Finances

Upgrades: Week 3 of 5: Marriage and Finances
Week 1: Marriage is God’s Idea
Week 2: Communication
Week 3: Finances
Next Week // Week 4: Intimacy

Because a primary purpose of marriage is to glorify God by representing Christ and the Church, then use money as a couple in such a way that shows that money is not your delight, Christ is.
The root issue when it comes to marriage and money is this: delighting in Christ.
(Psalm 37:4a ESV) “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

Part 1: A primary purpose of marriage is to represent Christ and the church
Have you ever wondered, “Why is there no marriage in heaven?”
(Matthew 22:30 NIV) “At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.”
Just like a street light is useful during the night, but turned off when the superior and real Sun rises, so marriage points toward the superior reality of Jesus with His church for eternity.
(Ephesians 5:31-33 ESV) For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church.
What are a few ways that marriage represents Christ and the church?
Faithfulness to the covenant
Sacrificial love
Delighting in his bride

(Revelation 19:6-9) Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, […] crying out, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give Him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure” – for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”

Part 2: Use money in such a way that shows that money is not your delight; Christ is

1: Heart Check: Delight in the Lord

This one thing I ask… What would that be?
(Psalm 27:4 NIV) “One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life […]”
Money enables you to try to do what is in your heart. So, what is in your heart?
Whose kingdom are you seeking to build?

2: Head Check: Everything belong Your Father

Psalm 24:1 NLT “The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him.”
My life, my family, my house, where we live, my work, my reputation

Pray with open hands – “Thy will be done!”

Gratitude and contentment
Philippians 4:13 ESV “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

Hudson Taylor – “Depend on it. God’s work done in God’s way will never lack God’s supply. He is too wise a God to frustrate His purposes for lack of funds, and He can just as easily supply them ahead of time as afterwards, and He much prefers doing so.”

3: Good Managers Plan: Budget – Telling Money Where It Will Go Before It Tells You Where It Went

Prayerfully – “Budget of Jesus’s Money” // Set my mind to worship before I begin
Regularly – Husband lead by invitation; say the word “Let’s”
You don’t have to be smarter, better at Excel, or more financially savvy to lead with love and humility

As a Team
You don’t have to create the budget together, but both need to “sign off” on it
Inviting the other person to worship God through every financial decision as well

With Good Timing (HALT)
Hungry
Angry
Lonely
Tired

4: Tithing: Why start here? (Main Checking – 10% for Jesus’s bride = remainder)

If you are a manager, know what Jesus cares about most.
His kingdom – and his plan to reach the nations is the church… no plan B

5: Giving to Jesus’s Others: (Remainder – % for Jesus’s others = remainder)

Plan and prepare to be generous
Maybe: Set up a giving account with a separate debit card

6: Saving for Jesus’s Saving Fund: (Remainder – % for Jesus’s Savings)

This is not a replacement for trusting in God every day
Saving is a biblical principle that honors Him when done with open hands (Proverbs 6:6-11)

7: Get out of debt (Remainder – % set aside to get out of debt)

Confession: Sometimes I didn’t want to look at the bank account for fear of what it would say
Know your number: How much debt do you have?
1 Peter 5:7 NLT Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.
Proverbs 22:7b NIV “The borrower is the slave of the lender

Conclusion: If we need help, where do we go from here?
Prayer
Confession/ No secrets – Living in the light with your spouse and your trusted community.
Abide with Christ as a couple – Pray together. Dig into God’s word together.
Right Now Media: sign up for free: https://www.reallifeministries.com/post-falls/resources/right-now-media
Rock Solid Finances
Crown Financial
Dave Ramsey

Quick reminder: Membership class is from 11:45 – 3:00 pm today in the Trailhead Room. Lunch and childcare provided.

Questions for Life Group

Icebreaker: Share a story of when God met a financial need in your life in a special or unusual way.
Questions:
Re-read Psalm 37:4 and its context. Why is delighting in Christ a root issue?
Re-read Ephesians 5:31-33. How does understanding that marriage is meant to represent Christ and the church change the way we do marriage?
Can someone in the life group re-explain why there is no marriage in Heaven? (See Matthew 22:30)
Psalm 24:1 says, “The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him.”
What does holding everything with an open hand look like to you?
What part does gratitude and contentment play into marriage and finances? See Phil. 4:13 in its context.
Luke 16:10 says, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.” What does this mean? How does this apply?
Why does tithing come first in the order of the budget?
Ask your spouse: What is something that I could do to help us function as a team in regards to money?
The sermon encouraged us to live in the light as God is in the light (1 John 1:7). Are there any secrets that you need to bring into the light with your spouse or close believers?