1 00:00:00,640 --> 00:00:04,080 It's my joy and privilege to be here with you this morning. 2 00:00:04,080 --> 00:00:09,760 And Jake already said who I am and where I'm from at SEMC. 3 00:00:10,080 --> 00:00:14,240 We are a team of four pastors and I have the privilege of 4 00:00:14,240 --> 00:00:18,960 working with them and and it's a joy to be here with you this 5 00:00:18,960 --> 00:00:21,080 morning. Pastor Jake preached at SEMC 6 00:00:21,080 --> 00:00:22,560 last year. I don't remember which month, 7 00:00:22,560 --> 00:00:25,600 but I know he was there and and now I have the privilege of 8 00:00:25,600 --> 00:00:28,600 being here. I hear there's a game going on 9 00:00:28,640 --> 00:00:30,400 right now. Is that true? 10 00:00:31,320 --> 00:00:35,000 What's the score? Nobody wants to tell me. 11 00:00:36,320 --> 00:00:39,440 All right, see, I know you're paying attention to it anyway, 12 00:00:39,440 --> 00:00:44,760 so I might as well ask about it. I suppose our nation's 13 00:00:44,760 --> 00:00:48,560 reputation is on the line as we speak, but we'll trust the 14 00:00:48,560 --> 00:00:50,960 Lord's will and all those things as well. 15 00:00:51,720 --> 00:00:54,440 You know, something I don't have in my notes that I only thought 16 00:00:54,440 --> 00:00:59,200 about as I was sitting there. All of a sudden I realized, you 17 00:00:59,200 --> 00:01:01,520 know, I really should comment on something. 18 00:01:03,000 --> 00:01:05,920 A lot of you probably do know who I am, but I wonder how many 19 00:01:05,920 --> 00:01:10,840 of you know that my faith journey, at least part of it, 20 00:01:10,840 --> 00:01:13,400 started here at LEMC 29 years ago. 21 00:01:13,960 --> 00:01:19,240 Did you guys know that? So 29 years ago I went on a 22 00:01:19,240 --> 00:01:20,920 youth camp. I didn't live in Leamington, but 23 00:01:20,920 --> 00:01:23,840 I had cousins that attended this church and they invited me to 24 00:01:23,840 --> 00:01:27,080 youth camp and I went to youth camp with them. 25 00:01:27,080 --> 00:01:31,000 And that's where I, for the very first time, understood who Jesus 26 00:01:31,000 --> 00:01:33,760 was, what the gospel meant for me. 27 00:01:33,800 --> 00:01:37,840 And I received Christ and I became a follower of Jesus 20 28 00:01:37,840 --> 00:01:41,720 years, 29 years ago as a result of the youth ministry at LEMC. 29 00:01:42,280 --> 00:01:47,320 So I actually have, I would say a strong connection here, which 30 00:01:47,320 --> 00:01:54,320 I think is a pretty cool thing. There was a man walking along a 31 00:01:54,320 --> 00:01:58,800 beach on his vacation, enjoying his afternoon stroll, and 32 00:01:58,800 --> 00:02:03,160 suddenly he hears a woman just freaking out and panicking and 33 00:02:03,160 --> 00:02:05,800 screaming. He looks over and hears this 34 00:02:05,800 --> 00:02:12,840 lady knelt over her little girl. This man quickly determines that 35 00:02:12,840 --> 00:02:16,840 this child must have swallowed something and is choking. 36 00:02:17,480 --> 00:02:21,160 So he runs over, grabs this little girl by the ankle, picks 37 00:02:21,160 --> 00:02:24,400 her up, holds her upside down, bumps her on the back. 38 00:02:24,920 --> 00:02:27,920 And sure enough, she starts to sputter and cough. 39 00:02:28,240 --> 00:02:31,400 And she spits a coin onto the sand. 40 00:02:32,560 --> 00:02:34,800 The woman, the lady. Thank you, Sir. 41 00:02:34,800 --> 00:02:36,680 Thank you. I'm so. 42 00:02:36,680 --> 00:02:40,040 She was just so grateful. And she said, you seem to know 43 00:02:40,040 --> 00:02:42,720 exactly what to do. Are you a doctor? 44 00:02:43,480 --> 00:02:46,440 No, ma'am. I'm the head of finances of my 45 00:02:46,440 --> 00:02:52,160 church. We laugh at this story because 46 00:02:52,160 --> 00:02:57,080 sometimes churches can have a reputation for trying to squeeze 47 00:02:57,480 --> 00:02:59,760 every dollar out of their people. 48 00:03:00,280 --> 00:03:03,000 Hopefully that's not the case here at LEMCI. 49 00:03:03,000 --> 00:03:07,240 Doubt it is. It can be uncomfortable and 50 00:03:07,240 --> 00:03:12,160 awkward preaching on the topic of money, but I firmly believe 51 00:03:12,280 --> 00:03:16,680 that that should not be. And I also firmly believe that 52 00:03:16,920 --> 00:03:21,840 the topic of financial stewardship cannot be separated 53 00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:26,240 from disciples as followers of Jesus. 54 00:03:26,240 --> 00:03:30,880 Financial stewardship is part of our relationship with Jesus. 55 00:03:31,120 --> 00:03:35,440 In fact, it's an extension of our relationship with God. 56 00:03:35,600 --> 00:03:39,720 It should be keyword being relationship. 57 00:03:40,400 --> 00:03:43,240 We're talking here about the heart. 58 00:03:43,920 --> 00:03:47,840 We're not talking about rituals or rules that in order to be a 59 00:03:47,840 --> 00:03:51,680 follower of Jesus, in order to be a good Christian, you have to 60 00:03:51,680 --> 00:03:54,560 give or you have to do this or you have to do that. 61 00:03:54,920 --> 00:03:58,080 We're not talking about that. We're talking about the heart. 62 00:03:58,240 --> 00:04:00,400 We're talking about relationship. 63 00:04:00,800 --> 00:04:07,080 We're talking about God's love for us and our love for Him. 64 00:04:08,200 --> 00:04:11,640 In Psalm 37, verse four, we find this. 65 00:04:12,280 --> 00:04:17,160 It says delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the 66 00:04:17,160 --> 00:04:22,960 desires of your heart. So the question is, what are our 67 00:04:22,960 --> 00:04:27,120 desires? What is actually the desire, the 68 00:04:27,120 --> 00:04:31,920 greatest desire or desires of your heart and particularly as 69 00:04:31,920 --> 00:04:38,600 it relates to finances and what are the greatest desires of your 70 00:04:38,600 --> 00:04:40,840 heart as it relates to your relationship with God? 71 00:04:41,320 --> 00:04:44,160 And here's the thing I just mentioned as it relates to 72 00:04:44,160 --> 00:04:46,960 finances and as it relates to your relationship with God. 73 00:04:47,800 --> 00:04:51,480 And I think sadly, we, we often view those two as being 74 00:04:51,480 --> 00:04:57,360 incompatible. But that should not be someone 75 00:04:57,360 --> 00:05:00,160 once said, don't tell me what you believe. 76 00:05:00,200 --> 00:05:05,240 Show me your spending habits and I'll tell you what you believe. 77 00:05:06,200 --> 00:05:10,720 Now, it's probably a bit of an overstatement, but I do think 78 00:05:10,720 --> 00:05:16,080 there's some truth to it. I do think that our money talks. 