Solomon Says - Part 2 - Pastor Raymond Woodward

what'd he say Solomon says started into a little series on the book of Proverbs I have no idea how long this series is going to be proverbs is 31 chapters that's all I'll say I don't think it's gonna be a very long series but I will tell you I get into this and I couldn't get out of it there's such a massive amount of information on this particular subject in proverbs and in other places in the Word of God and and here's what I'll say at the beginning tonight if you are not a believer if you are not a Christian you get a complete pass on everything I'm about to say you don't have to pay any attention in fact you could leave now if it wasn't for everybody would know but if you are a Christian if you are a believer this is very significant to you and it's something that there's so much pushback today that a lot of pastors preachers teachers they won't talk about it or if they do it's all they talk about so so with that in mind here we go proverbs the book it seems to be pretty random at first glance if you don't look at it closely it seems to be just a collection of unrelated subjects but when you begin to study proverbs you'll notice that it tackles three themes over and over again it talks about your money your morals and your mouth or you could say it this way proverbs deals with what you do what you think and what you say and here's the point of proverbs it's easy to be smart in all those areas and not be wise Solomon was the wisest and wealthiest man who ever ever lived but even he knew what it was to mess up his life by not living by his own principles and by not acting wisely so here's what Solomon wants to teach us in Proverbs intelligence is the acquisition of knowledge but wisdom is better than intelligence because wisdom is the application of knowledge you can gain ever so much knowledge but if you never apply it doesn't do you much good so in other words wisdom in Proverbs wisdom is knowing what to do with what I know and that's where most people mess up there are people that could give you all kinds of great counsel about your relationship but their relationships a mess there are people that can give you all kinds of great financial advice but they don't have two cents to rub together and so this is the deal now last time you remember that we talked about the four chairs anybody remember the four chairs and three of them are found in one verse in the first chapter of Proverbs the simple the fool and the scorner how long a simple ones we love simplicity how long will the scorners delight and their scorning how long will fools hate knowledge the simple the fool and the scorner we talked about them but if you read the context of that verse if you back up a couple verses you'll find out that the fourth chair is wisdom and wisdom and proverbs is portrayed as a lady and she's crying out to those other three chairs and here's what she says wisdom cry ahthe without she uttereth her voice in the streets she crieth in the chief place of concourse in the business in the openings of the gates in the city she utter at her words and here's what she says and then she says that how long you simple ones etc so it is wisdom that's calling to the other three chairs saying come on over here there's a better place to sit there's a better way to live so last week we learned last time we learned that the entire book of Proverbs exists to get us to ask one question about every decision we ever make in life and that is what is the wise thing to do the wrong question is is it right or wrong because is it right or wrong sets us up for the real question that we're really trying to ask when we say well is that right or is that wrong what we're really trying to ask is how close can I get to the line between right and wrong without actually doing something wrong so that's a dumb question how close can I get to sin without actually sinning dumb question and if we ask those kind of questions is it just right or wrong we end up asking this question how far over the line between right and wrong can I go without experiencing consequences or really what we're saying is how much sin can I get away with that's again a dumb question every bad decision you've ever heard about in anybody's life could have been avoided if only somebody would have stopped and asked what is the wise thing to do now if you ask that question you will reduce your options every time because some things are just not very wise but it doesn't always ask in that question although that's a great question that doesn't always make just one choice clear so what then if I'm sincere what if I'm sincere but I'm not sure how should i what should I do when I don't know exactly what is the wise things to do because here here's the thing if you get in an emotionally charged environment or if you have a lack of experience or expertise or if you just simply have some human limitations you don't know you don't have that kind of knowledge sometimes those factors make us feel totally inadequate to decide what is the wise thing to do and that's why the Bible especially the book of Proverbs gives us the best-kept secret of wise people you want to know a secret here it is this is the best-kept secret of wise people this is how they became wise this is how they continued to act wise and appear wise here's the best kept secret of wise people wise people know when they don't know something and they're not afraid to ask for help from those who do know that's the best-kept secret of wise people they go on looking wise and we go on looking dumb because we don't want to ask and look dumb but we end up being dumb that enough of a tongue twister wise people know I I don't know everything there is to know so I'm not embarrassed I'm not afraid to ask somebody else that is you know that that's the best-kept secret of wise people it's also the most obvious thing about dumb people dumb people think they know everything and they're too embarrassed to ask anybody about anything in first Kings chapter 3 we're told a conversation between God and Solomon Solomon said or God said behold I have done according to your words Solomon you asked me for wisdom lo I've given the wise and an understanding heart and here's what God said about Solomon there will be none like you before you neither after you shall any arise unto unto thee like unto thee so Solomon you're it as far as smarts you're it you've got the wisest brain that ever existed on earth I made you the wisest man who ever lived so Solomon is the wisest guy who ever lived on the planet but he insisted that when we're not sure we should always pursue the counsel of other people so the wisest man on the earth see that's the best kept secret of wise people if you don't know you ask and so here's the some of the things that Solomon said in Proverbs a wise man will hear he'll increase not learning and a man of understanding will attain unto wise counsels he'll go and ask somebody else he said the way of a fool is right in his own eyes but the one who harkens unto counsel he's wise Solomon