Giving #6

Joyous Giving
Stewardship #6
November 23rd
Pastor Ben Fleming

The first week of December your deacons must begin to work on the budget for this church family for 2009. To help them do so – there is a pledge sheet in your program. It was given out last week. If this is your church family would you let them know how you plan to give in 2009. You do not have to give them your name –just the top portion…two turned in. SHOW

Some of us are wise with our money and some of us are foolish but all of us want to be good stewards with our money – I know you do. If you are a believer --- deep down you want to please God. Some of us are able to stretch a dollar and hold on to a dollar and some of us – it just goes right through our hands and when we get a chance to borrow and put something on credit we go right ahead and get into debt. It is so easy to go in debt. (slide) Best Buy will give you 18 months to pay for anything over $400 – can you believe it --- (slide) I can get that Dell Laptop and pay for it over 18 months or (slide) shoot do you know how long I have been waiting to get a spa outback – they are interest free for 18 months as well. Last year they only gave you 12 months free interest – man times are getting better…. Getting into debt is so easy but getting out is hard. Being debt free is not a New Year’s Resolution – you must make it a new life resolution and commit to living debt free as your most important goal. To do so – will require that you change your lifestyle. I do not know your situation but God does. God cares and He cares about you and He wants you to be a manager of your money in a way that brings Him pleasure.

When it comes to teaching on money in the Christian world, there are two extremes. The first is the prosperity theology which teaches that it is God’s will that you be rich. One TV preacher said that Jesus was rich – he wore designer clothes and lived in a big house another said, “go buy a Lexus and trust God for the payments.” The second extreme in the church is ignoring money and teaching about money all together in the church.

Turn with me to 2 Timothy 3:16 – 17. ……. When it comes to money – most of need rebuking. Rebuke is the word the bible used for bringing truth to where change is needed ---- and we are not talking about the political change that we have been hearing about. Political change is not going to change our stewardship of money. Political change is not going cause the believer to bring glory to God by the way he or she handles money. Believers must repent. Believers must begin to obey God’s Word and begin to put into practice what God’s Word teaches. Please stand with me as we read God’s Word: “All Scripture is God breathed – and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” Be seated………. PRAYER

A pastor should preach to his people all the scriptures about money. He should never be afraid of being accused of being a prosperity preacher – if God talks about money a pastor must talk about what God talks about. Paul said in Acts 20:20 “I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable.” If you study the scriptures – “I believe that you will find in the scriptures the truth that it is God’s will that a believer be financially prosperous” -………………. but what does that mean when we use the word prosperous?? Have anything you want – buy what you want when you want it? Have everything everybody else has? Travel anywhere you want when you want to? That is not what the bible teaches. I believe the bible teaches us 3 things about financial prosperity.

Financial Prosperity
A. You never worry about money.
Matthew 6:31- 32 “So do not worry, saying, What shall we eat? Or What shall we drink? Or What shall we wear? For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father know that you need them.”……. If you know you are prosperous you do not lie awake at night thinking about money – you do not constantly fight with your spouse about money – you are not fearful of the credit collectors -- money worries do not distract you------ but prosperity does not mean that you are able to spend spend spend. It is possible to spend spend spend and not be biblically prosperous. Prosperity means that you are not consumed in your thoughts and focus in life about money. Money is not your master. You are master of your money. Never think that people who have money do not worry about money. #2 financial prosperity

B. You always have all the money you need.
Philippians 4:19 “And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” The bible never says that God will meet all your wants. Most of what we think we need as Americans is a want. Paul said to Timothy – if we have food and clothing we will be content with that. God knows that you need food – clothing and housing. God says that you are financially prosperous when you pay your bills on time and all your needs are met. Some of you do not believe that --- you can think of bills right now that you cannot pay – another view of prosperity means #3

C. You always have extra money to give to His work.
2 Corinthians 9:8 “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” You know you are prosperous when you have extra money to give to God’s work. ---- comment--- if you are experiencing biblical financial prosperity you see opportunities to give and you do so.

Many of us perhaps do not think of ourselves or see ourselves as prosperous – we think “how come these promises are not happening my life? What am I doing wrong?” There are two conditions that go with the promises of God.

Conditions for Prosperity
1. Total surrender. You and I must totally surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. God does not bless and reward a rebellious believer with financial prosperity. Surrender means that you surrender your time – your talents and your troubles. It means that you place yourself under a spiritual authority,….. it that means you reach out for help when you find yourself unable to make it --- you lay out on the table all your affairs – it means you hold yourself accountable and few are wiling to do that……………. But I a have a joy this month because three families have asked for help in being accountable with their finances.

