Back In The Black -Part 2

MESSAGE TRANSCRIPTION: 

Well, good morning, everybody. Oh, come on. That was pretty sad. Come on. Good morning, everybody. Oh, much better. Boy, you all look so good. Look cold out there this morning. Okay. What is going on? It was like 50 degrees two days ago. Now it’s cold, but, hey, thank God for this beautiful building where we get to worship God. Come on. The heat is on. Come on. So good to see all of you here. And I’m so glad you came back for week two of our new teaching series, our first teaching series of the year that we’re calling back in the black. Now, if you missed last week, you can go online to our website, and you can watch last week’s message back on demand. But this series is designed for us to come alongside you and your family, to teach you and support you and give you some really good, practical, biblical, solid wisdom when it comes to managing your money God’s way. Because our hope and our dream is that you will live life in the black. And if you’re not in the black today, we’re going to get you back in the black. Now, just to make sure that we’re all singing from the same sheet of music. What that phrase means back in the black are living life in the black.

 It’s a financial a phrase that helps define it when you keep more of the money that you make. That’s called being in the black. But when you spend, or you lose more of the money than you make, that’s called being in the red. The red. So we want to help you. Come on. Live life in the black. Because when you’re in the black, I mean, there’s peace, there’s contentment. There’s freedom, right? There’s just blessing upon blessing. There’s there is generosity, and there’s this wonderful sense of achievement as you accomplish something great, you know, for God. But life in the red is no fun. Is it? How many have ever lived life in the red? Maybe you’re living life in the red right now. I got two hands up. I don’t know. But life in the red, innit fun, is it? I mean, it’s full of anxiety and just worry and sleepless nights. And it causes conflict and contention in marriages and relationships. So our hope and our prayer is that you will live life in the black. You know, if you’re just kind of sick and tired of being sick and tired, if you’re just sick and tired of wondering if I’m going to be able to, you know, pay my bills or, you know, take care of this or that. Listen, if you’re fed up, listen. This series is for you. Or maybe I mean, if today you are financially stable or even better, like secure in your finances. But yet you want to go to the next level in learning how to manage and steward and build wealth. God’s way. This series is for you as well. And so this is something for everyone here, and I’m so proud of so many of you that have chosen, you know, this year, 2023, you know, to get this area, this part of your walk with God. Right. And as a disclaimer, and I said this last week, I want to say it again, hits you right here. This series is not designed in any way, you know, to bang over, you know, the heads of church people for some more bucks out of your wallet. That’s not what this is about. This is about helping you learn to manage God’s resources God’s way so that you can experience financial freedom and peace in your life and in your family. This is not a series designed to, you know, to shame you or to make you feel guilty for some stupid financial decisions. And Lord knows we’ve all made plenty of those. Can I get an amen in God’s house today? You know, myself included. But I’m so proud that so many of you have chosen to draw a line in the sand and said, This year, 2023, I’m going to get this part of my walk with God. Right? Because this is just one thing that he uses to help us, to mature us in our faith. And I know many of you have made that decision because, as of today, well over 200 of you have signed up for the Financial Peace University. Can we just celebrate that for a moment? That’s the largest sign-up we’ve ever had in the 20-year history of our church for Financial Peace University. So many couples and singles have gone through this, even teens and students, over the years. And our ministry, Becca and I went through this many, many years ago, and it’s put out by a financial guru. You’ve seen them. Wherever you go, you receive your news feed from Dave Ramsey, and designed this based on godly principles to help people, you know, get on a budget, get out of debt, put their kids through college debt free, put together an investment in saving portfolios so that you can prepare for your retirement. And I’m so proud of you. Now, listen, I might have said last week that it starts tonight. It actually starts next Sunday night. Okay. Next Sunday night, right here in person, Financial Peace University class. I’ll be here. Becca will be here. A bunch of our leaders are going to be here, and we’re excited to kick this off and to invest in you. And we’ve made it all free for you and for your family and for any friend that you want to invite and bring along with you. You just need to get them registered. Not only do you get a Ramsey Plus membership, it’s an annual membership. With over 20 hours of video teaching, you also get the free in-person class for Financial Peace University. You’ll also receive a free one-year membership to the every dollar app that Dave Ramsey and his team put together. It’s the app that Becca and I use to set up our budget, and it connects right to our local bank account, and it just makes budgeting and staying and living on a budget so much easier. And, you know, I said that you know, we have purchased this as a church for our entire church family. I was kind of just guessing about what the value might be. So I reached out to the Dave Ramsey folks. You know, this is of worth of $567 value to you and your family, and the church is providing it for you for free. Listen, these guys will even do your taxes for you for free this year. Come on, somebody. So listen, take advantage of this. Even if you can’t come to the class on Sunday night, you can do a self-guided class. We know, though, from what Dave and his team has told us the people that are most successful with Financial Peace University are those that take it as a class in person where they can have community and accountability around them and somebody coaching them and helping them. But even if you can’t make it for that, at least take advantage and download this free membership so that you can experience financial freedom and peace in your life this year. 