said ask go find somebody that knows in 19 and 20 he said hear counsel and receive instruction so you can be wise in your latter end you don't want to get to the end of your life and see everybody serves as an incredible example or a horrible warning every person who's ever lived you're either an incredible example or you are a horrible warning your life has meaning but you don't want to get to the end of your life and have everybody talking behind your back saying wow that's a horrible warning you want people to say that's a great example so Solomon said here counsel receive instruction so that when you get in the latter end of your life you'll be why's he said here in 1114 where no counsel is people fall but in the multitude of counselors there is safety and he said in Chapter 15 without counsel purposes are disappointed but in the multitude of counselors they are established so here's what we learn from Solomon the wisest man who ever lived he said even me being the wisest man who ever lived and that was declared by God not declared by Solomon God said that and Solomon said even though I'm the wisest man who ever lived I need counsel wisdom always seeks counsel but human beings are especially resistant to counsel in the three areas we need it the most our money our morals and our mouths and we say my personal life is nobody's business I have a right to do and think and say what I want and that's probably true but the results of personal decisions rarely remain personal and rarely remain private for very long because your decisions what you do and think and how you act and what you say that does always affect somebody else and so tonight with that as an introduction we're gonna look at one specific subject and I'm gonna do my best to give you God's wisdom from the book of Proverbs accompanied by wise principles I've gleaned personally from many wise counselors over the years I've seen these principles work in my own life over and over again so I can definitely speak from at least some experience I haven't just acquired this knowledge I have applied this knowledge and that in the Bible is called wisdom and wisdom works and so the subject we're going to address tonight and I don't have a drummer or I give you a drumroll but the subject is money turn to your neighbor and say money turn to your neighbor again and say but we're not taking an offering it's already done you can relax breathe okay one of the reasons we have financial stress is that we live in a culture based on instant gratification we truly have a buy now pay later culture and that sets us up for major problems right now in Canada consumer debt stands at over 2.2 trillion dollars that's not our national debt that's what people like you and me Oh in Canada household debt right now is at one hundred and seventy nine percent of disposable income in other words the average Canadian owes one dollar and seventy nine cents for every one dollar they earn after taxes and that's average some people are way worse than that in fact nearly 1/10 of Canadians owe more than three hundred and fifty percent of their gross income or they owe three dollars and 50 cents for every one dollar they earn after taxes so no wonder we can't get ahead with stats like that and so tonight I'm not just gonna give you what I say or think I'm gonna give you what Solomon says somebody say Solomon says and he's the wisest guy who ever lived here's what Solomon says about your money and I hope some of this is helpful to you and I hope you heed it it's it's incredible to live by the principles of God and again if you're not a believer if you're not a Christian you get a complete pass you can totally ignore you can like play Angry Birds or something whatever you want okay so here we go number one first principle Solomon says get out of debt when now get out of debt now and in the book of Proverbs here's what he says the rich rule a--the over the poor and the borrower whoever he is the person that borrows money the person that owes money the borrower is servant to the lender brothers and sisters ladies and gentlemen debt is a trap because when you get in you lose your freedom to live life the way you want to live it as long as you have debt you are obligated to put far too much of your time and your energy toward paying off that debt you end up serving the person or the institution that you borrow from now your friends your credit card companies they never talk about this trap of course they don't the theme in all of their ads is you deserve it you deserve it that's their theme every ad you can have it now there is one word you will never see in any credit I saw on YouTube that great bastion of truth I saw on YouTube somewhere a teacher singing to her student she had given him an F and she was singing you deserve it and that just came through my mind right now I'm so sorry there's one word you'll never see in any of those credit card advert advertisements and that's the word debt but when you get a credit card that's what you're getting is debt nobody just drifts out of debt by the way you have to make an intentional decision to get yourself out of debt and it will not be easy it's always easier to get your little self and your household into debt than out of debt to get out of debt takes commitment and discipline it takes delayed gratification it takes perseverance and most of all it takes character anybody can get into debt that's brain dead easy but it takes a person of character to make a commitment to get out of debt so here's a little checklist if you want to follow Solomon's advice about your money and you want to get out of debt now here's just a little checklist it's probably way too practical for some of you spiritual people and way too spiritual for some of you practical people but just give me a break okay number one start by doing just a little bit today somebody say today I know you're gonna get yourself out of debt tomorrow we all are gonna do that sometime next year next month after the next trip and vacation and next purchase that you really really can't live without then you're going to do it but what you need to do if you want to get yourself out of debt is you need to start by doing some little bit today here's something that you can do to get yourself out of debt plan a little so you can scale back on your perks a little planning and you can do without a lot of perks it's just a personal thing and some people this isn't possible but one of the things that that we've done in our household to to plan is we have one vehicle and so we don't have the perk of Beverly being able to go here and there and she's very thankful to God that I'm out of town a lot so she can go wherever she wants but when we're both in town there's a constant contest about the van the van down by the river there's a constant contest about that somebody wants to go here and somebody wants to go there and there's always this this contest about that something you shouldn't have got that joke anyway so we have to plan but you know what we've learned that we can live without