Actual ownership versus caring for the property of another changes the attitude. For instance, it’s much harder to be stingy if you don’t own anything. It’s much more difficult to worry or get stressed out when the property isn’t yours. It’s also much easier to give away or share that which belongs to another than that which belongs to yourself.

A sideshow strongman was exhibiting his strength and as a final trick he squeezed the juice from a lemon between his hands and then offered ten dollars to anyone in the audience who could squeeze another single drop out of it. Several husky men tried, but failed to get anything out of the lemon. Finally, a skinny little man with glasses came forward. He took the lemon in hand, and to the delight of the audience, managed to squeeze out one more drop. As the strongman paid out the ten dollars, he asked the little man, "What is the secret of your strength. How did you manage to get that last drop?" "Oh," the man replied, "I was a church treasurer for 30 years."

The preacher of a local congregation decided to take drastic action on stewardship: he hired an electrician to wire the pews. The next Sunday he said, "Today is Stewardship Day. We will be making our pledges publicly, in church, this morning. Who will pledge $50 a week?" As he said this, he motioned to the electrician to pull the switch, and about half the members jumped to their feet. The church treasurer quickly began recording names. As the minister called for those willing to give $75 per week, he once again motioned to the electrician, and the switch was pulled. This time, however, the voltage was increased, and as the dollar amounts increased, so did the voltage. Needless to say, it was a tremendously successful Stewardship campaign. As they were totaling pledges after the service, an elder came to tell the preacher that there might be a problem. Four members were so stubborn about their pledges that they remained in their seats the whole time, and were now seared to the pew.

Our text says, "Honor the Lord from your wealth." That’s what I want to talk about this morning. I want to suggest some ways that we can do that. My sermon is called "How to Get Your Financial Life in Order."

Money does play a large role in most of the things we do. It is unavoidable. How we chose to use money (or misuse it) will determine whether or not God is honored. Here are four things that need to happen if God is to be honored from our wealth.

The most basic of all teachings about money and possessions in the Bible is that it all belongs to God. Psalm 24:1 says, "The earth is the Lord's, and all it contains, the world, and those who dwell in it."

"For every beast of the forest is Mine," says Psalm 50:1, "the cattle on a thousand hills."

Haggai 2:8 verbalizes this same truth: "‘The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,’ declares the Lord of hosts."

Man may collect a lot of wealth and possessions in his lifetime, but no matter what his position or status, he always leaves this world empty-handed. His bank account, no matter how many figures there are in the balance column, always returns to zero when he checks out of here. Paul reminds us of this in 1 Timothy 6:7: "We have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either."

The so-called "Rich Fool" of Luke 12:16-21, when he had an abundance of everything, thought things over and decided that the best thing he could do was build bigger barns and accumulate still more wealth. He lost it all on the same night that God called for his soul. God Himself called him a fool.

We are only trustees of property that belongs to another. We are not the owners of what we posses.

The late Bishop Edwin Hughes once delivered a sermon called "God's Ownership" that put a certain rich church member’s nose out-of-joint. The wealthy man took the Bishop out for lunch, and then walked him through his elaborate gardens, woodlands, and farm. "Now are you going to tell me," he demanded when the tour was over, "that all this land does not belong to me?" The Bishop replied, "Ask me that question a hundred years from now."(1)

Someone who watches over the possessions of another looks at wealth very differently than one who actually owns something himself.

A man walked into a service station to have his car worked on. There he saw a mechanic thoroughly scrub his hands and begin cleaning the upholstery in a blue truck. The man changed the oil, tested the motor, checked the air pressure in all the tires, including the spare, and buffed over some rust spots on the rear bumper. The customer walked over the service manager, and pointed to the energetic mechanic, hoping to get him to work on his car. "I’ve been watching that guy, and he certainly looks like a good mechanic." "He is," laughed the service manager, "especially when he’s working on his own car!"

Actual ownership versus caring for the property of another changes the attitude. For instance, it’s much harder to be stingy if you don’t own anything. It’s much more difficult to worry or get stressed out when the property isn’t yours. It’s also much easier to give away or share that which belongs to another than that which belongs to yourself.

So many times sermons about money boil down to one party (the preacher) asking, "How can I persuade this person to part with some of his money?" while on the other hand the question being asked is, "How can I get out of here without parting with my money?" I, for one, have always hated that tug-of-war.

The truth is, neither of these questions is the right one. The only question that needs to be considered in a sermon about money is "How can all of us be better caretakers of the wealth God has entrusted to us so that we can obtain the best eternal benefit?"

So let’s clarify things. Even though this is a sermon about money, I’m not after what you have. Neither is the church after your money. For that matter, neither is God after your money. In the first place it isn’t your money. In the second place there isn’t any way it can become my money or the church’s money. And since it already belongs to God anyway, He can call for it any time He wants it. He doesn’t have to ask. So God isn’t after it either. My intent in this sermon then is to help all of us manage what we have temporary possession of in a way that pleases God and yields an eternal benefit.

