Have A Prosperous New Year
"What The Bible Says About Your Money"
Intro
We're going to do a little test together. If I asked you what the Bible says about your money, what Bible verse comes to your mind? (Let's get a sampling from different people.)
There are several hundred places in the Bible where God speaks about our money, and each of us may have a different emphasis or focus, based upon how our parents handled money, how we have been taught to handle money, what our personal experiences with money have been like ? and on and on. While we may come up with different Bible passages and ideas about our money, we should all be able to agree to this fact: God is very interested in your money.
Not that He wants your money, because after all, He created everything and everything belongs to Him, that's one of the things the Bible teaches us. That's why we're singing praise songs like This Is My Father's World and He's Got The Whole World In His Hands. To remind us Who everything belongs to! God doesn't need our money, but His concern is how we handle the material wealth that He blesses us with. That's because God knows well how powerful the allure and the influence that money can have on you and me.
Contrary to many people's misconceptions, money is not evil, in and of itself. What the Bible teaches is that the "love of money" is a root cause of evil. God knows our nature and He knows that money is addictive, that we want more and more of it. God knows that money offers us a false sense of security, so we pursue it from a sense of need. God knows that money provides a platform by which we feel important and significant; using our earnings as a measure of our individual worth and value.
God is interested in your money and my money, because ultimately, how we handle money will be a reflection and measure of how we love God. How we handle money will demonstrate the condition of our heart. There are over 500 verses in the Bible that address money specifically, another 500 plus verses that deal with wealth, riches, generosity and greed. So no 25 minute sermon can give full coverage to everything God has to say, but we can boil down the Scriptures to some applicable principles that God wants everyone of us to know and follow.
Principle #1. Pay God first.
Honor God with everything you own; give him the first and the best.
Proverbs 3:9 (Msg)
The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;
Psalm 24:1 (NIV)
Now in this way those who are trusted with something valuable must show they are worthy of that trust. 1 Cor. 4:2 (NCV)
Bible reminders on giving:
The righteous give generously; Psalm 37:21b (NIV)
Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 2 Cor. 9:6 (NIV)
Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 1 Tim. 6:18 (NIV)
Give freely without begrudging it, and the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do. Deut. 15:10 (NLT)
Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Cor. 9:7 (NIV)
Principle #2. Pay your bills on time.
Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue.
Romans 13:7a (NIV)
Principle #3. Get out of debt as soon as possible.
Don't run up debts, except for the huge debt of love you owe each other. Romans 13:8 (Msg)
Biblical questions about debt: ( See Money; Bob Russell, 1997.)
- Am I so in debt that I can't pay my bills on time?
- Am I abusing my credit card privileges?
- Am I developing a debt habit?
How to make a debt reduction plan.
- Pay off the credit cards first.
- Make it a goal to pay for major purchases with cash.
- Develop sales resistance.
Principle #4. Plan for emergencies.
Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and be wise! Even though they have no prince, governor, or ruler to make them work, they labor hard all summer, gathering food for the winter. Proverbs 6:6-8 (NLT)
"A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and took a trip to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money on wild living. About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. Luke 15:13-14 (NLT)
Principle #5. Use some resources for personal enjoyment.
Instead, they should place their confidence in God who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.
1 Tim. 6:17b (GW)
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