Introduction: For three Sundays this month we are taking the time to examine three principles that will guide our church this year. We first talked about "The Cause: It’s All About People," then last week we addressed "The Mission: It’s All About Purpose," and today we’re going to talk about "The Cost: It’s All About Trust." We’re going to talk about your trusting God enough with your finances to give faithfully to Him this year. Being a church that is choosing to say that people matter to God and that God’s people are to be developed will cost us. It will cost us in many ways but it is going to cost us financially. That means we are going to be challenged to trust God with our finances as we give to him.

One thing that will keep you from giving maybe as you would like or need to is fear. We all have financial fears about the future. This past December the Major League Baseball Texas Rangers agreed to pay shortstop Alex Rodriguez 252 million dollars over the next ten years. Scott Boras, Alex’s agent, said that Rodriguez was trying to find an owner to communicate with and that he was taking care of his future. When I read that, what it said to me was it doesn't matter how much money you make, everybody has financial fears. We all fear that we're not going to have enough. Right now people are very anxious about the economy and whether the boom we have known is about to bust or has already burst. We all are afraid of not having what we want or what we need when the time comes.

God’s word has an answer for our fears. One of the most amazing, incredible, all encompassing promises in the Bible to answer our fears is Philippians 4:19. This verse is God's guarantee regarding your finances. It says, "God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus." This verse is so packed! First it says, "God will…." It doesn't say, "He might meet your needs"; it says, "He will." It's a fact. He's staking His character, His reputation on it. Then it says, "God will meet all…." It doesn't say, "I'll meet some of your needs." He says all, all your needs. It doesn't say, "I'll meet all your greeds." But it says, "I will meet all your needs according to God’s wealth, God’s riches." It's not based on my assets, thank God. It's based on what God has and He doesn't run out of resources. Finally, He says, "... for you in Christ Jesus." This is a promise only for believers. This is not a promise for everybody. God has not promised to meet everybody's needs in the same way he promises to meet the needs in a believer’s life. This is only for believers, for those who are in Christ Jesus. He says, "If you're one of My children, in My family, I promise to meet all your needs."

Then why do you have financial needs? Why do I know people who are believers who have financial needs? Did God fail? Did He lie? Exaggerate? No. With every promise there is a premise. There are conditions or requirements. There are things God says, "I'll do my part and you do your part." There are some conditions we can look at this morning. I want to look specifically at five. God says, "If you meet these conditions then I guarantee that I will meet all your financial needs." That's a pretty big promise. The guarantee is you do these things and you'll never have to worry about finances again. That's exactly what God says. God has promised to meet all my financial needs....

1. If I trust Him enough to ask for His help.

1. God has promised to meet my financial needs if I trust him enough to ASK FOR HIS HELP : James 4:2 says, "You do not have because you do not ask God." That's pretty clear. God is waiting for you to ask. God never shuts His storehouse until you shut your mouth. He wants to help. But the problem is, you don't ever ask. Jesus says, `Ask and it will be given you. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will open for you.'" Notice the first three letters of the words -- Ask, Search, Knock, What does that spell? ASK. God's saying it three ways. Get the message! Over twenty times in the New Testament God says, "Ask! I want you to ask!" One of the reasons why you never see miracles in your life is you never ask for it. Would you like to see God work in your life more? Start asking.

Here is a principle to guide us: Before you pay for it, pray for it. Stop and ask God. Give God a chance to give it to you before you go out and charge it. You probably depend more on your charge card than you do Jesus Christ. You're going to live within your income even if you have to charge it! God says, "Ask, I want you to ask Me for things." Before you pay for it, stop and pray for it. Why does God want me to ask? Because He's a loving father. Loving fathers love to bestow gifts on their children. I love to give my girls things and I'm a loving father.

In John 16:24 Jesus says, "You've not asked for anything in My name. Ask and you will receive so that your joy will be the fullest possible joy." Why does God want me to ask? So He can give. Why does He want to give? So I can receive. Why does He want me to receive? So I'll be full of joy. Why does He want me to be full of joy? It's a great advertisement for Jesus Christ. Joyful Christians are a positive testimony. First point: If you pray as much about your finances as you worry about them you'd have a lot less to worry about. God says Ask, I'm waiting for you to ask Me.

