by Bruce Mackay

Jesus Teaches on Money

Bruce Mackay - Citwide Christian Fellowship, Cairns
August 2010
Published by visionone
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Jesus Teaches
on Money
Money is one of lifes daily essentials. With credit cards and
the internet, we may not handle cash as much as we used
to, yet every adult is involved with money as their trading
currency on a daily basis. Throughout history, trading for lifes
essentials has been an aspect of daily life. Therefore, it is not
surprising that Jesus would include money in His teaching
to His disciples and the multitude on the mountainside.
So, along with attitudes for true happiness, how to enter
heaven, prayer, forgiveness and so on, Jesus taught us how
our attitude to money has eternal consequences.
We would all agree that while money is essential for buying
and selling, it is both a blessing and a curse. It is a blessing
when it provides the essentials of life; food, clothing, shelter
and other comforts and pleasures. It is a blessing when it
can help others who are in need of lifes essentials. But what
a curse money can be, when the love for it is so great that it
causes greed, stealing, cheating, the breaking of families, and
even murder. Sadly, this happens regardless of whether we
Author: Bruce Mackay | Citywide Christian Fellowship, Cairns CCFC
Published by Vision One at Toowoomba Christian Fellowship TCF
www.christianresources.co

are rich or poor. Jesus taught us that it is not the amount of

money that is the issue, but our attitude to it.

Money - a false security

The fundamental philosophy of the western world is to
accumulate as much money and as many assets as you can.
By doing this you will ensure your future is secured. So,
most of us put as much as we can into superannuation
funds, some get a share portfolio, and the so-called lucky
ones have some investment properties to go with it. The
recent global financial crisis has proved how false such
security is. The words of Jesus came true.
Matthew 6:19
Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth
and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.
Billions of dollars were wiped off in a matter of hours.
Peoples plans for the future were shattered. All our
compulsory superannuation was worth considerably less
than it had been only days before. It vanished in the same
way as a thief just stealing it away. If the words that Jesus
spoke, Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth,
where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in
and steal, are so accurate and our financial advisors so

Author: Bruce Mackay | Citywide Christian Fellowship, Cairns CCFC

Published by Vision One at Toowoomba Christian Fellowship TCF
www.christianresources.co

wrong, surely it would be wise to listen to what else Jesus

said about money.
Matthew 6:20-21
But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither
moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in
and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will
be also.
Why try to secure this earthly life that is only temporary
as well? Jesus was saying, What about after death? What
are you doing to secure your life once you die? If you only
try to secure your earthly life, you will be lacking once you
die. Even though we all know that we could die at any
moment, or be suddenly killed in an accident, we do very
little to prepare for that inevitable moment. We must lay
up treasure in heaven where there is true eternal security.

What is our attitude?

We will relate a true story from the life of Jesus that strongly
illustrates our attitudes. It shows that over and over again,
we put our focus and trust in finances and security for this
earthly life, when both are totally temporary and we have
no security over either of them. Finances can disappear in
one day on the Wall Street stock exchange and our lives
cannot be guaranteed to the next breath.
Author: Bruce Mackay | Citywide Christian Fellowship, Cairns CCFC
Published by Vision One at Toowoomba Christian Fellowship TCF
www.christianresources.co

So why do we have this attitude, that gives priority to that

which is so temporary, with little thought, if any, towards
that which is eternal? The young man in the following
story knew that he should secure his eternity, but his heart
attitude was wrongly focused.
Mark 10:17-22
Now as He was going out on the road, one came running,
knelt before Him, and asked Him, Good Teacher, what
shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? So Jesus said
to him, Why do you call Me good? No one is good but
one, that is, God. You know the commandments: Do not
commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not bear
false witness, do not defraud, honour your father and your
mother. And he answered and said to Him, Teacher,
all these things I have kept from my youth. Then Jesus,
looking at him, loved him, and said to him, One thing you
lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the
poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take
up the cross, and follow Me. But he was sad at this word,
and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
One thing he lacked, because of his overwhelming love
for money. His heart was fixed on money, therefore, his
treasure was not Christ and heaven. Because where your
treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Author: Bruce Mackay | Citywide Christian Fellowship, Cairns CCFC

Published by Vision One at Toowoomba Christian Fellowship TCF
www.christianresources.co

Our treasure and heart are one

Matthew 6:21
Jesus said, For where your treasure is, there your heart
will be also.
Quite simply, where your money is, and what you do with
it, is where your heart will be your focus of life. We see
it with a young child. They may want a toy and every time
you are at the shops they want this toy. As a parent, you
know its too expensive. They have had their birthday and
Christmas is a long way off. They go on and on and on
because their heart is set on this toy. You tell them to save
for it. Constantly, they will be at their money box counting
their treasure. Do they have enough? Where your treasure
is, there your heart will be also. This is not restricted to a
child with their heart set on a toy; it continues into young
adulthood and old age.
I heard a story of a boy who was saving up for something
he wanted to buy. He accidently dropped a coin in his
mothers very expensive vase. He stuck his hand in and
grabbed this coin, which was such a treasure to him
because he needed it to buy this toy he had set his heart
on. He held the coin tightly in his fist. The next problem
came when he couldnt get his hand out of the vase. He
screamed and his mother came running, but no amount of
Author: Bruce Mackay | Citywide Christian Fellowship, Cairns CCFC
Published by Vision One at Toowoomba Christian Fellowship TCF
www.christianresources.co