Well, last week, I reminded us all in a message that was kind of like money management 101 of this simple truth when it comes to a theology of money. The bedrock truth is this God owns it all. Who owns it all. God owns it all. And God simply uses money in our life. His money? Whose money? It’s his money because he owns it all. He owns everything in the world and all that’s within it. The cattle on a thousand hills. And he. He uses money in our life as a tool, as a test, and as a testimony. He uses it as a tool to help us grow in our character, to help us become to mold, distant, shape us into the image of his son, Jesus Christ. He uses it as a test to see if I really do care about people. And he also uses it as a testimony to reveal to others, you know, what I really feel about God. And if I really love him and trust him and if he’s really number one in my life. But today, I want to talk to you about the subject of saving money. And the title of my talk today is Saving for Freedom. Famine and the future. In fact, you know, it’s true that we, as Americans are not very good at saving our money. Isn’t that true? We’re just not. In fact, they’ve actually surveyed all the nations around the world to see which nation by household percentage saves the most money. And so I was just going to ask you a question and just, you know, be honest with your answer. Who do you think? Or I would say this. Where do you think the U.S. ranks in the top ten nations when it comes to. Percentage of money saved per household? So think about it. One being the best, ten being the worst guy just turned your neighbor. Where do you think the U.S. falls in the top ten? They should go ahead. Just tell them. What do you really got? All right. You get some. Okay. All right, So you got an answer. All right. So on the count of three, I just want you to shout out your answer. Ready? One, two, three. Okay, Ten. All right, Well, you’re all wrong. I tricked you. We didn’t even make the top ten. Oh. Here’s the top ten. Let’s look at the top ten right here. Here they are, coming in number one, Luxembourg. And if you’re a typical American, you’re like, wait, that’s a country. Yes, Yes. That is average household saved 18% of their income. Think about that 18%. Even in Slovenia, the average household is 7.33%, the U.S. not even in the top ten. Gang, we are not very good at saving our money, actually, according to Suze Orman of CNBC. She says this. 

85% of Americans have less than $10,000 in savings. 

 She goes on, and she says this. 

35% have less than $1,000 in savings.

 . And then, last, of all, she says. 

34% have put aside $0 for a rainy day. 

