1 Everyday Wisdom – Proverbs
Part 7 – Mastering The Money Maze
Sunday August 17, 2014
Pastor Mike Penninga
www.kgfchurch.com
Road Trip:
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Our family went on a road trip over the holidays, and Michelle packed several fun
activity books for the kids.
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Found myself helping the kids work through several mazes.
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You’ve probably seen these, a start point, a finish point, and lots of dead ends in
between.
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The goal is to find a way through without hitting a roadblock.
Learning the Trick:
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Now I know these are designed for kids, but some are pretty challenging.
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Until I discovered a trick.
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It’s easier if you start at the finish and work backwards.
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Not quite sure why, but the path seems to appear quicker when you start at the
end, the place you want to get to, and move towards the place you are.
Helpful Principle for Life
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This principle is helpful in many aspects of our lives.
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If you have a picture of where you want to end up, you work backwards to where
you are now.
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And when you know what the goal is, it affects your turns along the way.
Facebook Question:
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I posted this question on my Facebook page Tuesday.
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“When it comes to finances, what do you most want to be remembered for?”
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Had over 30 responses in just a few hours.
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(Read Responses)
1 What Do You Want To Be Remembered For?
2 •
What about you?
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When you are at the finish line looking back, what do you want your legacy to be
in this area?
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What story do you want to be able to tell when it comes to how you handled the
money maze?
Bibles / Bulletins
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Invite you to open your Bibles to the book of Proverbs
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Message Outlines in your bulletin.
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Smart phones / Tablets – YouVersion.
Summer Series: Everyday Wisdom
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We are in week 7 of our 9 week summer series, “Everyday Wisdom”, based on
the book of Proverbs.
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Proverbs was written by one of the wisest, and richest people who ever lived,
Solomon, and is filled with practical wisdom that impacts our everyday decisions.
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We began the series by agreeing smart people know stuff. . . but wise people
apply what they know to their lives.
Knowledge vs. Wisdom: Application
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The difference between knowledge and wisdom is application.
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The Bible is about application.
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It’s not just information.
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It’s not enough to know what it says, we are meant to live out God’s wisdom in
our everyday lives.
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It’s application that leads to transformation.
Spiritual Issue?
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Now some of you think money is not a very spiritual issue.
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But God seems to think it is.
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In fact, the Bible has more to say about money than many other so called
“spiritual” subjects.
2 3 •
You’ll find about 500 verses on prayer, less than 500 on faith, but over 23hundred verses on the subject of money and possessions.
Money In A Lifetime:
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And the truth is, a lot of money will flow through our hands in a lifetime.
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If the average income is about $50,000/year and the average person works about
40 years... that’s two-million dollars!
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You can adjust up or down depending your circumstances, but the truth is we’re
all millionaires, just takes time to get there.
Interested in God’s Perspective
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So if God is entrusting us with millions of dollars, and if money is a spiritual
issue, shouldn’t we be interested in what he says on the subject?
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The answer to that is a resounding “yes!”
Overarching Principle: Stewardship
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And when you read Proverbs and the rest of the Bible, this is the overarching
principle that you will discover.
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If you get this, it’ll change how you Navigate the Money Maze.
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This is a view from the “finish” line back to the start.
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You and I are stewards, not owners.
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We have been entrusted things to take care of that don’t belong to us.
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A steward is responsible for his master’s things.
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And scripture says we are stewarding God’s gifts.
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He owns, we manage.
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So what you have isn’t yours, it’s God’s, and in the end he will ask you to provide
an account for what you did with what He gave you.
Honor Lord with Wealth:
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Here is what Proverbs asks to do when it comes to money.
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Proverbs 3:9 “Honor the Lord with your wealth.”
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Do that and you will be good.
3 4 •
Live in such a way that God is honored by how you handle money and
possessions, and you will be on the right track.
Wallet – Ask for Cash:
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Does anybody have some cash in their wallet or purse?
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Can you take it out?
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There’s five things we can do with this.
1. We can earn it.
2. We can spend it.
3. We can save it.
4. We can borrow it.
5. We can give it.
(give money back)
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The Bible has things to say about all five of those things.
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How you make money, spend money, save money, borrow money, and give
money.
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Let’s look at these five areas.
Earning
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The overarching principle in Proverbs when it comes to this jar is we are called to
honest, hard work, not lazy, get rich quick schemes.
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Proverbs 13:11 “Wealth from get-rich-quick schemes quickly disappears; wealth
from hard work grows over time.”
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Proverbs 21:5 “Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty
shortcuts lead to poverty.”
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We are not to make an income through dishonest or sketchy means.
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Proverbs 11:1 “The LORD detests the use of dishonest scales, but he delights in
accurate weights.”
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Proverbs 28:6 “Better to be poor and honest than to be dishonest and rich.”