Until we settle the ownership issue, that is, until we acknowledge the truth that it all belongs to God and not us and start living like we believe it, we will never get our financial lives in order.

So much of what we call "the faith" boils down to learning God’s will and adjusting our attitude to conform to it. We’ve already seen that in the issue of ownership.

I’ve often heard people quote the Bible: "Money is the root of all evil." Of course, that isn’t what the Bible says. The Bible says, "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 a pang."

Money is neutral. It has no power in itself. It cannot corrupt. It can be used to promote good or evil. It is loving money and longing for it that causes some to "wander away from the faith and pierce themselves with many a pang." A "pang" is a sharp feeling of emotional distress like grief or sorrow. Loving money can cause people to do things that bring a lot of grief and sorrow.

A Toledo, Ohio newspaper carried the following article back on March 18, 1989:

Loving money can be a problem. So can trusting in it. Paul told young Timothy,

"Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy."(3)

Money can buy a lot of things. But it cannot buy everything. It will eventually fail in the most important areas of life. As someone has aptly written,

It was this tendency of people to trust in their riches though, that prompted Jesus to say to His disciples, "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."(5)

Paul capsulated the right things to do to avoid these pitfall attitudes about money in 1 Tim 6:17-19 where he wrote:

How can we get our financial lives in order so as to please God? Thirdly, we need to:

The idea that I don’t really own what I possess but rather, am a caretaker for the possessions of another raises the issue of responsibility. According to the Bible, I will one day give an account of how I used the things with which God entrusted me. In the parable of the talents, once an amount had been entrusted to each servant, the master went away, expecting them to use what they were given wisely. Then one day he returned and demanded that they give an account.

If I’m going to give an account for how I use the money entrusted to me, I need to know what the Master expects. A Christian has three main areas of financial responsibility: His family, the church, and those in need. Let’s talk about each of them.

Paul wrote in 1 Tim 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."

God’s way of taking care of the needs of those unable to provide for themselves is to break society up into basic units called "families," and assign responsibility to the head of each of these units. This is far more efficient and compassionate than any other system man has developed. It is not the job of the government nor the job of the church to take care of the family, except in those instances where there is no healthy wage earner to do it. In fact, even in those cases where there is no healthy wage earner, God places the responsibility on the extended family, not the government or the church.

In 1 Timothy 5:3-4 Paul says,

"Honor widows who are widows indeed [a "widow indeed" is a woman who has no earthly means of support and no extended family to take care of her] but if any widow has children or grandchildren [what we would call today "extended family"] let them first learn to practice piety in regard to their own family, and to make some return to their parents; [in other words, let them, not the church or the government, provide for her support] for this is acceptable in the sight of God."

In order for God’s system to work properly, each family head must assume responsibility for his own immediate and extended family. God is so serious about this arrangement that He counts those who refuse to do it or neglect to do it as though they are in an even more perilous condition than unbelievers. There is no place in God’s kingdom for a healthy, able-to-work adult who refuses or neglects to earn his own bread and support his own family.

The second area of financial responsibility for the Christian is:

In both Old and New Testaments, God has instructed that a certain portion of our income be set aside for those who work among God’s people.

Galatians 6:6 says, "And let the one who is taught the word share all good things with him who teaches."

Paul said in 1 Corinthians 9:11, "If we [he was referring to the preachers and teachers who worked among them] sowed spiritual things in you, is it too much if we should reap material things from you?"

And in probably the clearest statement of all, 1 Corinthians 9:13-14, Paul said, "Do you not know that those who perform sacred services eat the food of the temple, and those who attend regularly to the altar have their share with the altar? [He’s speaking of those who worked in the Old Testament temple who were supported by the tithes and offerings of God’s people] So also the Lord directed those who proclaim the gospel to get their living from the gospel."

While it might seem like a conflict of interest for a preacher like me who is supported by the church to stand up and tell people that they have a responsibility to support those who work in the church, it is God’s way and the peril of not teaching it is far greater than the occasional disapproval of those who hear it.

By the way, support of such teachers includes elders as well as evangelists. 1 Tim 5:17-18 says, "Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor [in the original language there is a financial component to this word] especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, "You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing," and "The laborer is worthy of his wages."

Does this mean that Christians should tithe, that is, give a tenth of their income for the ongoing of the gospel and the church? Yes, it does. The tithe was legislated in the Old Testament. In the New Testament, God wants our motive in giving it to be cheerful and not under compulsion. It has never seemed reasonable to me that God would expect anything less for supporting the church (whose scope of ministry is the whole world) than He did from Israel (whose scope of ministry was a single nation).

All Christians should tithe. That includes the Christian who stands before you telling you this. Those who are supported by the church should tithe also, both as an example and for something else I will show you in just a moment.