But today, I am so excited for so many of you that have said this. No more. I am no longer going to live like the typical American. I am going to live like a follower of Jesus Christ, and I am going to apply godly principles when it comes to my personal finances. And I’m on this journey, and I’m on it with you to help you get back in the black. So today, I want to explore a story from the Old Testament. It’s found in Genesis chapter 41, and we’re going to receive today some wisdom from God’s word when it comes to this issue of saving money, saving for famine and saving for freedom, and saving for the future. And, you know, in Genesis chapter 41, it’s a story maybe many of you are very familiar with Joseph. You remember Joseph and his amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat that he got from his dad because Joe’s dad, he loved him more than his 11 other brothers because Joseph was born to his dad, Jacob. When Jacob was older in his years. And so he Joseph was was was a daddy’s boy. He was daddy’s favorite. In fact, he got all kinds of stuff his brothers didn’t get. Could you imagine this? Like every Christmas, Joe sitting under the Christmas tree. He got a brand new PlayStation when all of his 11 brothers got like a Chia Pet. Right. I mean, he got to ride shotgun whether he called it first or not. Every single time. And Joe’s brothers hated him for this. I mean, they just despised him. The Bible says they couldn’t say one kind word about him. They hate him. They were jealous of him. In fact, they wanted to kill him, and they plotted to kill him. But instead, they ended up selling him as a slave in Egypt. And then they lied to their father and told their dad that he was killed by a wild animal. Well, eventually, Joseph, he gets accused of crimes he didn’t commit. He lands himself in prison in Egypt. And that’s where we pick up his story. And chapter 41, just a little bit more context. Pharaoh who’s the leader of the Egyptian empire, the largest empire of the known world at the time, most powerful, wealthiest empire at the time. And the Pharaoh has a dream more like it was a nightmare, and it just rattled him. And he called all of, you know, his, you know, counsel to help him figure out what the dream meant. And nobody could figure it out. And the dream was basically, there’s seven big fat cows. And then they’re cannibalized. They’re eaten by seven skinny, bony, scrawny cows. And the Pharaoh just couldn’t figure this out. He’s like, What does this dream mean? And nobody on his team could tell them what it meant. And then he heard that there was a guy named Joseph that was in prison and that because of his connection with God, he had the power to interpret dreams. So the Pharaoh sends for Joseph, and he says, Hey, you got to tell me what this dream means because I just can’t sleep. And I know there’s got to be a meaning behind it, but there’s seven big fat cows, and then they’re eaten by these seven scrawny, skinny, bony cows. And Joseph, as he’s empowered by God in his Holy Spirit, he looks at Pharaoh, and he says to him, Listen, the Lord is trying to tell you something. Here’s what the dream means. The seven fat cows represent the next seven years of Egypt. There’s going to be a time of economic prosperity. The stock market is just going to go up and up and up and up and up. There’s going to be bumper crops. There’s going to be so much. You won’t know what to do with it all. But followed by those seven years of plenty of prosperity are going to come seven years, a famine that’s represented by the seven scrawny, skinny cows. And it’s going to be an economic downturn. There’s going to be a depression. There’s going to be calamity. There’s going to be a recession. And that’s represented by those seven scrawny cows. The seven years of hard time that will follow the seven years of plenty. And when Pharaoh hears this, he’s so, you know, grateful. It resonates in a spirit that this man obviously hears from his God. And God has given him wisdom beyond his years. And God has, you know, given him wisdom when it comes to finances. And so he takes Joseph out of prison, and he sets him up as the number two person in charge of the entire Egyptian empire. He makes him the prime minister, and then he tasks him with the monumental task of helping Egypt economically prepare for the seven years of famine that would come. Now, this is where we pick up the story in Genesis chapter 41. It starts right here in verse 47. It says this. 

GENESIS 41:47-49

After seven years, the granaries were filled to overflowing. There was so much grain, like sand on the seashore, that the people could not keep track of the amount.

You see here, Joseph, his first inclination that even though they were in good financial times, years of prosperity, his first inclination was to save, save, save took a portion. He stored it up, and he saved it. What was the result of that kind of wisdom? Well, the story goes on. It says after seven years, the granaries were filled to overflowing. There was so much grain, so much food. It was like sand on the seashore that the people could not keep track of the amount. Now, if you take a note today, I want to share three principles here from this story on saving. So if you’re taking notes, you want to write these down. Here’s number one. Save your money, honey. We put that up. 

Save your money, honey.

