​An elderly couple passed away and found themselves at the pearly gates. Peter was there to welcome them. First he showed them their mansion. The man overwhelmed by the sheer luxury of it all.  Being accustomed to business on earth he asked, "How much does this place cost per night?" Peter replied, "Sir, this is Heaven, it doesn’t cost anything." Then Peter took them to the dining room where table upon table was piled high with the most delicious foods you could imagine. Again overwhelmed by the glory of it all the man asked, "How much for the meals?" Peter said, "You forget, this is Heaven, it’s free." Peter then took them out back where they saw a fantastically beautiful golf course. As the man stood there open-mouthed Peter said, "Now before you ask, there are no fees, this is Heaven, everything is free." The man looked at his wife; "You and your confounded bran muffins.  If it wasn’t for them I could have been here 10 years ago!"
 
A great room, an amazing all-you-can-eat buffet, and even the greenest golf courses – as much as they are all nice – are not what heaven is about.  The best thing about heaven is who we are with.
 
“Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,”for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:1-4).
 
Most of the time, when we talk about heaven, we tend to focus our “what” heaven is like. Will it be “up there” somewhere?  Where exactly will it be? Will there be fishing streams?  Will my cat be in heaven.  [Ugh… I hope not]. Then there are the streets of gold.  Just what kind of gold are we talking about anyway?
 
There’s the story of the rich man who, on his deathbed, negotiated with God to allow him to bring his earthly treasures with him when he came to heaven. God thought this was a little strange, but being the benevolent God that he is decided to grant the man’s request.  Sure enough the man died and he showed up at the pearly gates with a suitcase.  St. Peter, being in charge of the front door and all, needed to take a look (I guess even heaven has security screening).  Peter took the suitcase, opened it, saw all the gold that the man had brought, and asked with disbelief, “Pavement? You brought PAVEMENT?"
 
Gold streets are nice, I’m sure – but that’s not what heaven is about.
 
The most important questions about heaven are not “what” questions; they are “who” questions. Namely; who will be there? And of course, the most important “who” in “who will be there” is Jesus. The glory of heaven is not in the beautiful descriptions and all the wonderful comforts.
 
For example, we know that in heaven there will be no sorrow or crying or pain.  Now, that sounds good! There is a lot of pain in this world.  Some of you have been through so much already. I don’t understand it all.  But I do know that all of that will be a thing of the past in heaven. That’s sounds good.  And it is good.  But even that isn’t the best part about heaven.
 
The glory of heaven will be the presence of God. Remember, John 14, when Jesus is comforting his disciples, “That where I am, you will be also….”  And in Revelation: “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them”  (Rev. 21:4).
 
Now, don’t get me wrong….. I like my friends and my congregation. You are an amazing people.  You’ve been patient with me, you’ve supported me, you’ve been there for me when I’ve gone through difficult times – you guys are awesome – and I very sincerely hope that all of us will be in heaven together some day.  That would be awesome for sure.  But [are you ready for this – brace yourself – this might come as a shock] I’m not looking forward to heaven because I’ll see you there.      Crazy, isn’t it? And I’m not even looking forward to heaven because I’ll see my grandparents there. I know that sounds awful, like I don’t care.  That’s not true at all.  I do care. But heaven isn’t about me and my buddies or even my family – it’s about God.  Heaven is about being in the presence of the eternal God of all creation, and being able to know him, worship him, and love him free from all hindrances and limitations.
 
Let’s take a look at 1 Corinthians 13:12, “For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.”
 
Right now, we see God with our human lens, but we don’t see him clearly. Right now, we love God with our human heart, but there are also other things that compete. Right now, we worship Him – and yet even our worship is limited. In heaven, we will see him face to face, we will know him fully and we will worship him without hindrance. In heaven, we will be able to have that full and complete, unhindered relationship with our Lord and Saviour.  We will see him, we will understand him, we will be able to worship him – fully and freely. All our imperfections will be gone.  All our misunderstandings will be gone.
 
