And you will be blessed… | Sunday, March 27, 2022

Welcome to Cross Connection Church online. I'm Pastor Garrett, and we at Cross Connection Church are so grateful that you are joining us for our service today. If you'd like to know more about Cross Connection Church, please check us out on our website at lifeinconnection.com, where you'll find more about us, upcoming events, and ways to get plugged in.

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Working in this place, light in the darkness, my God, that is who You are. You are Way Maker, Miracle Worker, Promise Keeper, light in the darkness. I worship You.

This last Tuesday, the state of Florida became the 11th and most populous state in the nation to mandate financial literacy courses for graduating high school students when the governor of Florida signed into law State Bill 1054. SB 1054 was passed unanimously by both houses of the Florida legislature. Currently, there are 26 states in the United States that have finance education bills pending within their state governments. This is something that is on the minds of many people.

While there are heated political debates in the United States on various issues, it is rare to find something that is unanimously agreed upon politically. However, when it comes to the subject of financial literacy, there seems to be a unanimous consensus. A journalist writing on Florida's bill and the movement across the nation to legislate financial literacy in grade schools noted that while the coronavirus pandemic upended financial education across the country, it has also highlighted the importance of teaching solid financial habits.

I think you would probably agree that there is a need for many people in our country, especially those who are growing up and approaching adulthood, to learn sound financial habits. This need is particularly pressing when you consider that inflation is at a 40-year high. For many of you watching this right now, your gas bill has increased by as much as 50 percent in the last six to eight weeks. I know that is the reality in my household.

Not only is inflation at a 40-year high, but consumer debt, which includes credit card debt, student loan debt, and various types of mortgage debt, is at a record level again in 2022, just as it was in 2021. At this moment, there is approximately $15.4 trillion in consumer debt. This means that for every one of the 330 million citizens in the United States, each person owes about $45,000.

As of last week, the national debt in the United States of America was at 30.3 trillion dollars. When you consider the average consumer debt of 45,000 dollars per citizen, adding the national debt brings the total to over 130,000 dollars per citizen in debt, combining both national and consumer debt. Given these staggering figures, it is clear that we need sound financial literacy education in our nation.

So, what is taught in a financial literacy course? After reading about State Bill 1054 in Florida, I wanted to explore the topics covered in such courses. Here are some of the key subjects typically included: understanding a balance sheet, which involves looking at how much money you have in your net assets; developing a budget to plan how you will spend your money; principles of saving and banking; the differences between owning and renting; and investing in stocks and bonds.

Additionally, courses cover diversification, risk and return, controlling debt, and using credit wisely. These are essential skills that we need to learn at the national, state, and local levels, as well as in our own homes. Understanding how loans work is also a fundamental topic.

There may be some of you watching today who could benefit from a high school financial literacy class. I actually teach a class called Faith and Finances here at the church, which we will likely offer again later this year, probably in late spring. I believe that many of these sound financial principles, similar to those taught in a high school financial literacy class now mandated in Florida, are crucial for understanding the wisdom of economics and finances.

They actually find many of their roots in the Scripture, or at least there are corollaries to what we find in the Bible as it relates to dealing with finances, economics, and all of these sorts of things. If you were here with us last time, we talked about one of those sound issues of economics from a biblical perspective—economics, money, and wealth, at least for those men and women of faith, those who are the children of God.

Last week, I shared with you, if you tuned in with us, that as a child of God, my Father in Heaven has a say in how I see my money and how I prioritize my spending. Now, that's a challenging consideration for some people, especially if they're not a believer or if they would not consider themselves a child of God. However, if you are a child of God, meaning you have put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ, then by believing in Him, He has given you the authority, if you will, to be called a child of God. If you're a child of God, then our Father in Heaven has a say in how you see your money and how you prioritize your spending.

Following that point last time, we considered the biblical principle of the tithe. I showed from the Scriptures what the tithe is. What exactly is the tithe? It is the first tenth of all the fruits of all of my labors. We saw in our study last time that this belongs to the Lord and should be given back to Him as an act of honorable worship—a tithe given to Him.

For some, that is not an easy principle to accept. For many, I would say it is not an easy principle to apply. It is one thing to accept that the tithe, the first ten percent of everything that I bring in, belongs to the Lord. That's hard to accept, but to actually apply it can be very, very difficult.

We also saw in our study last time in the Scriptures, in Deuteronomy, that God blesses those who truly honor Him with their increase and with their abundance. I am not going to re-teach that message. If you didn't catch the message last week, I would encourage you to go to our website, lifeinconnection.com, and check out our podcast. You can find it there.

