"The Mania of Debt"
Rev. Alan Breems
Oasis Community Church, Moreno Valley, CA
Painful topic for me. I've made mistakes, established spending patterns
that are hard to beat, and I don't recommend. It's especially painful after
the holidays. Some of us are still paying for gifts that are already broken.
How did we get into debt so quickly?
Judges 6:4 "So they (Midian) would camp against
them and destroy the produce of the earth as far as Gaza, and leave no
sustenance in Israel as well as no sheep, ox, or donkey."
In this passage in Judges we see families that are experiencing extreme
financial difficulty. Not because they have done something wrong, not because
of bad investments. Because they were raided. Throughout the Old Testament
we see people going into debt because of calamities. Army raids, crop failure,
famine, drought. These events could be the ruin of an entire village clan
or country. It could happen after a death in the family, and a widow was
left on her own, without sons, without social security.
It could compare to calamities such as being laid off from work for
an extended period of time, going through a divorce and experiencing the
terrible financial ramifications of this.
Consumer debt is due to:
* Buying what you don't need
* Buying what you can't afford
* Favorite national past time, dare I say religion. I know. I enjoy
shopping.
It's kind of an out of body experience, almost magical. A mood elevating
drug. A new haircut, a new car, a new set of clothes, it feeds your poor
self-image, it restores a sense of excitement to life. Nordstrom's is spiritual.
Walk in through the gates of splendor. Heavenly music,worship,.wonderful
smell. Sacrifices on the altar. Only thin, rich and beautiful people. I
think I'm in heaven. Plus if I find things for free, or almost free, or
at least on sale, I think, grace. Grace, amazing grace that clothed a wretch
like me.
Many people today rely on what they buy for telling them who they are
or define what they want to be.
*Role of advertising; there is a constant appeal to gratify our basic
human desires, with more and more and more. More leisure. More fun. More
pleasure.
* Making it convenient for you. The home shopping network. Now you
can even order stuff over the computer.
And so we buy, we spend. We consume.
It should come as no surprise that we now treat God as the one whose
main role is to supply our need. Believe in God, become a Christian, and
you will be rich, thin, healthy, and wealthy. We
treat God as a giant vending machine for religious consumption. (Topic:
Consuming)
Let's say you and I have made mistakes, now we need to move on. We
want to get past this cycle of paying interest on everything we buy for
our short-term consumption
How should disciples deal with debt? Psalm 37:21
"The wicked borrow and do not repay." Here is something that truly
amazes me. We live in a culture where banks encourage you to default on
a debt so that you can take more loans. These are not debts you were coerced
into making. These debts you created legally, morally, ethically. There
may not have been anything wrong with your purchase. Now my Christian responsibility
is to pay up. To let my yes on the loan contract be yes. If I don't, scripture
calls me wicked. All throughout scripture debt repayment is taken very
seriously.
In Leviticus 25:39 a debtor in default could go
so far as to sell himself into slavery.
They could not just go to another bank to get another loan to pay off
the existing loan. You had to work in slavery until your debt was paid
in full.
Our responsibility is to those who are experiencing financial difficulty.
The flip side of this, we realize there are people in the Church who are
experiencing tremendous financial hardship. Not because they are overspending,
but simply because life has been tough. To these people we have a responsibility.
Deuteronomy 15:4 "There should be no poor among
you. If there is a poor man among your brothers, do not be hardhearted
or tightfisted toward your poor brother. Rather be openhanded and freely
lend him whatever he needs." This is one of the things tithes were
used for in the Old Testament. To take care of the needy. But if the tithes
weren't coming in, the needy would not be taken care of. That is called
disobedience. So don't be a tight wad. Not just because I want your money.
That has nothing to do with it. But because scriptures say that people
who are tight and hold their money closely when it comes to supporting
the poor, it says: They have hard hearts and stiff necks."
Why are disciples tempted to get into more consumer debt? We have a
natural inclination to want more. We just don't have enough of stuff. It's
amazing that the marketing maniacs of the world seem to be able to come
up with something every Christmas that we feel we have to have. Barbie,
Power rangers, Elmo, Beanie Babies, who knows what it is going to be next
year.