Yes, there may be a few exceptions to this general statement that all Christians should tithe. For instance, a case where a Christian woman is married to a non-Christian husband and the husband does not consent. Obviously she won’t be able to give a tenth of their increase. Generally though, Christians should tithe and again, I’ll tell you why I’m so strong about that in just a moment.

Of course, no one here is going to audit your tax return to see whether you do or do not give a tenth (unless the IRS decides to review your 1040). That’s all between you and God. In fact, just so you know, I do not see or touch the money that comes in here to the church. Some of you have handed me checks on occasion and I usually refuse to take them or ask you to put them in the offering box. I receive a salary to take care of my living expenses. The money that comes in does not belong to me. We have a secretary and treasurer who take care of all the tithes and offerings. The only thing I ever hear from them is whether things are up or down.

So why am I so strong in saying that all Christians, with very few exceptions, should tithe? Because if you are not tithing, you are missing out on the only blessing where God has ever invited His people to put Him to the test.

In the last book of the Old Testament, in Malachi 3:10, we read these words: "‘Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘if I will not open for you the windows of heaven, and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows.’"

Tithe and God will pour out a blessing upon you until it goes beyond your needs. But that’s Old Testament, isn’t it? Yes, it is. However, there is a very similar statement in the New Testament. Jesus said, as recorded in Luke 6:38, "Give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, they will pour into your lap. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return."

Here then is a New Testament challenge to give that has a corresponding blessing attached, just like the Malachi passing in the Old Testament. In fact, there is proportionality mentioned. God will use the same measure in giving back to us that we use in giving to Him. If we hold back and use a teaspoon, God will hold back and use a teaspoon. If we use a five-gallon bucket, He will use the same. Apparently the often-heard statement is true: "You can’t out give God."

A certain businessman had a good year and placed a $10,000 dollar check in the offering plate on the last Sunday of the year. The following week there was a fire and his warehouse was burned to the ground. One of the church leaders, recognizing the potential for financial disaster, went out to the site to see the man and console him. During their conversation he offered to return the check that had been given the week before. "Yes," said the businessman. "I suppose I should take it back. After all, there’s no way I could have known this was going to happen." He took the check back and tore it in half. Then he wrote out another check for double the amount and handed it back. "Guess I’m going to need the Lord’s blessing now more than ever."

The third area of Christian responsibility is to:

Matthew 25:34-45 teaches us that we should feed the hungry, give water to the thirsty, offer hospitality to the stranger, cloth the naked, and visit the sick and imprisoned.

Galatians 6:10 says, "So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all men, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith."

When we see someone in genuine need, especially a fellow Christian, we are to offer assistance with the means God has given us.

Notice that I did say "genuine" need. There are plenty of freeloaders around. I don’t say we should help them. Paul instructed that they should go to work and if they wouldn’t work, we shouldn’t feed them.(6) However, giving to the genuinely needy is a third area of responsibility for those who want to have their financial lives in order with God.

So how can we address all of these responsibilities? We can do so when we:

The following three-part plan was given to me early in my Christian life through the writing of Donald Hunt. I used it then. I use it now. I believe it is a sound, God honoring way to address the financial issues of your life in a way that honors God.(7)

If you wait until you feel you can afford to do this, you’ll probably never get there. If you seize upon God’s challenge to test Him in this area of giving, you’ll find that soon you’ll be able to do it comfortably because God will pour out that blessing that He promised in His word. Test Him and see.

I say "legitimate bills" because we are not obligated to give our families everything they want. Sometimes people neglect tithes and offerings and give as a reason that they must support their families. But upon closer investigation, they go to all the latest movies, read all the latest magazines, and have lots of toys and clothes. There is nothing wrong with buying nice things, but someone who does it to the expense of giving God back the portion that is His is writing a prescription for continued financial problems.

It’s always best when we can do this with situations we are familiar with but sometimes we might also give to trusted charitable organizations or missions.

We can honor God and His ways successfully in our financial lives. It takes faith, yes. It takes determination, yes. It takes discipline, yes. But we can do it.

Footnotes: Please use your "back" button to return to your place.

1. Bennett Cerf, Leadership, Vol. 1, no. 2.
2. Toledo Blade, March 18, 1989.
3. 1 Timothy 6:17
4. Charles Swindoll
5. Mark 10:25
6. 2 Thessalonians 3:10
7. Thanks to the teaching of Donald G. Hunt then and now for the help this plan has given me.

Dave Redick is Minister of the Hwy 20 Church of Christ in Sweet Home, Oregon and Editor of The Preacher's Study. He may be reached at pstudysupport@comcast.net.

Copyright © 1996-2008 by The Preacher's Study. Permission is granted to subscribers to use this document in total or in sermon preparation in the context of the local congregation only. Publishing it in a book, on the Internet, or anyplace beyond the local congregation is prohibited.

All Scripture quotations and references are from the New American Standard Version unless otherwise stated.

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