Opening Video: I am Sin by ignitermedia
Series: Imitators
Summary of first 3 messages using power points
Sermon: Live His Image
Scripture Text: 1 Thessalonians 4:1-18
1Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more.
2For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.
3It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality;
4that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable,
5not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God;
6and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you.
7For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.
8Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.
9Now about brotherly love we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other.
10And in fact, you do love all the brothers throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers, to do so more and more.
11Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you,
12so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.
13Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope.
14We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.
15According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.
16For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
17After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
18Therefore encourage each other with these words.
Thesis: To be imitators of Jesus and to do God's will means we lead moral and holy lives. To be imitators of Jesus and to do God’s will means we love each other. To be imitators of Jesus and to do God’s will means we work hard and keep ourselves from drowning in debt to others.
T.S. – Let’s look at the first way we are to live for His image and to do God’s will. We do this by being biblically pure and biblically moral. It’s more commonly called having integrity!
I. Live for His image by living a life with Integrity (1 Thess. 4:1-8)
a. Have you wondered what God's will is? We are told that God's will is for us to be sanctified.
i. To live holy lives, to live by biblical moral values, to have integrity. Verse 3 points this out to the Thessalonians.
b. Integrity’s definition:
i. Integrity is the following of moral or ethical principles. When someone is said to be a person of integrity, this generally means that he/she is considered to have a strong moral character. Integrity is thought by many to be one of the most important virtues a person can possess (from http://reference.yourdictionary.com/word-definitions/Definition-of-Integrity.html)
ii. Quotes on integrity:
1. You want to mess up the minds of your children? Here's how - guaranteed! Rear them in a legalistic, tight context of external religion, where performance is more important than reality. Fake your faith. Sneak around and pretend you’re spirituality. Train your children to do the same. Embrace a long list of do's and don'ts publicly but hypocritically practice them privately... yet never own up to the fact that its hypocrisy. Act one way but live another. And you can count on it - emotional and spiritual damage will occur. Charles (Chuck) Swindoll
2. "The soul is dyed the color of its thoughts. Think only on those things that are in line with your principles and can bear the light of day. The content of your character is your choice. Day by day, what you do is who you become. Your integrity is your destiny - it is the light that guides your way." ~Heraclitus, 535-475 BC, Greek Philosopher
3. “A little integrity is better than any career! Ralph Waldo Emerson
4. Integrity is doing the right thing when no one is watching!
5. “It takes many years to build a good reputation and one minute without integrity to destroy your reputation.” Michael McCartney
iii. Bible verses on integrity:
1. Proverbs 2:6-8: For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints.
a. If you live a life with integrity God promises to watch over you!
2. Psalm 2:20-21: So you will walk in the way of the good and keep to the paths of the righteous. For the upright will inhabit the land, and those with integrity will remain in it.
a. Integrity will help us stay planted in our land.
c. To have integrity means to be sanctified, to live a pure life and you do this by living a biblical moral life.
i. Definition of moral: NOUN
1. Accepted moral standards: standards of conduct that are generally accepted as right or proper.
d. Christian’s today are under attack every single day from the enemy of our souls – His mission is to destroy your family, blow up your integrity and even derail your God given destiny.
i. The Big 3 Temptations that he uses today are the following:
1. Sex
2. Power
3. Money
ii. How does the enemy to our life of integrity attack us or do this?
1. He convinces people that the Biblical rules do not apply to them.
a. Pride!
2. He does this specifically by getting people to become more and more self-centered convincing them that everything is about them not others.
a. Lack of integrity is circulating all around us in our society –this generation is called the “Me Generation.”
b. The death of integrity in our society – 50% of our population today lacks integrity!
i. We see it with clergy
ii. We see it with Christians
iii. We see it with politicians
iv. We see it with business people
v. We see it in education
vi. We see it with leaders in general
vii. We see it with lawyers
viii. We see it with Insurance companies
ix. We see it with construction companies
c. Self-centered – pride again!
3. The enemy does this by deceiving people into underestimating others and overestimating themselves.
a. Pride again!
e. For Christians to finish strong today requires us to build safe guards into our daily lives – Paul was warning the Thessalonians to guard their hearts from a lack of integrity - to make sure they do the will of God – to avoid playing with sin especially sexual sin. He was telling them to protect their hearts and holy lives!
i. It’s imperative because the enemy is seeking to kill steal and destroy your life, your family, your business, your reputation and your friends.