That’s the first one. And I want to put that in a little way that you would not forget it. Save your money. And here’s why. Disaster is coming. Now, I’m not trying to scare anybody. I’m not using any fear tactics, but I am telling you to save your money, honey, because disaster is coming, Jesus said. In this world, you will have trouble. So it’s not a matter of if. It’s a matter of when. Disaster is coming. You’re like, Jeez, Pastor, can you be more positive, please? All right. I’m positive. Disaster is coming. Listen to the words of the wealthiest and the wisest man that ever lived. Here’s what he said. Invest in seven ventures. Yes, in eight. You do not know what disaster may come upon the land. This is the words of Solomon. He had so much wealth. He makes, you know, Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Jeff Bezos looked like amateurs even today. That’s how wealthy this guy was. And what does he say to do? He says, save your money. In fact, don’t just save it. Diversify your portfolio. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Seven, maybe eight baskets. That’s really good wisdom. And why does he do that? Because he indicates that at some time and somehow, some way, disaster may come upon your life. He encourages us to save our money because saving money is absolutely essential. You know, you may be in the middle of a financial crisis right now, or you may be doing better financially right now than you’ve ever done in your life. No matter what’s going on in your life right now, you need to understand this vital point. Emergencies are going to happen. Save your money. Unexpected things come up. Doesn’t matter how much or how little you make or how much or little you have right now. No one is immune to this principle. That’s why saving is essential. Hey, just by a show of hands, how many of you are here in this room? Or if you want to give me a little, you know, hand raise online? How many of you are 30 years of age or older? Show hands. All right. A lot of you. And you raised him proud to, like yeah, man, I’ve been around, Jack. I have seen some stuff. Yeah. Just think, if you’re. If you’re in that category 30 or older, just think of all the things you’ve seen in your lifetime that have happened economically, financially, to you, and the world that we live in that you could share with some of the younger whippersnappers around here. I mean, I mean, you just think about this. Remember back in 2001, I mean, we were in a season of economic prosperity. I mean, people were making money hand over fist. The stock market was going up, the economy was good. And then what happened on the tragic day of 911? Many of you lost loved ones and friends. We’ll never forget it. Well, we. And not only if that was, you know, bad enough, all those people that died. It wrecked our country financially. The stock market crashed. The unemployment rate, you know, skyrocketed. Our nation, we went to war. It was hard. But after a few years, things began to get better, and the stock market recovered, and the unemployment rate went down. And in fact, home builders went on a building spree. Remember that? I mean, when you go to get a loan on a new house, you can get 105% loan on that new house. You guys remember those days? Yeah. I mean, things were booming again. And instead of, you know, using those years of prosperity as a time to increase reserves and save for a rainy day. People and our nation. We just lived like it was going to last forever, didn’t we? But it never goes on forever. Because then 2008. Came with it. Another. You know, economic meltdown of global proportions. It was a bank crisis. You guys remember this? I still don’t know who Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are, but I know they were involved. You remember that, though, banks went bankrupt. How does a bank go bankrupt? That is like Goldman Sachs. We’re talking about some of the largest financial institutions in the world that went belly up. The stock market crash. Millions of Americans lost everything. Many of you lost your job. You lost your business. You lost your home.You had to move back to maybe where he came from. It was hard. I remember it was 2008. We were actually building this building when all of that happened. Baby, it was hard. It was tough. You know, one guy asked one of his wealthy friends how he was sleeping at night through this financial crisis, and he said, oh, I’m sleeping like a baby. He’s like, You’re sleeping the whole night through. He’s like, No, I wake up every 2 hours, and I just cry. You know, it’s. But gradually, like over time, you know, we started to recover again as a nation. And then, back in 2020, COVID-19, a global pandemic, hit our world. Millions of people lost loved ones, but many also lost their jobs. Lost your businesses, you know, and, you know, the interesting thing now that that’s, you know, two, three years in a