Money Talks - Spend Me - Week 3

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Video: Money Talks

Title of the Series:

Money Talks

Title of the Message this Morning is:

" SPEND ME”

Money itself is not evil.

Besides earning, saving, and giving, money is also used for spending—it’s a tool.

The key here is not overindulging or squandering, but to use it with discretion, a habit that goes against our consumer-driven culture.

Could it be that financial hardships for Christ-followers and even churches are signs that they are living beyond their means?

What would it look like if money was used as a tool rather than squandered?

What if Christians lived within their means and avoided debt?

Prayer –

“God, I want to honor you in all that I am and all that I do, including the way I spend the money you have given me to steward.

Help me to make wise decisions.

I confess I have bought many things I should not have purchased.

Please forgive me.

Help me when I am weak to practice self-control.

I do not want to squander money, but I do want to intentionally spend it to advance Your Kingdom and share Your love with the world around me.”

Scripture – Isaiah 55:2, Matthew 6:25-34, Philippians 4:11-12

Introduction

“Squander” is not a word we see used in marketing.

Come waste your money here.

Great money-pit opportunity!

Give us your money and we will give you something that will break, become obsolete, or require even more money to maintain!

That kind of language would not sell a product, but, as with most things we buy, that is usually what will happen.

So why do we squander money?

As Isaiah 55:2 (ESV) asks, “Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy?”

God has a different invitation for us when it comes to how we use money:

Spend it wisely.

Money itself is not evil.

Besides earning, saving, and giving, money is also used for spending—it’s a tool.

The key here is not overindulging or squandering, but to use it with discretion, a habit that goes against our consumer-driven culture.

John Wesley called early Methodists to spend only on the "basics."

Though times have changed, the definition of "basics" still may be different for everyone.

The basics could be health, education, and investments for the future.

Wesley hoped that if early Methodists could spend money on their essential needs, they would have money left over to give.

Wesley did not become a spiritual giant and benevolent man of God overnight.

His outlook on finances was shaped by “memorizing the pain.”

When a young child touches a hot stove, of course they will get burned, but something else takes place—a painful memory is created in that short instance.

Memorizing the pain means humans will do anything possible to avoid the painful situation again.

For Wesley, it was the pain of seeing what his family endured when he was growing up that he wanted to avoid.

Samuel and Suzanna Wesley, John’s parents, had 19 children, and experienced the pain of losing nine of them at childbirth.

Samuel Wesley did not earn a high income as a clergyman and had trouble keeping the household afloat for his ten living children.

As a result, the family was in a constant state of financial turmoil, leading to Samuel’s arrest-twice-because of his outstanding debts.

The family situation was the picture Wesley had of finances.

It was enough to motivate him to pursue educational endeavors, which ultimately landed him teaching opportunities with Oxford University and Lincoln College.

Wesley quickly accumulated money in his pocket but did not want to model the poverty of his family.

But without basic budgeting skills, he soon began to squander his money on card games, tobacco, and brandy.

It was these spending habits that set the stage for a chance encounter that would change Wesley forever.

Author Charles Wesley White describes an unforgettable lesson Wesley experienced one day in Oxford as recorded in his book, What Wesley Preached and Practiced About Money:

(as the story goes) “[Wesley] had just finished paying for some pictures for his room when one of the chambermaids came to his door.

It was a cold winter day, and he noticed that she had nothing to protect her except a thin linen gown.

He reached into his pocket to give her some money to buy a coat but found he had too little left.

Immediately the thought struck him that the Lord was not pleased with the way he had spent his money.

He asked himself, Will thy Master say, “Well done, good and faithful steward”?

Thou hast adorned thy walls with the money which might have screened this poor creature from the cold!

O justice! O mercy!

Are not these pictures the blood of this poor maid?[2] ”

Wesley never again wanted to experience the feeling of letting God or his brothers and sisters in Christ down.

After this painful moment, Wesley began to develop a theology and practice around money that would change his life and early Methodism.

To begin, Wesley decided he would determine the bare minimum wages he needed to live on for one year.

With an income of 30 pounds a year, 38 US dollars) Wesley determined he could live on 28 pounds and give away 2 pounds.

Wesley's steady pace showed him that he could take another leap of faith as his second year of living frugally began.

Wesley's income rose that second year, doubling from the previous year to 60 pounds.

Though his income rose, Wesley kept his expenses the same at about 28 pounds, giving away 32 pounds that year.

Year after year of Wesley's income growth, he continued to live on the minimum he set for himself while continuing to give away the rest, until he was living on 2% of his income and giving away the other 98%.[3]

Wesley, much like us, had to fight the urge of squandering vs. spending.

This is what we are going to dive into today as we look at part 3 of Money Talks:

The world’s money says, “Squander Me.”

God’s money says, “Spend Me.”

If all we have belongs to God, then how we spend money should glorify God, also.

It is not just about tithing 10 percent back to God.

If we are stewarding that money wisely, the way the other 90 percent is spent matters just as much as our tithe.

If the Lord is guiding you in your spending, some aspects of your spending will look similar to others who are also being guided by the Lord, but many things will be unique to the relationship you have with God.

