What Does It Mean to Be Blessed (Matthew 6:1-24)
Gary McManus, 09/17/2023Part of the Life With Jesus is Better series, preached at a Sunday Morning service
September 17, 2023 Matthew 6:1-4, 24
What Does It Mean to Be Blessed?
God and Mamon. God and what?
Mamon is an interesting word. It is a Greek word.
Y’all cannot serve God and mammon. Yes, it IS plural.
Basically, don’t be a servant of avarice.
Why would Pastor focus on this verse?
Answer: Fortune magazine last July:
America used to have 2 religions: God and money.
Only One IS GETTING FOLLOWERS
The percentage of Americans who now put their trust
in money has risen from 31 percent to 43 percent.
For some Christians it isn’t easy to separate God and Mamon.
THAT was from our friends at Lifeway Research.
Most Churchgoers Say God Wants Them to Prosper
Financially, Lifeway Research | Jul 31, 2018
What do American Christians mean, “prosper financially”?
Hard to tell.
One third of Protestant churchgoers say their congregation
TEACHES that God will bless them if they donate money.
Is God a cash back God?
One in 4 say they have to do something for God to receive
material blessings in return.
There is more confusion in the churches about the Prosperity
Gospel.
It IS possible that Pastor McManus has been
misunderstood. He wants to be clear
Pastor McManus: “I will claim that you receive
blessings if you give. Yes. Cash blessings? No.
I claim that you don’t have to give money.
And I claim that you don’t have to give to this church
and you will STILL receive blessings. What kind
of blessings will you receive? I don’t know.
God is the one giving blessings and God will do/give what
God wants to do/give.
You might (only) feel good about yourself for giving.
That IS a blessing. Luke 18:30 is not a simple statement.”
Does Pastor claim more blessings come through more gifts?
Maybe.
How does one compare gifts in the plate, with the blessings
that come out?
Even Jesus had trouble explaining that one.
The same statement is in Matthew, Mark and Luke:
That doesn’t sound like “cash back”.
Matthew 19:29
In Mark 10:29-30, did Jesus say we get what we give?
How is that possible? Maybe Jesus is using
Kingdom of God and the family of God talk.
What do YOU think?
But the opinions of American church goers is even
MORE confused. Church goers can’t explain the
“prosperity gospel.” They might believe in it and
not know it. They might deny it yet still live by it.
Instructions on having Elders in the church:
1 Peter 5:2: “not for shameful gain. . .”
The basic American Christian problem?
Believers are asking: “what am I going to get out of it?”
To GAIN from your faithfulness?
The word of our Lord Jesus and the Bible; servant.
Mark 9:35. Jesus said of himself: Matthew 20:28
See John 13:12. “. . .blessed are you if you do them.
And yes, it’s plural. Amen.
Earlier: | Same day: | Later: |
---|---|---|
« American Christians afraid of the wrong things | None | Are We Allowed Greedy Gain » |