Trusting God When Money Is Tight

Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
Little bit of struggle when it comes to time
for the offering.
Amen.
Tell your neighbor this is foryou too.
Amen.
Amen.
Let's read our meditation texttogether.
Hopefully, we can meditate onthis during the week.
We can put that.
Here we go.
Let's read.
But my God shall supply all yourneed according to his riches in

(00:25):
glory by Christ Jesus.
Amen.
He will do it.
Amen.
Yes, he will.
Our main text comes from Lukechapter 21, verses 1 through 4.
Read the Dead Bible, the NewEnglish translation.
And here's how it reads.

(00:45):
Jesus looked up and saw the richputting in their gifts into the
offering box.
He also saw a poor widow put intwo small copper coins.
And he said, I tell you thetruth, this poor widow has put
in more than all of them.
They all offered their gifts outof their wealth, but she out of

(01:09):
her poverty put in everythingshe had to live on.
I want to talk about trustingGod when the money is tight.
Trusting God when the money.
Say your neighbor, it's beentight lately.
It's been tight.
It's been tight.
It's been tight.

(01:29):
How do we trust God?
How do we trust God when themoney is tight?
How do we remain generous in agritty economy?
And I think most of us wouldagree in some respects that this
economy is like a squeeze on ourpocketbooks, amen.
Just a few statistics with anyfew statistics would indicate

(01:51):
that average family carriesabout$270,000 in mortgage debt
and$6,600 in credit card debt.
Amen.
Expensive children.

(02:13):
20% of parents report spending$30,000 a year on child care.
Housing expenses, whether rentor mortgage, represent about 35%
of the average household budget.

(02:37):
So we surely are in a grittyeconomy.
53% of Americans state thatthey're engaging in what is now
called financial gymnastics.
That is, they are constantlytrying to balance their income
with spending essentials.
Back in my day, they used to saywe just robbing Peter to pay

(02:59):
par.
So I guess they got newterminology for some old habits.
And surely with the recentdeflection from the truth about
the Epstein files, this conjuredIranian war, we are already

(03:20):
seeing a 10 to 15% increase inprices at the gas pump.
And to quote my main man,soon-to-be congressman of the
30th district here in Texas,Pastor Freddie Haynes.
It's one thing I do know aboutthe Epstein files.

(03:41):
You won't find Obama's name inthem.
Tell your neighbor you'll catchthat on the way home.
My friend is preaching this weekon giving.
He's talking about regimechange.
I said it needs to start inAmerica.
Amen.
Okay, I ain't gonna preach aboutthat.
I got it all out.
But my point is, we live in agritty economy and it's getting

(04:04):
grittier by the day.
How do we trust God when themoney is tight?
And I believe this text, andI've used this text before, and
I believe it's appropriate forour times.
I'll be forthright with thistext.
This is a text I believe,unfortunately, that many have
misused and misapplied whenspeaking on the subject of

(04:26):
giving.
The homiletical argument goessomething like this.
Look at this poor widow.
She has nothing.
Look at her amazing faith.
Down to her last two coppercoins, about a half cent each in
our terminology.
And here she is, barely able toprovide for herself, and she

(04:51):
gives her all.
And the point goes somethinglike this: if this poor widow
who had nothing can put in herall, what does that say about
you and I?
And even if you don't have it,you ought to give it because God
deserves it.
Sounds nice.
I'm not sure if it convicts.

(05:12):
And I'm not even sure if ithonors God.
But I don't believe that's whatthe text is saying.
And as we've tried to teach inBible study methods every first
Wednesday, we have to understanda text within its context.
And the issue is not what Iwanted to say, the issue is what

(05:33):
did the author have in mind, andhow did the audience understand
what the author was trying toshare?
And I think the answer to thatis easily discerned if we go
back to the previous context.
Chapter 20, verse 47, theprevious verse.