Going back to Rev. 21:7; “He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.”  Sounds pretty good.  That’s what heaven is. Our relationship with, our communion and our understanding of God – fully restored.
 
But there’s one other thing that needs to be said about heaven – and that is that it’s not the eternal home for everyone.
 
We have this concept in our mind – and I think it starts in grade school now – where everyone is a winner. You win, I win, we all win.  No one loses. And that concept has passed into the spiritual realm. God loves us all.   We are all his children. We’re all going to end up in heaven one way or another. Sounds very modern – but it’s not at all biblical.
 
Take a look at Rev. 21:8, “But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all the liars – their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur.  This is the second death.”   Whoa…. Where did that come from?  Yes, right after all that other nice talk about what heaven will be like.
 
Not everyone is in heaven now. Some people won't make it. The Bible speaks of the saved and the lost. The saved are those who trust Jesus Christ as their eternal Savior. The lost are those who do not trust Christ as Savior. This is the great dividing line of humanity-you are either saved or you are lost. And there is no middle category. You will either spend eternity in heaven or eternity in hell.
 
Way back in Deuteronomy 30:15-20, God made it clear to the people that there were two choices, two ways, two outcomes as they entered the promised land.
 
See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. 16 For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.  17 But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, 18 I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. 19 This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live 20 and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
 
The same is true for us as we face the prospect of eternity.  There is an eternal life and there is a second death.  And the sad part is that no one needs to face the reality of hell. That’s why Jesus died for our sins – he took our sin upon himself – so that we can find life. We have a choice – life or death; blessings or curses.  Eternity with God – knowing him fully – or rejecting Him and facing the consequences.
 
In his book "Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life", the author Charles Swindoll tells a story about the 19th Century agnostic Thomas Huxley. Huxley was in Dublin and was rushing to catch a train. He climbed aboard one of Dublin’s famous horse drawn taxis and said to the driver "Hurry, I’m almost late, drive fast". Off they went at a furious pace and Huxley sat back in his seat and closed his eyes. After a while Huxley opened his eyes and glanced out the window to notice that they were going in the wrong direction. Realizing that he hadn’t told the driver where to take him he called out ‘do you know where you’re going?’ The driver replied "No, your honour, but I am driving very fast’.
 
Far too many people are racing along in life but they haven’t given much thought to where they are going. The question for us is, where are you headed? I don’t ask you that, with a figurative gavel in my hand and a long finger pointing at you; I ask you that as a friend.   “There is a way that seems right but in the end it leads to death.”  Prov. 14:12.
 
There are two ways; two destinies; two choices.  We don’t end up in heaven because we were lucky, or because we kept our nose relatively clean.  We can only come into heaven through Christ.
 

​Benjamin Franklin, in a 1789 letter to Jean-Baptiste Leroy made the comment, "'In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes."
 
Of course, we could probably add a whole lot to that list if we really wanted to. But one thing we know, we know that one day we will die. James 4:14 puts it rather bluntly…. “What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”
 
The most common reaction to discussions about death is fear.  We fear death.  But why?  Why are we so afraid of death?  Or, to put it another way…. why do we fight so hard to extend life as far as humanly (and as scientifically) as possible?  Why do we fear death so much and treat it like an enemy that has to be conquered at all costs, especially when we know that we will all submit to it in the final battle?
 
I think part of the reason why we resist death so much is because we were never meant to die.  Death was not part of God’s plan for us when he created us.  We were not designed to die – and frankly, I think that’s one of the reasons why we have such a hard time with it.  In a way, death is unnatural – even though it has become very natural.
 
So why do we die?  We know that death came as a result of sin.  Of course, the warning was there.  When God placed Adam in the garden and told him about the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, God warned him, “for when you eat of it, you will surely die” (Genesis 2:17). And in that sense, death reminds us of our own sinful nature.  “All have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God” (Romans 3:23).   And “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).  But there is also more. The very next statement is that the gift of God is eternal life.
 