79 00:05:16,880 --> 00:05:21,280 It does speak. It does say something about us 80 00:05:21,280 --> 00:05:26,080 that shouldn't be discounted. You see, the way we use our 81 00:05:26,080 --> 00:05:31,120 money is at minimum an indication of what our our, our 82 00:05:31,120 --> 00:05:37,720 ultimate desires are. Maybe the problem isn't that we 83 00:05:37,720 --> 00:05:40,800 think faith and finances are incompatible. 84 00:05:41,280 --> 00:05:45,880 Maybe the problem is that we hope they are so that we can do 85 00:05:45,880 --> 00:05:50,280 what we want. That kind of hits close to home, 86 00:05:50,280 --> 00:05:53,680 doesn't it? Maybe the problem isn't that we 87 00:05:53,680 --> 00:05:56,200 think faith and finances are incompatible. 88 00:05:56,600 --> 00:05:59,320 Maybe the problem is that we hope they are. 89 00:06:00,120 --> 00:06:02,480 So maybe I should say it differently, so that we don't 90 00:06:02,480 --> 00:06:05,120 have to give an account for how we use our money. 91 00:06:08,280 --> 00:06:12,760 In order for us to have a clear understanding of the 92 00:06:12,760 --> 00:06:19,000 relationship between faith and finances, we must begin with the 93 00:06:19,000 --> 00:06:22,480 source. We must begin with the source 94 00:06:22,480 --> 00:06:25,760 for everything that we have for all resources. 95 00:06:26,080 --> 00:06:30,240 And this is the is the very thing that's an extension of our 96 00:06:30,240 --> 00:06:35,120 relationship with God when we understand not only who God is 97 00:06:35,120 --> 00:06:40,320 in the role he plays in my life for salvation, but also in who 98 00:06:40,320 --> 00:06:43,960 God is in the role he plays in every area of our lives, 99 00:06:44,200 --> 00:06:47,000 including our finances and resources. 100 00:06:47,600 --> 00:06:53,080 In First Chronicles chapter 29, David, King David, this is a 101 00:06:53,120 --> 00:06:57,680 prayer, an incredible prayer of Thanksgiving that he wrote 102 00:06:57,680 --> 00:07:02,440 because he understood that everything comes from God and 103 00:07:02,440 --> 00:07:05,920 belongs to him. Let's read some of these verses 104 00:07:05,920 --> 00:07:09,320 here, starting in verse 10. David, praise the Lord in the 105 00:07:09,320 --> 00:07:13,320 presence of the whole assembly, saying, praise be to you, Lord 106 00:07:13,640 --> 00:07:17,880 the God of our Father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. 107 00:07:17,880 --> 00:07:21,720 Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and 108 00:07:21,720 --> 00:07:25,360 the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and 109 00:07:25,360 --> 00:07:29,120 earth is yours. Yours, Lord, is the Kingdom. 110 00:07:29,280 --> 00:07:31,640 You are exalted as head over all. 111 00:07:31,920 --> 00:07:37,720 Wealth and honor come from you. You are the ruler of all things 112 00:07:37,720 --> 00:07:43,200 in your hands, our strength and power to exalt and give strength 113 00:07:43,200 --> 00:07:46,840 to all. Now our God, we give you thanks 114 00:07:46,840 --> 00:07:50,440 and praise your glorious name. I'm going to pause there for a 115 00:07:50,440 --> 00:07:52,400 bit. We're going to continue in that 116 00:07:52,400 --> 00:07:56,000 chapter, but I'm going to pause for a bit, makes a few 117 00:07:56,000 --> 00:07:58,720 observations here. What we've read so far we see 118 00:07:58,720 --> 00:08:02,560 here as David prays. He prays and acknowledges that 119 00:08:02,640 --> 00:08:06,440 everything belongs to God, Everything. 120 00:08:07,680 --> 00:08:12,080 We don't have anything where the source hasn't come from God in 121 00:08:12,080 --> 00:08:15,520 some way. So the question is, do we act 122 00:08:15,520 --> 00:08:21,080 like entitled owners or do we act like good managers or good 123 00:08:21,080 --> 00:08:24,440 stewards? We see here that God is head 124 00:08:24,440 --> 00:08:27,600 over all. So if He really is head over 125 00:08:27,600 --> 00:08:31,480 all, and we believe that He is not only for our salvation but 126 00:08:31,480 --> 00:08:34,720 also for our lives, then the question we need to ask 127 00:08:34,720 --> 00:08:41,440 ourselves is, are we willing to submit to His lordship over our 128 00:08:41,440 --> 00:08:45,160 finances? And then we also see here that 129 00:08:45,160 --> 00:08:48,280 everything we have comes from God. 130 00:08:48,400 --> 00:08:51,240 So the question is, are we thankful? 131 00:08:52,520 --> 00:08:55,560 Are we thankful? Let's continue in verse 14. 132 00:08:56,120 --> 00:08:59,920 But who am I and who are my people that we should be able to 133 00:08:59,920 --> 00:09:06,320 give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and 134 00:09:06,320 --> 00:09:10,240 we have given you only what comes from your hand. 135 00:09:10,720 --> 00:09:14,600 We are foreigners and strangers in your sight, as we're all our 136 00:09:14,600 --> 00:09:16,800 ancestors. Our days on earth are like a 137 00:09:16,800 --> 00:09:21,520 shadow without hope. Lord our God, all this abundance 138 00:09:21,520 --> 00:09:24,840 that we have provided for building you a temple for your 139 00:09:24,840 --> 00:09:29,680 holy name comes from your hand, and all of it belongs to You. 140 00:09:30,600 --> 00:09:33,880 I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with 141 00:09:33,880 --> 00:09:36,520 integrity. All these things I've given 142 00:09:36,520 --> 00:09:41,160 willingly and with honest intent, and now I have seen with 143 00:09:41,160 --> 00:09:46,760 joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you. 144 00:09:47,960 --> 00:09:51,920 What an incredible prayer David has written down here for us. 145 00:09:52,320 --> 00:09:57,520 And we see here that we can be generous only because God has 146 00:09:57,520 --> 00:10:01,720 been generous to us. We can experience joy and giving 147 00:10:02,000 --> 00:10:07,160 and in being generous when we have a posture of worship toward 148 00:10:07,160 --> 00:10:12,880 God in recognition that it comes from Him in the 1st place and 149 00:10:12,880 --> 00:10:15,120 that He is the one that provides for us. 150 00:10:15,720 --> 00:10:18,720 When we look at verses 16 and 17, particularly the end of 151 00:10:18,720 --> 00:10:23,560 verse 17, the context there is about the Israelites having that 152 00:10:23,560 --> 00:10:26,720 they had given generously for the building of the temple. 