Financial Freedom
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· 4 viewsEsses versículos destacam a relação entre fé, obediência e bênçãos materiais, sempre fundamentada na confiança em Deus, não em riquezas ou sabedoria humana.
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Transcript
Intro.
Welcome
Prov.3:7-10
Talking about the campaign… and God’s promises…
Today we are going to talk about the theme “Financial Freedom”.
The text of our reflection today talks about three wonderful promises: wisdom, health and prosperity.
Read the text:
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil.
- **Humility and dependence on God**
8 It will be health to your flesh, And strength to your bones.
- **Physical and spiritual blessings** as a result of fearing the Lord
9 Honor the Lord with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your increase;
- **Generosity and putting God first** in resources
10 So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine.
What a promise the Lord has made!
**Promise of abundant provision** for those who obey
…
Finance - Relevant Topic
Finance - Relevant Topic
When I talk to you about finances, I know I’m talking about something relevant.
Total household debt in the US is $17.987 trillion as of the first quarter of 2024. (Source: Business Insider)
Total household debt in the US is $17.987 trillion as of the first quarter of 2024. (Source: Business Insider)
Another source says: the US reached a record $18.04 trillion. Credit card balances reached $1.21 trillion.
The amount of money the average family owes to banks, department stores, and other lending institutions has been increasing.
Per capita debt has been increasing at an average rate of 5% per year since 2001.
The US population today is approximately 332 million, if we divide the debt by the number of people - men, women, and children - each person would be responsible for a debt of approximately: $54,381. (2024) men, women, and children
The US population today is a debt-ridden population.
Average U.S. household debt: $105,056 in 2024.
Delinquencies: The share of outstanding debt in delinquency rose in the fourth quarter of 2024, reaching a five-year high.
When I talk to you about finances, I know I’m talking about something important.
7 The rich rules over the poor, And the borrower is servant to the lender.
I want to say that God has a plan for you, and God’s plan for you is not to be a slave;
God’s plan is for you to have freedom!
God’s plan is for you to have freedom!
God does not want His children to be slaves to anything or anyone except the Lord Jesus Christ. Because when we are slaves of Christ we are in perfect freedom, for the Bible says: “Therefore if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:36)
1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
We have been saved and set free to do the good works which God prepared in advance for us to do”
But the devil has a plan to oppose that.
We are in the book of Proverbs, where we find basic foundations, general rules or essential values that guide our thinking and our conduct through life.
Illustration: Ne.5
But often we need a good illustration, and today we have a great illustration in the book of Nehemiah. Nehemiah 5.
I want you to mention Nehemiah 5, because there, in chapter 5, we will find an illustration of what we are talking about. And what a wonderful illustration it is!
The people of Nehemiah’s day were on a building campaign, just like we are doing. They were on a building campaign to rebuild the walls around Jerusalem. And this was God’s will. It was God’s work for them. God had commanded it to be done. You know, I believe that whatever God commands, God pays. And God wanted this to be done. And so God allowed it to be done. I believe that God wants us to build. So I say that God will enable us to do what He has led us to do.
But on the other hand, every time God’s people say, “Let’s do God’s work,” the devil will say, “Let’s stop them!” And that’s what he tried to do to these people in the days of Nehemiah. And the way he tried to stop them was by bringing them into financial bondage, because if people are in a situation of financial bondage, they can’t do what God wants them to do.
Now listen. I’m going to tell you something. The same devil that tried to put those people into financial bondage is the same devil that’s going to try to put YOU into financial bondage. And if you, the members of this church, are in financial bondage, we can’t do what God wants us to do, because we’ve stepped out of His will and into financial bondage.
1 Now the men and their wives raised a great outcry against their fellow Jews.
2 Some were saying, “We and our sons and daughters are numerous; in order for us to eat and stay alive, we must get grain.”
3 Others were saying, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards and our homes to get grain during the famine.”
4 Still others were saying, “We have had to borrow money to pay the king’s tax on our fields and vineyards.
5 Although we are of the same flesh and blood as our fellow Jews and though our children are as good as theirs, yet we have to subject our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but we are powerless, because our fields and our vineyards belong to others.”
