Pastor Dave Martin Cross Creek Community Church Jan 13, 2008
“Getting Control of My Finances”
‘Building My Life’ series Part 3 of 10 (Ecc 5:10-17 pew bible p 474)
God’s Word is Powerful, Relevant, and Life Changing!
· 20% of everything Jesus taught was about money and the grace of giving! (2Co 8:7 Excel in…)
· Giving is mentioned over 1500 times in the Bible… more than faith, hope, love combined
· One-sixth of the gospels, including one out of every three parables, touch on finances.
· Solomon is most commonly mentioned as the writer of Ecclesiastes… wisest man ever to live.
· He instituted 1.) taxation 2.) Trade (ships) 3.) Labor conscriptions (draft) 4.) Foreign Tribute
· God granted him wisdom, riches and honor. (1Kings 3)… the gold in Solomon’s temple at $35/oz would be equivalent to $2.5 billion dollars! (Value of gold bullion today is $896/troy oz)
· As the wisest and one of the richest man to ever live… God inspired him to write Ecclesiastes…
Five Money Principles…
1. The more you have the more you want.
Ecclesiastes 5:10 Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless.
· According to Forbes: Bill Gates is the richest worth $52.8B – if Microsoft stock fell just 42 cents in one day he would lose over $360M; estimated at the time of his death (age 73) he will be worth $3.41 trillion! W. Buffett at $35B, 6th – 10th goes to the Walton family (Wal-Mart) Jim, John, Alice, Robson & Helen all worth around $20B each; Oprah’s worth $1billion!
· It’s human nature to want more money... it seems there is never enough... Whether you are living on a fixed minimum income or are worth millions... human tendency is a desire for more… God says the more you have the more you want.
I’ve heard it said “money is like manure”:
“If you spread it around, it does a world of good; but if you pile it up, it stinks to high heaven".
Money doesn’t buy happiness… Henry Ford said, “I was happier when doing a mechanic’s job”… Andrew Carnegie said, “Millionaires seldom smile”
2. The more you have the more you spend.
Ecclesiastes 5:11 As goods increase, so do those who consume them. And what benefit are they to the owner except to feast his eyes on them?
· Average household receives 7 offers/year for credit cards… great need to control spending
· The average American credit card debt today is $8,562… (California’s APR is 59.95%; Pa is 15.51%; Average rate is 18.9%)… becomes a noose around our necks…
· Total consumer credit is $1.7 trillion… paying $50 billion in finance charges in 2001
· A survey shows 56% of all divorces are a result of financial tension within the home.
Read about a man who called the police and reported that all of his wife’s credit cards had been stolen. Then he added, “But don’t look too hard for the thief. He’s charging less than my wife ever did.”
...a bed but not
sleep; ...books but not brains;
...food but not appetite; ...finery but not beauty;
...a house but not a home; ...medicine but not health;
...luxuries but not culture; ...amusements but not happiness;
...religion but not salvation; ...a passport to the world but not heaven.
3. The more you have the more you worry.
Ecclesiastes 5:12 The sleep of a laborer is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of a rich man permits him no sleep.
· Some of the most stressed out, anxious, uptight people are those who have lots of money
· Worrying about the stock market, interest rates, portfolio, decisions of what to do as you hover over your computer…
George Mueller said, “God judges what we give by what we keep”
· John W. Rockefeller said “I have made many millions, but they have brought me no happiness?”
· W. H. Vanderbilt said “The care of $200,000,000 is enough to kill anyone. There is no pleasure in it?”
A man had a heart attack and was rushed to the hospital. He could receive little company and was not to be excited. While in the hospital a rich uncle died and left him a million dollars. His family wondered how to break the news to him with the least amount of excitement. It was decided to ask the preacher if he would go and break the news quietly to the man. The preacher went, and gradually led up to the question. The preacher asked the patient what he would do if he inherited a million dollars. He said, “I think I would give half of it to the church.” The preacher dropped dead.
4. The more you have the more you lose.
Ecclesiastes 5:13-14 13 I have seen a grievous evil under the sun: wealth hoarded to the harm of its owner, 14 or wealth lost through some misfortune, so that when he has a son there is nothing left for him.
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Wealth is fleeting… attested by winners of multimillion dollar lotteries – are now flat broke… |
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God judges by what we keep… yet we rob God to have more yet never seem to have enough… |
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The average church member contributes about 2% of his total income specifically to the Lord’s work... Can you imagine the impact upon the world if Christians began giving a tithe of 10% and special love offerings as God desires them to? How many more people could we reach? |
5. The more you have the more you leave.
Ecclesiastes 5:15-17 15 Naked a man comes from his mother's womb, and as he comes, so he departs. He takes nothing from his labor that he can carry in his hand. 16 This too is a grievous evil: As a man comes, so he departs, and what does he gain, since he toils for the wind? 17 All his days he eats in darkness, with great frustration, affliction and anger.
