How to be a Faithful Steward of God’s Money
Part of the Series on Biblical Attitudes About Money
Proverbs 21:20
February 12th
2012 AM
Pastor Craig
Ledbetter
I.
Introduction
A.
The
1.
They spend it all – it burns
in their pocket or purse, waiting to be spent
2.
They live in perpetual
covetousness – always wanting, always excited about getting something new – new
iPad, new iPhone, new movie, new shoes, new girlfriend, new TV, new anything!
Just as long as it is “new”
3.
They constantly worry about
not having enough money – it is on their thoughts all the time – no time for
worship, and rest, and thankfulness towards God
4.
They are angry and frustrated
because they don’t have enough money – blaming others, and circumstances (and
even God) for not giving them what they deserve – they live very heady and
elitist
5.
They live in debt – it is a
lifestyle – a way of living for most families
a.
Credit Card debt
b.
Credit Union debt
c.
Continuous Overdrafts
6.
They are unable (and usually
unwilling) to give to others, and have no time or energy to serve God because
they are in bondage to bills and debt and the weekend’s spending sprees
7.
Then there are those that seek
to be rich! Beware when your life's objective becomes earning as much money as
possible (Prov 23:4; Eccl 5:10-12)! Christ taught us to live to make others rich
(2Cor 8:9)
8.
These are the modern
lifestyles that have brought our world to near ruin
B.
Some people pay big money for
what I am about to teach you! People have written books by the thousands, and
made millions teaching others about money and budgets and how to stay out of
debt. Only to find out that it was the writers who made the millions and not the
readers!
C.
But God gave us the best
instructions in the Bible on how to live and be more than survivors!
D.
And it begins with living as
STEWARDS – not OWNERS!
1.
Not seeking to be rich, but
wise!
2.
People who love giving, not
getting!
3.
That is how a Christian enjoys
their money!
II.
Background Parable -
The Parable of the Ungodly Steward (Luke 12:41-48)
A.
A Faithful and Wise Steward
(Luke 12:41-44)
1.
He starts off with little –
not with a lot!
2.
He serves everyone – gives
portions of food in due seasons – takes care of people
3.
He stays faithful until the
Lord returns
4.
He will be greatly rewarded –
like young Joseph was in Genesis 41
B.
The Foolish Steward
(Luke 12:45-48)
1.
He has the wrong attitude
about his responsibility
a.
He KNOWS what his Lord expects
of him
b.
But he doesn’t care!
2.
He is not expecting his Lord
to return soon
3.
So he lives for himself only –
uses God’s money on himself
a.
He ruins other people’s lives
to get ahead – abuse of power
b.
He east and drinks until he is
drunk – all while spending his Lord’s money
4.
He will pay! He will be judged
a.
Cut to pieces
b.
Damned with unbelievers – a
sign he was never born again
c.
He will be given MANY stripes
5.
Someone who does NOT know
God’s will, will still be held responsible, but not be judged as harshly as
those who know the truth
6.
Why such harsh judgment
a.
Because he didn’t prepare
himself!
b.
Because he did not obey God!
It is THAT serious how we take care of the things that God has given us
C.
The Meaning (Luke
12:48; 16:10-12)
1.
If God has given you some
things – no matter how small, or how little
2.
He expects you to take good
care of them
3.
He will hold us responsible,
and will either reward with greater responsibilities, or will judge us and take
everything away from us!
III.
Message
A.
God Made Us Stewards
(Psalm 24:1; James 1:17)
1.
Everything you have,
everything you own, came from God (Psalm 24:1)
a.
Your life, your health, your
wife, your children, your job, your hands, your good looks, your LACK of good
looks…
b.
Name me one thing that you are
wearing, that you are breathing, are holding, that you are struggling with that
you didn’t receive as a gift from God first? (Jam 1:17)
c.
It’s a wild truth!
2.
God owns this universe
a.
He owns the dirt, concrete,
air, sky, the clouds, the water, the Gold, the Silver, the brass, the oil, the
gas, the trees, the rocks, the mud, the grass, the sand, the mountains, the
caves
b.
Not only that, but He owns the
Moon, the stars, the planets, the comets, the galaxies
c.
And even beyond all that, if
you are saved by Jesus Christ, He even owns YOU (1Cor 6:19,20)
d.
Usually when we own something,
we also own everything that goes with it.
