Message Twelve

Being under the Divine Administration
in Resurrection to Overcome
Money and Material Possessions

Scripture Reading: 1 Cor. 16:1-3; Matt. 6:24

1. Although the material things were created by God and belong to Him (1 Chron. 29:14, 16), they have been corrupted by man’s fall and usurped by Satan, the evil one (1 John 5:19); hence, they belong to fallen man and are unrighteous—Luke 16:9:
   1. Man fell into the darkness of acknowledging only material riches and not God, of trusting only in material riches and not in God, and even of serving material riches, taking them as God and allowing them to replace God—1 Tim. 6:17.
   2. To us who believe in the Lord Jesus, the earthly things which are necessary for human existence may simply be earthly things or they may become the world, a system of Satan—1 John 2:15.
2. “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon”—Matt. 6:24:
   1. Mammon is an Aramaic word signifying wealth, riches.
   2. Mammon stands in opposition to God, indicating that wealth, or riches, is the opponent of God, robbing God’s people of their service to Him.
   3. To serve the Lord requires us to love Him, giving our heart to Him, and requires us to cleave to Him, giving our entire being to Him—Luke 16:13:
      1. In this way we are released from being occupied and usurped by mammon, that we may serve the Lord wholly and fully.
      2. In Luke 16:13 the Lord emphasizes that to serve Him we must overcome the enticing, deceitful mammon of unrighteousness—v. 9; Matt. 13:22.
3. The dealing with mammon and material possessions is related to God’s administration among the churches in resurrection—1 Cor. 16:1-3:
   1. If we know resurrection life and the resurrection power, we shall overcome money and material possessions; they will have no power over us, and they will not occupy or possess us—Acts 2:44-45; 4:32-35:
      1. Money or material possessions will not hinder or frustrate our function in the Body.
      2. What we have will be used for God’s administration among the churches—1 Cor. 16:1, 3; Rom. 15:26.
      3. If this is our situation, the Lord God will have a way to carry out His administration among us.
   2. Paul opens 1 Corinthians 16 with a word about collecting material gifts on the first day of the week—vv. 1-2:
      1. The first day of the week signifies resurrection, for it is the day of resurrection—John 20:1; Rev. 1:10.
      2. The fact that material things are offered on the first day of the week indicates that they should be offered in resurrection, not in our natural life— Matt. 6:1-4.
      3. Giving money and material things in resurrection is a strong indication that we are under God’s administration in resurrection and have overcome the possession of material riches.
4. All the material riches and enjoyment in our living are supplied by God’s rich giving; hence, we must not set our hope on the uncertainty of deceitful riches but on God, who affords us all things richly for our enjoyment—1 Tim. 6:17-19; Matt. 13:22.
5. The Lord Jesus charges us to store up treasures in heaven, that is, to spend our riches on the heavenly Father by doing things such as giving to the poor (Matt. 19:21) and caring for the needy saints (Acts 2:45; 4:34-35; 11:29; Rom. 15:26) and the Lord’s servants (Phil. 4:16-17)—Matt. 6:19-21.
6. To make friends by means of the mammon of unrighteousness is to use money to do things to help others according to God’s leading—Luke 16:9.
7. If we are willing to distribute our material wealth to help the needy for the sake of God, He will give into our bosom that which is rich and plenteous, a good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over; He will not give into our hands that which is scanty—6:38.
8. The best way to be blessed by God in material riches is to give, not to receive, just as the Lord Jesus did—Acts 20:35; 2 Cor. 8:9.
9. Supplying the saints with material riches is a fellowship which brings mutual grace to both the giver and the receiver—v. 4.
10. Offering material riches is like sowing; in offering these riches, we will reap little if we sow little and reap much if we sow much—9:6, 10.
11. The giving and receiving of material things is intimately related to the experience of Christ—Phil. 4:10-20:
    1. When we give and receive in the fellowship of life, there will be a blossoming in life (v. 10), the sign that life is flourishing, that there is a normal circulation of life in the Body of Christ.
    2. The fellowship in the matters of giving and receiving not only ministers life to all concerned but brings all the parties into the glory of God—v. 19.
12. The word in Malachi 3:10 superabundantly displays the infinitely rich promise of God:
    1. In principle, this word to the Israelites applies also to the New Testament believers.
    2. If we fully offer to God what belongs to Him that the church may be richly supplied, God will open the windows of heaven for us and pour out a blessing to us, which there will not be enough room to contain.