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All your blood, sweat and tears in hard labor... away from home, sleepless nights, running, planning... |
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Earning extra money... building a bigger nest egg... then we get old, get a disease and die? |
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When you die you leave it all behind and in steps the IRS & takes 37-55% what’s left with a death tax... |
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This tax is due the IRS 9 months after death and costs the IRS 65 cents for every $1 collected! |
Proverbs 10:22 The blessing of the LORD brings wealth, and he adds no trouble to it.
· Wealth is a blessing only if we use it in the way God intended. (sorrows of ill-gotten gain)
· God gives us the ability to earn money… Many here are learning the truth of tithing and are finding you cannot out give God! Spiritually growing more Christlike in your life!
Luke 12:34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
· Money is like a magnet – wherever we put it, it tends to draw our hearts... Hobbies, house, stock market / brokerage firms, activities, possessions… The Lord’s Work…
· When you give money back to God, its like a magnet that pulls me closer to Him.
· Your heart follows what you treasure most… Where’s my heart?
In Wisdom…
è Use Money Don’t Waste it
Proverbs 3:27 Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act.
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Use money to buy the necessities of life… sharing with those less fortunate… don’t waste it. |
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Get control by keeping track of where every penny is spent… being frivolous or thrifty? |
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Sometimes people attempt to “buy” friends or relationships… don’t waste it… |
Luke 16:9 I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.
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Luke 16:9 is an interesting verse... it basically says to use your money to win people to Christ. |
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Jesus is saying the best strategy of investment is to take your money and use it to get people into heaven – when you get there, they will welcome you & say – “Thank You for giving to the Lord... I was a life that was changed for an eternity”! Your giving made a difference! |
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What’s the value of a soul? Priceless! Using money wisely… giving to the Lord |
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L. Kraft, head of the Kraft Cheese Corp., who had given approximately 25% of his enormous income to Christian causes for many years, said, “The only investment I ever made which has paid consistently increasing dividends is the money I have given to the Lord.” |
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J. D. Rockefeller said, “I never would have been able to tithe the first million dollars I ever made if I had not tithed my first salary, which was $1.50 per week.” |
W. A. Criswell, A Guidebook for Pastors, p. 154.
è Give Money Don’t Love it
1 Timothy 6:10 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.
· Not money itself but love of money, it becomes an idol… leading us away from God
Luke 6:38 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."
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You can NEVER out give the Lord! What measure are you using? |
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Enemy desires for you to get messed up with your finances… bondage, despair, hopelessness |
There are three levels of giving:
1.) You have to (Legalistic) 2.) You ought to (Obligation) 3.) You want to (grace)
2 Corinthians 9:7 Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
è Invest Money Don’t Hoard it
Matthew 6:19-20 19 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
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Furthers God’s Kingdom on earth… Jesus is building His church… lives are being changed! |
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You invest in heaven’s bank… invest where you see God working on earth – Cross Creek! |
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When you die – EVERYTHING you haven’t given away is left behind… Invest in God’s bank! |
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This is the safest & surest… no stock market jitters/crashes, no robbers, a wise investment! |
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Heaven’s blessings flow from my giving! |
Malachi 3:10 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.
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As we have just seen, the way to get control of your finances is to do it God’s Way, Biblically. |
Jim Elliot a Christian missionary killed in Ecuador said....
~ “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose”
Getting Control of My Finances…
1. Seek Help with Godly Counsel
§ If the bills are outpacing your income… becoming overwhelmed with expenses
§ Admit you need help & Seek Godly counsel… Christian counselor/pastor/trusted successful friend / Crown Financial (Larry Burkett ministry)… people at Cross Creek.
§ Maybe a job change will help… seek sound advice… lay it all out…
2. Design a Prioritized Budget
§ Sit down and put together a game plan of action with proper priorities.
§ Put it all down on paper, even giving to the Lord before the IRS
§ Everything you have has been given to you by the Lord… give a portion back to Him
§ Get a handle on your spending, don’t fall into the minimum payment trap, expect the unexpected – build a cash cushion worth 3 months of living expense in case of an emergency
3. Make All Necessary Adjustments
§ Begin to implement your planning… career change, debt consolidation, spending restraint, giving back to the Lord, maybe a payroll deduction for a 5% savings plan…
§ Budgets don’t operate on auto-pilot, they require effort and discipline.
§ Less steak & eating out and more “hamburger helper”, no new car, no family cruise!
§ No such thing as a “quick fix” but faithfully working the plan
4. Determine to Persevere to Freedom
§ Walk in wisdom with our money, don’t hoard but invest for eternity…
§ Persevere in your financial discipline putting God first in all your decisions.
§ Consistency with your walk with the Lord and use of money will bring freedom.
§ Hard work – not slothful or lazy provided for the household (see Prov 6:6-11)
I trust the Lord has been using this “Building My Life” series… Getting control of my time, mind, finances… still to look at Habits, Relationships, Devotions…
Let’s Pray