Title: “Money Matters: Basic Principles” Type: Topical Series
Script: Various Where: GNBC 11-3-24
Intro: It is shocking to most people to hear that the Bible says more about money and possessions than it does about heaven and hell! In fact, there are roughly 2350 verses. The economy is arguably the #1 issue in this Presidential campaign. I recently read that in the past 4 years overall prices up nearly 21%, rent up 22.9%, electricity up 33%, many groceries up 25-100%. Housing prices have been at an all-time high. Financial concerns can help us evaluate what our real hope is in. All of us trust in something. The more dependable the object of our trust and hope, the less we need to worry. The stock market isn’t God, the Wall Street Journal isn’t the Bible, your asset manager isn’t your pastor, and financial experts aren’t prophets. (Prophets were put to death when their prophecies didn’t come true!) That doesn’t mean the stock market is bad, but it does mean it’s not trustworthy. It may do well for a day, a month, a year, or even a few decades. But because the stock market is uncertain, it can only produce anxiety when it becomes the object of our trust. God is the only totally trustworthy object. Therefore, He’s the only one who cannot betray our trust.
Prop: Let’s examine 4 basic Biblical principles of money & possessions every Xstian needs to know.
BG: 1. November is stewardship month. Every Christian needs to know basic principles regarding God and money. 2. Money is nothing more than a tool, but like any tool, it can be use legitimately or illegitimately. 3.
Prop: Let’s see 4 basic Biblical principles of money & possessions every Christian needs to know.
I. Ownership – I Chron. 29:11-12
A. Starting Point 1 of Money and Possessions: The Lord Owns it ALL!
1. Here may be the most shocking thing you will hear today: “The Lord owns all our possessions.”
a. Dt. 10:14 – “To the Lord your God belong…the earth and everything in it.”
b. The Bible lists several specific items God owns: Lev. 25:23 says He owns all the land: “The land …shall not be sold permanently, for the land is Mine.” Hag. 2:8 declares that He owns all the precious metals: “The silver is mine and the gold is Mine, declares the Lord of hosts.” Ps. 50 :10-12 declares that “Every beast of the forest is Mine, the cattle on a thousand hills…everything that moves in the field is mine.”
2. The Lord created all things and He has never transferred the title of His creation to people.
a. Illust: Road rage is so common today. Very violent. Ever seen the videos? Minor ding in a parking lot or at a stop and people rage. “I can’t believe you hit MY car!” Can you think of how much we could de-escalate society if we realized God owns it all? “Hey, do you know you just backed into God’s car?” “Really? Do you know I was also driving one of God’s cars?” “Hmm, I wonder why God allowed that to happen?” “Are you ok?” “Who’s God’s insurance company?” So much more peaceful.
b. Col. 1:17 states: “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” We run ourselves ragged in life trying to “keep it all together” – emotionally, financially, physically. Often our possessions and the cost of our stuff nearly run us into the ground. We’re like those circus jugglers spinning plates on poles, running from here to there in an attempt to keep everything spinning, as though it all depended on us. You don’t hold everything together and I certainly don’t either. However, at this very moment. And tomorrow…and the day after that…and…God does and God will.
B. We Need to Learn to Recognize that God Owns it ALL!
1. God requires those who follow Him to relinquish possession of his/her stuff.
a. If we are going to be genuine followers of Jesus Christ, we must transfer ownership of our possessions to the Lord. “None of you can be My disciples who doesn’t give up all of his possessions.” (Lk. 14:33) Sometimes the Lord will test us by asking if we are willing to give up the very possessions that are most important to us.
b. Illust: Classic example of this in the OT. Abraham and Isaac. Abrham and Sara waited 25 yrs. to have their son of promise. Now have had and probably a teenager. Loves son dearly. – Gen. 22:2 “Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac…and offer him there as a burn offering.” What! Yet, Abrham obeyed and demonstrated a willingness to give up his most valued possession. God saw his obedience and responded: “Do not lay a hand on the boy…now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from Me your son.” (Gen. 22:12) Christian, may I ask you if you have some possession or hobby that has not been dedicated to the Lord?
