Jesus Talked Banking: 8 Reasons Every Believer Should Be Wealthy
Dr RJ Sing, 55 min, Lesson 102, Part B of Business and Leadership
Originally preached as “Business and Leadership 102: 8 Reasons Why Every Believer Should Be a Millionaire”
Sermon outline
God wants believers wealthy not to hoard or show off but to help: to fund the Great Commission, care for the poor and leave an inheritance, and that begins with good stewardship, paying God first and yourself second.
Main text
- Matthew 25:31-46
- Matthew 25:14-30
Opening
He promises not to keep the church long because it is Father's Day, and says he will speak rather than preach because of his voice. He introduces the message as teaching 102, part two, of his Business and Leadership series, reads out the twenty lesson titles he has planned, and recalls that last week covered ten reasons why every Christian can be a millionaire. This week is eight reasons why every Christian should be one.
The sheep and the goats: you need means to help
He reads Matthew 25:31-46 as his foundation and notes that, as he reads it, Jesus was addressing believers and drew the line at whether they fed the hungry, clothed the naked and visited the sick and the prisoner. None of that can be done by someone barely staying afloat. Money is not a taboo subject: the kingdom of God is a government with an economy, and God is rich and wants to get riches to His people so that they can help others.
Illustration: If someone asks you for groceries and you feel led to help, how would you do it with your last ten rand in your pocket for tomorrow's bus fare?
“If you are not blessed, how can you help others?”
- Matthew 25:31-46
- Ecclesiastes 10:19
- Ecclesiastes 9:15-16
- Psalm 50:10
- Haggai 2:8
1. We must carry out the Great Commission
Our instruction is to bring Christ to the people of the world, train them and release them to change the world they come from, and that takes money. It is why the church needs a smart building and the latest technology. Prayer and fasting are foundational and should be taught to children from young, but a person can be proficient in one area and lacking in another.
Illustration: One man of God said his father prayed four to ten hours a day for six or seven decades, yet did not have four dollars to send him to Bible school, because no one had taught him the principles of money.
“See, you can be proficient in one area and lack in another area.”
- Matthew 28:19-20
2. We are commanded to clothe, feed and house the needy and the poor
Believers need to be wealthy to do what Jesus asks in Matthew 25. Without money you cannot help anybody; with it you can.
“If you don't have money, you can't help anybody.”
- Matthew 25:31-46
3. Your job is to manage the earth for God
God placed man on the earth to manage it and will one day ask him to give an account. He argues that God is not running everything, otherwise He would be responsible for the evil in the world. It takes money to manage the earth well, and part of your Christianity is being able to tell God you were a good manager.
“God has placed man on the earth to manage the earth.”
4. It is good stewardship
Our ability to manage wealth faithfully produces godly qualities in us. He reads the parable of the talents and lingers on Jesus' own words in red: the servant should have deposited the money with the bankers so that the master received it back with interest. The one talent was taken from the poor steward and given to the one who had ten, which is why some people never have. Yet there is a balance: the shrewd should not become ultra shrewd, nor the stingy ultra stingy.
Illustration: He pictures the one-talent servant as 'pathetic', handing back the single talent with an excuse, and marvels that Jesus is 'talking banking language' about deposits, bankers and interest.
“Stewardship is the bottom line in the kingdom of God.”
- Matthew 25:14-30
5. It is shrewd to use the wealth of the world for eternal purposes
Every believer is an ambassador for Christ in the marketplace: go out, do well in the world's economy, and bring your tithe back so the church can grow and the gospel be preached. Shrewd is not an insult; it means wise, informed, astute. So Christians in business should charge for their work and make a profit instead of doing everything free for a brother or sister.
Illustration: The church is a non-profit whose only profit is souls. He says a single television slot reaching 300 million people would cost about 60 grand, and that is money used for eternal purposes. If you are a carpenter, a bricklayer or a hairdresser, charge.
“The only profit that we would make is souls for Jesus.”
- Luke 16:8-9
- 2 Corinthians 5:20
6. Christians should accumulate wealth to demonstrate how not to trust in riches
Trusting in riches will always disappoint. A man who sets his mind and heart on money will be disappointed whether he gets it or not, but the righteous flourish.
