Stewardship, Gratitude, and the True Nature of Wealth

### Bible Study Discussion Guide

#### Bible Reading
1. **Luke 10:38-42 (NIV)**
> As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

2. **John 12:1-8 (NIV)**
> Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it. “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”

#### Observation Questions
1. What were the different reactions of Mary and Martha when Jesus visited their home in Luke 10:38-42?
2. In John 12:1-8, what was Judas Iscariot’s reaction to Mary’s act of anointing Jesus, and what does the text say about his motives?
3. How does Jesus respond to Martha’s complaint about Mary in Luke 10:41-42? [06:24]
4. What does Jesus say about the poor in John 12:8, and how does this relate to Mary’s act of anointing him?

#### Interpretation Questions
1. How does the story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38-42 illustrate the concept of pride versus gratitude? [06:24]
2. What does Mary’s act of anointing Jesus in John 12:1-8 teach us about the value of sacrificial giving and gratitude? [14:02]
3. How does the sermon distinguish between the 'spirit of poverty' and the 'spirit of gratitude'? [10:07]
4. In what ways does the sermon challenge the idea that material wealth is inherently evil? [10:36]

#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on your own life: Are there areas where you might be exhibiting a 'spirit of pride' like Martha? How can you shift your focus to gratitude? [06:24]
2. Mary gave a very costly gift to Jesus out of gratitude. What is something valuable to you that you can offer to God as an act of worship and thankfulness? [14:02]
3. The sermon mentioned that making $34,000 a year places one in the top 1% of earners worldwide. How does this perspective change your view of your own wealth and responsibility? [04:15]
4. How can you practice responsible stewardship of your resources in a way that honors God, as discussed in the sermon? [02:38]
5. The sermon rejects the Gnostic belief that material possessions are evil. How can you enjoy your material blessings without feeling guilty, while ensuring they do not become idols? [11:38]
6. Envy was described as wanting others not to have what you cannot have. How can you cultivate a heart that rejoices in others' blessings instead of feeling envious? [12:25]
7. The sermon shared a story about the power of gratitude through writing thank you cards. What is one practical way you can express gratitude to someone who has blessed you recently? [16:05]

Day 1: Stewardship Reflects the Heart
Wealth is a tool that can be used to honor God, and its true value lies not in its accumulation but in the stewardship and the intentions behind its use. This challenges the prosperity gospel, which incorrectly equates material wealth with divine favor. Instead, one is called to manage resources wisely, with a focus on saving, multiplying, and using money in ways that reflect gratitude and honor towards God. This approach to wealth requires a heart that seeks to serve God rather than to serve self, recognizing that all resources are provided by Him and should be used in accordance with His will.

"Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way, they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life." - 1 Timothy 6:18-19

Reflection: How can you adjust your current approach to money to better reflect a heart of stewardship and honor towards God? [02:30]

Day 2: Pride Versus Gratitude
The biblical story of Mary and Martha serves as a poignant reminder of the dangers of pride and the beauty of gratitude. While Martha was preoccupied with her work and sought recognition, Mary chose to express her gratitude through a sacrificial act of worship. This teaches us that our achievements and hard work should be viewed as blessings from God, not merely personal accomplishments. It is essential to recognize that all abilities and opportunities are gifts from God and to express thankfulness for them, rather than seeking validation for our efforts.

"But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: 'God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.'" - James 4:6

Reflection: In what ways have you sought recognition for your efforts, and how can you shift your focus to expressing gratitude for the blessings God has given you? [07:03]

Day 3: The Multiplication of Blessings
Gratitude is not just a feeling; it is an action that can lead to the multiplication of blessings. The practice of expressing thanks, such as writing thank you cards, can result in unexpected generosity and provision. This demonstrates the reciprocal nature of gratitude—when we acknowledge the source of our blessings and show appreciation, it often leads to further acts of kindness and support. Gratitude opens the door to a cycle of blessing that enriches both the giver and the receiver.

