Invest With Your R.O.I. In Mind Part 1

Have bank accounts but also accounts and treasures, where moth and rust do not, they will learn why the long-term view is best investments in things eternal there a return we cannot even imagine the Moody Church in Chicago. This is with Dr. Erwin Sir was clear teaching helps us make it across the finish line. Estimates are those who trade in the stock market for a quick profit. What you're talking about is different than you know Dave if we can only grasp what the Scripture has to say about giving it would no doubt revolutionize our commitment to being generous. Imagine a high rate of return for all of eternity. We hear it running to win are committed to sharing the good news of the gospel of Christ with thousands upon thousands of people and were getting to the end of August and we have a matching gift program that is some of our friends have said that they are willing to match whatever you give dollar for dollar up to $90,000 would you consider helping us. Your gift will be doubled.

Here's what you do go to RTW offer.com RTW offer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337 from my heart to yours. I believe that your investment will pay eternal dividends and outlets here at directly from the word of God.

Many years ago I read a book entitled David dollar die. Actually, the book was misnamed. It should have been the day the mark died. It was the story of what happened in Germany after World War II when the mark to value.

I member in chapter 1 there was an interesting story about a dear Christian woman who saved all of her German marks because she didn't trust the bank.

She put them into a bag and she kept them at home and then one day she took a walk to a Bible school to give it to the school that was training students for ministry that was trying to start up after a terrible war and the president of the school's heart broke as he had to tell her that her marks were worthless. The German government had actually canceled the mark just the day before and so this bundle of money. The best thing that could be done with it is to be burned but we don't live in a day and age when the dollar actually has been devalued, but we do live in a day and age when all is late. We do not have enough dollars to wait all over the country today ministries are suffering, you find that families are having very difficult time and the reason is very some of you are those who have lost your job. Some of you are underemployed. Some of you who have your jobs may fear for the future and so we are all in the same boat.

What does the Bible have to say about money today were going to look at a very fascinating parable Jesus told it's a parable that some people had a problem with because it appears if you read it wrongly, it appears as if Jesus was justifying dishonesty. But if you read it more carefully. Obviously Jesus would never justify dishonesty.

What Jesus is doing is pointing out the need for wise use of money and shrewdness.

It's found in the 16th chapter of the Gospel of Luke Luke chapter 16 you will be able to find it in your Bible or the Bible that is there provided for you. Jesus tells the story of a wealthy man who had a manager who this managed the money doesn't say exactly what the manager did, but we can probably fill in the blanks.

He perhaps had a scheme of some sort, and maybe he embezzled some of the funds. At any rate, the rich man needed to fire this guy and get rid of them. But in those days it was a little different than it is today.

You were able to stay on. I'm sure an extra day even though the word had been given that your through her this week on television, a man was being interviewed and he said that he was on a streetcar in New York on the subway in New York and suddenly all of these people appeared around noon dressed in suits all very attractively decked out and he didn't know what had happened and then he learned that the major firm in New York just fired several thousand people and they all went home.

At the same time. I'm sure they all turned in their keys and maybe the reason that they did is somebody was smart enough to read this parable Jesus told because this man. He didn't have to turn in his keys immediately. So knowing that he had to be going in on his way. He decided to use some of his master's money by taking some of the creditors that the master had and and actually reducing their debt while you're in Luke chapter 16 as I am, you'll notice it says he called his disciples. There was a rich man who had a manager and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions and he called them and said to him, what is this I hear about you turn in the account of your management you can no longer be a manager all right and the manager said to himself, what shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me. My resume isn't impressive. I'm not strong enough to dig. I'm ashamed to beg.

I decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management people may receive me into their houses so summoning his master's debtors one by one. He said to the first, how much do you owe my master is 100 measures of oil and the manager said to him, a Tinkerbell Linda. Let's say that it's 50. Then he said to another and how much do you know he said 100 measures of wheat, he said, well, take your bill and write 80. Obviously these two men, then there may have been others. They are going to be very careful in the blessing this man once he's without a job. I mean I done something good for you. I expect you to receive it.

Me into your house and you do some good for me. Now notice what does the manager do all the manager we know was dishonest but you'll notice it says in verse eight, done master commended the dishonest manager shrewdness.

Now you see if he had stolen it. The man would've been arrested and thrown into jail but he didn't do that with the Masters money, at least not in this instance.

What he did is he took it and he gave it away and so the master the rich man has to think this through and say there was something shrewd about using money this way. Jesus himself agrees.