(05:54):
And in that verse, Jesuscondemns the religious
leadership for how they abusedand misused the widow's limited
resources.
Look what he says in chapter 20,verse 747.
He says, You devoured thewidow's property.
Law demanded that.
Care for the most vulnerable insociety, especially the widows,

(06:15):
was the responsibility of thereligious leadership.
Widows were completely dependenton their husbands for financial
support.
And if the husband died, theyhad no means for providing for
themselves.
No such thing as 401k, no suchthing as Social Security, no
such thing as a death benefitwhen it came to an insurance

(06:39):
policy.
They were at the whim of theirhusband's financial means.
And many widows, because theydid not have the money, resorted
to prostitution just to supportthemselves.
That's why in Jesus' ministry hehung out and allowed prostitutes
to hang out with him.
Not because he had someperverted sexual interest, but

(07:02):
because he knew that they werethere, not because they wanted
to.
That ought to be a word to allof us as people of faith.
That you don't know why peopledo what they do and why they are
where they are.
Don't be so quick to judgesomebody.
You don't have the whole story.
Jesus knew the whole story andinvited and welcomed those who

(07:27):
were marginal.
But then to make matters worse,in that same verse, verse 47,
they carried on in public withlong, pretentious public
prayers, as if their hands wereclean and their hearts were
pure.
And I can hear Jeremiah saying,God desires mercy for his people

(07:47):
over ostentatious religiousexercise.
In a word, it's alright to havehallelujah moments.
It's alright have a good time inworship.
But my worship up here ought tolead to some help this way.
If I can worship God where I am,I ought to be concerned with my

(08:07):
brother and my sister that'sstruggling and sitting next to
me.
God wants us to share ourhearts.
So the issue in the text is notabout the size of your gift or
whether you have it or you don'thave it.
The issue in the text is aboutthe size of our heart.
In a word, this widow said, I'mgonna trust God even when the

(08:31):
money is tight.
I'm gonna trust God in the faceof blatant injustice and overt
corruption.
I'm not gonna allow somecorrupt, crooked, religious
charlatans deter me from a wayof living generously.
I've decided to trust God nomatter what.

(08:51):
So here's my thesis statementthis morning.
Giving is a definitive statementthat God is first in our lives.
Oh, there are many ways we candeclare God first.
But Jesus said, where yourtreasure is, that's where your
heart is.
Ask that woman next to you, askyour lover in your life.

(09:12):
You you can talk with words oflove all you want, but she's
gonna want to know, did you makea sacrifice?
I wish I had an amen from thosesisters here today.
My giving says something aboutwhat I think about my God.
And my brothers and sisters, wemust understand that in this
life we're gonna have some upsand downs.

(09:33):
In this life, things not gonnaalways go our way.
In this life, we're gonna havesome good days and some bad
days.
Times of prosperity and times ofa gritty economy.
And in those times, God willtest our faith.
And he's gonna ask the questionAm I still worthy when you had
it?

(09:54):
Do I do I still have, do youstill have the faith to declare
me first in your life?
I'll say it like this.
My wife and I, we've alwaystried to maintain above and
beyond what we've set as astandard for Christ's community.
We've set as a standard forChrist's community that we want

(10:16):
all givers to give 10%.
But if you can't give 10%, startsomewhere with God.
I don't believe in coercivegiving.
God doesn't need me to take.
He don't need to take, he don'tneed my money, y'all.
The Bible says cat on a thousandheels belong to him, and
grandmama says the heels do too.
So he's not sitting there tryingto take it from me.

(10:40):
Wants me to give freely.
So that's the standard we'veset.
And then we've also said that ifwe do that as a church, we'd
have one special offering atChristmas, and that would
support the church.
That if God calls us to doanything above and beyond,
whether it's restoration orwhether it's uh expanding our

(11:03):
ministry, anything like that, webring it before the people where
we do this thing together.
And our stand up for my wife andI is always to be above and
beyond whatever we ask thechurch to do.
But I gotta be honest with youthis morning.
Whenever we pray about a specialoffering, I'm a preacher, I'm a

(11:26):
pastor, I don't care what yousay, I love Jesus.
I don't care what you say, Ilove Jesus.
But when we pray about it, about99% of the time, my number is
always lower than Lisa's.

(11:48):
No matter how many times, Ithink one time we were mad, and
matter of fact, recently weprayed about something that we
were given.
I ain't gonna tell you what it'sabout.
We were given something, and Iknew my number was high.
She still came in higher than mynumber.
So when I got to the point wherethe Lord just said to me,
Whatever number she said, justgive that amount right there.