1)
For example, if your parents
own a car, then usually they also own the radio that is in the car and the
things that are in the trunk of the car and the spare tire and anything else
that goes along with the car. Suppose you were to own a pet hamster. Probably
you would also own the hamster’s cage and water bottle and food and exercise
wheel and whatever else comes with the hamster.
2)
The same is true with God and
the believer. Not only does God own the believer, but He also owns everything
that goes with the believer. Not only does God own ME, but He also owns
everything that I have--my clothes, my money, my possessions, my body and
everything else that is mine! It’s all His! He’s the OWNER!
3.
What does that make US?
a.
Stewards, Managers of someone
else’s property
1)
That’s what a steward
is – he takes care of other people’s things
2)
Bank “Manager” – is supposed
to take care of OUR money
3)
Airline Steward – takes care
of the passengers
4)
Hotel Steward – takes care of
the guests and their needs
5)
Like the manager of a house,
or a business.
6)
It does not mean he or she is
the OWNER of the house/business, but it means that they are the MANAGER of it.
b.
A Christian is a Steward –
a Manager of what belongs to God. I am the one who
should take good care of the things that belong to God. I am the one who is
responsible to be a good manager of my clothes, my body, my money, my
possessions and all that I have, because all of these things really belong to
WHO? To the Lord!
4.
Here is the serious part - You
WILL have to answer to God for what you DID with HIS monies, the TIME HE gave
you (Luke 16:1,10-12)
5.
We all need to learn how to be
a wise Steward of our lives, and especially our money!
a.
Everyone wants to be rich with
their money
b.
A Christian just wants to be
wise with it!
B.
God Loves Budgets
1.
David prepared to build
(1Chron 22:5)
2.
Young Joseph budgeted for the
coming Famine in
3.
God designed even ANTS to plan
their lives and live within a budget (Pr 30:24,25)
4.
Jesus said we all should
“Count the cost” in everything we do (Luke 14:28,29)
C.
Wrong Budgeting
1.
Budgets that Ignore God
(Haggai 1:2-11) – just plan to spend based upon only THIS life
2.
Budgets that Ignore Debts
(Romans 13:8) – just gamble that everything will balance out later
3.
Budgets that Ignore Others
(Proverbs 21:13) – just live rich and above others – never caring about the
needs of your family, or others
4.
Budgets that Ignore the Sowing
and Reaping Principle (Gal 6:7,8) – just spend thinking there will be no
repercussions
D.
A Basic Budget - The
10-10-80 Plan
1.
Summary:
a.
10% to God’s kingdom – tithe
b.
10% Savings – that’s you
taking responsibility for your future needs
c.
80% for yourself
2.
10% to God’s kingdom – tithe
(Malachi 3:8-10)
a.
The government demands our
taxes – ever increasing
b.
God commands us all to tithe –
give 10% of our income (increase) – whatever we have received into our pockets,
or wallets or purses or bank accounts
c.
A Christians pays both, but
pays God FIRST! That’s the tithe!
d.
Honouring the Lord with our
money brings great blessing (Mal 3:10)!
1)
God will POUR you out a
blessing from the windows of heaven! POUR - not trickle! POUR -not drop!
2)
God will bless you with so
many spiritual blessings that you will not have room to receive it!
3)
I don’t know about you this
morning, but God has blessed my family. No, we are not rich, but we have enough!
God’s blessings are so much more than just money. Having “ALL SUFFICIENCY IN ALL
THINGS!”
4)
Philippians 4:19 But my God
shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
5)
Matthew 6:31-33
3.
10% Savings (Proverbs 21:20)
a.
That’s you taking
responsibility for your and your family’s future needs
b.
Force yourself to save – some
of you do!
c.
The only way to get ahead is
to NOT spend everything you get, and save back some of it for hard times!
d.
THAT’S God’s way!
e.
OR… you can just keep gambling
with God’s money and your children’s future by betting on a better job and more
money coming in – when it ain’t a coming!!!
4.
80% for yourself
a.
Living on less (Luke 12:29-34)
– less worries, less stress
b.
From this 80% comes …
1)
Your taxes
2)
Your food and groceries
3)
Your rent or mortgage
4)
Your clothing
5)
And giving to meet the needs
of others (Luke 6:38)
5.
If you set out to live this
way, no matter how little you have, you can trust that God will bless you and
supply your needs!
E.
How to Live Off of 80%
of your Income
1.
First - Make sure you pay the
tithe and into your savings first, before you pay any other bills!
2.
Next - Have the attitude of
“Seek ye first the
3.
