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Save Me, I'm Drowning!
Nehemiah 5:1-19
If you saw someone drowning
and God said the only way to save them was to throw in your child, would you
do it? I wouldn't.
But that's exactly what God did in order to save our souls.
We were going under, drowning in sin, and God, our only hope, did
what only He could do, which is to bear our sins, in our place, so we could
be saved!
Now we're saved, but most
of us still know that drowning feeling, because we are drowning in debt and
going under financially. One of
the main weapons the devil uses to stress out believers is money troubles.
Good news:
There is hope, and help.
The Bible has the answers. Jesus
spoke more about money than He talked about heaven and hell combined!
And there's many more principles throughout the Bible that will help
us...including right here in our Nehemiah study...
v. 1 They are fighting over money.
'Til debt do us part!
v. 2 They have a shortage for basic human needs...just for food.
v. 3 Just to eat they have to sell their necessities of life.
v. 4 Now they are borrowing money just to pay their taxes!
The IRS accepts credit cards because of this.
v. 5 Their children have been sold into slavery, their future
mortgaged away. The same is
happening in the
These are God's people in
our text, and they are in financial bondage, and that greatly limits both
their happiness and what they can accomplish in their lives.
God has a better way.
What God orders, He pays for.
Where God guides, He provides!
He is our source, our be all and end all.
Symptoms of financial bondage:
1.
Having to charge necessities of life.
Do you use credit for
groceries and gasoline, clothes, etc., knowing you won't be able to pay it
off in full that month?
2.
Borrowing money to pay fixed expenses.
Talking about the house
payment/rent, car payment, phone or cable?
Borrowing from one card to pay on another card?
3.
Are creditors writing and calling you for their money?
If there's a person in your
life you'd like to never see again, just loan them some money!
4.
Are you tempted to be dishonest about money?
Do you try to talk your way
out of bills? Think about
cheating on your taxes? Tempted
to do something dishonest or unethical?
5.
Do you ever say, I can't afford to tithe?
Do you bring the Lord's
tithe [10%] to the Lord's house on the Lord's day so the Lord's work can be
done in the Lord's way?
6.
Do you and your spouse ever argue about money.
"Theirs was a perfect
marriage, except a fatal flaw--one was quick on the deposit, but the other
was quicker on the draw!"
One guy said, "My wife and
I never argue about money. We
made an agreement years ago, that I would make all the big decisions about
money, and she would handle all the little ones.
It's worked out great, we've been married 30 years and there hasn't
been a big decision to make yet!"
7.
Do you know how much you really owe?
Are you afraid to add it
up? It's amazing in counseling
how many people know they are in financial trouble, but have no idea how
much they really owe. They sweep
it under the rug. They try not
to think about it.
Proverbs 27:23
23 Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and
look well to thy herds.
We cannot bury our heads in
the sand. God has told us to be
good stewards of what He gives to us.
He is entrusting us w/ money, and we are letting Him down!
8.
Do you know what it takes to survive each week?
If you added up all your
expenses for the month and divided by 4.3, do you know right now what the
answer would be, what you need to make ends meet?
Many people just put their check in the bank and start writing
checks, and then wonder why they have so much month left at the end of the
money!
Make a list of all your
bills, necessities of life. Put
God up top, give Him the firstfruits!
Don't leave anything off the list, if it is a need to survive.
These are non negotiables.
Do the math and see what you have left.
If your total need is $612,
and your income is $615, you've got a problem.
You and your spouse are arguing, and really, you are arguing over 3
dollars! The rest of the money
is a no brainer...already spoken for.
Suggestion:
Have a checking account for fixed expenses.
Have another account for the difference between your income and your
fixed. Do an online transfer or
whatever, and that money is what you make your decisions about.
You've already made the decisions about your fixed items.
The second account is the only REAL money you have!
Don't consider plastic as
real money, because it is not!
Don't enslave yourself in a dungeon of your own making.
Christ wants to set us free from financial bondage.
He wants to raise us up from drowning in a sea of debts!
We made big credit mistakes early in our marriage as we tried to have
everything our parents have, only 20 years quicker.
We cut up those cards and paid them off and plop plop, fizz fizz, oh
what a relief it is!
