(powerpoint available)
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A recent poll revealed that only 26% of the people surveyed are satisfied with their finances. That means 74% of the people are not satisfied with their finances. It seems that no matter how much you make it’s never enough. Gallup released a poll recently that said 64% of all couples argue over money. It is a major issue of concern in marriages – finances. In fact, they’ve discovered that it’s the number one cause of divorce – 54% of marriages divorce over money. It’s almost as if the vows have been changed – “Till debt do us part.” So today I want to continue to discuss this topic related to “Getting a Grip on My Finances.”
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Jesus said this in Luke 16:11 “If you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches.” Circle “handling wordily wealth”. He’s talking there about money management.
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As you know, the economy has taken a downturn in the past year. Some of you cannot control how that might effect your finances.
However, there are some common sense precautions that you can take for avoiding financial crash. That’s what I want to talk about this morning – some financial precautions. Things that you should normally do no matter what happens whether there is an floods or fire or other unforeseeable disasters. These are common sense, Biblical, financial principles that you should be following regardless of what happens
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Solomon wrote a book called Proverbs and wrote down the wisdom of God. Solomon was not only the wisest man; the Bible tells us he was the wealthiest man. He’d put Bill Gates to shame! The Bible says that he drank his drinks out of gold goblets and he ate on gold and silver plates. Not only did they have to wash them after each meal, they had to polish them. This is indulgently rich. Pure gold plates. Here is the wisest man whoever lived who also knows the most about wealth more than anybody else. He wrote it down in Proverbs. Today I want us to look at God’s five financial principles for financial stability.
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1. KEEP GOOD RECORDS
This is the first principle, the Principle of Accounting.
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Proverbs 27:23-24 says “Riches can disappear fast so watch your business interests closely. Know the state of your flocks and herds.” Obviously in those days everybody was a rancher or shepherd. Their assets were tied up in sheep. God says “Know the condition of your flocks.” Today, God would say, “Know the condition of your stocks.”
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People say money talks. It doesn’t talk, it just sneaks away quietly. It doesn’t tell you it’s leaving either!
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Proverbs 23:23 says “Get the facts at any price.” In other words, be realistic.
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Formula: Ignorance + Easy Credit = Disaster.
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There are four facts that you need to know.
1. I need to know what I own. Keep an inventory of your possessions.
2. I need to know what I owe. Your debts, your liabilities.
3. I need to keep records on what I earn.
4. I need to know where it goes.
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Do you have time to worry? If you have time to worry about your finances, you have time to write it down. In fact, if you wrote it down, if you kept better records, you’d have a lot less to worry about. The Bible says riches disappear fast.
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Know the condition of your flocks. Know the state of your financial being. The principle of accounting.
2. PLAN YOUR SPENDING
This is the Principle of Budgeting. You have to set some financial goals and stick with them.
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Proverbs 1:5 “Plan carefully and you’ll have plenty. But if you act too quickly you will never have enough.”
It comes from spending less. This is the Principle of Budgeting. Planning your spending.
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The average American spends six hours a week in shopping related activities. Many of you are way above average.
Some of you cannot resist a sale. You cannot resist it. “But look how much I saved!” You don’t need it. You can’t afford it. You don’t have the money to buy it. But “Look how much I saved!” It is almost impossible for you to resist a sale.
Impulse buying.
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Proverbs 21:20 “Stupid people spend their money as fast as they get it.” We could just close the Bible and go home. We’ve had our lesson for today.
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Listen to this magazine article “Are you a shopaholic?” It said, “Compulsive spending is a full fledged addiction just like gambling, alcoholism and taking drugs.” In fact it’s become such a prevalent addiction in our society that there are a couple of national organizations called Debtor’s Anonymous and Shopper Stopper.
One lady keeps her credit cards in a bowl of water in the freezer. If she gets the urge to spend, she has to wait for them to thaw first and then the urge may pass and her sanity return!, A certain man buried his wife’s credit cards in the cement of the new room addition because ice cubes melt..”
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How do you spell relief? You spell relief, BUDGET.
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The principle of accounting: keep good records. The principle of budgeting: plan your spending.
3. SAVE FOR THE FUTURE
This is obviously the Principle of Saving.
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Proverbs 21:20 “The wise man saves for the future…” I read recently that the average Japanese family saves 25% of their income – puts it in the bank. The average European family saves 18% of their income. But the average American family saves 5% of their income.
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God is concerned about our finances, but he wants us to use these principles found in the Bible and become responsible money managers.
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Proverbs 13:11 says “Money that comes easily disappears quickly. But money that is gathered little by little will grow.” Look at this verse. First, “Money that comes easily disappears quickly.” Did you know the Bible says this: Don’t get involved in get rich quick schemes. Instead it says, add it up, gather it little by little. That is consistent regular savings. It’s not treating God as your personal genie.