"A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed." - Proverbs 11:25

Reflection: What are some tangible ways you can express gratitude this week, and how might this practice open the door to further blessings in your life? [16:29]

Day 4: Enjoying Material Blessings Responsibly
Rejecting the Gnostic belief that material possessions are inherently evil, it is affirmed that Christians can enjoy material blessings without guilt. The key is to ensure that these possessions do not become idols that are prioritized above God. Material blessings should be used in a way that reflects God's love and generosity, serving as tools for good rather than objects of worship. This balanced perspective allows for the enjoyment of God's creation while maintaining a heart that is fully devoted to Him.

"For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving." - 1 Timothy 4:4

Reflection: How can you ensure that your enjoyment of material blessings does not overshadow your devotion to God? [11:31]

Day 5: Global Wealth and Personal Responsibility
Understanding global wealth standards can profoundly shift one's perspective on personal finances. Recognizing oneself as part of the global 1% can inspire a sense of responsibility and gratitude for the resources one has been entrusted with. This awareness encourages a more generous and thankful approach to wealth, prompting individuals to use their resources to bless others and to be mindful of the needs of those less fortunate.

"If you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday." - Isaiah 58:10

Reflection: How does recognizing your place in the global wealth spectrum influence your sense of responsibility towards others, and what action can you take today to reflect this understanding? [05:06]

Okay? Just for the record, I guess I'm in trouble because I just traded in my old Camry. Please don't judge. If you would like to follow the sermon notes and so forth, you can find that inside the church app. You just want to click on the tab that says "Worship," and you'll find the sermon notes there.

All right, so last week, I'm just going to admit to you, last week was probably the hardest of this series because we got a little honest about what the Bible says about that. Okay, guess what? It's nothing up here. We're not going to talk about that part anymore, and you're all going, "Ah." But this week we're going to actually talk about how we, when we use money God's way, when we start to get some and we feel a little better, how we deal with that in a godly way.

Now, I just want to pause for a second because our stuff goes on social. The one thing that always happens is people go, "You're talking about prosperity gospel." Friends, we're not. We're not talking about that if we're good, holy people, that God won't give us that money. That's not what we're saying, right? Nothing I've said up to this point says that good people get money and bad people have it taken away. Our society proves that that's not true. I don't know if you've seen on the news, but there are plenty of people who are not good people because they end up doing crime, but yet they end up with lots of money and wealth. And if God rewarded good people with money and punished bad people with having no money, you wouldn't see it anyway that it is. Are you with me?

Okay, so we are not talking about just being good, holy, godly people that God's going to give us lots of things. What we're talking about is when we use what we have responsibly, then we use our money in a way that helps us be responsible with it, save it, multiply it, and then we use it in a way that honors God. Do we see the difference? Okay, now we're all okay.

Now today we're talking about the difference in pride, poverty, and gratitude. Now, as we go through this, I just want to make sure we're all on the same page. Who wants to be a person with pride? Who wants to be a person of poverty? Who wants to be a person of gratitude? All right, both of us are on the same page, so I'm going to be a notch to you.

All right, so when we start handling God's money, God's way, which is not magic, it's not the prosperity theology, we're focusing on getting out of debt, we're focusing on actually using a budget. We save and we do God's plan and we follow the scriptures. Essentially, we actually save and gain some money, and then we deal with this idea that we have to figure out how to deal with the criticism of other people and people telling us that we're not doing things right and judging us on our money and all these things, making sure we make all the choices still. So this is where we're going today. Money's not evil. Anyone agree with me on that? Money's not evil. It has no character in itself, right? A car isn't evil. A car could drive over a median and hit another car and kill somebody, but the car itself didn't do the act, did it? Unless it's one of those self-driving cars, and then its technology got messed up. But I'm not getting into the theology of self-driving cars. That's like ten years from now; we'll have a certain amount of self-driving later.

