The Trouble with Money

Everyone likes a good secret. In Philippians 4:12 Paul tells a little secret of his own.

Php 4:12
I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.

In this passage Paul tells us that he has learned the “secret” of being content in any and every situation. He has learned how to be free from the love of money. He has learned how to be free to enjoy whatever God has given him. This morning I am going to pass that secret on to you…

Some people say the question is, “Do you own your money or does your money own you?” The problem with this question is that it is impossible for you to own your money. The real question is, “Does God own your money or does your money own you?” When you love money it takes possession of your affections, your peace, your happiness and your time.

Why do so many relationships sour over money woes? Or do they? Although money is cited as the #1 reason for divorce it’s not really money woes. It’s something deeper. Money is not the root of all evil. It’s the “love of” money that is the root. Putting anything in the place of God will kill relationships. First it kills relationship with God. Then it slowly kills relationships with others.

Right relationship with God leads to right relationships with others. Broken relationship with God leads to broken relationships with others.

M.P. Until you learn to give up your money you will never be happy with it or your spouse.

Love of money destroys faith
1 Timothy 6:10
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
What are you trusting in?

Without Faith it is impossible to please God
Hebrews 11:6
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
Talk is cheap. Actions speak louder than words. Demonstrate trust in Him.

You must choose between God and Money
Matthew 6:24
"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.
Rich young ruler wanted BOTH.

Four signs that your money does not own you…

1. You are content with what you have.
1Ti 6:8
But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.
Heb 13:5
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."
Lu 3:14
Then some soldiers asked him, "And what should we do?" He replied, "Don't extort money and don't accuse people falsely--be content with your pay."
Ec 5:10
Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless.

2. You are happy to give to the Lord’s work.
2Co 9:7
Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
1Co 16:2
On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.

3. You have time to serve God.
Hebrews 12:1
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

4. You could give up everything you own to follow God’s calling.
Mark 10:21
Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
Matthew 4:18-20
18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." 20 At once they left their nets and followed him.

Six Mistakes Couples make:
1. Separate Money – Same money
2. No Budget – Make budget together. Stick to it.
3. Secret Purchases – Don’t make major purchases unless you talk
4. Live above income – play the hand you are dealt
5. Buy on Credit – Debt makes you a slave
6. Double income – difficult to go back, consider the cost


Is money an obstacle to right relationship with God? It can be…

Parenting Your Kids

We all know what bad parenting looks like: Kids who backtalk, can't sleep, nap, eat veggies, clean up their room, take responsibility or orders.

But many of us don’t know what good parenting looks like:
1. Take Responsibility for Their Actions
2. Be Independent of their Parents
3. Be Dependent on God

Parents often get stuck on issues like home schooling vs. public school or spanking or no spanking. But these are not the main issues. They are only side bars. There is a lot of noise out there. What do you listen to? This morning I want to keep it simple and focus on the main things.

Let’s take a look at what God’s Word says:

Texts:

Be Firm
Pr 13:24 - He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him.
Pr 23:14 - Punish him with the rod and save his soul from death.
Pr 22:15 - Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him.
Pr 23:13 - Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish him with the rod, he will not die.
Tit 1:6 - An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient.
1Ti 3:4 - He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect.

Be Gentle
Eph. 6:1-4 -Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
Col 3:21 - Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.

Teach your children
Duet. 6:6-9 -These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
Ps 78:5,6 - He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our forefathers to teach their children, so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children.

Model righteousness
Pr 14:26 - He who fears the Lord has a secure fortress, and for his children it will be a refuge.
Pr 20:7 - The righteous man leads a blameless life; blessed are his children after him.
Proverbs 22:6 - Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.

Application Points

1. Take Responsibility for Their Actions

a. Cause and Effect: sleeping, dropping things, chores, money; we teach, "You drop it you loose it."

b. Consistent Boundaries: drawing the line between right and wrong;
not important where, but consistent

c. Character is King: choosing to do the right thing even when it’s the hard thing. Budgeting, paying taxes and tithing, work ethic, exercise and eating.

2. Be Independent of their Parents
Play Now Pay Latter: chores, rules and discipline. Kid who never leaves home. Great example in Nature: Birds flying for first time.

3. Be Dependent on God

a. Consistent Modeling: do what you do, not what you say
Children are like wet cement. Whatever falls on them makes an impression.
They must learn to come to God first. You will not always be there. Ex: Dad and church planting.

b. Consistent Prayer: you are not alone.
Seeing mom and dad pray for me.

Recap:
1. Take Responsibility for their actions
2. Be Independent of their parents
3. Be Dependent on God

In-laws or Outlaws?

