GOD’S PLAN FOR FINANCIAL FREEDOM
(Note: Much of the material used in this sermon was gleaned from Larry Burkett’s teaching on finances. Crown Ministries has more material available for further study.)
Shortly after his death, someone asked John D. Rockefeller Jr’s chief financial advisor, “He was one of the richest men in the world, how much did he leave?” To which the advisor answered, “everything!”
God would have us remember that we all leave everything when we die. Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:19-21, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Two thirds of the parables that Christ used in teaching deal specifically with finances. The financial principles given throughout God’s Word are not there to see if we’re strong enough to live by them – they’re given because God knows that they are the best for us. God’s principles of finances are not an arbitrary set of rules by which to govern us – they are a loving Father’s wisdom to those who will listen and trust Him.
Christ never said money or material things were problems. He said that they were symptoms of the real problems. He constantly warned us to guard our hearts against greed, covetousness, ego, and pride, because those are the tools that Satan uses to control and manipulate this world. Christ warned us a great deal more about materialism than He did any other sin. “And He said to them, ‘Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions” (Luke 12:15).
Satan has taken the very riches provided by God to enhance our lives and bring others to salvation and has diverted them for his use. Today, even Christians evaluate others on the basis of how much they have and how successful they are in worldly terms. The poor are thought to be losers – while the wealthy and successful are thought to be the spiritual winners. Nothing could be farther from the truth.
The Bible has much to say about material wealth – let me read you an example from Leviticus Chapter 26.
’If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees of the field their fruit. Your threshing will continue until grape harvest and the grape harvest will continue until planting, and you will eat all the food you want and live in safety in your land. "’I will grant peace in the land, and you will lie down and no one will make you afraid. I will remove savage beasts from the land, and the sword will not pass through your country. You will pursue your enemies, and they will fall by the sword before you. Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and your enemies will fall by the sword before you.
’I will look on you with favor and make you fruitful and increase your numbers, and I will keep my covenant with you. You will still be eating last year’s harvest when you will have to move it out to make room for the new. I will put my dwelling place among you, and I will not abhor you. I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt so that you would no longer be slaves to the Egyptians; I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to walk with heads held high.
’But if you will not listen to me and carry out all these commands, and if you reject my decrees and abhor my laws and fail to carry out all my commands and so violate my covenant, then I will do this to you: I will bring upon you sudden terror, wasting diseases and fever that will destroy your sight and drain away your life. You will plant seed in vain, because your enemies will eat it. I will set my face against you so that you will be defeated by your enemies; those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee even when no one is pursuing you. ’If after all this you will not listen to me, I will punish you for your sins seven times over. I will break down your stubborn pride and make the sky above you like iron and the ground beneath you like bronze. Your strength will be spent in vain, because your soil will not yield its crops, nor will the trees of the land yield their fruit. ’If you remain hostile toward me and refuse to listen to me, I will multiply your afflictions seven times over, as your sins deserve.’
The principle I want you to see here is that total obedience to all (v.14) God’s commands will result in blessing. And “blessing” here means financial security, physical safety and overall well-being.
Many of us believe the American myths about money such as, “It takes breaks to get ahead” or “It takes money to make money” or “You can’t be too honest and get ahead today”
These sayings are false for the Christian because it is God that is the source of our provision. God gives you your earning capacity and potential. God gives you your mental and physical ability to earn a living. God gives it all, and the moment we step back and say, “Oh, look what I have done, look what wealth I’ve accumulated,” we’ve stepped out of God’s will and into the trap of pride. The same trap as King Nebuchadnezzar when one day he looked out over his kingdom with pride in his heart and God taught him a lesson.
Listen to what Daniel chapter 4 says happened to King Nebuchadnezzar: 29 “Twelve months later, as the king was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, he said, "Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?" The words were still on his lips when a voice came from heaven, "This is what is decreed for you, King Nebuchadnezzar: Your royal authority has been taken from you. You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like cattle. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes." Immediately what had been said about Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled. He was driven away from people and ate grass like cattle. His body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his nails like the claws of a bird. At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified him who lives forever. His dominion is an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures from generation to generation. All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: "What have you done?" At the same time that my sanity was restored, my honor and splendor were returned to me for the glory of my kingdom. My advisers and nobles sought me out, and I was restored to my throne and became even greater than before.”