Money is not evil. What we do in our hearts is what decides if we're making good choices or bad choices. So this is the thing. If you make $34,000 a year, did you know that puts you in the top 1% in the world? We should think about that for a second. If you bring home $34,000 a year, you are in the top 1% in the world. Friends, every one of you are 1% income people. You are rich. Comprehend that. And if you make $11,000 a year, you're in the top 10% in the world. $11,000 a year. Friends, we have so much because we don't even compare ourselves to our own country, and we see what's on the news of people who have big stuff and the big houses and the big fancy cars and all that, and we think, "Oh, we're not doing as well as they are." We're all in trouble when it comes to the comparisons. But in the end, if we have computers and cell phones and a car, then we're doing good.

So today, we're going to compare what it means to have things and to be wealthy because we hope you just realize that we all are wealthy. If we have a house and we have a car, we have a phone, it all depends on who you compare yourself to. So we're going to look at two stories. The first one is about Mary and Martha. We're in Luke Chapter 10, starting in verse 38.

As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. Her sister Mary sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he taught. But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. So she came to Jesus and she said, "Lord, doesn't it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me."

But the Lord said to her, "My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all of these details. There's only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her."

Now, many of you have probably heard this story before. If you've ever been in a maze while studying, you've probably done something like, "Are you Mary or Martha?" But Martha for us today is going to represent the spirit of pride. Because you see, she is focusing on hard work. She's wanting to show how hard she's working, and she deserves to be honored because she's working so hard. And Jesus makes Mary work hard like her.

And for many of us, we focus on how much we've done and we've earned, and we've done this. And it's our income because we've worked and worked and worked and worked and worked and worked for it. Friends, that's the spirit of pride. We focus on what I've accomplished and my performance and what I've done. If we're not careful, we miss the fact that God has still given it to us.

Now, you might be thinking, "But God didn't get up at five o'clock every morning to get out of the house, eat breakfast, drive into Jacksonville, and work eight hours a day and then have to come across the button all the way home." That was me. You're right. But let's do the flip side. Who helped you have the understanding to learn the job that you do? Who kept you safe day after day after day as you made your commute? Who gave you the patience on days that your boss made you want to smack somebody upside the head with a clipboard? Y'all know you had some of those days, to be honest. Who helped you figure out how to solve the problems that helped you get the promotions?

See, for people of faith, we have to believe that our knowledge and understanding and our skills and abilities and talents are all things that God has given us. That he knit us in our womb with it. And if everything we do in our life is because of who God has made us to be and the things he has given to us, then the successes we have are because of how he has made us and what he has given to us. So I may work hard because I'm working hard by the things he has given.

Martha's in another story with Mary, and we're going to jump into that one too, in John 12. And this one is right before Jesus goes to the cross. Six days before the Passover celebration began, Jesus arrived in Bethany, the home of Lazarus. Now, I'll just pause. Lazarus is Mary and Martha's brother. And there's another story where Mary and Martha are mourning because Lazarus died. And Lazarus was Jesus's friend, and he rose Lazarus from the dead. And that's all happened for this. So now they're just all having a meal together in Bethany, the home of Lazarus, the man he had raised from the dead.

A dinner was prepared in Jesus's honor, and Martha served. And Lazarus was among those who ate with him. Then Mary took a 12-ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus's feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance. But Judas Iscariot, the disciple who would soon betray him, said, "That perfume is worth a year's wages. It should have been sold and the money given to the poor." Not that he cared for the poor; he was a thief and was in charge of the disciples' money. He often stole some for himself.

Jesus replied, "Leave her alone. She did this in preparation for my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me."

So added to Mary and Martha, now we have the character of Judas. And so for our sake of teaching today, Judas is going to represent for us the spirit of poverty. You see, he saw what he wanted from the situation. He said he was a thief. And the idea of the spirit of poverty is what people say today is the idea that wealth is evil. It comes from the devil. We should feel guilty about having lots of money. We should give it all away because it's bad.