1. 1 Peter 5:8-9: 8Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
ii. For us Christians to finish strong with our lives requires us to guard our hearts from things like sexual sin and a lack of integrity.
1. Too many Christians have allowed sin to seduce them into giving up their families, their leadership, there integrity and for some even their ministries.
a. Porn is the number one business in America today!
b. We see sexual sin promoted as normal or even as acceptable by the media industries of this day.
c. Paul warns the Thessalonians and us not to fall into their trap of deception and destruction!
2. What comes to your mind when I quote the following names to you:
a. Tiger Woods
b. Arnold Schwarzenegger
c. John Edwards
d. Jimmy Swaggert
e. President Bill Clinton
f. Jim Baker
g. Ted Haggard
h. Peter Popoff
i. I could list 100’s of others but their steeping into the trap of the enemy destroyed their families, their reputations and for some their ministries or leadership positions.
f. Integrity requires consistency over a lifetime. Did you hear that? Integrity is achieved over your lifetime! One step into the trap of the enemy destroys your integrity and tarnishes the image of Jesus in your life. This is why the media is so ready to pounce on Clergy when they sin and expose them! Why do they do this? To justify their own sinful lifestyles – to put a black mark on Jesus! To say they are hypocrites!
i. Integrity requires that we finish our spiritual journey well - our life of integrity must be preserved!
1. Dr. Robert Clinton discovered while researching various individuals in the Word of God that they all finished one of the following Four Ways:
• CUT OFF EARLY (assassinated, denounced, overthrown)
• FINISH POORLY (on the down side spiritually)
• FINISH "SO-SO" (they weren’t all they could have been)
• FINISH WELL (walked with God)
WHY DIDN’T SOME FINISH WELL?
They were ambushed!
(From a sermon by Rick Finitzer, Watch Out for Ambushes, 10/28/2009)
ii. To have and preserve our integrity, a person must base his/her actions upon a well-thought out framework of moral principles. What he/she does should be the same as what he/she says!
1. We have to be intentional about living a life with integrity.
2. Share about how you ran your construction company.
g. How do you build safeguards in your life to preserve your integrity?
i. The lessons to be learned from David: Psalm 78:70-72: 70 He chose David his servant and took him from the sheep pens; 71 from tending the sheep he brought him to be the shepherd of his people Jacob, of Israel his inheritance. 72 And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them.
1. What happened to David – he was known for his integrity?
a. Truth is a night of lust destroyed his integrity and the result was his sin impacted his family and his leadership of a nation!
b. It also cost a good man his life and destroyed a family unit.
c. Why did David fall?
i. Number One reason: He was not where he was suppose to be according to Scripture.
1. 2 Samuel 11:1-3: 1 In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king’s men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem. 2 One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, 3 and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, “Isn’t this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite?”
2. Second: He did not listen to counsel of others.
a. The result was he fell prey to sexual sin and it cost him dearly.
ii. We need to preserve our integrity by doing what David does in Psalm 51:10: “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”
1. We must continue to ask God to keep us pure to keep us from falling.
2. To reveal to us the dangers lurking in the dark and around the corner.
a. Example of my prayer to God about dating a certain girl and the Scripture verse I received.
iii. We need to preserve our integrity because it’s better than riches
1. Proverbs 22:1-6: 1 A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold. 2 Rich and poor have this in common: The LORD is the Maker of them all. 3 A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it. 4 Humility and the fear of the LORD bring wealth and honor and life. 5 In the paths of the wicked lie thorns and snares, but he who guards his soul stays far from them. 6 Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.
h. Dr. J Robert Clinton wrote the book “Finishing Well” here are some of his thoughts below:
i. “Few leaders finish well.”
1. God’s enabling presence is the essential ingredient of successful leadership. When we walk outside of God’s will we lose our leadership position.
2. Spiritual leadership can make a difference so the enemy keys in on anyone in Christian leadership to destroy their lives and their reputation.
a. Why? Because it removes them from leadership and tarnishes the image of Jesus.
3. Our goal is to hear God say, "Well done good and faithful servant."
a. The enemy does not want us to hear those words!
i. Here are some safeguards to take to prevent from falling into sexual sin:
i. Reality Check: Everyone faces this temptation!