As we will see today, it is attitude not aptitude, that God honors. The gaining of wealth as an end in itself is a very poor investment of a life. First, it requires a great deal of time to the virtual exclusion of everything else including family, friends, hobbies, relaxation and recreation.
Second, there is no correlation between wealth and happiness. That is an important key! Many Christians are inwardly disturbed by the prosperity of some non-Christians. Yet we should recognize that Satan is the prince of this world, and it would be an extremely poor recruiting practice if he recruited only the impoverished.
But, there is a great difference between God and Satan in our finances. Proverbs 10:22 says, “It is the blessing of the Lord that makes rich, and He adds no sorrow to it.” So, if you are experiencing worry and anxiety where your money is concerned, it’s not from God.
Let me dispel some of the religious nonsense that surrounds the subject of money.
1. Poverty is next to spirituality. Wrong! The Bible never once relates spirituality to poverty. God condemns the misuse or the preoccupation with money, not the money itself. In fact, God lists the production of money as a spiritual gift. In Romans 12:5-8 He describes the gift of giving. You can’t give unless you produce wealth, so the whole idea that poverty is spiritual is nonsense.
2. Money brings happiness. Wrong! If that were true, Howard Hughes would have died a happy man, instead, he died a miserable recluse from society. Though money can bring some happiness, it is only temporary and superficial. Paul tells Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:17 “Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.”
3. To be wealthy is a sin. Wrong! Having money is not a sin. As a matter of fact, many times when God finds someone with the proper attitude, He blesses them with great riches. Psalm 8:6
4. Money is the root of all evil. Wrong! This is a misquote of 1 Timothy 6:10, what it actually says is, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” This is God’s perspective, that when you begin to love money you put money first and everything, including God, second and that is idolitry.
When polled, Americans say the biggest problem in America is financial bondage.
What exactly is financial bondage? As we look in the Bible, it becomes obvious that excessive debt led to bondage. If a man who owed money to a creditor could not repay his obligations, then the lender has the right to imprison him until he could pay up every cent. The lender then owned everything that had once belonged to the debtor – his wife, kids and all of his possessions.
In America people are experiencing mental and physical aspects of financial bondage.
Every year thousands of families are torn apart because of financial bondage. Millions of people encumber themselves with debts beyond their ability to repay. Unfortunately Christians become involved in the world system just as much as non-Christians and begin to purchase goods and services on impulse. Credit cards have supplied the means of buying on impulse, allowing everyone to encumber themselves far beyond their ability to repay.
So the most common type of bondage is excessive use of credit. Most people think that the credit card companies will not allow them to borrow beyond their ability to repay, but that’s not the case. The average credit card company will allow you to borrow 250% more than you can conceivably repay.
The scriptural definition of a debt is the inability to meet agreed-upon obligations. When a person buys something on credit, that is not necessarily a debt, it is a contract. But, when the terms of that contract are violated, scriptural debt occures.
Many Christians today are in bondage to excessive debt and misuse of their finances has ruined their testimony and has damaged their spiritual lives.
Financial bondage can also exist through an abundance of money. Some Christians have been supplied a surplus of money and have misused or begun to hoard it. The accumulation of wealth and material pleasures of life can be an obsession that will destroy a Christian’s health, fragment the family, promote separation from friends, and block God’s will for their lives.
God wants us to save money and keep some in reserve, but there is a distinct difference between saving and hoarding money. Solomon said, “Lord, I ask but two things from You: first, help me to never tell a lie; second, give to me neither riches nor poverty because in my poverty, I might steal, and in my riches I might become content without You.” The wealthy have a great responsibility to understand why God gave them money and to avoid hoarding it.
