Finding Financial Freedom

Introduction (5m)

Things I Wished Jesus Hadn't Said

Maybe that you should take sin seriously. / Or that you should pay your taxes. / Or that you should love your neighbour as you love yourself. / Perhaps the one thing that we really, really wish he hadn’t said is that you can’t love God and money at the same time:

Matthew 6:24 NLT

“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.

Why do you think Jesus said that?

I think it’s because he knew that money distracts us from God and his purpose for us as we build the future together. If you spend so much time thinking about money, Worrying about it, Working for it, Spending it, Saving it, Wasting it, Then there’s not much time left to focus on God’s vision for your future.

The importance of tithing

Deuteronomy 14:23 (The Living Bible)

Bring this tithe to eat before the Lord your God at the place he shall choose as his sanctuary; this applies to your tithes of grain, new wine, olive oil, and the firstborn of your flocks and herds. The purpose of tithing is to teach you always to put God first in your lives.

Tithing helps us put God first in our lives.

To live our lives with his priorities. Now I’m sure if I asked you this morning, you would say that God is your number one priority in life. And yet, the church today is not great at giving.

Not saying this to have a go at the corps or any individuals - not actually looked at the state of our giving closely yet

But research: Only 10-25 per cent. of most congregations tithe. 80 per cent. of most congregations give just 2 per cent. of their income.

The effect of tithing

Tackling this subject, not to make you feel guilty, But simply to ask if the way you manage your finances Shows that God is your number one priority. This is important, because God should be our first priority, But also because of the global impact tithing could actually make. Michael Holmes has estimated that if Christians tithed the Church would have an extra £106 billion pounds. £16 billion could relieve global hunger, starvation and deaths from preventable diseases in five years. £8 billion could eliminate illiteracy in five years. £10 billion could solve the world’s water and sanitation issues, specifically at places in the world where 1 billion people live on less than 70p per day. £700 million could fully fund all overseas mission work. £65 — £70 billion would still be left over for additional ministry expansion. Amazing numbers! That would be putting God’s priorities first. What a future that would build for the world!

Explanation (5m)

Nehemiah's Proper Priorities

The real problem when it comes to giving is not money. Giving and godly financial management is a heart issue, not a money issue. Nehemiah understood this:

Nehemiah 5:14 NLT

For the entire twelve years that I was governor of Judah—from the twentieth year to the thirty-second year of the reign of King Artaxerxes—neither I nor my officials drew on our official food allowance.

Nehemiah put God's purposes first

Nehemiah put God and his purposes first. What he is saying here is “I was in charge, and like others before me, I could easily have taken advantage of the people, and lined my own pockets. But I didn’t because I fear God and put him first in my life”.

Nehemiah's Challenge

Nehemiah had already shown his commitment to biblical financial management. When he heard that some of the Jewish people were suffering because the nobles and officials were exploiting them, He challenged them:

Nehemiah 5:9–10 NLT

Then I pressed further, “What you are doing is not right! Should you not walk in the fear of our God in order to avoid being mocked by enemy nations? I myself, as well as my brothers and my workers, have been lending the people money and grain, but now let us stop this business of charging interest.

Based on God's Word

Nehemiah’s challenge was based solidly on God’s Word. The Law of Moses prohibited Jews from charging interest from one another. It’s remarkable how much the Bible has to say about The right and wrong ways to use money. Jesus said more about money than any other topic, Except the Kingdom of God. The Bible has thousands of verses about financial issues. And Nehemiah realised that one thing the Bible says is that You should not use money to exploit those who are helpless.

A reminder of redemption

Nehemiah reminds the Israelites of their purpose as God’s people. God had redeemed Israel from Egypt during the exodus. Then he had redeemed them again, from captivity in Babylon, during the exile. And God’s people were to be the vehicle of redemption for the Gentiles, For the rest of the world:

Nehemiah 5:7–8 NLT

After thinking it over, I spoke out against these nobles and officials. I told them, “You are hurting your own relatives by charging interest when they borrow money!” Then I called a public meeting to deal with the problem. At the meeting I said to them, “We are doing all we can to redeem our Jewish relatives who have had to sell themselves to pagan foreigners, but you are selling them back into slavery again. How often must we redeem them?” And they had nothing to say in their defense.

Freedom

Nehemiah and others had redeemed some of the Jewish people, But others were putting them back into slavery just to make money. These Jewish brokers were motivated by nothing less than greed And by ignoring what it said in God’s Word. They were not being much of a witness to their neighbours. After all, they were attempting to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls With one hand But enslaving their fellow Jews and neighbours with the other. How we handle money is a witness to God before those who don’t believe in him.

Application (5m)

God uses money to test us

God tested Nehemiah through the issue of money and stewardship. He was testing Nehemiah to see if he was responsible or not. When he knew that he could trust Nehemiah with material possessions, Then he trusted him with spiritual power too. Nehemiah’s approach to finance showed what he trusted the most, What his first priority in life was.

What you love most

So test yourself out with God this morning. What’s your first priority in life? Do you know how you can tell? It’s really easy. Simply look at your calendar And at your bank statement. Where you spend your time And where you spend your money Will tell you what you love the most.

If you want to put your heart and soul into something, Put your money into it, And your heart and soul will follow. The amazing thing is that once you do this, God knows he can trust you, and gives you even greater responsibilities.

My experience

I have to admit, I learned this later in life than I should have. Ironically, when I was a student, Coventry City Corps went Through Planned Giving - what we now call Generous Discipleship And I learned to tithe then. But when I got married — and at the same time qualified as a solicitor, My priorities were getting a lovely house, a luxury car and enjoying expensive holidays abroad.

That’s how life continued. But when God called me to officership, And we knew we would be giving up the lifestyle we had gotten used to, we also knew we needed to recalibrate our attitude towards money. So even though my income dropped from nearly £60,000pa To just £8,500 per year, we decided we had to tithe before anything else. And so we did. If, in answering God’s call to full-time ministry, I was saying that God was at last first priority in my life, Then everything — including our finances — had to reflect that.

Nehemiah's trustworthiness

Nehemiah understood this too. He put God first. He decided to lend to his fellow Jews in line with the laws of the Bible And encouraged others to do the same. He didn’t take advantage of the people When he became an official. Instead, he made God’s work his first priority.

What is the desire of your heart this morning?

Is God the first priority in your life as you build your future? Jesus said that wherever you put your money, That’s where your heart is. We honour him when we put him first in our finances. God is a generous giver. So Let’s pledge to be generous givers ourselves. Let’s put God first in our finances and in our lives As we build the future together with God.

Next Steps

SB 30 - He giveth more grace as our burdens grow greater

He giveth more grace as our burdens grow greater, He sendeth more strength as our labours increase, To added afflictions he addeth his mercy, To multiplied trials he multiplies peace. 2 When we have exhausted our store of endurance, When our strength has failed ere the day is half done, When we reach the end of our hoarded resources Our Father?s full giving is only begun. 3 His love has no limits, his grace has no measure, His power no boundary known unto men; For out of his infinite riches in Jesus He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again. Annie Johnson Flint (1866-1932) Used By Permission. CCL Licence No. 135015 Copied from The Song Book of The Salvation Army Song Number 30