Principles, Problems, and Plans for Your Money, Part 1

We are doing a little mini-series on getting a grip on giving, and I can't think of a better way to introduce that by looking at the Lord's table today as we celebrate the ultimate gift-giver, Jesus Christ, our Lord. The Bible says in Romans 8, verse number 32, these words, He who did not spare his own son but delivered him up for us all, how will he not also with him freely give us all things?

To understand the fatherhood of God and the great sacrifice that he gave by giving us his only begotten son, he freely gave him. How much more will he freely give us all things? Now we tend to think of those things as spiritual only because we know that Ephesians 1, 3 says that we have been blessed with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies. So we understand the spiritual blessings. But so many times we forget that there are many material blessings that go with the gift of the son. In other words, our father who is in heaven not only knows everything that you need but sympathizes with all of your needs.

In Luke chapter 12, Jesus would address this in particular. He would, for the first time in his earthly ministry, help people understand that Jesus, that Jesus' father, God the father, is the father of all believers.

Not just the son's father but the father of all believers. He does it in the context of anxiety, the context of worry, the context of fear because for those who don't understand the father, the fatherhood of God, they live in anxiety. They live in the realm of fear. They live in the realm of worry. But to understand the fatherhood of God erases all those fears and thoughts. And so he wants you to understand that. So this is what he says. Luke chapter 12, verse number 27 or 28. If God clothes the grass in the field which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will he clothe you, you men of little faith?

And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying. For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek, but your father knows that you need these things. Jesus says the characteristic of the unbeliever, the Gentile world, the unbelieving nations is that they eagerly seek.

There is this inner drive, lust, desire to meet their material needs. That is what they will wear, what they will eat, what they will drink, the basic necessities of life. And the nations of this world eagerly seek all those things, but your father knows that you need them. So in other words, because of the fatherhood of God in the life of the believer, we need not worry about what we will eat or what we will drink or what we will wear, because he knows what you need. He sympathizes with what you need.

He knows all those things. I like what Charles Spurgeon said. Spurgeon said, he that gives us heaven will surely give us all that is needful on the road to heaven. In other words, if the father gives us glory, don't you think he'll give you everything you need on your way to glory? I mean I'm a father. I'm concerned about what my children wear, what they eat, what they drink. If they need something to eat, drink, shoes, clothes, I make sure they get those things. That's my responsibility as a father.

And I'm just an earthly father. I do not have unlimited resources, but my father in heaven has unlimited resources. I have very little power. I know it's hard for you to believe that as buff as I am. I don't have a lot of power. But my father in heaven is omnipotent. He has all kinds of power. So my father in heaven knows what I need, sympathizes with what I need, and says that he will take care of all those things. It's important for me to understand that because that then begins to erase my fears when it comes to my anxious thoughts, my worrisome feelings over what's going to happen next.

Then he says this, but seek his kingdom and these things will be added unto you. The characteristic of the believer is that he doesn't eagerly seek those things of the world, but he eagerly seeks the kingdom of God. And when he is preoccupied with seeking God's kingdom, everything else is taken care of. But if he's preoccupied with seeking those things his father already knows he needs, he will not be seeking the kingdom of God and will miss out on the blessings that God has for him. So he says this, do not be afraid, little flock, for your father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.

Don't be afraid. Your father has chosen gladly, not reluctantly, he hasn't said, okay, I guess I can let you into the kingdom. No, I want you into the kingdom. I'm going to give you my kingdom. And he's done it freely, delightfully, not reluctantly, but gladly. Now do you believe that? If you do, then you understand verse number 33, sell your possessions and give to charity. Make yourselves money belts, which do not wear out an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys for where your treasure is there, your heart will also be.

If you understand the fatherhood of God, you want to invest in eternal treasures. Not earthly ones, because you don't have to invest in earthly treasures because your heavenly father knows what you need and he will take care of you. Isn't it interesting that throughout the Old Testament, the nation of Israel saw God as a father only nationally, not personally. Jesus was the first one to come along and refer to God, the father in a personal sense.

See, and that's why they wanted to kill him because he made himself equal with God. But no, no Jew today or ever has ever referred to God in a personal sense. But here, Jesus makes God the father very personal with his children. But the Old Testament tells us about how God the father would provide for his own. Listen to these verses, Psalm 34. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good. How blessed is a man who takes refuge in him. Oh, fear the Lord you as saints, for to those who fear him, there is no want.