1. Both male and female, young and old, ugly and cute!
2. You are not exempt from this temptation!
3. When you think your not watch out!
ii. Here is a partial solution to this problem from Nelson Searcy on constructing safeguards from Renegade pastors Network:
1. Erect hedges – safeguards – build these around your life.
a. Honor those boundaries in your life.
b. Example of Billy Graham
2. Searcy quotes Jerry Jenkins which said – “We need to put up hedges in our life if you love your marriage and your family enough to protect them.”
a. Hedge 1 – Jenkins – “Do not dine or travel alone with the opposite sex.”
i. Searcy, “I will never to dine or travel alone with a women.”
ii. May sound extreme but I rather be considered cautious and over protective of my holiness then lose it and let it be all over the paper tarnishing the image of Jesus and my family.
b. Hedge 2 – Jenkins “Only hug the opposite sex in front of others.”
i. Searcy, “I will only do the side hug – never front hugs.”
c. Hedge 3 – Jenkins “Never compliment a man or woman on her looks but only on their clothes.”
i. Searcy, “I would never compliment a woman on her pants or blouse.”
d. Hedge 4 – Jenkins “Avoid any kind of flirttering with anyone but your wife – but engage her everyday in a flirting way.”
i. Searcy, “agrees”
e. Hedge 5 – Jenkins “Reassert your vows to your spouse daily – do it verbally and give them notes also stating how you still love them.”
i. Searcy, “agrees”
f. Hedge 6 Jenkins “Re-tell - His story everyday to others of the opposite sex to reassert your commitment to Jesus.”
i. Searcy, “agrees”
j. We need to be intentional – be committed to finishing strong in our Christian journey.
i. I have adopted a few mottos for my own life, "I will not quit serving God!"
1. This motto needs to become our mind set in the Church.
2. Paul modeled this mind set for us in Phil. 3:13, 14: “Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
3. Also 2 Tim.4:7: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
4. I heard a statistic few years ago which challenged me on why I must have this motto of not quitting in my life!
a. Quote: “40% of those in full time ministry today, will not be there in 3 to 5 years.”
b. I believe many quit when they experience hardship, pressure, extreme stress, or they even blow it!
c. It could be a loss of friendships or a certain plan of dream they wanted to see accomplished. It could be sin or even continual hurt and wounds from others.
i. Consider how Jesus must have felt when one of His beloved staff turned against him. But even when Judas betrayed Him, Jesus did not quit. He was able to take the hit and keep going. He was determined to press on.
ii. Quote Jones, "Nobody can keep you down unless you decide not to rise again." (125)
iii. Christians should not quit when they suffer loss of their dream, plan or way, but they should press on to the victory.
5. Jesus never cried, "This is not fair the way they are treating me, I quit!"
a. Paul was determined. Phil 3: 13-14
i. He said, "I forget what is behind."
ii. He did not dwell on past events or even His past failures. He repented, forgave Himself and moved on.
iii. He took Deut. 6:5 to heart.
iv. Notice Paul never allowed grudges to control Him. He preached love to those who persecuted Him. Phil 3:13-14.
v. He never got mad at God for the trials, but just pressed on to spread the Gospel. Acts 15: 36-41.
vi. Paul wrote, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith." (II Tim. 4:7-8)
6. It is important that we as Christian’s finish well. Not just start well, but finish well.
a. Story from sermoncentral.com: "Runner’s World" told the story of Beth Anne DeCiantis’s attempt to qualify for the 1992 Olympic Trials marathon. A female runner had to complete the 26-mile race in less than two hours, forty-five minutes to compete at the Olympic Trials. Beth started strong but began having trouble around mile 23. She reached the final straightaway at 2:43, with just two minutes left to qualify. Two hundred metres from the finish, she stumbled and fell. Dazed, she stayed down for twenty seconds. The crowd yelled, "Get up!" The clock was ticking -- 2:44, less than a minute to go. Beth Anne staggered to her feet and began walking. Five yards short of the finish, with ten seconds to go, she fell again. She began to crawl, the crowd cheering her on, and crossed the finish line on her hands and knees. Her time? Two hours, 44 minutes, 57 seconds.