Lastly, Take care of your
priority household bills
a.
30% on housing max!
b.
Less than 10% on food
c.
10% on your children’s
clothing and school
d.
THAT IS HALF OF YOUR INCOME
e.
How can you live on 80% of
your income?
f.
How do you have money for
medical bills and everything else?
4.
So, what should we do?
a.
List Your Expenses – have a
paper-trail – know where your money goes
1)
Have you ever sat down and
recorded your expenses?
a)
List how many times you buy
fast food instead of fix home cooked meals (which cost HALF the price)!
b)
List how many sweats and
chocolates and cokes and coffees you buy!
c)
List how many times you buy
clothes and shoes!
2)
ESB, Airtricity, Bord Gáis
3)
Food, groceries, eating out
4)
Rubbish
5)
All the channels you waste
your time watching on top of the TV license
6)
Car, Bus, Taxi, Petrol
7)
Insurances
8)
Phones
9)
Internet
10)
Holidays
11)
Doctors and prescriptions
12)
Miscellaneous
b.
Budget everything – not just
your money
1)
Your time
2)
Your life
3)
Your talents – don’t waste
them all on the world and then have nothing left over for the Lord! HE DESERVES
4)
Get Your spending down below
80% of your income – how?
a)
Cut each one of them down
until they all add up to less than 80% of your income
b)
Shop around – there are better
deals out there
c)
Cut some of them out
completely – Sky, eating out, leaving the heat on all day in the house!
d)
Go on short breaks instead of
weeklong holidays
e)
WALK instead of driving
f)
Quit buying every toy your
child asks for
g)
How much money would you save
if you put down those cigarettes?
h)
I wonder?
c.
Decrease your expenses –
simplify your life!
1)
We can all pray all day and
all night for more money
2)
But until you get that “dream
job” you need to cut back
3)
Governments find this VERY
hard – so will you!
d.
STOP buying on credit (Pr
22:7; Rom 13:8)
e.
Work smarter
1)
Look for a job that will pay
the bills
2)
Take any job, but seek one
that you can work hard enough at the pay your bills – THAT IS WHAT GOD EXPECTS
3)
Don’t ever be too proud to do
what you don’t like doing – DO whatever it takes to pay your bills!!!
4)
Too many Christians are TOO
proud to do what they don’t feel comfortable doing
5)
Hey, if working night security
pays better than what you are currently doing, the GET certified to do security
work, and get more pay!
f.
Plan your spending
1)
Get used to saving up for what
you need
2)
Use your SAVINGS instead of
your CREDIT
IV.
Conclusion
A.
God gave us the best
instructions in the Bible on how to live and be more than survivors!
B.
And it begins with living as
STEWARDS – not OWNERS!
1.
Not seeking to be rich, but
wise!
2.
People who love giving, not
getting!
3.
That is how a Christian enjoys
their money!
C.
Why Do all This?
1.
Because God said so
2.
You will learn contentment
3.
Because, if you obey God, and
God will take care of you and your family! Guaranteed!
4.
Because it is how God’s people
take care of God’s church in each community – without the need for Government
handouts, and without the need of denominational headquarters – just God’s
people that love their church
D.
We have learned from
the Parable of the Ungodly Steward (Luke 12:41-48)
1.
A Faithful and Wise Steward
(Luke 12:41-44)
2.
The Foolish Steward
(Luke 12:45-48)
a.
God judged him. Why such harsh
judgment
1)
Because he didn’t prepare
himself!
2)
Because he did not obey God!
b.
God holds us responsible, and
will either reward with greater responsibilities, or will judge us and take
everything away from us!
E.
We have Learned that
God Loves Budgets
1.
David prepared to build
(1Chron 22:5)
2.
Young Joseph budgeted for the
coming Famine in
3.
God designed even ANTS to plan
their lives and live within a budget (Pr 30:24)
4.
Jesus said we all should
“Count the cost” in everything we do (Luke 13:28,29)
F.
We Have Learned about A
Basic Budget - The 10-10-80 Plan
1.
10% to God’s kingdom – tithe
2.
10% Savings – that’s you
taking responsibility for your future needs
3.
80% for yourself
G.
I’ve tried to show you
How to Live Off of 80% of your Income
H.
It is now up to you!
I.
If you have a hard time
demoting your money to the level of a servant, if you have a hard time with
money period, and you want to see it differently…
1.
Just take a good look
at Jesus!
2.
ASK Him for a new
heart!
3.
It’s called, being born
again!