2. When We Understand the Principle of Ownership, every Spending decision becomes a Spiritual Decision for the Christian.
a. Do you notice how the conversation should change if we adopt this attitude? Instead of “Lord, what do you want me to do with my money?” It becomes: “Lord, what do you want me to do with YOUR money?” When we have this attitude and attempt to handle money according to His wishes, spending and saving decisions actually become spiritual decisions just like giving is a spiritual decision.
b. Illust: A distraught man furiously rode his horse up to John Wesley, shouting, “Mr. Wesley, Mr. Wesley, something terrible has happened. Your house has burned to the ground!” Weighing the news for the moment, Wesley replied, “No. The Lord’s house burned to the ground. That means one less responsibility for me.” Wesley’s response wasn’t the sanctimonious reply of someone who thought I’d be quoting his words hundreds of years later. We might say, “Get real,” but his reaction didn’t stem from a denial of reality. Rather, it sprang from life’s most basic reality—that God is the owner of all things, and we are simply His stewards. When we realize our possessions belong to God and not us, it removes from us the burden of worry or despair. (Randy Alcorn)
C. Applic: We live in a time when people seem to be very concerned about their pronouns! May I challenge you and me to be aware of God’s ownership and begin substituting “He/His” for “me/my”.
II. Stewardship – Mt. 25:14ff
A. What is the basic duty of the individual Christian when it comes to money and possessions?
1. The word that best describes the Christian’s part in relation to finances and stuff is: “stewardship”
a. Very simply put, a steward is a manager of someone else’s possessions. The Lord has placed people as stewards over His creation. Ps. 8:6 “You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet.” Back in Genesis 1:28 God gave this “Dominion Mandate” (Or stewardship mandate.) to man. “"Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth."
b. Paul tells us in I Cor. 4:2 “It is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy.” So, before we can be found faithful, we need to know what the job description is. Illust: If you or I purchase a complicated piece of machinery or some specific gadget, it’s probably best if we read the manufacturer’s manual so as to learn how to proficiently operate it. As Christians, we need to carefully examine the Creator’s manual, the Bible, to determine how he wants to handle and use His possessions.
2. Let’s Be Reminded of Something Very Important in our Study “Money Matters”
a. Jesus Christ loves and cares for you and me more deeply than we can understand. The principles that we will be going over in this series are His principles given to us because He wants the best for us.
b. In Reflections of God’s Glory, Corrie ten Boom, who traveled the world speaking and sharing about God’s love, said, “My finances are always in the realm of God’s miracles. He is my heavenly treasurer. When I need money—and I often do—I say to Him, ‘Father in Heaven, in the Bible it says that you have cattle on a thousand hills. That’s quite a lot. Will you sell Your cows and give me the money?’ He always does so.” If we believe that God can create us, redeem us, and bring us through death to spend eternity with Him, why can’t we take Him at His word when He says He’ll provide for our material needs?
B. The Christian Steward is to be Faithful. -Mt. 25:14ff
1. Be Faithful with What We Are Given
a. In this parable Jesus shares some very important truths. A land owner goes on a far journey and gives three different servants 3 differing amounts of money to steward in his absence. In New Testament times, the talent was the largest named quantity of money, worth about twenty years’ wages for the average day laborer. So, one is given about 100 yrs, 40 yrs, and 20 years respectively of money to care for.
b. Now notice in this passage each individual was given a differing amount. However, each one was expected to be faithful with whatever amount was entrusted to each individual. Upon his return the owner held each individual responsible for faithfully managing the possession he was given. Read v.21&23. Both received the proportional same reward. The Lord rewards faithfulness regardless of the amount we are responsible for. I know many a Christian who claims “I would be faithful if $1million was my lot.” “My question is, “How are you doing with the ten bucks that you’ve got?!” We Need to Strive to be faithful in every area of our lives.