7. We need to finish well and not quit – we need to honor Jesus to the end and imitate the way he finished strong!
a. The movie, Chariots of Fire is the true story of Eric Liddell, a man who ran for Scotland, then went on to become a missionary. You may recall that he refused to run on the Sabbath, forfeiting some of the awards he probably would have won in the 1924 Olympics. There was another scene in that movie that may have appeared like Hollywood fiction, but it was also true. One year before the pivotal event in the movie, Eric Liddell ran in a meet between England, Ireland and Scotland. He ran the 100-, 220-, and 440-yard events. In the 440, he got off to a bad start. When that gun sounded, there was a lot of shoving to get in front to the inside lane, the advantageous position. Liddell tangled feet with J. J. Gillies of England and tumbled to the track. He sat there dazed for a moment, not knowing whether he could get up, when the official screamed, "Get up and run!" He jumped to his feet and took off after the pack, which was now a full twenty yards ahead of him. In a quarter mile, that’s a big distance to try to make up. In his unorthodox style of running he took off after the pack. He pulled into fourth place ten yards behind the leader, J. J. Gillies.With forty yards to go, he pulled into third place, then second. Right at the tape he passed Gillies, stuck his chest out, won the race, and collapsed to the track in total exhaustion. Medical personnel had to assist him off the track that day. An article appearing the next day in The Scotsman newspaper said, "The circumstances in which Liddell won the race made it a performance bordering on the miraculous. Veterans whose memories take them back thirty-five years and in some cases longer in the history of athletics were unanimous in the opinion that Liddell’s win in the quarter mile was the greatest track performance they had ever seen." There’s something glorious about getting up off the track after you’ve been knocked down and running again. Win or lose, you didn’t stay down. Citation: Craig Brian Larson, "Strong to the Finish," Preaching Today, Tape No. 155.
k. Illustration and story from Sermoncentral.com by Rodney Buchanan: At one time, Mike Tyson was the most feared heavyweight boxer in the ring. Jon Saraceno interviewed Tyson for USA Today. In the interview, Tyson was honest as he reviewed his life. The article says, “Almost 39, he is anything but at peace. Confused and humiliated after a decadent lifestyle that left him with broken relationships, shattered finances, and a reputation in ruin, the fighter cannot hide his insecurities, stacked as high as his legendary knockouts. ‘I’ll never be happy,’ he says. ‘I believe I’ll die alone. I would want it that way. I’ve been a loner all my life with my secrets and my pain. I’m really lost, but I’m trying to find myself. I’m really a sad, pathetic case.’ The divorced father of six is blunt, gregarious, funny, vulgar, outrageous, sad, angry, bitter, and, at times, introspective about the opportunities he squandered over the last two decades. He discusses his drug use (‘The weed got me’), lack of self-esteem, and sexual addiction. He says, ‘My whole life has been a waste. I’ve been a failure.’” I would like to say to Mike, “It doesn’t have to be that way. There is freedom available for you. You cannot do it on your own, you are not strong enough, but God can do it as you invite the Holy Spirit into your life and surrender to his control. Liberation comes for those ‘who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit’ (Romans 8:1-4). It is only when we come to the end of our own resources that we find God’s provision.”
l. Application: We as Christians must set our focus on Christ. We must mentally tell ourselves not to quit.
T.S. – We must live lives of integrity and never allow a moment in our life to destroy a lifetime of striving toward holiness we need to all finish strong so that the image of Jesus is glorified and not tarnished. We also need to get up if we do fall and still finish strong! We also need live for His image by loving each other.
II. Live for His image and do His will by loving others (1 Thess. 4: 9, 10)
a. Love --- power ---control are at odds in our lives everyday.
i. Love respects others – forgives others – encourages others and helps others.
ii. Were as power --- self-centered control – manipulates others for their own personal benefit, uses people, abuses people, throws people away and places no value on another person’s life.
b. We are told by Paul to Love each other in the church. He compliments the Thessalonians on how well they are doing this but encourages them to do this more and more.
i. Why did God choose the way of love? Because it’s the most powerful force in the universe because it’s who He is!
ii. God could use power or control – because He is more power than all of us combined but instead He chooses the path of love!
iii. We too should choose the path of love!
c. Paul tells us and the Thessalonians to love like we were taught to love!
i. Maxwell states, “Before, you can do anything else in the lives of others, you must show them love. Without it, there can be no connection, no future, and no success together” (40).