effort could get his hand out. What were they to do? The
vase was worth hundreds of dollars and it had been in the
family for many generations. The boys father was called
home from work. It seemed they had two options: remove
the boys hand or smash the vase that was of both monetary
and sentimental value. Obviously, amputating their sons
hand was out of the question. Finally, out with the hammer
and smash went the valuable vase, and the boys mother
gasped as it disintegrated into dozens of pieces. There was
the boy with his fist closed tightly holding his coin as he
said, At least I didnt lose my money! All he had to do was
let go of his coin, straighten his fingers and he could have
removed his hand. But his heart was set on his treasure,
causing hundreds of dollars and years of history to be lost;
all for a ten cent piece!
Our treasure and our heart are one. Multitudes upon
multitudes are hanging onto their earthly treasures while
forsaking eternal life. Money itself is not the issue, but
rather where our treasure is. We need to set our mind on
Christ and His eternal purpose for our lives so that we live
our lives according to His will, so that we are laying up
treasure for after we die. God has a wonderful purpose for
each of us, which includes every day of our earthly life and
our eternity. If we set our mind, will and heart on Christ
and not money, then Christ will provide everything we
need, both now and in the life to come.

Author: Bruce Mackay | Citywide Christian Fellowship, Cairns CCFC

Published by Vision One at Toowoomba Christian Fellowship TCF
www.christianresources.co

Jesus said, But seek first the kingdom of God and His
righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Matt 6:33. Seek Him first before anything else and we will
not lack the necessities of life. Your treasure and heart are
one.

Money - a false happiness

One of the thou shalt nots of Gods commandments is,
Thou shalt not covet. To covet something is to desire
something strongly when it is not Gods will for you to
have it. We are not to be greedy for something that belongs
to someone else. Also, dont spend your efforts in trying
to possess more and more things, thinking that will bring
happiness and contentment.
Jesus said, Take heed and beware of covetousness, for
ones life does not consist in the abundance of the things he
possesses. Luke 12:15. Jesus was saying that contentment
and happiness have absolutely nothing to do with money
and possessions. Therefore, dont covet or be greedy for a
new lounge, television, car, and so on, because where does
it end? When is enough, enough? Dont be consumed with
things that can be here today and gone tomorrow. Rather,
desire after things that are eternal. The following statement
from the Bible is one of the clearest and wisest pieces of
advice we could hear regarding money. It clarifies what
Jesus taught on our attitude to money.
Author: Bruce Mackay | Citywide Christian Fellowship, Cairns CCFC
Published by Vision One at Toowoomba Christian Fellowship TCF
www.christianresources.co

1 Timothy 6:6-11
Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we
brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can
carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these
we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into
temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful
lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For
the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which
some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and
pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But you,
O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness,
godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness.
When highlighting some of these statements, we find
godliness with contentment is great gain. A discontented
person is hard to live with and impossible to please. Learn
to be content with what you have now. We brought no
possessions into this world and we take none with us when
we die. We must learn to be content with our lives as if we
were to die today and be buried tomorrow. What would
be our priority? Not possessions, not how much money we
earned, what shares we had or the size of our bank account.
Our priority would be righteousness, godliness, faith, love,
patience and gentleness. These are things we should desire
after. This is where contentment and happiness is found.

Author: Bruce Mackay | Citywide Christian Fellowship, Cairns CCFC

Published by Vision One at Toowoomba Christian Fellowship TCF
www.christianresources.co

Who do you serve?

Does money serve you, or do you serve money? Jesus said
that a person can only serve one master. To try to serve two
masters ultimately means that we will end up not pleasing
either of them. It is impossible to serve God and serve
money. We must learn to let money be our servant. It is
not the amount of money we have, whether we have a lot or
little, its how we use it. Are we in bondage to it? Are we
free to use it in serving God, or do we draw back from fully
giving ourselves to follow Christ as His disciple because it
may cost us more than we are willing to give? The following
is a story Jesus told about people giving money.
Mark 12:41-44
Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the
people put money into the treasury. And many who were
rich put in much. Then one poor widow came and threw
in two mites, which make a penny. So He called His
disciples to Himself and said to them, Assuredly, I say to
you that this poor widow has put in more than all those
who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of
their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that
she had, her whole livelihood.
When Jesus said, as in the case of this widow, that one cent
is more than all the gold coins being given, then clearly, it is
not how much we have to give and serve God, it is who and
Author: Bruce Mackay | Citywide Christian Fellowship, Cairns CCFC
Published by Vision One at Toowoomba Christian Fellowship TCF
www.christianresources.co

what we serve. Are we are a servant to Christ or to money?

We all find ourselves in a crisis of decision at various times
in our lives, and the greatest and most vital decision we will
ever face, will be choosing to be a disciple of Christ. Will
we forsake all, that Jesus may be Lord of all? Like the rich
young man we spoke of earlier, there will be at least one
thing that will make that decision very difficult. In fact, it
will be a life-defining moment. What is the one thing that
stops you from being a disciple of Jesus Christ?
Our focus in this article has been on money. Do you love
money or possessions more than Christ? Does financial
security now take priority over heavenly riches? What is
the one thing that stands in the way for you? Perhaps it
is something else; friends, family, or your past. Whatever
it may be, Jesus is Lord. Therefore, bow your life down to
Him and call on Him to be your Lord. Jesus said to seek first
the kingdom of God and His righteousness and everything
you need will be added to you.

Author: Bruce Mackay | Citywide Christian Fellowship, Cairns CCFC

Published by Vision One at Toowoomba Christian Fellowship TCF
www.christianresources.co