153 00:10:27,840 --> 00:10:30,920 What an incredible thing, but recognizing that even that they 154 00:10:30,920 --> 00:10:34,040 only did because the Lord had first been generous to them. 155 00:10:34,720 --> 00:10:39,320 The foundation, the foundational principle for this whole topic 156 00:10:39,640 --> 00:10:43,760 is to remember where our provisions come from. 157 00:10:44,240 --> 00:10:48,800 That is key if you want to have a correct understanding of the 158 00:10:48,800 --> 00:10:51,320 relationship between faith and finances. 159 00:10:51,600 --> 00:10:56,680 It starts with having, with understanding where our 160 00:10:56,680 --> 00:11:00,560 provisions come from. Everything comes from God, and 161 00:11:00,560 --> 00:11:05,440 because of this, our posture toward financial resources 162 00:11:05,440 --> 00:11:10,520 should be an extension of our relationship with God. 163 00:11:11,200 --> 00:11:14,280 Let me read that again. Our posture towards financial 164 00:11:14,280 --> 00:11:20,080 resources should be an extension of our relationship with God. 165 00:11:22,240 --> 00:11:26,480 The second thing we want to look at is our heart motives, and for 166 00:11:26,480 --> 00:11:29,400 that, we're going to look at first Timothy chapter 6. 167 00:11:29,400 --> 00:11:31,320 I invite you to open your Bibles there. 168 00:11:31,800 --> 00:11:36,680 First Timothy, chapter 6. The context of the book of First 169 00:11:36,680 --> 00:11:40,520 Timothy is that the apostle Paul is writing a letter to his young 170 00:11:40,520 --> 00:11:45,200 apprentice Timothy, who he had left behind to to pastor the 171 00:11:45,200 --> 00:11:49,240 church at Ephesus. After Paul left, many false 172 00:11:49,240 --> 00:11:52,600 teachers rose up and tried to teach a gospel other than the 173 00:11:52,600 --> 00:11:57,480 true gospel of Jesus. Some of them were even teaching 174 00:11:57,480 --> 00:12:00,600 the right things. But we're doing it completely 175 00:12:00,600 --> 00:12:03,560 for the wrong motives, and he addresses that as well. 176 00:12:04,000 --> 00:12:07,440 The main thrust behind the pastoral letter of first Timothy 177 00:12:07,840 --> 00:12:12,480 is addressing these false teachers and their impure 178 00:12:12,520 --> 00:12:16,320 motives. In chapter 6, as the apostle 179 00:12:16,320 --> 00:12:21,080 Paul wraps up his letter, he summarizes the issues that exist 180 00:12:21,080 --> 00:12:24,680 with these false teachers. And he does give us a summary in 181 00:12:24,680 --> 00:12:29,040 verses 3 to 5. And in those verses we see there 182 00:12:29,520 --> 00:12:33,360 that Paul says these false teachers are conceded. 183 00:12:34,280 --> 00:12:37,680 They're looking for attention and are more interested in 184 00:12:37,680 --> 00:12:41,200 winning arguments over controversial issues than 185 00:12:41,200 --> 00:12:44,000 actually teaching the gospel of Jesus. 186 00:12:44,520 --> 00:12:50,120 Their arguments are divisive, malicious, and even lead to evil 187 00:12:50,120 --> 00:12:53,600 suspicions. They think their position as 188 00:12:53,600 --> 00:12:57,240 teachers is a means to financial gain. 189 00:12:58,040 --> 00:13:03,480 They were teaching that godliness is the way to gaining 190 00:13:03,480 --> 00:13:06,240 financially is part of what they were teaching. 191 00:13:07,360 --> 00:13:10,920 Now, I don't know about you, but to me this sounds suspiciously 192 00:13:10,920 --> 00:13:14,200 similar to some of the prosperity teachers that I've 193 00:13:14,200 --> 00:13:18,400 heard of in my day. Paul addresses these false 194 00:13:18,400 --> 00:13:22,520 teachers teachings and wrong motives here, starting in verse 195 00:13:22,520 --> 00:13:25,120 5, the second part of verse 5 through verse 10. 196 00:13:25,440 --> 00:13:30,400 Let's read that part together who think that godliness is a 197 00:13:30,400 --> 00:13:34,320 means to financial gain. But godliness with contentment 198 00:13:34,320 --> 00:13:37,560 is great gain. For we brought nothing into the 199 00:13:37,560 --> 00:13:39,560 world and we can take nothing out of it. 200 00:13:40,000 --> 00:13:42,800 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content 201 00:13:42,840 --> 00:13:45,840 with that. Those who want to get rich fall 202 00:13:45,840 --> 00:13:49,800 into temptation, in a trap, and into many foolish and harmful 203 00:13:49,800 --> 00:13:53,440 desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 204 00:13:54,000 --> 00:13:57,560 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. 205 00:13:57,880 --> 00:14:01,800 Some people eager for money have wandered from the faith and 206 00:14:01,800 --> 00:14:05,440 pierced themselves with many griefs. 207 00:14:07,240 --> 00:14:12,640 The Apostle Paul is addressing and exposing several false 208 00:14:12,760 --> 00:14:17,560 motives. The first one that he exposes is 209 00:14:17,680 --> 00:14:23,760 treating God in his ways as some kind of currency or reward 210 00:14:23,760 --> 00:14:26,040 system. In other words, they were saying 211 00:14:26,040 --> 00:14:30,760 do what God says will equal gaining financially. 212 00:14:31,560 --> 00:14:35,840 In other words, we could also say they were treating God as a 213 00:14:35,840 --> 00:14:39,160 vending machine, not as a relationship. 214 00:14:39,160 --> 00:14:41,440 It was a transit transactional thing. 215 00:14:42,120 --> 00:14:45,640 It's the whole attitude that if I just do the right things, then 216 00:14:45,640 --> 00:14:49,360 God will bless me with material wealth. 217 00:14:50,040 --> 00:14:54,080 And we're actually not promised anywhere in Scripture that that 218 00:14:54,080 --> 00:14:57,920 will be the case. Not as a promise anyway. 219 00:14:59,200 --> 00:15:02,840 I heard someone say with regard to prayer, this is a while ago, 220 00:15:03,280 --> 00:15:07,840 that we should approach God as a type of vending machine. 221 00:15:08,520 --> 00:15:12,160 Boy, the bells and whistles and lights went off in my head when 222 00:15:12,160 --> 00:15:15,640 I read this. I thought, wow, that's dangerous 223 00:15:15,640 --> 00:15:17,840 and potential false teaching right there. 224 00:15:18,160 --> 00:15:22,560 But then I continued reading. He said, recognizing that the 225 00:15:22,560 --> 00:15:27,200 things inside the vending machine are not whatever we 226 00:15:27,200 --> 00:15:33,160 desire, but rather the things He has told us in His Word that are 227 00:15:33,160 --> 00:15:36,480 in there. Those things that God delights 228 00:15:36,480 --> 00:15:40,040 to give us. Of course, let us be clear are 229 00:15:40,520 --> 00:15:44,480 our relationship with God is not transactional, it's covenantal, 230 00:15:44,480 --> 00:15:46,480 it's relationship, it's partnership. 