rearview mirror and. About half of us. Went through that crisis and did better than we have ever done before. And then another half went through that crisis and have never been worse than before. And now with, you know, supply chain issues and, you know, skyrocketing inflation. You know the future in America for 2023 is uncertain, to say the least. And, friends, this is why Solomon says, save your money. You never know what’s going to happen. Listen, I was incredibly fortunate to learn this lesson as a 14-year-old kid. My dad was a preacher, and he was an excellent, and still is to this day, financial manager of God’s money. I’ll never forget when I got my first job. I was working at a landscaping crew over in Cresco. Shopko brothers. Maybe some of you heard of those guys, and they hired me on, and I was the lowest guy on the team, which meant I. I ran a weed whacker all day long. I didn’t get to sit on a mower. I was a weed-whacker guy. I remember out there one summer, 14 years old, they strapped this thing to me, and they just they go to town, and I just ran this weed whacker all day long out there in the hot sun. And remember, my dad picked me up, and I’m just soaking wet, my body shaking, and I’m exhausted. And then I realized it hit me like. Oh. You have to go to work every day as an adult. My dad just laughed like you guys are. And yet reality just kind of has a way, a slap in the face, doesn’t it? But I’ll never forget the first day I got my first paycheck. I had that paycheck. I was so proud, and I showed it to my dad when he picked me up from work. And he took me home, and he sat me down at the kitchen table, and he said, now, son. I’m going to teach you how you help me, and your mother have managed our finances our entire life. And if you’ll follow these principles that I’m going to show you, he said, You will be blessed. God will always provide for you. You always have what you need. And I’m leaning in. I’m like, okay, at 14 years old, and he called it this. He called it the 10/10/80 plan. I’m like, Dad, what is the 10/10/80 plan? It’s also known as the give, save, spend plan. If you take a ten 1080 plan. Here’s what it means. The first ten represents this godly money management, one on one. The first ten represent the first 10% of my paycheck that I give it. I honor God by bringing him the tithe, which is 1/10 of everything that he’s blessed me with. Remember, God owns it all. And he asks me, actually, not just ask. He commands me to bring the Tide Malachi Chapter three verse that into his storehouse. The local church the place where I’m connected to my family’s, connected to where I am being led, and where I’m being fed by God through his local church. So that first ten, I give it to God. I honor. I bring it to God. My dad called this the trust and thank test. The family thank test. What does that mean? Well, when I take that 10% and I give it to God, it’s a way of me saying to God, thank you. Everything I have comes from you. The air that I breathe, the strength of my body, the creativity in my mind, the work ethic, the attitude, everything. So thank you, God, I’m thanking him when I bring him. The tithe. I’m honoring him with that. And, you know, I would encourage you to do this, and here’s why. Because. You know. Amazon can’t bless your finances. MasterCard and Visa. They cannot bless your finances. Hulu and Netflix. As fun as they are, they cannot bless your finances. But God can. God can. So I can’t think of a better person to honor and to thank. Then God. And invite him into my finances by honoring and bringing him my time. So that’s what the first ten represents a tithe. And by the way, it’s not just 8/10, it’s the first. Ten. Are you with me? Can somebody say, Hey, man?It’s the first time we see this principle show up right from the Book of Genesis. Remember, Adam and Eve, our first parents. They had two boys, Cain and Abel. Cain was a he was a farmer, and Abel was a rancher. And it says in the course of time that, they brought a tithe or an offering to God, and Cain, he brought some of his fruits and vegetables to God. But it says that Abel, his brother, brought the firstborn. From his flocks to God. The first. So you got some. And then you got the first. And it says when God looked at those two boys, and he looked at their offering, their tithe. It says he cursed Cain, but he blessed Abel. Are you with me? So it’s not just ten, but it’s the first ten. Because whatever I give God the first stuff, it releases his power to bless the rest up. So when I get up in the morning and I, start my day with God, and I give the first part of my day to God, it releases his power to bless the rest of my day. When I give the first of, you know, my week to God like you are today. As we begin a brand new week here on January 2023, you are releasing the power of God to bless the rest of you, recovering what the rest of your week. Blessed. 