a perk if we plan we planned tonight she had to be here at 6:00 and I was just finishing up all the media at 6:00 and so we had to plan in a hurry but we planned here's something else you can do if you really are serious about getting out of debt spend for your needs but always save up for your wants if you've got something you want to do a trip a vacation some purchase you want to make a little new living room sad or whatever save up for your wants you got to spend for your needs you do need to eat maybe not as much but you do need to eat but save up for what you want to do because if you have the money in hand then you spend it and you don't go into debt here's something else you can do and and this has been just amazing over time this is a something that I learned from some some wise council years ago and I've really tried to do it maximize your payments and minimize your purchases you don't have to buy the best or the newest the latest and the greatest all the time you will live without the latest iPhone update millions are so you don't have to have the latest and the greatest all the time you can minimize your purchases and you can minimize the number of your purchases but here's what to do maximize your payments do you understand how you could bless your finances if you just stretched yourself just a little bit and paid just a little more every time you make that payment it's it's amazing years ago we we set a certain amount for a mortgage payment and we've just kept that up for years different houses even but we just kept that up for years and tried to be aggressive with that that's been a great blessing learned that years ago from some wise counselors here's something else you need to do if you want to get at a debt you got to keep good records some people don't have a sweet clue what they've got or where it is or who spent it last keep good records know the facts about your finances you need to know what you owe you need to know when payments are coming due you need to know all of that kind of stuff some of you would it would bless your heart and bless your future if you just had a little meeting with the banker and said what is it what's the deal about my mortgage when can I take a bigger payment or when's it come and do when can I refinance and you might save yourself a pile of money this is very spiritual pastor yeah I know it's too practical for you spiritual people it's way too spiritual for the practical people so here we go finally last thing on getting out of debt if somebody say when now say now do the biblical thing not the easy thing it is easy and people do it all the time it's easy to default on payments and default on loans and default on debt it's easy don't do the easy thing do the biblical thing because God will build some character in you while you're doing the biblical thing the Bible says in Psalm chapter 37 this was written by David in his old age probably after Solomon was already a little boy running around in the palace David wrote the wicked borrow a--the and payeth not again they don't pay their debts but the righteous show with mercy and giveth somebody say get out of debt now work at it today here's something else that Solomon says about your money are we okay is anybody hyperventilating anybody need medical attention you okay okay good here we go number two work smarter and harder we want to say work smarter not harder no Solomon said work smarter and harder he calls that diligence in the Bible no no we're gonna be introduced this book of Proverbs has got so many great characters in it it's really a neat book let's start here proverbs 10 verse 4 he becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand but the hand of the diligent maketh rich now there it is in 1 verse the Bible says if you're a slacker you'll have money problems end of story you become poor if you deal with a slack hand if you're a slacker you're going to become poor there are many interesting characters in Proverbs that we've already met we've met the simple we've met the fool we've met the scorner we've met the wise but there's another interesting character that you meet in proverbs and his name is the sluggard now the sluggard may look temporarily successful but that success is not going to last and there's one main reason because he's lazy even the lowly ant could teach the sluggard a thing or two about being self-motivated about being proactive hardworking and smart can I give you one of the best most profound principles for financial success and success in life here it is forwards get out of bed stop laying around all day for some of you it needs to be a different forwards get off the couch some of you your minds are too far out in front of me get out of bed get off the couch see the sluggards always looking to get rich quick or get rich at somebody else's expense or get rich the easy way if the sluggard ever is ambitious it's only for themselves and so Solomon he just hits the guy in the nose here's what he says go look at the ant you sluggard consider the ways of the ant and if you do you actually might be wise because that ant is smarter than you are the ant has no guide no overseer no ruler in other words nobody to crack the whip no parent to say get out of bed but the ant without all of that she provides her meat in the summer she gathers her food in the harvest so here's the question how long are you gonna sleep o sluggard doesn't that sound great some of you parents need to use that in the morning how long wilt thou sleep o sluggard when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep it's not a joke to Solomon because he is seen like we have seen over time people that are lazy they want to complain about they don't have this they don't have that and they can't do this and can't do that but really they're just lazy if video games were a strategy for wealth building they be trillionaires they're just lazy the sluggard is also a lazy employee or a lazy volunteer sluggards always do the minimums everybody else on the team has to take up their slack if you give them anything to do you always have to go behind them and either babysit it or clean up the mess and that's irritating you say well you shouldn't be irritated you're a pastor oh wait I got Bible for this proverbs 10 verse 26 as vinegar is to the teeth or as smoke is when it gets in your eyes that is how a sluggard is to the people that sent him to do something I got Bible for being here at Aten the sucker here's what else we learn about this person the sluggard is a bottomless pit of want but their schemes for success ultimately come to nothing because their motivation is purely selfish it's not for the team it's not for anybody but themselves look at this the soul of the sluggard they desire but they have nothing but the soul of the diligence shall be made fat in other words they'll have plenty and then there's this scripture the slugger this is especially appropriate for New Brunswick the sluggard will use any flimsy excuse to get out of work especially if that work doesn't benefit them directly because