TRANSFORMING HOW I SEE & USE MONEY: 50 Days of Transformation Part 6

TRANSFORMING HOW I SEE & USE MONEY 

50 Days of Transformation – Part 6 (Financial Health)

Rick Warren 

March 1-2, 2014 

Jesus spoke more about money than about heaven or hell.  Over half of parables deal with money.
One out of six verses in Matthew, Mark and Luke deal with money management.
Money has a tremendous power and influence upon us for good or bad.
If you don't learn to manage your money, it will manage you.
It can cause stress or security. Bless or ruin.
 This is one of the most confusing stories that Jesus told.
It appears that Jesus is commending dishonesty, a clever crook - to teach us about how to handle and view money.

If you change your perspective about money it will transform your life.

Story of the Shrewd Manager: Luke 16:1-13

 Jesus said, “There once was a rich man who enlisted a manager to take
 care of his property. But the manager was accused of wasting his
 master’s possessions, so the Owner called him in and said, ‘You must
 now give me an account of your stewardship and report what you’ve
 done with what I entrusted to you because your time as a manager is
 ending!’
 The manager thought, 'What am I going to do now? I’m losing my job
but I’m not strong enough to dig ditches and I’m too proud to beg! I
know what I'll do—so that after I lose my job, I’ll have plenty of friends to
take care of me!’ So he called in everybody who was in debt to his
master.
He asked the first man, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ ‘800 gallons
of olive oil,’ he replied. The manager said, ‘OK. Tear up that bill, and
write a new bill that says you only owe 400 gallons.’ Next, the manager
found another debtor and asked, ‘How much do YOU owe?’ ‘1000
bushels of wheat,’ he replied. The manager said, ‘OK, change your bill to
say you only own 800.’ Now when the Master heard what the dishonest
manager had done, he still praised his shrewdness. For worldly people
are more shrewd in handling their affairs than are those who belong to
the Light.” verses 1-8

Jesus is speaking and teaching the pharisees - religious self centered, pious, critical and condemning hypocrites.  Jesus loved to shock them.

Jesus comforted the afflicted and afflicted the discomforting people.

God considers worthless - most things that people think are worthy of time, energy & money.
They are worthless to God and do not matter to Him.
If you truly wish to be transformed - learn to think and treat money differently... and use money the way God intends for money to be used.

Jesus also spoke to believers who are primarily poor money managers.
Jesus said the worldly people are more shrewd about affairs - clever, resourceful, analytical, action oriented.

God wants you to learn biblical shrewdness about money.
From this story we learn 4 things & 5 truths

WHAT NOT TO DO WITH MONEY: 4 PRINCIPLES

1. DON’T WASTE IT.
 “The manager was accused of wasting his master’s possession.”
 Luke 16:1
Whatever God entrusts to you - do not waste it. Take good care of it and manage it well.

2. DON’T LOVE IT OR LIVE FOR IT. 
 “No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one, and
 love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the
 other. You cannot serve both God and money.” Luke 16:13

If your career is most important priority - the God is not first in your life.
The heart of the problem is the problem of the heart.
It is difficult to work for 2 supervisors... you will tend to prefer one over the other.
It is easy for money to become a god.

3. DON’T TRUST IT.
 “What am I going to do now? I’m losing my job . . .” Luke 16:3

Never put your security in something that could be taken from you.
Put your security in something you can never lose.
Health, Beauty, Wealth, Things, Relationships, etc. - all can be lost.

 “Your money can be gone in a flash, as if it had grown wings and
 flown away like an eagle.” Proverbs 23:5 (TEV)

The government put eagles on every dollar - which is a reminder that money will always fly away.

4. DON’T EXPECT MONEY TO SATISFY
 “Whoever loves money will never have enough, and whoever loves
 wealth will never be satisfied with his income.” Ecclesiastes 5:10

When you get more money, you always want more and more.

 “Guard against all kinds of greed because your life is not
 measured by how much you own.” Luke 12:15

WHAT TO REMEMBER EVERYDAY: 5 TRUTHS

Act upon them and change your life.

1. IT ALL BELONGS TO GOD.
 “[The Owner] enlisted a manager to take care of HIS property.”
 Luke 16:1

Tell yourself:
"This is God's car, home, clothes, life, health, career, opportunities, possessions, relationships..." etc.
It all is on loan from God to use during your life.
We are all simply managing what God has blessed us with.
If it was not for God, you would not even have it or be alive to enjoy it.
He owns and created everything for His purpose.