What stresses marriage? The Big Three are: Money, Sex and In-laws.
We’ve already talked about sex. We’re going to be talking about money soon. This morning I want to share some truth about your parents.

Three Passages
Five Laws
Five Applications

Genesis 2:24 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.”

Law 1: Leave “awzab” to depart from, leave behind

There are no parents at this point. This is not a reaction, but a prescription.
In what way do children “leave?” Not a fleeing from, but a moving onward. I don’t leave from, I leave to. When I go on vacation to Lake Tahoe, I’m not necessarily “leaving Sacramento.” I may be more interested in going to Lake Tahoe. I’ve seen young people so desperate to leave their parents and start their own life that they jump at the first person who comes along. Leaving is necessary for cleaving. It’s not an exciting event on its own.

Law 2: Cleave “dabak” to cling, stick, stay close, cleave, keep close, stick to, stick with, follow closely, join to

This carries the meaning, “unity, togetherness, oneness.” These two are almost impossible to separate. You can’t let anything come between you. Not kids, not parents, not siblings, not careers. Superglue yourselves together. This doesn’t mean that you don’t spend time with your parents any more. It just means that your parents can only have what’s left. Your spouse comes first. If it’s mom or your mate, mom has to wait.

Deuteronomy 5:16 "Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the Lord your God is giving you.”

Law 3: Honor “Kawbad” The idea here is to carry weight. Don’t take them lightly.

It doesn’t mean you must do whatever they say. It doesn’t mean they are always right. It does mean that they should not be “blown off.” They hold a position of esteem.

1 Timothy 5:4 “But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God.”

Law 4: Care “yoose-beho” act reverently towards ones relations, show that you care. This word is often translated, “care.”

Just as your parents were responsible for taking care of your needs as a child, you are responsible for taking care of their needs once they are no longer able to. If they need a place to live, you care for them.

Law 5: Repay “apo-deedo-me” to pay back, give back, recompense

The sense here is that because your parents have given to you, you are indebted to them. When it is your turn to take care of them it is like the responsibility they had to take care of you. Just as we look down on a parent who neglects their child, God looks the same way at a child that neglects his or her own parents in their time of need. When you marry, you take on responsibility for your spouses parents as well as your own.

Five Applications:

1. Prioritize your life.
Spouse trumps parents every time. If your mom wants you to buy the Volvo and your wife wants a jeep, get the jeep. Whenever the decision comes down to parents vs. spouse. Always honor your spouse first.

2. Set healthy boundaries.
It is a strange thing to tell the parents that raised you, “I will go this far, but no further.” One of the keys to getting along well is having good boundaries. It goes something like this, “We will come over for Thanksgiving, but if you start to talk drinking, we’re leaving.”

3. Present a United Front.
Never squabble with your spouse in front of your parents. Communicate in private and stick with what you agree on. Don’t abandon your spouse in the middle of the discussion. If you think it’s wrong, say, “We’ll need to talk about that.” Then do it in private.

4. Be a man about it.
Being the man of the house come with responsibility. Husbands you are a protection for your wife. If she is being pushed around by her parents or by your parents, it’s time for you to take a stand. Be gentle. Be respectful. But be clear. You will not allow your wife to be treated poorly. She is your crown. Pick your fights. Don’t run into battle every time there’s a disagreement. But let your wife know that if you chooses for you to step in, you are ready, willing and able.

5. Don’t be bought.
Money is power. Parents often have more money than their kids. The easiest way to manipulate is to buy stuff. There is no problem with parents helping their kids financially. But if the gift comes with any strings, don’t take it. It’s not a gift. It’s a bribe. Gifts are free. And when a gift is given, it not o.k. to designate it. It’s from one family to another, not from one parent to one child.
6. Prepare to care.
What will you do when your ailing parent needs your time or money? Do you have any to give? Plan on taking care of at least one of your parents in the home stretch. Help them with their house, their bills, their loneliness, their chores, their lack of mobility, their health or whatever else they need. Just as with kids, you can hire someone else to care for them or do it yourself. But it’s your responsibility. Don’t be caught off guard. Talk to them. Make plans as you see needs coming.

Homosexuality from God's Perspective

First, let me say, this isn't the topic I like to talk about. In fact there are hundreds of things I'd rather talk about. We're talking about this topic only because it's relevant. Real People with Real Problems Need Real Answers… That's what we always say. And that's why we are onto this topic.

Homosexuality is a hot topic in the news, politics, schools, entertainment and certainly within the Church.

The Traditional View of the Church is being challenged. The only way to answer this question is to go to the source, the Bible. Cutlure changes, but the eternal Word of God does not. Does the Bible answer the question of God's view on homosexuality?

