The least of the three reasons, but one that may be nearer number one for many of you is our present economic state. This winter will be hard on many families. Have you noticed that driving is down on a nation-wide level? In a state like Maine that depends on tourism dollars, the impact can be widely felt. As we made our annual voyage to Campobello, I was surprised to see how many gas stations and stores had closed over the last year. Some of you here may be in fear of losing your jobs or seeing benefits reduced. Do not fear. If your financial house is in order, if you live by Biblical principles, God will help you in times of plenty and times of want.

A second reason is that I believe that the church of Jesus Christ is underachieving in part because of a lack of finances.
Our church is a financially conservative church. The thinking of most of the people here is simple: We will carefully spend what we have. So when we prepare a budget, we prepare it based on what we anticipate we will have. When we think about what we will do for ministry, we do so based on what we think we will have. So our vision is often determined by our finances, our finances are not driven by our vision. When the economy rises 3% we raise our budget 3%. So our vision is determined by our budget, not our budget by our vision. But what determines our budget? The pattern of giving that you and I have. Our weekly offerings are pretty consistent.
But I would suggest that we look at a different question. What is the most important issue facing our world today? Some would say the economy. Some would say war. Some would say that poverty and inequality are the greatest problems facing our world.
The Bible gives us a different answer. It tells us that “He who has the Son has life, He who does not have the Son of God does not have life, but the wrath of God abides on Him.” The Bible tells us that the most important issue facing our world today is the issue of spiritual life. Do people have the Son? Do they know Jesus? Are they following Him?
We can understand why this is the number one problem facing our world today. I don’t mean to be crass or crude, but our poverty, our hunger, our wars, our economy will only affect us as long as we are alive. But if we die without Christ, it affects us for eternity. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son… (why?) That whosoever believeth in him should not perish…(that is why). A second reason is given, “but have everlasting life.” What the world needs now is not love sweet love; Jesus is the answer for the world today.
But there is a financial aspect to getting the message out. Paul was pretty smart. He got beaten up and appealed to Caesar so he could get a free trip to Rome. But missionaries cannot do that. Many churches in America are hindered because people do not have the commitment to support pastors, not because the money is not available, but because people do not have a passion in their heart to see Jesus lifted up and people coming to know Him.
So how much are you and I giving? We are giving in proportion to our heart attitude. We have established priorities in our lives and we are giving proportionately to our priorities. What do we say about a person who has given large amounts of money to support saving the whales or fighting poverty in India? We say, “That person is really committed to that cause.” In other words, we say that cause has a high priority in their lives. Our checkbook is often an indicator of our priorities.
If I were to say to you that we have not had enough money to help Jason and Ita Strout go to the mission field, would you say, “That’s too bad, I want to help!” or would you say, “So what? We can’t do everything for everybody.” It comes down to an issue of our priorities. I do not want to beat on people, but when we have missionaries come who have been working for years in other places and we have fifteen or twenty people show up to hear about their work, that tells me that we don’t have people with a heart for missions. Their priorities are in different areas.
I would not suggest to you for a moment that every idea that pops into our heads is a good idea and ought to be financed. But the issue is really one of the heart, do we love the Lord and want to support his work physically, financially and prayerfully? Are we givers at our core? Do we have a heart for God? Do we have a passion for Jesus?
One of the best ways to evaluate this is to answer this question: Have you ever given over and above your weekly offering to help someone promote the kingdom of God? Our past is a good indicator of what our future will be, unless we change.

The third and most important reason that I feel compelled to speak on this subject is because our attitude towards money and finances are a real indicator of our spiritual-wellbeing.
Studies have shown the financial issues are a major cause of marital strife. God does not want the Christian home to be a strife-driven home. He wants the home to be a place of nurture, of safety, of discipleship. But many Christian families do not go to the Bible to develop a Christian mindset and attitudes towards finances. So conflict will come, for no man can serve two masters.
One writer said, "Your faith affects your everyday life, but your faith is also affected by everyday life. Your faith isn't like some kind of watertight compartment, insulated against everything else! What you believe about God affects the way you live -- your hopes, your moral standards and your general outlook on life. But this interaction is two-way. What's happening to you in your everyday life affects the quality of your faith. If you are depressed about your career or your family, if a relationship is going wrong, or if you are worried about money -- then don't be surprised if these anxieties reduce your spiritual well-being."
I agree with the writer. As your pastor, my greatest concern is with your spiritual well-being.
No where in the Bible is the connection between a person’s finances and their spiritual well-being brought into play better than in Luke 18.