1. This is why love drove Jesus to the cross!
ii. M. Scott Peck states: I cannot be any more specific about the methodology of Love than to quote these words of an old priest who spent many years in the battle: “There are dozens of ways to deal with evil and several ways to conquer it. All of them are facets of the truth that the only ultimate way to conquer evil is to let it be smothered within a willing, living human being. When it is absorbed there like blood in a sponge or a spear into one’s heart, it loses its power and goes no further.” The healing of evil-scientifically or otherwise-can be accomplished only by the love of individuals. A willing sacrifice is required...I do not know how this occurs. But I know that it does...Whenever this happens there is a slight shift in the balance of power in the world.(Yancey, 204).
iii. Yancey adds “The cross redefines God as One who was willing to relinquish power for the sake of love. Jesus became, in Dorothy Solle’s phrase, ‘God‘s unilateral disarmament.” Power, no matter how well-intentioned, tends to cause suffering. Love, being vulnerable, absorbs it. In a point of convergence on a hill called Calvary, God renounced the one for the sake of the other” (205).
d. Let our love be an action --- a verb
i. Kenyon writes: God so loved he gave. Satan was so selfish that he sought to rob God and the human race of everything worthwhile (AND I EMPHASIZE LOVE) Selfishness is a robber. It had reigned without a rival through the ages. Now a new mighty force has broken into the sense realm. That mighty force is love. It heads up in God. It is unveiled in Christ. It is becoming operative in us. Love without the ability to use it would not be so good!
e. We are to live a lifestyle that holds up the image of Jesus.
i. Philip Yancey wrote in his book, “What’s so Amazing about Grace?” There was a woman brought before Jesus caught in the act of adultery. The Pharisee wanted her to be stoned as the Law commanded. They wanted to trick Jesus, they wanted to find fault with his teachings. He bent over and began writing in the sand and one by one the men disappeared. Then Jesus said, go and sin no more. Do you know what that is? That is grace. It is undeserved love from God.A young girl was tired of her parents strict rules; they were keeping from having fun. So one night she has an argument with her father, “I hate you!” she screams. Later that night she decides to run away. She made it to a big city and met a man who buys her lunch, arranges a place for her to stay, and gives her some pills to make her fell better. She decides this is the good life.The good life continues for a month, 2 months, a year. The nice man, she calls him Boss – teaches her how to do things that men liked and since she is underage men pay a premium for her. In turn he allowed her to live in a nice penthouse apt, orders room service as she pleases. Occasionally she thinks about her life back home – her parents, how her golden retriever would run out to greet her, but that life is a long way away. Before she realizes what is happening she is out on the street addicted to drugs and needing a fix. One night as she laid covered with newspapers over her coat she realized she is no longer a woman of the world – she is feels like a little girl, lost in a cold and frightening city. “God why did I leave?” She says to herself. The pain stabs her heart. “My dog back home eats better than I do now.” She is crying now and realizes that more than anything else she wants to go home. She calls and leaves a message on her parents answering machine – I want to come home, I’m taking a bus and I’ll be there in 3 days around midnight. If you’re not there, well, I guess I’ll just stay on the bus until it hits Canada. On the trip home she is thinking about what she will say – if they are even there. She rehearses in her mind the scene. The bus finally arrives. The driver calls out “15 minutes is all we have here.” She has 15min to decide her life. She walks into the terminal not knowing what to expect. There in the concrete-walls-and-plastic-chairs of the bus terminal stood a group of 40 brothers, sisters, aunt, uncles, grandparents, and parents – all wearing funny party hats and blowing noise makers. She stares thru the tears quivering in her eyes like hot mercury and begins her memorized speech, “Dad, I’m sorry. I know…” Her dad interrupts her. “Shhhh child. We’ve got no time for that. No time for apologies, were late for the party. A banquets waiting for you at home.” In life, we are always looking for a catch, but in Jesus’ stories there isn’t one. In the story of the prodigal there is unconditional love called grace.
f. We need to love like Jesus (examples):
i. The women caught in adultery – Jesus showed love and respect for her but he did not condone her sin just told her to go and sin no more.
ii. The woman at the well also was shown love and respect by Jesus and he did not condone her sin but reveled truth to her.
iii. The situation with Peter’s restoration by the sea was an example of love in action and the gift of forgiveness.