231 00:15:46,920 --> 00:15:51,720 But Scripture does give us all sorts of blessings and promises. 232 00:15:51,720 --> 00:15:56,840 For instance, write this down. Ephesians chapter 1 is filled 233 00:15:57,000 --> 00:16:00,600 with blessings and promises that God wants to give us. 234 00:16:00,600 --> 00:16:03,240 Let me give you just a little snapshot. 235 00:16:04,080 --> 00:16:09,440 Ephesians chapter 1, verse 3. Praise be to the God and Father 236 00:16:09,440 --> 00:16:13,600 of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly 237 00:16:13,600 --> 00:16:18,120 realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ, for He chose 238 00:16:18,120 --> 00:16:20,960 us. He has predestined US. 239 00:16:20,960 --> 00:16:24,280 Verse 5. He loves us. 240 00:16:24,280 --> 00:16:26,400 Verse 6. In Him we have redemption 241 00:16:26,400 --> 00:16:29,040 through His blood. Verse 7, verse 9. 242 00:16:29,040 --> 00:16:33,120 He made known to us the mystery of His will according to His 243 00:16:33,120 --> 00:16:36,360 good pleasure. And the list goes on. 244 00:16:36,480 --> 00:16:41,640 Ephesians chapter 1 is filled with blessings that God does 245 00:16:41,640 --> 00:16:46,240 desire to give us and will give us when we have a posture of 246 00:16:46,240 --> 00:16:51,640 worship and trust towards Him. And what a great thing that is. 247 00:16:52,760 --> 00:16:55,240 Back to first Timothy chapter 6 chapter 6. 248 00:16:55,240 --> 00:16:59,160 Here I find verse 6 very interesting. 249 00:17:00,080 --> 00:17:03,880 The NIV says but godliness with contentment is great gain. 250 00:17:04,160 --> 00:17:09,640 Interestingly enough, the NASB translation says but godliness 251 00:17:09,640 --> 00:17:14,440 actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by 252 00:17:14,440 --> 00:17:18,280 contentment. I find this interesting. 253 00:17:18,599 --> 00:17:22,720 Paul is saying that the false teachers aren't completely 254 00:17:22,720 --> 00:17:25,079 wrong. They're not totally wrong. 255 00:17:25,880 --> 00:17:31,440 Godliness accompanied with contentment does lead to great 256 00:17:31,440 --> 00:17:35,480 gain, just not the kind of gain that the fall teachers were 257 00:17:35,480 --> 00:17:39,120 teaching. Contentment in what we have, 258 00:17:39,480 --> 00:17:45,040 whether we have much or little. Do you guys know that whether 259 00:17:45,040 --> 00:17:49,560 you're poor or rich and that the poor and rich both struggle with 260 00:17:49,560 --> 00:17:53,160 discontentment? This is not just a struggle that 261 00:17:53,160 --> 00:17:57,000 certain people groups have. Discontentment is a struggle 262 00:17:57,200 --> 00:17:59,880 that both the poor and the rich wrestle with. 263 00:18:00,840 --> 00:18:04,600 In godliness. With contentment, we gain many 264 00:18:04,600 --> 00:18:09,200 character qualities that are far greater than having much or 265 00:18:09,200 --> 00:18:12,400 little. Verses 7 and 8 we see therefore 266 00:18:12,720 --> 00:18:15,640 we brought nothing into the world and we can take nothing 267 00:18:15,640 --> 00:18:17,640 out of it. But if we have food and 268 00:18:17,640 --> 00:18:22,360 clothing, we will be content with that contentment. 269 00:18:23,200 --> 00:18:25,520 That is a gift. If you can experience 270 00:18:25,520 --> 00:18:29,840 contentment, and God desires to give us contentment, there is no 271 00:18:29,840 --> 00:18:35,040 greater place to be in life. And it's not hinged at all on 272 00:18:35,040 --> 00:18:38,560 how much or little you have. You can experience contentment 273 00:18:38,800 --> 00:18:42,120 when we look to the Lord for our hope and our strength and our 274 00:18:42,120 --> 00:18:45,680 salvation in all things. The second wrong motive. 275 00:18:45,680 --> 00:18:49,880 We see in verses 9 and 10 the love of money and the goal to 276 00:18:49,880 --> 00:18:52,560 become rich. The second wrong motive that the 277 00:18:52,560 --> 00:18:55,400 apostle is addressing here, verses 9 and 10. 278 00:18:55,400 --> 00:18:59,560 Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and 279 00:18:59,560 --> 00:19:03,760 into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into 280 00:19:03,760 --> 00:19:08,240 ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root 281 00:19:08,240 --> 00:19:11,600 of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, 282 00:19:11,600 --> 00:19:16,440 have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many 283 00:19:16,800 --> 00:19:19,760 griefs. OK, let's do a quick survey 284 00:19:19,760 --> 00:19:21,720 here. And let's all be honest. 285 00:19:21,720 --> 00:19:24,600 Let's be truthful. Who would like to be rich? 286 00:19:27,720 --> 00:19:30,120 Some of you are slow to be truthful. 287 00:19:32,320 --> 00:19:35,600 I think the truth is we would all like to be rich. 288 00:19:35,600 --> 00:19:41,320 And if that's the case, what do we do with these two verses? 289 00:19:41,800 --> 00:19:44,600 What do we do with verses 9 and 10? 290 00:19:45,960 --> 00:19:47,440 I'll tell you what we do with that. 291 00:19:48,760 --> 00:19:52,120 We downplay them. That's what we do with them. 292 00:19:52,640 --> 00:19:56,880 We tell ourselves that rich people haven't made and that 293 00:19:56,880 --> 00:20:00,560 they no longer have struggles. Those are the things we tell 294 00:20:00,560 --> 00:20:03,000 ourselves. We choose to ignore what the 295 00:20:03,000 --> 00:20:07,280 apostle Paul says here, or we simply just don't believe him. 296 00:20:08,240 --> 00:20:11,240 We don't believe that the pursuit or goal of being rich 297 00:20:11,240 --> 00:20:17,080 can lead to an increase in temptations or traps, and they 298 00:20:17,080 --> 00:20:22,720 can serve to feed our harmful desires for control, pleasure, 299 00:20:23,200 --> 00:20:27,440 comfort, or popularity. We don't believe that the 300 00:20:27,440 --> 00:20:31,080 pursuit of money can actually lead to a whole world of 301 00:20:31,080 --> 00:20:35,320 additional grief that can bring a person to potentially even 302 00:20:35,320 --> 00:20:37,840 walk away from their from their faith. 