Series: Be Free in 2003 part 2
Thesis: We need to be free in 2003 with our financial resources and make sure we are pressing to become debt free! We must actively and ruthlessly root out the weed of greed in our lives. We should seek to be debt free in 2003.
Opening Illustration: from Shindler’s List about not giving more to save lives.
Texts:
Matthew 6:24
“No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.
Philippians 4:19
And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
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.”
James 5:1-6:
1Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you. 2Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. 3Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. 4Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. 5You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. 6You have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you.
Malachi 3:6-17:
6“I the LORD do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. 7Ever since the time of your forefathers you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the LORD Almighty.
“But you ask, ‘How are we to return?’
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. 11I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit,” says the LORD Almighty. 12“Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the LORD Almighty.
13“You have said harsh things against me,” says the LORD.
“Yet you ask, ‘What have we said against you?’
14“You have said, ‘It is futile to serve God. What did we gain by carrying out his requirements and going about like mourners before the LORD Almighty? 15But now we call the arrogant blessed. Certainly the evildoers prosper, and even those who challenge God escape.’”
16Then those who feared the LORD talked with each other, and the LORD listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the LORD and honored his name.
17“They will be mine,” says the LORD Almighty, “in the day when I make up my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as in compassion a man spares his son who serves him. 18And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.
Introduction: I recall from the past and old song that went something like this “What the world needs now is love sweet love.” I hum it every once in a while and think but today I they would say, “What the world needs now is money sweet money.” Scott Titus said, “Its been said that the average American spends half his waking hours thinking about money.”
Finances – money – cash – the green stuff have torn apart many relationships in our culture today. There has been misunderstandings of financial resources and misappropriation of financial resources. This preoccupation with money has created some startling results in our world today listen to just a few that where mentioned by Scott Titus:
Nearly 80 percent of all divorced couples between the ages of 20 and 30 list financial difficulties as the primary cause of their separation.
The U.S. Consumer debt is at an all time high-currently over 7.3 Trillion dollars.
Us Credit card debt is over 500 billion dollars, and according to the Federal Reserve, American consumers add almost $5 Billion dollars a month to their credit card debt.
In the past ten years, credit card balances have increased a staggering 163%.
Even some of the most dedicated Christiana are facing the difficulty of overextended credit and bankruptcy. In 2001 year 1.3 million personal bankruptcies were filed. Most people like you and me.
The nation’s debt is climbing. Prices are climbing, and suicide rates are climbing as a result of financial bondage.
Reported giving to the local church by Barna Research group
• Six out of ten adults (61%) gave money to one or more churches in 2000, a small decline from 1999 (66%).
• The average church donor contributed a mean of $649 to churches in 2000, down from the $806 in 1999.
• Nearly one-quarter of all born again Christians (23%) gave no money to a church in 2000 – which is significantly lower than the 39% of all adults who made no financial contribution to a church in 2000.
• More Americans claim to tithe than actually do: 17% of adults claim to tithe while 6% actually do so. (2000)
• 12% of born again Christians (compared to 3% of non born agains) tithed their income to churches in 2000.
• The average cumulative donations to churches by evangelicals totaled $2097. The average cumulative donations to churches by born agains totaled $1166. For evangelicals, cumulative donations totaled $2097. (2000)
• Slightly more than half of all adults (54%) donate some money to a church during a typical month. (2000)
• Busters are substantially less likely (36%) than are Boomers (58%), Builders (68%) or Seniors (68%) to give to a church in a given month. (2000)
• Married adults are more likely than are single adults to donate some money to a church in a typical month (64% to 42% respectively). (2000)
Tithing Is Rare
While many Christian churches teach the biblical principle of tithing – that is, giving 10% of one’s income to the church – relatively few people follow the practice. One out of every six adults (17%) claims to tithe, but a comparison of the amount that people gave to churches and their household income revealed that just 6% actually donated one-tenth of their income (pre-tax or post-tax) to churches. The level of misreporting among born again Christians was just as prolific: 32% reported tithing, yet only 12% actually did so in 2000.
