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Financial Honesty Introduction: Our finances affects our relationship
with God, our spouses, family, and our fellowman. God uses money to teach us
lessons. He wants us to be good stewards, to use our resources to go to heaven,
be honest, act in faith, and give joyously. We are warned about loving money,
being greedy, dishonesty, covetousness, and placing our faith in the wrong
things. We know that living takes money and things can be expensive. How are we
going to pay all the bills; from childbirth to the funeral home and everything
in between? How are we going to survive? I)
Ways of Ungodly Gain a.
Being lazy and relying on others, 1
Timothy 5.8
i.
This
hurts our self esteem, Proverbs 19.15
ii.
Those
who will not work are not to be pitied, Matthew 25.26 b.
Rob and steal, Proverbs 1.10-19
i.
Obviously taking by force is wrong
ii.
Trickery or stealing by deceit, Hosea
12.7
iii.
Taking materials that is not ours
iv.
Not working for your pay
v.
Not paying your creditors c.
Gambling, Acts 20.33-35
i.
Gambling gives the illusion of
gain, 1 Timothy 6.10
ii.
Encouraged by gambling industry,
state lotteries, religion groups, civil groups, etc.
iii.
Violates good stewardship
iv.
Harms our neighbors, encourages
others to gamble, preys upon covetousness, and harms the poor. d.
Fleecing the flock, 1 Timothy 6.5
i.
Making merchandise of the brethren,
1 Peter 5.2
ii.
2. Using religion as a gimmick to
make money, Matthew 21.12 II)
Godly Ways To Make A
Living a.
Providing labor, Genesis 2.15 -16;
3.16-19
i.
This describes most of us
ii.
Jesus was a carpenter, Peter was a
fisherman, Paul a tent maker, David a sheep herder b.
Providing a product or service,
Acts 16.14
i.
Merchants provide a way of buying
and selling
ii.
Dentist, Doctors, Lawyers,
Mechanics, and others provide a particular skill c.
Inheritance, Deut. 21.15-17
i.
Can not depend on it but it is
mentioned in the Bible
ii.
Once you inherit it you must still
show good stewardship d.
Providing out of love, Acts 11.29
i.
Individual acts of kindness,
Galatians 6.10
ii.
Most acts of kindness are on an
individual basis III)
Our Application a.
If we are able to work we should,
Ephesians 4.28, 1 Timothy 5.18; Luke 10.7
i.
It gives us self esteem and purpose
in life
ii.
If a person will not work they are not acting as a Christian, 2 Thess. 3.10 1.
Young
people need to be taught to work, face their responsibilities 2.
Choose
your job carefully, training tends to increase pay 3.
Will
you be employable? Can you provide for your family? b.
Have the right attitude toward your
work, Colossians 3.23-24
i.
It is our service to God, Ephesians
6.5-8
ii.
We work to provide for our
families, give to the Lord, help those that are needy.
iii.
Do your best and you will be
rewarded, Proverbs 22.29 c.
Be honest, Proverbs 20.7
i.
Stand by your work, Proverbs 22.1
ii.
Pay a fair wage, Deut. 24.14
iii.
Seek a fair profit, Proverbs 16.8 Conclusion:
Story
of king selecting one of 3 sons to be the next king. He wanted the best son. God
wants us to do our best in His service. |