T.S. – Living Jesus image and doing the will of God requires us to love each other like we were taught to by Jesus but we also need to live the image of Jesus by working hard and keeping ourselves out of financial disaster
III. Live His image and do His will with your finances (1 Thess. 4:11, 12)
a. Live for His image by working hard, by being respectful and by not being indebted to others.
i. Paul is instructing the Thessalonians to make sure they work hard. We will discover later in these letters that some quit working because they thought Jesus would be back at any moment.
ii. I have known people who took out loans they could not afford to pay back - thinking Jesus was coming real quick!
1. This is really a lack of integrity issue!
b. Text on ants who work hard in Proverbs 6:6-1:
i. 6 Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise!
7 It has no commander, no overseer or ruler,
8 yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.
9 How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest—
11 and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.
ii. The concept of work is a Godly concept:
1. We need to work! If we don’t we become indebted to others!
c. Giving and debt is a major problem in our society today.
i. People are in financial ruin today because finances are not being used according to the plan and purpose of God.
1. Listen carefully: God desires us to manage our finances His way not our way.
ii. Why does God want us to be good stewards of our resources and not allow the weed of greed to take root?
1. God desires for us to grow spiritually and to be transformed by His spirit and giving is a spiritual issue.
a. Luke 6:38: “ 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 the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
iii. Money is a deeply spiritual issue, and spiritual transformation starts with the heart of every one of us.
1. Why do you think Jesus told the rich man in Mark 10:21 “Go, sell everything you have and give it to the poor, and then you will have treasure in heaven.”
a. Do you remember the rich man’s question to Jesus prior to this response, ”What must I do to inherit eternal life?”
b. Mark 10:17…Jesus responded to him in verse 19 “You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.” “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.” Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.” Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, ‘How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!” (Mark 10:17-31).
c. The problem with this man was his heart was infected with the weed of greed. He could not let go of his money to follow Jesus. The sad fact is many in the church are in the same position as this rich man.
2. The story of the man in Grygla: We will call this man Joe (Not his real name) He told me he had a deal with the former pastor that if the pastor spoke on finances he promised him it would be in the paper so he would know not to come to church that day. Why? Because he did not believe in giving to the church. I informed him that I would not agree to do this because I loved him to much to allow him to be trapped in the weed of greed.
a. He quit coming to church for about six months and then he showed up at church on the first time I spoke on the topic of Godly Stewardship.
i. He never came back to the church and a year later he died without having his heart in the right place with Jesus.
ii. Russell states, “Jesus made it clear there’s a close tie between people’s pocketbooks and their hearts (46).
1. Our attitude toward money and possessions is a vital link to whether we have spiritual transformation in our lives. It is also a vital link toward our relationship with God.
b. God desires us to be a part of seeing the kingdom of God affect change in our lives and others lives by our giving.
i. Malachi 3:10 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.
1. The promise here in Scripture is that if we give then we will prosper from a flood of God’s blessing in our lives.
ii. Rick Warren says that giving benefits his life in at least 7 different ways:
....Giving makes me more like God...
....Giving draws me closer to God...
....Giving breaks the grip of materialism...
....Giving strengthens my faith....
....Giving is an investment for eternity...
....Giving blesses me in return....
....Giving makes me happy!”
1. I would add giving helps me to grow spiritually in my relationship with the Lord and it benefits others as well.
iii. God desires for us to use the blessings he has bestowed on us to bless others and to help others.
1. 2 Cor. 8:14, 15: At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality, 15as it is written: “He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little.”
2. Acts 2:42-47: They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
a. The purpose of our personal gains according to Scripture is to bless others with our abundance.
b. Could you imagine being a part of an Acts chapter 2 church?
c. Hybels states, “There is nothing like the local church when it’s working right. It’s beauty is indescribable. It’s power is breathtaking. Its potential is unlimited. It comforts the grieving and heals the broken in the context of community…it provides resources for those in need and opens its arms to the forgotten, the downtrodden, the disillusioned. It breaks the chains of addictions, frees the oppressed, and offers belonging to the marginalized of this world. Whatever the capacity for human suffering, the church has a greater capacity for healing and wholeness” (23, Courageous Leadership).
c. God desires to show us that He has the power and the ability to bless us for following His direction with our finances.
i. Deut. 8:18: But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today.
ii. The Lord desires to understand that all we have belongs to him and we are just managing it for him.