again their motivation is selfish this here's a proverbs 20 verse for the sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold therefore shall he beg and harvest and have nothing oh it's too cold I can't go out there and plow and he's not talking about snow plow and by the way this is Israel it's talking about plowing in the field I can't plow it's cold and then finally and this is the amazing thing because see wise people know when they don't know something and wise people aren't embarrassed to ask somebody who does know but not the sluggard look at look at this about the sluggard the sluggard thinks he's smarter than everybody else he thinks his ways always better he thinks he doesn't have to listen to anybody or submit to anybody but his talk never matches his walk he has an illusion of success that covers up a lifetime of laziness and his arrogance his pride always gets him in the end look at this the sluggard is wiser in his own conceit than seven men that can render a reason one translation said something like the sluggard thinks he's smarter than a whole board of directors that directors at a university and that's basically the sluggard I'm so smart I can do what I want and so somebody say work smarter and harder here's a little checklist might be helpful I'm sorry this is so practical biblical and down-to-earth number one if you want to work smarter and harder get up early now I am a Nighthawk I get that from my mother I don't think she slept since I was born and that's why every once in a while she will go into intercessory prayer right here in the church I'm trying to look in that general direction without looking her in the eyes get up early and start your day with the important things if you want to work smarter and harder don't just get up early and play video games get up early and start with the important things here's something else if you want to work smarter and harder watch your down time and watch your media time I know we need downtime I know we need to relax but my goodness we can waste an awful lot of time these things are a waste of time you can talk on these things for hours and and the other thing is you can waste time doing other kinds of things games and whatever watch your downtime watch your media time number three if you don't want to be a sluggard if you want to work smarter and harder always evaluate your desires and your motives because see part of the sluggards thing is he thinks he's so smart he's gonna get rich quick he's going to get rich at somebody else's expense so you need to evaluate your desires and your motives what is it that you want and why do you want it and I got to tell you if you only want it to impress somebody you want it for the wrong reason here's something if you've got a job whether it's the job of a volunteer or you've got a job working for a boss this is how you work smarter and harder and Solomon said it will be a blessing to you be proactive instead of reactive in every job you do be proactive if you see something needs done guess what do it if you see something that if you just put a little bit more effort in it it would be a lot better put a little bit more effort in it be proactive instead of reactive in every job that you do whether you're getting paid or whether you're volunteering at that particular job here here's something that Solomon said and wisdom says some counselors say and practice says and life says will really bless you make yourself available for jobs that nobody else wants to do there are some things that nobody is lining up to do but when you line up to do them Solomon said it blesses your life and it actually brings you to the attention of people that can be a blessing to your life and finally this last one I've lived this for years and I still live it and our staff lives it even though we are now employees of a church give your talents freely to your church or your community volunteer you don't have to be paid for everything you do if you've got a gift if you've got a talent if you've got an ability if you've got a skill set you can give that to your church you can give that to your community and be an immeasurable blessing now now see the the the the immediate response is yeah but but what do I get out of it that's how you know that's called a sluggard he's only ambitious for himself but look at this proverbs 21 verse 5 anybody noticed that the volume level is falling off its getting quieter and quieter look at this the thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteous Ness if somebody's diligent and they're a hard worker and they want to be a blessing they just see plenty everywhere you know they're not always saying I don't have time I can they just say no there's there's plenty I can help I can do it but if everyone that is hasty only to want the the get-rich-quick scheme get rich at somebody else's expense get ahead at somebody else's expense they end up in want but those that are diligent they tend only to plenteous Nestorian and I'm speaking outside of myself right now but our pastoral team they're not carpenters but they do carpentry because they're great volunteers they're not plumbers but they've done some plumbing because they're great volunteers they're not electricians but they've done some electrical running wire all kinds of stuff to save this great church money they give their talents freely that's not their job we don't pay them to do that they don't do that you're in work hours they do that they work and then volunteer and that's because they give their talents freely and all of us can do the same anybody hyperventilating yet we okay cuz it's gonna get worse okay here we go number three this isn't me this is Salomon somebody say Solomon says be content with who and what and where you are my goodness if we could get that through some people's skull and in their heart it would change their life so dramatically just be content with who you are what you are and where you are the Bible say that oh yeah it sure does a man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth what he says and the recompense of his hands what he does shall be rendered unto him now let's go back to money for a minute because that's the the bottom line of all of this there's a hard attitude that comes with a debt problem in fact there's a hard attitude that comes with every problem in your life and usually the attitude is this it's discontentment contentment is so simple it's the greatest key for enjoying your life and for staying out of debt if you're just content contentment allows you to enjoy what you have no matter how much you have or how little you have but isn't it just like human beings not us but those human beings they are so dumb sometimes what they don't have keeps them from enjoying what they do have somebody doesn't have the job they want they don't even give God thanks that they've got great health great strength to enjoy life they just mad because they don't have the job they want somebody else doesn't have the boyfriend or girlfriend or spouse that they want well for for all you