4 5 •
If your profession requires you to lie or mislead people, you are not in a
profession that honors God or that God can honor.
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Honor God in how you earn money, through hard work, honesty,
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Quick note. . . if you are relying on the lottery to make you rich, or this
unbelievable investment opportunity that a friend of a friend has passed on, you
need to pause and read Proverbs.
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Proverbs 21:5 “Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty
shortcuts lead to poverty.”
Spending
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Once we earn money, we tend to spend the money we’ve earned.
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I will suggest later a better way from God’s perspective, but let’s tackle this
bucket now.
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We live in a consumeristic culture that thrives by seeding discontentment.
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It’s not enough that you have a car, you need “this” car.
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Not enough that you have clothes, you need “these” clothes.
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Not enough that you have a place to live, you need “that” level.
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Proverbs reminds us not to run after the world’s standard.
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Proverbs 21:17 “Those who love pleasure become poor; those who love wine
and luxury will never be rich.”
Which Voice Listening To:
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When it comes right down to it, we need to be clear which voice we are going to
listen to.
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The voice of culture or the voice of Christ.
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Culture says “more”
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Christ says “enough”
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There is a joy in discovering contentment.
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The Apostle Paul said he had learned to be content in all circumstances.
5 Borrowing
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6 Our problem is we spend more than we earn so we end up in this third category,
borrowing, adding debt.
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Think about this.
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Before credit became common, being able to afford something meant being able
to pay for it.
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Now it means being able to afford the payments.
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And if you extend those payments out long enough, we think we can “afford”
anything.
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This gets us in tremendous trouble, enslaved really.
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Consumer debt has paralyzed a lot of people.
Handcuffs:
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This past week Bethany Smith in our front office was doing some cleaning up and
stumbled across these handcuffs.
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We were laughing about why they were there, perhaps to keep our staff from
straying too far from their desks.
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I thought they would be helpful in the sanctuary for the longer messages.
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But in reality, these handcuffs reflect how some of you are feeling when it comes
to this category.
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You’re enslaved.
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And the Bible agrees with you.
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Proverbs 22:7 “Just as the rich rule the poor, so the borrower is servant to the
lender.”
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When we borrow today what we think we’ll make tomorrow, we are presuming
on God’s provision.
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I’m not talking about things like mortgages, but consumer debt is so easy to rack
up because there is no shortage of things to buy and people who want to offer us
money or credit to buy it with.
6 7 •
Too much debt handcuffs us, and makes it difficult to be a good steward of what
God has entrusted to us.
Guaranteeing Debt:
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One other note when it comes to borrowing.
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Proverbs is very loud on the subject of guaranteeing another person’s debt.
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It says don’t do it, or be very cautious if you do.
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Proverbs 11:15 “There’s danger in putting up security for a stranger’s debt; it’s
safer not to guarantee another person’s debt.”
Saving
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The fourth bucket, Saving
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That may be a new word for some of you, let’s say it together, “Saving”.
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Saving is not something we do if there happens to be something left over at the
end.
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That’s why I think this order is wrong, but we’ll get to that.
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The bible says wisdom means preparing and planning ahead.
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Proverbs 23:20 “The wise store up choice food and olive oil, but fools gulp
theirs down.” (NIV)
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Proverbs 30:24-25 “There are four things on earth that are small but unusually
wise: Ants—they aren’t strong, but they store up food all summer.”
Saving vs. Hoarding
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The Bible says it’s wise to save, it’s unwise to hoard.
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What’s the difference?
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Saving means not presuming upon God. . . Hoarding is a means of replacing God.
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Parable Jesus tells of the rich man who tears his barns down to build bigger ones.
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Proverbs 30:8-9 “Give me neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough to
satisfy my needs. For if I grow rich, I may deny you and say, “Who is the LORD?”
And if I am too poor, I may steal and thus insult God’s holy name.”
7 8 Giving
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Here’s where can finally correct the order of these buckets.
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Giving does not come last.
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It comes first.
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Remember that verse we started with
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Proverbs 3:9-10 “Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the best part of
everything you produce. Then he will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will
overflow with good wine.”
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Other translations say “with the firstfruits” of your crop.
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Put God first in this part of your life, and He blesses you.
10-10-80 Principle:
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That’s why our family, our church, and many others, have sought to live on the
10-10-80 principle.
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The first 10 we give, the second 10 we save, and we live on the other 80.
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If that seems like a lot, then you have to be reminded none of it is yours.
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It’s all God’s.
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And He entrusts it to us to steward well.
What’s Your Finish Line?
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Remember that Facebook question I posed earlier this week?
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Remember the “finish” line that people shared?
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What do you most want to be remembered for when it comes to Finances?
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The overwhelming response – Generosity.
