Breaking Free From Greed

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Alright church… I thin we are beginning to get this but we are going to shout it out again this morning. If the Son has set you free… YOU ARE FREE INDEED!
I hope over the last few weeks this truth has permeated your heart… and your circumstance. I hope that no matter what you have been walking through, you know that Christ has set you free!
I am glad this morning that this reality is not conditional to the season or circumstance we face. It is a matter of faith… it is a matter of trusting Jesus. It is a matter of no longer allowing the enemy to have any place in our lives. Saying yes to Jesus and no to the enemy closes any and all doors for Satan to come through to oppress or influence us.
And I believe… God has been doing some incredible stuff in the lives of believers throughout this series! I believe hearts have been set free! I believe the enemy is on the run as the chains and shackles that once bound some brothers and sisters have fallen powerless behind us!
The enemy would like nothing more than to keep you bound today. The enemy would like nothing more than for people to choose bondage over freedom in Jesus today. Why would someone choose such a thing? Two reasons come to mind.
One - they don’t believe what the Word is telling them. They don’t see the dangers for what they are. They have been deceived and have yet to suffer the consequences of said deception.
Two - they lack faith. They are out of strength. They have been hit and hit hard. They cannot imagine that anyone can deliver them of what they are going through.
In either case I can tell you that Jesus has the power to break down the stronghold in your life. He has the power to breakthrough unbelief… He has the power to move mountains with mustard seed faith. If we want freedom today, then we must trust His Word and His power. But the key is… we have to want freedom today! We must be willing to call on Jesus for deliverance!
And today, as we continue our topical journey, we are going to talk about one of those areas in life that people just do not like to talk about. In fact, it might just be one of the top controversial topics within the church world today - but it shouldn’t be.
For some reason, this topic can make people uncomfortable. For some reason, this topic can make people squirm in their seats. It might make someone roll their eyes or check out of the sermon - but in all reality - it should do the exact opposite. Today, we are talking about breaking free from greed… and yes… we will be talking about money.
As sad as it might be… money is one of those topics in the church that people do not like talking about. And the fact that we don’t like talking about it brings us right to the heart of the concern.
It is no secret that we live in a consumer nation. We consume more than we produce. We get what we want, when we want it, and how we want it. But this mentality should not be the mentality of God’s church.
I want to start this message off by first saying thank you! This church is a generous church! I am thankful for your faithfulness in giving to the Lord!
This message is NOT an effort to bump up the bottom line. This message is NOT given in because of a lack of resources here at the church. This message IS given in hope that if you are wrestling with issue of greed, that God, through Jesus, will set you free from this issue and stronghold.
I want you to experience God’s best for you. I want you to know what freedom in your finances feels like. I want you to understand that God truly is our provider… He will take care of us in all things if we will trust Him with all things.
But more often than not, we have a tight grip on that ole’ checkbook. We believe two falsehoods regarding our personal finances.
One - that what’s in our checkbook belongs to us and
Two - we can handle “our” money better than God can.
First off, what you “have” doesn’t belong to you. We need to stop listening to this lie of the enemy first and foremost.
1 Corinthians 10:26 says it this way:
1 Corinthians 10:26 NIV
26 for, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.”
It all belongs to God. I want you to say that with me today, IT ALL BELONGS TO GOD. Greed… would try to tell us otherwise.
Think of it like this. Let’s say I was going out of town and I asked Tom to watch over my house while I was gone. And Tom says, “Hey! That’s great timing because I need to borrow a truck for a few days for some projects I am working on. Can I use your truck while you are gone?” I give him the keys and we head out of town.
A few days later, we come home. Tom pulls up in the driveway with the truck, walks up to the house with the keys, and says, “Hey, I’ve done some thinking while you were away and because I am so generous, I’ve decided I’m not going to keep this truck for myself. I’d like you to receive this truck from me. Take it. It’s yours.”
Now, what’s wrong with this picture? It was always my truck! It wasn’t Tom’s truck to give to me, he was returning it to me after borrowing it. When we bring our offerings to the Lord, all we are doing is returning back to God what He has graciously let us use.
I have another illustration I want you to see regarding this… this video does well to illustrate what I am talking about
WATCH VIDEO: God’s Pies
DUDE! He brought the pie! Yet so often God is last when He should be first. Or… God gets cut out completely because we place our “needs” in front of our giving.
Secondly, believing we can handle our money better than God can is another lie of the enemy we need to stop listening to.
Church, we can consult with the best financial advisors. We can talk to the bankers, play the markets, invest and be good money managers… but we will never be able to do better than what God can do! God can and will do crazy things… and most of the time, His ways look a lot different than our ways!
I have heard countless stories of people who gave crazy amounts under the leading of the Holy Spirit who experienced crazy blessings because of their generosity!
Here’s the deal: Greed closes the door to God’s blessing and opens the door to spiritual financial oppression whereas Spirit-led generosity opens the door to God’s blessing and closes the door to spiritual financial oppression.
God is not so concerned with your money… as much as He is concerned with the position of your heart.
Your giving is between you and God. It truly is a testing of the heart: what motivates you most in your finances? Greed or generosity?
Our God is a VERY generous God. Not only has every good gift come from Him, but He also gave us His one and only Son to pay the price we simply could not pay.
The Lord has been beyond generous in His giving… and He asks that His people be generous in their giving as well. Giving… breaks us free from greed. Greed can keep us from obeying the Lord and can cause us to miss out on His blessing. Greed can cause a person to rob God… and I don’t believe anyone desires to do such a thing today. So I want to look at a couple points today regarding our giving that I hope will help us break free of any greed we might be harboring.

