"Who's The Boss?"
Rev. Alan Breems
Oasis Community Church, Moreno Valley, CA
Text: Lev. 27:30-31 & Psalm 50:7-15
As Pastor Tim and myself have been observing and praying for this congregation,
one of the themes which has come through time and time again is the theme
of finances. It seems to be a universal struggle or worry or stress for
most of the people coming to our church. In some ways, our observation
has been that the devil has been using finances to keep our people in what
might be called a sort of bondage, and some of you here this morning know
what I am talking about. You have experienced this, haven't you? Where
you are tied up in knots, living with constant fighting or constant fear
or constant stress, and when you analyze where it is coming from, a lot
of the time, if not most of the time, it has to do with money, or lack
thereof.
And especially as we stand at the doorstep of a new year, I would guess
that there are many of you who as you look ahead to the new year, one of
the main concerns or even fears that you have has to do with your finances.
Will you get out of debt this year or will you sink further into debt this
year? Will you keep your job or will you lose your job? Will your family
income go up or will it go down? Will you be able to make it, to pay the
bills, to keep on top of things, or will this be the year that many of
you fear where you will start to fall behind and will never catch up? All
these are questions which I would guess have been going through many of
your minds here this morning, and, as I said, all these questions in a
sense are part of the ways in which the devil keeps us captive or tied
up or in bondage.
Now, some of the things that plague our lives financially are things
over which we have no control. You and I for the most part have little
or no control over what the Fed is going to do this year, or over the economy
of Southern California or over the stock markets or other world markets.
You and I have little or no control as to what kinds of layoffs will take
place in our workplaces or what kind of hiring will take place or whether
there will be pay raises or pay decreases.
But, what happens is that we convince ourselves because of all these
forces over which we have no control that effect our financial situations
that, therefore, we are nothing more than victims or prisoners when it
comes to our finances. For the most part all we do is ask people to pray
for us and maybe throw up a few prayers ourselves, but other than that
we often feel as though there is nothing more we can do to remedy the stress
and pressures we feel when it comes to our finances.
Now, neither Pastor Tim nor myself in the series of messages which we
are beginning today purport to be financial wizards. We are not going to
tell you ten ways to make money in the markets this year or ten ways to
increase your sales or ten ways to boost your standing in your company.
Rather, what we want to do is tell you from the Bible important ways that
come from God as to how we can, in spite of the difficulties so many of
us face with paying bills and making it financially, break free from the
bondage which the devil holds and find a financial freedom which is not
dependent on a certain level of income.
Both in the messages this month, and in the groups which we are offering
on Sun., Tues., and Wed. nights we will be teaching and talking about God's
road to financial freedom. In the world, we have many people who will come
to us in seminars and books and tapes and videos all offering to us their
pathway to financial freedom. But how often have you ever taken the time
to find out God's way?
Because you see what God does is start not with our financial records
but in our hearts and minds. And the things that I am about to show you
in the Bible are designed more than anything to begin to set us free from
the bondage of the devil in our finances by setting us free from some of
the key deceptions that the devils uses when it comes to money and finances.
The Bible says that the devil is the father of lies, and there are some
very common and powerful lies that the devil uses in our minds, even without
us knowing it, that as I said hold us in bondage when it comes to our finances.
What we are going to do this morning is take a look at two different
passages in the Bible, one from Lev., and then one from Psalm 50. And I
chose these two passages because at first glance they seem to contradict
each other, and I will show you what I mean in a minute, but, when taken
together, they actually have a very powerful message. They answer a question
that when you answer this question, you will begin the first step on God's
road to financial freedom, and the question is, "Who's Money is it?" Answer
that one greatly and you will greatly reduce your stress this year.
Let's start with Lev. 27. This is the tail end
of a whole long string of laws or commands that God gave to Moses to give
to His people, the Jewish people, in addition to the 10 commandments when
Moses went up on the mountain. And this command is the last one that God
gave. Here's what God said....
Now let's move ahead to Psalm 50, because I'd
like to show you a passage which as I said at first seems to contradict
the one we just read. In Psalm 50:7, God says, "Hear, O my people... will
honor me." Here's the contradiction. At first, in Lev. 27 and as
you will find in numerous other passage in the Old Testament, God meticulous
teaches His people to tithe, to bring the first 10 percent of their income,
or more accurately the first 10 percent of whatever they used for income
to their local place of worship. 1 out of every 10 apples, 1 out every
10 bushels of wheat, 1 out of every 10 goats, 1 out of every 10 sheep,
1 out of every 10 bulls -- you name it, they were to bring it to their
tabernacle or temple, their local place of worship, and God seemed quite
strict that this is what He required. But then, in Psalm 50, God reflecting
about all these things the people would bring to the temple says, in effect,
go ahead and bring the stuff in but I don't need it.