1. Proverbs 3:5, 6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
d. God desires to fulfill His promise to supply our needs.
i. Matthew 6:31-34: So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
ii. God likes you to step out in trust and faith. Why? So he can pour out a blessing from Heaven on your life.
e. God has a different purpose for our finances than what we have been taught from our society and even some church folk. Society says. “Give if you have the money!”
i. "If you give what you do not need, it isn’t giving" (Mother Teresa)
ii. When we learn the true purpose of finances then finances will no longer control us and destroy lives. But we have to ruthlessly change our mindset on financial matters. We have to weed out the need for greed.
iii. "I have tried to keep things in my hands and lost them all, but what I have given into God’s hands I still possess." – Martin Luther
f. Budget – Yes, I said it – No, it’s not a four - letter word it’s God’s will for our lives.
i. Share the story of the Pastor who believed budget was a swear word. I knew a pastor once who thought that if you did a budget you where not Biblical. He said just trust God – God does not want us to budget. He wants us to live by faith! What a misguided concept. All the way through the Bible we are taught to be good stewards of God’s resources.
1. Parable of the Talents Matthew 25:14-30
2. Proverbs 22:3: A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it.
3. Proverbs 24:3,4: By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.
4. Luke 14:28-30: “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.”
ii. Why should we budget?
1. Because you will use your money appropriately and wisely.
2. Because we need to relentlessly remove debt from our lives.
a. We need to recognize our limits.
b. We need to formulate a plan to remove debt and live within a framework that produces freedom.
3. To do this we have to design a plan for financial freedom. With insight and help from the Word of God, the Holy Spirit and Men gifted in this area.
4. How to budget? Evaluate where you are currently at in your finances.
a. Most people in the church today only give 2.5% of their income to the Lord.
i. Why? Have you ever thought that because you do not budget your money that it affects the Kingdom of God?
b. Could it be that the reason you do not tithe is because you over spend in other areas?
c. Dick Towner (Willow Creek’s Executive Director of Good Sense Stewardship Movement) shares this story, “After accepting Christ, Charlie was told the budget course should be the next step in his Christian walk. Charlie was insulted! He was successful, certified financial planner. But in obedience, Charlie went. He and wife began tracking their spending for the first time and were appalled at how much they spent on unimportant things. In time, they readjusted their spending to allow Charlie’s wife to leave her high-pressure job downtown and begin working for a Christian firm nearer their home. Without her commute, they began to have breakfast together and their relationship grew. Charlie now testifies that learning how to live within godly principles of stewardship improved his finances, his marriage, his character, and his life.
5. Many say they cannot afford to give. I respond you cannot afford not to give. Here is why? Have you have pondered the thought that because you don’t give to the church that you are actually stealing from the Lord.
a. See Malachi 3: 8-10 8“Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you ask, ‘How do we rob you?’ “In tithes and offerings. 9You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me. 10Bring 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.”
b. If you steal from God why? Do you think he will bless you? It’s contrary to his word!
6. Have you ever thought that because you do not give to the Kingdom of God that it is hindered in what it could do?
7. This is why we need to become good stewards of our finances. This means we have to learn to budget- God’s way.
8. The first thing you need to do before you can formulate a budget is to get a realistic view of where you are at.
a. Then formulate a budget that is realistic and attainable- for help with this check out Larry Burkett’s book “More Than Finances.”
9. Live within your budget have the right mindset. Do not let the weed of greed to take root in your heart
Here are some comparisons about having the right mindset about financés as a Christian:
a. Contentment mindset verse consumerism mindset.
i. Farley states, “Opportunities to be a friend of the world abound. However, because love of the world separates us from God, every Christian who wants to be a friend of God must increasingly overcome the enticements of the world” (31).
1. I John 2:15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
2. He adds, “We must grasp a simple truth to understand what Scripture means by loving the world. Whatever I trust to provide ultimate happiness is my real god, and I will love it and serve it” (32).
3. Titus says, “No amount of money can buy financial freedom.” I say, “No amount of stuff can bring fulfillment and happiness in life.”
a. Our society screams at us everyday “Buy this and you will have it all.” But you buy it and discover you are still not satisfied. It’s a ruthless circle to con people into debt to make others rich who still are not happy in life.