You'll notice he says for the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light, Jesus is speaking there in verse eight and then verse nine I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth so that when it fails they may receive you into eternal dwellings just that far. For now, Jesus obviously is not commending this man for his dishonesty. But Jesus is saying this is really shrewd. This man knew how to use money to make friends that were going to help them and then Jesus said use your money this way that you will have friends when you get to heaven and they will welcome you into everlasting habitations. While what a story, and it even gets better as it progresses.

What I'd like to do today is to give you five principles biblical principles of money management, and these five principles apply to you whether you have a job whether you've lost a job whether you got lots of money. Whether you got no money. These are universal principles that are come from this parable that help us to get some insight as to what we should do. Also during this time when we have a financial downturn will comment on that as well. As always, the Bible is relevant no matter what era in which it is preached. Are you ready for the five principles number one, it is very clear that the money money that we have is a loan.

It is not own. We don't own it. God lends it to us and says be good stewards.

We are here, the manager of the rich man's money. Visualize for a moment as if the entire world was God's inhabitation or God inhabits the world. Of course he does.

He inhabits the whole universe.

But this world is like a house in which we have varying responsibilities and we are the managers of that which God has given to us and we own nothing we own nothing. The money that this manager gave away belong to the rich man the money that he kept the money that he was honest with the money that he was dishonest with it all belong to the rich man his master everything that you and I have belongs to God.

You'll notice in verse 12 as Jesus continues the story, and I should pick it up in verse 10, one who is faithful in a very little is also faithful and much and one who is dishonest in very little is also dishonest in much if then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust you with the true riches and if you have not been faithful in that which is another's who will give you that which is your own. What Jesus is saying is, is that when you are invited to be entrusted with money. It is not yours. It is another's. And isn't that true. The minute we get our paystub. We know that a lot of it is another's because we see on their you know federal income tax, state income tax we see Social Security right from the get-go. A lot of it is another's. And then once it's put into the bank. It suddenly becomes another's very obviously it becomes the electric companies and the gas companies and the mortgage companies and the clothing stores and at the grocery stores. Suddenly, it belongs to another, but there's a much greater principle here and that is that we must acknowledge the fact that even that which may or may not be left over after we paid our bills that also belongs to God and our bank accounts belong to God and our savings accounts and the money that we have in the market and the money that we have out of the market.

All of that is God's.

This is the most fundamental principle of finance in all the Scriptures. Now it's easy for us to hurry over this point and say all right got all belongs to God. Now get on with point number two I'm going to stay here just a little longer because you see when we really believe that it all is God's were not going to be as concerned about it because we realize then that it is God's money that was devalued 40% late last year. That's God's money, it immediately takes a lot of weight from your shoulders. It is God's money that grows at an interest rate of 2% or that falls at an interest rate of 10 is God's money. And once you acknowledge it to belong to God, you look at it differently.

I believe that one of the reasons that there are many, and I speak very hesitantly here because it may not be universally applicable but the reason that so many are going through terrible financial times are because like this manager.

Some of us had been mis-managing dogs money and this is a parenthesis but one way that we can do that is no longer asking God how we should spend our money and no longer trusting God for what we need, but immediately bypassing all that by using the credit card used to be that when people needed closer a new refrigerator they would pray and say all God. You know my needs and maybe a neighbor had one that is secondhand one that they could use for a few years until they had enough money and they would ask God today. We don't ask God because what we can do is to use those credit cards and we can bypass dependence on God.

Whether he's there for us or not, can have what we want and we mismanage God's money. Are you willing to say sincerely, what I have belongs to God. We can go to the other principles until you said that and meant some of you are going to struggle some of you are going to argue about it. Are you willing to say it all is God's only say that I earned it or like the commercial says I earned my friend. It is God who gives you the ability to beget wealth. It is all his. Would you bow with me right now in prayer before we go on to the next principal and would you pray with me as we finally end of the ownership of our money and recognize that it is God's father.

You know how covetousness builds a nest in our hearts.

Would you help us in this moment, whether we have little or much. Nothing whatever we may have father. It is yours, the money we gained the money we lost the money we earn the money we inherited. We give it to you and pray father that you will always help us to seek your face and your wisdom as to how it is to be used, and may we be faithful managers of your gifts for those who struggle for those for whom this prayer is just words work in their lives until they can say it is yours on what is the first principle. Let's go on to a second money must be wisely transmuted wisely transmuted. What does that word transmute mean it means to change the essence of something you know when a child is sick. You don't say will here eat this $20 bill than you know for sure that you're on your way to the ER.

What you do is you go to Walgreens and you buy some medicine you transmute that $20 or $50 or hundred dollars into medicine. There's a good example of what happens when you can't transmute wealth.