303 00:20:38,400 --> 00:20:41,200 But yet that's what the Apostle Paul is saying here. 304 00:20:41,720 --> 00:20:45,400 But we downplay it. We don't really believe it, but 305 00:20:45,400 --> 00:20:50,120 a whole world of additional grief can come when our life's 306 00:20:50,480 --> 00:20:54,720 goals and posture and motives are simply the goal to become 307 00:20:54,720 --> 00:20:58,880 rich. These are very real biblical 308 00:20:58,880 --> 00:21:02,840 warnings that we need to heed when our hearts desire is to be 309 00:21:02,840 --> 00:21:08,280 rich and when we are battling the very real idol of the love 310 00:21:08,280 --> 00:21:12,280 of money. The issue is not having money or 311 00:21:12,280 --> 00:21:16,560 even being rich. The issue is the love of it, the 312 00:21:16,560 --> 00:21:20,800 striving for it above all else, and the lack of contentment. 313 00:21:20,800 --> 00:21:23,880 Those are the core heart things that are being addressed here. 314 00:21:24,560 --> 00:21:29,520 Too often we assume that anyone who is rich falls into these 315 00:21:29,960 --> 00:21:33,000 negative categories, that they're greedy, that they're a 316 00:21:33,000 --> 00:21:36,720 lot, that they live only for riches, or that they have the 317 00:21:36,720 --> 00:21:38,720 sin of love and money in their lives. 318 00:21:39,400 --> 00:21:42,960 But as we'll see in a moment, that's not necessarily true 319 00:21:44,040 --> 00:21:46,840 whether you find yourself struggling to pay the bills, or 320 00:21:46,840 --> 00:21:52,360 whether you have so much that you can pretty much fulfill any 321 00:21:52,360 --> 00:21:57,560 dream, wish, or desire you have, both have their own desire, 322 00:21:57,560 --> 00:21:59,760 their own challenges and temptations. 323 00:22:00,560 --> 00:22:05,040 You can ask anyone you want who has lots of money, or someone 324 00:22:05,040 --> 00:22:08,480 with almost no money how much more they would want, and the 325 00:22:08,480 --> 00:22:13,000 answer is the same for everyone, just a little bit more. 326 00:22:14,560 --> 00:22:19,960 Discontentment is a struggle that we all face, regardless of 327 00:22:19,960 --> 00:22:24,040 the number that shows up in our bank account or what kind of 328 00:22:24,040 --> 00:22:27,560 possessions we have. The issue is the motive of the 329 00:22:27,560 --> 00:22:30,280 heart, not whether we have much or little. 330 00:22:30,800 --> 00:22:34,440 So here's a thought, have we ever stopped to think that the 331 00:22:34,440 --> 00:22:37,680 reason some people are living in poverty and can't pay their 332 00:22:37,680 --> 00:22:43,120 bills could be because their life, their life's goal is 333 00:22:43,120 --> 00:22:45,840 chasing riches or pleasure or materialism. 334 00:22:46,160 --> 00:22:51,560 And then combine that if they have no financial structure or 335 00:22:51,560 --> 00:22:55,560 self-control or budgeting in their spending, Those are the 336 00:22:55,560 --> 00:22:59,160 very things that sometimes lead to incredible poverty. 337 00:22:59,600 --> 00:23:03,880 It's easy for us to often be so critical of some of the 338 00:23:05,080 --> 00:23:08,840 temptations and and things Scripture warns us about when it 339 00:23:08,840 --> 00:23:12,000 comes to rich people. But sometimes we neglect to see 340 00:23:12,000 --> 00:23:16,240 that the reason sometimes people are in complete poverty is 341 00:23:16,240 --> 00:23:21,120 because of the same sins, the same struggles. 342 00:23:21,760 --> 00:23:25,600 It's important to remember that some people, we need to remind 343 00:23:26,040 --> 00:23:31,360 ourselves, all of us of this, live in poverty because they do 344 00:23:31,360 --> 00:23:35,640 not have the opportunities that we have or because there were 345 00:23:35,640 --> 00:23:39,160 circumstances out of their control that led to job loss or 346 00:23:39,160 --> 00:23:42,000 bankruptcy. Our church recently sent out a 347 00:23:42,000 --> 00:23:45,080 mission team to Guatemala and they came back and shared 348 00:23:45,080 --> 00:23:47,960 reports. So when you hear but the extreme 349 00:23:47,960 --> 00:23:51,720 poverty in a place that Guatemala, what it would be 350 00:23:52,680 --> 00:23:57,880 really silly or should I dare say stupid of us to think that 351 00:23:57,880 --> 00:24:02,200 those people that it's their own fault, they are, they don't have 352 00:24:02,200 --> 00:24:06,080 the opportunities that we have. So we need to be careful about 353 00:24:06,080 --> 00:24:10,360 not painting every person, every circumstance with the same 354 00:24:10,560 --> 00:24:15,480 brush. Here in the West, there is, as a 355 00:24:15,480 --> 00:24:20,840 rule of thumb, opportunity after opportunity for gaining wealth. 356 00:24:21,360 --> 00:24:26,280 So we have to be careful that we don't assume that God is somehow 357 00:24:26,280 --> 00:24:30,200 blessing us in the West more than he's blessing others. 358 00:24:30,400 --> 00:24:34,720 And sometimes that gets used as a metric for spiritual blessings 359 00:24:35,120 --> 00:24:38,640 when here in the West we have so many opportunities for financial 360 00:24:38,640 --> 00:24:40,400 gain. And if we take those 361 00:24:40,400 --> 00:24:45,080 opportunities and we do gain financially, even non believing 362 00:24:45,080 --> 00:24:48,880 people, that applies to them, they can gain financially and 363 00:24:48,880 --> 00:24:52,720 they can get ahead financially as a result of the opportunities 364 00:24:52,720 --> 00:24:54,240 that we live with in this country. 365 00:24:54,600 --> 00:24:58,120 But we need to be so careful that we don't assume that it's 366 00:24:58,120 --> 00:25:02,480 automatically because God is somehow blessing us and loves us 367 00:25:02,480 --> 00:25:05,640 more than he does. People in Guatemala or these 368 00:25:05,640 --> 00:25:09,600 extreme poverty, impoverished countries in some places of 369 00:25:09,600 --> 00:25:12,320 Africa, we need to be so careful about that. 370 00:25:12,840 --> 00:25:17,520 Jesus says in Matthew 5, verse 45, He causes the sun to rise on 371 00:25:17,520 --> 00:25:22,120 the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the 372 00:25:22,160 --> 00:25:26,040 unrighteous. We want to talk now about the 373 00:25:26,040 --> 00:25:31,160 goal of all of this in verses 11 through 16 here in first Timothy 374 00:25:31,160 --> 00:25:35,000 6, which we do not have time today to address these verses. 375 00:25:35,000 --> 00:25:37,720 So I'm just going to read them and make a comment. 