That’s why we say around here. Success starts on Sunday. And when I give God the first of my increase, even though 100% of it belongs to him, he’s only required me to return, you know, the first ten back to him. We get to keep the 90. And then decide what to do with it from there. And it releases his power to bless the rest, the 90%. And I don’t know about you. I’d rather live with the 90% blessed. Then 100% of it cursed. Is this helping anybody? All right. So the first 10%, here’s what dad said. Give that to God. Honored that. Bring your tithing offering into your local church that you’re connected to. So pay God first. The second ten represents saving. Pay yourself second; that’s what we’re talking about today. This portion right here, Save your money, honey. You worked hard for it. You deserve it. You should pay yourself before anybody else after you give. Then you say, if you pay God first, then you pay yourself. Second. That’s what it means to save your money. You know. Money magazine reports that 78% of us, 78% of us will experience a negative financial impact on our lives within a ten-year period of time. I mean, you just look down your row right now, count ten people, or just think about the ten people that you’re closest to. Eight of them, within the next ten years, will experience a negative financial impact on their life. That’s why it’s so important to save, save for emergencies and cataclysmic events. Where save for retirement because your retirement will become a financial storm if you’re not prepared for it. Listen to me, especially those of you that are in your twenties and thirties. I’m telling you, if you get this right now, you will be prepared for when the emergency comes, and you’ll be able to face it with peace. Rather than falling into chaos and having to deal with the mess. Maybe like how you saw your parents have to live their life. So what’s the mean? Pay yourself. Pay God. Live on the 80. And if you can’t live on the 80, then your wants outweigh your needs. Live on the 80%. That’s where you have fun. You know you go on vacations where you pay your bills to pay your mortgage, your phone bill, your car payments. It’s all, you know, the grocery store and the hobbies and interests that you have. You live on the 80%. But again, if you can’t live on the 80%, it’s because your wants outweigh your needs. Gang, I’m telling you, Becca and I, we have lived this for 25 years and God has blessed our lives so much. It didn’t happen overnight but over time. Now we can actually we give well over 20% to God. We save over 20%. We pay God. We pay ourselves. And we’re able to live on the 60%. It’s amazing when you begin to apply these that it happen overnight. Somebody said, well, you have to make a lot of this has nothing to do with how much money you make. When we started this church, I made $30,000 a year. In fact, I didn’t even make that. They gifted two different people, raised money for it from, and we raised this money, and they were going to dole that out to us on a weekly basis. And I said, no, can I just have it all? And they’re like, What are you going to do with it? It was 40,000. I said, What are you going? They said, What are you going to do with it? I said I’m going to spend it. I’m going to buy a microphone. I’m gonna buy a screen now buy. A pulpit, by some chairs, gonna buy truck. And I’ve got my trailer. I’m going to buy toys. We’re going to buy everything that we have right here, right now. That’s what we did. They gave it to us. They said, what are you going to live off of? I said, faith. I only ever bounced one check in my life, and that was a check to community church. Ha ha ha ha ha. Wrote that sucker in faith, baby. Because I wasn’t even getting paid at first. Your financial peace and freedom has nothing to do with how much money you make. And everything to do with how you manage your money. That would have been a great place to say amen it would have been. I saved a couple in my back pocket. I’m going to amen for you, amen, every year. Are you with me? Yeah. So. So you live on that 80%. Again, it has nothing to do with how much money you make. You pay God first; you pay yourself. Second, you live on the rest. Number two is taking notes. Number one, save your money. Saving money is essential. Number two. 