When it does not belong to you, you don't have to worry about it as much.
You can turn to God about every problem.  He is the master and is responsible for everything.
How well are you taking care of God's property?
When I waste money, I am wasting God's money - if it all belongs to Him and is dedicated to Him.

Life is a test.
God is constantly testing you.
God's favorite tool is money management.


2. GOD USES MONEY TO TEST US

 o IT SHOWS WHAT I LOVE MOST.
 “Don’t store up treasure here on earth . . . Instead, store your
 treasures in heaven . . . for wherever your treasure is, that’s where
 your heart will be.” M atthew 6:19-21 (NLT)

You can't love without giving.
The more loving you are, the more generous you are.
What you give to shows what you care about.

 o IT SHOWS WHAT I TRUST
 “If you trust in your money, you will fall, but if you trust in God,
 you’ll flourish like a green tree.” Proverbs 11:28 (NLT)

Your spending shows your priorities. 
How you handle your money demonstrates if you trust God, and if God can trust you.

Out of control finances = an out of control life.

 o IT SHOWS IF YOU CAN BE TRUSTED IN OTHER AREAS
 “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with
 much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be
dishonest with much. If you have not been trustworthy in handling
 worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have
 not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give
 you property of your own?” Luke 16:10-12

This temporary life is a preparation for the eternal future life we will have ahead of us.

If you are irresponsible with your money on earth, you won't be trusted with true riches in heaven.
How I handle money determines how much God can bless my life.
There is a direct connection between money and maturity, my bucks and my blessings in life.
It is not about what I have, but rather what I do with what I have.

3.MONEY IS A TOOL FOR GOD's PURPOSES.
 “I tell you, ‘use your worldly wealth!’” Luke 16:9a

 Money is neutral.  It is neither good, nor bad. It is simply a tool to be used for God's purposes.
Use money, Love people. 
Never end up: Loving money then you will use people.

Use temporary resources for permanent good.
The best use of money is to save time.
You can always get more money, but you won't get more time.
Your time is your life.
If you waste time - it is suicide.
Use money to do good, save time, honor God, etc. use it as a powerful tool.

What the manager did right:

 o HE LOOKED AHEAD. (vs. 3)
 “The wise man looks ahead. The fool attempts to fool
 himself and won’t face facts.” Proverbs 14:8 (LB)
Wisdom: He thinks about the future.
What are the facts you refuse to admit.
You may be driving expensive vehicles or lifestyles you can't afford.
Most people do not save for retirement or have emergency funds, because they won't face facts to prepare for the future.
It is wise to help others now, so you will be cared for later in eternity.

 o HE MADE A PLAN. (vs. 4)
 “We should make plans—counting on God to direct us.”
 Proverbs 16:9 (LB)

A budget is planned spending.  Controlling your money, so your money does not control you.
Telling your money where you want it to go, instead of wondering where it went.
Money doesn't talk, it just walks away without you realizing it.
There is typically too much month left at the end of the money.

 o HE ACTED QUICKLY. (vs. 5-6)
Be proactive.  Stop procrastinating.
Everything in our culture and world urges us to use money for short term pleasure: "spend, buy, immediate, instant, gratification"... instead of delay gratification, save, plan, prepare for eternal gain.
Often times people use credit, they spend before they even have the cash.

4.THE BEST USE OF MONEY IS TO USE IT IN GETTING PEOPLE TO HEAVEN.
Jesus: “I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for
yourselves, so that when it is gone, they will welcome you
into your eternal dwelling.” Luke 16:9

Use your money and resources for influence and to build affluence for eternity.
The best investment is in relationships that are built upon Jesus Christ.
The only thing you can take with you to heaven is the relationships you have in Christ.
Will others be in heaven because of your investment of money?  That is the eternal IRA!

5. ONE DAY I WILL GIVE AN ACCOUNT TO GOD
 “You must now give me an account of your stewardship and report
 what you've done with what I entrusted to you because your time
 as a manager is ending!” Luke 16:2

You will be audited about your life: time, energy, money, relationships and all the blessings God entrusted to you to see if you were faithful.
Your management career on earth will end. 

It's not the amount - it is what you do with what you have.
You are not responsible for what you did not have.
(Talents, opportunities, resources, money)
You are accountable for what God does give to you.
The better you handle those gifts and talents the more trust worthy you are for more.
Faithfulness in little ways, will make you faithful in bigger ways.

Matthew 25:29  To all who have, more will be given, and they will have more than enough. But everything will be taken away from those who don’t have much.

Does God have first place in your life?
Does the way you use your money shows that you trust God and He can trust you?
Will anybody be in heaven, because of you?