Sermon Title:

Sermon Text:
Preached on:
Rob Fleshman

Trust in the Lord (Finances)

Prov 3:5-6
July 17th, 2011

Opening: Bow heads.pray. I am going to preach this morning on trusting God. And probably
most of us would say in general that we trust in God, but this morning and again tonight, we are
not going to deal in generalities. This morning, and then again tonight, we are going to look at
two areas in the life of every born again child of God, that are essential. Two critical areas that
left to him/herself, everyone in here would try to control, and position, and posture, and scheme,
instead of just simply taking God at His Word and trusting in Him. How many in the service this
morning will say with an open, honest heart, God, I dont know what Pastor is preaching this
morning so much, but I know He will preach the Bible. And God, I know many of the truths in
this Book, but I dont want to just KNOW truth, I want to live the truth. Please help me to live
the Bible truths that are preached from the pulpit this morning. With raised hands, how many
would say, thats my heart this morningI want to live the truths in this Book, and specifically, I
want to live the truths that you are going to preach from this Book this morning.
Proverbs 3:5-6-- 5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own
understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Proverbs 3:5-6
are two of countless verses that need to go FROM this Book TO your and my heart. We live in a
day and age where, by and large, we trust in ourselves with all our heart, and lean on our own
understanding. But scripture admonishes us to trust in God, and God alone. I believe it comes
down to a matter of the heart...God wants your heart! Yes, its dirty, and flawed, The heart is
deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9). But the reason God wants
our heart is that by the power of the Holy Spirit working in you and working in me, He wants to
change it; to clean it. Only God can cleanse our heart; Proverbs 20:9 tells us that no man can
make his own heart clean, which is why we need to pray to God as David did and ask God
to.Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Psalm 51:10
Why the battle for the heart? Because God asks for our heart that we might learn to trust Him
more and more and more and more. God wants His children to trust in Him with all their
heart.and unless God has your heart, He will not have your trust. REPEAT. Proverbs 31:1011--10 Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. 11 The heart of her
husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. Satan is absolutely,
undeniably, and thoroughly spoiling the lives of countless Christians, because this world, which
Satan is the little g god of, has a pull on you and your heart is divided. Matthew 6:24--No man
can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to
the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. No where are our hearts
more divided, and apart from salvation, perhaps no where does the Christian need to trust God
more than in this matter of money.
I
I Will Trust God With the Whole of my FINANCES (Luke 6:38)
TURN TO PROVERBS 11. Quote: One man was speaking about his finances. He said, I am
like a walking economy. My hairline is in recession, my waistline is going through inflation, and
together they are pushing me to depression. It might interest you to know that Jesus talked