The average American pays $1000 a year in interest and only gives $649 a year to the church for God’s work!
Even so, born again Christians were about four times more likely than were non-born again adults to tithe (12% vs. 3%, respectively). The Barna survey also discovered that a large proportion of adults claim to be interested in tithing in the future. Two out of every five born again adults who admitted to not currently tithing stated that they hoped to do so in the future, with the remaining one out of five indicating no interest in or intent to tithe in the future.
In general, the more money a person makes the less likely he/she is to tithe. While 8% of those making $20,000 or less gave at least 10% of their income to churches, that proportion dropped to 5% among those in the $20,000-$29,999 and $30,000-$39,999 categories; to 4% among those in the $40,000-$59,999 range, down to 2% for those in the $60,000-$74,999 niche; and to 1% for those making $75,000-$99,999. The level jumped a bit for those making $100,000 or more, as 5% of the most affluent group tithed in 1999.
Evangelicals Are the Most Generous Givers, but Fewer than 10% of Born Again Christians Give 10% to Their Church – Barna report April 5, 2000
Giving Patterns Change in America
2000 1999 1998
Percentage of adults who donated to
non-profits, churches 78% 84% 87%
Mean per capita giving
to non-profits, churches $886 $1045 $1377
Percentage of adults who
donated to churches 61% 66% 66%
Mean per capita giving to churches $649 $806 $750
Percentage of adults who donated to parachurch non-profits 36% NA NA
Mean per capita giving to
parachurch non-profits $176 NA NA
T.S.- People are in financial ruin because finances are not being used according to the plan and purpose of God. God desires us to manage our finances His way not our way. So lets discover God’s financial plan for our lives.
I. Why does God want us to be good stewards of our resources and not allow the weed of greed to take root?
a. God desires for us to grow spiritually and to be transformed by His spirit and giving is a spiritual issue.
i. 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.”
ii. 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.”
2. Do you remember the rich man’s question to Jesus prior to this response, ”What must I do to inherit eternal life?”
a. 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).
i. 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.
ii. The sad fact is many in the church are in the same position as this rich man.
b. The story of the man in Grygla:
i. 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.
ii. 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.
iii. 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.
iv. He never came back to the church and a year later he died without having his heart in the right place with Jesus.
3. Russell states, “Jesus made it clear there’s a close tie between people’s pocketbooks and their hearts (46).
4. 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 apart of seeing the kingdom of God effect 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 is Scripture is that if we give 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. II 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.
3. The purpose of our personal gains according to Scripture is to bless others with our abundance.
4. Could you imagine being a part of an Acts chapter 2 church?
a. Hybels states, “There is nothing like the local church when it’s working right. It’s beauty is indescribable. It’ 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.
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
iv. Some church folk say give so you get rich in this world with money. Give God a $1.00 and he will give you $100.00 for your self. Kenneth Sauer states:
1. I’m afraid that prosperity, health, and wealth preaching has cost the church a great deal. The famous PTL leader and former health-wealth-and- prosperity preacher Jim Baker states in his book that “When it comes to the health, wealth, and prosperity message, I was wrong.” Some preachers try to convince their audience that if they give to get they will have a wonderful life. But there is nothing more un-Scriptural than that! A guy named Chuck Millhuff says, “You give to get, to give again.” Some people think that dropping 10 percent of their income into the offering plate is like rubbing a rabbit’s foot--that God will do something magical in return. But God is not a guaranteed lottery....when people pay their tithe to God, it is an evidence of a changed attitude, a renewed spirit...they are giving to God out of gratitude, obedience, and worship....
and in giving to God--their changed attitude produces other changes in their lives that will prosper them spiritually and financially. It’s part of the Christian Journey toward perfection and abundant Life in Christ (SermonCentral.com).
