he knows what it truly is. But we so easily deceive ourselves in this area because we’re afraid of what we might have to do if we admit to how we truly feel about money.
Does money have a hold on us? Do we honestly think money is the answer? Now obviously, as a good Christian, we would never admit that (not out loud). But remember, we are just being honest with ourselves and God right now.
So, here’s a quick test. When you think about how to fix things in your life, is “More money” your first answer? If so, there is a chance you might be trusting in money more than trusting in God. And you might be looking to money to be your answer instead of looking to God to be your answer. In doing so, you might be sending your heart to a place of bondage and despair called “The Money Pit.”
Let’s turn to Matthew chapter 6. This is a great chapter for you to meditate on. Of the five sections there, three are about money. So, first, let’s talk about how the choices you make with your money determine where your heart will be going in the future. Jesus says how we handle our money determines where our heart will be.
Matthew 6:19–21 (ESV)
19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal,
20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Notice Jesus doesn’t say, “Where your treasure IS, that’s where your heart IS.” But he says where your treasure is today is where your heart will be in the future. So, if you’re saying, “No, it’s just for now, I just need money now. I just need to focus on money now.” Can I just tell you; Jesus says where you choose to put your treasure today is where your heart will be in the future?
The more you are focused on and controlled by money today, the more you will be focused on and controlled by money in the future. The good news is the more you have the right heart about money today, means the more you will have the right heart about money in the future. That is what Matthew 6, verse 21 says.
And one of the best-known warnings about money is just three verses later in Matthew 6, verse 24.
Matthew 6:24 (ESV)
24 “No one can serve two masters, for 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 God and money.
And again, we might say, “I’m not serving money. I just NEED money. That’s where I get my SECURITY. But that doesn’t mean I am serving money or that it has control over me.”
Are you sure? Because if money is your answer (and it’s your security) and it is what you are trusting in, you might have a desperate need to surrender this area of your life to God. Why not right now? While you’re being honest with just yourself and God, why not begin to Give Up your trust in money? Why not begin to Give Up your desire for money? Why not begin to surrender this to God and trust him instead of money and seek him instead of money?
We have God’s Word, we have his promise, and in the next verse in Matthew chapter 5, Jesus begins to explain how and why we need to stop trusting in and desiring money instead of God. You should really spend some time in Matthew 6, verses 25-34 because I can’t go through it all today. I can only survey it. Jesus begins in Matthew 6, verse 25 by saying:
Matthew 6:25 (NLT)
Stop worrying about your everyday life - What you Eat, Drink, Wear. Isn’t life more than these things?
And then Jesus goes to great lengths to explain how well God takes care of all that is his, and so, if we are God’s, then we can absolutely trust God to take care of us. We then read in Matthew 6, 31-32,
Matthew 6:31–32 (NLT)
31 “So don’t worry about these (daily life) things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’
32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.
And you might say, “Yeah, but I don’t worry about all those things. How am I going to get all the stuff I need?”
Again – Verse 32 - These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers
“Yeah but… yeah but.”
These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers
God has made a way for us to think differently, and act differently than unbelievers. And it is Matthew 6, verse 33, where Jesus says:
Matthew 6:33 (NLT)
33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
Jesus is talking about a matter of priority, isn’t he?
Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and God will give you everything you need.
It’s all about what your heart is set on. It’s about what you are focused on. It’s about what controls you.
And as Christians, how are we supposed to handle something that controls us? The Bible calls us to release that thing to God
to give it over to him
to surrender to him.
And when it comes to our money having control over us, how are we supposed to do this? What does it look like when our money no longer has control over us? It looks like – us starting to live – (in regard to our money) as God has called us to live. We start actually paying attention to the 2,000 verses about money in the Bible. Instead of politely ignoring them and giving lip service to God (which he hates). We start actually surrendering control of our money to God. We start living as he calls us to live. We start giving as he calls us to give.
And some of you are like, “Oh man, I knew it. What a bummer. If I do this, I’m gonna have to start giving up some of my money. Great.”