2. Manage your money as a wise steward. Christian Financial teachers Ron Blue and Bruce Cook report that at age 65 ….. 45% of Americans are dependant on relatives, 30% are dependant on charity and 23% are still working and only 2% are financially independent.
80% of all Americans owe more than they own and 25% of all income goes to repay debt. Not only does America not manage its money – the American believer does not……. God gives us much wisdom in His Word when it comes to money. This morning I want you to walk with me through the book of Proverbs – the wisdom book that God used Solomon to write – I want to give you Six principles of wise money management. These are very simple but direct.

Wisdom Principle #1 Use a budget. Proverbs 21:5 “The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.” The verse does not tell you to use a budget but it does imply diligent planning. If you aim at nothing you hit it every time. A budget is a simple way of planning your financial life. Christian financial founder Larry Burket wrote, “a budget is nothing more than a short range plan for how you will spend your money during the year. It should not restrict your freedom to enjoy life – it should expand it. How – you say – can living on a budget expand your freedom? By helping you live within your means and not go into debt. If you are in debt a budget will help you get out of it” ---- This is the purpose of the insert in your program for us as a church family --- we are asking you to tell us what you intend to do in 2009 to support this church family ---- what you tell us will help us make a budget. If it is wisdom for God’s people then the church must do the same thing.

Wisdom Principle #2 Have a savings plan. Proverbs 21:20 “In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has.” A foolish man spends all he has. A wise man saves and puts away. When he puts away …when the starter motor breaks – he can get it repaired without going into debt. When the stove goes on the blink – he can repair it….. A wise prosperous believer saves for emergencies. Biblical wisdom tells you to save something in short term savings out of every paycheck. Some of you put money into a savings account – some of you put money in a money market account – some of you stuff it under a mattress but most of us do not save……

Story: I will always remember Linda Sugg who had three kids – her husband at the time was a truck driver and she would take his paycheck – cash it and put the money in envelopes for different needs and one was savings and she was diligent to do that over the months and years and as we were helping her load up her family to move her daughter hit her front tooth and broke it – Linda looked into the savings envelope and counted the money and there was enough to have that tooth fixed. My sister in law does the same thing and she has taken her family on a vacation to Europe that she saved every month for by putting the money in her sock drawer. Prosperous believers save.

Wisdom Principle #3 Do not cosign for someone else’s loan. Proverbs 17:18 “A man lacking in judgment strikes hands in pledge and puts up security for his neighbor.” Solomon seemed to write this one five times – I think he wanted to drive the point home. Do not every cosign a loan for a neighbor --- Christian or non Christian. The bible is clear on this.
Proverbs 22:26-27, 6:1-5, 11:15, 20:16. If you cosign a loan the bible says that you lack good judgment. Striking hands with someone signifies that you are pledging yourself as collateral in a business arrangement. It is similar to our handshake. God says that you are foolish to cosign for someone else’s loan. Proverbs 22:26-27 “ Do not be a man who strikes hands in pledge or puts up security for debts; if you lack the means to pay, your very bed will be snatched from under you.” You could be ruined for cosigning on a loan. It can ruin and hinder a relationship. Now I realize that in this church family there are those of you who have done such. You have cosigned and you have asked others to cosign for you. What do you do? Proverbs 6 says “Go and humble yourself and press your plea and allow no slumber to your eyes.” --- in other words you get out of it as fast as possible.

Story: I know what it feels like to get into debt…… I know what it feels like to think that a debt is going to be paid for by someone else or a family member. In 2000 my father told me to go down and lease a car and he would pay for the lease. I guess I wanted to please my father and not offend him – so I did it. Every month we had to wait for the check to pay that lease which was in our name. After a year –my father got sick and he said he could not pay for the lease. We were stuck – it was not cosigning on a loan but for us it was the same thing --- and then #3 and #4 go together.

Wisdom # 4 Stay out of debt. Seems impossible but the bible teaches this. Proverbs 22:7 “The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.” Larry Burkett and ever godly Christian financial teacher says that the only debt a believer should ever consider is a home but in the past 2 years that has been false. Believers and non believers are loosing their homes because they went into too much debt. When you are in debt you loose a degree of freedom because you must pay the lender a certain amount of money on a regular basis. I still remember the believer who told me – “Pastor Ben, I pay as much as I can on my credit card bill first and then I give what’s left to God” – “you would not want me to not pay my bills would you”? …………… Consumer debt robs a believer of being a prosperous Christian.

