9-18-2016
10,000 Coins
1st God will Provide for All Your Needs
We had no choice where we were born
for God decided that ahead of time. Our
country, our family, our strengths and
weaknesses are all given to us by God. We do
not have a choice in what we are given at
birth. But what we do with what God has
given to us is up to us.
Imagine with me that God gave you
10,000 coins to trade for the things you
needed to live in the country he had placed.
The coins represent your abilities, strength,
opportunities, advantages, wealth, and they
are given to you by God for everything we
have is ultimately a gift from God.
With 3,000 coins you find you can
purchase a place to live, shelter, housing, a
home. With another 3,000 you are able to
provide and food, clothing and medical care
for yourself and their family
With another 3,000 you find you can
provide for the things you and your family
enjoy: vacations, hobbies, sports, whatever
you and your family enjoy.
Now you have a 1,000 left and all of
your needs are met. Will you give that back
to God as way of saying “Thank you” or will
you keep it for yourself?
This is the principle that God taught the
Israelites when he taught them about tithing
or giving a 10th of one’s increase. We
commonly think about money today, but in
ancient times giving of a 10th was often given
in crops or animals because money was not
that common. The 10th part that was given
was used to support the priests and their
families so they could minister full time before
the Lord on behalf of the people and give the
Word of God to the people. The 10th part was
sufficient to cover these costs.
Having faith in Jesus, mean we know
that if we put God first, and seek His ways,
God will provide for all of our needs. Jesus
said this in Matthew 6:25-34 when he told us
not to worry about things we need in this life
that God would provide them. Jesus proved
this when he feed 5,000 men plus women and
children with five loaves of bread and two fish
(Matthew 14:13-21) and later he fed 4,000
men plus women and children with seven
loaves of bread and few fish (Matthew 15:2939). In the first case there were 12 baskets of
scraps they picked up and in the second there
were seven.
The God who created the Universe, the
God feeds the birds of the air, the fish of the
seas, all the wild animals each and every day,
year after year will surely provide for us who
have been created in his image. Would any of
you parents let your children starve when it is
in your power to feed them? Would they go
without clothes or shelter when it is in your
power to provide it? We love our own families
enough to provide for them, how much more
will our Father in heaven provide everything
we need according to his riches in glory!
Paul the Apostle said it this way in
Philippians 4:19, And my God will meet all
your needs according to the riches of his
glory in Christ Jesus.
Know these things we can begin to
understand what Jesus was teaching us about
material wealth, riches, and money.
Remember that God does all things for our
good and when it comes to money God wants
us to be the master of our money, not our
money to master us. So first we trust God.
Jesus and Money
Knowing that our needs are going to be
fully met by our heavenly Father Jesus taught
us to build eternal treasures. Jesus said in
Matthew 6:19-21, “Do not store up for
yourselves treasures on earth, where moths
and vermin destroy, and where thieves break
in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves
treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin
do not destroy, and where thieves do not
break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure
2nd Storing Treasure in Heaven
By the time of the first century money,
coins made of precious metal such as gold or
silver, were much more common. Jesus had a
lot of say about money and how we use it and
how we relate to it. Some of the things Jesus
said seem really hard to accept, but they are
based on one very big promise of faith: the
promise that God will provide for all our
needs.
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is, there your heart will be also. –NIV.
Jesus is not implying that we shouldn’t
save for retirement and for the years when we
can no long work. Solomon taught in Proverbs
6:6-8,
Go to the ant, you sluggard;
consider its ways and be wise!
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It has no commander,
no overseer or ruler,
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yet it stores its provisions in summer
and gathers its food at harvest.
Or again in Proverbs 30:25, “Ants are
creatures of little strength, yet they store up
their food in the summer;”
Now if God gave enough brains to the
ant to store up food for the time when there is
none, we should be smart enough to store up
for the times when we will no longer be able to
provide for ourselves. That is just making
sure we are not a burden to someone else.
But Jesus at this point does not want
us to neglect the eternal treasures we can
build in heaven. We build such treasures by
prayer, sharing our faith with others, helping
others in the times of need. God takes note of
even the smallest acts of kindness: giving a
cup of water (Mark 9:41), holding a door for
someone, helping someone with their
groceries to their car. God notes the small
things and the big things we do and he says
we will not lose our reward. Staying faithful to
Jesus even if others persecute us or make fun
of us – builds rewards in heaven.
We do not get the treasures of heaven
until we get there, but when you get there
they are yours FOREVER!
We do not want to get “so heavenly
minded that we are no earthly good” but we
need to keep in mind that what we do in this
life affects the rewards we will get in the next.
Jesus made this clear again and again, such as
in the parable of the talents in Matthew 25.
When we remember that we are eternal and
keep in mind the things of eternity, and we
realize all the wealth we have here is nothing
compared to the wealth of heaven, then we
will work to build up wealth in heaven.
4th is Freedom to Serve God
Finally Jesus said, 24 “No one can serve
two masters. Either you will hate the one and
love the other, or you will be devoted to the
one and despise the other. You cannot serve
both God and money.
Money is a lousy master, because you
can never get enough of it. People wear
themselves out trying to get, just a little bit
more. Yes, we all work to prosper, that’s the
way God made the world, we sow seeds in
hopes of a harvest, but we do it under God.
Jesus called Peter and Andrew, James
and John to leave their fishing business, their
jobs, to follow him and preach the Kingdom of
God. If they had been serving money they
would’ve kept fishing. But they served God
and he provided for all of their needs in this
life and they have tremendous treasures in
heaven. Just imagine the 100s of millions of
people who have come to the saving faith in
Christ because of their witness. If they had
been serving money they would have died as
fishermen and we would not know their
names. But they put God first and now
they’ve seen and are seeing the fruit of their
labor and they greatly rejoice for they have
100s of millions of brothers and sisters from
all over the world.
3rd – Keeping Proper Perspective
Jesus said, 22 “The eye is the lamp of the
body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole
body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are
unhealthy, your whole body will be full of
darkness. If then the light within you is
darkness, how great is that darkness!
If we do not have a proper perspective
about earthly wealth and heavenly wealth we
will live in darkness. Jesus put this right in the
middle of his talk on wealth because we need
to look at things from God’s perspective, from
an eternal perspective. If our thinking just
focuses on the things of this world, we will
walk in darkness.
Conclusion
Is your eye healthy? Do you keep in
mind both the things of earth and the things of
heaven? Do you trust God enough to provide
everything you need? Of the 10,000 coins
God have given you to provide for your needs,
what portion have you given back to him: of
your time, strength, and wealth?
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