No want. To those who fear his name, you're never going to lack anything. You're not going to want for anything. He says, the young lions do lack and suffer hunger. But they who seek the Lord shall not be in want of any good thing. So the Jews knew about the fatherhood of God in a national sense, providing for his people Israel. And then, of course, over in Psalm 37, trust in the Lord and do good. Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord. Trust also in him and he will do it. Evil doers will be cut off. But those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land. The humble will inherit the land and will delight themselves in abundant prosperity. I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread. David made it very clear. I have been young and I have been old, but I have never ever seen the righteous descendants of the living God ever begging for bread.

Because God takes care of his own. I wonder if we understand that. I wonder if we believe that. He who did not spare his own son, but freely gave him up for us. How will he not freely give us all things to enjoy? The fatherhood of God. I wish we could grasp that. Let's see if we do. Okay? Let's look at some principles, some problems, and some plans for your money.

Okay? Let's do it this way. Some principles, some problems, some plans for your pennies. Okay? Make them all P's. That's lots of pennies though. Alright? Let's look at three principles.

One's going to be theological. One's going to be spiritual. One's going to be biblical. Okay? Three principles. Principle number one simply is a theological premise.

Okay? Once, if understood, leads to a spiritual priority. Which, if understood, will lead to a biblical promise. You got that? Three principles. One is a theological premise. The other is a spiritual priority. And the third is a biblical promise.

Principle number one is this. God owns everything. If you believe that, I want you to raise your hand. Okay? Now keep them up. Don't put them down. Keep them up. God owns. Everybody believe that, right? Anybody not believe that, put your hands down. Anybody not believe that, put your hand up. Anybody not believe that, put your hand up. Okay, so everybody believes that, right? Everybody believes that God owns everything. Well, let me show you what the Bible says, alright?

Job 41.11 Whatever is under the whole heaven is mine, says the Lord. That means everything under heaven is his. It says in Exodus 19.5 All the earth is mine. Psalm 24.1 The earth is the Lord's and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. 1 Corinthians 7.23 You are not even your own. You have been bought with a price. So not even you own you. God owns you. You're on earth. Everything in the earth, everything on the earth, He owns. Right? And if you're a believer of His, He has bought you with a price.

You are His. You are not even your own. Then it says, 1 Timothy 6.7 We have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. Haggai 2.8 The silver is mine. The gold is mine. But the Lord, says the Lord of hosts. Deuteronomy 8.18 But they shall remember the Lord their God. For it is He who gives you power to get wealth. God not only owns everything. God not only owns you. He owns you in such a way that the only way you're ever going to be wealthy is if He gives you the power to get wealthy.

Think about that. Think of all the wealthy people in the world. How did they get there? God gave them the power to become wealthy. God did that. Because God owns everything. 1 Corinthians 4.7 What do you have that you did not receive? Answer? Nothing. You have a spouse? It was a gift. You have children? They're a gift. You have a house? It's a gift. You drive a car? It's a gift. The clothes you have on your back? You think you got them out of your closet? Nope. You got them out of God's closet because they're His clothes.

Okay? God owns everything. Now, whether or not you understand that or not is going to be seen in a minute. Because we're all going to raise our hands and say, Oh yeah, God owns everything. He owns it all. Ron Blue in his book Mastering Your Money says this, Very few Christians would argue with the principle that God owns it all. And yet if we follow that principle to its natural conclusion, there are three revolutionary implications. One, God has the right to whatever He wants whenever He wants it.

It is all His. Because an owner has rights and I as a steward only have responsibilities. If I really believe that God owns it all, then when I lost my possession for whatever reason, my emotions may cry out, but my mind and my spirit have not the slightest question as to the right of God to take whatever He wants whenever He wants it. Really believing this also frees me to give generously of God's resources to God's purposes and God's people. All that I have belongs to Him. The second implication of God's owning it all is that not only is my giving decision a spiritual decision, but every spending decision is a spiritual decision.

As a steward, I have a great deal of latitude, but I am still responsible to the owner. Someday I will give an accounting of how I used my owner's property. And then the third implication of this truth, that God owns it all, is that you can't fake stewardship.

Your checkbook reveals all that you really believe about stewardship. Your goals, your priorities, your convictions, your relationships, and even the use of your time. A person who has been a Christian for even a short while can fake prayer, fake Bible study, fake even evangelism, and even fake going to church and so on, but he can't fake what his checkbook reveals. So true. Do you believe that God owns everything? That is the theological premise. If you do, then the next principle leads to a spiritual priority.

