Rom 13-Owe Nothing to Anyone

| Owe Nothing to Anyone! Romans 13:8a

July 13, 2008(NLT) Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another. (NIV) Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another. (ESV)  Owe no one anything, except to love each other.(The Message)  Don’t run up debts, except for the huge debt of love you owe each other. PRAY Scripture Memory:  Intro:God has promised to provide for all of our needs. I know people who have relatively low income who are living very comfortably and I know people with substantial incomes who never seem to be able to make ends meet. It is not at all uncommon for young men who become professional athletes and earn mega-bucks for several years, only to live their latter years in virtual poverty. Why is this? 1. The Problem of Debt2. Practical Steps to Getting (and staying) out of Debt3. Practical Benefits to Being (and staying) out of Debt4. The Issue of our Spiritual Debt Money is a good servant, but a dangerous master. Dominique Bouhours  1. The Problem of DebtBumper Sticker: “I Owe, I Owe, its off to work I go”A man called the police and reported that all of his wife’s credit cards had been stolen. Then he added, "But don’t look too hard for the thief. He’s charging less than my wife ever did."The National Debt as of July, 2008 is $9½ trillion.With the estimated population of the United States at just over 300 million, each citizen's share of this debt is $31,215.25.The National Debt has continued to increase an average of $1.74 billion per day since September 28, 2007!MSN Money:* About 43% of American families spend more than they earn each year.

• Average households carry some $8,000 in credit card debt.
• Personal bankruptcies have doubled in the past decade.

American consumers owed a grand total of $1.9773 trillion in October 2003, according to the latest statistics on consumer credit from the Federal Reserve. Thats about $18,654 per household, a figure that doesn’t include mortgage debt. The number is up more than 41% from the $1.3999 trillion consumers owed in 1998."Revolving" credit, which most typically involves credit cards, is an increasingly significant part of the equation. Revolving debt currently totals $735.3 billion; that's about 31% higher than it was only five years ago. The figure has more than doubled in a decade.The average amount of credit card debt in households with more than one card is now more than $8,000, according to CardWeb.com. Thats 167% more than the $3,000 average for households in 1990.The most unsettling aspect of all these credit card transactions is that many Americans don’t see their income as a spending cap. About 43% of U.S. families spend more than they earn, according to a Federal Reserve study. And on average, Americans spend $1.22 for every dollar they earn, according to Myvesta.org.More than 1 million homeowners now have three or more mortgages on their property. Meantime, over 1.8 million owners have outstanding loans that equal 100% or more the value of their homes.Our consumer-oriented culture has deceived many people into living beyond their means on the assumption that they will have more money in the future so they can buy on credit now, enjoy their possessions and pay later. BoiceRon Blue, a Christian financial planning expert, and author of Master Your Money, was told by a banking friend that in the banking industry a person who pays his bills right away is known as a deadbeat because the company is unable to make much money from him. It used to be that deadbeat was someone who failed to pay his bills, now he is someone who pays his bills promptly.“The problem for many Americans, including our government, is that debt financing has become a way of life, and those who borrow are frequently enticed, misled, or trapped into borrowing more than they are able to repay. Then they default on their payments and often escape the weight of their financial obligations by declaring personal bankruptcy. Bankruptcy means cheating the person or company that has lent the money, and it an unjust and impermissible course of action for a Christian.” BoiceThe late Larry Burkett, a Christian financial counselor & founder of Crown Ministries, gave these statistics. 40% borrow more than they can make monthly payments on. The average American family is always only 3 weeks away from bankruptcy. According to Burkett and social security statistics, 85 out of 100 Americans have less than $250 in cash saved up by age 65. Why do we have such problems? Is it because we’re over generous? The statistics would deny that as they tell us that the average American gives only 2% of their income to charitable institutions We have more resources at our disposable than any people in history but somehow financial matters are a source of constant difficulty and stress.How can you tell if you are a slave to money? (1) Do you think and worry about it frequently? (2) Do you give up doing what you should do or would like to do in order to make more money?(3) Do you spend a great deal of time caring for your possessions? (4) Is it difficult for you to give money away? (5) Are you in debt? (from One Year with Jesus)The point is not that Christians should never borrow, but that they should never leave their debts unpaid. BoiceOur text, this morning, is a condemnation of the practice of some who are ever ready to borrow but very slow to repay. It also expresses the debt we owe to our fellowmen. Debt is a symptom, not the root problem. Materialism is the root problem. (1 Tim. 6:9-10, Luke 12:15) Materialism is seeking happiness through the accumulation of material things.1 Timothy 6:9 (NIV) – 9People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction.  10For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. We think we’re going to be happy if we just get the next thing on our list – but instead of receiving happiness, we pierce ourselves with many griefs.Luke 12:15 (NCV) – Jesus said to them, “Be careful and guard against all kinds of greed. Life is not measured by how much one owns.”Materialism is not a rich man’s disease only. Even those who don’t have much fall into the trap of believing they will be happy if they had a little bit more – their materialistic urges are simply fulfilled at Walmart rather than Hary Rosen. Too often we spend money we don’t have, to buy things we don’t need to seek satisfaction we won’t find.What would happen today if you went in to work tomorrow and found out that your company is closing? What would you do if you had an accident that did not able you to continue in your present job? What if a disaster struck that was not covered by insurance, like flood? 2. Practical Steps to Getting (and staying) out of DebtTo get money is difficult, to keep it more difficult, but to spend it wisely most difficult of all.   source unknownJesus talked a great deal about money and the problems it causes man—in fact, one-fifth of all Jesus had to say was about money. Billy Graham Money is emphasized in Scripture simply because our temptation to love it is inexplicably powerful. Erwin W. Lutzer How can I avoid debt and save as much as possible so that I will have money for the really important things, unforeseen emergencies, and retirement – while enjoying a reasonable number of the pleasures of life along the way?"How do you eat an elephant?" One bite at a time.