(12:10):
Now don't look at me and judgeme now.
Don't you judge me?
But how many of y'all know weall struggle with giving?
How many of y'all know that whenGod puts a number on your heart,
sometimes it's a struggle.
But I've learned over the yearsthat whatever number God puts on
my heart or even on my wife, oron both of us together, not only

(12:31):
has God provided to hit thenumber, but he's given above and
beyond more than we could ask orthink.
But more than anything, this iswhat I've learned for myself,
y'all.
It is in those times that Godsays, I'm worth it.
I'm worth it to declare me asfirst in your life.
And when I declare him first, hehas a way of using that to

(12:55):
stretch my faith.
He has a way of using that tobuild my faith.
He has a way of using that tomake me stronger as a person of
faith to stand before him.
God will use your giving toprove to the world that he is
first in your life.
So let me just say a few thingsabout this.

(13:16):
How do we handle this when themoney is tight?
Number one, first of all, wehave to understand and remember
that giving is always aboutstewardship.
In a word, generosity flourishesout of a lifestyle of good
stewardship.
God expects me and you to manageour finances responsibly.

(13:39):
He who is faithful of a fewthings, I will what?
Make you ruler over many things.
God wants me to be responsiblefor what I already have.
And that's what we see in verse3 and 4 when Jesus turns to the
disciples and said, Look at thiswidow, look what she put in.

(14:00):
Not only is he evaluating theoffering, he's also evaluating
what she has.
So, in a word, whenever I givean offering, not only does Jesus
see what I give, but he seeswhat I keep.
He sees what I manage and how Ihandle what he's already given

(14:20):
me.
So we have to be good stewardswhen it comes to giving.
So, number one, let me say itlike this: giving is not a
lottery pipe dream.
Many times we have thistit-for-tit mentality when we
come to God with giving.
Well, if I give God this, he'sgonna give me that.
No, it doesn't work that way.
If I give God this, I'm gonnahit the slot sheet and I'll be

(14:41):
set for life.
Oh, here's the one I like.
Well, when I when I hit thelottery, that's when I'm gonna
give to God.
And I'm like, if you ain'tgiving to God now, you sure
ain't gonna give it to him whenyou hit the lottery, baby.
It's not a slot sheet.
Listen, y'all, giving is anopportunity to say to God, you
are first in my life.

(15:03):
You are the source ofeverything.
And the only reason I have anoffering this morning is because
you provided everything elsethat I have.
You the head of everything Ihave.
Also, too, God is not advocatingdebt giving.
Hear me well, because I knowthis ain't popular with my

(15:24):
prosperity Christian uhpreachers, but I'm gonna say it.
God does not call anyone to gointo debt to giving.
Let me say that again.
God does not call anyone to gointo debt to give an offering.
That is not God.
That's greedy preachers thatcare nothing about the gospel of

(15:48):
Jesus Christ.
My God says He came into my lifeto make it better, not make it
worse.
Well, Pastor, if I don't haveit, what's the real issue?
What God is saying, He's notgonna make you go into debt with
giving.
But what he is gonna say, youneed to look at what I've

(16:08):
already given you.
And you need to evaluate howyou're spending and handling
what you already have.
So when I don't have it, Godsays, No, go back and take a
look at what you already have.
And as I said earlier, that'swhy Jesus said, Where your
treasure is, that's what yourheart is.

(16:29):
That's where your heart is.
What does that mean?
All I have to do is look atwhere I'm spending my money the
most, and you'll discover what Ireally trust.
So I spend all my money goingout to eat every single day of
the week.
I'm going out Friday night, I'mgoing out big time, and come to
Sunday and don't have anythingto give.
I'm telling God where mytreasure is.

(16:50):
I trust my food more than Itrust my God.
If I spend all my money onentertaining me, going here,
going to this concert, goingthere and traveling there and
going and know I don't have themoney, going to Vegas where
everything stays in Vegas andall that kind of stuff.

(17:11):
What I'm telling God, I am moreinterested in what blesses me,
and I'm not interested in you.
And so God says, no, you got toevaluate and look at where your
money is going.
So here it is, when the moneygets tight, tell your neighbor,
don't cut God.
You need to cut somenon-essentials.

(17:34):
That's what a bad economy means.
Bad economy doesn't mean cutGod, because in a bad economy,
you're gonna need God.
You're gonna need him in a goodeconomy and a bad economy.
You you want God on your side.
But in a bad economy, it's atime to evaluate and cut the
non-essentials.

