Here is week one sermon notes for our series called: “Home Wreckers!” We are going to tackle 6 of the biggest issues in our homes. You can always hear the podcasts of our message by clicking here.  We will be answering questions like:

• Will I ever find my soul mate? Does God want me to be married?
• What happened to the person I married?
• Does raising kids ever get easier?
• What happens after divorce?
• How do we build a family legacy?

These are home wreckers. Selfishness, Addiction, Sexual Sin, Past Mistakes, Generational Cycles, Age differences, Personality differences, Divorce. Home Wreckers!

When I say HOME. I’m talking about single, married, widows. Home doesn’t mean home owners, married, 2 kids, and a dog. You have a home wherever you are in life.

Some of you live in a home with a spouse, a roommate, a partner, alone. We want to talk about your home. Whether that is a trailer, a dorm, an apartment, a duplex, a track home or a mansion.

In this session, we are going to talk about the number one cause of fighting in homes: Money

Money itself is not the problem. Our love for money. Our laziness dealing with money. Our apathy about money. Our pursuit of more money.  Our lack of communication about it. Our lack of accountability. Our fear of the future.  Are all parts of the problem.

At PromiseLand San Marcos, we want to help you find the TRUTH from Jesus so that your home will not be wrecked by the lies of this culture.

Over the next 6 weeks, we are going to help you look at the teaching of Jesus. Straight from his mouth! Look what happens when we learn from Jesus:

Matthew 7:24 “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. 25 Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock.  26 But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand.  27 When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.”

Wow. We know what a flood can do. Destructive. We are talking about more than the physical structure. We are talking about your home that transcends your house.

Your home- the place in which your domestic affections are centered.

How you view money can destroy your home. It can destroy your marriage. College students, how you view money can put you on a destructive path before you leave school.

Check out these stats:

• 76% of Americans are living pay check to pay check ($50,000 household average income)  (cnnmoney)
• 68% of people who are offered employer matching retirement accounts do not participate in them. (cbsnews)
• American average has $7200 in credit card debt. (cbsnews)
• Money was most often reported as a topic of marital disagreement. It beat out tensions about leisure, each spouse’s family of origin, children and religion.
• 31% admitted to lying to their spouses about money.  Another third of those surveyed said they’d been deceived by their spouses.

I really don’t need to tell you stats. It is no secret. Dealing with our money is a problem in our homes. It is wreaking havoc.

What are the financial wrecking balls?

(one or more of will attack your home)

• Lazy and Apathetic Attitude
• No Future Planning
• No Accountability
• Selfishness
• Fear of Future | Miserly
• No Trusting God
• Lack of Training and Instruction
• No Healthy Financial Examples in our Lives
• Spending to Heal or Hide our Hurts
• Spouses Have Separate Accounts (secrets)
• Lack of Generosity
• Lack of Integrity with Paying Taxes
• We Don’t Give to God
• No Monthly Budget

Whether we like it or not, we will be attacked by one or more of these issues. You are human! You will be hit by one of them.

But…REMEMBER, JESUS’ PROMISE!

“Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock.”

Did Jesus say anything about money?  11 of his 39 parables deals with finances.  There are around 800 passages in the Bible that deal with money.  Let’s build our homes on the solid rock of Jesus’ teaching. Here is what he has to say about handling money.

1. I can’t Serve An All Sufficient God and the god of self-sufficiency at the same time

Luke 16:13 “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” 14 The Pharisees, who dearly loved their money, heard all this and scoffed at him.

You can’t serve God (Jehovah) and the god of self sufficiency. The lie of money is that it is the source and you earn it. So if you want to be taken care of, then YOU need to get more money so that it will provide what you need.

2. I Should Pay My Taxes

Matthew 22:17 Now tell us what you think about this: Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” 18 But Jesus knew their evil motives. “You hypocrites!” he said. “Why are you trying to trap me? 19 Here, show me the coin used for the tax.” When they handed him a Roman coin, 20 he asked, “Whose picture and title are stamped on it?” 21 “Caesar’s,” they replied. “Well, then,” he said, “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.”

3. I Need to Budget My Finances

Luke 14:28 “But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? 29 Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. 30 They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!’

4. I Should be Alert/Attentive not Passive or Apathetic

Luke 19: 20 “But the third servant brought back only the original amount of money and said, ‘Master, I hid your money and kept it safe. 21 I was afraid because you are a hard man to deal with, taking what isn’t yours and harvesting crops you didn’t plant.’  22 “‘You wicked servant!’ the king roared. ‘Your own words condemn you. If you knew that I’m a hard man who takes what isn’t mine and harvests crops I didn’t plant, 23 why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’ 24 “Then, turning to the others standing nearby, the king ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one who has ten pounds.’ 25 “‘But, master,’ they said, ‘he already has ten pounds!’ 26 “‘Yes,’ the king replied, ‘and to those who use well what they are given, even more will be given. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away.  

5. If I Give, I Will Receive

Luke 6:38 Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.”

Giving means that you are separating from the money and losing control of it. You are sowing seed.

Matthew 6:19 “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal.  20 Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. 21 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

6. God Provides For His Kids

Luke 12:22 …Jesus said, “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food to eat or enough clothes to wear. 23   For life is more than food, and your body more than clothing.  24 Look at the ravens. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for God feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than any birds!  25 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? 26 And if worry can’t accomplish a little thing like that, what’s the use of worrying over bigger things?

Maybe a more appropriate question before we go any further is, are you a child of God?  Have you been adopted into his family and his provision?  He promises to take care of his children. We are a part of the promise that goes way back to Abraham. He will bless and take care of those in the family.

If you are not in the family of God, then getting in is not complicated.  We don’t deserve his provision. We haven’t earned the right to identify with God.

YET he loves us so much that he offers everyone in here today the chance to be in the family. Jesus came to earth to bridge the gap between God and man. He successfully accomplished that mission when he laid his life down, took on the sin of your past present and future, and nailed it to the cross. He died taking the deserved punishment for your rebellion. But, the grave could not hold him down! He rose from the grave on the third day. Now, he has sent me here today to let you know that when you put your faith in his resurrection and life, then you will be set into the family with him forever! You will be his son or daughter.

AND God provides for HIS kids!

If you have given your life to Jesus and trust him with your salvation, then you can lean on on his resources. You can trust him to provide what you need for today!  Pray!

Matthew 6: 11 Give us today the food we need, 

Matthew 6:31 “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ 32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. 33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.  34 “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today. 

7. Generosity is a Heart Issue. It’s about sacrifice not amount or legalism

Luke 21:1 While Jesus was in the Temple, he watched the rich people dropping their gifts in the collection box.  2 Then a poor widow came by and dropped in two small coins. 3 “I tell you the truth,” Jesus said, “this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them. 4 For they have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has.”

Our PSM financial help ministry is called: MONEYWISE – we are committed to help you break free and release your generosity!  We offer two key resources:

• Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University – Monday Nights- 7pm, in the Student Center Theater. (small fee per family to Dave Ramsey)

• One-on-One Financial Counseling with PSM’s best Stewards! (FREE) Create a budget, start a plan to eliminate debt and release generosity!