How sad, how tragic this financial slavery was for God’s people!
Now, let’s look at the problem they had and see if it rings a bell.
First of all, there was strife. Look at verse 1. The Bible says,
“Now the men and their wives raised a great outcry against their fellow Jews.” There was strife.
They were fighting over money.
Has your family ever fought over money? Have you ever argued over money?
Have you ever heard of a church that had a division, a problem, over money?
Some wedding ceremonies should say, “Till debt do us part,” right? There was strife.
Not only was there strife, but there was also a lack of basic human necessities. Look at verse 2: ““We and our sons and daughters are numerous; in order for us to eat and stay alive, we must get grain.””
That means there were some of them who were on welfare.
People had to bring offerings to them—ordinary food offerings, basic foods—so that they could stay alive.
And then continue to notice. Some of them had mortgaged their homes and their land. Verse 3:
“We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards and our homes to get grain during the famine.”
They weren’t mortgaging their homes to build a swimming pool.
They weren’t adding an extra bathroom. Listen.
They had mortgaged their homes and their farms to meet their daily needs, just to put food on the table just to have basic foods on the table.
And on top of that, they were deeply in debt. Look at verse 4:
““We have had to borrow money to pay the king’s tax on our fields and vineyards.
They were borrowing money, not to make an investment; no, no, they had borrowed money to pay their taxes, to pay their income tax.
Have you ever borrowed money to pay your income tax?
That’s what they did. That’s what made them distressed.
And because of these things, they were in a situation of financial slavery.
Look now at verse 5:
Although we are of the same flesh and blood as our fellow Jews and though our children are as good as theirs, yet we have to subject our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but we are powerless, because our fields and our vineyards belong to others.”
What they said was, “We don’t just mortgage our homes; we don’t just mortgage our lands; we mortgage our children’s futures.”
We are living in a very rare day in American history when children leave home to go to school, and by the time they graduate from college they are already up to their necks in debt—student loan debt. -
Student Loan the “Mortgage of your future” -
That’s how it was in the days of Nehemiah—debt was hanging over the shoulders of God’s people, and they were sold into slavery, and because of that, their own children were entering life not with a legacy, but with a burden. Financial slavery.
It sounds a lot like what we see today. An accelerated outbreak of financial slavery.
Now, think about it: What happens if people in a church are in debt? They are in a state of financial slavery.
And the devil is having dominion over them. They are in his hands.
Now We are the church. We are today’s generation of worshipers!
And how are we going to do what God has told us to do if the devil has put God’s people in financial bondage?
God does not want His people to be in financial bondage in any way!
Some may be saying, thank God I am not in a situation of financial bondage—because I have money saved and I am very careful with my spending. I have everything planned out.
You may be in greater bondage than you realize. Did you know that the rich can be in financial bondage just as much as the poor?
Continue reading …
Nehemiah 5:6–7 “6 When I heard their complaint and these accusations, I was furious. 7 I took stock of everything and then rebuked the nobles and the officials, saying to them, “You are charging interest to your fellow countrymen!” So I called a great assembly against them.”
Now who were the nobles? Who were the officials? These were the rich. These were the crafty people. And what they did was take advantage of a situation. They knew that the poor, in this specific sense, were helpless, and they knew that through cunning, manipulation, and exorbitant interest rates, they could rob the poor, take from the poor, and become even richer. And they were helping to put God’s people in a situation of financial slavery. They were approaching a situation and manipulating that situation, acquiring land and money.
There is nothing wrong with acquiring land. There is nothing wrong with having wealth, because it is “the LORD your God” who “gives you power to get wealth.” (Deuteronomy 8:18) But what happened here was that these people were extorting money; they were conniving; they were using unethical methods to get money—and they were getting rich illicitly.
So they were also in financial bondage. …
Now, I want to give you some principles on how to get out of financial slavery. True, infallible, inerrant principles, because they are principles straight from the Word of God.
