Paying it Forward: Killing Goliath

Sermon Text: Romans 13: 8 KJV Owe no man anything…NIV Let no debt remain outstanding…;1 Samuel 17: 25, 40…The King will give great wealth to the man who kills him. He will also give him his daughter in marriage and will exempt his father's family from taxes in Israel. (40) Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd's bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.

Stone 1: Spiritual or natural…2 Cor. 10: 4 - 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.

Your first stone must be a spiritual stone. You cannot look at debt just from the natural.

Stone 2: God is…a debt canceling God. God canceled your sin debt by cashing in his son to pay for the rights of your soul. Adam gave up the rights.

Stone 3: You have a…part to play. Deut 28: 12 - 12 The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none.

All though God will operate supernaturally God is not going to do what you can do.

Stone 4: Open up heaven… Mal 3: 10 - 10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.  None of this works if you do not tithe.

Stone 5: It's not about…getting out of debt is getting in a position to bless others. . Luke 6: 31, 38 – 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you. 38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

 You are blessed to help the rest.

Stone 1: Keep the…faith. Rom 10: 17 - 17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.

 James 2:17 - 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

 Some of us try to do the things of God without having faith in God.

Stone 2: Keep at…do not stop paying off a little bit a debt at a time. 1 Cor 15: 58 - 58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

 At first it will seem fruitless.

Stone 3: Keep your…extra money.

Stone 4: Keep thanking…God. Eph 5: 20 - 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 1 Thes 5: 18 - 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus

 You must keep praising God because that’s where your peace and strength will come from.

Stone 5: Keep up…with Jesus and not the Jones. 2 Cor 10: 12 - 12 The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. 

Much of our debt comes from addressing our low self esteem issues

My next steps…

(1) Surrender your sin and or rededicate your life

(2) Trust God with my financial decisions by praying over our budget

(3) Write out all your debt and put it in a place of prayer

(4) Make sure you hear this whole series through & bring a friend

(5) Meet with the personal finance pastors