Main Teaching

Financial worries are something Christians have been wrestling with for centuries.

We can see this play out through Jesus’s words in

Read: Matthew 6:25-34:

Today some of us are feeling those very real worries of having enough food to eat, clothes to wear, and shelter to live in.

Others are struggling with the pressures our culture adds to having the right clothes, eating the fancy health foods, or keeping up with those around us.

We have made choices to try to keep up with how our culture says we should live, and financially, we can’t do it anymore.

The debt adds up, and the stuff does not make us feel any happier, any more important, or any more secure.

Yet, we still want more.

We have looked at the myths our consumer-driven culture feeds us, now it’s time to explore some ways we as Christ-followers can follow Christ in the midst of this consumer-driven culture.

Resist Comparing What You Have to Others

Just when you’re starting to feel good with what you have, you look over your shoulder and somebody just got the newer model.

We love to compare ourselves to our peers, saying, “I don’t have as much as so-and-so.”

But have you ever been on a mission trip in a third-world country?

So often we as Christians in first-world countries go to a third-world country thinking we’re going to do good and help so many people.

But in reality, the trip ends up helping us more.

Experiencing life in a third-world country gives us a wakeup call—

seeing the joy and freedom these Christians have, even without excessive wealth.

We come back disgusted with our accumulation of money and possessions, but eventually we return to normal life.

We are back around our peers, seeing constant advertisements, and we forget our disgust for material possession, becoming desensitized once again.

We all too quickly conform to the world around us.

Rejoice in What You Do Have

Contentment is not a natural trait.

It must be learned.

We invite you to enroll in the school of contentment today.

God, help me learn to be content with what I have.

Forgive me for jealously wanting more.

Thank you for all you have already given me.

Paul went to this school of contentment. In Philippians 4:11-12, he says, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.”

G. K. Chesterton echoes Paul, saying, “There are two ways to get enough. One is to continue to accumulate more and more. The other is to desire less.”

[4]Contentment is the key, but you can easily get off track.

The verses from Matthew 6 call us not to worry about tomorrow, but to rejoice in the food and clothes we have for today, and the God who cares for us intimately.

As verse 30 says, “And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you.”

Return the First Ten Percent Back to God

This practice is called tithing. Matthew 6:33 exhorts us to “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”

The King James version of this same verse says, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

The purpose of tithing is to teach you to always put God first.

God does not need our money, but He wants our heart, and where your treasure is there your heart will be also.

Tithing is a way to test our own hearts.

Does our money possess us, or are we free to give it up?

Giving is an antidote to greed.

It breaks the chains of materialism.

It forces us to step out in faith and trust God.

It is defying that myth that more money will make you more secure, and saying, God, I am secure in You.

I trust you more than the number of dollars in my bank account.

But tithing can be scary.

When each month can be a struggle to stretch a paycheck, making the leap of faith to seek God first and tithe sounds crazy.

But remember the God we serve, the God who is a loving Father and already knows all your needs.

We do not know what tomorrow holds, but God does, and He provides.

Satan would love to hold you back with fear, but do not let him.

That is why rejoicing in what we do have and all the ways God has provided are so important.

Rejoicing is what allows us to step out in faith and return 10 percent.

We will talk more about giving next week, but when you plan your spending, it is important to first set aside a percentage of that income for the Lord.

Not only is giving biblical, but it is also something that will help you live financially free and follow Christ throughout your life.

Even when our consumer-driven culture tells us not to.

Tithing for me, has been hardest in the times when I’ve been stretched thin.

I had to keep remembering that God is faithful, and choosing to seek first the Kingdom of God.

Refocus: Hold What You Do Have with an Open Hand

What if in addition to giving generously back to God at least 10 percent, we gave Him access to the other 90 percent of our income and all our stuff?

What if the stuff we already have was dedicated toward doing good and went toward becoming rich in good deeds?

What if our home, our car, our tools, our clothes were available to God to bless others?

What if we were truly willing to share it all?

Conclusion

What is God saying to you today?

What do you need to do to respond to Him?

Where do you feel the conviction to change?

God is calling each of us to live financially free and to follow Him in a consumer-driven culture, but that call looks different for each of us.

Do you need to resist comparing yourself to others?

Perhaps you need to stop a magazine subscription or curb the amount of time you spend browsing Facebook.

Maybe you know you need to start rejoicing and thanking God for everything He has blessed you with rather than focusing on what you do not have.

Can you start each day this week by thanking God for three things He has given you?

Maybe you have never taken that leap of faith to return 10 percent to God, and today is the day to start tithing.

Put your trust in God, and see how He provides.

Let’s pray together.

Salvation:

The Word of God says in: John 3:16

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Romans 10:13 NKJV

For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

If you’d would like to receive Jesus today, please pray this prayer with all of us:

Lord I believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and that He died On the cross for my sins and His resurrection from the dead gives me eternal life. I ask forgiveness of my sins, and I accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior. Amen.

Pastor Doc@FaithVision.org

Church Office: 909-922-8090

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Benediction Scripture

“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” Matthew 6:33

Have a Great Week! Goodbye!

(Play) - For The Love of Money

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