How should Christians invest in the future?
Text: Matthew 5:1-16, 6:19-34
Hosts:
J. Kent Edwards
Vicki Hitzges
Nathan Norman
Narrator: Brian French
The CrossTalk Podcast is a production of CrossTalk Global, equipping biblical communicators, so every culture hears God’s voice. To find out more, or to support the work of this ministry please visit www.crosstalkglobal.org
Produced by Nathan James Norman/Untold Podcast Production
© 2024 CrossTalk Global
Brian: I recently asked Chatai what is a good investment strategy and was impressed by its answer. Number one, set clear financial goals. Having clear investment goals helps determine the right investment approach. Number two, long term perspective. Focus on long term growth and stay disciplined. Number three, diversify. Spread your investments across asset classes such as stocks, bonds, real estate and cash. All this sounds like good advice, but perhaps as christians, our financial decisions should not be made solely on the advice of AI or even Warren Buffett's comments in Berkshire Hathaway's annual reports. I wonder what financial advice Jesus would give us. Interested? Then join Nathan Norman, Vicki Hitzges, and Kent Edwards as they listen and consider Jesus out of this world investment strategy in Matthew, chapter six, verses 19 to 34. Welcome to Crosstalk, a christian podcast whose goal is for us to encourage each other to not only increase our knowledge of the Bible, but to take the next step beyond information into transformation. Our goal is to bring the Bible to life, into all our lives. I'm Brian French. Today, doctor Kent Edwards, Vicky Hitzkis and Nathan Norman continue their discussion through the gospel of Matthew. If you have a Bible handy, turn to Matthew, chapter six, verses 19 to 34. As we join their discussion.
Kent: The 19th century actress Mae west said, I've been rich and I've been poor and rich is better. Would you agree?
Vicki: I would, absolutely. Absolutely.
Nathan: Yeah.
Kent: Why? Why would be rich better?
Vicki: Oh, because you're not. What you worry about is different, but you have options. Rich is better, right?
Nathan: Yeah. You have food, you have clothing, you have shelter. Although I hear this question, and it reminds me of something I heard the comedian Larry David said after he got very financially successful in Seinfeld. So he said he was always anxious about money. And then once Seinfeld grew and got huge and he was incredibly wealthy and never needed to worry about money again, he found that the anxiety didn't go away, it just shifted into something else.
Kent: I've heard the same thing. Some friends who know others who are tremendously wealthy, and they say that, no, these people who are very, very wealthy, they worry about taxes, they worry about their inheritance, where they worry about what are we going to do to pass it on? Will it hurt my kids? Will it help my kids? They're consumed with worry. Anyway, from my perspective, I too would enjoy a healthy bank account from a distance. Looks like I could put up with some of those pressures a little bit.
Vicki: Yeah. Yeah. Like to find out.
Kent: But the Bible does caution us about seeking wealth. In fact, in proverbs 23, the verses four and five, man, the writer is pretty clear, isn't he?
Vicki: He says, do not wear yourself out to get rich. Do not trust your own cleverness. Cast but a glance at riches and they are gone. For they will sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle.
Kent: Wow. That's a pretty powerful proverb. Powerful metaphor, isn't it?
Vicki: Well, it's saying those rich people that are worried have a reason to be worried.
Kent: Yeah. And what is the warning exactly in this parable? What are in this proverb? What is the writer saying?
Vicki: He's saying, money is fleeting. Either you get separated from it, or it gets separated from you.
Kent: You're right. Well put. And notice, he's not saying it's wrong to be rich. He's saying it's wrong to wear yourself out to be rich. So it's talking about people who are obsessed about money, whose priority is in life is primarily financial. Right.
Nathan: Right.
Kent: And those people are fools. That is precisely what Jesus says to his disciples in Matthew, chapter six, verse 19.
Nathan: He said, do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
Kent: Hmm. Don't store up for yourselves treasures on earth. It seems that when you make wealth your priority in life, Jesus is saying, along with the writer of the proverb, you will inevitably be disappointed. Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth. He says. He's just saying, terrible financial strategy. Why?
Vicki: Well, there's always a risk to it because there's pretty much a risk to anything. You put your hope in your children. They can die, they can run away. They can be huge disappointments. You put your hope.
Kent: Well.
Vicki: I mean, it's just.
Nathan: No, it's very true.
Vicki: I'm my mother's daughter.
Nathan: You said the quiet words out loud, though. That's why it's funny.
Vicki: No, I know. Or you put your hope in what you own, and, you know, back then, it was probably fine handmade rugs. And then you get dirt, you get moths, you get. You know. If it's metal, you get rust. It's thieves. It's there. Nothing is really secure in this world.