2. God has promised to meet my financial needs iF trust Him enough to LEARN TO BE CONTENT: Why? Because God's far more interested in your character than He is your comfort. He wants you to grow up, mature, be like Jesus. He's not just interested in making life easy so He watches your attitude. If I bought into the system that I think having more will make me more happy or if I just intend to use all the wealth selfishly or if I tend to think about things more than I think about God why in the world should He aid my addiction? He's watching your attitude. Have I learned to be content?

1 Timothy 6:6 says, "There is great gain in godliness combined with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world and we can take nothing out of it." If you've ever seen a baby born you know they don't come into the world with a whole lot. They're not holding on to anything. They don't come into the world with anything, just a little umbilical cord and that gets cut real quick. At the funeral you don't take anything out. So the things here on earth are just to use 80 or so years that you're here. He says, learn to be content. Don't sweat it. Don't make things the most important thing in your life. The most important things in life aren't things.

What is contentment? Contentment is not having any goals, ambition or financial goals. Contentment means my happiness is not dependent upon circumstances. Most people get caught into "when" and "then" thinking -- "When I get such and such, then I'll be happy." "When I get to a certain level economically... When I get a certain job ... When I can retire ... then I'll be happy. When I get the house paid off... When I get the bills paid off... then!" God says, "No, once you get there you'll always want something else. You always want more." God says I want you to learn contentment. It's saying, "My happiness is dependant upon the Lord not on my circumstances in life."

Contentment, though, is something we learn. Paul wrote in Philippians 4:12, "I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I've learned the secret of contentment in every situation." Contentment is something you have to learn. It's not something that comes naturally. I, by my nature, am naturally discontent. So are you. By your nature, you're naturally discontent. It's something you have to learn.

How do you learn to be content? This is the second requirement for God working in your life. You learn contentment by stopping the activity that causes me to be discontent. Comparing causes me to be discontent. God says it's stupid to compare yourself. You compare houses, clothes, cars. So we're constantly comparing. Comparing causes discontent and because of discontent God says, "You can't handle what I want to give you because you're putting too much priority on it in your life." Can God trust you with wealth? Have you learned to be content? God says He wants you to learn contentment.

I don't know why but God has chosen money to be the acid test of our faith. We spend our entire lives trying to make it, earn it, save it, spend it, use it, we think about it. So God chooses to use finances as the acid test of how much you trust Him. He wants us to ask when we have a need and learn to be content, that our happiness isn't dependent on how much or how little we've got. If you don't learn contentment, you'll never be happy. You never will because you'll always want more. God has promised to meet my financial needs if I trust him enough to learn to be content.

3. God has promised to meet my financial needs if I trust Him enough to PRACTICE GIVING IN FAITH: This is called the Law of the Harvest. 2 Corinthians 9:6-8 says, "Remember this, whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly. And whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each one should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion for God loves a cheerful giver." If ever you feel pressured to give, don't. God says don't give under pressure. You should only give when you want to give cheerfully. You don't get any credit for giving under pressure, giving out of guilt. God says it doesn't count. "I'm not just looking at the amount," says the Lord, "I'm looking at your attitude." "And God is able to make all grace abound to you so that in all thing at all times having all that you need you will abound in every good work."

Notice the promises there. This is the principle of Sowing and Reaping. This principle is the law of the universe and it applies to every area of your life. If I sow criticism, I'm going to reap criticism. If I sow kindness, I'm going to reap kindness. If I sow generosity, it's going to come back to me and I'm going to reap generosity. If I sow energy, I'm going to reap energy. It's amazing but if you go to a club and work out you'll feel tired, but the next day you'll have more energy, because by expending energy you produce more energy. It's like giving blood: You give blood and it just reproduces itself. It multiplies. Whatever you need more of you give away.

