God’s Promises About Money (2)
Hebrews 13:5-6
One specific way our lives will change is that no matter what’s going on, no matter how big the problems, when we trust and know Jesus we will be content in our present circumstances, and confident in the future – even in the midst of a massive global economic downturn like we face now.
The stock market has fallen 50%. Real estate prices have fallen 40%. Unemployment has increased 100%. People are losing their jobs, taking reductions in pay, watching their savings shrink, wondering about retirement. The entire globe is in an economic downturn.
And yet those who know and trust Jesus can be content in the present, and confident in the future. That’s what we saw last week from the book of Hebrews, chapter 13 verses 5-6. Let’s turn there again this morning. If you need a Bible, go ahead and raise your hand and one of the ushers will bring one to you. Hebrews 13 is on page 1009 in the Bibles we are passing out.
This letter was written in 65 AD to followers of Jesus who were going through hard times. Many of them had their possessions plundered, their homes ransacked, their homes destroyed. In a sense, they were in an economic downturn.
And here in chapter 13 the author is giving them a miscellaneous list of encouragements of how Jesus wants them live. And look at what he in vv.5-6 --
5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."
6 So we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?"
In these verses the author point out two truths about Jesus, and what these truths mean for us.
The first truth is in v.5, that Jesus will never leave us or forsake us. Even though we have sinned against God and deserve only punishment, because Jesus paid for our sins on the Cross, when we trust Him He comes into our lives. And from then on Jesus Christ, the Son of God, will never leave you or forsake you.
And what does that mean for us? It’s right there in v.5 – because Jesus will never leave or forsake us we can be content with what we have. Even when what we have is little, we can always feel satisfied, content, in Him.
The second truth is in v.6, that Jesus is my helper. When it comes to money issues, that means Jesus will always provide the money I need to fulfill His plan for my life. So no matter how bleak things look, Jesus will help me, and provide everything I need.
And what does that mean for us? It’s right there in v.6 – because Jesus is my helper I can be confident, free from fear about the future.
That’s what we looked at last week. And this morning I want to dig deeper. I asked you to email questions you had – and I came up with some questions on my own – and I am praying that working through some of these questions will help all of us experience more of the contentment and confidence that Jesus has for us.
So here’s the first question – If I know Jesus is with me, why don’t I feel content? That’s a good question, isn’t it? And there’s lots of possible answers. But let me home in on one of the most important.
If you are not feeling content, ask yourself why: home in on the reason why you aren’t content. When you don’t feel content it’s always because there’s something you don’t have that you think you need to be satisfied. That’s what’s happening when you are not content.
Maybe you ask “why am I not content,” and you realize it’s because you don’t have a job. You think you would be content if you had a job. Maybe you’ve been out of work for a while, and you think you need a job to be satisfied, so you aren’t content, because you don’t have a job.
Or maybe you ask “why am I not content,” and you realize it’s because you don’t have money. You thinking you would be content if you had money. Maybe money’s been tight for a long time, or maybe there’s something you really want to buy, and you’re thinking what would satisfy you would be to have more money.
Do you see how that works? Whenever you don’t feel content, it’s because there’s something you don’t have that you think you need to be satisfied. Always.
Now with that in mind, let’s look more closely at v.5. Read it again --
Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."
Notice that God says: “be content with what you have.” With what you have. He does not say be content with what you hope God will do. He says be content with what you have. Be content with your unemployment, or with the little money you have.
Now don’t misunderstand. That doesn’t mean you stop looking for a job, or stop looking for ways to increase your income. Not at all. But it means you don’t need a job or more income to feel content. It means you can feel content with what you have.
But how is it possible to be content with what I have – when I have no job, little money, or a lousy job? It’s because of something else I have – Jesus. That’s the point of this verse: “be content with what you have, for he has said ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you’.”
See, when you are not content, it’s because you are seeking contentment in something besides Jesus. It’s because you are not seeking your contentment in Jesus. Let that sink in. Whenever I am not feeling content, it because I am seeking contentment in something besides Jesus. And the way to be content, is to realize that I have Jesus. He has not left me or forsaken me. He’s here. And that means right now I can seek Him and know Him and worship Him and behold Him. And when I do that, He Himself will satisfy my heart with who He is, and I will be content with what I have because I have Him.
Thursday night was a bad night at the Fuller house. I found out that two members of our extended family were facing situations that were sad for them and could potentially be sad for us. And as soon as I heard about these situations, I became concerned, which is a loving response. But I moved from concern to not being content. I started feeling that unless these situations were resolved favorably, I could not be content.
But I had been thinking about this verse throughout the day, getting ready for teaching on it this morning. And I knew that contentment would only come from seeing Jesus. I knew that, while I did want these situations resolved, I could be content right now in Jesus without the situations changing.
So here’s what I did. I prayed about this situation with Jan, and then I went back to my desk, and opened up to Psalm 63. Let’s turn there so I can explain exactly what happened. Psalm 63 is on page 479 in these Bibles that we passed out.
I prayed and asked Jesus to help me. I confessed that I was seeking my satisfaction in something besides him. I confessed that I had not been seeking my satisfaction in Him. And I asked him to help me change that.
