GOD IS NOT AGAINST MONEY
(Based on Dr. Kregg Hood’s book: Take God at His Word and Dave Ramsey’s book: Total Money Makeover)
A. There is a misconception among many Christians that God is AGAINST MONEY.
1. We have taken passages that contain WARNINGS to the RICH and have concluded that God is against people with LOTS of MONEY and that the truly BLESSED are the POOR.
a. Paul- "The LOVE of MONEY is the ROOT of all EVIL" not having MONEY- I Timothy 6:10.
b. MONEY itself is neither GOOD nor BAD. In fact, if used the way God intended, MONEY can be a tremendous BLESSING.
2. However, the "LOVE of MONEY" is always BAD.
COMMENT:
LOVERS OF MONEY are SELFISH not SELFLESS. LOVERS OF MONEY place HOPE in their WEALTH not in GOD. LOVERS OF MONEY are never SATISFIED with what they HAVE, and will often STOP at nothing to GET MORE, no matter who gets HURT in the PROCESS. LOVERS OF MONEY are the ones Jesus is referring to when He commented, "It is easier for a CAMEL to go through the eye of a NEEDLE than for a RICH MAN to enter heaven."
3. It is this ATTITUDE about MONEY that God is AGAINST, not MONEY itself.
B. The sermons I have heard on GIVING in the PAST have never been about the BLESSINGS of GIVING, just about the RESPONSIBILITY of GIVING.
1. The reason many preachers shun away from talking about the BLESSINGS of GIVING (especially MONETARY BLESSINGS) is because of the HEALTH and WEALTH Gospel that many TELEVANGELISTS espouse.
COMMENT:
Most often their MESSAGE is, "GIVE TO ME and God will BLESS YOU with WEALTH." And they get WEALTHY while the PEOPLE they CHEAT get deeper and deeper into a FINANCIAL BIND. Paul condemns those who "use GODLINESS as a means of FINANCIAL GAIN"- I Timothy 6:5.
2. We are not to GIVE to GET!
a. But do understand that God promises to BLESS those who GIVE GENEROUSLY if their MOTIVE is to GIVE to GET to GIVE SOME MORE!
b. II Corinthians 9:10-11- "Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made RICH in every way so that you can be GENEROUS on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God."
COMMENT:
I think when Paul says that "Generous GIVERS will be made RICH in every way," He is talking about both SPIRITUAL and MATERIAL blessings. Yet the purpose of BLESSING us SPIRITUALLY and FINANCIALLY is so that we can turn right around and "GIVE GENEROUSLY on EVERY OCCASION."
c. Wouldn’t it be GREAT just to WRITE a check and to GIVE not only GENEROUSLY to the CHURCH, but to HELP whenever a NEED arises?
COMMENT:
We can if we follow God’s PRINCIPLES about MONEY. Again, God is the one who BLESSES us with MONEY, and He knows what it takes to gain the GREATEST BENEFIT we can from our MONEY.
MESSAGE:
COMMENT:
In Jesus’ SERMON on the MOUNT, He told His
listeners: "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money"- Matthew 6:24.
Our MONEY is not to take the PLACE of God--it is not to RULE over us. But neither does MONEY need to CONFLICT with God. Again, God is not AGAINST MONEY--He gives it to us. And if we understand the proper RELATIONSHIP between GOD and MONEY, we will be
BLESSED even more.
I. GOD WANTS TO BLESS US FINANCIALLY
A. God knows that we need MONEY.
1. He OWNS everything and reserves the RIGHT to GIVE money and possessions to His SERVANTS.
a. God- "All the gold and silver is mine"- Haggai 2:8.
b. "It is God who gives us the ability to produce WEALTH"- Deuteronomy 8:18.
COMMENT:
God is the one who provides MATERIAL WEALTH. He has nothing against the RICH or against the RICH enjoying their WEALTH. Apparently it DELIGHTS God to see His children do well FINANCIALLY, because He often REWARDED the FAITHFUL with RICHES.
In fact, I believe that God would rather see His people PROSPER than Satan’s BUNCH, because Christians are going to GENEROUSLY use their WEALTH to His GLORY. Maybe tha’s the reason Satan wants us to believe that it is more GODLY to be POOR, so that we will stay POOR and not have the ability to FUND the WORK of God.
2. Now please don’t misunderstand, I’m not saying that the Bible teaches that everyone who GIVES GENEROUSLY will be FILTHY RICH. But the Bible does teach that God will make sure that your NEEDS are TAKEN care of.
a. Jesus- "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all of these things will be GIVEN to you--all of our NECESSITIES will be PROVIDED"- Matthew 6:33.
b. Paul told the Philippian brethren that since "they GAVE to his NEEDS while in PRISON, God will meet ALL of their NEEDS according to His glorious RICHES in Christ"- Phil. 4:19.
COMMENT:
This doesn’t mean that God will GIVE us everything we WANT, but He will TAKE CARE of our NEEDS as long as we TRUST Him and realize that all that we have comes from Him.