Saving money is a decision. 

That’s just what it boils down to, gang. It’s a decision. It’s a decision that you get to a point in your life where you just say, You know what, I am so sick and tired of being sick and tired. I am going to change the way I manage my money. And it starts with the decision that you make. Back in, I had to make a decision to save money. Pharaoh had he went when he heard the interpretation. He had to make a decision. He put Joseph in charge. Joseph, He had to make a decision. Look, look, look what happens in Genesis 41, verse 34. Look, Look what it says. 

GENESIS 41:34-36

Pharaoh should appoint supervisors over the land and let them collect one-fifth of all the crops during the seven good years. Have them gather all the food produced in the good years that are just ahead and bring it to Pharaoh’s storehouses.Store it away, and guard it so there will be food in the cities. That way there will be enough to eat when the seven years of famine come to the land of Egypt.Otherwise this famine will destroy the land.

So the first thing he did he said, I’m making a decision. This is how we’re going to get through this gang. We’re going to say 20% of everything that comes in over the next seven years. We’re going to build granaries. We’re going to fill those suckers up. The first thing you went down to the First Bank of Egypt, and he set up Egypt’s emergency fund. 20% for the next seven years goes into nobody touch it until it’s absolutely necessary. There was accountability. There was support that he had from the Pharaoh, and the food was saved. Listen, friend, it takes a decision to save money. I’ve been doing this a long time. I’ve walked with thousands of people on their financial journey. So can I just make an observation? I’ve never seen anyone drift into financial peace or freedom. I’ve never had anybody in my church. Ever just come out of the bathroom, and I don’t know what happened. And I just woke up one day, and all my dumb debt was paid off. You know, now I just, you know, I wasn’t. I just. I just. I’m happy to honor God with the first fruits, the Tithe 10%. You know, I just, you know, God’s blessed us. I just don’t know how it all happened. No, every single one of them knows exactly how it happened. They made a decision. And friend, this has to be an advanced decision. You have to make it on the front end because I’m guaranteeing you there’s always something that’s going to come up that’s going to be so urgent that you think you’re going to have to defer whatever you are going to save to put it into something else. So make a decision. Like anything that’s worthwhile, it always takes a decision. And I’m so proud of so many of you that around here, just even recently, made a spiritual decision in your spiritual journey. You know, over 32 people, Over 30 people just in the last few weeks, the first month here at Community Church, have made a decision to become followers of Jesus. Come on to drop everything and say, I’m going to follow Jesus and many more. During our Christmas outreaches and our winter wonderland, so many have made a decision to follow Christ. Say, you know what? I’m going to lean in. I’m going to start to learn how to read my Bible and pray and listen to the Holy Spirit. I gonna start going to church, and I’m going to join a group and get around some other people and get engaged in community so I can grow in my faith. And I hope you’re going to make a really big decision what’s going to happen in just a few weeks on Super Bowl Sunday, on February 12th. It’s going to be a day where we’re going to celebrate all of those that are going public with their decision to follow Christ through water baptism. So if you have not been baptized as an adult where you’ve made a decision to follow Jesus, I’m inviting you now. I’m going to be here, and I’m going to be in the tank, and it’ll be my honor to baptize you into the family of God. And if you’d like to be baptized on February 12th, Super Bowl Sunday, just let us know out of the group’s hub, and we’ll get you all signed up and get you everything you need so you can invite your friends to be here with us on that day. Listen. Saving money is a decision. And. You will never. Become financially free and experience God’s peace in your finances by accident. You won’t get there accidentally. You only get there on purpose. Here’s number three. 

Saving your money also protects your loved ones and blesses those around you.

It protects your loved ones, and it blesses your love for those that are around you. You know, I had a lady come up to me. It was last week. Older lady in our church, a real sweetheart. Just a sister in the Lord. And she said, Pastor, I want to thank you so much for doing this series Back in the Black, helping people experience financial freedom, peace in their life, setting them up for success. So many of us need this. She almost like had tears in her eyes, like, What’s your story? And she said, you know, some years ago, she lost the love of her life. Her husband, he died. And it was heartbreaking. And if that wasn’t bad enough, it actually became worse when she actually realized that he had left her with $50,000 worth of debt. Just broke her heart. It wasn’t hard enough that she’s mourning his loss, but now she’s in such a deep financial hole she didn’t know how she was going to survive. She began to apply these principles. How to save, how to get an emergency fund together first, how to how to tithe, how to trust God, how to live on the 80%. She’s dug herself out of that. You know what she is today. Even in her retirement years, she’s a financial counselor to help other women who are younger than her learn these principles that we’re talking about today so that they can experience financial peace. There’s a lot on the line here, gang. And I’m just trying to do my dead-level best to help set you up for success so that you can save your money so that it can protect your loved ones. And those that are around you. See when you have money saved in the bank, and disaster strikes or some unexpected crisis comes your way. You’ll be in a position to handle it. To take care of your family. To also take care of your friends. Notice here. When. When Joseph. He saved. You know, he became wildly successful in his own right. Incredibly wealthy. In his own right as the prime minister, he also enriched Egypt at the same time. And what you’ll notice here is he just didn’t keep it all for himself. Look at it says here in Genesis 41, 57. 

GENESIS 41:57

And people from all around came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph because the famine was severe throughout the world.

Joseph wasn’t like, Hey, man, look at us. We did what was right. I’m just taking care of my wife and my kids, just my own. No, that’s not what his heart was. Because that’s not what God’s heart is. God’s heart is you have to take care of your family. But it’s also to open up whatever you have so that you can be a blessing to a world in need. And Joseph did that. And if you read the rest of the story, you’ll see that God used his generosity. Not only to protect his family and the entire nation of Egypt. But also to protect and save the very family that sold him into slavery, to begin with. That would one day bring into the world our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, which would save the entire world. Come on. Can we get God praise on that? 