I personally know a man from Illonois who gives over half of his income to the work of the church. Ask him and he will tell you that you can’t out-give God. He began committing more and more of his income from his business to God and his business miraculously began to become more and more profitable. Now the other half of his income that he keeps and uses is significantly more than his entire income when he first started following God’s principles of financial management. This man has the right attitude towards money – his attitude is, “It all belongs to God, I just manage it as He directs.”
At the same time, God will not use money to allow us to satisfy our every whim and desire. It is important that we begin to adjust our lifestyle to be compatible with Christian principles.
Just what are the symptoms of financial bondage?
1. Overdue Bills:
2. Investment Worries:
3. A Get-Rich-Quick Attitude: Prosperity foolishness.
4. No Gainful Employment:
5. Deceitfulness:
6. Greediness:
7. Covetousness:
8. Family Needs Unmet:
9. Unmet Christian Needs:
10. Overcommitment to Work:
11. Money Entanglements:
12. Financial Unfairness:
13. Lack of Commitment to God’s Work
14. Financial Superority:
15.Financial Resentment:
1. Overdue Bills: Christians are in financial bondage when they experience anxiety produced from overdue bills. Larry Burkett says that 80% of Christian families today either suffer from overspending or have suffered from in the past. That is partly because most families have no plan for their finances and continue to borrow beyond their ability to repay.
2. Investment Worries: If you are overly concerned with your investments, you are a Scrooge McDuck. If you have to read the financial page every day to see how your investments are going, then you have a problem. Jesus said you can’t serve two masters – you can’t serve both God and money.
3. A Get-Rich-Quick Attitude: There is some truth in “Prosperity Preaching,” but it has been exagerated out of proportion and now boarders on foolishness. This get-rich-quick attitude is characterized by attempts to make money quickly with very little effort. An investment is a “get-rich-quick” program if an individual must assume excessive debt, borrow the money to invest, or deal deceitfully with people. Most multi-level marketing programs fall into this category. Unfortunately many of these multi-level marketing skeems thrive in the church and are the cause of a multitude of problems. My advice to you – stay as far away from them as possible – don’t even go to one of their meetings.
4. No Gainful Employment: Financial bondage also exists when there is no desire for gainful employment. Paul said in 2 Thessalonians 3:10, “For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone will not work, neither let him eat.” If you have a “welfare mentality” shame on you! All I have to say to you is, “Get your lazy carcus out there and get a job – even if it is minimum wage and below what you think is your status in life!”
5. Deceitfulness: A Christian is in financial bondage if he is dishonest in financial matters.
6. Greediness: Financial bondage will also result from greed, which is reflected when someone always wants the best or always wants more. Someone who is never able to put others first, never able to accept a necessary loss, or is always looking at what others have and comparing themselves to them suffers from greed. A Christian who cannot put his or her own wants aside to satisfy the needs of others suffers from greed. The rich ruler in Luke 18 suffered from this malady. He had put an idol, his money, before God, and he could not give up that idol, even to follow Christ.
7. Covetousness: A Christian is in financial bondage if she looks at what others have and desires it with a “keeping up with the Joneses” attitude. Young married couples often fall into this trap. They want everything the Joneses have and they want it now, so the go into debt to get it. Too bad they couldn’t first look inside the Joneses’ house and see the strife when the paycheck comes in and there’’ never enough to satisfy all the creditors. Or the anxiety that takes place when a notice comes from a collection agency taking them to court. Or the despair of a housewife when a creditor calls at 10:00 am asking for money.
8. Family Needs Unmet: You are in financial bondage if, because of your past buying habits, your family’s needs cannot be net. The reasons for unmet needs can be many: you may refuse gainful employment; be shackled with debts to the point that creditors take necessary family funds; or your standard of living may allow “luxuries” to deprive your family of needs. Things like a new bass boat, elk rifle, sports car, fancy vacation, kitchen remodel, snow mobile and such. None of these things are wrong, but when you put them in front of meeting your family needs, you’ve got a problem.
9. Unmet Christian Needs: If you are not meeting your obligation of tithes and offerings because of indebtedness, you are in trouble.