B. Understanding that all we have belongs to God gives us balance- Phil. 4:10-13 (READ & COMMENT)
1. If our INCOME is up, we PRAISE God and serve Him faithfully without PRIDE or GREED.
ILLUSTRATION:
Former U.S. Congressman Bob McCune tells the story of the time when he took his kids out to eat at a local FAST-FOOD RESTAURANT. After sitting down to EAT, Bob smelled the FRIES in front of one of his sons and reached over to get one. To his SURPRISE, the young boy GRABBED his Dad’s hand, PUSHED it back, and EXCLAIMED, "Dad, don’t take my FRIES."
McCune was stunned. He sat in front of his son in SILENCE! He then thought, "My son doesn’t know where those FRIES came from. He doesn’t realize that about five minutes ago I went to the COUNTER, put my hand in my POCKET, pulled out the MONEY and bought those FRIES for him. I am the SOURCE of those FRIES.
"My son doesn’t understand that, if I wanted to, I could TAKE those FRIES away from him. He doesn’t realize that, if I wanted to, I could go BUY a DOZEN orders and COVER him with FRIES. He doesn’t know that I don’t even NEED his FRIES--if I wanted to, I could go over to the COUNTER and BUY my own. What I really WANTED from my SON was his WILLINGNESS to SHARE with me what I had already GIVEN to him."
2. And if our INCOME is DOWN, we TRUST God, SERVE Him with what we have, and EXPECT Him to PROVIDE for us as He PROMISED.
COMMENT:
How many times have you wondered how you were going to PAY your BILLS or BUY some GROCERIES, and then somehow it all WORKED out? That was no ACCIDENT or
COINCIDENCE, God was at WORK taking CARE of you as He PROMISED!
II. GOD WANTS US TO BE DEBT FREE (How many of you would like to be DEBT FREE?)
A. As I said before, God wants to BLESS US but often our POOR CHOICES negate His BLESSINGS.
1. This is especially TRUE when it comes to the FINANCIAL MESS we get ourselves into because of DEBT!
DEBT affects all of us--OLD, MIDDLE AGED, and YOUNG alike.
COMMENT:
I believe the MAJORITY of Christians who do not GIVE as they SHOULD and would LIKE to GIVE, is because of the BILLS that keep PILING UP. They’re not STINGY people. They’re not GREEDY or SELFISH. They’re not out to ROB God. They would LOVE to GIVE more money to the church, but HONESTLY don¡¦t see how they can and PAY their BILLS too.
ILLUSTRATION:
The times when I wrote my MEASLY OFFERING CHECK and DROPPED it into the COLLECTION each Sunday morning, my HEART SANK because I wanted to GIVE God more but didn’t see how I could. I made a DECENT SALARY and all I could SPARE to put into the OFFERING plate was 10 BUCKS. And even GIVING that MEASLY AMOUNT was putting me in a BIND with some of my BILL COLLECTORS.
My DEBT was bringing me nothing but MISERY--but you see God did not CREATE us to be MISERABLE people.
2. God wants us to be DEBT FREE--not because He’s against the EASY PAYMENT PLAN (Is there really such a thing), but because He knows that our DEBT ENSLAVES us.
a. Proverbs 22:7- ". . . the BORROWER is a SLAVE to the LENDER."
b. If you’ve had to contend with CREDITORS, you know exactly what Solomon is saying.
B. Okay, so God wants us to be DEBT FREE--but what if we’re already in DEBT, how do we get OUT?
1. Don’t BORROW any more MONEY- Proverbs 22:26-27 (READ and COMMENT). The way to keep the REPO MAN from coming to your HOUSE is to QUIT BORROWING MONEY.
a. This may mean CUTTING UP your CREDIT CARDS--especially if you can’t CONTROL your SPENDING.
COMMENT:
Personally I chose to CUT UP my CREDIT CARDS because, frankly, the TEMPTATION to use them was just too great. I always believed it was good to have CREDIT CARDS just in case an EMERGENCY came up. But then I discovered that I had a lot of RESTAURANT
emergencies and WAL MART emergencies. CREDIT CARDS are too EASY to ABUSE.
b. At one time I had four CREDIT CARDS and every one of them was MAXED out. It would take me 30 years to pay off those CARDS if I paid only the MINIMUM PAYMENT.
c. CUTTING UP your CREDIT CARDS may not be for you, but if you want to be DEBT FREE at least don’t get any more Credit Cards (toss those pre-approved credit card applications)
2. LIVE within our MEANS- Proverbs 21:20- "In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has."
COMMENT:
I have been in the BLACK HOLE of DEBT because I spent more MONEY than I made. I have learned that if I can’t pay CASH for it, I won’t BUY IT!
3. Get on a DEBT REDUCTION PLAN- Romans 13:8- "Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another . . ."
COMMENT:
I have been in DEBT all of my MARRIED LIFE. The first thing I put on the EASY PAYMENT PLAN was Brenda’s engagement ring. I know all to well what it’s like to be ENSLAVED . . . by DEBT . . . not MARRIAGE. (I want to make that clear!) I became SICK and TIRED of LIVING from PAY CHECK to PAY CHECK, and wanted to do something about it.
