Serve Two Masters?

Welcome Campmeeting 2009

DOMINION:No Time for Serving

Two Masters

What happensin your house …

…is more important than

what happens …

…in the White House.

What happens in your house is more

important than what happens in the White House.

What are you passing down

your family tree?

God’s Purposed Blessing for IsraelDeuteronomy 28:1-14

7 “The LORD shall cause your enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before you; they will come out against you one way and will flee before you seven ways. 8 “The LORD will command the blessing upon you in your barns and in all that you put your hand to, and He will bless you in the land which the LORD your God gives you. 9 “The LORD will establish you as a holy people to Himself, as He swore to you, if you keep the commandments of the LORD your God and walk in His ways. 10 “So all the peoples of the earth will see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they will be afraid of you. 11 “The LORD will make you abound in prosperity, in the offspring of your body and in the offspring of your beast and in

the produce of your ground, in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers to give you. 12 “The LORD will open for you His good storehouse, the heavens, to give rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hand; and you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. 13 “The LORD will make you the head and not the tail, and you only will be above, and you will not be underneath, if you listen to the commandments of the LORD your God, which I charge you today, to observe them carefully, 14 and do not turn aside from any of the words which I command you today, to the right or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.

God’s Purposed Blessing for IsraelDeuteronomy 28:1-14

7 “The LORD shall cause your enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before you; they will come out against you one way and will flee before you seven ways. 8 “The LORD will command the blessing upon you in your barns and in all that you put your hand to, and He will bless you in the land which the LORD your God gives you. 9 “The LORD will establish you as a holy people to Himself, as He swore to you, if you keep the commandments of the LORD your God and walk in His ways. 10 “So all the peoples of the earth will see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they will be afraid of you. 11 “The LORD will make you abound in prosperity, in the offspring of your body and in the offspring of your beast and in the produce of your ground, in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers to give you. 12 “The LORD will open for you His good storehouse, the heavens, to give rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hand; and you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. 13 “The LORD will make you the head and not the tail, and you only will be above, and you will not be underneath, if you listen to the commandments of the LORD your God, which I charge you today, to observe them carefully,

14 and do not turn aside from any of the words which I command you today, to the right or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.

Proverbs 221 A good name is to be more desired than great wealth,

Favor is better than silver and gold.

2 The rich and the poor have a common bond,

The LORD is the maker of them all.

3 The prudent sees the evil and hides himself,

But the naive go on, and are punished for it.

4 The reward of humility and the fear of the LORD

Are riches, honor and life.

5 Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse;

He who guards himself will be far from them.

6 Train up a child in the way he should go,

Even when he is old he will not depart from it. 7 The rich rules over the poor,

And the borrower becomes the lender’s slave.

8 He who sows iniquity will reap vanity,

And the rod of his fury will perish.

9 He who is generous will be blessed,

For he gives some of his food to the poor.

Proverbs 221 A good name is to be more desired than great wealth,

Favor is better than silver and gold.

2 The rich and the poor have a common bond,

The LORD is the maker of them all.

3 The prudent sees the evil and hides himself,

But the naive go on, and are punished for it.

4 The reward of humility and the fear of the LORD

Are riches, honor and life.

5 Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse;

He who guards himself will be far from them.

6 Train up a child in the way he should go,

Even when he is old he will not depart from it.

7 The rich rules over the poor,

And the borrower becomes the lender’s (slave). 8 He who sows iniquity will reap vanity,

And the rod of his fury will perish.

9 He who is generous will be blessed,

For he gives some of his food to the poor.


your family tree?

Matthew 6:24

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

Matthew 6:24

If you serve (δουλεύειν) one, you CANNOT serve another.

Serve also means (from 6:24):

Love (αγαπήσει)Hold to (ανθέξεται)

Not Serving also means (from 6:24):

Hate (μισήσει)Despise (καταφρονήσει)

When you serve money, money is giving direction and telling you what to do.