(17:54):
So we gotta cut out thosesubscriptions we ain't using.
Cut out those exercisememberships we ain't used since
the beginning of the year, sayamen.
Cut out Netflix that we don'teven watch.
Some of us we don't need to bewatching, say amen.
Amazon Prime, DoorDash, all thatkind of stuff.
Just get all the maps off yourphone.
There go your offering rightthere.

(18:19):
See, see, I was I was in retailsales.
I I used to sell uh analgesicsfor McNeil Consumer Products.
And and we we understood onething.
Now there was a there was asituation where you put it on
the shelf and you wanted to haveshelf presence for people to buy
your product.

(18:40):
And if you had good shelfpresence, you you did pretty
well.
But the money mover was notshelf presence, it was those
in-cap impulse buying displays.
Impulse buying is what reallyfattens the bottom line.
In other words, you want to getpeople in a certain mood, you

(19:00):
want to make sure they hear theyjam.
Yeah.
And when they hear they jam andthey see their color, even
though they had no intentions ofspending that money, next thing
you know, they'll find itsomewhere and it comes out and
they spent money they don't evenhave.
Listen to what one report says.

(19:21):
The average American adultspends approximately$1,500 a
month on impulse spending.
That's unplanned, unbudgetedspending.
That's$18,000 a year.
That ain't an offering, that's atithe right there.
In a word, when it comes to ourgiving, y'all, God wants us to

(19:43):
be good stewards.
God has no problem with youbeing blessed.
He wants you to be blessed.
James says every good andperfect thing comes from him.
And he gives us good things toenjoy, not to lose our mind.
That's another sermon rightthere.

(20:03):
That's a whole nother sermon.
So, number one, number one,listen, giving is about good
stewardship.
Let me say this.
Uh, God also, more thananything, let me say this under
this last thought.
God desires for us to be agenerous people.
God desires for us to begenerous.
Why?
Because our God is generous.
For God so loved the world thathe gave his only begotten son.

(20:26):
We can't say we love God and notbe generous.
God is a generous God.
And I don't know about you.
Doesn't it feel right to knowthat if you've helped somebody,
you've done something right withyour money?
Am I right about it?
Always feels right.
Proverbs 11 and 25.
A generous person will prosper.

(20:47):
Whoever refreshes others will berefreshed.
God has a way of using ourgenerosity to refresh others.
And so, number one, giving isabout stewardship.
Number two, giving reminds usthat God is our provider.
That's what she's doing.
When she brings these two smallcopper coins, she's basically
saying, God, you are myprovider.

(21:09):
It's her way of exposing God.
This is how you're gonna leaveme like this?
She's saying, Look, look, youare my provider.
I know you're gonna make a wayout of no way.
And she you and God will usegritty times to remind us that
He is our provider.
Not our job, not our employer,not our paycheck, not our resume

(21:35):
or our skills, not a goodeconomy, and not based on who's
in the White House or who's notwho's not in the White House.
God says, I am the one thatgives you the power to make
money.
Uh Psalm 34 and 10.
Even young lions sometimes lackfood and are hungry, but those
who seek the Lord lack no goodthing.

(21:56):
The Lord knows what we need.
God also wants me.
To bring my concerns to him whenI have financial concerns.
So sometimes in a grittyeconomy, what God is saying, I
need you to come talk to meabout it.
Talk to me about those expenses.
Talk to me about how expensivethey are.
He's not surprised byinflations, layoffs, or rising

(22:18):
consumer price.
Jesus said, Your heavenly Fatherknows exactly what you need.
Paul says, be anxious fornothing but in everything by
prayer and supplication withthanksgiving.
Let your request be made knownto God.
And how many of y'all know thepeace of God that passes all
understanding will guard yourhearts and minds in Christ

(22:40):
Jesus?
Bring your anxieties aboutfinances to the Lord.
Bring those expensive childrento the Lord.
And then they got the nerve tocomplain, and they're so
expensive.
Amen.
Said, Lord, do you see thesekids about to eat me out of

(23:03):
house and home?
Bring that expensive spouse tothe Lord.
Preach, Pastor.
Preach.
Preach it right there.
Preach it.
Bring it to the Lord.
Bring your anxieties to theLord.
And the Lord knows how to make adifference.

