Plow
Creek Mennonite Church
Sunday
Meditations
Disclaimer - meditations are the personal reflections of the worship leader, not official church doctrinal statements.
Turning from wealth
Jim Foxvog
Disclaimer - meditations are the personal reflections of the worship leader, not official church doctrinal statements.
Turning from wealth
Jim Foxvog
January
14, 2007
First read these scriptures:
1 Timothy 6.6-11
Luke 12.15-34
Our fifth membership commitment is "Do you commit yourself to turn from wealth and seek justice for the poor?" Today I am just focusing on the first part of this commitment, turning from wealth. This is a direct consequense of Jesus being Lord. You can not have two masters, God and Mammon, God and wealth.
The root human problem is not "social" problems -- war, injustice, poverty -- but replacement of the true and living God with other things - which is rebellion against God.
Consistently through the Old Testament, idolatry is condemned as a most serious sin. An idol is a false god. A god is that which one loves, trusts, and serves. Idolatry is the ultimate expression of unfaithfulness to God and for that reason is the occasion for severe divine punishment. The theme of judgement on idolatry is also widespread in the NT. To worship idols is error, foolish vanity, and sin.
The NT unambiguously judges only one thing outside of the literal worship of idols to be idolatry, namely greed. It is stated in Colossians 3:5
Put to death, therefore, whatever in you is earthly: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry).
and Ephesians 5:5
Be sure of this, that no fornicator or impure person, or one who is greedy (that is, an idolater), has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
We live in a culture of Greed. Wealth is what many love, trust, and serve. That is making a god of money, a false god.
Seeking God and seeking money are contradictory. But turning from wealth is the way to true wealth. Faith in God is the alternative to finding security in money.
None of us here, I suspect, is wealthy according to American standards. But our comfortable middle-class life is far wealthier than much of the world. How can we turn from wealth living in the US? Joining shared funds may be a step. But there is security in the considerable assets of PCF.
Compassion for the poor might help us turn from wealth. But it is the spiritual question, do we really trust in God, that comes first.
Heb 13.5-6 Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what you have; for he has said, "I will never leave you or forsake you." So we can say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?"
First read these scriptures:
1 Timothy 6.6-11
Luke 12.15-34
Our fifth membership commitment is "Do you commit yourself to turn from wealth and seek justice for the poor?" Today I am just focusing on the first part of this commitment, turning from wealth. This is a direct consequense of Jesus being Lord. You can not have two masters, God and Mammon, God and wealth.
The root human problem is not "social" problems -- war, injustice, poverty -- but replacement of the true and living God with other things - which is rebellion against God.
Consistently through the Old Testament, idolatry is condemned as a most serious sin. An idol is a false god. A god is that which one loves, trusts, and serves. Idolatry is the ultimate expression of unfaithfulness to God and for that reason is the occasion for severe divine punishment. The theme of judgement on idolatry is also widespread in the NT. To worship idols is error, foolish vanity, and sin.
The NT unambiguously judges only one thing outside of the literal worship of idols to be idolatry, namely greed. It is stated in Colossians 3:5
Put to death, therefore, whatever in you is earthly: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry).
and Ephesians 5:5
Be sure of this, that no fornicator or impure person, or one who is greedy (that is, an idolater), has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
We live in a culture of Greed. Wealth is what many love, trust, and serve. That is making a god of money, a false god.
Seeking God and seeking money are contradictory. But turning from wealth is the way to true wealth. Faith in God is the alternative to finding security in money.
None of us here, I suspect, is wealthy according to American standards. But our comfortable middle-class life is far wealthier than much of the world. How can we turn from wealth living in the US? Joining shared funds may be a step. But there is security in the considerable assets of PCF.
Compassion for the poor might help us turn from wealth. But it is the spiritual question, do we really trust in God, that comes first.
Heb 13.5-6 Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what you have; for he has said, "I will never leave you or forsake you." So we can say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?"