Save All You Can

Introduction

Luke 12:16–21 “And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” ’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.””

Review

We are continuing our series on financial stewardship

If you will recall, this series is broken up into 3 parts

Gain all you can, Save all you can, and Give all you Can

Over the past few weeks we explored the implications of the first part

That we are to

Gain all that we can

This is probably the most controversial thesis of the series, so we spent a little more time on it

God has given us abilities and skills and time and resources and we are to do all that we can with them

And part of that is to gain as much wealth as we can

Not selfishly, not because we are driven by materialism, but for God’s glory

And so we looked at some practicalities of how this can be done.

In a few weeks we will look at the imperative to give all you can, without which, none of this makes sense, because ultimately God gives gifts to us that we might give back to Him and to others.

Save all you can

But this morning we will begin exploring our second imperative

Save all you can

This is a little more palatable for most Christians than Gain all you can.

We know we ought not be wasteful, we know that fate of those who are careless with their money, the fate of gamblers and drunkards and addicts and worst of all, those who spend their money on Starbucks instead of investing it in the S&P 500

Or perhaps even worse, those who go to college and take out student loans

Ok, I’m kidding.

But we tend to be very conscious of the dangers of over spending and debt, sometimes even too scrupulous

So a lot of what I say this morning will simply be common knowledge and reminders for us all

But dangers lurk in these waters as much as they lurk in the waters of gaining all you can

So we will look at some warnings too

Why Save Money?

Definitions

Saving money means taking a percentage of your income and setting it aside for emergencies, retirement, large purchases (like a vehicle, house, or college), or future investments

According to one study, 57% of Americans do not have enough money saved to cover a $500 emergency expense.

Much of this is due to lack of discipline and overspending.

Proverbs 13:18 “Poverty and disgrace come to him who ignores instruction, but whoever heeds reproof is honored.”

The opposite of saving is being wasteful and

But we all know the state of the economy right now and the massive inflation that we have experienced over the last 5 years

The last 2 administrations have spent and printed so much money that the value of our money has dropped precipitously and the cost of living has risen enormously

It is a hard time to try to start building a nest egg

Even so, it is certainly possible in our incredibly affluent society

What does the Bible Say?

Is it right to save?

Some would so no.

Matthew 6:19–20 ““Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.”

Some would say saving is a sign that one doesn’t trust God

Save in times of plenty for times of need

Are there any Fletcher School students present?

Proverbs 6:6–8 “Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest.”

Wisdom tells us to consider nature and glean insight from the ant

She gathers and saves in times of plenty for times of need

So ought we

We see the same principle in

Genesis 41:34–36 “Let Pharaoh proceed to appoint overseers over the land and take one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt during the seven plentiful years. And let them gather all the food of these good years that are coming and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and let them keep it. That food shall be a reserve for the land against the seven years of famine that are to occur in the land of Egypt, so that the land may not perish through the famine.””

Having a phat savings account is certainly the first thing we would think of when considering this principle

But we ought to broaden our scope

What about life insurance, or disability insurance, or health insurance? Depending on your situation, you may want to reevaluate these things.

The importance of good life insurance is often overlooked by primary bread winners.

Husbands and fathers, will your family have enough to bury you, let alone survive if you die?

It takes planning to save properly

Proverbs 24:27 “Prepare your work outside; get everything ready for yourself in the field, and after that build your house.”

This wisdom applies to any endeavor, from painting your living room to making a road trip

You have to understand what tools you have at your disposal, what hurdles you need to overcome, and how much time it will take

How much money do you make, how much do you spend, how much do you need to spend?

Jesus gives us the same wisdom in LK.

Luke 14:28 “For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?”

Next week we will talk in more detail about how one should go about saving, but the Bible teaches us that we need to have a plan.

The diligent will have enough but the lazy will always be poor

Work is good, God has created us to work, God has called us to work.

In some sense, even worship is a species of work, so we will be working even in the New Heavens and New Earth

So the Scriptures are full of warnings to the lazy.

Proverbs 21:5 “The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.”

Proverbs 6:9–11 “How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.”

Proverbs 10:4–5 “A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich. He who gathers in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame.”

The lazy man will not save his wealth because he will not gain enough wealth to save.

Because of this, disaster will overtake him.

We will all face disaster, but have you prepared to face it? that is the difference between being overtaken by disaster and standing firm in the midst of disaster.

To leave wealth to your children and grandchildren

Proverbs 13:22 “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the sinner’s wealth is laid up for the righteous.”

Especially as we enter into the collapse of Western Civilization and teeter on the brink of a Mad Max apocalyptic future where earning a living will be an order of magnitude more difficult for your children than it is for you (In Jest)

In all seriousness, it is harder for most of us to make a living than it was for our parents and grandparents

And it doesn’t look like that trend is reversing any time soon.

It is right and good to leave wealth to your children and grandchildren. Indeed, if you do not attempt to do so, you do not fit into the category of the good man of Prov. 13:22.

To avoid being a drag on others

Ephesians 4:28 “Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.”

Sometimes, due to events outside our control, we are on the receiving end of the generosity of the church. Praise God.

But it is far better to give than to receive. Better to be the generous one than the needy one.

Acts 20:35 “In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”

Money in the Bank means Freedom from the Bank

The one who has failed to save is often forced to borrow to cover necessary expenses. This is not always sin, but it is never ideal

Proverbs 22:7 “The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender.”

If you borrow $1000 at a rate of 12% you will end up paying $120

But had you saved that $1000 and put it in a high yield savings account like Wealthfront with an APR of 6% you would have gained $60.

That is a difference of $180.

Saving is always a better option than borrowing

The Dangers of Hoarding

Faithless Saving

Out of fear and lack of trust

Philippians 4:6 “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

Thinking our safety and security depend on how much we put away

1 Timothy 6:17 “As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.”

Idolatrous Saving

Like Scrooge McDuck

Don’t be a dragon

Proverbs 1:19 “Such are the ways of everyone who is greedy for unjust gain; it takes away the life of its possessors.”

Mark 8:36 “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?”

Luke 12:15 “And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.””

Ecclesiastes 5:13 “There is a grievous evil that I have seen under the sun: riches were kept by their owner to his hurt,”

Proverbs 11:26 “The people curse him who holds back grain, but a blessing is on the head of him who sells it.”

James 5:3 “Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days.”

Psalm 39:6 “Surely a man goes about as a shadow! Surely for nothing they are in turmoil; man heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather!”

What is the point if you don’t save it to give it?

Dragons covet gold. Don’t be a dragon

Worship with your wealth, but don’t worship your wealth

Money makes a great gift bad a terrible God

It is a slave master that takes delight in your misery

Save All You Can

Now, we said that you ought to save all you can

Which means that you cannot afford to save and not give.

You cannot afford to save and not invest.

If you have hoarded all of your wealth without being generous and without using it to gain more, you have saved more than you can afford to save.

If you have hoarded so much that you are not able to enjoy

1 Timothy 6:17 “As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.”

God provides all things to be enjoyed. It is ok for us to spend on our pleasures so long as you enjoy those pleasures as a gift of God and glorify Him in the enjoyment of them.

I would go so far as to say that if you never spend on your own pleasures, then you are in sin.

If you have hoarded so much that you don’t take of those under your care, you are definitely in sin

1 Timothy 5:8 “But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”

Save all you can does not mean save every penny.

Conclusion

Worship God with your money

Save with His glory in view

How can you love your family, your church, your community, your self, and God by saving?

Saving Wealth is yet one more tool that He has placed at our disposal to serve Him