10. Overcommitment to Work: You are in financial bondage if both husband and wife have to hold two or three jobs just to make ends meet. You are in financial bondage if you only have one job but you are married to that job. If everywhere you go your work follows you and most of your conversations are about your work – you have a problem. Listen, God’s plan for work is to excel at your work, not to exceed. Excess in work is a problem.
11. Money Entanglements: If you, “have too many irons in the fire” and are trapped by entanglements that cause you to be so stretched out that you are continually applying financial “Band-Aids” you are in bondage.
12. Financial Unfairness: If someone owes you money and you discover someone in need and force them to borrow money or you take advantage of widows or the underpriviledged, then you have a big problem.
13. Lack of Commitment to God’s Work: You are in financial bondage is there is no financial commitment to God’s work. This principle is basic to Christian financial management. Proverbs 3:9-10 says, “Honor the Lord from your wealth, and from the first of all your produce; so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine.” It is only by honoring the Lord from the first part of our incomes that God can take control. We are stewards; God is the owner. The tithes that we give to God are a testimony of His ownership. The Christian who fails to give a minimum testimony to God never acknowledges that He is the owner.
14. Financial Resentment: You are in financial bondage if you believe God has not given you what you deserve or desire. Not only do you covet what others have but also, basically, you are resentful toward God for your station in life. Listen, it is dangerous to ask God to give you what you deserve. He might do it!
If you think you have it bad, just consider that Americans live better than 98% of the rest of the earth’s population.
Listen Christian, God’s plan for you is financial freedom!
Not only do you need to recognize the symptoms of financial bondage, gut you also need to know how to achieve financial freedom. Financial freedom manifests itself in every aspect of the Christian’s life – relief from worry and tension about overdue bills, a clear conscience before God and before others, and the absolute assurance that God is in control of your life.
How can we achieve financial freedom? What must we do to live according to God’s plan?
There are two steps; 1. We need to transfer ownership of every possession to God; and 2. We need to get out of debt altogether.
Transfer of Ownership: A Christian must transfer ownership of every possession to God. That means money, time, family, material possessions, education, even earning potential for the future. This is essential to experience the Spirit-filled life in the area of finances.
There is absolutely no substitute for this step. If you believe you are the owner of even a single possession, then the events affecting that possession are going to affect your attitude. God will not force His will on you. You must first surrender your will to Him.
If, however, you make a total transfer of everything to God, He will demonstrate His ability. It is important to understand and accept God’s conditions for His Control. Deut 5:32-33 says, “So be careful to do what the LORD your God has commanded you; do not turn aside to the right or to the left. Walk in all the way that the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land…” Listen, God will keep His promise to provide every need you have through physical, material, and spiritual means, according to His perfect plan.
It is simple to say, “Lord, I make a total transfer of everything to You.” But not so simple to live out. At first, we may experience some difficulty in consistently seeking God’s will in the area of material things because we are so accustomed to self-management and control. But financial freedom comes from knowing God is in control.
What a great relief it is to turn our burdens over to Him. Then, if something happens to the car, you can say, “Father, I gave this car to You; I’ve maintained it to the best of my ability, but I don’t own it. It belongs to You, so do with it whatever You would like.” Then look for the blessing God has in store as a result of this attitude.
Freedom from debt:
As a Christian you must get out of debt altogether. Let me define “debt” again. Debt exists when any of the following conditions are true in your life. 1. Payment is past due for money, goods, or services that are owed to other people. 2. The total value of unsecured liabilities exceeds total assets. In other words, if you have to sell everything you own you still wouldn’t be able to pay off all your debts. And 3. Anxiety is produced over financial responsibility, and the family’s basic needs are not being met because of your past or present spending practices.
There are 8 steps that will get you out of debt:
1. Make a written plan: Marilyn will soon be offering a class on Christian Finances put out by Larry Burkett’s organization called Christian Financial Concepts (now Crown Ministries). This is a life revolutionizing class and I want all of us to take it. I cannot stress how important this class is – it is the vehicle that will lead you to complete financial freedom.
2. Stop any expenditure that is not absolutely essential for living. Learn to conserve. Begin by eliminating expenditures that are not essential. You must begin to assess what things you can do for yourself or with the help of other Christians. Once you begin to do these things, it will become fun and will help stabilize family life.
