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Sermon Illustrations: Money
Anecdotes
A man approached Peter Marshall (chaplain to the US Senate in the late 1940s) and said, “I have a problem. I’ve been tithing for some time. It wasn’t too bad when I started out working. I was making $20,000 a year and I could afford to give $2,000. But, you see, Peter, I’m now making $500,000 a year, and there’s just no way I can afford a tithe of $50,000." When Peter Marshall had thought about it, he said, “Yes, sir, I think you do have a problem. I think what we ought to do is pray right now. Would that be okay?” The man said that it would. So Dr Marshall prayed, “Dear Lord, this man has a problem. I pray that you help him, Lord. I pray that you reduce his salary back to the place where he can afford to tithe.”
Prior to going to Madeley, a contemporary of Wesley's named Fletcher was informed by his patron, Mr. Hill, that he could live in Durham in Cheshire. He said, "The parish is small, the duty is light, the income is good and is situated in a fine healthy sporting country." "Alas, sir," Fletcher replied. "Durham will not suit me. There is too much money (?400 pa) and too little labour." Hill said, "Few clergymen make such objections. It is a pity to decline such a living, as I do not know that I can find you another. Would you like Madeley?" "That sir would be the very place for me." "If you prefer Madeley, I shall find no difficulty in persuading the present vicar to exchange it for Durham, which is worth more than twice as much."
Mr Micawber was a Dickens character from David Copperfield. He described happiness like this: Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen nineteen and six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and six, result misery.
Howard Hughes was a manufacturer, aviator and motion picture producer who died in 1976 aged 70. Indication of wealth: In 1966 he sold his Trans World Airlines shares for over $500M. He had great wealth. Yet he became deranged and emaciated from poor diet and excess drugs. He died a recluse. His wealth didn't help him.
A man was caught trying to get into heaven with a sack over his shoulders. Peter said, "So, what's in the sack?" The man looked sheepish and said, "As many bars of gold as I could carry." Peter shook his head and asked incredulously, "You brought pavers?"
Ps 19:10 - God's Word is worth more than all the gold. But how many Christians sacrifice it because they want more money, or an X-rated testimony, or to pursue other things.
If more money and work will keep you out of church, the devil says, "I'll give it to you".
You tell me what you've spent your money on over the last year, and I can tell you the things that are dear to your heart.
Several centuries ago, John Ward, a member of British Parliament prayed, "O Lord, You know that I have nine houses in the city of London, and that I have lately purchased an estate in Essex. I beseech You to preserve the two counties of Middlesex and Essex from fire and earthquakes. And as I have also a mortgage in Hertfordshire, I beg You also to have an eye of compassion on that county, and for the rest of the counties, You may deal with them as You may. O Lord, enable the banks to answer all their bills, and make all the debtors good men. Give prosperous voyage and safe return to the Mermaid Sloop, because I have not insured it. And because You have said, 'The days of the wicked are but short,' I trust You that You will not forget Your promise, as I have an estate that I will inherit on the death of that poor profligate young man, Sir J. L. Preserve me from thieves and housebreakers, and make all my servants so honest and faithful that they may always attend to my interests, and never cheat me out of my property night or day."
Quotes
Broadway is a place where people spend money they haven’t earned to buy things they don’t need to impress people they don’t like. Newspaper columnist Walter Winchell
One of our greatest sins is the fact that we are robbing God of what rightfully belongs to Him. When we don’t tithe, we shirk a just debt. Actually you are not giving when we give God one tenth, because it already belongs to Him. This is a debt we owe. Not until we have given a tenth do we actually make an offering. Billy Graham
I never would have been able to tithe the first million dollars I ever made if I had not tithed my first salary, which was $1:50 per week. John D. Rockefeller
God has always had a plan to fund His purpose and the enemy has always violently opposed it. Tithing is God’s answer to the release of His provision for His church, to enable it to achieve His full intent here on earth. Paul de Jong, God Money & Me p135
Money is like manure. If you let it pile up, it just smells. But if you spread it around, you can encourage things to grow. Gun Denhart, founder of Hanna Anderson clothing company
As base a thing as money often is, yet it can be transmute into everlasting treasure. A.W. Tozer
Jesus spent more time teaching on money than on heaven and hell combined. Why? Because there’s a fundamental connection between our spiritual lives and how we think about and handle money. We may try and divorce our faith and our finances, but God sees them as inseparable. Randy Alcorn in The Treasure Principle
Do not value money for any more nor any less than it’s worth; it is a good servant but a bad master. Alexandre Dumas
How we use money demonstrates the reality of our love for God. In some ways it proves our love more conclusively than depth of knowledge, length of prayers or prominence of service. Charles C. Ryrie
God gave me my money. I believe the power to make money is a gift from God. It is to be developed and used to the best of our ability, for the good of mankind. Having been endowed with the gift I possess, I believe it is my duty to make money and still more money, and to use the money I make for the good of my fellow man according to the dictates of my conscience. John D. Rockefeller
If things bought happiness, we'd be a delirious nation. Ministry Advantage, Module 6, p14
More than half a billion (one in four) of the world's children live on less than $1 a day. Compassion Website
Every 2.7 seconds, a child under five years dies from hunger and related causes. Compassion Website