But here's the real issue (23:19):
God wants us to understand the
difference between a need and awant.
Because sometimes we're askingGod to fill a need when in fact
it's really a want.
That's why Paul says, My Godshall supply your every need.
Doesn't say that God will supplyevery want.
And sometimes God will take usthrough a gritty economy to let

(23:40):
us know you don't need 40 pairsof shoes in your closet.
Oh Lord, you ain't talking to menow.
You ain't talking to me now.
40, okay, I'm going to mess withthe men.
40 suits in your closet.

unknown (23:53):
Okay?

SPEAKER_00 (23:55):
It's knowing the difference between a need and a
want.
And God is faithful to meet ourneeds.
Faithful to meet our needs.
Faithful to make sure we havefood to eat, clothes to wear,
and a roof over our head.
But can I testify here for aminute?

(24:15):
God will meet our needs.
He doesn't promise to meet ourwants.
But every now and then, doesanybody know?
He'll still give you what youwant.
Oh, come on now.
God will take care of yourneeds.
But sometimes, every now andthen, God has a way to say, I'm

(24:38):
gonna give you what you want.
He'll give you exceedinglyabundantly above all you can ask
or think.
That ain't just needs, y'all.
That's wants.
That's stuff I really don'tneed.
And God has a way of providingit anyhow.
He'll turn around and bless mywants as well.
I remember when I first wentinto ministry, I was really kind

(24:59):
of struggling about it and goinginto it and what have you,
because I already knew that as apastor wasn't gonna make a whole
lot of money, and I was makingreally good money in corporate
America.
I just want to be clear on that.
I was making good money.
Can I say that again?
I'm gonna take my glasses off ofthat one.
I was making good money.

(25:20):
That was 40 years ago.
I really was.
I was making good money on agood, good path, but knew the
Lord was really working on myheart.
And I said, Lord, but seem likeif I give this up, I said, you
know how much I love the Lakers.
I said, you know, I go, I getseason tickets, I buy tickets to
the games.
I ain't gonna be able to affordanything if I could become a

(25:40):
minister.
And the Lord said, See, youthat's idolatry and all that
kind of stuff.
You just need to trust me.
I trusted him.
I wish I can testify to thestuff that even when I had money
that I've been to that Iwouldn't have been able to
afford anyhow.

(26:01):
I can't testify to, I can't tellyou how many times I've sat on
the floor at a basketball game.
I've heard Mays in a privateconcert.
I've heard Stephanie Mills in aprivate, I've heard Earth
Winning Fire in a privateconcert.
I've been to so many places andnot one penny came out of my

(26:22):
pocket.
Don't tell me God every now andthen won't give you what you
won.
Tell your neighbor every now andthen, every now and then, let me
wrap this thing up.
Finally, giving is anopportunity to honor him.
What does giving say?
Giving says, Lord, thank you forwhat you've given to me.

(26:45):
And that's that's also what Isee in this.
It's very simple.
She gave all she had, it's herway of saying thank you.
And here, uh, God says to usthat when we honor him, how many
of y'all know God has a way ofturning around and blessing and
honoring us?
Old folk would say you can't beGod given.
And what they meant by that isthat God's not gonna let you

(27:06):
outgive him.
And I can testify even rightthere, y'all, for all that I've
tried to give to God, even in mystruggles.
God, time and time again hasgiven me exceedingly abundantly
more than I could possibly ask.
Because God is not gonna be letme beat him giving.
I saw this, I saw this, y'all,in a podcast I was listening to.

(27:28):
So I was listening to a podcastthis week, and and it was an
athlete on the podcast, and theywere complaining.
Uh, I don't know if it was anOlympian, I don't know if they
played in the WA, it was asister in the WNBA or what have
you, but she was justcomplaining.
You know what she wascomplaining about?
She was complaining because shecouldn't afford a private chef.

(27:56):
She said, it just ain't rightthat I'm an athlete and I can't
even afford a private chef.
You want to know how much thisprivate chef costs every month?
$7,000 a month.
And she was just going on and onand on.
I just can't believe I can'tafford a private chef.