And that is, I then will give myself back to God. That's 2 Corinthians chapter 8. It says in verse number 1, Now brethren, we wish to make known to you the grace of God, which has been given in the churches of Macedonia, that in a great deal of affliction, their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality. For I testify that according to their ability and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord, begging us with much urging for the favor of participation in the support of the saints.

And this is not as we had expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God.

The Macedonians understood that God owned everything. God owned everything in the midst of their affliction and in the midst of their poverty. And because God owned everything, because they had already given themselves to God first, the giving liberally of their resources was no problem for them because they had given themselves to God first.

You see, we raise our hands believing that God owns everything, and yet we want to hold back from God because we haven't given ourselves to God. Those who have given themselves to God don't need to be coerced, manipulated, asked more than once to give because they've already given themselves to the Lord. If you give with a tight fist, it's because it goes way beyond your external fist to your internal heart. It's a heart issue because you haven't given yourself to the Lord first.

That's important. That's why it's called a spiritual priority. If you know the theological premise, not just have a head knowledge, yeah, God owns everything. He made everything. He owns it. It's His. Yeah, I got it. No, it goes way beyond that. It goes to fleshing it out, meaning that now there is a spiritual priority. God now has me to do whatever He wants to do with me. And He can do whatever He wants to do with what is His anyway. And that's okay with me because I've given myself to the Lord.

That's why over in 2 Corinthians 5, verse number 15, these words are spoken by the Apostle Paul. 2 Corinthians 5, verse number 15. Christ died for all, so they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for him who died and rose again on their behalf. Why did Christ die? So you would no longer live for yourself. That's why He died. You live for Him. You live for the glory of His name. Do you do that? You see, we have this pull in the world. The Bible says in 2 Timothy 3, verses 1 and 2, that in the last days perilous times will come, grievous times will come.

And in those last days, men will be lovers of themselves more than lovers of God. And then it says they will demonstrate that by covetousness and greed. How do you know you're a lover of yourself? You covet that which you so desperately want. You're greedy. So many times we disguise our greediness. Let me give you an illustration.

Let's say you've been praying for a job, and God gives you a job. Or better yet, let's say you already have a job, you've been praying for a raise, and God gives you a raise. Do you know why you have a job? You say, well, yeah, I got to provide for my family. Oh, no. Oh, that's just part of your job. Do you know why you get raises at your job? Well, so I can now buy the car I've always wanted. So now I can go out and buy that brand new dress or suit or whatever. I can now pay for my kid's college.

I got a raise. No, God doesn't give you a raise. God doesn't give you a job just so that you can provide for yourself. Listen to what Paul says. Paul says these words in the fourth chapter of Ephesians. Paul says, work. Don't steal. Work. Labor hard. Why? So you can give to those who have a need. That's the priority. We think that we work hard so we can buy a bigger house, buy a better boat, have longer, bigger vacations, put our kids through school. No. No, you got it all wrong. God gave you a job, gave you more money, so that you can meet more needs of other people.

But we very rarely ever see it that way. We get a raise in the new year, a bonus maybe at Christmas. Well, now we can take that Christmas vacation to Tahiti. Instead of saying, how can I give to those who are in need? You see, it's a spiritual priority. As Jesus would say, that anger in the heart is murder. And lust in the heart is adultery. So greed in the heart is idolatry. Colossians 3 verse number 5. The deceitfulness of riches. We must be careful. So we can sit back and say, yeah, God owns it all.

He owns my car. He owns my house. He's got my bank account. He's got my clothes. He owns it all. But that's only true of you if you've given yourself first to the Lord.

Because if you have, then to give generously is not a problem for you. Because you're only giving that which is God's. Let me give you an example.

Who's got some money? Anybody got any money? What do you got, Harold? Harold gave me $10. All right? I got $10. All right? Now, I'm going to give you $10. Thanks. Doesn't bother me one bit. It's his money. So I can give you $10. See? It's not my money. I don't feel any pain, any remorse, any sadness for Harold at all. It's his money. So I'm just going to give it to you. Because it's not mine. See, when the offering basket goes by, you just put money in the basket because it's not yours. It's God's.

