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Introduction
Welcome: Good morning and welcome to those here in person and those who are watching online, my name is Kent and I’m the youth and college pastor here at Crosspoint.
This is the last Sunday that we are in a series called “Wisdom for Life” as we have looked at various topics that the book of Proverbs addresses.
This morning we will look at the topic of “Stewarding Money with Godly Wisdom”.
With that said I want to start of with this quote,
“Money is a lousy means of keeping score.
The futility of riches is stated very plainly in two places: The Bible and the Income Tax Form.”
Instead of looking at tax forms this morning as our source of truth on how to steward money, we will be looking at God’s word.
Which stands true and never changes.
Even though gas prices may change, inflation will keep changing, taxes, jobs, bills, stock market; you name it.
We deal with financial changes every single day.
Financial changes often causes us stress, causes fears and anxiety.
So let’s go to God’s word which never changes, brings comfort and hope to the hurting.
There are three points that we will be looking at that Proverbs teaches us on how to steward money with Godly Wisdom.
1.
The Source of Money
2. The Attitude Toward Money
3. The Stewardship of Money
Transition Statement- Before we get right into the practical ways of stewardship of money we need to lay a foundation of how to biblically view money.
1.
The Source of Money
This morning we will be spending the majority of our time in Proverbs 19.
Please open your bibles and meet me there in Proverbs 19 starting in verse 21.
Read Proverbs 19:21
There are a couple of things we see in this proverb.
We make plans- often based off of what we see in our present and what’s in front of us.
God has plans- already made before we were even born and His plans prevail.
This means that whether our plans are within God’s plan or against God’s plan, God’s plan will prevail, his sovereign will does not change.
This means that events that happen in your life are not by accident.
Either God has allow it or has caused it to happen.
Right now, the fact that you are listening to this here in person or online is no accident.
It is within God’s sovereign plan for your life that you are listening to this right now.
This truth applies on a broad scale but also in specific areas of our lives such as our finances.
Where you are at right now financially is within God’s sovereignty (repeat).
This does not necessarily mean that it’s God’s sovereign will for you to stay where you are but it is where God has you right now in this specific moment in time.
Because it’s where God has you right now in this specific moment of time, we must live out our purpose of life of glorifying God and enjoying Him forever in the present moment.
To glorify God with what we have and to praise Him for where He has us.
For some of you, this is an easy truth for you to accept.
You’ve seen clearly how God has blessed you and it’s easy for you to be thankful and to glorify God with what has been given to you.
For others who are here, you might be thinking, Kent how can this be?
Why would a God who declares He loves me allow me to struggle financially?
My answer to you is this, I hear you, I’ve been there, I know the struggle is painful, I don’t know the why behind your specific situation.
Only God knows that.
Sometimes He reveals the why but sometimes He just asks for us to trust Him.
Take Job for example, not in order to compare hardships, but rather to give an example of encouragement.
Most of us know the story of Job.
Job was a godly man and God had blessed him with extreme wealth.
Satan wanted to tempt Job to see if Job’s heart was truly with God or if it was actually tied to his possessions.
In God’s sovereignty, He allowed Satan to take away everything away from him.
His children, his wealth, so much so that even his own wife told Job to curse God.
When he was at his lowest, he never cursed God, he sure had some anger, he had a lot of questions for God but he never turned away from God.
At the point of desiring death, God spoke to Job and told him about His sovereignty, His power and goodness, and in response Job worshipped God.
When Job was at his lowest he glorified God.
Job never got the answer to his why but when met with the truth of God’s attributes, he worshipped God.
The Apostle Paul had learned this principle throughout his life as well and while in prison wrote these verses to the church at Philippi.
Paul is able to be content because of his trust in God’s sovereignty and strength.
It’s because of this attitude that Paul also wrote this to the Thessalonians.
This means that where God has us in the present time in life, financially, is enough (say enough again) for us to give thanks and to praise Him.
So wether you have much or little, it’s God’s will for you in Christ Jesus to give thanks and to rejoice.
I know this can be hard for some of us.
It goes against our sinful and selfish nature.
Our flesh wants more and more.
Our sinful flesh wants us to believe that satisfaction can be found in something material, something tangible.
That if I just had more of this or more of that, then I will be content.
We as believers need to battle against our flesh and remind ourselves to be content because God, in his sovereignty has us in the present moment and our ultimate satisfaction is to be found in our relationship with Him.
I want to put this truth into practice.
This truth of being content with whatever we have.
I want you to read with me the words on the screen.
God thank you for where you have me right now financially.
I praise you for you are sovereign and in control.
Please continue to teach me how to glorify you with what you have given me.
To know the source of where our money comes from is foundational to glorifying God with our finances.
Transitional statement: Let’s continue from head or knowledge about the source of money to our heart and talk about the attitude toward money.
2. The Attitude Toward Money
In your bibles, let’s continue reading Proverbs 19.
Re-read Proverbs 19:21.
21 Many plans are in a person’s heart,
but the LORD’s decree will prevail.
22 What is desirable in a person is his fidelity;
better to be a poor person than a liar.
23 The fear of the LORD leads to life;
one will sleep at night without danger.
I want to campout for a moment on the first line of verse 22. “What is desirable in a person is his fidelity” If you would allow me to have a quick Bible geek out moment I want to look at the word fidelity a little deeper.
Fidelity is a word that means loyalty or faithfulness.
Hence why the word infidelity (which we might be more familiar with) means unfaithful or disloyal.
For example when a spouse is unfaithful in their marriage toward the other spouse we would say they have committed infidelity.
The word fidelity that we see in Proverbs 19:22, in the Hebrew language is the word hesed.
Some of you have heard this Hebrew word hesed.
Others might be like, Kent I don’t know a single thing about Hebrew.
If you stay with me for a moment, hopefully the dots will start to connect for a beautiful picture.
The Hebrew word hesed is the same word that describes the faithful love that God has toward the people He has a covenant with.
(ḥěʹ·sěḏ) חֶ֫סֶד - an unfailing kind of love, kindness, or goodness; often used of God’s love that is related to faithfulness to his covenant.
Hesed reveals the heart of God.
Hesed reveals what His affections are.
This same word that describes the heart of God toward those who are in a covenant with Him is used in this proverb to describe the heart of a person.
Re-read the first line in v. 22.
“What is desirable in a person is his fidelity;”
Show scripture slide here.
Since we know that word fidelity is the Hebrew word hesed.
This verse can be read, “What is desirable in a person there will be is his faithful love, kindness, and goodness.
What we desire, reveals where our affections are.
It reveals where our hesed is.
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