Why Give?

Well, the most simplest answer I can offer for this question is this: God said to give.
From the early days of His covenant with Israel, God’s children have been instructed to set aside a portion of their increase - called a tithe - to be given for the Lord’s work.
But even before the days of the covenant, God’s people were called to be stewards, not owners, of the blessings God had given them.
In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve had been given everything by God. Genesis 2:15-17 gives the account
Genesis 2:15–17 NIV
15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”
Adam had been placed in the garden to work it and to take care of it. Working and stewardship are God-given principals that were established BEFORE sin ever entered the picture.
God did withhold one tree from him… this tree was not there to be harvested from. It belonged to God.
When they ate of the tree against the instruction of the Lord, they acted as owners, not stewards. They took what did not belong to them. They stepped outside the boundary that had been set because of their greed. They failed the test.
It truly is amazing to see all of the emotions that were in play the day sin first entered the picture. Last week we focused in on resentment. This week we see the greed. And we know the end result - SIN.
Now why did I just say they failed the test? Why would I refer to stewardship and giving as a test from God?
Let’s go back to another word I used a moment ago - tithe. The tithe is simply a tenth. God commands that we give a tenth of our increase to Him - and that number ten is significant. The number ten in Scripture often indicating testing.
Multiple times we see the number ten associated with testing - this is seen in both the Old and New Testaments. Tithing is a test from God - it literally tests our trust in Him in a very tangible way.
Money is something we handle, something we touch, something we feel in our pockets. It is measurable, earnable, and spendable. It pays bills, puts food on the table and gas in our cars. Are we willing to trust God with this resource? That is what the test is all about.
And I get it… some people today would argue that the tithe is OT and not for NT believers. Some people would argue that God does not need their money. Some people would argue that preachers teach on giving only to make bank accounts bigger.
First off, the tithe is mentioned 8 times in the NT. God cares very much about how we handle our money to make sure our money is not handling us! In fact, Jesus gave a stern warning regarding the influence money can have on us in Luke 16:13
Luke 16:13 NIV
13 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
Each one of the negative statements I listed before comes from the position of an owner… not a steward. Instead of trying to give as little as we can, our heart should be open to give as generously as we can under the direction of the Holy Spirit.
Yes, I believe in the tithe. Yes, I believe we should give as the Lord leads us to give… not under compulsion or because the preacher says so.
2 Corinthians gives us this reminder
2 Corinthians 9:6–8 NIV
6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
We should give because God said to give. We should give because God wants us to have a generous heart, not a greedy disposition. We should give with cheerful hearts as giving is obeying the Lord’s instruction.
If we truly want freedom in our finances… that freedom begins with the position of our heart… not how much is in our pocketbook. Why give? If our hearts are positioned correctly the question should be “Why wouldn’t I give?”
Your giving makes a big difference! It opens the door for God to bless you and it also opens the door for future ministry growth in the heartland and around the world! AND… it is reflective of God’s incredible giving to us.