2. What are the benefits of being a Faithful Steward of God’s Resources?
a. We have more intimate fellowship with Christ. See Mt. 25:21 – To the one who had been faithful Jesus said: “Enter into the joy of your master.” When we are faithful to the Lord’s requirements we enter into closer fellowship with Him. This takes place when we are faithful with the possessions He has given us. Illust: Some of us are no closer in our relationship with the Lord than we were 1-5-10 yrs ago. I would ask you to examine how you are using the resources God has given you. Are you honoring Him with them or simply selfishly spending on self? Are you even doing the bare minimum He requires in His word? Are you trusting God to tithe? You want to live by faith? Begin to tithe.
b. This is part of the process whereby God develops character in His followers. God uses money and stuff to help refine our character. “Although money is the most common of temporal things, it involves uncommon and eternal consequences.” (David McConaugh). Our pursuit of money and stuff often unconsciously molds people in the process of getting it (Is there a character difference in the one who works hard than say the one who wants to win the lottery or say the one who simply steals? Sure there is), saving it, spending it, and giving it (Oh pastor I can’t give, I don’t have any…Why not?). Money is morally neutral, however, it can be either a blessing or a curse. Either the individual will master money or money will master the individual.
C. Applic: If we are going to get “Money Matters” correct, we have to come to the place of recognition that we are stewards of God’s stuff and not owners of our own!
III. Control – I Chron. 29:11
A. A Principle We Must Realize in relation to money and possessions is that God is in Control of Everything
1. This includes our attitude towards stuff and finances.
a. The late RC Sproul once said: “"If there is one maverick molecule in all the universe, then God is not sovereign. And if God is not sovereign, He is not God."
b. If God is in control then God also knows what you need and how much you and I need.
2. If God is in control, then Christians don’t need to stress the timing.
a. Illust: I see so many Christians who get all worked up and stressed out about financial matters. Lose sleep, health, and loved ones and ultimately life. I’ve know so many who worried constantly about when to invest here and sell there. Illust: By the way, let me comfort you with the fact that someone has made a worse financial investment decision than you or I will ever make. In 1976 Ronald Wayne sold his 10% share in Apple for $800, along with a later $1500 payment against any future claims. Had he kept the $800 share, today his stake would be worth $58 Billion!
b. Illust: In Reflections of God’s Glory, Corrie ten Boom, who traveled the world speaking and sharing about God’s love, said, “My finances are always in the realm of God’s miracles. He is my heavenly treasurer. When I need money—and I often do—I say to Him, ‘Father in Heaven, in the Bible it says that you have cattle on a thousand hills. That’s quite a lot. Will you sell Your cows and give me the money?’ He always does so.”
B. We Need to Realize that God’s Control is Purposeful.
a. God accomplishes His Intentions in His Time. – Illust- Remember Joseph in the book of Genesis. When he is a teenager his brothers sell him into slavery. If that wasn’t enough, later he gets falsely accused of attempted rape by his lustful employer’s wife. His innocence is rewarded with a prison sentence. Finally, by God’s grace he is freed and is made 2nd in command of the Egyptian Empire. Years more pass and there is a famine in the world and low and behold guess who comes begging for grain? Brothers! Now what would you do in that situation? “Do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you…You intended to harm me, but God intended it for our good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” (God works his purposes in our lives too.)
b. God uses this to Develop our Character. – Rom. 5:3-4 – Godly character is often developed through trying times. “We rejoice in our sufferings because we know suffering produces perseverance, and perseverance character.” Character and money go hand in hand. Good or bad. College students – don’t let the world saddle you with school loans you will be paying when my age. Get a job and work hard. If you have to lay out a semester, so what. Maybe you have to work two jobs. It’s ok. Won’t kill you. Illust – I got exactly $0 to go to seminary. At one point worked three jobs for short period of time while taking 5 grad hours in a short quarter. Taught me time management.
c. God uses this to Disciple His Children. – Heb. 12:6,10-11. God is extremely concerned about how you and I manage the resources He puts in our control. Sometimes we
C. Applic: Are you stressed today about bills? Are you trying to honor God with your finances? You can trust that He is in control.