376 00:25:38,080 --> 00:25:43,080 These verses, they speak to the heart of financial stewardship 377 00:25:43,520 --> 00:25:46,200 because they speak to our relationship with God. 378 00:25:46,200 --> 00:25:50,920 They speak here about the gospel about eternal life, fleeing from 379 00:25:50,920 --> 00:25:54,040 ungodliness, fighting the good fight of faith, taking hold of 380 00:25:54,040 --> 00:25:57,400 eternal life to which we've been called, and remembering who is 381 00:25:57,400 --> 00:26:01,560 King of kings and Lord of Lords. Just read over those verses 382 00:26:01,560 --> 00:26:05,560 together, starting at verse 11. But you, man of God, flee from 383 00:26:05,560 --> 00:26:08,720 all this and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, 384 00:26:08,720 --> 00:26:12,960 love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith. 385 00:26:13,240 --> 00:26:16,400 Take hold of eternal life to which you were called when you 386 00:26:16,400 --> 00:26:20,040 made your good confession, in the presence of many witnesses, 387 00:26:20,320 --> 00:26:23,240 in the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of 388 00:26:23,240 --> 00:26:27,680 Christ Jesus, who, while testifying before Pontius 389 00:26:27,680 --> 00:26:29,600 Pilate, made the good confession. 390 00:26:29,600 --> 00:26:33,240 I charge you to keep this command without spot or wrinkle 391 00:26:33,240 --> 00:26:38,080 until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which God will 392 00:26:38,080 --> 00:26:42,080 bring about in His own time. God the blessed and only Ruler, 393 00:26:42,080 --> 00:26:46,000 the King of kings and Lord of Lords, who alone is immortal, 394 00:26:46,000 --> 00:26:50,680 and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or 395 00:26:50,680 --> 00:26:55,400 can see, To him be honor and might forever. 396 00:26:56,240 --> 00:27:00,520 Amen. In all of this and what we've 397 00:27:00,520 --> 00:27:05,840 talked about so far, Paul is not suggesting that having riches is 398 00:27:05,840 --> 00:27:09,720 wrong. In fact, in verses 17 through 399 00:27:09,720 --> 00:27:16,120 19, Paul points us to the goal and the solution for this whole 400 00:27:16,120 --> 00:27:20,480 topic that he's addressing. Verses 17 through 19 command 401 00:27:20,480 --> 00:27:23,800 those who are rich in this present world not to be 402 00:27:23,800 --> 00:27:27,800 arrogant, nor to put their hope in wealth which is so uncertain, 403 00:27:27,960 --> 00:27:32,000 but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with 404 00:27:32,040 --> 00:27:38,360 everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be 405 00:27:38,360 --> 00:27:42,320 rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 406 00:27:42,600 --> 00:27:46,200 In this way they will lay up treasures for themselves as a 407 00:27:46,200 --> 00:27:50,480 firm foundation for the coming age, so they may take hold of 408 00:27:50,480 --> 00:27:56,760 the life that is truly life. The fact that Paul has 409 00:27:56,760 --> 00:28:02,280 instructions for the rich that does not include an exhortation 410 00:28:02,280 --> 00:28:09,000 to stop being rich shows us that the issue is not money or being 411 00:28:09,000 --> 00:28:12,600 rich, but that the issue is the love of money. 412 00:28:13,200 --> 00:28:17,120 He's showing us here that having riches carries with it 413 00:28:17,520 --> 00:28:22,040 incredible responsibilities. We need to recognize that there 414 00:28:22,040 --> 00:28:25,560 are Christians who have become rich as a result of faithfulness 415 00:28:25,560 --> 00:28:29,400 to God and good stewardship, not because of greed or love of 416 00:28:29,400 --> 00:28:31,680 money. And we need to thank these 417 00:28:31,680 --> 00:28:35,400 believers for their example and for their faithfulness. 418 00:28:35,960 --> 00:28:41,200 I believe that these are these are some of them for whom we 419 00:28:41,200 --> 00:28:44,320 need to be thankful, and the ones that demonstrate often the 420 00:28:44,320 --> 00:28:49,240 best workplaces possible. I didn't say perfect. 421 00:28:49,240 --> 00:28:53,720 They're still human, often where employees are genuinely valued 422 00:28:53,720 --> 00:28:57,800 and cared for and compensated fairly, where there is integrity 423 00:28:57,800 --> 00:29:00,840 in the workplace and honesty. These are the people in the 424 00:29:00,840 --> 00:29:03,960 businesses that are abundantly generous and often are the key 425 00:29:03,960 --> 00:29:09,760 reasons why large non for profit organizations and churches with 426 00:29:09,760 --> 00:29:13,240 building projects and ministries are are able to complete their 427 00:29:13,240 --> 00:29:16,160 projects. Without their godly character 428 00:29:16,320 --> 00:29:19,200 and faithful stewardship of God's resources and the 429 00:29:19,200 --> 00:29:23,800 opportunities given to them and their generosity towards others, 430 00:29:24,080 --> 00:29:28,480 many nonprofits and charities would struggle a lot more than 431 00:29:28,480 --> 00:29:31,720 they do. Christian owned businesses 432 00:29:31,720 --> 00:29:36,160 should be the best place places in the world to work. 433 00:29:36,800 --> 00:29:40,240 I really believe that. But the question is, shouldn't 434 00:29:40,240 --> 00:29:44,040 this also include the church? That if you are employed by the 435 00:29:44,040 --> 00:29:46,760 church, it should also be the best place in the world to work? 436 00:29:48,080 --> 00:29:51,360 Maybe you're thinking right now that some businesses enrich 437 00:29:51,920 --> 00:29:55,520 Christians, business owners that you maybe personally know. 438 00:29:55,520 --> 00:29:59,080 Maybe you're thinking of someone and you know that they use their 439 00:29:59,360 --> 00:30:02,960 giving and generosity as a cover up for evil and corruption. 440 00:30:03,280 --> 00:30:06,040 And here's the thing, it's very possible. 441 00:30:06,800 --> 00:30:10,640 It can happen. It does happen to that I say, 442 00:30:10,720 --> 00:30:13,880 may their sins find them out, and may they repent and turn to 443 00:30:13,880 --> 00:30:16,960 God, just like all of us are required to do with the things 444 00:30:16,960 --> 00:30:21,040 that we're responsible for. But don't assume that is always 445 00:30:21,040 --> 00:30:23,600 the case just because they're wealthy. 446 00:30:24,040 --> 00:30:27,360 Each of us is accountable to God for what we have, whether we 447 00:30:27,360 --> 00:30:32,000 have much or little. In North America, generally 448 00:30:32,000 --> 00:30:34,760 speaking, we have so much opportunity for gain. 449 00:30:34,800 --> 00:30:40,320 In fact, there's an aspect that living a godly life of integrity 450 00:30:40,320 --> 00:30:45,600 and honesty actually in a way can lead to financial gain, as 451 00:30:45,600 --> 00:30:48,360 the Apostle Paul confronts in verse 5. 