Sunday, February 10, 2013
Sermon Series: Life. Money. Hope.
Sermon Title: “Money Talks”
Scripture: Matthew 6:19-21; Genesis 4:1-7
The Biblical truths in week 1’s sermon must be grasped in order to fully apply the rest of the messages we will hear from Dave Ramsey in the next three weeks.
- The way we manage money COMMUNICATES our inward value system
- Jesus, has a perfect record as a financial adviser
- Matthew 6:19 – Jesus advises that the foolish way to invest our money is on earthly things. Everything on earth has an expiration date; it breaks down, devalues and you can’t take it with you to Heaven.
- Matthew 6:20 – Jesus advises that the wisest way to invest our money is in heavenly things; in advancing the Kingdom of God through the gospel. Heavenly things are eternal and will never expire
A. Our financial investments communicate what’s most IMPORTANT to us
Matthew 6:21“Wherever your treasure (money) is (Earthly Investments or Heavenly Investments), there the desires of your heart (what’s important to you) will also be.”
- (Gen 4:1-2) Adam and Eve are blessed by God with two sons, Cain and Abel
- (Gen 4:2) Cain and Abel both grew up and took on jobs; Cain and farmer and Abel a shepherd
- (Gen 4:3-4) At harvest (payday) both Cain & Abel brought a gift (offering) to the Lord out of the product of their labors (paycheck)
- Gen 4:3) Cain brought SOME of his crops to the Lord as an offering
- Gen 4:4) Abel brought the FIRST and the BEST of his flock as an offering
Cain’s gift of just some of his crops as an offering to the Lord reveals that he put little thought and little heart into his gift
People who just give some of their resources back to God don’t have a GIVING problem; they have a WORSHIP problem.
- The root of every sin is a worship problem.
Abel’s offering was an offering rooted in his worship of God. It required effort and a lot of thought.
- Abel’s offering of the first and the best of his flock required great faith on Abel’s part. He did not know what the rest of his flock would produce after his offering; this required total reliance on God.
- When we tithe and give God the first and the best of the resources he has blessed us with, we should do so in worship of God and in faith, trusting that he will provide everything we need with the remaining 90%
Hebrews 11:4 It was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did [read rest of verse]
- TITHING has nothing to do with rules and everything to do with FAITH
- Notice: God did not take issue with how Cain & Abel used their remaining resources, it was the offering that he accepted or rejected because it was this offering that revealed the condition of their heart and the condition of their worship.
- Cain did not have a giving problem…he had a worship problem
- If you are not giving God your first and your best, you don’t have a giving problem…you have a worship problem, too.
(Gen. 4:4-7) “Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you.” – When we are out of line in our worship of God it opens us up to being controlled and overtaken by other sin.
- Cain was eventually overtaken and controlled by sin; he murdered his brother Abel.
- Cain’s sin began when he worshiped the creation of God over God, who created all things.
- Our sin begins with the same improper worship of God.
Practical Take-Home Truths:
- Earthly INVESTMENTS will not survive; heavenly investments last FOREVER
- An HONEST inventory of how I manage my money will reveal what I value most in life
- God deserves my FIRST and my BEST not just SOME and the REST
- Giving my first and best involves: WORSHIP, FAITH and OBEDIENCE
- My mismanagement of God’s resources is not a GIVING problem; it’s a WORSHIP problem
- My giving PROTECTS my heart from being overtaken by sin