Kent: Well, and Jesus point would agree with you. And his point is that it's a terrible financial strategy, not just putting your hope in other things, but also particularly for money. Moth and rust, he said, will destroy your portfolio. That word rust literally means eating, which means in the ancient world, even today, many people in the world tie up their finances in things that will have lasting value. They just don't trust currency. Currency can be devalued. It can go away. They want something hard that will keep its value that they can sell when they need to. And rugs are the perfect example. I've been in India and I see some of the beautiful rugs that are made. Legendary persian rugs, right? Those things are so valuable, nobody walks on them. They're really nice ones. They hang them on the wall. They are so beautiful and so precious. And Jesus is saying, you can buy a rug and you can secure your retirement with this beautiful, expensive rug. And then when you get to need it, you unravel it and discover the moths have been there and they have eaten it and they've destroyed it and it has no value. It is gone. And if you say, well, okay, I'm going to, I'm going to protect myself, I'm going to put it in gold because moths don't eat gold, right? So I'm going to get gold. And that keeps its value through the centuries. It's a pretty safe investment. Yeah, but you got to put it somewhere. You can't carry it everywhere you go or you could get robbed. You got to. So they would have a safe, as it were, built into their house. Houses. And there's, they put their golden. But our houses were made of brick and clay. So a thief who was actually, the word literally means digger, will come with a pickaxe behind your house when you're not around, cave in the wall and steal all your gold. And you think you've prepared for retirement and you've got all you need, you put your trust in that and it can be gone in an instant. Now Jesus is really giving good advice. Don't. Don't invest your resources, your financial resources and that which can be gone. Every financial instrument on this planet will fail you. Ultimately, it will fail you if you don't lose it all in a stock market crash or a house fire or a devaluation of your currency. Well, there's one place you will lose it all. And where's that?
Nathan: In death.
Kent: Yeah, everyones net worth is exactly the same 30 seconds after death.
Vicki: Thats true.
Kent: You cant take it with you. So Jesus suggests expanding our investment portfolio to include something more durable than carpets, gold or stocks. In fact, he says in verses 19.
Vicki: And 20, do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
Kent: Hmm. It is said that a fool and his money are soon parted. And while that's not a Bible verse, it's still valid. And it's what Jesus just said, you need to change your asset allocation. Rather than storing up on earth, we need to invest in the kingdom of God. What does that mean? How do we follow Jesus investment advice?
Vicki: I know what that means because I saw my parents and my grandparents do it, and I try to do it. I think of my parents and my grandparents, and I think where they must be now. My dad's dad didn't have money. He lived in the slums of New York most of his life. But every single Sunday, Sunday night and Wednesday, he would walk to his church, and he'd put $5 in the plate, which was a lot of money for him, you know, especially for back. Back in the time, because he wanted to invest in the kingdom. And my grandparents, on my mother's side, invested, and they had. My grandmother was an evangelist, Boyden. She. She'd walk up to anybody, and she'd say, are you a Christian? And, you know, boy, if you said no, she'd do what she could to change that. And she had five day clubs, these evangelistic clubs for children, and she would. They were like vacation Bible schools at her house, and she would lead children to the Lord, and they'd come because she'd have good refreshments, and she'd tell them about the Lord, and she was really an evangelist. And my grandfather was. The kids loved him. He'd play the guitar and sing and sit on the steps and throw the ball to him. And then, you know, my parents, both of them had. They were ministry driven their whole lives. And I think about them, and I think, I bet they're just whatever mansion God made for them, I bet it's spectacular.
Kent: So when Jesus says, store up treasures in heaven, he means, what?
Vicki: Put your money, put your energy, use your opportunities to lead others to Jesus Christ.
Kent: Invest in God's work in the world. Invest because moths and robbers are not going to be in glory. So transfer your money to heaven where it's safe from all of the dangers that we face here on earth. So, gift to your church to ministries such as crosstalk and other good ministries. But let's push that a bit further. If you're going to invest here on earth, how would you decide what investments to make, what stocks to buy, or what real estate to purchase? How would you make your decision?
Vicki: Well, as my friend Steve says, get the most bang you can for your buck.
Kent: Absolutely. I want maximum return. So when we invest in the kingdom, which Jesus is telling us to do, I think we're wise to invest where we get maximum return for his kingdom.
Vicki: Yep.
Kent: Is this money going to be well used? Is it going to advance the kingdom in a significant way? And two ministries may say the same thing, but what are they actually doing? How do I know? Buy stock market. You buy stocks in the stock market, you can see the little line go up or down. You know how well they're doing. But do we ever check how effective the ministry is? Are they actually accomplishing what they said? No. Invest in the kingdom, Jesus says, and invest wisely. So why do we invest our money in heaven, as Jesus says? Well, because it's financially advantageous. He's clear. We are storing up treasure in heaven. It's a very practical reason. You're prepare for what's coming. Invest in heaven. But secondly, it's also spiritually advantageous because verse 21, Jesus is crystal clear, right?
Nathan: He said, for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Kent: Hmm. So we don't give because we've got a heart for ministry. We give because that will create a heart and a passion in us. Your heart goes where your money goes. That's just reality, Nathan. If a person in your church said, for example, that they just bought a summer house, guess what the likely implications are?
Nathan: They're not going to be here in the summer.
Kent: Why not?