452 00:30:48,800 --> 00:30:52,880 But not in the sense of financial gain for preaching the 453 00:30:52,880 --> 00:30:55,640 gospel. Rather, in the sense that when 454 00:30:55,640 --> 00:30:59,600 believers are determined to be honest in their businesses, to 455 00:30:59,600 --> 00:31:03,080 not lie, to not break their promises, to demonstrate 456 00:31:03,080 --> 00:31:07,560 integrity in both their employee and customer relationships, it 457 00:31:07,560 --> 00:31:11,800 can have the possibility of actually leading to such a good 458 00:31:11,800 --> 00:31:16,680 reputation that they gain more contracts and bids than others 459 00:31:16,680 --> 00:31:20,840 because they are trusted. So in that sense, it can lead to 460 00:31:20,840 --> 00:31:23,720 financial gain. And if it does, and if that is 461 00:31:23,720 --> 00:31:27,040 you, then you are simply required to be faithful with 462 00:31:27,040 --> 00:31:30,880 that too. We're called to faithfulness. 463 00:31:32,160 --> 00:31:36,680 Here are the Here are Paul's instructions for all those who 464 00:31:36,680 --> 00:31:39,040 are rich. But hang on a second here before 465 00:31:39,040 --> 00:31:41,080 I continue. Some of you just thought to 466 00:31:41,080 --> 00:31:42,920 yourself, oh, this doesn't apply to me. 467 00:31:43,840 --> 00:31:47,120 I think it does. I think we're actually all rich. 468 00:31:47,840 --> 00:31:52,040 I think the global stats show that if your household income is 469 00:31:52,040 --> 00:31:55,520 above, what is it now? Is it like $35,000 or something 470 00:31:55,520 --> 00:31:57,320 like that? If your household income is 471 00:31:57,320 --> 00:32:01,560 above that, you are in the top 2% income earners in the world. 472 00:32:01,880 --> 00:32:05,200 Like it's crazy. And, and on a on a global level, 473 00:32:05,200 --> 00:32:08,520 we are all rich. So Paul's instructions apply to 474 00:32:08,520 --> 00:32:12,240 all of us here. His first one, he says, don't be 475 00:32:12,240 --> 00:32:15,960 arrogant. Often, but far from always, rich 476 00:32:15,960 --> 00:32:18,880 people can act arrogantly because they think they've 477 00:32:18,880 --> 00:32:21,720 arrived at a higher classification of humanity or 478 00:32:21,720 --> 00:32:24,440 social status. They can have an attitude of 479 00:32:24,680 --> 00:32:29,120 having arrived or feeling better about themselves than others 480 00:32:29,120 --> 00:32:33,000 putting themselves over others. The Apostle Paul says very 481 00:32:33,000 --> 00:32:38,480 clearly, do not be arrogant. Secondly, he says don't put your 482 00:32:38,480 --> 00:32:41,040 hope and wealth. It is very uncertain. 483 00:32:41,320 --> 00:32:44,280 We have not been given any promises of material wealth in 484 00:32:44,280 --> 00:32:47,200 this world from God. Wealth can disappear in the 485 00:32:47,200 --> 00:32:49,680 blink of an eye. As I'm sure many of you have 486 00:32:49,680 --> 00:32:52,280 discovered. When we put our hope and wealth, 487 00:32:52,280 --> 00:32:56,600 we are dangerously close to idol worship, if not already there. 488 00:32:57,160 --> 00:33:00,640 It's a form of identity that leads to idolatry. 489 00:33:01,000 --> 00:33:04,280 So the question is, where is our identity? 490 00:33:04,280 --> 00:33:08,840 What is our identity then? Thirdly, Paul says put your hope 491 00:33:08,840 --> 00:33:10,560 in God. Why? 492 00:33:10,760 --> 00:33:12,960 Because he richly provides for us. 493 00:33:12,960 --> 00:33:16,840 He is our source. Unlike riches, He is not 494 00:33:16,840 --> 00:33:19,800 uncertain. He won't grow wings and fly away 495 00:33:19,800 --> 00:33:23,240 when the markets change. We can put our complete hope in 496 00:33:23,240 --> 00:33:26,120 Him because he does not fluctuate like the markets. 497 00:33:26,560 --> 00:33:29,720 When God is our hope and we rightly look to Him to provide 498 00:33:29,720 --> 00:33:34,800 for us, it is then that we can experience enjoyment of the 499 00:33:34,800 --> 00:33:36,760 things that God has provided for us. 500 00:33:36,760 --> 00:33:42,280 And yes, the Scripture tells us for our enjoyment what an 501 00:33:42,320 --> 00:33:47,480 awesome thing, whether we have much or little. 502 00:33:48,080 --> 00:33:50,240 Then fourthly, he says command them. 503 00:33:50,640 --> 00:33:54,000 Paul instructs in verse 14. What he instructs in verse 14 is 504 00:33:54,000 --> 00:33:56,440 not only a suggestion, it's a command. 505 00:33:56,960 --> 00:33:59,800 Here is what we are all commanded to do, whether we have 506 00:33:59,800 --> 00:34:03,240 much or little. Be generous. 507 00:34:03,800 --> 00:34:07,400 Share what we have with others. Be rich in good deeds. 508 00:34:07,760 --> 00:34:11,360 Everyone, even those who do not have material resources or 509 00:34:11,360 --> 00:34:16,520 wealth, can be rich in some way, particularly in good deeds. 510 00:34:16,880 --> 00:34:21,199 And no matter how much a little we have, we all have something 511 00:34:21,440 --> 00:34:25,800 that we can share with others. Generosity in helping the poor 512 00:34:25,800 --> 00:34:28,760 are our major themes in Scripture. 513 00:34:29,560 --> 00:34:32,199 Not they're not mentioned only a few times. 514 00:34:32,199 --> 00:34:35,679 In fact, in the Psalms and Proverbs we find over and over 515 00:34:35,679 --> 00:34:38,679 again that those who are unwilling to be generous or to 516 00:34:38,679 --> 00:34:42,840 help the poor, we are told that they are taunting God. 517 00:34:45,480 --> 00:34:50,639 Another place in Proverbs that says anyone who turns a deaf ear 518 00:34:50,639 --> 00:34:54,480 to the poor God will turn a deaf ear to them. 519 00:34:56,040 --> 00:34:59,920 The ultimate goal of all of this is what we find in verse 19. 520 00:35:00,400 --> 00:35:05,880 Living like this leads to a life that is truly life, not some 521 00:35:05,880 --> 00:35:08,760 counterfeit version of life. A life that has encountered the 522 00:35:08,760 --> 00:35:13,680 gospel of Jesus Christ, where our sins are forgiven and where 523 00:35:13,680 --> 00:35:17,160 we have been redeemed. This word that redeemed that's 524 00:35:17,160 --> 00:35:19,920 used here in this passage and in Ephesians that I read before and 525 00:35:19,920 --> 00:35:24,320 many other places is literally the root Greek word of it of it 526 00:35:24,320 --> 00:35:28,320 is a financial term. It it's a money word. 527 00:35:28,320 --> 00:35:32,920 It means to buy back. God has redeemed us and bought 528 00:35:32,920 --> 00:35:35,840 us back. So our lives should be a 529 00:35:35,840 --> 00:35:40,280 reflection of that, a posture of Thanksgiving and worship, a life 530 00:35:40,280 --> 00:35:44,480 built on the firm foundation of Christ that leads to a rich 531 00:35:44,480 --> 00:35:49,400 relationship with God. Taste and see that the Lord is 532 00:35:49,400 --> 00:35:51,640 good. Delight yourself on the Lord and 533 00:35:51,640 --> 00:35:54,400 He will give you the desires of our of your heart. 