Here are the extended notes from yesterday's message at a2 Church. This is Part 6 in our series titled, GAME PLAN. It focuses on the third major area in life where a GAME PLAN is crucial. You can check out the podcast of the entire message by clicking here to go to our website or here if you prefer iTunes.
MONEY
Game Plan - Part 6
77% (almost 8 out of every 10) Americans are now living paycheck to paycheck. That’s up from 61% in 2009. ~ CareerBuilder.com
One in five (22 percent) indicate that they’ve missed paying bills within the last year. ~ CareerBuilder.com
Most of us are one setback away from economic disaster…
The average American household carries almost $16,000 in credit card debt. ~ creditcard.com
According to frugaldad.com, the average American consumer has about:
* $6818 in credit card debt
* $193,036 in home mortgage loans
* $52,559 in home equity loans
* $14,449 in car loans, and,
* $26,368 in student loans…
Craig Groeschel has accurately said:
• Everybody ends up somewhere.
• Few people end up somewhere on purpose.
• Maybe that’s why, most people end up in the hole. ~ Craig Groeschel, Chazown
NOTES: In Matthew 25 Jesus told a story about a wealthy CEO and three of his employees… All three of the employees where given an incredible opportunity and all three of them had to make a decision about what they wanted to do…
This story teaches us five facts about God, money and you and me… It starts in Matthew 25:14.
Five Facts About God, Money and You and Me:
Matthew 25:14 (NLT), …the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a trip. He called together his servants and gave them money to invest for him while he was gone.
Matthew 25:15 (NIV), To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey.
NOTES: One talent was equal in value to about 10,000 denarii. In the first century, the average worker would work an entire day for one derarius. But a single talent was worth about 10,000 denarii. So, one talent was the equivalent somewhere in the neighborhood of fifteen years’ wages…
The majority of people in this time period lived from day to day... They didn’t have a savings account… They didn’t have a 401K… One talent or ten thousand denarii represented a staggering fortune….
If you or me were one of these employees and something like this happened to us, it would have totally changed our life… This was the opportunity of a lifetime.”
Matthew 25:16 (NIV), The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work…
FACT #1: We’ve All Been Given the Opportunity of a Lifetime.
NOTES: God has entrusted His property to you and me... Everybody receives a gift… We’ve all been given the opportunity of a lifetime… This isn’t a story where some are gifted and others are not. We’ve all been given the shot of a lifetime… The question is, “Will we prize and appreciate the gifts and resources God has given us? We will respond ‘at once’ to the shot that is before us…”
The third servant took the greatest gift he had ever be given and buried it in a field…
Matthew 25:18 (NIV), …the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
QUESTION: “Who did this money belong to? Did the money belong to the CEO or the Employee?”
This was the Master’s money! The Master was the Owner and the servant was the steward.
FACT #2: Eventually Every One of Us Have to Come to Terms with the Issue of Ownership.
Ownership is a myth. Stewardship is a reality.
Stewardship Defined: The biblical concept that describes our management of the resources and assets God brings into our lives is the word “stewardship.” A “steward” is a manager. When it comes to our resources (things like our time, energy, abilities, finances and possessions) we are managers, not owners.
Stewardship is about using God-given resources according to God-given principles, purposes and goals. It's about managing everything God brings into my life in a manner that honors God and impacts eternity.
NOTES: Every one of us have to come to terms with the issue of ownership. From beginning to end, Scripture repeatedly emphasizes the fact that it all belongs to God…
Deuteronomy 10:14 (NLT), Look, the highest heavens and the earth and everything in it all belong to the Lord your God.
Job 41:11 (NLT), Who has given me anything that I need to pay back?
Everything under heaven is mine.
1 Chronicles 29:11-14 (NLT), Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things. 12 Wealth and honor come from you alone, for you rule over everything. Power and might are in your hand, and at your discretion people are made great and given strength. 13 “O our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name! 14 But who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to you? Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you first gave us!
Psalm 24:1 (NLT), The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.
The world and all its people belong to him.
Haggai 2:8 (NLT), The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
NOTES: Stewardship begins with the realization that everything we have has been given to us by God and that ownership still rests in his hands. The way we think about our money and possessions hinges on this reality… Because if it’s really true that God owns it all, then God has the rights and I have the responsibility.
IMPORTANT: If God really owns it all, then maybe I need to implement a plan that will allow me to wisely manage the assets God has placed at my disposal…
The 10-10-80 Plan
1) Honor God with the first ten percent of your income.
Malachi 3:10 (NLT), “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse…”
2) Set aside ten percent of your income for savings.
3) Live on the rest!
APPLICATION: Settle the ownership issue and implement a plan!
NOTES: One day the wealthy CEO returned to settle accounts…
Matthew 25:19 (NLT), After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money.
FACT #3: Ultimately, We Will All Give An Account To God For The Way We Steward or Invest Our Time, Energy, Abilities and Money.
NOTES: A performance review is coming my way that will make every other performance review pale in comparison. We won’t be able to finesse or charm our way out of this one… This is what the third employee forgot…
Here’s what the one talent guy said to the Master…
Matthew 25:24-25, “Then the servant who had received the one talent came and said, ‘sir, I know you are a hard man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate. 25I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth and here it is.’”
FACT #4: The Biggest Obstacle Most of Us Face When It Comes to Practicing Biblical Stewardship Is Fear.
Matthew 25:25, I was afraid I would lose your money…
NOTES: This servant wanted a promise that nothing would go wrong… That’s not part of the deal…
Fear makes a lot of people bury the treasure God has given them. This is one of the reasons Jesus taught so often about the subject of money… Because when you get down to brass tacks, the real issue when it comes to the way you manage your money is all about TRUST… What or who am I going to put my trust in?
Matthew 25:24-25, “…I know you are a hard man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate. 25I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth and here it is.’”
Here’s the way the Master responded…
Matthew 25:26 (NLT), But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant!’
NOTES: When Jesus used the word “lazy” He was not necessarily talking about “inactivity.” You can look busy and still be lazy… The word Jesus used for “lazy” refers to the refusal to do what needs to be done when it needs to be done...
QUESTION: What did this guy do that was so bad?
Jesus said the guy simply did nothing… GET THIS: the servant wasn’t judged for the bad things he did. He was judged for doing nothing. He didn’t steal, embezzle or defraud, He just took his gift and buried it…
Matthew 25:26-30, “But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! You think I’m a hard man, do you, harvesting crops I didn’t plant and gathering crops I didn’t cultivate? 27Well, you should at least have put my money into the bank so I could have some interest. 28Take the money from this servant and give it to the one who has ten talents. 29To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who are unfaithful, even what little they have will be taken away. 30Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’”
FACT #5: One Day We Will Be Rewarded For Stewarding God’s Investment Wisely.
NOTES: In Verse 20-23, Jesus calls the five talent guy and the two talent guy in and this is what He says to them…
Matthew 25:20-23 (NIV), The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’
21“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant!’
Can you imagine hearing that from God?
Matthew 25:21-23 (NIV), “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things…
Matthew 25:21-23 (NIV), ‘…I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
“Your adventure is just getting started…”
The Master is still looking for people He can trust with His stuff…
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