Christians some of you it's a little late maybe you're not a Christian you do what you want but if you say this Bible matters to me then but there are people that wrecked their lives they go from one job to another to another to another to another and on every job stupid boss no no no the scenery changes the one thing that never changed buddy is you it's not stupid boss I'm not gonna say the rest now later in his life Solomon writes these words in another one of his books Ecclesiastes chapter 6 and verse 9 better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the desire this is also vanity and vexation of spirit he said it's better to enjoy what you see what you have what your life is then let your desire wander around all the time I wish I had that I wish I was that I wish I could go there I wish I could do that my life will be happy when I finally get there or get that or do this or achieve that or have that Solomon said if you just enjoy what your eyes can see right now that God's blessed you with stop letting your desire out to wander all around everywhere and just enjoy what you have it's vanity and vexation of spirit to do that now here pastor really clearly oh we can do all the counseling we want but until you deal with the contentment issue all the counseling in the world can't help you and nobody has ever become financially free by the way without having contentment because financial freedom it's not based on how much you make it's based on how much you spend if you make this much and spend this much you're in trouble no matter how much this much is so you have to look at spending not making financial freedom doesn't come from making more financial freedom comes from spending less and that means that no matter how much or how little you make you can be financially free if you want but let me just expand this just for a second cuz solomon does and the bible does nobody comes becomes financially free without contentment but can I tell you one more nobody ever becomes emotionally free without contentment either the bible says in 1st timothy godliness with contentment that's great gain you will never be emotionally free emotionally content emotionally happy emotionally pleased without contentment being in your life so here's a checklist this is kind of partly solomon and partly wise counselors through the years number one if you want to be content number one stop comparing stop comparing yourself to others and that probably means for most people in the 21st century you need to limit your exposure to social media you really do i heard you all you facebook haters i heard you you probably do because here's why their kids look perfect on social media your kids you're trying to pose for a family photo i literally saw this the other day on facebook i literally saw this i have no idea who it was cuz i don't know how Facebook works all I know is that when I look at Beverly's Facebook she is friends with them some people who have really weird friends and so Facebook I think it drags in the friend of a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend and you end up seeing it somewhere it's just ridiculous but anyway these people that it was it was these really dark dark photographs there were these kids hair all askew over their face something run another knows I'm sure it was putting whatever and and and you know it just and the photograph was really really dark and really blurry and and there's there's like seven or eight people in the photographs and you can hardly make out any details it's just and the caption underneath is we never were too good at family photos I thought yep that's true but usually you see those perfect vacations and perfect children and perfect rooms and nobody's living room actually looks like that all the time would you stop beating yourself up because their living room looks so pristine and yours looks like your living room looks like somebody lives there perish the thought that human beings abide in this space it's just terrible sob comparing yourself to others that would help you be content if you want to be content it's good to work to be better but work on your being better without berating yourself better yourself without berating yourself all the time you're not the worst at everything you might be the worst at something but somebody else is the worst at something else so stop berating yourself it's okay to better yourself and by the way if you're gonna better yourself you don't have to throw out the Bible and all your convictions and common sense and your marriage you can better yourself without doing stupid stuff here's a good one you may never have heard these terms before I think they are genuine medical conditions if you're going to be content you got to cure yourself of a couple of diseases number one retail therapy if you shop to feel better stop just stop you will never wean yourself from that dreaded disease you will have to quit cold-turkey and finally you need to rid yourself of destination disease that when I get there when I achieve that when I have that when I'm like them then I'll be happy if you can't be happy now with the blessings God's given you you're not going to be happy no matter what you get here's here's one now the elders taught us this and and you know the elders taught us some incredibly valuable and practical things the elders weren't spiritual all the time they were practical they lived this it affected their everyday lives they weren't just in prayer meeting all the time the Bible affected their everyday lives and here's something they taught us enjoy being frugal does anybody even know what frugal means anymore it is not related to frog frugal means just being cost effective some people would call it cheap but it's not cheap it's just being wise be frugal the elders taught us this your grandmother may have said this or your mother use it up wear it out make it do or do without that was printed on plaques a generation ago serious use it up wear it out make it do or do without and you can you can bless your life financially if you don't have to have the newest the latest and greatest all the time if you don't have to trade it in before you know we're the only culture in the world and here in North America maybe you could include Europe in some parts of Asia but so much of the world billions of people don't have the luxury of trading something in before it's broken they use it till it won't work anymore and then they try to fix it because they don't have the money to do and they are I've been in some of those nations they are as happy as anybody in this room happier than most be frugal that'll help you be content here's a good principle for life don't make decisions when you're discontent if you had a bad day at work do not make a decision about your job when you get home stop that if you had a bad experience at church don't make a decision about your church when you get home if you had a bad experience with a friend give it a few days before you blast off and tell them what for and leave the relationship in tatters