Now, what if your fixed
expenses are more than your paycheck?
That means every week you go in the hole, and that's before you buy
anything you want. That means
nothing can ever break down or need repaired.
That means you never save, never get a vacation, and never get a
break!
Obviously, there's only 2
possible fixes:
·
Decrease your
outflow
·
Increase your
income
Most of us really could do
some downsizing, but we're upsizing everything including our extra value
meals! Whichever solution we
choose, the one thing we cannot do is ignore the problem.
We must sit down on purpose and prayerfully work this thing out!
Time out, you don't have to
be poor to be in financial bondage.
v. 7 The nobles and the rulers were the wealthy who were taking
advantage of the people. They
were charging exorbitant interest rates, foreclosing on properties, and they
themselves are in financial bondage, because they weren't good stewards of
money either, even though they had a lot of it!
Some sit here and think
they are doing ok. But are you
in financial bondage? Ask
youself...
Do I trust in my money more
than in my God? I don't care who
you are, you are supposed to pray 'Give us this day our daily bread.'
Your money could take wings and fly away!
Money talks-it says, 'bye bye!'
Are your personal goals in
tune w/ God? Are you trying to
build a personal portfolio or the
Is every dollar you have
available to God? Not just the
tithe. What about the other 90%?
My God can ask for any of my money or all of it at any time because
it's not really MY money, it's all His!
I'm supposed to be the manager.
And if He can trust me, maybe He will entrust me w/ more!
Do you find yourself making
money when you ought to be serving God? Do
you ask for overtime on God's day? Do you say, "I can't go to church, I'm
too tired from work." Or, has
God blessed you to the point that you buy things which in turn take you away
from Him? The worst thing that
ever happened to some Christians is that they had enough money to buy a
boat! They have money to travel,
and travel they do, especially on God's day, because Monday is coming, and
I've gotta make money to cover things!
We've seen the problem of
financial bondage, now...
The Principles of Financial Freedom:
1.
Priority.
v. 14 Nehemiah is saying, "I was
in charge and could have easily taken advantage and lined my own pockets.
But I didn't because I fear God!"
God in your heart should be greater than greed.
God is #1 in my life, not making money.
1 Timothy 6:10
10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while
some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves
through with many sorrows.
Matthew 6:33
33
But seek ye first the
Some things are more
important than making money.
ill.--I had a summer job
during college in sales, but part of our pitch was deceptive, tricking
people into buying [Bibles at that!].
I quit after a few weeks and got an honest job.
I know many believers whose
conscience made them quit driving a beer truck or working a Sunday job, or
whatever was getting in the way of them putting God first.
The fear of the Lord is not
only the beginning of wisdom, it is the beginning of wealth.
2.
Industry.
v. 16 'I continued in the
work...' Nehemiah could have
just supervised, but he got his hands dirty and set the example.
"Many people are itching
for things they aren't willing to scratch for!"
We need to work, or not
eat! There are some who are
legitimately disabled and need help, but they can't get much because our tax
dollars are going to so many who just don't want to work!
Isn't it the ultimate goal
to be able to quit your job and not have to work?
They buy lottery tickets, and seek get rich quick schemes.
But I say, not working
might be a tragedy in your life.
I so appreciate some who have been blessed w/ free time, but they consider
that just more time to work for their Lord!
[Ted]
We think of work as a
curse, but God told Adam to work before sin ever came into the world.
I appreciate our retirees
... they haven't retired on God!
They know that God has something better for them than a Winnebago that they
drive around looking for fishing holes and restaurants that give senior
discounts! Shuffleboard and
bingo are fun, but is that what God has left us around for?
I may someday get to the
place where I don't have to work for money, but I never want to get to the
place where I no longer have to work for God!
I want to finish well.
Proverbs 20:4
4
The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore
shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing.
Proverbs 20:13
13 Love not sleep, lest thou come to poverty; open thine eyes,
and thou shalt be satisfied with bread.
Proverbs 28:19
19 He that tilleth his land shall have plenty of bread: but he
that followeth after vain persons shall have poverty enough.
'Vain persons' is the slick
guy w/ the get rich quick scheme.