The Gospel of Matthew(as it surrounds our text)

Matthew 6vv 1-4 Giving: Alms in Secretvv 5-15 Prayervv 16-18 Fastingvv 19-34 Treasure & Anxiety

Matthew 7vv 1-5 Do Not Judgev 6 “Stewardship”vv 7-12 Ask, Seek, and Knock

Matthew 619. “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20. “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; 21. for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22. “The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. 23. “But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

28.“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. 25. For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 “Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor

gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? 27 “And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? 28 “And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, 29 yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 30. “But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! 31 “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ 32 “For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34 “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Matthew 619. “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20. “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; 21. for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22. “The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. 23. “But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! 24. “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth (money, mammon, riches, gold). 25.“For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body

more than clothing? 26“Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? 27 “And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? 28 “And why are you

worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, 29 yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 30 “But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! 31 “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ 32 “For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34 “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Matthew 619. “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20. “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; 21. for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22. “The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. 23. “But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! 24. “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth (money, mammon, riches, gold). 25.“For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26“Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds

them. Are you not worth much more than they? 27 “And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? 28 “And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, 29 yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 30 “But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! 31 “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ 32 “For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34 “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Matthew 619. “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20. “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; 21. for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22. “The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. 23. “But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! 24. “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth (money, mammon, riches, gold). 25.“For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 “Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? 27 “And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? 28 “And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, 29 yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 30 “But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today

and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! 31 “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ 32 “For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34 “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Hebrews 12:1

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, . . .

Hebrews 12:1-3

. . . fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author

and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Faith is ESSENTIAL

… But the righteous will live by his faith. Habakkuk 2:4

The just shall live by faith. Romans 1:17

For we walk by faith… 2 Corinthians 5:7

THE RIGHTEOUS MAN SHALL LIVE BY FAITH. Galatians 3:11

And without faith it is impossible to please Him, … Hebrews 11:6

What does faith look like?

What does faith sound like?

Faith is saying:

YESTo God and NOT to your Flesh

Faith is saying:

NOTo your Flesh and NOT to God.

Do you trust God? Or, do you just say that you trust God?

– Larry Burkett

WHICH FORMS OF FINANCE EXEMPLIFY A LIFE THAT IS

LIVED BY FAITH?


your family tree?

Choose you this day who

you will serve!

Joshua 24 14 “Now, therefore, fear the LORD and

serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. 15 “If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, …”

Joshua 24 14 “Now, therefore, fear the LORD and serve Him

in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. 15 “If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, …”

Hebrew: ע 9 ר:

“disagreeable”- also “adversity, evil, vexing, bad, troubling, harmful, heavy, distressful, wrong or displeasing.”

Joshua 24 14 “Now, therefore, fear the LORD and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and

put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. 15 “If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD,

choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”


your family tree?

Do you trust God? Or, do you just say that you trust God?

– Larry Burkett

daveramsey.com

daveramsey.com

Notes for Baby Steps

1. Attitude, Contentment, and Discipline

2. No more Credit Card or any other kind of indebtedness.

3. Learn the forgotten word: NO.4. Live on a Budget (Zero Balance

Budget)Act your Wage

daveramsey.com

Preliminary Notes for A Family Budget Expenses are yearly accumulations divided by

the number of pay periods. Just because you have money it does not

mean you have money to spend. If you do not have the money you do not buy it. NO.

This is a joint spouse endeavor. It will take 3 to 4 months to develop a fluid

working budget. Monthly budget meetings. If a category needs

to be overspent, then there is an emergency budget meeting.

daveramsey.com

A Family Budget with Recommended PercentagesGiving: 10-15 %Saving: 5-10 % Emergency Fund, Retirement, College Fund

Housing: 25-35 % Mortgage(s), Furniture, Insurance, Taxes

Utilities: 5-10 % Electricity, Water, Gas, Phone, Cable, Trash

Food: 5-15 % Grocery, Restaurants

Transportation: 10-15 % Car Payment(s), Gas, Oil, Repairs, Insurance, Tags, etc.

Clothing: 2-7 % Children, Adults

Medical/Health 5-10 % Disability Ins., Health Ins., Dentist, Meds, etc.

Personal: 5-10 % Life Ins., Education, Gifts (incl. Christmas), Blow Money

Recreation: 5-10 % Entertainment, Vacation

Debts: 5-10 % Credit Cards, Student Loans, Gas Card, etc.

daveramsey.com

1.$1,000 in the Bank: Emergency Fund($500 if income is under $20,00 per year)

Emergency Fund is NOT an Investment. Do not touch this fund for purchases. First Priority.

daveramsey.com

1.$1,000 in the Bank: Emergency Fund($500 if income is under $20,00 per year)

An emergency fund is for those unexpected events in life that you can’t plan for: the loss of a job, an unexpected pregnancy, a faulty car transmission, and the list goes on and on. It’s not a matter of if these events will happen; it’s simply a matter of when they will happen.

daveramsey.com

2.Debt Snowball• List Debts in order (Except the house).• Pay minimum payments on all but the

smallest balance.• When the smallest is paid off, dump that

payment into the next smallest balance. The “New Payment” is the total of the previous debt’s payment PLUS the current debt’s minimum.

daveramsey.com

2.Debt SnowballList your debts, excluding the house, in order. The smallest balance should be your number one priority. Don’t worry about interest rates unless two debts have similar payoffs. If that’s the case, then list the higher interest rate debt first.

