Sermon Nuggets Mon March 7 Using Money
Verse
1 Tim 6:9-11
9 People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction.
10 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.
11 But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.
(NIV)
Money Matters 2
I read a quote on money this week. “A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend. A successful woman is one who can find such a man.”
Perhaps another appropriate story is about a modern day Rip Van Winkle slept for 20 years. Upon awaking he immediately called his broker. “What’s the stock market done the past 20 years? With the aid of his computer his broker soon was able to report that his 100 share of A.T.&T were now worth 9.5 million. His 100 shares of GM were 7.9 million and his oil holding had increased to 19 million. Great Rip shouted “I’m rich” At which point the telephone operator interrupted and said, “Your 3 minutes are up sir please deposit a million dollars.?”
In our world of more expenses than income, and fast inflation, are there sure ways to make a living? How shall we look at money and its uses? Last week we introduced the subject of money matters looking at some basic understanding given to us in the Bible. The Foundation of Money Matters recognizes that God is the owner of all things and the provider of all things, We are not our own, we have been bought with a price;
The Faithfulness of Money Matters recognizes that we have a responsibility to take care of what God gives to us, regardless how much or how little that is His business. We need to receive our income in Biblical ways meaning by fair and honest work, or investments, or gifts and inheritances. We are to be examples of righteousness in handling money so others will want to do business with us. We are to be people of integrity so we can be trusted.
There is thirdly a matter of Fruitfulness of Money Matters – We looked at the fact that God made all things for us to enjoy, Not to use selfishly, not to use wastefully. God has blessed us that we might glorify Him.
I take opposition to two extreme groups that call us to abject poverty unless that is God’s call on our life; He calls some people to live on faith alone, and he calls others to provide for the needy out of their means. If you have a receiver, you need to have a giver; All are part of God’s economy to carry out God’s work.
Lastly, we just introduced the thought of Freedom from Money Matters, when our eyes aren’t on the possessions and the salaries, but most importantly on the Lord. To learn contentment comes from within not without. I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength, Philippians tells us. That contentment is freedom.
I feel I have done nothing more than scratch the surface with principles and insights from the Bible on How to use the Money that God gives us. This week however I want to touch on four practical themes of what you might do with what you got. What are some Biblical principles and observations on how we actually use our money and resources?
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Tues March 8 Considering Giving
Verses- Mal 3:8-12 "Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. "But you ask, 'How do we rob you?' "In tithes and offerings.
9 You are under a curse-- the whole nation of you-- because you are robbing me.
10 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.
l1 I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit," says the LORD Almighty.
12 "Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land," says the LORD Almighty.
“It is more blessed to give than receive.” Acts 20:35
Considering Giving.
I am talking to Christians. If you have not committed your heart to Jesus Christ any talk about giving to God and through the church is offensive. If you are not a believer in Jesus Christ, don’t give to the church. God wants your heart not your money. Keep it. You’ve got much greater problems than financial ones.
But as a Christian we cannot ignore the matter of giving to the Lord. If you think you are giving to the church or its programs you’ve missed the point entirely. Then your giving will only be out of responsibility, a feeling of guilt, or pride to support a charity. The Bible does not speak about giving to the synagogue or church, but rather giving to the Lord. When you see you’re giving to God then it is worship and not charity. Then He is the focus of your attention, not the church budget. If you give to the Lord what is already His, it becomes an act of worship. Because Jesus Christ is your creator, your savior and your faithful provider, you can express our gratefulness and love by giving our gifts to Him
A man I will call George wasn’t too interested in how things went in the church as he would put about $5.00 in a plate each Sunday. He had many complaints. When he was challenged to tithe he was offended at the idea. But decided to try it for awhile and to his amazement his interest in spiritual matters improved dramatically. His faith grew and he became involved more than any previous year. Such increased giving allowed him to participate more fully into worship, meaning ascribing worth to God. He began to think beyond himself and his wants. Jesus knew what he was saying when he said, “Where your treasure is there is your heart also.”
Someone once said, “Giving is not God’s way of raising money; it is Gods’ way of raising people into the likeness of His Son”
Randy Alcorn in his book Money uses this challenge. Act as if you were alive at the end of the Civil War. You are living in the South but your home is really in the North. You have accumulated a good amount of confederate money, but you know that the North is going to win the war soon. What will you do with your Confederate money?
If you were smart you would cash it all in with US currency, for that will have value when the war is over. You will only keep enough to use for your basic needed until the war was over. It will be worthless after that.
That’s the point. All we have will be worthless at our death or Christ’s return. The only currency of value is in the heavenly kingdom
Now about giving, we know the Old Testament used the law to teach the people to give 10% of all their personal earning in tithe to the temple and to the priests. Does God need money? No. However, the priests were only to live off the tithes given. The expenses of the temple and upkeep were for everyone but paid by the tithes. In addition to contributions to the Lord and sacrifices by the people, they gave alms to the poor.
When the children of Israel disobeyed this commandment it was regarded as robbing God Himself in Malachi’s days.