I. The Principle of Priority
I. The Principle of Priority
Now, number one - listen: The first principle of prosperity and the first principle of financial freedom is priority - you need to put God in the right place in your life!
And where is God in your life? “Where is God’s right place?”
Matthew, chapter 6, verse 33:
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
If you put things first and God second, you will fail.
If you put God first and things second, God will take care of things. - Jeremiah 1:12 “12 The Lord said to me, “You have seen correctly, for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled.””
I didn’t say that, God did. Matthew 6:33 - write it down: … “Seek first” - first, first - “the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
It’s the same thing we read back in Prov.3:9-10
9 Honor the Lord with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your increase;
10 So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine.
Honor the Lord with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your increase - with the firstfruits - the firstfruits!
God will not come second to anyone or anything.
Now, until you put God first, you have no right to expect Him to give you financial freedom. (You have No Promises to Claim)
Why should God give you financial freedom if He is not first in your life? What do you think you would do with that freedom?
Is God first in your life? Look, listen. We are to love people, use things, and worship God. Most of us worship money, love things, and use people.
Is God first in your life? This is not just a rhetorical question. I am asking you to ask yourself this question. I mean, ask it deep in your soul: Is God first?
As you sit here, is God absolutely, totally first in your life?
Is Jesus Christ Lord of all? “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
And the fear of God is not only the beginning of wisdom (Psalm 111:10; Proverbs 9:10), it is the beginning of prosperity. True wealth is having the fear of the Lord.
II. The Principle of Work
II. The Principle of Work
Second principle: not just the principle of Priority, but the principle of Work.
Financial freedom is spelled W-O-R-K! //
And I’ll tell you this about human nature; maybe some of you here think like this.
You know why you want more money? So you don’t have to work anymore.
There are a lot of people who have the idea that, “Gee, if I had enough money, I wouldn’t have to work. Everybody would work and I could do whatever I wanted.”
That would be a disaster for you. I don’t care how much money you have: God wants you to work. You say, “What about when I retire?” That just means you’ll have more time to serve God. That’s what retirement is for. You’re not supposed to become indolent. You’re not supposed to become lazy. You’re not supposed to sit around. God wants you to work.
4 The lazy man will not plow because of winter; He will beg during harvest and have nothing.
It is good to mark this text - and underline it.
One frosty morning, the lazy old man wakes up. The alarm clock rings. The fields outside need to be plowed. And he sees a little frost on the windowpanes. And he feels so good under the covers. He says, “Man, I’m not going out today.” So he pulls the covers up to his chin and goes back to sleep. Now he is not going to prosper. And it is not because God did not answer his prayer. It is not because God has failed him. Dear friend, he is just lazy - and God will not bless him.
13 Do not love sleep, lest you come to poverty; Open your eyes, and you will be satisfied with bread.
This is so clear, it doesn’t need any explanation. Let’s go to Proverbs, chapter 28 and verse 19.
Remember that the author of Proverbs is talking to farmers, so you will have to apply this to your own life…
19 Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies will have their fill of poverty.
Do you know what a fantasy chaser is? It’s the guy who says, “Dude, you don’t have to work. I’ll show you something really cool.” The Bible says in verse 20,
20 A faithful man will abound with blessings, But he who hastens to be rich will not go unpunished.
In other words, he’s going to get himself into big trouble. Whenever someone comes to you and says, “I’m going to show you how to double your money overnight; I’m going to show you a get-rich-quick scheme,” beware. There is no substitute for work in God’s world.
We should pray, “God, give us this day our daily bread”; but the Bible also says, “If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.” (2 Thessalonians 3:10)
But we have some people today who actually think work is a dirty word and think that the government might owe them a living. Friend, you can’t legislate freedom for the poor by legislating freedom for the rich. And what one person gets without working, another person has to work to get. The government can’t give anyone anything that the government hasn’t first taken from someone.
