Bible Perspectives
FINANCIAL TRUTHS FROM THE BIBLE
Lesson #01
INTRODUCTION AND THE THREE CONCEPTS OF THE FINANCIAL SYSTEM OF GOD
- Special Note:
- Why this class:
- A lot of wrong teaching out there.
- The financial condition of the world today
- A compassion for you who are struggling.
- The recommendation is that this class should be in a small group.
- This class should have a lot of discussion to understand well all the concepts, all the scriptures, and how these concepts and these scriptures affect the attitudes and actions of the believers life.
- No dumb questions.
- We all make mistakes in every area of life, especially this area of life.
- We violate Gods principles and wonder why we dont experience more blessings financially.
- These lessons contain many scriptures and God uses the scriptures to impact the heart of the students.
- In a majority of cases the believer needs to change his perspective to see God work in his life.
- Besides wrong actions, we have a wrong mental perspective. Thats where we start today.
- In a majority of cases the believer needs to change his perspective to see God work in his life.
- Lets see where we are as a class:
- How many own a boat or a plane?
- How many own a car or a truck?
- How many own a house or land?
- The source of the material for this class:
- Crown Ministries
- Matrimony Plus
- Getting Out of Debt
by Ray Mossholder
; SBC Baptist Press 2006
- Why this class:
- Introduction:
- Two economic systems operate in the world today:
- =1= the financial system of the world
- In this system Satan has the principal position.
- In this system Satan receives the benefit.
- This system deceives man in two ways:
- Man thinks that the system works to favor man.
- Man thinks that he has control of this system.
- =2= the financial system of God
- In this system God has the principal position and the control
- In this system God is in the center of this system and receives the glory of it.
- This system exists by means of Gods love to distribute the blessings of God to His people.
- This system operates to give favor to the believer.
- However, the believer must learn obedience and cooperation with God to reap the benefits.
- =1= the financial system of the world
- A general perspective of Gods system:
- The purpose of this class is to reveal to the believer Gods economic system and how this system functions to benefit the believer.
- There are 500 verses in the Bible about prayer and less than 500 verses about faith. However, there are more than 2350 verses directly and indirectly about money.
- Jesus Christ spoke more about money than other themes. Why did Jesus speak frequently about money?
- The way we deal with money has an impact on our relationship to God.
- Gaining money speaks about our use of time.
- Gaining money speaks about our integrity and character.
- The use of money speaks about what we value.
- The use of money speaks about our priorities in life.
- The use of money speaks about us as a person and more specifically as a Christian.
- The use of money determines the style of our lives.
- Possessions compete with the Lord for our attention and our affection and they reveal to us who or what we worship as god .
- Read Mat 6:24
- Read Pro 1:19
- The majority of life involves the use of money. You cannot live one day without making a decision more or less about money.
- The way we deal with money has an impact on our relationship to God.
- Jesus Christ spoke more about money than other themes. Why did Jesus speak frequently about money?
- Read Luk 16:11
- Why is it important to use money faithfully?
- Which things does God retain if we do not use money correctly?
- Read Mat 25:21
- Concept #1
- All
- While we know with the mind that this concept is true, we have to understand it by faith in our hearts. We have to make it a reality in life.
things in the world belong to God.
- Read 1Chr 29:11-13
- Read Deu 10:14
- Read Psa 24:1
- Read 1Cor 10:26
- God possesses the land.
- Read Lev 25:23
- God possesses the animals.
- Read Psa 50:10-12
- God possesses the minerals and the metals.
- Read Hag 2:8
- For contemplation and discussion:
- What are the consequences to understanding, to prayer, and to the relationship with the things of the world if the believer believes truly that God owns everything in the world?
- Concept #2
- God controls all of the circumstances.
- We speak about good luck, but in the Christian life, there is no such thing as good luck, neither is there bad luck. Everything is determined (or predestined specifically) by the hand and the guidance of God toward the believer.
- Read Psa 135:6
- Read Eph 1:11
- God controls all people.
- Read Pro 21:1
- Read Isa 40:21-24
- Read Act 17:26
- Read Gen 50:19-20
- Read Rom 8:28
- For contemplation and discussion:
- What are the effects in the attitudes and actions of the Christian that believes truly that God controls every circumstance, by His direct orders or by His permission?
- Concept #3
- God distributes the wealth and the material possessions of the world.
- Read Jer 27:5
- Read Mat 25:14-15
- How does God distribute wealth to people?
- Read Job 1:20-22
- Does God remove wealth from a person?
- Why would God remove wealth?
- For contemplation and discussion:
- What should be the attitude of the believer toward God that gives and removes wealth?
- The consequences of these three concepts:
- When the believer knows that all things belong to God, that God controls every circumstance, and that God distributes all the possessions of the world, then all the decisions to spend money become spiritual decisions. True?
- We began with some questions:
- How many own a boat or a plane?
- How many own a truck or a car?
- How many own a house or land?
- The answer? We own nothing, God owns everything!
- We began with some questions:
HOMEWORK
This is a self-study. Please do not send homework answers to the teacher forcorrection.
- Write your personal attitudes with honesty toward the following things:
- toward the search for the wealth of the world.
toward God that gives more wealth to some people and less wealth to other people.
toward God that sometimes removes wealth from the life of a person.
- In what ways will the three concepts in this lesson change your financial actions?
- Memory Verse: Luk 16:11