Now, why would God say that in Psalm 50? Well, the reason was because
here's what was happening to the people. They thought, "Oh, OK, God gets
1, I get 10. These are God's bulls and God's grain and God's fruit, and
these are mine." And part of what God was trying to teach them and us is
this simple truth: all that we have does not belong to us. All that we
have in life belongs to God. This is the first point that I want to make
this morning. God is the owner, and we are the stewards. God was trying
to say to those people back then, just because you dedicate that 1 out
every 10 to me, that doesn't mean that the rest belong to you.
Look at v.10. "Every animal of the forest is mine." Look at the end of
v.12, "the world is mine, and all that is in it."
You see here lies the first and often foremost trap of the devil when
it comes to the deception and bondage in which he holds us when it comes
to our finances. The number one lie the devil will try to tell us time
and time again is that green stuff in your wallet or purse, that money
which is in your accounts, that paycheck you get at the end of your week
or month is your money. That car you are driving is your car. That house
in which you live is your house, and nobody better tell you what to do
with your money or your car or your house.
We have news segments now entitled MY MONEY. It hit me how we are bombarded
with this message. What to do with YOUR MONEY in 1996. Where you can best
protect YOUR MONEY. That's the message that comes not from the world but
I believe from the devil, and as I said, the devil perpetuates that lie
because it holds us in bondage. It's a trap.
You see, we like to think that it is our money because we convince ourselves
that if it is our money then we have the freedom and the control to do
with it whatever pleases us. The truth of the matter is, however, that
it is this belief, and this one alone which causes perhaps more stress
than anything else in our lives.
You see the more we convince ourselves that it is our money, and that
we are the ones providing the finances or resources to pay the bills and
make it in this world, the more we begin, without even realizing it, to
put incredible pressure and stress on ourselves in that area of our lives.
And the net result is that we find ourselves wondering and worrying, becoming
incredibly preoccupied with what are we going to do with our money, and
do we own or have enough money, and that my friends, is the beginning of
bondage.
Here's where I'd like you start. Tell yourself again this year. It is
not my money. All that I have belongs to God. And in many ways it is up
to God as to how much He is going to allow you to have and use this year.
Because you know what it means when I said, "God is the owner, and we are
the stewards." A steward was someone who was allowed to manage and take
care of certain money or property or other resources which didn't belong
to him but which he was asked to take care of by the owner. And basically,
when you put the passages together that we read this morning, that's the
message from God. In Psalm 50 God says He's the owner, but in Lev. 27,
and other passages like it in the Bible, God gives us very specific instructions
as to what He wants us to do as the stewards or managers of His money and
His resources.
In a way, I think tithing, giving the first 10 percent to God was designed
in part to teach and remind the people of that relationship, that when
they brought their tithe to the tabernacle or temple, it was a reminder,
God is the owner, I am the steward.
I am convinced that the beauty of us learning or relearning this relationship
this year is that actually, the more this sinks in, the greater relief
and comfort and freedom it will bring. Let me tell you a story that has
helped me tremendously in this area. A man started a business that went
very well, but the better the business went, the more stress he experienced
in life. Finally, one night he couldn't take it anymore. In a prayer, he
said, "God, that's it. I can't take it. I am giving the business to you."
And with a sigh of relief, he went to bed.
That night there was a call in the middle of the night, and on the other
end of the line, he heard one of his employees yelling, "Fire." He rushed
in his car to find the whole business aflame. But as he stood there and
watched the employee who called him ran up to him and told him how sorry
he was to which the man smiled. And the employee said, "Why are you smiling?"
To which the man replied, "Hey, I don't own this business anymore. I gave
it to the Lord tonight, and I said. God this is your business. You can
do with it what you want. I am here to serve you, but if you want to burn
this business down, then go ahead."
When I was a boy, there was a catechism lesson we always had to learn
at our church, and it went like this. First a question: what is your only
comfort in life and in death? And here is the answer that we were taught:
that I am not my own, but belong body and soul, in life and in death, to
my faithful Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Let God be the owner, and you
become the steward, and I guarantee you it will bring comfort and relief
to your financial struggles.
Now, here's the second thing we need to learn this morning that is very
much connected with the first and also can make a big dent in freeing us
up financially. And I owe this one to Pastor Tim because he says to me
all the time. Here' the lesson: God is not broke.
