SPENDING SMARTER

Dollars & $ense #5

Pastor Dennis Clanton

Woodland Church

Sunday, February 5, 2023

(1 Timothy 6:17–18a) “Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. Tell them to use their money to do good.”

1. REMEMBER GOD OWNS IT ALL TRUST HIM.

(Psalm 24:1) “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him.”

(1 Chronicles 29:11–13) “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. 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. “O our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name!”

(Job 31:28, LB) “If I have put my trust in money,… it would mean that I denied the God of heaven.”

2. INVEST FOR ETERNITY; REVEALING THE LOVE OF GOD.

(1 Timothy 6:17–18) “Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others.”

3. CULTIVATE EVER INCREASING GENEROSITY; BRINGING GOD’S PEACE.

(1 Timothy 6:17–18) They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others.”

(2 Corinthians 9:10) “For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat.”

a. Systematic Generosity

b. Proportionate Generosity

c. Growing Generosity

4. HONOR GOD WITH YOUR WHOLE LIFE; IT’S THE WAY OF JESUS.

(1 Timothy 6:19) By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life.”

GROWTHWORK

(Proverbs 21:5) “Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.”

Godly work, in a just society, will profit, create wealth, and economic development that respects private property as a part of God’s blessing all humanity. Dennis Clanton

1. I NEED GRACE.

(Proverbs 21:5) “So don’t be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom.”

2. I NEED DISCERNMENT.

(1 Corinthians 6:12, ISV) “Everything is permissible for me, but not everything is helpful. Everything is permissible for me, but I will not allow anything to control me.”

The guiding principle here is whether you as a Christian are using things or whether things are using you. –James Boice, Philippians, p 247

3. I NEED TO INVEST SMARTER.

“Beware of little expenses, a small leak will sink a great ship.” –Benjamin Franklin

(Matthew 13:34, NIV) “Jesus … did not say anything to them without using a parable.”

(Luke 19:12–13) “He said, “A nobleman was called away to a distant empire to be crowned king and then return. Before he left, he called together ten of his servants and divided among them ten pounds of silver, saying, ‘Invest this for me while I am gone.”