(28:18):
I'm living here and I'm livinghere.
I ought to be making all thiskind of money.
I'm saying to myself, now wait aminute, the fact that you can
even raise the issue of aprivate chef already lets me
know that God has alreadyblessed you with something.
And it dawned on me in thatmoment that God was saying to me

(28:39):
that maybe the problem with thatsister was she was so focused on
what she didn't have that shedidn't have the common sense
enough to thank God for what shedid already have.
And all I'm simply trying tosay, when it comes to giving,
it's a reminder to thank God forwhat he's already given me.
And if I thank God for what he'salready given me, does anybody

(29:02):
know God has a way of giving memore of what he hasn't given me?
So thank God that he put food onyour table.
Thank God that he's giving youhealth and strength, thank God
that he's giving youtransportation to and someplace.
Thank God you got some women awoman.
Thank God you got a feminineman.

(29:24):
I'm gonna give them the Biblesays in the middle of the
family, give them this womancome in the mouth of the middle
of the sun, the low God'sblessing give me the big woman

(29:47):
in here, the nose how to givethem a thumbs up, hallelujah,
but you follow your body, makeyour full, make your following
woman, make you follow yourclub, make you fall for lesson,

(30:10):
make you follow the lesson, makeyour fellow hollow, make you
follow your love, make yourlife, come in the blood, make
the law, make you love, you thelaw, hallelujah, in the house,

(30:33):
the word when you gethallelujah, hallelujah, in and
how in and how hallelujah whenthe money's tight, I'm gonna

(30:53):
keep trusting him, y'all.
That's all I'm trying to say.
Yeah, I may struggle, but I'mgonna trust him because he's the
source of everything I have.
I'm gonna bless him forever.
Because he's worthy, and he'sbeen too good for me to mistreat

(31:17):
him.
So with my gift, I'm gonna blesshim, and that's my thank you for
all that you do.
Hallelujah.
I'll finish with this.
I'll finish with this.
The lady K.
Bailey loved to tell a storyabout a woman he knew in the

(31:38):
church he grew up in.
Carried two shovel necklacesaround her neck.
One was a small shovel and a bigshovel.
And he would tell this storyover and over again.
Because he wanted people to knowhow giving works.
And so people would ask thislady, she was an elderly lady,
she'd have two shovels in theform of a necklace around her

(31:58):
neck.
One was small, one was big.
And they would ask her thequestion why you got those two
shovels around your neck?
She said, The little shovels forme and the big shovels for God.
If I handle the little shovels,she said, God, every time it's
gonna work the big shovel.
That was her testimony.
That's my testimony thismorning.

(32:18):
That's why I'm gonna thank him.
Let's prepare our hearts for theLord's Supper right now as we
come.
Let's pray about our gifts.
Some of you here today, you'vebeen faithful with your giving.
I just want to encourage you tocontinue to trust God.

(32:42):
Stay faithful.
Trust him for what he does inyour life.
If he's stretching you, let himstretch you.
You can't beat God again if he'sgot a big shovel.
But he's worthy whether he usesthe big shovel or not.
Some of you here it's been alittle tough.

(33:04):
Not here to beat you up.
Just want you to pray about it.
Go back and look at yourfinances.
Look at what you can cut andpray about it.
And ask the Lord to lead you.
And he'll lead you.
I hope he don't give you thehigh the the higher number like
he give my wife, huh?

(33:26):
But he will lead you.
He'll lead you every time.
And whenever he leads you inyour giving, he will honor it
every single time.
I'm a living wicked.
A living God.
The word is not returned for uson that issue.

(33:50):
I just want to encourage all ofus.
I don't know what thisadministration is up to, and I
don't know what the futureholds, but I know the one who
holds a future.
And I'ma say it like mygrandmother used to say, God
ain't dead.
And he's gonna get tired of thismess after a while.
I'm just saying.
Tell your neighbor, don't get ittwisted.

(34:13):
God sees everything that's goingon.
And when he gets tired, you'regonna know.
Just don't shout too loud.
That's my word.
Come on, let's prepare ourhearts and just bow our heads
for a moment of prayer andreflection and meditation.
My God shall supply all yourneeds according to his riches

(34:35):
and glory in Christ Jesus.
Ask the Lord to speak to yourheart as we come to the Lord's
Supper.
Practice the Lord's Supperbecause that's what he left for
us.
We believe he engages us in thisvery sacred moment.