Breaking The Chains Of Debt

Sermon 2: Breaking the Chains of Debt

Introduction: Consider the Source

* If you tell a lie long enough and loud enough, it becomes "truth"

Did you know that if you spread a myth loud enough, long enough and with enough repetition, eventually a bunch of people will think it's the truth? Did you know that if you tell a lie loud enough with enough of an ad budget-with enough sophistication in your marketing campaign-society or the culture will adopt the lie as truth?

It does not make it the truth. It's still a lie. Just because a bunch of people believe it doesn't mean anything. A bunch of people are crazy. Y'all with me on this?

Isn't it scary to think that people can be indoctrinated, marketed to, advertised to, to the point that we can't breathe in our intellect and think for ourselves? For some reason, we lose our ability to think critically, then we look stupid because we believed a lie. It doesn't make it the truth if everybody votes for it. It doesn't make it the truth if everybody thinks it's so.

We live in a culture where a lot of people are really not winning. As a matter of fact, if they all believe it's not so, that probably means it is so. It's kind of a Dr. Phil moment: How's that working for you? It's not.

Just because everyone believes something doesn't mean it's right. We really have to establish that when we start talking about personal finance and money and what the Bible has to say about money. Because here's the deal: I went broke a few years ago. I lost everything because I was stupid.

And then I started reading what God's Word has to say about money, and I've gotten smarter. And what's weird about this is, it's like a lot of things in His Book-it's countercultural. It's perpendicular to what everyone says. But everyone's not winning. Their marriages aren't winning. Their kids aren't winning. Their careers aren't winning, and their money's not winning. So I really don't care what they think.

This, however, works.

* Your source for truth is Scripture

So, what I want to talk to you about tonight is this. There is a product today that has been marketed so aggressively, so thoroughly, that to imagine living without this product is inconceivable for most people in North America.

They have done such a good job selling it that people get angry at me, and I get hate mail because I suggest that you shouldn't buy this product. I've got to tell you, that's weird. That's warped. But that means that it has been indoctrinated into us so deeply that it's got its claws into our spirit, and we believe the lie so much that we will fight for the lie. That's weird.

We have a culture that's sitting in the middle of that right now, and I spend my life like a crazy preacher on the street corner, screaming out a truth that makes everyone think I'm nuts.

But I'm having fun. I'm having a blast. Because I've got to tell you, a few people start listening, then about 100,000 start listening, then millions start listening, and tens of millions start listening. That's weird.

And what happens is, every time I meet them, they're smiling because they're winning, and they go, "Dave, you taught me the truth, and I'd never heard it before. And it was weird, and I didn't like it, and I really didn't like you at first. . . . But once I started being able to win, it changed everything for me."

Let me show you what I'm talking about. Everybody stand up for a second. Here's what I want you to do. I want everybody in this place to close your eyes. Now, I will call on you if you don't play, okay? So close your eyes. Close your eyes. Yeah, you.

Now, with your eyes closed-don't open them and don't move fast so as to hurt someone or give away your answer-I want you to point north. With your eyes closed-no cheating, no looking around. It's okay to be wrong. It's just not okay not to play. I won't make fun of you for being wrong. I will make fun of you for at least not trying. In other words, guess if you don't know.

Which way is north?

Open your eyes and look around. Would you agree with me that someone's wrong? I don't know. I'm lost too, but according to my compass, north is right through here. Now, I did see one guy pointing like this. He did a little cheerleading move. But at least he was playing, right?

Here's the deal: If you weren't pointing this way, you were wrong. Ew. Is your self-esteem damaged? You were wrong. You were wrong. You weren't right. That's north! And if you don't agree with that, you're wrong!