The point of the debt snowball is simply this: You need some quick wins in order to stay pumped up about getting out of debt! Paying off debt is not always about math. It’s about motivation. Personal finance is 20% head knowledge and 80% behavior. When you start knocking off the easier debts, you will see results and you will stay motivated to dump your debt.

daveramsey.com

2.Debt SnowballItem Total Payoff Min Pmt New PmtLowes $150 $15 Garage SaleHome Dep $250 $10 $25VISA $500 $75 $100Car $1,500 $210 $310Truck $4,000 $150 $460

daveramsey.comFirst 3 Baby Steps3.Completed Emergency Fund (3 to 6 months of living

expenses in the Bank)

Once you complete the first two baby steps, you will have built serious momentum. But don’t start throwing all your “extra” money into investments quite yet. It’s time to build your full emergency fund. Ask yourself, “What would it take for me to live for three to six months if I lost my income?” Your answer to that question is how much you should save.Use this money for emergencies only: incidents that would have a major impact on you and your family. Keep these savings in a money market account. Remember, this stash of money is not an investment; it is insurance you’re paying to yourself, a buffer between you and life.


your family tree?

A Biblical Example of how finances affected

multigenerational enslavement.

A Biblical Example of how finances affected multigenerational

enslavement.

(2 Kings 4:1-7)

Elisha and the Widow2 Kings 4:1-7

1 Now a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the LORD; and the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves.” 2 Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your

maidservant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.” 3 Then he said, “Go, borrow vessels at large for yourself from all your neighbors, even empty vessels; do not get a few. 4 “And you shall go in and shut the door behind you and your sons, and pour out into all these vessels, and you shall set aside what is full.” 5 So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons; they were bringing the vessels to her and she poured. 6 When the vessels were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her, “There is not one vessel more.” And the oil stopped. 7 Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debt, and you and your sons can live on the rest.”


1 Now a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your

servant feared the LORD; and the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves.” 2 Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your maidservant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.” 3 Then he said, “Go, borrow vessels at large for yourself from all your neighbors, even empty vessels; do not get a few. 4 “And you shall go in and shut the door behind you and your sons, and pour out into all these vessels, and you shall set aside what is full.” 5 So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons; they were bringing the vessels to her and she poured. 6 When the vessels were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her, “There is not one vessel more.” And the oil stopped. 7 Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debt, and you and your sons can live on the rest.”


1 Now a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the LORD; and the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves.” 2 Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your maidservant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.” 3 Then he said, “Go, borrow vessels at large for yourself from all your neighbors, even empty vessels; do not get a few. 4 “And you shall go in and shut the door behind you and your sons,

and pour out into all these vessels, and you shall set aside what is full.” 5 So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons; they were bringing the vessels to her and she poured. 6 When the vessels were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her, “There is not one vessel more.” And the oil stopped. 7 Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debt, and you and your sons can live on the rest.”

2 Kings 4:1-7Intergenerational Financial Principles

Life before the Crisis1. Father’s Financial Neglect2. Wife’s (now Widow’s) Concern3. Potential Enslavement of Children4. Elisha’s Engagement5. Elisha’s Direction6. Wife’s (now Widow’s) Obedience7. God’s Provision8. Wife’s (now Widow’s) Obedience9. Children’s Freedom and Peaceful Living


1. Father’s Financial Neglect

2. Wife’s (now Widow’s) Concern3. Potential Enslavement of Children4. Elisha’s Engagement5. Elisha’s Direction6. Wife’s (now Widow’s) Obedience7. God’s Provision8. Wife’s (now Widow’s) Obedience9. Children’s Freedom and Peaceful Living


1. Father’s Financial Neglect2. Wife’s (now Widow’s) Concern3. Potential Enslavement of Children4. Elisha’s Engagement5. Elisha’s Direction6. Wife’s (now Widow’s) Obedience7. God’s Provision8. Wife’s (now Widow’s) Obedience9. Children’s Freedom and Peaceful

Living

As for me and my house, we will SERVE the

Lord.

THEEND…

THE ENDOf

Bondage

THEBEGINNING

OfFreedom

Technology

Serve Two Masters?