There is an expression here in Psalm 50 that is often used by Christians
where God says, "the cattle on a thousand hills are mine." I often think
about that expression when I drive down the 57 freeway between the 60 and
the 91 and see the cattle grazing up on the hills. The point is very simple.
God says to the people and us, I want you to know that because I am the
owner of everything in this world, I am not broke.
Now for us today, cattle on a thousand hills has very little meaning.
But suppose God said, I own all the billions and trillions and zillions
of dollars in this world. Every last dollar or franc or pound or whatever
other kind of currency there is in this world belongs to me. I own the
mansions on a thousand hills. I own every one of the homes in Beverly Hills.
I own Donald Trump and all his towers. I own the casinos and the multi-national
corporations of this world. It all belongs to me.
You and I when we look at our meager means and houses and belongings
may feel like small potatoes compared to those who are the wealthy and
powerful in this world, but make no mistakes, our God is no small potatoes
God. Our God is an awesome God, a God with unlimited resources and power,
unlimited wealth, and unlimited love for those who love His Son, Jesus.
Once we can break the first lie and begin to believe that God is the
owner, it becomes easier to deal with second lie that the devil so often
tells us, and that we don't have enough. I am convinced that when we look
at our bills, or when we look at an insert like the one today about giving
or when we read about God's command to tithe, for many of us our reaction
is: I don't have enough.
The Bible says as long as you see it as your money, that's true. Whoever
loves money, never has money enough. That's a quote from the Bible. But
when we begin to see it as God's money, can we ever say that He doesn't
have enough. We may hope and pray for Him to give us more, but the problem
is not that He doesn't have enough.
I'd like to bring back to what we learned last week from Psalm 37. Here
are the points I made last week in my message. God is faithful. Give and
you will receive. You see there is a connection, a vital connection between
those two points. The more you and I believe and trust that God is faithful,
that God has unlimited resources and love to meet all our needs and the
needs of our family this year, the more we will be willing to let go of
the money that is so often so precious to us, and to give. And the more
we, the more we and our children as Psalm 37 says will be blessed.
I think about this when it comes to tithing. I know there are many of
you who look at giving
10 percent and say, "That's just too much. I can't do that." Or you
say, "Does the church really need that much money? Isn't there a way to
cut back expenses?"
But God says in Psalm 50, if that's how you look at your giving, you
miss the point. It's not that the church or I need your money so much;
rather, the point is that you need to trust me. You need to believe that
I am not broke, and that by putting me first, I will provide for all your
needs." Think about this: if God is the one who asks people to tithe, and
God is not broke, then why would God ask us to do something and not give
us the means to do it. If God asks us to do something, we need to trust
that He is rich and able enough to give us the means to fulfill His desires.
It's that kind of trusting relationship that brings me to the last point
I want to make this morning. Look at the last thing we read in Psalm 50.
What God does is sort of puts it in a nutshell for us. And basically this
is what He says, I deliver you, or if you are keeping notes the point is,
God delivers us, and we honor Him. That's how it works. God says in
v. 15, "Call upon me. Do you have financial burdens, financial fears, huge
debts, incredible stress? Call upon me in the day of trouble, and I will
deliver you." That is the promise of God, a promise which the devil
does all he can to deceive into thinking that somehow that won't be true.
But all we have to do to see the truth of that promise is to look at
Jesus. Will God deliver us when we call to Him? Well, did God deliver us
from sin when He sent Jesus to come to die for our sin and guilt? Did God
deliver us from the clutches of the devil and from death or hell itself
when He sent His Son to die on the cross to take our place?
If God was willing to send His Son, don't you think He will send a few
dollars or some food or whatever else it is that your family will need
in 1996? If you call upon Him, God promises that He will deliver as He
already has done. Now that's God's part of the bargain. Here's ours. Because
God has and continues to deliver us in the day trouble, all that God asks
in return is that we honor Him, that we begin to put God first in our hearts
and lives, that we will honor Him with our marriages, our parenting, our
time, our business dealings, our work, and last but not least our money.
If you really want to find financial freedom, if you really want to
be set free from the bondage of the devil in this area of your life, then
God's road to freedom begins when we use our money to truly honor Him.
Some of us need to call upon God or Jesus right now because of a day of
trouble we are facing or is coming in our financial situations, but there
are others of us who need to make some adjustments to truly start honoring
the owner with the money that He has given to us.
How do we do that? Well, that's where you need to come to class. We're
going to be talking about the very things I spoke about this morning and
how in practical everyday ways these truths about God can make a difference
in our lives.
|