See? I have no pain. This is God's money. Take it, God. It's your money. Do whatever you want to with it. See, that's not our attitude. You know, cirrhosis of the giver. We had that hard time moving. Remember? We talked about it a couple weeks ago. Getting over there and getting it out there. We're immobile. We just can't seem to move fast enough. We can't get there. Because it affects us that there is truly, and we hate to admit this, covetousness and greed in our hearts. We want more. We've got to have bigger vacations, better clothes, nicer homes.

And we just can't live without it. So the theological implications are huge of the fatherhood of God. If I understand the theological premise, then the spiritual priority is not a problem. It's just not. And if the spiritual priority is not a problem, guess what? Then the biblical reward, the biblical blessing, the biblical promise is yours. And what's the biblical promise? Well, it's sowing and reaping. 2 Corinthians 9, verse number 6. You know the verse. Paul says these words. Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly.

He who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. That's the spiritual, that's the biblical promise. That's the reward. That's received. Because you give generously. What did he say last week in the book of Proverbs, the 11th chapter? It says these words in verse number 24. Proverbs 11, verse number 24. The generous man will be prosperous. Verse 24, that's 25. Verse 24, there is one who scatters and yet increases all the more. And there is one who withholds what is justly due and yet it results only in once.

It says over in Proverbs 22, verse number 9, these words. He who is generous will be blessed. That's why the Lord says give. And it should be given unto you. How? It will be shaken together, pressed down, overflowing. That's how God gives. That's the biblical promise. That is God's route to blessing you, is to give generously. Now, a lot of us know that familiar verse in Proverbs chapter 3. Which says this. Honor the Lord from your wealth, verse 9, and from the first of all your produce.

Not the second, not the third, the first. So your barns will be filled with plenty and your vats will overflow with new wine. Again, that's the biblical promise. Honor the Lord with the first fruits of your produce.

And everything that you have will just overflow. Because you've put God first. You've honored God above everything else. Now, the context of Proverbs 3, 9 is very important. You have to understand the context. It begins with verse number 5. Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not on your own understanding. Why? Because if you lean on your own understanding, you're not going to honor the Lord with the first fruits of your produce.

You're just not. Why? Because in your own understanding, you're going to say, I've got this bill to pay. I've got that bill to pay. I've got this debt to take care of. I've got all these things. How can I ever give money to the Lord? Right? But you lean on your own understanding. You're not trusting the Lord. Trust the Lord with all your heart. Lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him. He will direct your paths. Now, we used this verse on Wednesday night when it came to Lot.

To help you understand how Lot would lean on his own understanding. It says, do not be wise in your own eyes. Fear the Lord and turn away from evil. So, don't think that you are wise in your own eyes because you lean on your own understanding. No. You need to trust in the Lord because faith is walking not by sight, but believing in the God who says what is true. And therefore, I want to follow Him. And then it says, it will be healing to your body and refreshment to your bones. Great, great peace and tranquility are yours.

When you trust the Lord. Lean not on your own understanding. Are not wise in your own eyes. And then it says, okay, let's continue that a little bit further. Honor the Lord with the first fruits of your increase.

So, whatever comes in, the very first thing off the board is what? Honor the Lord. The very first thing is not my mortgage.

The very first thing is not my credit card bill. The very first thing is honor the Lord with the first fruits of your increase.

You do that and your barns will be overflowing. According to the biblical promise. Now, the whole key is the next verse. It says, my son, do not reject the discipline of the Lord or loathe His reproof. For whom the Lord loves, He reproves, even as a father corrects a son in whom he delights. Why is that verse there? Because the number one way God disciplines His children is when they don't honor Him with the first fruits of their increase.

And you ask yourself, how come I don't have enough money? There's your answer. There's your answer. There is a discipline of the Lord that's coming your way because you have refused to honor Him. You have leaned on your own understanding. You are wise in your own eyes. But you are experiencing the discipline of the Lord because you have not trusted in Him enough to honor Him with the first fruits of your increase.

And even though the biblical promise says if you do that, your vats will be overflowing. Everything will be pressed down, shaking together, running over. Even though you understand the promise, you still don't do it. So Solomon says, oh my son, do not despise the discipline of the Lord because the Lord disciplines those who do not honor Him with the first fruits of their increase.

There are many of you today that are facing that discipline. I don't know who you are, but you're facing that discipline even as I speak. You're in financial distress, financial heartache, and you're wondering what's going to happen next. Have you ever thought that the Lord, His hand is heavy upon you because you have not honored Him first?