Nathan: Because they're going to the summer house. They've invested in this thing, and now they got to get their use out of it, right?
Kent: I want my money's worth out of it. Their treasure affected their heart. That's just reality, Vicky. As your father used to say, the only stocks I care about are the ones I've invested in. So when you look at the online or in a newspaper, what stocks are up or down? You don't look at all of them. You look at where your money went. What you treasure will determine the state of your heart. He explains this in verses 22 and 23.
Vicki: He says, the eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness?
Kent: Here, jesus says, your eyes, what you look at, what you are focused on, will determine your destination. You're going to walk where you're looking. If your desire to know God and make him known, if that's your passion, then your path in life will take you to him. You will be filled with light. But if your ultimate desire in life is for money, if that lights up your eyes, your life will take a very dark turn. You may end up with wealth, but you will never enjoy fellowship with God because, well, as Jesus says, no one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. And then he summarizes it in a very stark way, doesn't he?
Vicki: He says, you cannot serve both God and money.
Kent: Pick one, because you can't have both. So if your life's focus is good, if your eyes are trained on him, your future is bright. But if your life's focus is dark and money driven, your fate will be sealed. Because he cannot love and serve both God and money, you can only have one main priority in life. So I think I understand Jesus financial advice here. Set clear financial goals. We'd agree with that, right?
Vicki: Sure.
Kent: I mean, chat GPT is not always wrong. Clear financial goals, although we need to make sure that they are kingdom centered and not earthly centered. Have a long term perspective, focus on long term growth, AI told us, and stay disciplined. Would Jesus agree with that?
Vicki: That's a good goal, sir.
Kent: Yeah, absolutely. Invest in heaven and continue. Have a long term perspective, realizing you're giving now for eternity. And asset allocation. AI told us to spread our investments across asset classes such as stocks, bonds, real estate and cash. Jesus isn't really saying that, is he? He's not saying spread it out. Jesus is saying where to put all our eggs in one basket. His if you're like many of us, you may feel a little bit afraid of that. Doesn't that sound risky? Are we signing up for a lifetime of worry? No, Jesus says, addresses this directly. He answers our objection that it was not financially prudent to keep investing significantly in the kingdom that is to come, rather than the life that we're living today. He says in verse 25 and 28.
Vicki: Therefore, I will tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. And why do you worry about clothes?
Kent: So what's his answer? I mean, most of us eat and drink, and we all, I hope, wear clothes. Those are things we just have to have. We have to purchase. We need money for that. Why shouldn't we worry about food?
Vicki: Because, he says, look at the birds of the air. They don't sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
Kent: Oh, okay. But what about clothes?
Vicki: Let's just see how the flowers of the field grow. They don't labor or spin. And yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor, was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothed the grass of the fields, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, you of little faith?
Kent: Jesus is saying here, you're a fool. If you pursue money, it will take you exactly where you don't want to go. And you're a fool because your money will not go with you into eternity, where everyone needs to be prepared to enter. But he also rebukes us as Christians, particularly american Christians. I read recently that only 5% of churchgoers tithe in America.
Vicki: That's terrible.
Kent: 5% that the average giving per churchgoer is $17 a week. Even though us christians make nearly half of the world's total christian income, we are poor givers. If every christian tithe 10%, God's work in the world will have an extra $139 billion every year.
Nathan: Wow.
Vicki: Every year.
Kent: That is huge. That is huge. Look, Jesus is giving very clear financial advice. He says, set clear financial goals. Invest in his kingdom, not your own. Take a long term perspective. Give with an eye to eternity where moth and rust won't eat away at your investment. And thirdly, refuse to diversify exactly the opposite of what our friend AI told us. Realizing that we cannot serve both God and money, putting our money to work for God's kingdom will create a heart that is passionate about him and his work in the world. And when we start to worry about how that kind of generosity might affect our future, we need to remember Jesus words.
Nathan: He said, so do not worry, saying, what shall we eat? Or what shall we drink? What shall we wear? For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Kent: Invest in the kingdom. It's guaranteed to bring returns by your heavenly father.
Brian: Rather than storing up our treasure on earth where it can decay, erode, be eaten or taken. God tells us to store our treasure in heaven by using our resources to grow his kingdom. When we do that, he promises to care for our needs on earth. I trust that todays discussion of gods word has been helpful and served as an encouragement to not just be hearers of the word, but doers. Together, let's bring God's word to life, to our lives. This week, the Crosstalk podcast is a production of crosstalk global, equipping biblical communicators so every culture hears God's voice. To find out more about this educational, nonprofit organization, please visit www.crosstalkglobal.org. you can also support this show by rating it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you're enjoying it. Join us next Friday for a special guest interview. You won't want to miss it.
Nathan: Join Nathan Norman, Vicky Hitzkes, and Kent Edwards as they listen and consider Jesus out of this world investment strategy in Matthew 619 through 34. I read that wrong as they listen and consider Jesus's out of this world investments.
Kent: There's a big pun there, by the way.
Nathan: That's why I read it wrong. You put the quotes around it and everything.