While death is a forgone conclusion… there is also more.
 
In 1 Corinthians 15:54b-57, Paul was writing to a church that was concerned about death.  And in reference to the work of God he said “’Death has been swallowed up in victory.’  ‘Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?’  The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
 
“The sting of death is sin” (1 Corinthians 15:56).  That agrees to what we already read in Genesis. If there were no sin, there would have been no death.  But now there is death.  It can’t be avoided. But the power of death has been broken because the power of sin has also been broken. We still die, physically, but death has no power over us – it merely becomes a transition to eternal life. In essence, for the believer at least, death becomes the passageway to victory. Which takes me back to the question I started with earlier… why then are we so afraid of death?
 
When a runner is running a marathon… I don’t know how many miles that is, but it’s a lot.  Does the runner see the finishing line and say, “Oh great…. now my race will be over” and pout across the line? Of course not!  He or she sees that end and gets excited. We see the end and we tremble, moan, groan, etc.  Why?
 
Instead of seeing death as a defeat, or even a symbol of our sinful nature, we need to see death as one who crosses the finishing line into victory; where the power of sin no longer has any dominion over us.
 
Paul even used that imagery in his second letter to Timothy, in 4:7-8.  “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will aware to me on that day…” That doesn’t sound like someone who is facing death kicking and screaming – resisting it to the very bitter end?  No.  He knows his work on earth is done and he’s ready to cross the line.  No fear.
 
Listen to how he expresses it to the Philippians.  He wrote: “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21).  That’s amazing!  It’s not a loss…. It’s a gain!
 
Going back to the Corinthians in a second letter, we see why Paul is so confident. “We are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord…”  And then he goes on to say he “would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.”  (2 Corinthians 5:6-8). To die is gain because he will be with the Lord!  What could possibly be better than that?
 
There was the time when Lazarus was sick and his sisters (Mary and Martha) had called for Jesus to come.  Remember what Jesus did?  He intentionally delayed before he went to see Lazarus – who was only 2 miles away.  What’s two miles?  A 40 minute walk?  Maybe 45 minutes? Jesus waited even though he knew Lazarus was dying.
 
Sure enough, by the time Jesus came, Lazarus had been dead four days! Do you remember what Jesus said, when he was comforting Martha?  “Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die” (John 11:25). Even though a person dies physically, they will live on spiritually, with a new body – eternal life.
 
That is why death is a non-issue.  Death has no power.  It has no sting. 
 
Yes, I know we will miss people – of course we will – we’re attached to them.  And yes, we will grieve and mourn – I understand that.  I have no problem with that. But in the overall scheme of things, death is a transition into eternal life – it’s a day of victory. It’s a day when there will be no more mourning or crying or pain. It’s a day when we will be free from the burdens of this world – and the temptations of this world. It’s a day when we will be with the Lord – forever.  That’s the best part of it all!
 
But it didn’t happen that way by itself.  Remember, “the wages of sin is death”.  What happened to that? Hebrews 2:14-15, “he [Jesus] shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death - that is, the devil - and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.”
 
Jesus broke the power of sin.  Jesus sets us free from the fear and despair of death.  Our hope is in Him. The Bible is very clear – that whoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life. It’s not a matter of being a “good person”, whatever that means.  It’s not a matter of our works, even though they are important.  We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
 
The question becomes; have you put your faith in Jesus?  If you have, then death has absolutely no power over you.  If it means anything, it means victory!  You’ve simply crossed a finish line. If you haven’t put your faith in Jesus, you need to. It is the only way to cross over from death to life.
 

​Last fall, the Globe and Mail had the headline story, "Canadian household debt hits record high as consumer spending rises."  It went on to talk about "Canadians’ growing love affair with debt."  With nearly $80 billion in just credit card debt alone, the average Canadian does indeed have a love affair with debt, owing $1.65 for every $1.00 he/she has in disposable income.  People are in desperate financial straits – perhaps more than any time in recent history.
 