Others of you are financially secure, no problem whatsoever. But every other area of your life is falling apart because you haven't honored the Lord with the first fruits of your increase.

And the discipline comes in other areas, not just financial, but relational, and physical, and mental, emotional. See? All that's important. God says, He who honors me, I will honor.

The reverse of that is, He who does not honor me, not only will I not honor, I will discipline because I want you to honor me. I have a book in my office. I've read it several times. Great book. If you don't have it, you need to get it. It's Memoirs and Remains of Robert Murray McShane. He came to saving faith when his brother died, and he gave his life to the living God. He became the pastor of St. Peter's Presbyterian Church in Dundee, Scotland, at the age of 22 years of age. During his brief ministry, only seven years, because he died at 29, he turned Scotland upside down.

In seven years. He was a great man of God. And he would preach one day on Acts 20, verse number 35, it's more blessed to give than it is to receive. And I want you to listen to what he says to his congregation. And it makes me wonder why I don't preach harder than I do. Maybe if I preached harder than I did, I could maybe be used of God to turn Southern California upside down. I don't know. But this is one man who in seven years turned Scotland upside down. Listen to what he says to his church on a Sunday morning based on Acts 20, 35.

It's more blessed to give than it is to receive. He says, I fear there are some Christians among you to whom Christ cannot say, well done, thou good and faithful servant. Your haughty dwelling raises amidst of thousands who have scarce a fire to warn themselves at, and have but little clothing to keep out of the bitter biting frost, and yet you never darken their door. You heave a sigh, perhaps at a distance, but you do not visit them. Oh, my dear friends, I am concerned for the poor, but I'm more concerned for you.

I know not what Christ will say to you on the great day. You seem to be Christians. And yet you care not for his poor. Oh, what a change will pass upon you as you enter the gates of heaven. You shall be saved, but that will be all. There will be no abundant entrance for you, for he that soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly. Then he says this, I fear there are many hearing me who may know well that they are not Christians. How? Because they do not love to give. To give largely and liberally, not grudgingly at all, requires a new heart.

An old heart would rather part with his lifeblood than its money. Oh, my friends, enjoy your money. Make the most of it. Give none of it away. Enjoy it quickly, for I can tell you that you will be a beggar throughout all eternity. Wow. He simply says, you don't love to give, you don't know Christ. You don't love to give liberally. You don't love to give willingly. You don't love Christ. And you will spend eternity burning away from Christ. That's what he said to his church about Acts 20-35. Wow. Turned all of Scotland upside down.

Because he believed what he preached. And yet, today, you might not even be able to get a church in America to pastor. I think that as we gather together around the Lord's table today, we need to be reminded of the great gift giver. Our Father, who is in heaven, who gave us His only begotten Son. He is the great gift giver. And He, who did not spare His own Son, but willingly gave Him up for us all. How will He not freely give us all things to enjoy? You see, most of us don't believe that my Father in heaven cares that much.

So I hold on to what is His. But if I understood the theological premise, then the spiritual priority would be easily accomplished. And then I would receive the biblical promise. That God will give in such a way. None of us can ever out give our God. None of us can. But yet we think that if we hold on to it, store it away, hold it for a rainy day, it's better than what God can do. It's just not. It's just not. Those are the principles. I have yet to get to the problems. Because there are problems with our money.

Why is it? Why is it I want to hold on to things? Why is it I tightly grasp those things? Is it true that I don't love the Christ? Is it true that I don't know the Christ? Is that true? Could that possibly be? Do I understand the fatherhood of God? Do I understand the doctrines of Scripture? Last week we told you about how we suffer from DDD, doctrinal deficit disorder. We don't understand the fatherhood of God, the main theological doctrine of God the Father. He does care for us so. So much so He gave His only Son.

So you can receive the kingdom of God. So you can be a part, so you can be a joint heir with Christ in that kingdom. So you can sit on His throne according to the book of Revelation. What beautiful promises God gives to His people. We need to learn to trust our God more. And my prayer for you and me is that every one of us would do so. Let me pray with you.

Father, we thank you for today. What a great joy to be able to look into the word of God and understand more of what you have to say for us. As we gather around the Lord's table, truly it's a reminder of the ultimate sacrifice. May we follow that example. May we understand it is more blessed to give than it is to receive. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.