T.S.- There are two major actions required on our part to Be Free in 2003. The first action we must do is budge our finances.
II. Budget – Yes, I said it – No, it’s not a four - letter word.
a. Share the story of the Pastor who believed budget was a swear word.
i. 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 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.”
a. Why should we budget?
i. Because you will use you money appropriately and wisely.
ii. Because we need to relentlessly remove debt from our lives.
1. We need to recognize our limits.
2. We need to formulate a plan to remove debt and live with in a framework that produces freedom.
a. Be debt free in 2003 – The McCartney goal!
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.
b. How to budget?
i. Evaluate where you are currently in your finances.
1. Most people in the church today only give 2.5% of their income to the Lord.
a. 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.
2. 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’ contrary to his word!
3. Have you ever thought that because you do not give to the Kingdom of God that it is hindered in what it could do?
4. This is why we need to become good stewards of our finances. This means we have to learn to budget- God’s way.
ii. The first thing you need to do before you can formulate a budget is to get a realistic view of were you are at.
1. Here are some easy to fill out forms to discover your current financial condition.
a. Show handouts and overheads:
i. Assessing your net worth.
ii. Assessing your spending history.
iii. Forming your budget worksheet.
b. See overhead from Larry Burkett on percentage guide for Family income.
iii. Find out if you are in financial bondage see Dr. Morgan’s list of Danger signals of financial bondage.
1. See overhead.
2. Also a overhead from Larry Burkett called “From Financial Bondage to Financial Freedom.”
iv. Then formulate a budget that is realistic and attainable- for help with this check out Larry Burkett’s book “More Than Finances.”
1. Show graphs and other insightful helps.
2. Show book.
c. Live within your budget have the right mindset. Do not let the weed of greed to take root in your heart.
i. Contentment mindset verse consumerism mindset.
1. 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).
2. 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.
3. 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).
4. 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.
5. 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.
ii. Materialism verses Christian Stewardship
1. These are both theologies that are vying for your allegiance. One or the other will win!
2. 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.”
iii. Greed verse need
1. 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).
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
d. 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).
iv. Discipline verse irresponsibility
1. God desires discipline but discipline really comes from growing more intimate with the Lord.
a. 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 slake his thirst. But these are like spiritual salt water: They just make you thirstier” (32.
b. 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).
2. How to know if you are financially irresponsible?
a. Do you place more faith in your material possessions than you do in God’s provision?
b. Are you enveloped in greediness which means your always wanting the best and thinking you deserve it?
c. Do you value your money above God?
d. Do you have a get rich mindset?
e. Do you have to delay paying bills by borrowing more money so you can pay them?
f. Do you frequently have overdue bills?
g. Are your family needs not being met?
h. Do you have to over commit to work?
i. Do you go on binges of self-indulgence placing yourself further in debt?
j. Do you have a lack of commitment to supporting God’s work with your finances?
k. Do you compromise your integrity in the financial realm?
l. Do you fail to invest in the future- in eternity?
T.S.- The 2nd action to being free in 2003 has to do with honoring the Lord with our finances..
III. Honor God with your finances by getting rid of the weed of greed.
a. Proverbs 3:13-24: Reminds us that if we honor God with our finances He will bless us.
13 Blessed is the man who finds wisdom,
the man who gains understanding,
14 for she is more profitable than silver
and yields better returns than gold.
15 She is more precious than rubies;
nothing you desire can compare with her.
16 Long life is in her right hand;
in her left hand are riches and honor.
17 Her ways are pleasant ways,
and all her paths are peace.
18 She is a tree of life to those who embrace her;
those who lay hold of her will be blessed.
19 By wisdom the LORD laid the earth’s foundations,
by understanding he set the heavens in place;
20 by his knowledge the deeps were divided,
and the clouds let drop the dew.
21 My son, preserve sound judgment and discernment,
do not let them out of your sight;
22 they will be life for you,
an ornament to grace your neck.