As we said a second ago, money has no good or bad in it, right? We see lots of scriptures, especially in the Old Testament, where God has blessed many holy families with lots of wealth. Why would he do that if it was evil? Two weeks ago, we started this series. We looked at 1 Timothy 6, where we said, "For the love of money is the root of all evil," not money. We said it's the heart thing. Y'all remember that? It's what we love, not what it is.

But there was this movement in early Christianity called Gnosticism. The groups called the Gnostics believed that all material things were evil. It didn't matter what it was. It could be clothes. It could be homes. It could be anything. And the Gnostics just rejected everything materialistic and believed you should give everything away and own nothing. They were considered heretics, by the way. That's a strong word, but it means that they had the wrong theology.

Anybody happy that Gnosticism didn't take hold? I mean, I don't know about you, but I do want more than one pair of clothes. It's a lot easier to wash my clothes when I have at least a week's worth. I prefer more than a week's worth, actually. I have like, you know, three weeks' worth of clothes. It makes my life a little simpler. They don't wear out so fast. And that's come from a minimal history. The Gnostics would say that that's way too much. I should not have all of that. I should have maybe two changes of clothes, and anything else is being too materialistic. They would say that I shouldn't have a car; I should just hitchhike everywhere. This is Gnosticism.

But if we believe that our things aren't bad and what we own is not bad, then we have to reject this idea. But society is going to tell us that if we're good Christians, we shouldn't have nice things. But that's not what scripture tells us. Scripture tells us that we shouldn't feel bad for having things. We should only feel bad if we put our things above God, right?

So that's where we come to this idea of jealousy versus envy. And you heard Dave talk about it. I put that clip so I felt like he could do it a lot better than me. But jealousy is someone saying, "I want what you have." Some of you live on the river. I'll be honest. I want what you have. I love Waterview. My little holding pond in the backyard is that for me. Man, I got a turtle. But I would love a Riverview. It'd be fantastic. But you know what? Envy says that if I can't have a Riverview, then none of you should have one. And I don't believe that. I believe God's creation is amazing. And if you can have it, then you should enjoy it. And we should all enjoy what God gives us, including all of creation.

See, this is how we break the spirit of pride. As we say, "It's okay if I don't have it. I'm glad my brothers and sisters do." We have to catch ourselves in this one. Because the goal is for us to have the spirit of gratitude. This one's a hard one in our society today. We have to fight it because the world tells us that this is not what we should do. The world tells us we should have the other two. But this is what Mary had in the second passage. This is what we see of someone who had very little and was willing to give it to God out of joy and thanksgiving and love and gratitude.

So when we say, "What I have was given because God loves me, and I'm thankful to him. I want to worship him." Well, I want to unpack what Mary did for just a second. Mary took a 12-ounce jar of expensive perfume and anointed Jesus's feet. And Judas said that perfume is worth a year's wages. It should have been sold. Now, statistics in America today, the average yearly income is $50,000. Does anyone spend that amount of money on perfume? No, no, no, I was curious. None of you raised your hand. Okay, okay. She took the equivalent of $50,000 of perfume and broke it on Jesus's feet. She gave the most precious thing she had to Jesus.

Now, I want you to think for a second about the smell. Everybody knew that she did this. Everybody knew this perfume had been broken, not just in the house, but five houses down probably. It was a lot of potent perfume. And Jesus would carry that smell with him for days because it was an oil-based perfume. It would have soaked into his skin. He would have gone to the cross and been beaten and still had it on his skin. And it's believed that when the tomb was found empty, the remnants of the perfume still lingered in the space.

The effects that she had by worshiping her Lord lasted and lasted and lasted. And this is the hope of the heart. When we say we worship God, we give God our thanks, that we take it from the depths of who we are. And it doesn't matter how much. The quantity and the value of what she gave is not what's important. What's important is that she gave something that she believed was what God wanted her to give.

