God's Standard For Generosity Series

Money excites us and it also worries us. We work for it, spend it, give it, and even save some of it for a rainy day. And like our physical fitness, we seldom are really comfortable with our finances. The goal of this series is to whip us into Financial Fitness. You received two items as a part of this new sermon series inside your worship guide this morning. In the coming weeks, we’ll talk about How Wise People Build Wealth, as well as Three Attitudes of the Financially Fit, and Three Habits of the Financially Fit. You’ll receive a weekly handout that encourages you to take the conversation home as part of our Faith at Home series. Resources are available all this month in our Faith at Home resource room. Also, you received an anonymous commitment card – we’d ask you to prayerfully reflect where you are throughout today’s message.

Introduction to Proverbs

The Book of Proverbs is Principles from Heaven for Life on Earth. Proverbs is practical learning you’ll need for life. In fact, much of the book is designed for a father to teach his son. As you read it, you can imagine a son around twenty years old who’s just about to step across the threshold of adulthood. In front of him are the great themes of Proverbs … wisdom and folly, life and death, right vs. wrong. Proverbs will serve as a father to us where we’ll hear our dad’s voice (or the dad we wish we’d had ?) teaching and training on the danger, the value, and the limits of money.

Let’s do a thought experiment for a moment. Think with me about a room full of people where each person is a stoplight. Imagine with me, this morning, if you’re a stoplight. Your face shows one of three colors, red, yellow, or green, in response to the message. As a pastor, I can talk about faith, love, and forgiveness … and all I see is green. But for many, the very moment I mention finances all I see is red. People put the brake lights on when pastors talk about finances. You see, money exercises a power over us.

Make no mistake about it: this series trespasses on enemy territory. I want to invade the turf of a powerful adversary, attempting to cross a war zone laced with mines. I want to seek to recover strategic territory that rightly belongs to the true King.

Again, money exercises a power over us. And today, I want us to see how we can break money’s hold over us.

Today’s Scripture

My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments,

2 for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you.

3 Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart.

4 So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man.

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.

6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

7 Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.

8 It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.

9 “Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce;

10 then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.

11 My son, do not despise the LORD's discipline or be weary of his reproof,

12 for the LORD reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights” (Proverbs 3:1-12).

The ancient Aztecs used chocolate for money, or more precisely the cacao seed. A small isolated people on a Pacific island of Yap used an even more bizarre form of currency, money was the literally the size of a boulder. Money in this isolated people was a large, solid, thick stone wheel that ranged anywhere from one foot to twelve feet in diameter with a hole in the middle. Now with money so large it couldn’t fit in your pocket, one advantage was this: theft was very rare! It would take four big men to simply steal one stone.

No matter the time in history or what your currency may look like, the Bible is specific in this command: “Honor the LORD with your wealth” (Proverbs 3:9a). Let’s zero in on the powerful words in verse five for the next few moments: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5). There’s more here than I can cover but allow me to show you, Two Steps in Honoring the Lord