about money in over 1/3 of His parables. The Bible devotes some 500 verses on prayer, far less
than those many verses on faith, but some 2000 verses on money and possessions. Let me just
say up front that giving is a hard command. We are TAKERS by nature Apart from God, we
are covetous and greedy and discontented. We want more & more & more, and are never
satisfied. Proverbs 27:20--Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never
satisfied. Many Christians today are enslaved by selfishness; a selfishness that cannot be broken
until we fully and completely trust God with all our hearts and lean not to our own
understanding. Quote: Someone was trying to convince the great radio preacher and Bible
commentator, J. Vernon McGee that, while he did not tithe and give like he should to the Lords
work, that he still was trusting in God. McGee said, Dont tell me youre trusting God until you
trust Him with your pocketbook. Nothing brings us to the realization of our priorities better
than hearing what God has to say about the subject of money. Giving isnt about the church
needing your money, but God wanting your heart. Who or what has your heart, has your wallet.
But, when it comes to money and giving, we can be hard of hearing.
Illustration: Its like the story of the doctor whos driving down the road. He looks out his car
window and he saw an elderly man jogging along the side of the road with a very young,
beautiful woman. As he looked at the elderly guy he realized, That old man is my patient. So
he stopped his car, rolled down his window and hollered to the elderly man. Hey, what are you
doing? and the old man realizing that it was his doctor said, Im just doing what you told me to
do on my last visit into your office. You told me to get a hot mama and be care free. The
doctor looked at him bewildered and said, I told you, you had a heart murmur and be careful!
Youre in Proverbs 11, NOW TURN TO LUKE 6. Lets look at some scripture on this matter of
trusting God with our finances, and not leaning to our own understanding. Our own
understanding says make all you can, and can all you get. But Gods plan is to make all you can,
and then to give all you can. And the same degree to which you give, you will likewise receive.
Luke 6:38--Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken
together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye
mete withal it shall be measured to you again. Proverbs 11:24-25--24 There is that scattereth,
and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty. 25
The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.
Now when the Bible says the liberal soul shall be made fat, it is not talking politics and liberals
vs conservatives; Liberal here means that the freely giving soul, shall be rewarded. Now, in
OUR understanding, it makes no sense that in order to accumulate, we must distribute. In order
to get, we must give. But we are not talking this morning about your understanding or my
understanding, but Gods. We are not talking about your ways or my ways, but Gods ways.
Isaiah 55:8-9--8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the
LORD. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways,
and my thoughts than your thoughts. And so in Gods wisdom, when we follow Gods plan and
we give Him the tithe, and we give as He leads, and we are generous towards others, and we give
willingly, and liberally to Gods church, then He will bless us and we will have plenty.
TURN TO Mal 3. Illustration: Like me, some of you are old enough to remember a marketing
venture by the PepsiCo company known as the "Pepsi Challenge." In 1975, Pepsi decided to test

whether Americans preferred Pepsi or Coca Cola as their soda of choice. To test their theory that
Pepsi was preferred, they set up tables in malls and stores across America. At the table were two
unmarked cups, one containing Pepsi, the other Coke. The testers asked passers-by to try the two
drinks and state which they preferred. Once the tasters' opinion was recorded, the testers would
reveal to them which drink they chose. PepsiCo struck gold with the Pepsi Challenge. People
recognized the "testing tables" wherever they went, and Pepsi won the taste test. Buttons were
even made that said "I took the Pepsi Challenge." . I remember taking the Pepsi Challenge right
here at Bobs Food Mart, and I picked Coke. I did not get a button. Apparently, they did not
want anyone to know my choice. I took the Pepsi challenge a few years later, and picked Coke
again. And today, I still pick Coke.
Notice with me if you will another challenge of a much more important sort that is given today.
Malachi 3:10-11 shows us the "God Challenge." God states the challenge to His people.10
Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me
now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour
you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. 11 And I will rebuke the
devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your
vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts. Dont miss the
instruction of prove me. when God says, prove me, He is issuing a challenge; a challenge to
you regards your personal finances. It's God vs. the economy; God vs. your bank account; God
vs. your budget. God vs your way of thinking. God says, "I have all you need to survive and
thrive and prosper in life. Will you trust your own ways of financial survival or will you trust
Me?"
While those that took the Pepsi challenge received a button afterward, those that take the God
challenge receive much more than a button; they receive blessings unimaginable. God promises
to open the windows of Heaven and pour out heavenly blessings to those who take up His
challenge. He promises that as you trust Him over your own financial plans, He will bless you
more than you can receive. So with that truth, what are some reasons we dont tithe? What are
some reasons we dont give to God that which He requires? Well, let me share with you three
core reasons.
1) TURN TO 1 COR 16. There are those Christians that simply dont know what Gods
Word has to say about giving back to Him. Perhaps they are new in their faith, or maybe
they have been saved for awhile, but just never have been taught from the pulpit, or read
in the Bible for themselves, Gods plan for giving. 1 Cor 16:1-2--1 Now concerning the
collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. 2
Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath
prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come. Let me make the math on this
real simplelets say a teen over here works p/t and makes $120/week. That means
come Sunday, as a minimum, we are to give back the tithe, 10% which would be $12, in
this example. Some adult makes $450/week. They are to give back as God has
prospered them, and God has prospered them more, so they give $45/week. Illustration:
My leap of faith in tithing. OK, so, if you are a Christian that doesnt tithe, and not
knowing what Gods Word has to say about it WAS your reason for not tithing.well,
now you know. You are either going to have to tithe or come up with another excuse!

