Sermon Tone Analysis

God’s Formula for Financial Freedom

Date Preached: October 15, 1978

Time: 1100

Main Scripture Text:

“Yea, also I continued in the work of this wall, neither bought we any land: and all my servants were gathered thither unto the work.”

Outline

Introduction

I.

The Problems of Financial Bondage

A. Strife and Divisions

B. Shortage of Humans Needs

C. People Mortgaged Their Property

D. Deep Debt

E. Financial Bondage Test

F. The Poor and the Rich Can Be in Financial Bondage

1. Do You Have More Faith in Your Money and in Your Material Goods Than You Have in God?

2. Do You Have Ambitions That Are Not Square with the Will of God?

3. Do You Have a Burning Desire for Money?

4. Do You Compromise Your Christian Ethic?

II.

The Principles of Financial Freedom

A. The Principle of Priority

B. The Principle of Industry

C. The Principle of Integrity

D. The Principle of Generosity

1. God Knows What the Need Is

2. God Knows How Much He Wants to Make Available Through Me

3. God is Pleased to Let Me Know What He Wants Me to Give

4. God Will Enable Me to Be Sufficient to Do Anything He Leads Me to Do

5. God’s Resources Are Not Limited

6. Spiritual Giving Requires the Presence and the Power of God

E. The Principle of Dependability

Conclusion

Introduction

Take our Bibles and turn to Nehemiah chapter 5.

Nehemiah is the story of “Let us arise and build,” and I would say that the theme of Nehemiah is found in Nehemiah chapter 2 and verse 20: “Then answered I them, and said unto them, The God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build.”

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But every time God’s people say, “Let us arise and build,” the devil’s crowd says, “Let us arise and blast.”

And when God’s people have a mind to work, the devil’s crowd has a mind to wreck.

And the devil inspired certain philosophies and problems to keep Nehemiah, the leader and the man of God, from leading his people—at least, tried to keep them from building the walls.

And you remember some of the things that we’ve already talked about.

First of all, the first thing that the devil tried was ridicule; he tried to laugh them out of the work for God.

That didn’t work.

Then he tried discouragement; he tried to discourage them.

And that didn’t work.

Then he tried to scare them; he tried to threaten them.

And that didn’t work.

And now he is trying division—just simply to divide the people.

Right in the middle of the program, in the middle of the building program, there came a division.

And guess what it was over.

It was over money matters.

Look here in the first five verses, if you will.

Now I’ve said before, “The devil had rather start a family/relationship squabble any day —just to get God’s people divided.”

This is , verse 1: “And there was a great cry of the people and of their wives against their brethren the Jews.”

Now I’ve said before, “The devil had rather start a church fuss any day than to sell a barrel of whiskey—just to get God’s people divided.”

And here’s what happened.

Here was a division of the people and of their wives against their brethren, the Jews: “For there were that said, We, our sons, and our daughters, are many: therefore we take up corn for them, that we may eat, and live.

Some also there were that said, We have mortgaged our lands, vineyards, and houses, that we might buy corn, because of the dearth.”

That is, there was a famine in the land.

Inflation was running away and material goods were hard to get.

“There were also that said, We have borrowed money for the king’s tribute,”—that is, taxes are mighty high—“and that upon our lands and vineyards.

Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children: and, lo, we bring into bondage our sons and our daughters to be servants, and some of our daughters are brought unto bondage already: neither is it in our power to redeem them; for other men have our lands and vineyards.”

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And here’s what happened.

Here was a division of the people and of their wives against their brethren, the Jews:

Neh 5:

There was a famine in the land.

Inflation was running away and material goods were hard to get.

There was a famine in the land.

Inflation was running away and material goods were hard to get.

“There were also that said, We have borrowed money for the king’s tribute,”—that is, taxes are mighty high—“and that upon our lands and vineyards.

Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children: and, lo, we bring into bondage our sons and our daughters to be servants, and some of our daughters are brought unto bondage already: neither is it in our power to redeem them; for other men have our lands and vineyards.”

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I want to share today on “God’s Formula for Financial Freedom.”

I want to speak today on “God’s Formula for Financial Freedom.”

Someone said, “The most sensitive nerve in the human body is the one that runs from the heart to the pocketbook.”

And that may be true.

I know that when we talk about finances, people listen, and they listen very carefully.

And well we might.

Someone said, “The most sensitive nerve in the human body is the one that runs from the heart to the pocketbook.”

And that may be true.

I know that when we talk about finances, people listen, and they listen very carefully.

And they also become super sensitive on the subject.

They will allow “feelings” to drive the discussion instead of Truth.

So because of that, I believe there’s a message for us in the fifth chapter of the book of

As I have shared, I believe that all Scripture is given by inspiration of God and I believe that all of it is profitable.

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But in order for it to profit us today, we must ask those three questions.

Do you remember them?

Question number one: What did it mean then?

Question number two: What does it mean now?

Question number three: What does it mean to me personally?

And both Kerry and I believe in the fifth chapter of Nehemiah we’re going to see at least two things: number one, the problems of financial bondage; number two, the principles of financial freedom.

I.

The Problems of Financial Bondage

I.

The Problems of Financial Bondage

I.

The Problems of Financial Bondage

Now you talk about financial bondage—I want you to see the financial bondage these people were under in Nehemiah’s time.

Some people say, “The Bible is out of date.”

What we just read - reads like The Wall Street Journal.

I mean, it reads like the headlines of today’s newspaper.

A. Strife and Divisions