And when half the people get the idea that they don’t need to work because the other half will take care of them, and when the other half get the idea that there’s no point in working because someone else will take what I work for, that, my dear friend, is the end of any nation. And the Bible that says, “Six days you shall work” (Exodus 20:9; Deuteronomy 5:13) is the same Bible that says, “One day you shall rest.” (Exodus 23:12) And many of us remember the Bible that says, “One day of rest,” but we don’t remember that the Bible says, “Six days you shall work.” And you can’t multiply wealth by dividing it.
“Well,” you say, “don’t you think we should take care of the poor?” Of course—if they can’t take care of themselves. What about the needy? If they can’t work, they should be taken care of. But there’s a biblical principle: “If a man won’t work, neither should he eat.” “Nor shall he” - that is biblical. That is not cruel. That is God’s Word. You are not kinder than God, ladies and gentlemen.
III. The Principle of Generosity
III. The Principle of Generosity
The third principle I want to introduce to you is what I call the principle of generosity.
Now listen, friends. Do you want God to bless you?
Learn to share with others. Take a look at Proverbs chapter 11 for a moment, and let’s look at verse 24.
24 There is one who scatters, yet increases more; And there is one who withholds more than is right, But it leads to poverty.
In God’s world, math works differently—“the more you give, the more you have.” God is saying, “The more you share, the more you have; the more you hoard, the less you have.” That’s what He says right here:
25 The generous soul will be made rich, And he who waters will also be watered himself.
This is what God says. Now, look at Luke chapter 6, verse 38. God says,
38 Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”
The Bible says in 2 Corinthians chapter 9, verse 6,
6 But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
You need to learn the principle of generosity.
IV. The Principle of Reliability
IV. The Principle of Reliability
Now, there is another principle. It is the principle of reliability—that God is Reliable.
10 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 there will not be room enough to store it.
You may be wondering, how am I going to do this? “What am I going to tithe with? I can’t do that. It’s impossible!”
“Don’t view tithing as impossible. View your tithing as essential.” “IT IS ESSENTIAL”
Return your tithe - (Biblical minimum is 10% of ALL your income, the first fruits, the first part of your income…)
Do as the Word of God teaches: “Bring the whole tithe to the storehouse, … Put me to the test,” says the Lord of hosts,
Do it with faith in your heart and you will not go hungry, you will not be evicted, you will never have to borrow money again to cover basic needs…
You will have a better quality of life with ninety percent of your income than with the 100% you have today.
Tithing is an act of faith, and the Bible says that if we have faith, even if it is the size of a mustard seed, nothing will be impossible for us.
We must begin to imagine God’s prosperity. Vividly imagine the relief, happiness and peace of mind you will feel when the last payment is made.
Beloved, tithing is the surest and most effective way to fast way for you to get out of financial slavery. Because God Himself guaranteed the results,
“See if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out on you so great a blessing that you will not have room to store it.”
and God’s promises never fail!
Romans 4:21 “21 being fully convinced that what He had promised He was able to perform.”
Conclusion
Conclusion
God wants His people to be freed from financial slavery.
I am convinced that tithing does this, which is why I teach and practice it.
Andrea and I have been tithers since we were converted to Christ, and there is something about the practice of tithing that cannot be explained in purely rational terms.
Tithing seems to put one in touch with some mysterious force that attracts money. Not a lot of money, necessarily, but enough for the tither’s needs.
Over the years, in sermons and lectures, I have recommended tithing to hundreds of people, and hundreds have been persuaded to try it. Of those hundreds, not one has ever come back to me to say that the experiment did not work, or that they regretted it, or that it was a mistake. Not a single one.
It is almost as if there is an invisible reservoir of abundance in the heavenly realms that can be tapped if you will simply obey certain spiritual laws.
The word abundance, I am told, comes from a Latin phrase that means “to rise in waves.” When you tithe, it seems like little waves of abundance begin to surge around you.
So if you are facing financial difficulties, face them not only with courage and intelligence, but also with sincere faith and complete trust in God.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful when God’s people are free from all kinds of slavery? God’s people “give generously and see their wealth increase.”
“Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over will be poured into your lap.”
God opens the windows of heaven.
God says, “See how much my people love me. They have been faithful in these material things. Now I will honor them in spiritual things.” God wants you to be free.
Amen!