I was taught as a little girl the importance of always saying thank you. My grandmother was very southern. She taught us that every southern lady should write thank you cards. So when I was little, I always had to write thank you cards for birthdays and Christmas. And when I got to seminary, we had this endowment fund in my area that gave money to seminary students to help us pay for school so we could leave seminary without debt. It's one of the many reasons I did not have to take loans for seminary. And I'm thankful for the people who helped ensure this for me.

There was a requirement that we write thank you cards every three months to the donors of the endowment fund. And this is one of the reasons that the pastor who started this endowment fund was so successful. Because all the other college funds didn't do things like this. And every year, I'd get a different list of names. So I would write a different group of givers to the endowment fund. So they would get to know all the seminary students. They'd learn about our families. And they know who they were helping. And they had faces and names to apply to hear who they were helping become pastors.

Because there's a power in someone saying thank you for giving to me to do what God has asked me to do. And this fund just kept growing and it kept growing. One time, one of these givers gave us a gift just for Christmas because God laid it on his heart to make sure we had money for Christmas. Friends, we didn't have money for Christmas that year. We just had to make a major repair on our pickup truck that we called our Dave Ramsey truck. It was a hooptie, as Dave says. And we just made a huge repair, and it took all of our Christmas money. And he wrote his card. And he said, "I was looking at your most recent card on my prayer table. And I started thinking, I sure hope Harry would have money for Christmas."

And he sent us another check. That den guy do great things. I'm not trying to say that God just always sends us random checks. But sometimes when we're in the most desperate need and we've been grateful for everything, he finds ways to show that his love is grateful too. That's what the spirit of gratitude is all about.

Friends, we get to choose which spirit we want to be a part of. And that's what this week's concept is. How do we look at what we have from God? Are we receiving all that he's given us and thinking about how much we've done from it? Are we treating what we have as evil and hiding it away so nobody knows it's there? Or are we seeing it as a gift and being grateful for everything God's given us?

Harry, did you think about that? Which spirit is yours, and who do you want to live like? Would you pray with me?

Oh my God, I'm thankful for all that you've given me. As I reflect on the times in my life when I only had a few little bits of extra, but then you provided so much more. I now look at all the things that I have and the blessings that you give us. And I'm thankful for your continued love, not just for our family, but also for our church. That you provide in ways we can't even see, not just with people, not just with time, but also with resources.

So today, God, I pray that you show us in this time your overabundance of grace and love and providence so that we may be gracious and show gratitude for all that you do. We pray this in your holy name. Amen.

1) "Money's not evil. It has no character in itself... What we do in our hearts is what decides if we're making good choices or bad choices." [04:02] (Download)

2) "If you make $34,000 a year, did you know that puts you in the top 1% in the world?... Friends, every one of you are 1% income people. You are rich." [05:06] (Download)

3) "We're not talking about that if we're good, holy people, that God won't give us that money... What we're talking about is when we use what we have responsibly, then we use our money in a way that honors God." [02:30] (Download)

4) "Scripture tells us that we shouldn't feel bad for having things. We should only feel bad if we put our things above God." [12:13] (Download)

5) "Martha for us today is going to represent the spirit of pride... We miss the fact that God has still given it to us." [07:03] (Download)

6) "Who helped you have the understanding to learn the job that you do? Who kept you safe day after day...? Who gave you the patience...? Who helped you figure out how to solve the problems that helped you get the promotions?" [08:01] (Download)

7) "There's a power in someone saying thank you for giving to me to do what God has asked me to do. And this fund just kept growing and it kept growing." [16:29] (Download)

8) "Envy says that if I can't have a Riverview, then none of you should have one... I believe God's creation is amazing. And if you can have it, then you should enjoy it." [12:45] (Download)

9) "Mary took a 12 ounce jar of expensive perfume and anointed Jesus' feet... She gave the most precious thing she had to Jesus." [13:39] (Download)

10) "But sometimes when we're in the most desperate need and we've been grateful for everything, he finds ways to show that his love is grateful too." [16:29] (Download)