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We want to be generous people.
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We want to live generous lives.
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And if that’s where we want to be, then it affects our decisions today.
8 9 •
So many verses in Proverbs on this subject.
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Proverbs 22:9 “Blessed are those who are generous, because they feed the poor.”
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Proverbs 11:24-25 “Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose
everything. The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves
be refreshed.”
Generosity:
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Generosity shows others that our faith is real.
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“For God so loved that He gave. . .”
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Giving is an outcropping of love, and the two greatest commandments to love
God with your heart soul mind and strength and love your neighbor as yourself.
Wrong Order:
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The problem is we get caught up in these two buckets, spending and debt, that we
have no capacity for this bucket.
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But if we put this bucket before these buckets, then things seem to fall into place.
Three Tangibles:
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Three tangible things and then we’ll close.
Raise the Roof:
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As you know, we’ve been building up for our “Raise the Roof” campaign for
Gardom Lake Bible Camp.
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If you would look in your bulletins adjacent to the message
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(Explain Big Give Sunday)
Help Me:
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The other thing I realize is we are only scratching the surface on this crucial topic.
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And we know that some of you need some more personal help and
encouragement.
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Could each of you pull out this card from the rack in front of you.
(Communications Card)
9 10 •
We want to connect with those of you who would like to go deeper in God’s
everyday wisdom with the money maze, write your name and contact information
down.
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We are going to be creating special Life Groups, and perhaps a one day
workshop, designed to help you.
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It starts by reaching out, and we promise we’ll reach back.
Resource:
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Third, we have a resource available today that will help you immediately.
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(Show Getting A Godly Grip booklet)
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If you have a computer, encourage you to download it from our website.
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If you don’t have a computer, we have a few copies available at Starting Point.
Closing Song:
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Would you stand with me as Jon and the team come.
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I’ve asked them to close this morning with the great song by Robin Mark, “Jesus,
All For Jesus”, because the words really do speak to our desire to Honor God with
all aspects of our lives.
Pray.
Response Song
Next Steps:
• Prayer Team
• Communication Cards
• Resource @ Starting Point
• “Raise the Roof” Sunday
Benediction
• Numbers 6 ‘May the Lord bless you and keep you. . .”
10 Extra Verses from Proverbs
Proverbs 13:22 “Good people leave an inheritance to their grandchildren, but the
sinner’s wealth passes to the godly.”
11 Proverbs 28:27 “Whoever gives to the poor will lack nothing, but those who close their
eyes to poverty will be cursed.”
Proverbs 11:4 “Riches won’t help on the day of judgment, but right living can save you
from death.”
Proverbs 15:16 “Better to have little, with fear for the LORD, than to have great treasure
and inner turmoil”
Proverbs 23:4 “Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich. Be wise enough to know
when to quit.”
Proverbs 23:5 “In the blink of an eye wealth disappears, for it will sprout wings and fly
away like an eagle.”
Proverbs 28:20 “The trustworthy person will get a rich reward, but a person who wants
quick riches will get into trouble.”
Proverbs 11:28 “Trust in your money and down you go! But the godly flourish like
leaves in spring.”
11 12 Everyday Wisdom – Proverbs
Part 7 – “Navigating the Money Maze”
Sunday August 17, 2014
Pastor Mike Penninga
[email protected]
www.kgfchurch.com/live
WIFI password – ‘belonging’
Conquering the Maze - Starting @ Finish Line
“When it comes to finances, what do you most want to be remembered for?”
Knowledge vs. Wisdom – Information vs. Application
Is Money a Spiritual Issue?
Overarching Principle in the Bible
We are S_____________ not O________________
Proverbs 3:9 “Honor the Lord with your wealth.”
1. Earning
Proverbs 13:11 “Wealth from get-rich-quick schemes quickly disappears; wealth from
hard work grows over time.”
2. Spending
Which “voice” will we listen to? Culture’s or Christ’s?
The gift of “contentment” (Philippians 4:11-13)
Proverbs 21:17 “Those who love pleasure become poor; those who love wine and luxury
will never be rich.”
3. Borrowing
The danger of debt – handcuffs us
Proverbs 22:7 “Just as the rich rule the poor, so the borrower is servant to the lender.”
4. Saving
The Bible says wisdom means preparing and planning ahead.
Proverbs 23:20 “The wise store up choice food and olive oil, but fools gulp theirs
down.” (NIV)
5. Giving
10-10-80 Principle. Give 10, Save 10, Live on 80
Proverbs 11:24-25 “Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose
everything. The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be
refreshed.”
Next Steps:
1. Raise the Roof Campaign for Gardom Lake Bible Camp
2. Let us know how we can help you in this area, communication card
3. Resource available online, www.kgfchurch.com, and at Starting Point
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