3. Think before buying. A Christian who is in debt (and even those who are not) should think before every purchase. You should ask yourself questions like, Is it a necessity? And, Is this the very best buy I can get?
4. Discontinue Credit Buying! A Christian in debt should also begin buying only on a cash basis. Often someone in debt doesn’t realize how much money they lose each year in interest. If you owe $5,000 you will probably be paying something over $1,000 per year in interest alone. If you are in debt from the misuse of credit, stop – totally stop – using it! Tear them all up and write all your credit card companies and tell them that you are ceasing to use their services and then tell them how you intend to pay them back. Then start buying solely on a cash basis.
5. Avoid Leverage. Don’t borrow money to invest! That’s it! It’s not scriptural, so don’t so it.
6. Begin to practice saving: A Christian should practice saving money on a regular basis. This included those who in debt. Even if it is only $5 a month, develop a discipline of saving.
7. Establish the Tithe: Every Christian should establish the tithe as a minimum testimony to God’s ownership.
God’s Word describes the tithe as a testimony to God’s ownership. It was through the tithe that Abraham acknowledged God’s ownership. Thus, God was able to direct and prosper him (Genesis 14:20)
Some people think that tithing is legalism. If tithing is legalism, why did Abraham tithe a tenth of all his spoils back to God? After all, Abraham had no law. The written law didn’t come until Moses.
Abraham did so because he loved God and was convinced that the tithe belonged to Him. Abraham was a true steward, able to surrender everything to God, including his most prized possession – Isaac. When God convicted Abraham of the necessity to surrender a tithe, he understood its significance and did so willingly.
The tithe, given as a testimony, reaps a great harvest because it is the seed we plant in God’s garden. God is able to take our tithe and multiply it.
Christians often discuss whether one should tithe on their gross or their net earnings. Well, think of it this way, do you want God to multiply your gross or your net? If we are legalistic with God, we can expect the same reward as the Pharisees. If we’re loving and generous toward God, God will be loving and generous with us.
Don’t fall into the trap of treating tithing like magic. Given as a testimony, God promises to prosper it. But God is under absolutely no requirement to return what is given to Him. Romans 11:35 says, “Who has first given to Him that it might be paid back to him again?” God promises that if we give out of a true and loving heart, He will return it multiplied.
Malachi 3: 8 says, "Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. "But you ask, ’How do we rob you?’ "In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse--the whole nation of you--because you are robbing me. 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.I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit," says the LORD Almighty.”
These words from God are a promise of blessing and a warning. God is saying, “Trust Me, bring to Me the full measure of your tithes and offerings that I may open the storehouse for you and give it back. But do not withhold from Me that which I ask.”
Listen, has Satan manipulated you into a position of financial bondage?
God spoke to me throughout the night on Tuesday night – He kept pointing me to Joel chapter 2. I need to preach on this passage, but for today listen to what it says about restoration of financial prosperity to God’s people:
21 “Be not afraid, O land; be glad and rejoice. Surely the LORD has done great things. Be not afraid, O wild animals, for the open pastures are becoming green. The trees are bearing their fruit; the fig tree and the vine yield their riches. Be glad, O people of Zion, rejoice in the LORD your God, for he has given you the autumn rains in righteousness. He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before. The threshing floors will be filled with grain; the vats will overflow with new wine and oil. ’I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten-- the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm -- my great army that I sent among you. You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the LORD your God, who has worked wonders for you; never again will my people be shamed. Then you will know that I am in Israel, that I am the LORD your God, and that there is no other; never again will my people be shamed.”
Give God the first part of your income as a testimony of His ownership. Listen to what Jesus says in Luke 6:38 Jesus said, “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."
The tithe is a spiritual investment and cannot be evaluated on the basis of profit and loss. Too many Christians look at tithing in worldly terms. But God is the only business manager who can make 90% go farther than 100%.
8. Finally, Accept God’s Provision: God will bless you and you need to recognize and accept that God’s provision is used to direct our lives.