and then wonder why they don't like you anymore subtitle for tonight's lesson grow up don't make decisions when your discontent wait until you're feeling okay about life and then make your decision there are so many people that have messed up their lives messed up jobs messed up relationships messed up ministries because when they were discontent they made a decision instead of waiting until they were on balance and on point and and if you want to be content if you really would like to be content then here's one last thing use your money and use your time to help people that are less fortunate than you what a great way to be content when you actually get in there are agencies in in our city that help people that are less fortunate any person in this church you don't have to ask the pastor's if you could volunteer for one of those great agencies just go and make a difference in our community just go help somebody that's less fortunate than you it'll make you feel more content about life God hasn't promised to take care of all of your Greed's he has promised to meet all your needs a couple more scriptures we'll move on to the last point and get you out of here anybody hyperventilating yet and we okay good cuz the last point still coming just so you're one you may want to get that paper bag proverbs 19 verse 23 the fear of the Lord reverence for God tendeth to life and he that has the fear of the Lord reverence for God he shall abide satisfy he won't be visited with evil if you put God's kingdom first if you have reverence in the fear of the Lord it leads you to life not evil now that's proverbs here's Hebrews this is near the end of the New Testament let your conversation in in the King James Bible written in 1611 the word conversation that's an old English word we use it in a different sense today it means talk but back in 1611 400 and some years ago the King James conversation meant lifestyle so literally let your lifestyle be without covetousness let your lifestyle be without this clamoring for more and this greed all the time be content with such things as you have why can you be content with what you've got when you don't have everything somebody else's God hears how because God has said in the middle of your lack and your need and your want I will never leave thee nor forsake thee and if you've got a little bit with God you got way more than the person who has a whole lot without God hmm finally last principle give if you want to receive Solomon teaches us this the Bible teaches us this Jesus taught us this proverb says honor the Lord with your substance and with the firstfruits everyone say the first fruits the first things the first fruits of all thine increase now giving this thing called giving is totally counterintuitive you could describe giving as a financially irrational act because the natural mind tells me that if I give something away I will lose it but God's Word teaches me that when I give it actually increases me in many ways and it also releases God's blessings on my life our stewardship of our money and our possessions it will become the story of our lives someday you'll be gone and what you own and what you spent will live on in some way and it will become the story of your life but it will really become the story of your life when you get to eternity now it's true that money and possessions become our story that's true in every age of every society but it's especially true for us you may not think it you may not feel it you may have mulling around today and you may have said I don't have very much or I don't have enough but can I just tell you we live in a time of unparalleled affluence we live in a society in a beautiful free country and we enjoy comforts and conveniences that King Solomon wouldn't have participated in or even imagined in his wildest dreams we live in a country so blessed where the poverty level exceeds the standard of living of nearly every other society in every other period of all of human history and so the Bible just looks at us and said you need to learn how to give if the Bible would say that to the poor people of the first century it certainly says it to us in the 21st century now here's your Bible the Bible devotes two times as many verses actually more than that twice as many verses to money as it does to faith and prayer combined twenty three hundred and fifty verses on money about five hundred each for faith and prayer why does it do that Jesus said more about money than he did about heaven and hell combined why Jesus used 16 out of 38 parables to teach his disciples about money why 15 percent of the recorded words of Jesus that we have in the Bible concerned money 15 percent why jesus said more about money than he did about any other subject why there's only one answer because money and possessions which is called Mammon in the Bible they have the greatest potential to replace the lordship of Jesus Christ in your life Matthew 26 words of G or Matthew 6:24 Jesus said no man can serve two masters either he'll love one and hate the other or he will hold to one and despise the other now you think the next statement should be you can't serve God and the devil that would make sense to us but that's not his statement he said because we see that one coming God the devil we see that one coming here's what we don't see coming you not serve God and Mammon you can't serve God and money you can't serve God and materialism you can't serve God and your possessions you back up a few verses three verses and here's what you'll see where your treasure is there will your heart be also if your treasure is in your vacation home that's where your heart is you worry about it who's breaking in who's taking care is the insurance paid is it gonna burn down you worry about it but if your treasures in the kingdom of God your heart goes where you put your treasure that's why giving is such a privilege because you can actually make your heart go into missions by giving to missions you can make your heart go into the kingdom of God by giving to the kingdom of God you can focus your heart on eternal priorities now giving is not just about money it's about conquering Mammon more people are sidetracked from serving God by materialism than anything else it's unreal people are poor they come to church they get a little money they get a few possessions now they've got to go and do something with them on Sunday miss Church if you want to know what the highest priorities in your life are I can tell you you just need to look at three things look at your checkbook look at your calendar and look at your church and you will know you will know what the highest priorities in your life are because you know what you just did you're evaluating where you spend your treasure the way you spend your time and the way you give of your talent in God's kingdom your calendar your checkbook your calendar and your church or your time your your treasure your time and your talent are we done yet one more page tithing if you're a guest here tonight if you're a visitor if you're not a believer here