Tipping Points to Giving

Now, when I say tipping points, I am not talking about advice on how much to tip your waiter or pizza delivery guy. I want us to look at two quick points that might create strongholds of greed if we are not careful.
Like other strongholds, greed begins with the introduction of small nuggets or stones that result in an unwanted fortification of rebellious behavior. There are two specific warnings I want us to look at as we desire to be set free from such s stronghold.
One: The tipping point of unbelief.
This point comes from Scripture that is most often used when talking about tithes and offerings.
Malachi 3:7 NIV
7 Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord Almighty. “But you ask, ‘How are we to return?’
Now wait a minute… I see no mention of giving in this passage? What does this have to do with being generous?
The word says the people had turned away from God’s decrees and yes… giving was one of he decrees they had abandoned. Go on and let’s read verses 8-9
Malachi 3:8–9 NIV
8 “Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’ “In tithes and offerings. 9 You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me.
Oh snap! Their unbelief had led them to rob God! They chose to believe a different word other than God’s Word and the Lord just called out their unbelief!
The stronghold of greed begins to take shape when a person chooses to believe any other word regarding money rather than God’s Word. And this can be said of any stronghold we might face in life. In this case, the tithe was not being brought into the storehouse. The people of God were robbing God and in essence… denying themselves the blessing God wanted to pour out on them.
When we put trust in any other word other than God’s Word, we close the door to receiving God’s blessing. Giving becomes a burden if done at all and greed sets in deep. So to combat the issue, God reminded them of the test… and the promise.
Malachi 3:10–11 NIV
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 there will not be room enough to store it. 11 I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” says the Lord Almighty.
This wasn’t a new command, it was a forgotten command. This wasn’t a new principal, it was an ignored decree. Unbelief led to unchecked greed.
BELIEVE the Lord when He says He will bless you. BELIEVE the Lord when the Word says all things belong to Him. BELIEVE the Lord when He says He will provide for you. BELIEVE the Lord when He says He loves a cheerful giver!
Two: the tipping point of fear.
And this is a big one. Why? Because it goes back to the tangible aspect of money. Sometimes a person can be afraid to give generously… because they don’t know if there will be enough to cover the bills. This is especially true in our economy today. Families are paying significantly more for gas and groceries… but God still wants us to be generous in our giving.
In fact, I would say the tighter things become, the more generous we need to be. For the more generous we are, the greater His blessings will be.
Fear can keep us from giving generously in multiple ways, but there are two that I want to cover quickly.
One, the fear of not having enough. This places me as the priority and gives greed fertile soil to plant its root. This diminishes our faith regarding God’s ability to provide.
Two, the fear of misuse. People fear giving if they don’t know how the church or a person might use it.
For example, someone on the street looking for help might receive a cold shoulder instead of help because the people FEAR the needy person might misuse the gift.
If the Holy Spirit is leading you to give… it is up to you to obey His prompting. What happens to the resource after that is between the person and God. It is our joy to respond as the Spirit would lead.
The key in this is to apply faith, not fear, to your finances.
And I get it… it can be unsettling as you watch the stack of bills get higher and the balance in the bank get lower. But if your faith would move you to put God first… He will ABSOLUTELY bless the rest.

Will You Pass the Test?

God LITERALLY tells us to test Him in this… God doesn NOT desire for His people to be consumed by greed. He does not want His people in bondage when it comes to finances.
Passing the test means believing God at His Word, dropping all fear for faith, and giving as the Holy Spirit would prompt you to give.
The tithe belongs to the Lord. That tenth is a test of faith and obedience and… God rewards those who pass the test. The door to greed is slammed shut as we give generously and with cheerful hearts.
We are not going to pass the offering bags again. I am not going to give the sales pitch that if you give for three months and God doesn’t bless you we will pay your offering back.
NONE of this is about what we can do… it’s all about blessing God and honoring Him first in our finances. Our giving is an act of worship. Our giving is a simple way e say thank you to God for what He gave.
Never forget, He paid our sin debt in full… a debt He did not owe… a debt we could not pay. If He is willing to give it all for us… are we willing to give back to Him?
Our call for application is simple. We need to give because God instructs us to do.
Pay your tithe… that first ten percent belongs to God and is to be given to the storehouse.
Give in offerings… support the missions endeavors and special ministry projects
Have a cheerful heart… let generosity overpower any feelings of greed you might feel.
breaking free from greed means dropping the selfish pattern of this world and trusting God with your finances. God does not want money to become your master… and it is an easy pit to fall into if we are not careful. Instead, God wants to help you by blessing you in your faithfulness.
If you find yourself struggling to give… be honest with yourself and ask why. What is holding you back? What is the obstacle?
Is it fear? Is it unbelief in God’s decrees? Is it trust? Is it more month than money? Is it the economy? Is it hobbies? Is it unexpected expenses?
No matter the cause, if your giving has stalled, we need to get that cause under the blood.
Prayer: Lord help us to give as You would have us give. Holy Spirit, work in hearts and minds and help us to overcome greed with generosity. May we the church be known as givers, not takers, and may our giving be used to further the reach of the gospel here in the heartland and around this world. Help us Lord, to be cheerful and faithful givers!
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