This desire for constant and increasing consumption is the sin called
covetousness.
It is a sin because it reflects the spiritual attitude that says: Because
I am not satisfied with God, I need more stuff. God is not enough for me.
I want more stuff.
Covetousness is having possessions, not for the sake of the things
we possess, but for the sake of possessing. The act of possessing is what
becomes satisfying to us. It's the urge things to want the things I don't
need, to believe the lies that beg for our money. But I need it. Last week
in a store, I heard a women calling her husband from the store, "but honey,
it's to die for. The money will come, I get paid next week, I'll buy it
now and pay it off then!" Buy now pay later. You can afford it. Car dealer,
Honda. You deserve it. More is better. Bigger is better .
I want you to notice something interesting. The
first and last of the ten commandments. What are they? You shall not have
any other gods before me. You shall not covet.
They are basically the same. They both have to
do with finding replacements for God. (Topic:
Ten Commandments) God says: Don't
replace me with another God. Don't go lusting, whoring after other gods.
Be satisfied with me. Am I not enough? Don't go around always wanting what
everybody else has. Have I not supplied you with enough? Covetousness is
idolatry. Because we put our trust in the stuff of the world. We look to
it for our source of satisfaction and contentment. Covetousness is desiring
something so much that you lose your contentment in God. It betrays a lack
of contentment and satisfaction in things, the heart is divided between
two Gods. Getting at the heart of covetousness, loosing your contentment
in God so that you start seeking your contentment elsewhere.
Colossian 3:5 "Therefore consider the members
of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire
and greed, which amounts to idolatry. For it is because of these things
that the wrath of God will come upon these sons of disobedience."
Why is Consumer Debt dangerous for disciples? You can become a slave
to your creditors.
Proverbs 22: 7 "The rich rule
over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender". To a
certain extent our creditors own us. They have certain rights over us.
We owe them. We serve them. Some of us are in so deep that we have to work
at a certain job for slave labor just so that we can avoid going under
financially. It is slave labor. We owe we owe, off to work we go.
But listen to what Paul says in 1 Corinthians
6:12 "But I will not be mastered by anything". He's referring to
food and drink, but its true for money as well. He invites us to say: I
will not be mastered by Master card. I will not be mastered by Visa and
Discover card, and I will not be mastered by Citibank.
You will place your family in jeopardy. In a number of different ways
we can place them in jeopardy. Owing tons of money places our family in
a very vulnerable situation. In the extremes cars get repossessed, kids
go without food, electricity, and sometimes even education. In the case
of consumer debt, again, I am not talking about you, if you have experienced
an unforeseen financial hardship. Listen to what scripture says about those
of us who do not take care of their families. 1 Timothy
5:8 "If anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of
his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever."
Worse than an unbeliever. Don't call yourself a Christian he says.
And on top of that. The family is the basic building block to society,
so not only do you place your own family in jeopardy, you are now a threat
to society. Because you have destroyed one of its basic building blocks.
Another danger is that it can choke the spiritual lifeboat of you. We
wouldn't be the first for this to happen to us. Debt creates problems.
It creates worry and confusion, and fear, and sleepless nights, and after
a while there is no room for God, because your heart is too full of fear
and worry, and it is choking out the word of God, to the point that we
can't even hear it anymore. Luke 8:14 "The seed which fell among the thorns,
these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are
choked with worries and riches and pleasure of this life, and bring no
fruit to maturity."
It's choking you. That is mild language compared to what Paul says.
He says the love of money, consuming, conspicuous consumption can lead
to the destruction of your soul.
1 Timothy 6:10 " People who want to get rich fall
into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that
plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of
all sorts of evil and some by longing for it have wandered away from the
faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. But flee from these things,
you man of God, fight the good fight of faith."
Notice two things. He doesn't just say. The destruction of your life
financially, or you are going to have some credit problems. Or this may
make your marriage a little bit difficult. Or things may be a little tight
for a while. No......no. The language he uses for destruction is the Greek
word Apologia, "to destroy". It refers to the state of damnation after
death, exclusion from salvation. Basically going to hell.
