November 20-21, 2004, Matt 6:24-34; Selected

YOUR MONEY'S WORTH!
NEVER MISS INVESTMENTS!

EVERYTHING BELONGS TO GOD - EVERYTHING COMES FROM GOD -
EVERYTHING IS DISPERSED BY GOD!

GOD SEES OUR RESOURCES AS: A TOOL - A TEST - A TITLE!

*** 1 Cor. 4:2 "Now, a person who is put in charge as a manager must be faithful." [New Living Translation]

FIVE WAYS TO USE MONEY!

1. YOU CAN SPEND IT! 2. YOU CAN PAY BILLS WITH IT!
3. YOU CAN MEET TAXES WITH IT! 4. YOU CAN SAVE IT!
5. YOU CAN GIVE IT!

WE DETERMINE THE AMOUNTS BASED ON:
OUR PRIORITIES and OUR SELF CONTROL!

*** Proverbs 3:9 "Honor God with everything you own; give him the first and the best." [Message Bible]

*** Matthew 6:24-25 "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?" [New International Version]

*** Matthew 6:26-27 "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" [NIV]

*** Matthew 6:28-30 "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?" [NIV]

*** Matthew 6:31 "So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'" [NIV]
*** Matthew 6:32 "For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them." [NIV]

WE WILL ALWAYS WORRY WHEN WE THINK:
OWNERSHIP INSTEAD OF STEWARDSHIP!

*** Matthew 6:33 "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." [NIV]

HOW DO WE TRANSITION FROM THE OWNERSHIP MODEL
TO THE STEWARDSHIP MODEL?

1. WE GIVE TO GOD FIRST!
*** 2 Cor. 9:12 "This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God." [NIV]

THE TOP FIVE BENEFITS OF GIVING TO GOD!

A. IT HELPS ME FOCUS ON THE ETERNAL! - Mt. 6:19-20
B. IT STRENGTHENS MY FAITH! - Malachi 3:10
C. IT FILLS ME WITH JOY! - Acts 20:35
D. IT PROVES MY LOVE! - 2 Cor. 8:7-8
E. IT MAKES GOD REJOICE! - 2 Cor. 9:7

*** Matthew 23:23 "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices--mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law--justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former." [NIV]
*** 1 Cor. 16:1-2 "Now about the collection for God's people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. [PRINCIPLE] On the first day of every week [PRIORITY], each one of you [PERSONAL] should set aside a sum of money [PLANNED] in keeping with his income [PERCENTAGE]...." [NIV]
*** Deut. 14:23b "The purpose of tithing is to teach you always to put God first in your lives." [Living Bible]

2. WE SAVE SECOND!
*** Proverbs 21:20 "The wise man saves for the future, but the foolish man spends whatever he gets." [LB]

SIMPLE STRATEGY: THE 10 GIVE - 10 SAVE - 80 PLAN!

3. WE PAY OUR TAXES!
*** Mark 12:17 "Then Jesus said to them, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's." And they were amazed at him." [NIV]
*** Romans 13:1 "Obey the government, for God is the one who put it there. All governments have been placed in power by God." [NLT]

4. WE GET OUT OF CONSUMER DEBT AND PAY BILLS ON TIME!
*** Romans 13:8 "Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another...." [NIV]

5. WE LIVE ON THE REST!
*** 2 Cor. 9:8 "And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work." [NIV]

"And they gave in a way we did not expect: They first gave themselves to the Lord and to us. This is what God wants." 2 Cor. 8:5 [New Century Version]