Dr. James Boice’s Five Practical steps to gaining control of your money:1.     Recognize that you have a spiritual problem.“Instead of being spiritual, you have become secular in your thinking. You have listened to the siren song of the secular culture surrounding you, and you have adopted a consumptive lifestyle on the world’s recommendation and urging.” Boice Ron Blue, a Christian author and financial counselor, makes the following observation:“The more television a person watches, the higher lifestyle the person is apt to desire. Television advertising is extremely sophisticated and effective. In a similar way, the more time you spend in shopping malls, the higher lifestyle you are apt to want because you are surrounding yourself with temptation. It is much like going to the grocery store just before mealtime to do your weekly shopping. Chances are you will spend substantially more than if you went after a meal and with a specific list in mind.”Those who want freedom from consumer debt must replace materialism with Godly contentment. Mat 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 both God and money.A penny will hide the biggest star in the universe if you hold it close enough to your eye. Samuel GraftonEccl.5:10 (NIV) – Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless.

 2.     Stop Buying on Time.A little girl had saved up enough money to buy her father a present for Father’s Day but was concerned about one thing. “I can’t be going downtown every month to make payments,” she said to her mother. “Is there a store where they’ll let you pay the whole thing at once?” Bill Gold in Washington PostWe learned this lesson as kids. Popeye the Sailor had a friend named Wimpy. He was a rather ordinary gentleman with a rather unusual obsession. Day and night his thoughts were consumed with consuming hamburgers. That obsession let him to seek ways to consume more than he produced such that his catch phrase became, “I will gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today”. He was willing to do into debt for a hamburger, to pay tomorrow for what is gone today.Only buy, on time, that which appreciates in value, and even then, beware getting in over your head…If you buy, for example a $10,000 car, using a 10% loan over, say, 5 years… you would end up paying almost $3200 in interest!If you were able to get a 5% loan, you would pay over $1300 in interest.Someone once estimated that using credit cards will cause a family to spend 34% more than they would if they were to pay for everything they purchased with cash.Develop and nurture a "save first and then buy" mentality."… The fact is, nearly 75 percent of Americans who use credit cards make only the minimum payment each month. At that rate (minimum payments) you could spend the next thirty years paying back a $3,000 credit card debt and give the financial institution $8,000 worth of interest. It’s the principle of compound interest in reverse."