You can't get something for nothing.
We need to work!
2 Thessalonians 3:10
10 For even when we were with you,
this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.
In
"Where do you get your
check?" "The government."
No, they have no money.
We the people, we are the government, and it's time we take our nation back!
[Obama money video]
3.
Generosity.
v. 17-18
He says, I fed all these people every day, and not w/ government
funds, but out of my own pocket.
This is one of the principles of financial blessing ... let's learn a lesson
from God, that if you give, more will be given back to you.
It's the simple principle of sowing and reaping.
Proverbs 11:24
24 There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there
is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty.
God blesses the cheerful
giver. Do you have an open hand
or a clenched fist? Just giving
doesn't get you out of debt, you also have to obey God w/ the other 90%.
4.
Reliability. [trust]
Malachi 3: 10
Bring ye 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 a blessing, that
there shall not be room enough to receive it.
11 And I will rebuke the devourer for
your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither
shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD
of hosts.
We either believe that or
we don't.
ill.--Ask a person in the
pew for a dollar. Return a bill
to him. Why did he give me a
dollar, no questions asked?
Because before the service I said if you do when I ask, I'll give you $10 in
return for your trouble. Why did
he follow thru and do it? He
believed me at my word. If he
didn't trust me he wouldn't have done it.
If you believed Malachi 3,
you'd tithe. Don't say, I can't
afford to tithe, just tell the truth and say, I don't believe those verses.
Tithing has never been a
matter of money, but a matter of trust.
It's a trust fund. Many
times in our marriage we have written our tithe check out when we weren't
sure how it was gonna clear or how we were gonna buy groceries...but God
always made it come out right in the end.
5.
Sufficiency.
v. 18 "God took good care of me
in a time of dearth." When many
were suffering around him, Nehemiah was well cared for.
And God promises to take care of His children when they obey.
The Bible says God takes pleasure in the prosperity of His people.
I'm not saying He wants us all to be rich, but it's also a myth that
He wants His people to be poor.
There's nothing noble about poverty.
Psalm 35:27
27
Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous
cause: yea, let them say continually, Let the LORD be magnified, which hath
pleasure in the prosperity of his servant.
3 John 1:2
2
Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and
be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.
Biblical prosperity is
defined here in Nehemiah's experience.
It is having what you need in order to do what God wants you to do.
What does God want?
·
For you to
have enough to meet your needs.
God wants your bills paid.
Perhaps you've created bills that weren't in God's will...ask for
forgiveness and for His help in getting out of debt.
·
For you to
have enough to be able to give generously.
Missionary Arn this week testified of how they as a family asked God
to give them enough so that they would be able to give...and they as a
family support 3 missionaries to other fields!
·
For you to
have enough to save for the future.
The Bible teaches that this is a wise practice.
"Consider the ant" who prepares for the winter during the summer.
If you don't have enough to
do the above, then something is wrong which needs to be righted.
Take inventory. Draw out
the budget. Let me help
privately and confidentially.
Attend the new Financial Peace course beginning next month.
Remember these principles
from our text:
Priority-is God first in
your life? Tithing is the first
test you must pass.
Industry-have you been as
diligent as you should be?
Generosity-are you faithful
above the tithe?
Trust-are you trusting in
God or plastic?
Some feel like they
couldn't have clothes w/out credit cards.
But God promised to clothe the lilies of the field, and said, how
much more will I clothe you?!
Some of you need to go home and in faith cut up those cards and just say
God, I trust you to clothe me, and if not, I'll just not be clothed.
[Don't come to church naked, however!]
God will clothe you if you let Him.
He will bless you in ways you'd never dream if you don't take your
prosperity in your own hands, but trust it to Him and do it His way.
We get most of our things from Goodwill, and you'd never know it.
We have many other nice things that He has given to us, because we
wouldn't have spent the money on it.
Our focus is on eternity, but He blesses our present!
Are you drowning?
The Lord wants to save you!
Grace Notes Sermon Ministry:
NOTICE! Our sermons are free to download, copy and paste, edit and use as you see fit...but only our free subscribers get the newest messages, featured sermons, and some free gifts we shower on them from time to time!
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