What If There Is Not Enough? Series

Many things today to worry about even be afraid of.

What is it that causes you to toss/turn at night?

There is a biblical place for fear, however there is a …

-ROCK we can stand on,

-spiritual stability we can experience that enables us to stand in the face of our fears.

Last week I wore my sunglasses to illustrate a point.

These glasses are a filter- UV, glare, brightness, etc.

They are a picture of how we allow- earthly/natural mindset to affect how we view life, rather than seeing life through the truth of God’s Word.

Check out the glasses in this VIDEO.

The man in this video learned to view the world through God’s glasses.

It changed how he responded to people.Through what glasses are you viewing the world?What if there is not Enough? (Financial Fears)

We are living in difficult times financially.

News headlines- often play on our fears …

worse unemployment in 16 years

economist- predicting- collapse of the dollar

government policies- exacerbating the problem

prophets predicting serious problems for US

However we tend to view financial problems through the lens of how it is affects us, more than how it affects others.

There are some here …

worried about having enough to pay bills,

worried about investments/retirement savings,

who are doing very well financially.

Talk about two areas concerning financial freedom … what does it mean to think right about money and what does it mean to do the right thing w/money?

Both are essential to experience true financial freedom

There are those who can handle finances shrewdly, but their actions do not bring glory to God-their confidence is in the wrong place.

It is difficult for them when things do not go well.

There are those who have a biblical perspective about money, but they do stupid things w/their money.

We see Christians who will say …I am trusting God, you cannot take it w/you, but they do not think ahead, they handle their finances foolishly, and wonder why God let them down.

Phil 4:11-13

First- must be careful not to take V13 out of context.

We translate the verse to mean that anything I want to accomplish in this life I can through Christ.

Context- has nothing to do w/what I can accomplish-

V13 is speaking about finding contentment.

Paul is saying …whether I have much or little,

I can find contentment in Christ.

Secret to contentment- finding our identity/strength in Christ, not in our circumstances.Paul says something interesting in V11- he says,

I have learned …Paul had to learn how to apply biblical truth

to everyday life.Therefore we must learn to think and act properly.

In V12 Paul says,I have learned the secret …

The secret is living with …abundance in the power/life of Christ and

want in the power/life of Christ.

There are two dangerous extremes for people …

both success and failure can destroy a person.

Having lots of money and putting our confidence in our earthly security is just as dangerous as excessive worry about where the money is going to come from to pay my bills.

God allowed Paul the Apostle to live with/without.

(NOTES): Financial Freedom

>A life free from excessive worry about money.

Next week we will talk about worry, but not all worry is bad- the issue is excessive worry- worry that disturbs our relationship God.

Financial freedom is not tied to how much money we have- in the bank/retirement account/investments.

Financial freedom has to do with being free from EXCESSIVE worry.

There is a time for concern- if you lost your job, have no health insurance, there is a place for concern.

This type of concern motivates us to …

look at our situation,

turn to the Bible to see what it says,

take it before God in prayer, and

then take whatever actions are necessary.

We want to be free from excessive worry that …

keeps us awake at night,

produces an ulcer, or

causes us to treat others around us badly.

(NOTES): Financial freedom is …

A life free from the endless pursuit of money.

Pr 23:4-5

Many who have money are still driven to have more.

Studies have shown that the average American wage earner, up to the very rich, will say-

“life is okay, but it would be great if I had a little more.”

The more tends to be 11-15K more per year.

It does not matter where they fall in- financial spectrum, when they get 11-15K more, they still fill a need for 11-15K more.

As we talked about in the beginning of the year …

we consume all that we earn, and therefore

live our lives with no margin.

Study- Olympics- people who get a silver medal have greater dissatisfaction than those who get a bronze medal. Why?