3.     Reduce your expenditures to below your current income. “Spend less than you earn and do it for a long time, and you will be financially successful.” Ron Blue Live within your means! – for many of us this means CUTTING up our credit cards, canceling our credit lines and closing our overdraft accounts.Consider using a budget…. And STICKING TO IT!!! – if you cannot do this, perhaps it is time seek help from a professional counselor about where cuts in your spending can be made.4.     Sell assets to reduce your current debt.5.     Pay something on each debt each month.Concentrate on eliminating the debts with the highest interest first, then the smallest debts.You might want to consider consolidating your debts into one loan at a significantly lower rate of interest. This can help you climb out of debt. The problem, however, is that many who take out these "restructuring loans" only go out and use more credit cards for more purchases - and they end up in worse shape than when they got the new loan.Then apply what you WERE paying for them to the larger debts.Then, as much as possible, continue paying into a savings account until you have at least one month’s salary as a buffer towards unexpected needs (or, even better, six months salary)Pre-commit any unexpected income to your debt repayment. – This will often be both God’s provision and His test to see if you are really serious about honoring Him in your finances.NOTE: for the follower of Jesus Christ, bankruptcy is not a viable option.Psalm 37:21 (NCV) – The wicked borrow and don’t pay back, but those who do right give freely to others. Some other practical suggestions:Develop Habitual CONSERVATION      Wait for sales / avoid being emotionally manipulated or making quick decisionsThe problem for many people who get into debt is that they see something that pleases them and they HAVE to have it. They can’t wait. AND they won’t wait.CONSERVE on cars, houses, and eating out.Separate wants from NEEDS.When buying something for your family, you need to ask – do I NEED this, or do I merely WANT it? And whether you need or want something – "can I wait until I can afford it?"Stacy A. Johnson of First Baptist Church of San Jacinto CA Said:
“If I buy today what I do not need, I will most likely need tomorrow what I cannot buy”Consider reducing, or eliminating some of your monthly commitments, like cable, internet, cell phones, magazine subscriptions, etc.Be creative in finding extra sources of income Some lessons from the Prodigal Son:1. He came to the point of really WANTING to change.In order to get rid of debt’s power over us, we 1st have to realize that our financial situation needs to be fixed. Our lifestyle has to change/ our way of looking at money has to be repaired.Up until this point in his life (even as he sat amongst the squalor of the pigs), the Prodigal son hadn’t changed his thinking about his lifestyle. If he’d lived in our day, he might have taken from his meager savings and bought lottery tickets. 2. He swallowed his pride.Luke 15:18-19 (NLT) –  I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”That took a lot of courage. AND it took a lot of humility. Many people get into debt – and stay there – because they’re too proud to get help.So, 1st the prodigal son took stock of his situation2ndly he swallowed his pride and sought help… 3. And, lastly, the Prodigal Son returned to His father for His help.When the prodigal son ended up in the pigpen, he realized that there were things in life more important than money. I’m sure he wished he could go back and undo all the damage he’d done. Wasting his inheritance, ruining his relationship with his family, and eating with the pigs were high prices to pay for the momentary pleasures money had brought him. 3. Practical Benefits to Being (and staying) out of DebtProverbs 21:20 (NIV) "In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has."Some Benefits of Living Within Our MEANSA. Personal PEACE & Freedom1. More time and energy to pursue relational strength and spiritual depthEcclesiastes 7:12 (NIV) – Wisdom is a shelter as money is a shelter, but the advantage of knowledge is this: that wisdom preserves the life of its possessor.Prov. 22:7 (NIV) The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender. 2. Overspending and over-working rob you of peaceEcclesiastes 5:10-15 (NIV) Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless. As goods increase, so do those who consume them. ? And what benefit are they to the owner except to feast his eyes on them? The sleep of a laborer is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of a rich man permits him no sleep.I have seen a grievous evil under the sun: wealth hoarded to the harm of its owner, or wealth lost through some misfortune, so that when he has a son there is nothing left for him. Naked a man comes from his mother’s womb, and as he comes, so he departs. He takes nothing from his labor that he can carry in his hand. B. A Good NAMEEcclesiastes 7:1a, " A good name is better than fine perfume…" C. Providing for FAMILYI Timothy 5:8, "If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever."D. SHARING and GIVING (Eph. 4:28, I Cor. 16:2)E. Eternal REWARDS (Matt. 6:19-21) 4. The Issue of our Spiritual Debt1. We all have a spiritual debt. It is called "sin."2. God loves us so much that He paid that debt Himself by sending His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross in our place. When He died, He shouted, "It is finished," literally, "it has been paid."3. And this same Jesus arose from the dead, later ascending into heaven.4. He paid our debt, but we have to receive that payment."A pastor told a true story of one of his church members, an attorney, who after meditating on several scriptures, decided to cancel the debts of all his clients that had owed him money for more than 6 months.He drafted a letter explaining his decision and its biblical basis and sent 17 debt canceling letters via certified mail.One by one, the letters began to return, unsigned and undelivered.Perhaps a couple people had moved away though not likely. 16 of the 17 letters came back to him because the clients refused to sign for and open the envelopes fearing that this attorney was suing them for their debts.How profound! We owe a debt for our sin and God is willing to cancel it but too many people will not even open the letter that explains that."Hebrews 13:5 (NIV) – Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” |   |  Summary / Review:  A Truth to Remember:   A Challenge to Consider:  One thing I heard this morning was…      |