IV. Provision – Mt. 6:33
A. God is our Provider
1. Remember God is often Predictable in How He Meets our Needs.
a. God promises to meet our Needs. Mt. 6:33 “Seek ye first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things (food and clothing) shall be given to you.” There is an attitude that is expected of God’s children when it comes to our stuff. Seek His Kingdom first.
b. What are these predictable means? WORK! If you are an able-bodied adult male you need to be working at something. Period. Work is a blessing and not a curse. 2 Thes. 3:10 declares: “if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either.” Our modern welfare state robs men of their dignity and enslaves individuals to the government.
2. Remember that God is Often Unpredictable in How He Meets our Needs.
a. It was unpredictable that God would provide manna and quail for His children for 40 years. It was unexpected that Jesus would feed 5,000 with five loaves and two fish. It was unforeseeable that God would use Raven to bring bread and meat to Elijah while hiding out (II Ki. 17:4-6). BUT HE DID! God often meets our needs in ways that we never Expect, and He Often Uses His People along the way in helping to meet those needs. .
b. Illust: Story 2010 Highlander. Hit in Mercy parking lot. (I am getting older. Never got angry. I actually said to Carol: “I wonder what God is going to do through this?” Went to body shop our insurance advised. Initial estimate $4200 and 5 months before could be fixed! Jordan Linscheid heard of our incident and suggested a body shop he had experience with run by a Christian man. Sent pictures to Jordan’s acquaintance. He sent us a quote back for $2500! After he did the work, it took less time than expected and only charged us $1700. On the heels of that we had an unexpected bill of $2500! Did you do the math? I did! God allowed HIS Highlander to get hit in the Mercy Hospital parking lot and used two Christian men and His kindness (And the insurance company!) to pay a bill I didn’t know I was going to have…BUT HE DID! It’s always important to ask God how He wants to work in your financial situation.
B. God Promises to Meet Our Needs. - Phil. 4:19
1. Know the Difference Between Wants and Needs.
a. A Need is a basic necessity of life, i.e. shelter, food, water, clothing, etc. A want is defined as anything in excess of a need. The Lord may allow us to have our wants fulfilled, but He has not promised to provide for all of them. He has promised to provide for our needs.
b. If God calls on you or me today to share your resources with another, we cannot say, “I can’t, Lord, because I don’t know where my own provisions are coming from.” Yes, you do know where they’re coming from. They’re coming from God, the owner of all. We just haven’t seen it yet.
2. Learn the Secret of Contentment.
a. Jesus knows what basic needs we have. The Bible tells us in I Tim. 6:8 “If we have food and clothing, we will be content.”
b. Illust_ Shadrack Rhuto: Kenyan friend in seminary. Rhuto standing in front of the campus mailboxes with hands raised to heaven. Went to him and asked what was the good news? No good news but I am thanking God. For what? He is going to provide for my tuition. (CIU only allowed 1 semester of debt then forced to withdraw and pay off before allowed back in.) This was about 3 weeks before the deadline. Multiple times saw him do this. How much money Rhuto? Nothing. Last week I once stopped and prayed with him. Day before forced to withdraw went to mailbox. There were two letters in Shadrack’s mailbox. First letter contained a check for about $200! Still short about $1150 for the quarter. The second letter contained…$1150 and was sent the week before!
C. Applic: Hope for the Christian isn’t just confidence in a certain, glorious future. It’s hope in a present providence. It’s hope that God’s plans can’t be thwarted by local authorities or irate mobs, by unfriendly bosses or unbelieving husbands, by Supreme Court rulings or this week’s election. The Christian hope is that God’s purposes are so unassailable that a great thunderstorm of events can’t drive them off course. Even when we’re wave-tossed and lost at sea, Jesus remains the captain of the ship and the commander of the storm and He knows how to provide for His children.
(The outline for much of this message was taken directly from the "Biblical Financial Study" of Crown Financial.)