The cause for this dismal financial picture is often limited income; which makes sense; if we had “unlimited income” we wouldn’t have a financial problem.  However, I am convinced that more often than not, the greater problem is not limited income, but unlimited expense.  At every turn, we are bombarded with a compulsion for more!  We want bigger, newer, faster, brighter, etc, and there is always the option to buy now, pay later.
 
What I’d like to do in this Perspective is outline several Biblical principles on the topic of money.  Jesus did speak more about money than any other subject besides the “Kingdom of God.”  Jesus talked more about money than he did Heaven and Hell combined.  Eleven of the 39 parables He tells are about finances.
 
Why does Jesus talk about money so much?  Because He knows what kind of an impact it will have on our spiritual lives.  Yes, money is a spiritual issue.  Jesus said it himself, "where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:21).
 
Rather than say what you should or shouldn’t do, I believe that if we follow these Biblical principles we will do well in the area of finances.  Doesn’t mean we will “get rich”, but it will certainly put us on the right path both economically and spiritually.  Regardless of whether you are well off, or in financial need, whether you are in retirement or a student, these principles will help us stay on track.
 
Principle #1: Trust in God.
 
Philippians 4:19 "And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus."
Sooner or later, experience shows us that putting your trust in the economy, your employer, or your bank account is not a good idea.  They are not dependable. They can seem to be a great help one moment, but the next moment everything gets changed.
 
Our American friends put it on their currency: "In God We Trust".  Whether people live by that or not is a different story; but it’s a good reminder that even while we are holding money in our hands, that ultimately our hope is in God, not in money.
 
This is an important principle, for it lays the groundwork for all the rest.  It is God who we depend on.  That’s one of the reasons why God gave the people in the Old Testament the command for a Sabbath rest.  Not only was the Sabbath a day to rest physically, the reason for the rest was so that mankind would learn to put their trust in God.  For six days they would labour and toil.  For six days they would earn their living, ensuring that they have bread for that day.  But on the Sabbath, they rested. Why?  In order to be reminded that they depend on God. 
 
Yes, we go to work, we take responsibility, we do what we can – but we do so with an understanding that it is God who will supply all our needs.  Incidentally, this is also why we stay away from lotteries and other games of chance; we do not want to put our hope in “luck”.  We put our trust in God.
 
Principle #2: Don’t love Money.
 
1 Timothy 6:10 says, "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs."

It's important to clarify that the root of all evil is NOT money... it is the love of money. Money is not evil.   Having money, and even lots of it, is not evil.  God has been known to pour out blessings, even financial blessings, on some.  The problem is the love of money; and the love of money has led many people astray.
 
The problem with the love of money (besides it being idolatry) is that when we pursue it; that is, when we set money as the goal of life, we end up hurting ourselves - and most likely others as well, in the process.  Many people have been hurt by the notion of getting rich quick.  Others have taken advantage of others in their pursuit of money.  Still others have forfeited integrity in order to acquire wealth.   The love of money has been the downfall of many relationships.  It blinds people and causes them to do what they otherwise would not.  In many ways, its rather intoxicating – which is why Jesus said it is difficult for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven.  The more you have, the easier it is to get off track.  It’s not impossible to stay on track – it’s just more difficult.  We guard against that by keeping an “arms length” relationship with money.  In the end, money isn’t to be loved, it is a tool to be used for the honor and glory of God.

Principle #3: Give Generously.

“There he goes…. talking about giving…. doesn’t he know that’s an Old Testament law?”
 
It is true; Malachi 3:10 does say, “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.”
 
This an Old Testament command.  Aren’t we now living under grace?  Absolutely.  However, living under grace gives us greater responsibility, not less responsibility.  Put another way; what we do under “grace” should far outweigh what we did under “law”, and we clearly see this in the teachings of Jesus.
 
