Kingdom Economics Sermon Series, Part 1

Evangelist John T. Edmerson

www.transformingfamilies.blogspot.com

“An informed family is a transformed family”

Kingdom Economics, Part 1

Beginning March 2012...

A New Sermon Series About Money, How It Works & What To Do To Get More

A study from selected passages in the book of Proverbs

Empowerment vs Victimization (Two World Views)

¹⁷ He who loves pleasure will become a poor man; 
He who loves wine and oil will not become rich. (21:17, NASB)

In this sermon we tackle the concept of empowerment. We will unlock the meaning of “being empowered” and its consequence in the life of the believer. Where “we” are today (as believers) is truer of where we are with our faith, than where our community is with its obsession with pleasure and fantasy. Admittedly, we do operate within certain racial, economic and social constructs, however, the responsibility to survive and thrive is on us. We must resist the mindset of victimization which blames others and comforts us in our misdeeds. We must recognize empowerment and live lives daring to do what others only dream of.

Mis-Prioritization

(The US budget and its influence on me…)

⁹ Honor the LORD from your wealth, And from the first of all your produce; ¹⁰ So your barns will be filled with plenty 
And your vats will overflow with new wine. (3:9-10, NASB)

²¹ Adversity pursues sinners, 
But the righteous will be rewarded with prosperity.

(13:21, NASB)

Looking at the US federal government, we see many decisions that reflect poor prioritization. From an inflated fiscal deficit, to dilapidated schools, to chronically underperforming schools (high dropout rate, rising teen pregnancy, etc.) and historic high crime neighborhoods, as a country we often ignore the tougher problems and tackle problems that are imaginary or grounded in the interests of a select few. In like manner, our lives also sometimes reflect poor prioritization. We buy TV’s we don’t need. We eat at restaurants we can’t afford and drive cars that cost too much. Many suffer from poor prioritization. We should ask questions like…What should my daily focus be? What things do I really value? Where do I spend my money? Our lives reflect our priorities. In this lesson, we make the case for setting priorities and we give concrete examples of how to set proper God-ordained priorities.

Nation—Building (Are we building the wrong nations?)

⁵ The plans of the diligent lead surely to advantage, 
But everyone who is hasty comes surely to poverty.

(21:5, NASB)

We have become a Nation that builds other Nations. We are spending billions of dollars a day to build roads, schools and industries in countries like Iraq where those things do not exist. The urbanite today must realize that there is a great advantage to keeping our schools under-funded, our jails over-crowded and our colleges empty of black men. It does not appear that we, the urbanites, are worthy of being built by our Nation. Prudence says that we recognize that and plan to build ourselves with the resources that have been provided. We must plan to turn things around in our lives, our churches and schools. It will take money, focus, sacrifice, dedication and commitment. Recount the tendency of other people groups to give toward causes that they believe in…

Financial Desperation, What will I do to get paid?

(NY Governor Cuomo & Gambling)

¹¹ Wealth obtained by ^[a]fraud dwindles, 
But the one who gathers ^[b]by labor increases it. (13:11, NASB)

New York Governor Cuomo is on a mission to legalize gambling to bring about greater revenue for his state. Rather than make the tough calls by solid planning and wise prioritizing, Governor Cuomo wants more money--by any means necessary. There is a ton of research on why gambling isn’t the answer to a community’s problems. As believers, we sometimes do the same. In a moment of desperation, we can become foolish and do things that we will one day regret. Desperation is often the baby--birthed from unwise decisions and un-discipline. In this lesson, we examine financial desperation and we will lay out strategies to prevent us from acting unwisely.

Is it really all about Money?

⁴ The reward of humility and the ^[a]fear of the LORD 
Are riches, honor and life. (22:4, NASB)

Though the bible mentions insights and observations about making money, the more accurate picture is this--serve God faithfully and God will meet your needs. The world is obsessed with making money. We too sometimes suffer from this pervasive influence. Even with the destruction of our families by spending to much time at the office, to much money on furniture (stuff), to much money on our houses and on and on and on…we must recognize that it’s really about humility and the fear of God. When the ancients heard the phrase “fear of God” what came to their mind? Why we are admonished to be humble so often in the scriptures? In this lesson, we answer these questions and connect humility and respect as the SOLUTION to our problem of making money.