534 00:35:54,760 --> 00:35:59,480 So the question is, what are our desires and what do we delight 535 00:35:59,480 --> 00:36:02,680 in? Mostly I want to just end by 536 00:36:02,680 --> 00:36:07,600 leaving you with some take home points that will help us keep 537 00:36:07,600 --> 00:36:11,600 our eyes focused on the goodness of God and help us live in a way 538 00:36:11,600 --> 00:36:16,640 that demonstrates that faith and finances are not incompatible 539 00:36:17,360 --> 00:36:20,760 #1. Remember the source. 540 00:36:21,360 --> 00:36:25,600 We need to remember the source. That's the number one thing. 541 00:36:26,000 --> 00:36:29,920 As we read before from First Chronicles chapter 29 in David's 542 00:36:29,920 --> 00:36:35,000 prayer, we need to remember the source and how. 543 00:36:35,000 --> 00:36:38,840 What is a good way to remember the source, practically 544 00:36:38,840 --> 00:36:41,040 speaking? I'm glad you asked. 545 00:36:41,040 --> 00:36:47,400 Thank you #2 It's tithing. It's the biblical principle of 546 00:36:47,400 --> 00:36:51,600 giving of our first fruits, the 1st 10% of our income back to 547 00:36:51,600 --> 00:36:54,160 God. Bring it to the temple as an act 548 00:36:54,160 --> 00:36:55,880 of worship. This is all over the Old 549 00:36:55,880 --> 00:36:58,400 Testament. And in the New Testament, Jesus 550 00:36:58,880 --> 00:37:01,520 addresses it. And I forgot to write down the 551 00:37:01,640 --> 00:37:03,880 the passage, but I believe it's in Matthew. 552 00:37:03,880 --> 00:37:06,800 He addresses it. And he says you should not 553 00:37:06,840 --> 00:37:10,360 neglect the former and you should still do the latter. 554 00:37:11,000 --> 00:37:14,800 He's talking there about giving. He's addressing the Pharisees. 555 00:37:14,960 --> 00:37:18,800 He's addressing legalism where they are being inconsistent. 556 00:37:19,320 --> 00:37:23,520 And he talks there about that. What was done in the old should 557 00:37:23,520 --> 00:37:26,000 not be neglected, but you should still do. 558 00:37:26,600 --> 00:37:29,000 You should still be generous, and you should still give. 559 00:37:30,400 --> 00:37:32,760 And I regret that I didn't write that passage down. 560 00:37:33,400 --> 00:37:37,480 Giving it the first 10% of income is an act of worship. 561 00:37:37,920 --> 00:37:42,800 It reminds Us Weekly or monthly that God is our source. 562 00:37:42,800 --> 00:37:48,080 It helps us to not divide our worship in our minds and in our 563 00:37:48,080 --> 00:37:50,880 hearts. It reminds us that God is the 564 00:37:50,880 --> 00:37:56,160 source of all things. God instructs it for our good. 565 00:37:57,200 --> 00:38:00,840 So I suggest we should obey. Margaret and I have made this a 566 00:38:00,840 --> 00:38:03,000 principle from day one of our marriage. 567 00:38:03,400 --> 00:38:08,200 And we have never gone through a season where we were not able to 568 00:38:08,200 --> 00:38:10,440 pay the bills or have gone hungry. 569 00:38:10,680 --> 00:38:14,120 And we have gone through various seasons of having very little, 570 00:38:14,360 --> 00:38:18,520 but also seasons of having much. And God has been faithful in all 571 00:38:18,520 --> 00:38:24,560 of it #3 plan, make a budget, plan for big purchases, for 572 00:38:24,560 --> 00:38:27,000 retirement. Planning is a biblical 573 00:38:27,000 --> 00:38:30,200 principle. We need to plan to give. 574 00:38:30,240 --> 00:38:34,120 Planning leads to being a cheerful giver as God desires 575 00:38:34,120 --> 00:38:36,880 from us, as the apostle Paul addresses to the Corinthian 576 00:38:36,880 --> 00:38:41,160 church in the book of Second Corinthians, to plan to give. 577 00:38:41,600 --> 00:38:44,600 Here's the thing. Some people say they don't plan 578 00:38:44,600 --> 00:38:46,760 because money doesn't control them. 579 00:38:47,840 --> 00:38:52,840 Wow, I beg to differ. I think that not planning 580 00:38:52,840 --> 00:38:58,120 usually leads to money controlling us because when 581 00:38:58,120 --> 00:39:01,720 there's no plan, money can disappear and all of a sudden we 582 00:39:01,720 --> 00:39:06,360 find ourselves in so much debt or chasing after ways to pay our 583 00:39:06,360 --> 00:39:08,520 debt. And it's usually because there 584 00:39:08,520 --> 00:39:12,160 was no plan. And then my next one before I 585 00:39:12,160 --> 00:39:16,120 reveal it, this next point that I'm going to give you is earth 586 00:39:16,120 --> 00:39:19,560 shattering. If I if you apply this next 587 00:39:19,560 --> 00:39:24,520 point, it's pretty much 100% guarantee to financial success. 588 00:39:24,760 --> 00:39:27,240 Do you want to see it? Are you ready for this? 589 00:39:27,960 --> 00:39:34,880 Go ahead and display it. Isn't that incredible? 590 00:39:35,360 --> 00:39:39,400 Spend less than you earn. A very simple financial 591 00:39:39,400 --> 00:39:44,280 principle that unfortunately many of us have been guilty of. 592 00:39:44,920 --> 00:39:48,960 But it's powerful. And then #5 be generous. 593 00:39:49,240 --> 00:39:51,360 This is what we are called to do. 594 00:39:51,360 --> 00:39:54,840 It's a command. We are commanded to be generous. 595 00:39:55,000 --> 00:40:03,360 Let's pray, Heavenly Father, and all these things, we come to 596 00:40:03,360 --> 00:40:08,720 you, and we recognize, Lord, that You are our source. 597 00:40:10,360 --> 00:40:15,840 But Lord, in that recognition, we also realize that we are so 598 00:40:15,840 --> 00:40:18,640 often guilty of not trusting You. 599 00:40:20,520 --> 00:40:23,480 We have trusted You, hopefully for our salvation. 600 00:40:24,840 --> 00:40:27,000 And for those who haven't, I pray that they will. 601 00:40:28,200 --> 00:40:31,640 But then somehow we forget to trust You that You will provide 602 00:40:31,640 --> 00:40:35,080 for us. And somehow we put this division 603 00:40:35,400 --> 00:40:38,480 in our hearts and minds between faith and finances. 604 00:40:39,000 --> 00:40:41,120 Father, we pray for your forgiveness. 605 00:40:42,720 --> 00:40:48,480 Or we pray that how we use finances would be an extension 606 00:40:48,480 --> 00:40:53,360 of our worship to you and our relationship with You, realizing 607 00:40:53,360 --> 00:40:56,920 that you are the source of all things. 608 00:40:57,040 --> 00:41:00,960 We love you, we thank you in Jesus name, Amen.