TWO DOLLAR GOD Story.
When it comes to money we live in a world of contrasts on the one hand we are totally extravagant, spending money on labels, with inflated prices.
While on the other one of the fastest growing shopping chains is the $2:00 shop.
It would seem were happy to spend money on some things and not others,
as to what causes this tight fisted nature and the open pocket it’s quite likely to be consumer pressure.
The question is how does this pressure to consumes to be consumers influence our relationship with God,
or can we serve both God and Money and if we can‘t would Jesus drive a BMW??
YOUNG RULER.
In the Bible there is the story of a young guy who comes to Jesus, with a fist full of cash and a head full of questions.
Luke 18:18-
So this young guy goes strolling up to Jesus wanting to know the secrets to life to eternal life
Chances are we know the story, he was rich and his riches got in the way.
but there is a lot more to it than that.
RICHES EQUALED POWER.
He wasn’t just rich because despite all arguments to the contrary it was his riches that got in the way, but what he did with them.
Being rich in first century society was different, because riches incorporated power.
Society was built on a basis that entailed if you had more then someone was going without.
RUBICKS CUBE.
He didn’t need the amount of riches he had,
I mean what was he going to do with them.
There was only so much he could buy,
money was not the power to purchase as much as power over others.
AND TODAY.
Take that into our society and the young guy was like a person who has so much money that they do not know what to do with it, what usually happens is that when people get like this they go of and buy the best,
They fit out their bathrooms with Gold taps and heated floor tiles not because they need it but because it makes them feel good.
And when it come to a car they don’t just but a car they buy something that reflects the power they have .
A BMW, why a BMW- well simply it’s because a BMW is not just a car it’s a status symbol.
It’s designed to be driven at 200 MPH on German autobahns, that’s somewhere in the region of 320 KM an hour.
Three times the national speed limit, even the craziest hoon on the road would struggle with speeds like that.
Now that’s not a car it’s a symbol of power- a status symbol
NEVER REALLY GRADUATED FROM SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Getting back to the rich guy how could he come to such conclusions that it was OK to live with his riches, when Jesus thinks it isn’t??
After all this guy was a religious guy, morally upright, not the sort of guy who swindled his riches, just a guy who had more than he needed.
Like many of you he probably grew up in the Jewish equivalent of Sunday School.
Knew all the stuff about does and don’t - the thou shalt and the shalt nots.
He probably graduated from Sunday school with an honours pass,
He worked hard got the grades and in his mind he had made the grade- done everything he could think of to have a right relationship with God.
But as far as Jesus was concerned there was something missing - or rather there was something in the way.
His wallet, his BMW if you like.
PROBLEMN.
So What’s the problem, if it is OK to make money then where did he go wrong.
It is simply this for the young guy money got in the way of his relationship with God.
While he lived by a set of rules that he learnt in Sunday School it was OK for him to be rich,
you see like many of you guys he had learnt that if your a good person,
that if you don’t lie and obey the ten commandments then you will be sweet.
Whatever else you have on top of that is a bonus.
For this guy the bonus was a fat wallet,
he didn’t have to work hard to justify keeping it,
because it seemed as though there was nothing wrong with it.
In fact the system around at the day would seem to show that money,
riches were a sign of being blessed.
Anything contrary to that would be hard to swallow.
So why is money so difficult, well it gets in the way.
I’ve already said in this society it’s a symbol of power- particularly power over others.
But it also holds power over us, someone once said where our money is there is our heart also.
for the young guy in the story money controlled his life,
he though he had control of his money- but his money controlled him.
MONEY CONTROLLED HIS LIFE.
He was like the guy in the poem, he wanted God, but not full on.
In our consumer society he’s like the guy who wears all the flashest labels, but when it comes to a relationship with God he buys it’s at the $2:00 shop of spirituality.
It’s cheap, keeps you happy for five minutes but it’s soon broken.
YOU.
I was looking through some youth study books recently, surfing the web and doing some research on this whole money thing, and strangely enough I found virtually nothing that tackled discipleship and money.
There was heaps of stuff on sex, drugs, alcohol, getting on with peers, but nothing on money.
It’s like the general tone in youth work is get these other things right and you will receive eternal life.
But to a young guy who was probably pretty much the same age as you lot Jesus challenges his wallet. And that’s what I want do also.
I’m into surveys at the moment and I read the result of a survey in America that pointed out one simple fact that the average teenager has more disposable income per week than the average adult.
My first reaction was what a load of rubbish,
but then I thought about you guys and where I see your money go and I thought it was probably right.
And we look to adults to support churches, missions and all the other stuff.
Maybe we should be looking to each other.
Now I know many of you guys are probably feeling quite smug with yourself.
You don’t own a BMW, and maybe never will but.
But then the issue isn’t really whether Jesus would or would not drive a BMW-
It’s not the car that is the problem
And It doesn’t take brain surgeon to realise that it’s isn’t just BMW that cause this problems but most stuff.
It’s what it stands for,
it’s what it can actually do.
Get in the way of your relationship with God.
And money in any shape or form has a habit of doing that.
Many of you lot have made commitments to Jesus
You’ve asked him into your heart,
but have you asked him into your wallet.
Because Jesus Christ payed a huge price for you his life
are you going to repay him
by treating him like a gift from the $2:00 shop, we’d rather put our time and energy into other stuff, not giving God what he deserves.
And Our finances well many of us here need to learn that part of following Jesus involves our money,
we can’t follow Jesus with our whole lives and leave our money and what we own outside of the picture
Where your money is your heart is also....
So next time your out buying shoes, CD‘s clothes or what ever it is Just think can I put this money to a better purpose, Can I use this money for the Kingdom of God.
If money has a hold on you probably the best thing you can do is give it away.