2) TURN BACK TO MAL 3. Vss 8-9 offers some perspective on a second reason, but let
me just say, I dont think this is nearly as common as the 1st or 3rd reasons that I will
share. Malachi 3:8-9--8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say,
Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. 9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye
have robbed me, even this whole nation. Illus: A father gave his little girl two dollars
and said, You can do anything you want with one of the dollars, but the other dollar
belongs to God. With joy she ran to the candy store. On the way she tripped and one
dollar fell into the storm drain. She got up and said, Well Lord, there goes Your dollar.
Now we laugh at that.but listen to me, some unexpected expense comes up thats not in
the family budget, and where does that money to cover that expense come from? The
money comes from robbing God.
So, a second reason that we dont tithe and give as we ought, and I am going to say it just
like God said it, no sugar coating, is that we have robbed him. This group of Christians is
not like #1, they KNOW they are supposed to tithe.but giving back to God means that
they are not going to be able to maintain their standard of living, because their tithing
check is going every month to GMAC, or to Ford Financing, or to pay the credit card bill
from last summers overseas vacation. TURN TO GEN 14. One of the most common
excuses I have heard for not tithing from this group, in an effort to salve the conscience,
is this, The tithe was part of the law.we are not under the law, but Grace. True, we
are not under the law, but under grace, but God in His foreknowledge from eternity past
knew that there would be a handful of His children that would think this way and rob
Him, and so He put time/date stamps on BOTH SIDES of the law affirming the tithe.
Hundreds of years before the Law, Gen 14:18-20--18 And Melchizedek king of Salem
brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. 19 And he
blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and
earth: 20 And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy
hand. And he gave him tithes of all. So, hundreds of years BEFORE the Law, Abraham
gave tithes of all to Melchizedek, a type of the Lord Jesus Christ. TURN TO Matthew
23:23--Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and
anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy,
and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. So, several
thousands years AFTER the giving of the Law, the Lord Jesus Christ affirms the tithe.
Now, He also says that there are far weightier matters to be considered than this, but
nonetheless, there you have it. Tithing that predates the law. Tithing as part of the law.
And tithing that post dates the law.
3) And this is the most common reason, I believe, of the three for why many Christians
dont tithe. Fear. We are simply afraid to step out in faith and to trust God.
a. Its not that we dont want to see the cause of Christ flourish around us. We do.
b. Its not that we dont want to see souls saved, and new ministries taken on. We
do.

c. If I could personalize it just a bit here at Midway Baptist ChurchIts not that we
dont want to see us support new missionaries like the Fluegges to the Dominican
Republic, and the Grove Family to New Zealand. We do.
d. Its not that we dont want to see our parking lot expanded, and a carport built at
the entrance, and a nice looking sign out front. We do.
e. Its not that we dont want to see some basketball goals go up and some flooring
go down, in our gymnasium. We do.
f. Its not that we dont want to see four upstairs classrooms completed, and a
steeple go up on top of the building. We do. We absolutely do.
We want all these things and more for our church, BUT we are fearful. 2 Timothy 1:7--For
God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Many
people, good people, saved people, nice people, lack the faith to TRUST an unseen God with a
seen problem. God tells them to trust, but all they see are the bills and the lack of sufficient
income. Proverbs 3:5-10 --5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine
own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. 7 Be not
wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. [If you are going to
fear...anything or anyonefear the Lord!] 8 It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy
bones. 9 Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: 10 So
shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.