tonight again you get to pass on all of this stuff you don't even have to pay attention tithing is the top financial priority for every Christian if they want God's blessing on their finances now tithing for those of you that aren't familiar with the term it's a Bible term it means a tenth a tithe 10% and that's what Christians do with their income they return ten to ten percent to God why did God ask for ten percent we don't know but he could have said 50 percent or 20 percent or 90 percent or he could have said give it all because it's all his anyway but he asks us to return 10 percent and we need to remind ourselves as Christians once in a while that everything we have belongs to God and he just asks us to manage our money and possessions for him that's called stewardship and Paul wrote this moreover it's required in stewards in other words it's required of every believer that with regard to your money and your possessions that a man be found faithful faithful to what faithful to God it's pretty obvious that God doesn't need our money so why would God who doesn't need anything ask us to give our money here's the answer it's everywhere in scripture it's improv errs but it's everywhere else - tithing gives God room to bless us I don't know how I didn't notice this before in this passage or it just never said it this way because we always I'm about ready to read you the passage from the last book of the Old Testament in Malachi and Malachi tells us that it's possible to rob God by not tithing that's a dangerous thing but I never saw this before if we don't tithe yes we're robbing God but we're also robbing ourselves look at this Malachi will a man Rob God yet you have robbed me and the people say to God we're in how have we robbed you and God says in tithes and offerings and because you didn't give me the tithes and the offerings you're cursed with a curse you've robbed me even this whole nation so here's what God councils them to do bring you all the tithes into the storehouse that there may be meat in mine house and prove me now herewith saith the Lord of Hosts if I will not open you the windows of heaven and pour you out such a blessing that there shall not be room enough even to receive it and if you do that if you put me first if you do what I've asked you to do financially I will rebuke the Devourer for your sakes and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground neither shall your vine castor fruit before the time in the fields saith the Lord of Hosts God said you're not just robbing me if you don't tithe you're robbing yourself if you don't tithe tithing gives me room to bless you now there are many places in the Bible where God looks at his people and said I am proving you on this but there's only one place in the whole Bible where God says you prove me you put me to the test and it's right there what God just said to his people in the book of Malachi is this hey let's have a giving contest you give to me and I'll give to you and let's see who wins can I tell you something that comes from living by the principles of the Bible for a lot of decades and from a lot of wise counselors and from being a pastor and hearing the testimonies of countless Christians let me tell you how this works nobody who ever puts God's plan first and primary in their finances has ever come and said God is a debtor to me it doesn't work God let me down God said you prove me if you'll put me first I will bless you now we're nice pastors he's a really nice pastor and I am a marginally nice pastor and we used to be very nice pastors and people would come and say well I can't afford to tie and our answer used to be well give what you can do what you can we don't say that anymore it's not because we got meaner he's probably gotten nicer I've gotten marginally meaner probably but it's just because it's not biblical I can't afford to tithe no no no no you can't afford not to tithe here's the principle it works not only with your money it works in every area of your life if you want God to bless it put him first in it if you want God to bless your finances put him first do what he said if you wanted to bless your marriage put him first do what he said if you want God to bless your relationships or your health or your job or your career or your business put him first if you put him first whatever you put him first in he will bless he's not content with leftovers he wants first place that's why Jesus said seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and if you'll put God first all these other things that you're so concerned about will be added unto you now if you look at the Old Testament there wasn't just one tithe there were three tithes one tithe supported the priest than the Levites another tithe provided for the feast the times of worship and anywhere in the house of God the upkeep of the temple and then 1/3 ties supported orphans and widows and the poor and that third tithe was collected only every third year so really the average tithe was twenty three point three percent every year that's just the Old Testament so when we get to the New Testament God just asks us to return 10% to him that is a minimum standard not a maximum goal you're not getting extra points for doing that that's just what God asks you to do God's people and again if you're not a believer you get a pass but if you're God's people you say I believe the Bible God's people don't pay their tithe and they don't give their tithe they return their tithe to God and his request that's why the Bible speaks of bringing taking presenting your tithe not giving your tie and then beyond the tithe the Bible emphasizes something it calls freewill offerings those are voluntary contributions beyond our tithe let me let me set the record straight tithing is not giving tithing is tithing only what is given beyond the tithe actually constitutes giving in Scripture if you're only tithing you're doing the minimum congratulations thank you not on my behalf on God's behalf thank you but you're doing the minimum the Peter the reason people can't afford to give to God is because they're not giving to God if they were giving to God God's blessing would come upon them and then they'd be able to give to God so I am coming in for a conclusion if you've been holding your breath you don't have to much longer to go you will either be blissfully unconscious or I'll be done second Corinthians chapter 9 Paul said every man as he purposes in his heart so let him give don't give grudgingly don't give up necessity because God loves a cheerful Giver it's exciting to give it's a thrill to give and see what a little Church in the corner of New Brunswick can do around the world to support God's kingdom and bless our missionaries it's a thrill to give God loves a cheerful Giver we on the other hand will take money from a grouch now Christians today fall into roughly three categories of giving about ninety six percent of Christians give less than their ability to give about three percent of Christians give according to their ability to give and less than one