Who Does It Belong To? Series

INTRODUCTION

" SLIDE #1

" What is one area in life that we tend to stress over maybe more than any other. We stress about it when we are young there does not seem to be enough, and when we get older, we begin to stress about running out of what we have, or put another way, do we have enough stored up, so we can enjoy retirement?

" The New York Federal Reserve released a report that showed U.S. collective household debt balances totaled $12.73 trillion in March 2017, surpassing the 2008 peak of $12.68 trillion. This isn't the first debt milestone Americans have hit recently. https://www.marketwatch.com/story/us-households-will-soon-have-as-much-debt-as-they-had-in-2008-2017-04-03

" Americans' total credit card debt continues to climb in 2017, reaching an estimated $905 billion - a nearly 8% increase from the previous year - according to a NerdWallet analysis. And the average household that's carrying credit card debt has a balance of $15,654. Households with any kind of debt owe $131,431 (including mortgages), on average, the data analysis found. https://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/average-credit-card-debt-household/

" When you think about your life and the pursuits of your life, what do they revolve around?

" Where do you gain the meaning for your life?

" For many, life revolves around the accumulation of possessions and stuff.

" This is part of the reason American's are under the strain of so much debt.

" I am not against possessions, so long as they are put in the proper place in one's life.

" Our society makes it seem success is centered round how much stuff one has.

" The saying he who does with the most toys wins.:

" When you think about it, when you own something, do you own it, or does it own you?

" You purchase a house for example, then you spend all your time cleaning it, fixing it, upgrading it, maintaining it, insuring it, paying for utilities for it, and for some poor souls, even mowing the yard.

" I want us to consider some things when it comes to thinking about money and possessions. I think we all could us some adjustments to our thinking so that we do not allow the worry of money and possession steal our joy.

" Over the next three weeks, we going to examine who really owns everything. If we understand who it all belongs to, it will help us to gain be more peaceful and biblical perspective concerning our pursuit.

" In week two we will examine the concept of tithing. This message is not aimed at filling the FCC coffers, but rather it is meant to show us what tithing is and how it IS a blessing for those who travel that path.

" Jerry will finish off our series with a message on investing for the future.

" Today we will be in Psalm 24:1-2. Let's turn there now and look at verse 1.

" Some scholars believe this Psalm was used as a hymn.

" The occasion of the hymn has been variously stated but frequently identified with the event recorded in 2 Sam 6:12-16-the bringing of the ark of God into the city of Jerusalem by David. Others, however, would refer the psalm to the time when the ark was brought into the temple by Solomon a generation later (1 Kgs 8:46), while still others would refer it to Zerubbabel's temple later still (516 B.C.). (College Press Commentary, Psalms)

" SLIDE #2

" Psalm 24:1 (CSB) The earth and everything in it, the world and its inhabitants, belong to the LORD;

" SLIDE #3

SERMON

I. Everything belongs to God.

" I kind of gave this one away with the series title, but this is something we need to fully grasp so that we can put money and possessions in a proper perspective.

" When explaining why eating meat that was sold in the pagan marketplace was ok, the Apostle Paul alludes to this verse in 1 Corinthians 10:25-26. His premise was that everything belongs to God.

" SLIDE #4

" 1 Corinthians 10:25-26 (CSB) 25 Eat everything that is sold in the meat market, without raising questions for the sake of conscience, 26 since the earth is the Lord's, and all that is in it.

" The passage in Psalm 24 is important for us the grasp, and today we miss some of the significance of how important this passage was when it was written.

" At the time of David writing this Psalm the people thought the world as well as the known universe was ruled but a plethora of gods.

" One had to live life in such a way as to not upset the various gods; however, David, as well as other Biblical writers point out the fallacy of this type of thinking. David reminds us that God is the owner of everything!