Romans 1:24-27
24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator--who is forever praised. Amen. 26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.

Does Paul feel that homosexuality is able to mingle with Christianity? No. Are there any exceptions? Does the entire Bible agree on this? In this article I would like to show that the Biblical record is consistant from Genesis through the pre-law period, in the law, in the history of Israel, in Jesus time and certainly in Paul's. If God's perpective on homosexuality is not based on seasons, cultures or trends but on His eternal will then the only question left is how will we deal with this fact? Will we align with it or kick against it.

6 Arguments from Scripture:

1. CREATION.
Genesis 1: 26-28
26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."

Design: Male and Female (Adam and Eve not Adam and Steve)
Purpose: Fruitful and increase in number

Homosexual relationships cannot fulfill the purpose and design that God had in mind when He created the world and humanity in perfection.

2. PRE-LAW.
Genesis 18: 20-21
20 Then the Lord said, "The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous 21 that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me.
Genesis 19:1-11
1 The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. When he saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground. 2 "My lords," he said, "please turn aside to your servant's house. You can wash your feet and spend the night and then go on your way early in the morning." "No," they answered, "we will spend the night in the square." 3 But he insisted so strongly that they did go with him and entered his house. He prepared a meal for them, baking bread without yeast, and they ate.
4 Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom--both young and old--surrounded the house. 5 They called to Lot, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them." 6 Lot went outside to meet them and shut the door behind him 7 and said, "No, my friends. Don't do this wicked thing. 8 Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do what you like with them. But don't do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof." 9 "Get out of our way," they replied. And they said, "This fellow came here as an alien, and now he wants to play the judge! We'll treat you worse than them." They kept bringing pressure on Lot and moved forward to break down the door. 10 But the men inside reached out and pulled Lot back into the house and shut the door. 11 Then they struck the men who were at the door of the house, young and old, with blindness so that they could not find the door.

Homosexuality is grievous sin that brings death.

3. LAW.
Leviticus 18:21-24
21 "'Do not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molech, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the Lord. 22 "'Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable. 23 "'Do not have sexual relations with an animal and defile yourself with it. A woman must not present herself to an animal to have sexual relations with it; that is a perversion. 24 "'Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, because this is how the nations that I am going to drive out before you became defiled.

Context: Great Sin - Homosexuality placed between child sacrifice and bestiality.

4. HISTORY OF ISRAEL.
Judges 19:30
30 Everyone who saw it said, "Such a thing has never been seen or done, not since the day the Israelites came up out of Egypt. Think about it! Consider it! Tell us what to do!"
Same story as in Sodom. Here the story is even worse. I will not even read it this morning. But I will tell you this. The men of Gibeah were exceedingly wicked. When the rest of Israel found out about what they had done, they almost destroyed the entire tribe of Benjamin.

Homosexuality is grievous sin, punished by death.

5. JESUS.
John 16:12-14
12 "I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.

Argument often used against Paul's writings: Don’t quote Paul, he’s only human. Jesus makes no statement about homosexuality.

Problem: Jesus did not speak on child sacrifice or bestiality either. Does that mean he was o.k. with these too? An argument from silence is hardly an endorsement. Jesus did not need to speak out on homosexuality because that was common understanding in the context in which Jesus taught and preached. Israel had the law and it was clear on God’s view of homosexuality.
Jesus tells us that Paul’s writings are His own thoughts in John 16:2-4. That's clear enough. Remember, Jesus Himself said, "I did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it."

6. PAUL.
Romans 1:24-27
24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator--who is forever praised. Amen. 26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.

Paul is clear. Homosexuality is the bottom rung of a downward spiral that is a result of men hardening their hearts against Him.

Recap: Creation, Pre-Law, Law, History of Israel, Jesus, Paul. Homosexuality is always condemned in Scripture.
So, why is this issue such a big deal?
1. Pressure/Agenda
2. Tolerance – Doesn’t hurt anyone – Live and let live (smoking)
3. Biological – Orientation = permission. What about alcohol or pedophilia?
4. Higher Criticism – Lower = What does Bible say? Higher = Is the Bible trustworthy?
Bottom Line: Do you believe that the Bible is truth from God? If you do, Homosexuality is wrong. It always has been and always will be. If you do not, then you have no savior, no answer for sin, no hope of salvation.

Hope Lives
1 Corinthians 9:6-11
9 Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Homosexuality is sin. So is drinking too much. So is slander. So is idolatry and all forms of immorality. But Paul says here that his readers were sinners who did these things and yet they responded by repenting, turning and believing. Jesus came not so that sin could be indulged but so that sinners could be set free from their sins.

“Grace doesn’t let you do what you want, it gives you the opportunity to do what you aught.”