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Read Proverbs 6 where it talks about consider the ant. “Watch the ant. They’re smarter than human beings. They go out in the summer and store up little by little so that when the harsh winter comes, they’re well fed.”
How will you be different if you were to think, “I want to be able to have a significant retirement. I want to be able to care for the needs of my family in case of a crisis.,”
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Plan your spending. Save for the future.
There’s a fourth principle of financial stability.
4. GIVE BACK TO GOD.
The Bible calls this the Principle of Tithing. Ten percent of all I make goes back to God. Some of you have not reached that goal. That,s what it is—a goal to give 10 percent back to God. If you have not achieved that goal, I encourage you to figure out what percentage you are giving back to God and then increase the percentage by 1 every 3 or 4 months until you achieve the 10 percent principle.
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The Bible says in Malachi 3:10 and many other places. “Bring to My storehouse a full tenth [that’s the word “tithe”. Tithe means ten.] of what you earn. Test Me in this,’ says the Lord, `and I will open the windows of heaven for you and poor out all the blessings that you need.’”
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It’s a statement of gratitude. Whenever I give a regular percentage it’s saying, “God, I realize all this came from You So in gratitude realizing it all really comes from You the first ten percent goes back to You in gratitude.. I’m very grateful for what You’ve done in my life. So here it is.”
It’s a statement of priority. It says, “God, I want You to be number one in my life so right off the tip, the first part of my money goes back to You as a statement of priority that You’re number one in my life.” It’s a statement of faith in God in the future. “"I believe that You will take care of me in the future.”
Gratitude in the past. Priority in the present. Faith in the future.
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Notice that God says “test me in this, says the Lord.” Circle “test me.”
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When are you supposed to do it? Next verse “On every Lord’s day [that’s Sunday] you should put aside something from what you’ve earned during the week and use it for the offering. The amount depends on how much the Lord has helped you earn.”
The Bible says “Wherever your treasure is, your heart is also.”
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The Bill Gates of the previous generation was John D. Rockefeller. He put Gates to shame. Someone asked him one time, “How did you amass such wealth?” He said, “Simple. Save ten percent. Give ten percent. Live on the rest.” That’s called living on a margin. Save ten percent, give ten percent, live on the rest.
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John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, said, “Earn all you can, save all you can, give all you can.”
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Proverbs 3:9-10 “Honor the Lord by giving Him the first part of your income.”
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[Insert testimony]Jerry Sheets, our new lay leadewr is going to tlak about how he learned you cannot outgive God.
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Keep good records, plan your spending, save for the future, return ten- percent back to God. One more principle if you want to be financially stable.
5. ENJOY WHAT YOU HAVE
This is the Principle of Contentment.
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Ecclesiastes 6:9 says “It is better to be satisfied with what you have than always to be wanting something more.”
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VIDEO 3
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Hebrews 13:5 “Be content with what you have.”
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Isaiah 55:2 says “Why do you spend your money on that which doesn’t satisfy?”
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“If I have put my trust in money and if my happiness depends on wealth it would mean that I denied the God of heaven.” Financial pressure is not your real problem. There’s a deeper problem. All the financial pressure is a symptom.
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Out of control finances are a symptom of an out of control life. Mismanaged money is a symptom is a symptom of a mismanaged life. You do need God’s principles of money management but you need more than that. You need a life manager. His name is Jesus Christ. He can do the job that you can’t do.
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Am I going to practice these five principles--Keep good records, Plan my spending, Save for the future, give back to God, Enjoy what I have –
Take the outline and use it as a self-evaluation tool. Looking at these five principles, put a checkmark by the ones you’re already doing. Put a X by the ones you’re going to start this week.
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As we face this year of 2003 you need to settle this issue of trust. Am I going to trust God that He knows best so I’m going to do it and am I going to trust God to take care of me in the future.
Prayer:
I’m going to pray for those of you who are in financial difficulty. Father, I don’t know their individual situations but You do. Many here today are experiencing financial stress and difficulty today. As they follow Your principles, I pray that You would turn around their finances. Replace their debt with the light. Replace their pressure with Your peace. Help them to get out of the hold and onto Your pathway to financial freedom. I pray for a miracle of finances in their lives.
Now you pray something like this. Pray this in your heart. “Father, I want to follow Your financial principles in the year 2003. Forgive me for spending more than I make. Forgive me for unwise purchases that I made. Help me to get on track with Your plan. Today, I commit myself to Your financial principles. With your help this year, I’m going to start keeping better records. I’m going to learn to plan my spending. With Your help, I’m going to save some for the future. I’m going to put You first in my finances by returning the tithe back to You. Help me to enjoy what I have. Jesus Christ, I invite You to be the manager of my life. I want to trust You with my finances and my future. In Your name I pray. Amen.”.
(Rick Warren’s thoughts on finances shaped the approach of this message)
