Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
We continue with the second part of our series, “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader.” The title is taken from a television show created to test adults and see if they can answer questions from the school studies of fifth graders. Many adults questioned struggled to answer some, or many, of the fifth-grade level questions. The corollary of the show to this series of messages is the fact that many Believers have been saved for years, but they lack understanding in The Kingdom of God and how to consistently and successfully operate in it. The Holy Spirit, through Paul, wrote of this in Galatians 4:1.
Galatians 4:1
Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all;
We are children of God, heirs of His Kingdom, and joint heirs of His Kingdom in Christ Jesus. Yet, if we are Spiritually immature, we are nothing more than servants in this earth when we should be lords. The Holy Spirit also wrote of this through Solomon in Ecclesiastes 10:5-7.
Ecclesiastes 10:5-7
5 There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, as an error which proceedeth from the ruler:
6 Folly is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in low place.
7 I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth.
Solomon states it is evil that the children of God, who are gods and lords in this earth, have allowed the world, the kingdom of darkness, to ride upon their metaphorical horses while we, as Believers, walk as servants in this earth. In other words, rather than us, as Believers, enforcing The Kingdom of God in this earth, we ourselves walk as servants, in bondage, to the inferior kingdom of this world.
Last week we addressed Jesus’ parable in Luke 16:1-13. We looked at verses 1-8. This week we’ll review verses 9-13.
Luke 16:9-13
9 And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.
10 He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.
11 If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?
12 And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own?
13 No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
Without discernment, it can be unnerving to read Jesus’ Words in Luke 16:9, “Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.” What? Make friends of the unrighteous mammon? It almost sounds like Jesus is commending one for making friends through wrong and deceitful practices of unrighteous or worldly wealth. However, we know Jesus is not promoting dishonest and wrong behavior as exemplary. He is teaching a Spiritual principle. What Jesus is saying in Luke 16:9 is we, as Believers, should use our worldly resources and wealth to bless others as God commanded us in Genesis 12:1-3. By doing so, when our bodies die, we’ll be welcomed into Heaven by those who were saved and blessed by our generous giving. This includes our tithe, our alms, and our offerings. God promises in Mark 10:29-30 and II Corinthians 9:10 that He will bless and multiply your seed (offerings) sown. The only time a faithful Believer will run out of earthly resources is when they die and enter Heaven. We don’t need it any longer.
Jesus goes on to say in Luke 16:10 that mammon, or money, is the least of the assets in this earth for use in promoting and advancing The Kingdom of God. Jesus is not saying money is not important in this earth. He is saying that a wise Believer will take little effort to appropriate all they need and want to be a tremendous blessing in this earth. If a Believer cannot be trusted with mammon, in other words faithfully use it the way God has instructed (tithing, alms, offerings), you will not receive the true riches for use in this earth (Luke 16:11). What are the true riches? III John 2 tells us.
III John 2
Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.
As your soul, or as your wisdom, increases in The Word of God, you will understand how to consistently appropriate health and prosperity from The Kingdom of God. Proverbs 4:7 tells us that in all our getting, “wisdom is the principal thing.” Why? With God’s wisdom, we’ll have no problem with III John 2. Oh lord, the religious are pitching a fit right now. III John 2 is there for us to observe God’s commandment in Genesis 12:1-3.
Jesus warns Believers in Luke 16:13 that we’ll either serve God or money. You cannot serve both. The dispensation of Grace did not negate the tithe, the alms, or the offerings. They were in effect well before the law. No matter how hard one tries, you cannot disprove this; however, it is very easy to prove. If we can’t open our closed fist and bring (tithe) and give (alms, offerings) to The Kingdom of God, then money is our God, and God makes it clear we cannot serve Him.
In closing, how do we make the unrighteous mammon, righteous? What did Jesus do before administering the five loaves and two fishes? Yes, He blessed it. We bless our unrighteous mammon when we bring our tithes to God. If we don’t tithe, all your money or mammon is unblessed and unrighteous. The devourer of Malachi 3 only has access to unrighteous mammon or to mammon used unrighteously.
Blessings in Christ Jesus. Merry Christmas to all. We bless You Lord Jesus and celebrate Your precious birth. We thank You Father for such a wonderful Gift.
Larry