percent of Christians give in the way the Bible talks about giving beyond their ability giving beyond your ability is giving when the numbers don't quite add up given when the bottom line says you probably should pass giving beyond your means giving despite some risk and giving out of necessity not just out of your extra in your luxury but let me tell you as a pastor and let me tell you better than that as a Christian much longer than I'd been a pastor giving is one of the greatest adventures a Christian can have I'll give you one last checklist here's how we need to give give to receive number one give systematically if you don't give systematically if you don't have some kind of little system your system doesn't have to match mine or anybody else's but if you don't give in some systematic way give once a week give once a month if you don't give systematically you will never give substantially give systematically secondly you need to give spontaneously I love it when a spirit of giving moves in here and we got maybe a missionary here and this church always rises to the challenge and God's people just stay didn't plan to come and give they just spontaneously give it is the most beautiful exciting thing to see and nobody walks away from those offerings and is less blessed because they gave here's another principle for giving give sacrificially give beyond your ability if you want to see God's ability in your life give sacrificially oh here's a good one in the age of social media give quietly I didn't say give secretly it's not wrong to fill out a pledge card that helps your church plan you know when the Bible says let not your left hand know what your right hand is doing it wasn't talking about filling out your pledge card you can do that and you won't break the scripture it'll be okay but give quietly that's what I love about giving through a local church when we give through a church together no individual gets the credit the church did that I love that you know there are places if it's really amazing you know every once in a while you'll see some article in the newspaper or online somewhere and and it's usually some group of young people and they've gone to do a missions trip and they've taken selfies of every single solitary moment on the trip you wonder how they had time to do anything else except take selfies and you often see like a selfie of these perfectly manicured hair perfect face perfect clothes perfect not a drop of sweat standing on a beach somewhere and they're in some country to dig a well because they're well digging experts or whatever I don't know and that's fine but if you look at some of the stats on that stuff they all spent collectively forty thousand dollars to get there and they gave two thousand dollars to the people to dig a well and came home that's missionary tourism that's not missions give quietly here's something else that has really I think if anything I could tell you from experience and giving I love this one give progressively stretch yourself a little bit every year it's boring to give the same thing every year stretch yourself a little bit and watch God provide as you stretch yourself and finally we already covered it give cheerfully sit back and enjoy watching God keep your books instead of you keeping your books at the end of the year you'll have more we're not taking an offering I got two more scriptures and we're done like done done when Israel was building the tabernacle in Exodus 36 the Bible says in verse 5 the people brought quote much more than enough so much so they had to be verse 6 restrained from bringing anymore and verse 7 it tells us they're giving wasn't just sufficient their giving was actually too much and that happened in the Old Testament what would happen across North America so blessed so wealthy compared to the rest of the world what we could do if we all got a hold of these principles of giving that affect our money here's what Solomon said in his book that we're studying tonight proverbs 10 verse 22 the blessing of the Lord it makes rich now you can get rich on other things but you get sorrow with those things you've got to ensure it and maintain it and fix it and repair it and store it and but God's Word says the blessing of the Lord it makes rich and he adds no sorrow with it Solomon said it's the blessing of God not material things that makes us rich and I won't end with that verse I'll end with this verse because the Bible tells us a greater than Solomon is here so I won't end with the words of Solomon I will end with the words of Jesus recorded by the Apostle I've showed you all things how that's so laboring you want to support the weak and I want you to remember the words of the Lord Jesus here's what Jesus said it is more blessed to give than it is to receive thank you for your kind attention I want to pray over this great church some preaching is perhaps reactive there's a situation pastor needs to address it can I tell you none of this is reactive because we have the most givenness Church in the world and that's not even a word but it sure felt good we've got generous kind people sacrificial people so this isn't reactive that somebody's not given this is proactive because we want to be givers who are blessed by God and when God blesses us he doesn't bless us to increase our standard of living he blesses us to increase our standard of giving God wants to use somebody here tonight to make a major impact or even a more major impact in his kingdom Lord Jesus I thank you for our church I thank you for these kind people that have listened to me with such great attention and I thank you for that but god I pray that these principles from the book of Proverbs Solomon's wisdom would get inside of us God there are people in this room right now that if they could set themselves free financially they would be more happy your kingdom would be more blessed their home would be more blessed they'd have more peace of mind so god help us to take your principles in your word and apply it because that's where we find true blessing and true riches and true wealth and that's where where our story matters in eternity and not just now I thank you for your word and I thank you for your principles everybody say Amen and now let's not waste this would you lift up your hands and thank the Lord for his word even if it kind of bit you're stung your push would you thank the Lord for his word his word never returns void you do it and the blessings automatic you do it and God's provision is automatic you do it and God's miracle power is automatic in your life that's the power of the word of the Lord

Channel: Capital Community Church

Views: 5,261

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Keywords: capital, community, church, fredericton, nb, new, brunswick, canada, upc, upci, united, pentecostal, international, apostolic, christian, preaching, sermons, sermon, raymond, woodward, jack, leaman, matthew, bible, study, biblical teaching, solomon, says, part, two

Id: p6hHCBL2rEY

Length: 66min 23sec (3983 seconds)

Published: Wed Jun 05 2019