That’s why I am so EXCITED about the class I will be TEACHING: Financial Peace University, starting in February because FAMILIES will be learning how to get on a DEBT REDUCTION PLAN that REALLY works.
When I asked how many of you would like to be DEBT FREE, HANDS went up all over the place. If you want to learn how to get a better GRIP on your FINANCES, this class is for you. Take it from me, the POSTER CHILD of FINANCIAL BLUNDERS.
I have paid off THOUSANDS of DOLLARS of DEBT within the last 3 years--in fact I paid off my last CREDIT CARD just last week. If I can do it, you can too. It’s just a matter of learning the PRINCIPALS that Dave Ramsey via video and I will be TEACHING starting February 4th in the Oasis Room.
III. GOD WANTS US TO GIVE BACK TO HIM
A. Jesus said, "it is more blessed to give than to receive"- Acts 20:35. The question is really, "How BLESSED do you want to be?"
1. Malachi 3:10- "God says if His people give him a TENTH, He will pull out all the STOPS to BLESS them PHYSICALLY."
a. Some think that was a PROMISE only to the children of Israel.
COMMENT:
"God BLESSED them MATERIALLY if they gave 10%, but that PROMISE doesn¡¦t hold TRUE today!" some people think! But God begins this exhortation on TITHING by saying, "I the Lord do not CHANGE. So you, descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed"- Malachi 3:6.
The PROMISE that God made to the children of Israel still holds true today, because God doesn’t CHANGE and He doesn’t LIE. Besides that, "Paul said that all Christians are descendants of Abraham by faith!"- Romans 4:16. Therefore we are also "descendants of Jacob," and are RECIPIENTS of the BLESSINGS that God PROVIDES to those who TITHE--who give Him 10% of their INCOME!
God said, "If you bring me the whole TITHE, then I will throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much BLESSING that you will not have room enough for it." He’s not talking about something we will receive after we DIE and go to HEAVEN, but a BLESSING we will receive NOW if we only TRUST Him in our GIVING!
b. God said, "Test me in this."
COMMENT:
The Hebrew word for test means "EXAMINE." God says to CHECK Him out to see if His WORD is RELIABLE. This is the only place in Scripture where God says to put Him to the TEST, and it’s in the area of GIVING! Yet this is the one area where we DISTRUST God the most! Our American currency says "In God we TRUST," but most Christians don’t--not in the area of FINANCES! (God is BEGGING His people to TRUST Him in their GIVING so He can BLESS them ABUNDANTLY.)
2. Jesus repeats God’s PROMISE: "Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with what measure you use, it will be measured to you"- Luke 6:38.
COMMENT:
God told the children of Israel to "GIVE and He would throw open the FLOODGATES of heaven and POUR great BLESSINGS upon them." And Jesus tells His DISCIPLES to "GIVE and He would POUR great BLESSINGS into their LAPS."
B. It is true, we cannot out give God.
ILLUSTRATION:
A church member was having trouble with the concept of TITHING. One day he revealed his doubts to his minister, "Preacher, I just don’t see how I can GIVE 10% of my INCOME to the Lord when I can’t even keep on top of my BILLS."
The preacher replied, "Tom, if I promise to MAKE UP the DIFFERENCE in your BILLS if you should FALL SHORT, do you think you could at least try TITHING just for one month?"
After a moment’s pause, Tom responded, "Sure, if you PROMISE to MAKE UP any SHORTAGE, I guess I could try GIVING 10% for one month."
"Now Tom, listen to what you just agreed to," said the preacher. "You say you’d be willing to put your TRUST in a mere man like myself who POSSESSES so little MATERIALLY, but you couldn’t TRUST your Heavenly Father who owns the WHOLE UNIVERSE!"
CONCLUSION:
ILLUSTRATION:
Shortly after World War II came to a close, Europe began picking up the pieces after being RAVAGED by the WAR. The saddest sight was the little ORPHAN children STARVING in the streets.
One chilly morning as an American soldier was making his way back to the barracks in London, he turned the corner with his JEEP and spotted a little boy with his NOSE pressed to the WINDOW of a PASTRY shop. It was quite obvious that he hadn’t EATEN for a while. So the SOLDIER pulled his JEEP over and walked toward the BOY. Together they watched the COOK take out another steaming hot TRAY of PASTRIES and place them on the COUNTER.
"Hey, kid," the soldier said, "would you like some of those?" The boy’s eyes got real big as he
exclaimed, "I sure would, mister!"
The soldier stepped inside and bought a dozen PASTRIES, and gave them to the boy. And as he turned and WALKED away, he felt a TUG on his COAT. He looked back and heard the boy ask quietly, "Mister, are you God?"
COMMENT:
WE ARE NEVER MORE LIKE GOD THAN WHEN WE GIVE!
