HIGHDEFINITIONGIVINGDR. DAVID JEREMIAH

GHD

SESSION 2Solomon’s Advice About

Money

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The Rich and the Poor• What are some common denominators

between the rich and the poor?–Money is a very powerful factor in each

of their lives.– They each have the same amount of

authority over the money they have.– They will each have exactly the same

amount to take with them to heaven.

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Commodities of Life• Money is who we are and what we do.• Money reflects our priorities and

desires.– The same can be true for what we have

exchanged for money…the commodities of our lives.

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Money Consultant• We need a solid expert to help us work

through our false assumptions about money and better understand what it really is.

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King Solomon’s Credentials• Author of:

– Ecclesiastes–Proverbs– Song of Solomon

• Richest and Wisest Man in the World

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The weight of the gold that Solomon received yearly was 666 talents, not including the revenues from merchants and traders and from all the Arabian kings and the governors of the land.

I Kings 10:14-15

(That’s about 25 tons of gold!)

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All King Solomon's goblets were gold, and all the household articles in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. Nothing was made of silver, because silver was considered of little value in Solomon's days.

I Kings 10:21

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I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me.

Ecclesiastes 2:9

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Risky Assumptions about Money• Solomon, in Ecclesiastes, encourages

us to get rid of some false assumptions about money:

– The Issue of Satisfaction– The Issue of Significance– The Issue of Security

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Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless.

Ecclesiastes 5:10

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The Issue of Satisfaction• Finding satisfaction in money is like

grasping for the wind. You can never, ever do it.

• “Everyone’s yearning power is always greater than their earning power.”

• Your money never quenches the thirst for more money.

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Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.

Ecclesiastes 2:11

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The Issue of Significance• Linking money with self esteem is a

fool’s errand.

• Many people work themselves to death to gain the respect of their peers and fuel their own feelings of significance.

• Solomon only found emptiness and vanity.

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Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle.

Proverbs 23:5

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The Issue of Security• People research and adjust investment

plans and portfolios in pursuit of security.

• Solomon had 25 tons of gold, and he’s telling us security isn’t found in money.

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The Issue of Security• Money is important and significant, but

security comes in recognizing that it comes from God.

• Wherever we find our security, there you will find your God/god.

• If Jesus Christ is our God, we can handle the money issues that come our way.

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Right Attitudes About Money• Now with the debris of false

assumptions out of the way, here are two foundations of right thinking about money:

–Money is a Gift from God–Money is to be Enjoyed as a Gift from

God

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Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work—this is a gift of God.

Ecclesiastes 5:19

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Money is a Gift from God• The money we have is a gift from the

hand of God.

• The means by which we acquire our money is a gift from the hand of God.

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When times are good, be happy . . .

Ecclesiastes 7:14(a)

(In the day of prosperity, be joyful . . .)

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Money is a Gift to be Enjoyed• The common assumption of the

Christian sitting through a stewardship series is that money should be a joyless and somber factor in our lives.

• Solomon advises detachment:–Do not root your joy in money, and do

not be devastated in its absence.

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Money is a Gift to be Enjoyed• One aversion to this subject is the

notion that the focus on the portion invalidates the whole.

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Money is a Gift to be Enjoyed• If you are doing what is right as a

generous, godly person, you do not need to be apologetic for the ways in which God blesses you.

• In fact, God promises lavish blessing upon those who act faithfully.

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Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops;

then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.

Proverbs 3:9-10

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Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.

Malachi 3:10

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Righteous Actions• Malachi provides further instructions

to straighten out our perspectives on giving.

• Tithing Will Perpetuate the Program of God on Earth– This is the means of providing for the

Church.–Bazaars and Bingo

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Righteous Actions• Tithing Points Out Our Priorities–Malachi 1 reminds us to bring forth our

best, not our worst.–We are to give God our best, not our

leftovers.– The way we tithe makes a statement

about how important we think God’s work is.

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Righteous Actions• Tithing Provides a Way to Prove God’s

Promises–God promises great blessing in Malachi

3:10.–Do we believe God can and will do that?–God’s promise expects action from us. He

will not compromise Himself if we fail to follow His instruction.

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Righteous Actions• Tithing Provides a Way to Promote Our

Faith–We have a natural fear of living on less

money and more faith.–When we do so, however, God can

change our attitude and way of thinking.– Your list of “must-haves” becomes more

negotiable.

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Righteous Actions• Tithing is a Way of Providing for Our

Needs–God is exceedingly faithful in extending

our 90% into 100% fulfillment of our needs.– Faithful tithing unlocks the blessing God

stands ready to give.

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Conclusion• Have you experienced the kind of attitude

shift associated with faithful giving?

• Do you trust, and have you experienced, the fulfillment of God’s promises?

• Are you faithfully obeying what God has put on your heart to do in your giving?