23 Then you will go on your way in safety,
and your foot will not stumble;
24 when you lie down, you will not be afraid;
when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.
b. We need to honor him with our first fruits.
i. Larry Burkett states, “A verse in Proverbs says that God has asked for our first fruits: the first and best of all that we receive. That means that we should tithe from our total gross income before taxes. Any profit made from the sale of a home ought to be tithed upon, because it is, in fact, part of the first fruits. Other parts of our first fruits would be inheritances, insurance monies, dividends, and interest. These are all parts of our increase. A farmer first sets aside a portion from the harvest for seed to plant the following year. If he didn’t, he would not have another crop. As Christians, our tithes are like seeds. Clearly, if we give to God the first part of everything that comes into our possession, we are honoring Him. It is an attitude of giving. And it is only by honoring the Lord from the first part of all we have that God can take control” (196).
ii. You honor God by giving tithes and offerings to his work.
1. See Malachi 3 for more insight on this truth.
iii. God promises to bless those who honor him. Listen to these success stories of the rich and famous:
1. A young man accepted the call to become an African missionary but found on further examination that his wife could not stand the climate of Africa. It made her very sick. He was heartbroken, but he prayerfully returned to his home and determined to make all the money he could to be used in spreading the Kingdom of God all over the world. His father, a dentist, had started to make on the side, an unfermented wine for communion service. The young man took the business over and developed it until it assumed vast proportions-his name was ‘Welch,’ whose family still manufacturers ‘grape juice’ He has given literally hundred of thousands of dollars to the work of missions by way of offerings and has faithfully tithed to the church of Jesus Christ.
2. Starting poor but honoring God.
a. J. D. Rockefeller said, “I never would have been able to tithe the first million dollars I ever made if I had not tithed my first salary, which was $1.50 per week.”
3. Someone says that tithing is only for the rich. But we have never heard of a rich man or women commencing tithing, but we can name scores who began to tithe when they were poor and then became rich:
a. Mr. Crowell - founder of Quaker Oats Co.
Mr. Colgate- founder of Colgate Soaps, etc
Mr. Proctor of Ivory soap fame
Mr. Matthias Baldwin of Baldwin Locomotive Industry
R.G. Le Tourneau – founder of a large earth moving business
John D Rockefeller Sr. – multimillionaire
Richard Devos – Founder of Amway
Conclusion:
Financial management is all about your faith walk with the Lord. The more you become intimate with Him the more the things of this world will have no power over you. The sooner you understand this spiritual truth the sooner you will be free in 2003.
Larry Burkett reminds us, “Since finance is one of the most often discussed topics in the New Testament, it would seem obvious that God would use that area to test our obedience to Him. We must come to the point that God’s approval is more important than the world’s riches. Being obedient means being willing to do what God’s Word says, regardless of the cost. Then, and only then, will the full measure of God’s peace and power be experienced” (40).
Quotes:
"God judges what we give by what we keep."
- G. Mueller
"When it comes to giving, some people will stop at nothing." - Jimmy Carter
"The trouble is that too many people are spending money they haven’t yet earned for things they don’t need to impress people they don’t like. "
"Give according to your income, lest God make your income according to your giving"-Peter Marshall
Adolphe Monod (1800-1856)
"There is no portion of our time that is our time, and the rest God’s; there is no portion of money that is our money, and the rest God’s money. It is all his; he made it all, gives it all, and he has simply trusted it to us for his service. A servant has two purses, the master’s and his own, but we have only one. "
Altar Call:
How many here this morning would like to manage their finances God’s way? Raise your Hands. You can put them down.
Here is our challenge to you from New Life Community Church – If you have never tithed to the church before and you decide to start and you do it for 3 months faithfully and you at the three month point do not feel that God has blessed you then we will refund all the money that you have given over the last three months.
How many know you need God’s help to do this raise your hands. Lets Pray for God’s help!