And I started reading v.1 –
1 O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
See, there is only one all-satisfying never-failing thirst-quenching water for your soul – God as revealed in the person of Jesus. There’s a world of difference between knowing Jesus is with me, and experiencing Jesus as thirst-quenching water for my soul.
So I prayed over this verse. I said: “Jesus, I am seeking you. I come to you, not because I’m good enough, but because of your death on the Cross. I need you. I am thirsty. I am worried, I am fearful, I am not content. Meet me. Help me. Satisfy me.”
And then on to v.2 --
2 So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory.
I asked Jesus to help me see His power. And as I thought about that word “power” I thought of Jesus, Creator of the entire Universe, who has all power and authority in His hand. I saw that He was in control of everything.
And then I thought about Jesus’ glory. The pinnacle of Jesus’ glory is His abounding love and mercy and goodness. And I thought about Jesus, with infinite power, and abounding love and mercy and goodness.
And as I thought about these things, and thanked Jesus for His power and glory, and worshiped Jesus for His power and glory, something changed. Jesus was there. It was not particularly dramatic. But I felt Him and saw Him and knew Him. And as a result I was at peace. My soul was content. I was satisfied.
Now with that in mind, let’s turn back to Hebrews 13:5. Notice that we are not content in what we think Jesus will do. No. We are content with what we have – with whatever is going on -- because we also have Jesus, and He satisfies our hearts.
Second question: Isn’t there a danger of being so content that I neglect steps Jesus calls me to take? That’s a good question. And the answer is yes. So let me give a really brief overview of how Jesus wants us to deal with money issues – and I’ll list Scriptures so you can dig deeper on your own.
First, seek contentment in Jesus, not money or things (Philippians 3:8)
Second, understand that Jesus will provide all you need as you pray and plan and work (Mat 6:11; 2Th 3:10).
Third, work hard at whatever job you can get (Col 3:22-25).
Fourth, plan your finances (Prov 27:23-24). Budget. Organize your records. Reconcile your checkbook. There’s some excellent books in our church library that you can check out.
Fifth, avoid credit card debt (Rom 13:8; Prov 22:7). Check out DaveRamsey.com or Crown Ministries.
Sixth, live simply (Luke 3:11). Live below your means so you can --
Seventh, give generously for Jesus’ sake (Luke 12:33-34). Pile up treasures in heaven.
Third question: What if I know Jesus helps us, but I’m still fearful about the future? At the risk of sounding simplistic, I think there’s two main reasons this would be true.
One is if there’s something I want that I’m afraid Jesus won’t give. Maybe I’m afraid Jesus won’t give me a better job, or more money, or whatever. But if that’s the case, then I’m seeking my contentment in a better job, or more money, or whatever – not in Jesus. But a better job and more money won’t bring you contentment. Only Jesus will. So turn from seeking your contentment in those things, and seek the heart-satisfaction that comes through Jesus Himself.
Like we said last week: Jesus will provide the job, the money, the income you need to fulfill His call. Not your call. His call. So we need to find our contentment in Him, not in a particular job or income level. When I do that, I will not fear, because I will know I have Jesus, and I’ll be content with whatever He gives me.
But there’s another reason I might be fearful; because I’m not really trusting Jesus to help me. You can know mentally that Jesus helps people, but still not trust that Jesus will help you.
So what can you do to trust that He will help you? You need to close the door, kneel down by the couch or sit down at your desk, turn off your cell phone, open your Bible, and set your heart on Jesus and His promises. Ask the Holy Spirit to help your unbelief. Talk to Jesus about your finances, your unemployment, your needs. Ponder His promises – like the one in Hebrews 13:6 – “the Lord is my helper.” Pray and ponder and meditate and pray some more. And as you do this, I promise you, the Holy Spirit will give you faith. You will start to trust and feel that Jesus really will help you.
Let me close with a story that encouraged me this week – both to be content in Jesus no matter what is going on, and to be confident in the future because Jesus will provide all we need.
In April 1919 my grandfather was married and working at an orange grove packing house. He was planning on going into the orange growing business, and had just bought a small orange grove himself. But one day as he was at work he felt a strong call from Jesus to quit his job and go to Bible school and go into the ministry. This was so startling, that he stopped his work, found a place in the packing house behind some crates where he could be alone, and he kneeled down there and prayed.
And as he prayed, this sense of God’s call increased even more. But he had doubts: he knew this change would mean less money, and he was not sure how he would support his wife and pay for Bible school. But Jesus’ presence was so strong, that he knew this was Jesus’ call. And his heart was so satisfied in Jesus, that he didn’t care about the money. My grandfather was completely content and confident. So he got up from his knees, went to his boss, and resigned his position, feeling completely at peace.
So he and his wife started praying for God to meet their financial needs. But things got worse. They had been counting on making a good profit on the orange harvest from their little orange grove. But a few weeks later the orange harvest did not come in as he had hoped. They made far less money than he had been counting on. So there was now even more money pressure.
But he and his wife continued to seek Jesus, to trust Jesus, and to pray. And a few days later he got a call from an oil company, who offered him $10,000 to drill for oil on his orange grove. That money supported them all through his Bible school years – and the oil company did not ever end up drilling.
Jesus says: I will never leave you nor forsake you. So we can be content in the present, because we have Him. And Jesus says: I will help you. So we can be confident about the future, because He will provide all we need to fulfill His calling on our lives.