Transformed Week 7 - How I See and Use Money

TRANSFORMED – How I See and Use Money

Message by:
Pastor Terry Crawford
Covenant Church
Shepherdstown, WV

Have you ever been where the bills are more than the income? You have more month than you have money. Or you want to do something bigger or deeper or more compassionate with your resources and when you look around, you don’t have any extra. Every person who lives in this century will be affected by their use of money or someone else’s use of money. And as we go through our 50 days of Transformation, dealing will spiritual health, physical health, mental health, emotional health, relational health and vocational health, we also have the great opportunity to look today at another area of our lives that needs health.

Parable: An earthly story with a heavenly meaning.

Luke 16:1-9 (NIV) ¹ Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. ² So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’ ³ “The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg— ⁴ I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’ ⁵ “So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ ⁶ “‘Nine hundred gallons of olive oil,’ he replied. “The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred and fifty.’ ⁷ “Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?’“‘A thousand bushels of wheat,’ he replied. “He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred.’ ⁸ “The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. ⁹ I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.

Jesus was talking to managers, not masters.

IMPORTANT THINGS TO REMEMBER ABOUT MONEY

1. IT ALL BELONGS TO GOD!
   
   Luke 16:3 (NIV) ³ “The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg—



2. WE CAN MANAGE IT WELL OR BADLY.
   
   Luke 16:1, 8 (NIV) ¹ Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. , ⁸ “The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light.


Reasons We Aren’t Better With Our Finances •
• We don’t want to be.
•
• We want to be but don’t know how.
•
• We want to be and know how, but keep sliding back into bad habits.



3. THE BEST USE OF MONEY IS TO GET PEOPLE INTO HEAVEN.
   
   Luke 16:9 (NIV) ⁹ I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.


MONEY IS A:


• TOOL OF GREAT VALUE
  
  Luke 16:9 (NIV) ⁹ I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.



• TEST OF OUR PRIORITIES
  
  Luke 16:10-12 (NIV) ¹⁰ “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. ¹¹ So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? ¹² And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?
  
  Mathew 6:19-21 (NIV) ¹⁹ “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
  
  Proverbs 11:28 (NIV) Those who trust in their riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf.



• TRADEMARK OF WHO WE ARE
  
  Luke 16:13 (NIV) “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

NEXT STEPS

• Today I recognize my mismanagement of God’s resources and commit to prioritize my finances.
• Today I commit to join what God is doing at Covenant through regular giving.
• This week I will do one thing financially to invest into eternity.