4. He also adds, “Contentment is knowing that you are in the will of God and that you are using all your resources for His purposes.”
a. This is where true contentment and peace come from.
b. Materialism verses Christian Stewardship
i. These are both theologies that are vying for your allegiance. One or the other will win!
1. Dick Towner states, ”While materialism’s highest value is possession, Christianity stresses stewardship of God’s possessions. The foundational principle is that we do not own our “stuff,” but rather God entrusts it to us to serve as his trustees.”
c. Greed verse need
i. Farley notes, “Rather, it is the lust that makes me worldly, a lust that is energized by the lie that something other than God can satisfy” (32).
1. Zechariah 10:2 "The idols speak deceit, diviners see visions that lie; they tell dreams that are false, they give comfort in vain. Therefore the people wander like sheep oppressed for lack of a shepherd."
2. Revelation 17, 18 paints a picture of the world as a seducing harlot. Harlots seduce with lies and pleasure that is short lived and then emptiness follows.
a. The world of greed is just like a harlot.
3. One way to get out of debt is to quit borrowing more and more money. It’s usually driven by greed not need.
a. Newsweek 4/27/01 noted, “60% of Americans spend more annually than their income.”
b. Be frugal-purchase what you can afford not what you cannot pay cash for.
c. You will never get ahead by going further into debt or refinancing all the time.
4. Larry Burkett reminds us: God’s Word is sure and certain on this particular subject (Paying debts). When money is borrowed, there’s an obligation to pay it back, no matter what. To become debt free, it may be necessary to sacrifice, including eliminating all credit or selling your second car. It may mean repairing the refrigerator or washing machine instead of buying a new one. Do whatever you must to bring your debt under control; determine your priorities; and stick to them” (156).
d. Discipline verse irresponsibility
i. God desires discipline but discipline really comes from growing more intimate with the Lord.
1. Farley notes, “Using willpower to overcome worldly seduction is like telling a man who has gone without water for three days to control himself and quit being thirsty…the worldly man is convinced that popularity, success, or wealth will quench his thirst. But these are like spiritual salt water: They just make you thirstier” (32).
a. P.T. Forsyth stated, “Unless there is within us a yearning for that which is above us, we shall soon yield to that which is about us” (33).
ii. How to know if you are financially irresponsible?
1. Do you place more faith in your material possessions than you do in God’s provision?
2. Are you enveloped in greediness which means your always wanting the best and thinking you deserve it?
3. Do you value your money above God?
4. Do you have a get rich mindset?
5. Do you have to delay paying bills by borrowing more money so you can pay them?
6. Do you frequently have overdue bills?
7. Are your family needs not being met?
8. Do you have to over commit to work?
9. Do you go on binges of self-indulgence placing yourself further in debt?
10. Do you have a lack of commitment to supporting God’s work with your finances?
11. Do you compromise your integrity in the financial realm?
12. Do you fail to invest in the future- in eternity
Conclusion:
Live for His promise of His Return.
Do you have an expectation each day that He is coming at any moment so that you are ready to meet Jesus?
APPROACHING STORM
"Isaac’s Storm" is a very interesting book about the hurricane that wiped out Galveston in 1900. One of the main plot lines of the book is about how everyone was convinced that a hurricane could never strike Galveston, even as one approached. The author vividly describes how as the streets began to flood people went about their business as if nothing was wrong. Children played in the water, men gathered for breakfast at the local diner, and no one fled from the storm that was about to strike.
Some didn’t worry because Issac Cline, the national weather service officer in Galveston, assured them it would not be a severe storm. Other’s simply believed that Galveston was invincible. Some thought that since they had never seen a hurricane strike Galveston one never would. So for a number of reasons, people assured themselves nothing bad would happen. And as a result over 6,000 people died one September day in 1900.
Today we can see storm clouds forming on the horizon. There is a moral and spiritual decline that continues to erode our national life. The warning signs are there for us to see--the signs that Jesus is coming soon. They beckon us to return to the Lord and seek refuge in Him. How will history look back on what we did as the storm approached?
SOURCE: Steve Hanchet. Citation: "Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History," by Erik Larson and Isaac Monroe Cline. Vintage Books; ISBN: 0375708278; (July 11, 2000).