True story up in the north. What was found a number of years ago is a hot and in the hut. There were two minors who had been mining gold, and they starve to death. In fact, they wrote a diary and they said that were starving because there's nothing around us.

There's a snowstorm we can't get out. We have no food and there they were.

Their bodies were had of course deteriorated, but they were surrounded by gold now is gold everything the very thing that people want. Well yes, but it could not be transmuted into something that they could use. That's what we mean when you write that check to the electric company when you buy that coat when you buy shoes for your children you are transmuting your wealth into something that is necessary in order to live in.

It is a good transmutation but notice the text.

Jesus is talking about a different kind. We have to look back at it. Here it says he complimented the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. Verse nine and I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth. He doesn't mean wealth that was gotten unrighteously. This is the way in which Jesus characterizes money will see that Jesus has a very negative view of it because remember it always competes with God in our hearts, so he says make wise use of unrighteous wealth so that when it fails they may receive you into eternal dwellings. What Jesus said is what you should be doing is investing in such a way that you know that your rate of investment and your rate of return is going to be overwhelming. It is going to be people who will welcome you into heaven, so that when you die, there's a cheering section.

There thanking you for your investment in lives that are also there.

What a statement Jesus made Paul says in Philippians chapter 4 verse 17 he says thank you for the money that you sent me and he said I'm so glad that it does because I desire fruit that abounds to your account. I love to use that story of the Princess in Europe who had a crown and she said to her husband. I want to sell the joules of the crown to begin an orphanage and he objected to it, but eventually she prevailed and she won the argument, so they sold the joules she built an orphanage and when she came home one day and saw these children, the singing songs and she was a fervent Christian. So the children were instructed in the ways of godliness.

She came back and said to her husband. I have found my joules I found my jewels. I found my joules in the lives of these children wise woman. You can't take joules with you to heaven. But if you transmute them and you invest them in somebody's life. Now there's something that enables your investment to get to the other side you can take it with you. After all, if you transmuted into lasting wealth.

What do you think Jesus meant when he said lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust of not corrupt, and where thieves cannot break through and steal.

He was talking about that very same principle who is it that supported the ministry of a missionary like William Carey, for example, whom we honor is one of the first missionaries of the modern era.

I don't know who gave the money to go to India but I do know this, that somebody is going to be rewarded someday for an investment made in lives that will be there in heaven thanking them for their investment and the shrewd use of their money with friends who been impacted by their gifts when the offering basket surpassed at Moody church.

When I like to think of it as it's something like a mutual fund investing in a mutual fund because you know that when you're getting your investing in children's ministries in family ministries your investing in the lives of young people singles college students professional people your investing in the lives of missionaries around the world and in that sense we are all committed together and we are seeing we are seeing lives changed lives that will meet us in everlasting habitations. I'm sure that this is true YouTube it. In addition to giving to Moody church.

Rebecca and I support missionaries other missionaries as well. I'd like to think when I get to heaven there be at least one person who would rejoice and say thank you for your gift and the impact that it had in my life. Talking about your return on investment.

Your are all I you invest in eternity.

When you give to the transformation of lives. There's 1/3 principle.

The first is that we don't own it.

The second is we must transmuted the third principle is money is a basis for testing money is a basis for testing. First of all, let's look at how Jesus viewed money we already commented on the fact that he referred to it as the wealth will notice he says dishonest wealth.

He says the master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness, the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation and the sons of light. Make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth another parable. I'm referring to is very interesting and has to be understood in context. Jesus is not justifying the manager who was unjust. He's making a point that sometimes the people of this world are better at making investments than the children of light that is to say that he is encouraging us to give money and this passage has been on my mind for many years and I think of it often to give money so that we will have people welcome us into everlasting habitations and will tell us that it is because of you and your contribution part of the reason why we're here. Would you consider helping us here and running to win. We have a matching gift program and it is during the month of August and August is almost near the end.

Here's what you can do. Go to RTW offer.com that's RTW offer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337 I believe with all my heart that when we invest in God's ministry. People will meet us in heaven and thanked us pray about it. Go to RTW offer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337 you can write to us running to win 1635 N. LaSalle Boulevard Chicago, IL 60614. Some might say putting money in the offering plate one-way trip to nowhere. I had $10.

No I don't. Jesus told a parable exploding this myth once and for all. The bottom line money given to transform the lives of others.

There's a thousand percent return on investment next time by that phenomenal interest rate will never go down. Thanks for listening. This is Dave McAllister running to win is sponsored by the teacher