So as I close, Listen, it’s not selfish to save money. It’s wise. You want to take care of your loved ones, and you want to take care and be able to unleash compassion on those that are around you. So what do we learn? Number one, save your money, honey. Saving is essential. Number two saving money. It’s a decision. And number three, saving money will help protect those that you love. And those that are around you. So as I close some of you, I can almost hear your thoughts. I just don’t have enough money to save. I’m just paycheck to paycheck. All right. I’m just going to give you a couple little quick hits, some secrets, some tips. Stuff like this is what you’re going to learn as we start next week on Financial Peace University. Let me just give you a few ideas to help create a little bit of margin for you so you can save some money. That’s one of the first things we’re going to tackle if we help put you on this budget and get the every dollar set up for you and your family, and then we’re going to help you. The first thing we’re going to do is save $1,000, put it in an emergency fund, and we’re going to attack your debt. We’re going to help you get debt free. Not going to happen overnight, but it will happen over time. So would you like a couple tips on how you can start saving money today? All right. Okay. Real quick, want to write these down? Here it is. It’s a super practical, but you might want to try this is what Becca and I did. Number one, eat out less. Cook food at home. It tastes better. You know what’s in it than, you know, the average American family spends $200 a month on eating out. And most of its fast food, which is terrible for you. So eat out less. Take your lunch to work. Gang, this is low-hanging fruit. This is easy stuff. All right. Here’s another one. Make your own coffee at home. Just. But what about Starbucks? You mean four bucks? I call it for everything in their four bucks or more. Not Starbucks. It’s four bucks. You know, the average American spends $128 a month on coffee, average. Some of you are way above average, baby. So make it at home. Make it at home. You’ll save money. Here’s a here’s another one. Number three, just call every company. Every company, and look at every app you have on your phone. All right. And decide, do I really need this app? Do I really need this company or whatever that company is? Shop the price. Like your car insurance, your life insurance, your home insurance. Again, this is low-hanging fruit. You can do this tomorrow. Make sure you’re getting the best deal. Some of you signed up for some of these things years ago, and now there’s other competitors in the market that will offer you either the same value for what you currently have or even more for what you’re currently paying, or it will be a lot less. So shopping around, you will find money to save if you’re serious about it. Here’s another one that’s going to hit really close to home. Cut ties with cable TV. Untether yourself. No offense if you work for Blue Ridge. I’m sorry, but Becca and I, when we broke up with Blue Ridge cable, we saved $300 a month, baby. And now I got my TV everywhere I go. YouTube TV right here, baby. I can watch the game in between services. I’m back there. You think I’m praying, and I’m looking, are the Steelers winning here. It’s everywhere I go. Seriously, there’s so much money you can save just in that area, right? And here’s a really controversial one. Oh, by the way, you know, we did save $300 a month. That’s 3600$ a year. Gang. That’s almost two IRA investments. Maxing them out. So look at what you currently are. See how you can save. And here’s a super controversial one. Instead of buying the shiny new, nice sparkly with all the bells and whistles car, what if instead you bought a used reliable car that would get you just from point A to point B? Listen, if you’re 20 something, listen to me. Real lean in. The average American spends $564 on a monthly car payment. Listen, if you’re under 20, if you’re in your early twenties, if instead of doing that, you paid cash for a decent, reliable car, it’s going to get you from point A to point B, and you took that $564 and you put it into a mutual fund every month when you would retire at 67, you know how much that would be. $6.5 million. Would you rather drive around in a new car that you’ll never own for $564 today a month or have $6.5 million waiting for you when you want to retire? This is the kind of stuff you’re going to learn. Financial Peace University. This is what it means to honestly manage your finances God’s way so that you can experience financial freedom and peace in your life. But some of you today, you lack a different kind of peace. And it’s peace with your Heavenly Father. It’s peace with God. Listen, Jesus came, and he died. And he rose again in victory to give you peace with God.