If that is the rule of the Old Testament what is the teaching of the New? The book in 1 Corinthians refers to generous proportionate giving on a regular basis from the heart. It should be personal, private, and regularly, like the first day of the week-which of course relates to the first money, not just what you have left over at the end of the week, and also as you submit yourself to God and seek his will for you.
Now I have been a strong proponent as you might expect of the local church which receives the tithe because the church, more than any other Christian agency or organization, does what it’s members want it to do with the money. If you are a member of Stanchfield you decide how the money is spent. No other place lets you do that. Our treasurer and financial secretary, whom you confirm, report every penny spent, every penny taken in. You vote once a year to determine how much money I should get as a pastor. You see how many miles I drove, what it will cost, what we spent on utilities. We will vote on matters that costs over 2,000 unless it has been a designated gift. It’s all up to you as members of a congregation. Some of you have more voice in church spending, if you chose to use that right, than in your own homes where one spouse or another may be in charge of all the finances. That’s why local churches also give to world wide missions and planting churches, and running camps, and helping feed people in our county and assist with World relief needs earthquakes, and floods in the name of Jesus Christ.
When you look at your money God wants you to realize it isn’t your money and to help you realize that part of worship is giving him a portion reminding you it is all his anyway. And of course, you may choose to give to other Christian organizations and causes as well. But ask yourself first, “Am I giving to God?”
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Weds March 9 Debt
Verses- Rom 13:8 Owe no man anything.
Proverbs 22:7 Just as the rich rule the poor, so the borrower is servant of the lender”
Considering Debt-
Our minds cannot wrap around how enormous the national debt is. In recent years according to Howard Dayton, more than 850,000 individuals filed bankruptcy, more than during the Great Depression. Consumers now spend approximately one out of every 5 dollars on personal debts not including house mortgage. Worse yet Gallup Poll found that 56% of all divorces are the result of financial tension.
But when it comes to being people of God there are some clear teachings of principles from the Bible. Debt happens when you spend more than you take in or have in savings. Most people in debt accumulate it so slowly through the years that you don’t realize what is happening.
When you get into debt you assume that you will earn enough or will have sufficient resources to pay the debt. We plan for the job to continue or business investments to be profitable. James 4 warns us “don’t say Today or tomorrow we shall go to such and such a city or spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit. Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow.” Of course it is wise to plan for the future, but don’t put such security in what you expect will happen, it may not.
Ron Blue tells of a young man who wanted to go to seminary to become a missionary. He had no money and thought the only way he could afford it was to secure a student loan. However, this would have given him 1000s of dollars of debt by graduation. After a great deal of prayer, he decided to enroll without a loan and to trust the Lord to meet his needs if that was God’s will. He graduated surprisingly without borrowing anything and grew in his appreciation for how the sovereign Lord would provide for his needs. It prepared him for the mission field where he repeatedly depended on God.
I realize there are debts beyond our control. Most assuredly medical emergencies can become so expensive people cannot pay them. An accident, a sudden layoff, or quick down sizing puts people in situations that are beyond control. I have found that many people who are self employed find that when they are injured they have no income or insurance to cover the time when they are not working. Part of God’s plan is to give to people in emergency and unexpected situations.
I also know that most people say debt is appropriate when you borrow for a house since it increases in value and property so you are gaining instead of losing if the interest rates aren’t too high or long. But if you need to set up a payment guide don’t make it so that it puts a strain on your monthly needs.
There are many examples in the Bible of people who were caught in the trap of borrowing. People whose sons and selves were to be sold in slavery. But if you think of it debt is a form of slavery. Someone owns you and has claim on you and some of your property until your debt is paid.
There are many practical Christian financial advisers and material to help folks apply principles to get out of debt. Howard Dayton from Make your Money Count gives some advice.
1. Pray like the widow in Elijah’s day, who prayed asking the Lord for help and guidance. 2 Kings 4:1-7 2.)
2. Make a plan. First stop any new debt. Pay for everything in cash or debit cards. People spend about 1/3 more when they use credit cards than when they use cash. Seek to pay off the entire balance at the end of the money so you do not pay service and financial charges
3. Sell stuff. Garage sales or auctions. Most people don’t need many of the things they own. One man realized he couldn’t afford the car he bought so sold it and bought an old junker which got him around until his debt was paid and then put money aside for a care he could afford with cash.
4. Establish debt repayment schedule for each creditor. Usually it’s best to pay off small debts first, then higher interest rates. Consolidate bills into one or fewer loans.
5. Increase your income. Maybe work over time, get a part time job, someone else in family works in the home, take in sitting, or laundry, or personal care attendant. Pray about that..
6. Learn contentment with what you have. God wants you to be clothed and fed, with that be content. Determine not to live beyond you means by saying no to things you really do not need for awhile.
7. Be persistent don’t give up.
One of the greatest freedoms is to be debt free. It doesn’t happen without a plan.
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Thurs March 10 Spending
Verses- 1 Tim 4:4 says for everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, if it is received with gratitude.”
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.'"