Several times, in Matthew 5, we find Jesus saying, "You have heard that it was said... but I tell you...."  In each instance, Jesus pointed to an Old Testament law, and the pointed to how they needed to surpass that law.  In concluding that section in Matthew, Jesus said, “For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20).  It is very obvious that under grace we need to do better than the law. 

One way we do better is by giving generously.  Acts 20:35  "In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’"

Giving sets us free, while hoarding entraps us (James 5:2).  Giving changes the lives of others (John 3:16). Giving brings blessing back to us (Luke 6:38).  Giving allows us to store up treasures in Heaven rather than here on the earth (Matthew 19:21). Giving really is fun – we need to be in on it.  It is one of the best ways to keep the love of money in check!

Giving isn't just for individuals.  It applies for the church as well.  In 2014-2015 our local church gave away 29.9% of our contributions.  Incredible!  I remember a time when we didn’t have $100 to buy Sunday School materials.  Yet, this past year we gave away MORE money than what our donations were 10 years ago.

The truth of the matter is that giving 10% is just a starting point.  I like to think of it as a beginner’s tithe.  It’s a starting point.  I am so grateful to parents who taught me to tithe at a young age.  It has never been a burden and always a blessing.  God has shown himself faithful time and time again.

Above our tithe, we need to be generous in all our giving; whether that’s helping out a neighbor or a family member or in a special missions offering.  We will never go wrong in being generous.  People will forget your words, but they will remember your actions.
 
Principle #4: Stay out of debt.
 
Proverbs 22:7 reminds us, "The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender."
 
When you owe someone money; you are in effect their servant. Now, there's nothing wrong with being a servant - we should be servants - all of us - but we're talking about something else here - we're talking about owing - and when we owe, we are in essence going to work for someone else's behalf.
 
Perhaps the best way to put this is to suggest that going into debt is a form of self-inflicted slavery.  You take something, in exchange for a promise to pay back.  You are basically selling your future in order to gain something in the present.  That's usually not a good move because we don’t know what tomorrow will bring.  We can get into trouble.  It is so much better to stay out of debt (often by saying “no” to self) in the first place.  We don’t need the latest.  We don’t need the greatest.  We don’t need the newest or fastest.
 
If it is too late for you to stay out of debt, make it a priority to get out of debt.  The best way to get out of debt (or to stay out of debt) is to follow our last principle.
 
Principle #5: Follow a budget.
 
“Budget” is not a four letter word.  It is actually a Biblical principle. In Luke 14:28 Jesus reminds those who were seeking to be his disciple, “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won't you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?”
 
Many people break into a panic when they hear the word “budget”, thinking that a budget will not allow them to enjoy using money.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  In fact, a budget does exactly the opposite – it frees you to spend money the way you should.
 
Many years ago my older brother took his family and my family for a day at Disneyland.  I can’t remember how many of us there were, but we were a large crew.  By the time the entrance fee was paid and the food was purchased, it amounted to a rather significant amount.  Then, to top if off (no pun intended), there were souvenir hats at a ridiculous price.   My generous brother paid for it all.  I asked him how he could do that and he said it was all money put aside for this purpose.  I learned an important lesson that day.
 
That’s what a budget will do for you – it will allow you to freely spend money according to a plan, instead of on the spur of the moment.  It will give you a realistic picture of what you can afford and what you can’t afford.  It will help you put the other principles into practice.
 
The bottom line is you can’t afford to not have a budget.
 
Conclusion:

Money really is an important issue.  Like the tongue, it can be used for good or evil. The difficulty is using it for the good.  It's not always easy. The more you have, the more challenges you will face. But using money wisely is not impossible.
 
If we stick to the principles outlined above, we will have done our part.  The issue isn’t “how much” we have, but how we honor God with what we have.  And the best way to do that, is to live by Biblical principles for handling finances.