Honor God Financially

We are continuing our Man Series today. And out of all the messages we’ve done, this is the one that worried me the most. We’ve talked about some sensitive issues in this series. We’ve called out our manhood, we’ve taken on marriage, and we’ve tackled sexual sin. We’ve talked about pornography, adultery and homosexuality. We even talked about masturbation. And none of us even batted an eye. But this one subject, people get flat out angry about. And today I want to talk to you about honoring God - Financially.

Today we want to talk about the other “M” word – Money. At Element we are willing to take on any subject the Bible addresses head on, including the issue of money. Our goal is to preach all topics through the Bible and money is all throughout the Bible. God talks about money more than faith and prayer combined. There are over 2,000 verses in Scripture about money. Sixteen of Jesus’ thirty-eight parables are on money and possessions.

I could care less if you ever give a dime to this church. That’s not my agenda. We don’t want anything from you, we want something FOR you. And what we want FOR you is for you to have Jesus. And the only way for you to have Jesus is for you to give Him your heart. You can give God everything you own, and it won’t be good enough to get into heaven. Salvation can’t be bought and heaven cannot be earned. The only way for us to get into heaven, to be saved, is by putting our faith in Jesus; by the forgiveness of our sins. For the Bible says, there is no other name under heaven by which men must be saved but Jesus. And that’s what we want for you this morning – Jesus. However, Jesus makes it clear that once you give Him your heart, He begins to change, control and renew every area of your life for the better, including your money. In fact, Jesus says the way that we handle our money is one of the truest tests of our faith.

Matthew 6:24 No one can serve two masters. For you will hate the one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

He could have said you cannot serve both God and anything but he didn’t. He chose the word money because I think Jesus knew the #1 competitor for our hearts is money. (Possessions, stuff)

Matthew 6:21 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

That which is your treasure is that which you will seek. If Jesus is your treasure, you will seek Jesus. Your heart will be drawn to Him. Your focus on Him. Your faith in Him. Money will have no power, no hold, and no grip on your life. In fact, the closer you are to Jesus the less you hold onto your money. But if money is your treasure, then your heart is drawn to it. Your focus and attention is on it. Your faith is in it. And Jesus has no hold, no grip, and no power on your life. The closer you are to money, the less you hold onto Jesus.

So I hope today to show you in scripture that the way you handle your money is so much more than a financial issue. It is a heart issue. The way you handle your money will affect every other area of your life spiritually. I think our money is God’s window of blessing into our lives. It’s why we need to honor God financially.

Big Question: What should I know about money?

Main Scripture: Genesis 2:15; 4:1-12

If money’s that important, what should I know about money? In these scriptures we are going to see 4 principles on money that God has established. As men, if we live these out, not only will it change our homes, it will revolutionize our churches and transform our cities.

1. It’s not mine (the key to everything else)

Genesis 2:15 The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it.

Who did God put in the Garden? The MAN. The burden of financial responsibility in the home goes to us men. And we as men need to understand this principle. It’s the key to the whole thing. It’s the baseline for every area of our lives. It’s Not Mine. In Chapter 1 of Genesis through the first ½ of Chapter 2, it’s all about God creating this place that we live in. Everything we see, we have; everything we are was created by God. No one helped God make it. Then in Genesis 2:15 it says that God placed the man in the Garden to tend and watch over it. It’s not mine. When it comes to the Earth, our bodies, our relationships, our possessions or our money; we are managers, not owners. Psalm 24:1 says, the Earth is the Lord’s and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to Him. King David was challenging the people to give their offerings to God to build the temple. And David said this,