Considering Spending
After having talking about giving unto the Lord there is also the matter of spending. The Bible gives us the principle of managing it since it belongs to the Lord. The Next priority is taking care your need for food, clothes and housing. Beyond that let God lead you with a heart on eternal things.
John Wesley grew up in a pastor home where he saw his father taken to debtor prison. But John had a job teaching at Oxford University. He found He had enough money for single man to live on. Wesley had a different perspective on money-
Gain all you can. Money in itself is good. The love of money is the root of all evil. In the hands of Gods children it is food for the hungry, drink for the thirsty, raiment for the naked. It gives to the traveler and the stranger where to lay his head. We help the widow and orphans, we can take stands against abortion and contribute to political campaigns toward people for whom you think will best represent the needs of our country and values of blessing.
Save all you can. Not to gratify the desires of the flesh or desires of the eyes or the pride of life. We need to do a Holy Spirit inventory of needs and desire and thank God for blessing that can be used for his gory and refrained from buying what we want that we do not need. Money is sneaky, I have been the victim of gratifying desires of the heart with things only to find that my desires increase and I become a victim to clutter.
Give all you can. One day Wesley was decorating his house with newly acquired pictures when he noticed his chambermaid had nothing to protect her in the winter He gave her money to buy a coat, but found he had too little having just spent money on pictures for his house. The thought struck him that the Lord was not pleased his the way he spent his money. He felt as if God was telling him, you adorned your walls with money which could have adored this poor lady from the cold.
From that date he limited his expenses so that he would have more money to give to the poor. His record showed that his yearly income was 30 pounds and his living expenses were 28 pounds. So he gave away 2 pounds. The next year his income doubled but he managed to live on 28 pounds so he gave away 32 pounds. The third year his income jumped to 90 pound and instead of letting his expenses rise with his income, he kept them to 28 pounds and gave away 62 thousand 2/3rd of his income after giving to the Lord. In the first year he received 120 pounds but as before, his expenses were 28 pounds so his giving rose to 92 pounds. More than ¾ of his money.
A person with the spiritual gift of generosity doesn’t focus on how man he or she can spend on self, but how much that person can contribute. It was estimated that Wesley gave away over 30,000 pounds.
God wants to teach us to depend on him, whether wealthy or poor. If we are given a larger sum to take care of, do your best. If given a little do you best to be found faithful.
Spend in a way that pleases the Lord. “1 Tim 4:4 says for everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, if it is received with gratitude.” Being used by Christ in a significant way has nothing to do with greater riches. but has everything to do with a willingness to allow Christ to become your Lord.
Romans 12:2 says, Do not be conformed to this world. As we live in one of the most affluent cultures the world has ever known we are constantly bombarded with slick advertising whose only purpose is to prompt us to spend money. The more people watch TV the more they buy because people are masters in making you think you owe it to yourself. George Fooshee so aptly states “People buy things they do not need with money they do not have to impress people they do not even like.”
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Fri March 11 Perspective
Verses. He who loves money shall never have enough. :Ecc 5:10”
Considering Perspective.
Money will not bring true happiness. There are a host of miserable wealthy people and many happy poor people. Someone has aid, “Money will buy: A bed but not sleep; books but not brains; food but not an appetite; a house but not a home; medicine, but not health; amusement but not happiness; a crucifix but not a Savior.
He who loves money shall never have enough. :Ecc 5:10”
I am grateful for the kindness of the congregation toward my salary and expenses. I have been most blessed. feel like a rich man. My needs have been met these many years.
What God has placed upon my heart in addition to helping my boys with education is to look at short term mission experiences, so it is with that blessing we can go to some other areas along with the help of the church. I worry about using money that might be better used in relief work as where Judd is working and is it better to send it than spend it in my going to different places as God allows. It has expanded my world, but is this what God wants? And is it a help to others?
I had asked for the privilege of meeting with a man who had a passion for God. I wanted to learn something from him as a Sudanese. We talked for about an hour. This man who owned four businesses. He was considered wealthy. But one day God spoke to his heart about the Great Commission. His heart was moved that so many people were lost and going to hell. He devoted himself to start a small group of people and they would hold each other accountable to witness and to share in discipleship and each time they got together they would ask each other how it is going in their spiritual walk, who they shared their faith with. Soon other people became Christians and he started more discipling groups and bought study materials that he sold his business and I have the statistics with the papers he gave me.
Listen to this- soon this vision grew to over 40 people who lead last year 2,000 people in Small group discipleship trained to witness. These two thousand people last year saw 19,000 converts. Almost 10,000 of these people are presently in small groups taught by the 2,000 and are starting other groups. I tell you this is one happy man. He now knows what riches are. I asked him what is the greatest obstacle that he finds. He said, “Lack of faith” Most Christians don’t really believe God will do what he promises he will do and think the results are our responsibility All we are responsible for is to obey and the rest is His work.
How do we sum up things? Faithfulness in small matters is important. Contentment of the heart is great gain. Trust in God is the key to faith where the things of earth grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace. Thank God for what He has allowed you to have and determine to be a representative of Jesus in your finances. What would Jesus do?
Pastor Dale