God says, this is the principle of sowing and reaping. Every farmer knows this. A farmer has four sacks of seed in his barn and he looks at his barren field, no crop. He doesn't start gripping -- "There's no crop! I wish there was a crop!" He just goes out and starts planting seed. Here's the rule: When you have a need plant a seed. He goes out, plants seed; it reproduces and he gets more than he had when he started. Do four sacks of seed produce four sacks of seed? No, they produce far more than that. They multiply a hundredfold. No farmer in his right mind would say, "I can't afford to plant, to sow. This is all the seed I've got, only four sacks of it. Therefore I'm just going to hold on to the seed." The only way he's going to get anything out of it is by giving it away. He's got to plant it. If he holds on to it, that's all he's got. But if he gives it away, it multiplies. That is true with your money. It's true with everything else in your life. It seems illogical that when I have a need, I need to give. It is illogical. That's why it requires faith.

The point is, when I hoard my money it's all I've got, but when I give it away, God multiplies it. We like to say, "Lord, when all my needs are met, then I'll give away." God says, "No, when you give away, then all your needs will be met." God says, "You prime the pump." Why? It requires faith.

Notice the "alls" in this verse: "God is able to make all grace abound to you so that in all things at all times having all that you need you will abound in every good work." If that verse is really true, what does that leave to worry about? Not much. I think "all" includes everything. It doesn't leave anything to worry about.

Proverbs 3 "Honor the Lord by giving Him the first part of all your income and He will fill your barns to overflow." This is the principle of tithing. It's the principle that every time I make $100, the first $10 goes back to God. If I make $1000, the first $100 goes back to God. Tithing is not charity. Tithing is an act of worship. I don't give it to somebody else, I give it to God. It's an act of worship that says, "All of it came from You in the first place and if it weren't for You I wouldn't have anything." God says, "Put Me first in your life and watch what I do. I'll bless you. Your barns will overflow." Why does He say, Give me the first part. He doesn't say, Pay all your bills and then give. You won't have any then. When Kathy and I got married we decided if anybody got paid, God was going to get paid first. The first ten percent of everything we've ever made goes back to the Lord. Because God needs it? No. Because He wants what it represents -- your heart. The Bible says, "Where your treasure is your heart is also." If you say Jesus is number one in your life, but He's not first in your finances and your time, He's not first. Quit kidding yourself.

Illustration: Poverty income $17,000 for family of four. Sent out 1176 pledge cards. Our budget: 1.6 million Tithe on poverty level income:$1,700 would make our receipts: $1,999,200. "Give and it will be given to you." Give the first part of the income to the Lord and watch Him bless it. It's like when I give part of my day to the Lord in a quiet time, He makes the rest of the day expand so I can get more done. When I give the first part of my income to the Lord, somehow He makes the other 90% expand and I am able to pay more with that. Some of you think you can't afford to tithe. But I honestly say, as your pastor, you can't afford not to. You can't afford not to if you really want God's blessing in your life.

4. God has promised to meet my financial needs if trust Him enough to MAINTAIN MY INTEGRITY: If I maintain my integrity, God says, "I will assume responsibility for all your financial needs." God doesn't bless dishonesty. Proverbs 16:11 "The Lord demands fairness in every business deal." That includes wages, sales, taxes. If you want God's blessing on your finance, you've got to be honest.

Proverbs 19:1 "Better to be poor and honest than rich and dishonest." Why? Because Jesus said, "What does it profit a man if he gain the whole world and loose his soul?" "The blessing of the Lord brings wealth and He adds no trouble to it." Have you ever known anybody who made money and it just brought trouble? Profit made dishonestly always brings trouble. Always. You will always reap what you sow. If you are dishonest with others, it will be returned to you. If you say "I haven't got caught!" -- the clock is still ticking. The game is still playing, the judgment is still out. You do not mock God and get away with it. Whatever you sow you will inevitably reap. Be honest. Be honest with your finances.

Sometimes the pressure to get ahead -- or just the pressure to keep up -- is so overwhelming that we, even as believers, are often tempted to compromise our ethics. And maybe to do a little shading of the truth in order to make a buck. Maybe we overvalue something or maybe we just don't tell somebody what's wrong with it when we're selling it to them or maybe we take a deduction on the taxes that really isn't there. Or maybe we just don't tell the truth in a situation. My guess is that everybody in this room has been there. Why? Because the draw to make a buck is so intense in our lives that many times we forget.