So not only is it superficial, trivial, and destructive of personal
and social relationships
but it is the single biggest threat to your salvation. But look, he
is not yet done. He says those who do these things. Pierce themselves with
many griefs. The word for that is impale. They impale themselves. A knife
going through you. Stabbing you in the heart and killing you. Because of
the threat to your spiritual destiny, the following are the warnings scripture
gives us against going into debt.
Romans 13:8,9 "Owe nothing to anyone except to
love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law,
you shall not covet."
Deuteronomy 15: 6 "For the Lord your God will
bless you as He has promised you, and you will lend to many nations, but
you will not borrow; and you will rule over many nations, but they will
not rule over you."
Biblical secrets for overcoming debt. Now here's where I need you to
pay very careful attention. I want you to understand that the battle against
debt mania is the battle against covetousness, which is a matter of faith
in Jesus. Here's the million dollar question: Do I believe that Jesus Christ
in all His power, in all His glory, in all His supplies, with all His resources
is enough to take care of my emotional, physical, spiritual and material
needs?
Do I believe in Jesus? Do I put my trust in Jesus? That's what is at
stake.
That's why Paul, after he has told Timothy about the threat of apologia,
the destruction of my soul and the impaling of my heart he says in 1
Timothy 6:2 "Fight the fight of faith."
Believe in God. Fight the consumer culture with faith. Fight your credit
problems with faith. Fight the challenge to tithe with faith.
Here's what you can believe in. Here's what you bank on. Here's what
you put your trust in. Philippians 4: 12, 13 " 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. I can do everything
through him who gives me strength."
Regardless of your situation. Rich or poor. Believe that Jesus is going
to give you the strength to cope with either situation. Believe in his
dynamos at work in your life. To help you keep hanging on, even when the
going gets rough.
Philippians 4:19 "And my God will meet all your
needs according to His glorious riches in Jesus Christ." Believe
also that this verse is true. God will supply your needs. It doesn't say,
God is going to give you a Rolls Royce, a fat bank account, and all the
toys you want. No it says your needs. I get nervous whenever I hear anybody
in America talk about I need this, I need that, I need a new pair of shoes,
I need a new car. Or how about this, I'm hungry. Please, I need a new set
of glasses. Let's at least get our language straight. You want it. It's
not a basic need. There are perhaps one or two people in this room, whose
basic human needs of clothing, food, companionship and education are not
being adequately met. I don't pretend to know your situation and I don't
want to downplay your financial hardships, but look at the things that
you still want and then tell me if the things you are lacking are basic
human needs or are they just something you want to have to make your life
more complete. God will supply the need. If only we could learn the secret
of divine contentment. The secret of God's power to do anything. The secret
of divine sufficiency to supply your needs.
Now look at Hebrews 11:13-16 "All these people
were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things
promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they
admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth." That is
how we are to live. As citizens of another city. This is not where our
main consumption is going to take place. This is not where we store up
our treasures. We just are passing through. Because you're not taking anything
with you. Travel light. Look at what they did. They delayed gratification.
They did not receive the things promised, they didn't get what they wanted.
And even the things they wanted were good promises. They had to wait and
admit that they were aliens and strangers.
2 Corinthians 9:8 "And God is able to make all
grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything,
you may have an abundance for every good deed." Finally when God
does bless you financially, remember why he does so. He does so that you
can be an instrument of peace, and provision. So that God can use you to
build His kingdom.
Avoid small dreams. You hear people talking about. I want this car.
That is my dream car, my dream boat, my dream coat, my dream whatever.
What a small dream. Once you have it. You need a bigger dream. Why be satisfied
with such an itsy bitsy tinny, eeny weenie little small dream. Don't be
satisfied with home, food, clothing, and dream about what the kingdom of
God is going to look like when we together at Oasis seek first the kingdom
of God. Dream about God using you. Dream about God being glorified in all
your situations. Dream about using your God giving resources to reach the
lost. Dream about people experiencing tangible reminders of the love of
God. Dreams are made of seeing God at work in your life, and in the life
of people around you. Dreams are made of you being at the center of the
will of God, regardless of what this means for you.
Conclusion. Memorize these verses. Fighting the fight of faith, use
the scriptures as a sword, two-edged sword. Imagine a burglar coming into
your house, drive home these two swords.
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