(slide) Do you know what those are? These are the worst slave that our culture has been sucked into. People who use credit cards spend 33% more than if they did not own them. College kids easily get credit cards and I think our kids got applications in the mail as early as 16 years old. Most do not think they can get by without a credit card and even many young people say I got a credit card so that I could build my credit and they are 5k in debt by the time they are 24 years old. Pastor Ben I have to have a credit card so I can buy things off the internet – a debt card works fine. Really the only solution for credit cards is this (SLIDE)
How do you know you know if credit cards are robbing you of prosperity? You frequently worry about money. Your family has arguments over money. You have no short term savings for emergencies. You borrow to pay non routine bills such as taxes and insurance. You use credit to pay for groceries and clothing. You pay the minimum due and you take cash advances to pay off bills on another one. You are near the borrowing limits on the card. You get letters from creditors and you do not know how much you owe. How do you get out of debt? Never spend more money than you make. Learn to live within your means. $10 an hour does not allow you to have an ipod or a cell phone. Those are luxuries that will kill you of prosperity. I have never met a believer who was in debt and they got out of debt without becoming a giver. Giving breaks the grip of the demon of debt in the life of a believer. The key to living within your means is what we spent our entire message on last week – contentment. Contentment is the key to financial prosperity. Contentment is the key to being debt free and staying debt free. Look on your outline and the overhead: SLIDE

Hebrews 13:5 “Let your character be free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said; “I will never desert you, nor will I forsake you.”

Wisdom #5 Avoid Get-Rich –Quick Schemes. Proverbs 28:19 -20 “He who works his land will have abundant food, but the one who chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty. A faithful man will be richly blessed, but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished.” Vs. 19 says that a person who works at his job will have all his needs, while the one who chases after empty and worthless goals will have plenty of poverty. Our state is the founder of that in gambling. Getting rich from no effort and no labor is what drives gambling. Any scheme that you hear of or that anyone tries to convince you to get involved in that does not require hard work is foolishness. Vs. 20 says that a faithful person will have lots of blessings while the person who hurries to get rich will not avoid being punished by God. Stay away from any scheme there is that promises you quick money – it is demonic and believer after believer has readily fallen for it. Over the years --- I can think of several that have come to the doorstep of the church offering a quick way for the church to tap into money without any effort.

Wisdom #6 Do not buy on impulse Proverbs 21:5b “Everyone who is hasty comes surely to poverty.” Hasty and quick spending decisions will lead you to poverty. When you buy – do so with caution and a diligent study of the consequences. It is common for Christians today to foolishly mismanage their money ---- make spending decisions and spiritualize them and then blame God for not blessing them financially. We must not fall to the trap of the devil and blame God when we do not obey the biblical financial principles God gives us. Ask yourself these

SPENDING QUESTIONS
Spending Questions
1. Do I have any doubt about purchasing the item? Romans 14:23 “But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.”

2. Have I given God an opportunity to supply it? That means have you waited? Psalm 37:4 “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart”.

3. Will it aid or hinder my spiritual growth? 1 Corinthians 6:12 “Everything is permissible for me but not everything is beneficial” You might be able to afford something but what is that item going to do when it comes to your spiritual growth? How much time is going to take and is it going to consume your focus and thinking?

4. Does it put me into debt? Proverbs 22:7 “ The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is a servant to the lender.” Any purchase that puts you into debt making payments is not God’s will? It is against the principles of God.

5. Is it meaningful for my family? 1 Timothy 5:8 “If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than a non believer”. Ask yourself, “Is what you are going to buy taking you away from your family?” Is what you plan to buy taking money that should be used to support and provide for your family?

6. Why do you really want it and do you really need it? 1 Timothy 6:9 “People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction.” Are you making your purchase foolishly and because of selfish desires?

God wants to bless you but He has laid out His principles and His conditions. God does not bend His principles because of the decisions that we make. God does not cease to be good and giving because we do obey Him. When you follow His principles – you can confidently trust Him to bless you with biblical prosperity.

Let us pray: Heavenly Father – I pray for Your people. I pray that in all respects they may prosper and be in good health, just as their soul prospers. Teach them to be content. Teach them to be wise in the management of the possessions that you give to them. Help them to please You in how they handle their money. Lord I pray that their character would be free from the love of money and be content with what they have. Lord may we be a church family that lives our lives debt free and in slavery to no one. Help us to obey and to follow the financial principles that You have given to us in Your Word. IN JESUS NAME AMEN