God has said that He will meet your needs if I ask for his help, and I learn contentment, and I give in faith, and I maintain my integrity. That decision to do what is right and trust God is not a once for all decision. It is a daily, moment by moment, decision.

5. God has promised to meet my financial needs if I trust Him enough to Give Him MY LIFE: Matthew 6:33 says, "Your heavenly Father already knows perfectly well what you need and he will give it to you if you give him first place in your life and live as he wants you to." When I was a child, anytime I had a need I'd go to my father and say "Dad, I need money for this... Dad, I need money for that." Not once in an entire lifetime of growing up did I ever wonder or worry about where he was going to find the money. It's his job. He's the father. I'm the child. Children spend. Parents provide. It's a deal we have. Many of you act like spiritual orphans. You forget that you've got a heavenly Father. It says your heavenly Father already knows what you need. He's just waiting for you to ask. He will provide. Does God take care of little birds? They don't worry. Nothing in all creation worries except human beings. Do those birds worry? No. Does this plant worry? No. The only thing in all creation that worries are human beings. Everything else trusts the heavenly Father and creator to care for their needs. The Bible says if God takes care of the birds, don't you think He'll take care of you if you trust Him. That's the issue. That's the bottom line there. How much do you trust God?

Worry is really just a form of Christian atheism. Every time you worry you're acting like an atheist. You're saying, "It all depends on me." If it's to be, it's up to me. That's just not in the Bible. Your heavenly Father has a big hand in all of this. Worry is a warning light that you're doubting the love of God and you always get in trouble when you doubt the love of God. I must trust Him with my life. It says, "If you give him first place." Why? Because as long as I love anything more than God that thing or person or item will become a source of anxiety. If you allow anything besides God to take first place in your life that item will become a source of anxiety because you can loose it.

1 Timothy 6 "Don't put your hope in wealth which is so uncertain. But put your hope in God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment." No matter how much you make you can still loose it all. It's uncertain thanks to lawsuits, thanks to long term illnesses, hospital bills, disasters. There are many ways you can be wiped out in a matter of months no matter how much you've got. You must always remind yourself, my security is not my bank account. No matter how much I've got in it, my security is not my bank account. My security is in the Lord. Don't hope in wealth. Hope in the Lord. If God turns off one faucet, He can turn on another. If He turns off one job, He can turn on another. You must seek the Lord.

Psalm 111:5 "He gives food to those who trust Him. He never forgets His promises." The book of Romans tells us that God sent His son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for you to pay for your salvation. If God loves you enough to send His own son to die for you, don't you think He loves you enough to take care of your bills? Don't you realize that any other problem is minor by comparison, that He solved your biggest problem when He saved you? The bottom line is really this: Am I going to believe God to do what He says He will do? That He will provide for me. Am I going to believe Him enough to do what He tells me to do as evidence of that faith?

Conclusion: If you're serious about being set free from financial fears, it's your choice. But you must choose to do what God has clearly told us to do. He's laid it out. He said, "I will do this -- the promise -- if you will obey the premise." I want to challenge you to solidify your commitment this morning. Have you decided, "I'm going to start asking God more for help in my finances, not just going out and charging it, but asking God for help. I'm going to start learning to be content with what I have, stop comparing. I'm going to start tithing the first part of my income as God has commanded and in faith that He's going to take care of my needs as an act of worship. I'm going to live with integrity and be honest in your finances, not cheat. I'm trusting Jesus Christ completely with every area of my life?

If you're not going to do any of the first four, don't kid yourself. You're not really doing number five. Jesus said, "If you love me, you keep my commandments." The bottom line is clear: If I trust him enough God will meet all of my needs.

Sunday, January 28, 2001

Dr. Bruce Tippit, Pastor

First Baptist Church

Jonesboro, Arkansas

btippit@fbcjonesboro.org