“Trusting in riches will always disappoint.”
- Proverbs 11:28
7. We cultivate our land and keep it
Creating wealth builds in us the qualities of managing and protecting wealth. He calls this one of the steps to becoming a millionaire.
“We cultivate our land and keep it.”
8. As one of the righteous, a Christian leaves an inheritance to his children's children
Most people live only for the day and finish what they earn by evening, so nothing is left for the next generation. Leaving an inheritance fulfils the scriptural legacy and prepares the future generation for upward success. He says the church has taught people to bring tithes and offerings without empowering them to build wealth, and that his goal is to raise up 100 millionaires.
Illustration: Years ago he stood at the door shaking every hand and told the people a day would come when they would not get to greet him, and it came to pass.
“Most people live just for the day.”
- Proverbs 13:22
How you start: pay God first and pay yourself second
Each month we pay the landlord, the car, fuel, electricity and the grocer first, so other people stay above water on our money, and advertising is aimed at our pockets, not our needs. The cycle only breaks when you first give God His tenth and then pay yourself: open a savings account, start at 5 or 10 percent and work towards saving 50 percent as your credit comes down. Those who have not disciplined themselves to tithe will struggle to pay themselves, because when God has His share the other ninety percent is blessed. Plan ahead too: everyone should have a will in place.
Illustration: The malls are 'screaming at every window, give me your money, honey'. He finds it sad when a family has no money left to bury someone, and calls that bad planning.
“You pay God first and you pay yourself second.”
- Malachi 3:10-11
Learn from the savers: Japan, credit cards and impulse buying
He compares national savings habits, holding up Japan, where wealth is measured by money in the bank, borrowing is frowned upon and children are taught from small to take gift money straight to the bank. He quotes research that credit cards take your attention off the cost of an item, and that paying cash for a meal is a double gratification. His key for impulse buying is to wait 24 hours, by which time the urge has usually gone and the money is still in your pocket.
Illustration: Otoshidama, the monetary gift Japanese children receive from family: the parents allow no toy shop and no Nike shoes, and take the child straight to the bank. Someone in the congregation supplies the phrase 'retail therapy' for buying shoes to feel better for five minutes.
“When you want to buy impulsively, wait 24 hours.”
Putting it into practice
- Give God His tenth first, then pay yourself: open a savings account, start at 5 to 10 percent and keep raising it.
- If you work for yourself, charge properly, make a profit and tithe from it.
- Put a will in place, even a basic one.
- Teach your children to save, and cut down on credit card spending.
- Before any impulse purchase, wait 24 hours.
Closing
He promises South African statistics next week, wishes everyone a happy Father's Day and has them tell a neighbour they are on their way to becoming a millionaire. An Aaronic blessing is then played on video in Hebrew and English while the church stands with hands raised. He follows it with his own blessing, decreeing wisdom, favour, debt cancellation and 'millionaire status', and prophesies that this is only the beginning: God will bring order out of financial chaos through the teaching of His Word, for them and for their children's children.
Declarations he led
- I believe I'm a millionaire.
- Millions are in my hands.
- I'm a millionaire. I'm rich. I'm wealthy.
- I'm on my way to becoming a millionaire.
- It's the beginning.
In his words
- “If you are not blessed, how can you help others?”
- “See, money gives you a voice.”
- “Stewardship is the bottom line in the kingdom of God.”
- “The only profit that we would make is souls for Jesus.”
- “You pay God first and you pay yourself second.”
Every scripture in this message
- Matthew 25:31-46
- Ecclesiastes 10:19
- Ecclesiastes 9:15-16
- Psalm 50:10
- Haggai 2:8
- Matthew 28:19-20
- Matthew 25:14-30
- Luke 16:8-9
- 2 Corinthians 5:20
- Proverbs 11:28
- Proverbs 13:22
- Malachi 3:10-11
- Numbers 6:24-26
- Joshua 1:3
- Deuteronomy 28:13
- Proverbs 10:22
- Genesis 1:1-2