“18 A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 19 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No-one is good--except God alone. 20 You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honour your father and mother.’” 21 “All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said. 22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 23 When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth. 24 Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! 25 Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”” Luke 18:18-25, NIV.
This passage troubles me. Here was a person who had a chance to be sure of inheriting eternal life and passed it up because it involved finances.
I will tell you that Jesus did not need this person’s money. Jesus did not even say to the man, “Sell all you have and give it to me.” He said to him, “Sell all you have and give it to the poor.” Jesus was not looking for the man’s money, he was looking for his heart. You cannot buy your way into heaven.
But we spend our money on what we value. We look for values. We will spend $5 or $10,000 more on a car because it has features and value we want. We will go into debt to send our children to school, we will work multiple jobs to keep our homes. Why? Because our value system is revealed in how we spend our money.
So this man comes to Jesus and wants to inherit eternal life. What does the word “inherit” tell you? He wanted eternal life given to him. He did not want to buy it, it didn’t have that much value to him. He wanted eternal life given to him.
Jesus picks up on that. And now, in order for the man to see himself, starts by asking him a question that the young man can affirm. In order to enter the kingdom of heaven, you need to have obeyed the Ten Commandments as it relates to how one treats others. He lists five. The man says, “I have done that.”
“Good,” says Jesus. “One thing more. Love the poor by giving them all you have.”
The one area where his heart was not willing to let go and trust God was exposed. And the man said, “If I have to give up my money to get eternal life, I don’t want it.”
I have people ask me this question, “If I receive Christ will I need to go to church?” I have been taught to say, “No, salvation is a gift of God. You cannot earn it by good works. A person does not need to go to church to be a Christian.”
In light of this passage, I can see Jesus saying, “One thing more. You need to go to church.” Why? Not because giving money or going to church will save anyone. But if you want to enter the kingdom of heaven, you need to be willing to submit to the king. You must trust the king.
There are some people in our congregation who are givers. We can be excellent at giving, but holding back in some other areas. “God, I am more than willing to give, but I am not willing to go. I will help others go, I will encourage others to missions or ministry, but even though I hear your calling, I will give, but I will not go.” Jesus wants us to be open before him.
How many homes do I know where the marriage dissolved because people were not willing to spend the money to get help in the marriage. Their lawyers got what they refused to give marriage counselors. How many people have been stunted in their spiritual growth because an opportunity to give to the Lord’s work or to someone in need was refused. The heart was moved, the Spirit called, and the person quenched the Spirit.
So do you have an issue with giving? If you can honestly say, “No, I am more than willing to give to whatever I believe God wants me to give to, you have a right attitude towards finances in your life.” But I would ask, “Is there any other area in which you are holding back?” For you are missing out on the true joy and blessing that comes when we place our lives fully into the arms of Jesus.
So these three areas, giving help in this present economy, support for the Lord’s work, and a deep concern for the richness of our spiritual lives give rise to this series on finances.
I do not plan on telling anyone how to become rich. The Bible tells us that what we have comes from God. Wealth and poverty do not impact our ability to live for Christ. But our heart does.
I am not going to make personal appeals for your money. I have been in churches that have done that. We will make needs known as they come up, the present building project as an example. But I am not going to plead, beg, cajole or try to manipulate you into giving.
What I plan to do in this series is to look at the Bible. When we look at what the Bible has to say about our finances, both in attitude and in areas in which God wants us to give, I will not hesitate to preach what the Word of God says about these issue.
And the results? If we apply God’s word in our lives, we will come to understand the fullness of joy. The rich young ruler was stunted in his life with God because his money was more important than his obedience to God. He had no clue as to how his attachment to money was affecting his ability to experience the abundant life God had for him. Disobedience always results in a lack of fullness, a lack of joy.
I want you to experience joy. I especially want you to experience the joy of being a giver, the joy of practical acts of love, the joy of living for something bigger than yourself. John McCain, in his acceptance speech for the Republican nomination for president said, If you find faults with our country, make it a better one. If you're disappointed with the mistakes of government, join its ranks and work to correct them. Enlist in our Armed Forces. Become a teacher. Enter the ministry. Run for public office. Feed a hungry child. Teach an illiterate adult to read. Comfort the afflicted. Defend the rights of the oppressed. Our country will be the better, and you will be the happier. Because nothing brings greater happiness in life than to serve a cause greater than yourself.
The rich young ruler lost out on this opportunity to serve a cause greater than himself, the kingdom of God. The obstacle? His love of money. We have the opportunity to experience this joy, this happiness, this satisfaction, if we are willing to follow our Lord.