Again, that would be an indication that you might have an incorrect understanding of God’s economy, and when you begin to have a correct understanding of God’s economy, you’ll begin to say, “Alright, I’m finally going to be free from my bondage to money. And finally, begin to live a joy-filled life in my finances and finally get to experience God meeting all my needs.”
Guys, when we finally start to surrender this critical area of our lives, it looks like freedom from the bondage and fear of being controlled by money. That is what it looks like.
And there are clear signs that a Christian has begun to surrender to God and trust God in this area.
You know what a “tell” is, right? A tell is an unknowing sign a poker player gives as to what cards he’s really holding.
Here’s your tell in this area – It’s how you give.
The way we give is a tell; it’s a sure sign of what we believe about God and our money. Please have the courage to see your giving as a tell, as a sign of whether you’ve surrendered control of your money to God or whether money still has control of you. How we give is a clear sign of where our heart is truly at between God and money.
So, let’s close with a quick review of what it looks like when we do have the right heart toward money and giving. The Bible is full of evidence and examples of what it looks like when our money doesn’t have a hold on us. But we only have time to look at one quick example.
Turn over to 2 Corinthians Chapter 8. I wish I could teach all of chapters 8 and 9, but make a note, please, to read this on your own for homework. In 2 Corinthians 8 and 9, Paul is encouraging the Corinthians to embrace giving as a joy-filled part of their relationship with the Lord, and he used the churches in Macedonia as an example to explain this truth to us. I am going to read just a bit here, but please read both chapters to yourself later.
2 Corinthians 8:1–4 (NLT)
1 Now I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, what God in his kindness has done through the churches in Macedonia.
2 They are being tested by many troubles, and they are very poor. But they are also filled with abundant joy, which has overflowed in rich generosity. (troubled and poor - but still JOY and GIVING)
3 For I can testify that they gave not only what they could afford, but far more. And they did it of their own free will.
4 They begged us again and again for the privilege of sharing in the gift for the believers in Jerusalem.
What an incredible description of people who understand giving. Though they were tested by many troubles and very poor, they were also filled with abundant joy, and it overflowed in rich generosity.
Warren Wiersbe
No computer could analyze this amazing formula: great affliction and deep poverty plus grace = abundant joy and abounding giving!
Paul continues in verse 5.
2 Corinthians 8:5 (NLT)
5 They even did more than we had hoped, for their first action was to give themselves to the Lord and to us, just as God wanted them to do.
First, they gave themselves completely to the Lord. Then, they saw themselves as stewards, not owners of all that God had given them. And from that point on, giving became a joy, and they entered a new level of their relationship with the Lord.
I wish I could teach more about how giving is really the answer to the bondage that money has so many of us in. We have some other good messages on giving, so if God convicts you in this area, just go to the Word By Mail phone app or online at wordbymail.com and search the keyword "money."
But all I’m saying here is that you can look at the way you feel about money and giving, and you can tell for sure whether money has you in its controlling grip or not. How tightly do you hold on to your money? How deeply do you trust in your money? How much do you feel it is the answer to your problems? And how you give or not give to the Lord. These are all tells, and they are clear signs of whether money has you in its dangerous grip.
And if it does, God has the answer for you. Give this area of your life over to him. Trust him. Honor him. Believe what God says about your money, both the warnings and the promises. Don’t be afraid to look into what God says about how we should view and treat our money. For the most part, Christians refuse to look into what God says about money; because they’re afraid it might cost them some of theirs. If that is you, I say as gently as I can, you may very well be totally ignorant of how God’s economy works.
Here is how God’s economy works.
Proverbs 3:9–10 (NLT)
9 Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce.
10 Then he will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with good wine.
Don’t be in bondage to your love of money. Break the control money has over you.
Be willing to
Give Up your Pride
Give in to the Lordship of Jesus Christ
Give over to God what you can’t handle…
Including your love for money and its control over your life.