Spotify, you can find it on Google Play, Apple Podcasts, or go to YouTube and just find Cross Connection Church. You're already watching this on YouTube, so you can watch the message there. I’m not going to re-teach that message, but as we continue in our study of Deuteronomy today, in Deuteronomy chapter 15, we are going to see that there are some additional principles in this passage regarding money, possessions, and wealth. We will explore how we think about finances and how we use these things that God has given to us.

When I talk about the things that have been given to me by God, I’m referring to my energy, my assets, and my time. To say it another way, my time, my talents, and my treasure. The Bible has a lot to say about how we manage our money, our possessions, and our wealth, as well as how we think about our finances as faithful followers of God.

As we continue into Deuteronomy chapter 15, Moses shifts from talking about the giving of the tithe. If you look with me at Deuteronomy chapter 15, verse 1, we read, "At the end of every seven years, you shall grant a release of debts." Think about that for a moment. At the end of every seven years, you shall grant a release of debts.

Some of you who are feeling the weight of debt—maybe it's student loan debt, credit card debt, or a home loan with a variable interest rate—might be wishing for a release from your debts. What we would call a sabbatical release of your debts. So, at the end of every seven years, you shall grant a release of debts.

He continues in Deuteronomy chapter 15, verse 2, where Moses says, "And this is the form of the release: this is how you are to do it. Every creditor who has lent anything to his neighbor shall release it. He shall not require it of his neighbor or his brother because it is called the Lord's release."

Now, some people really geek out on things like this. The word that is translated as a release or release of debts in this passage is the Hebrew word "shmita." There is a whole bunch of discussion in certain circles of Christianity in the last eight or nine years about this concept.

For years, the Shemitah has been a topic of discussion. The idea of the Shemitah is simply that every seventh year in Israel was to be a Sabbath year, a rest or sabbatical year in which the Lord required a number of things, including the release of debts. So, every seven years, there was to be this release of debts within the nation of Israel for the children of Israel.

Notice the totality of this requirement in Deuteronomy chapter 15, verses 1 and 2. Moses states that every creditor shall release all the debts that they have. Every single creditor is to release all of these debts. Now, listen. If you think that it is a stretch of faith to give a tithe, a tenth of everything that you bring in every single year, consider this: if you bring in a hundred thousand dollars a year, then ten thousand of that is a tithe. If you think that's a stretch and a test of faith for you to give that tenth part to the Lord of all your increase, as we discussed in our last message, imagine the stretch it is to release every debt of anything you've lent to someone and to set aside one year every seven years as a Sabbath rest for the Lord.

For the children of Israel, as you read through the books of Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy, those are the primary places in the first five books of the Bible where we find the law, the Torah. In Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers, we see this principle that every seventh year was to be a Sabbath rest. The Israelites were farmers and herdsmen, and in the seventh year, they were not to farm their land; they were supposed to let the land lie fallow and take a Sabbath rest. During that period of time, they were to release all debts.

Again, as I mentioned, if it's a stretch of faith to give God a tenth of everything that you make, imagine how much bigger of a stretch of faith it is to be faithful to this command: to take a year off every seven years. For some of you, that might sound really good right about now, but you're going to take a year off every seven years and release every debt that you may have during that period. It takes a significant commitment.

Great faith is required to be faithful. I think that’s a really important thing to consider. It takes great faith to be faithful.

The release of debts was not merely a release of anything that was owed to you; it was also a release of any servant, that is, any slave. The Bible does talk about slavery, maybe not in the same context or the same way that we think of slavery. A lot of times, we think of slavery in the sense of how it was in Europe and in the early Americas, where individuals were taken against their will and transported from one continent to another. That is the way we typically think about slavery. Biblical slavery may not be identical to that; it still has some major issues.

Every seventh year, there was to be a release of debts, and there was also to be a release of any slave that had been serving you for the previous six years. This is addressed in the third section of Deuteronomy chapter 15. If you look at Deuteronomy chapter 15, there are four sections in this passage. The third section, beginning at verse 12 and continuing through verse 18, talks about this release of slaves. We will get into that at another time.

In this passage, Moses continues. He states in verse 1 that every seven years you shall grant a release, and that every single creditor is to release all of their debts every seventh year. Moses continues in Deuteronomy chapter 15, verse 3, writing that of a foreigner or a stranger in your midst, you may require the payment of the debts, but you shall give up your claim to what is owed to you by your brother.

I do think it is worth noting, as we look at this passage in Deuteronomy chapter 15, verses 1, 2, and 3, that there are different views among scholars and commentators about this passage. Some scholars and commentators believe that the Sabbath release, this idea of the releasing of debts, the Shemitah in the seventh year, was a release of only the interest payments during that year. Imagine you had a loan that someone had given to you, and now you're paying them not only the principal of the loan but also the interest. Some people believe that effectively, that Sabbath year, every seventh year, the Shemitah was basically like a holiday, if you will, from the interest or maybe a holiday from just the payment.

You're not going to pay back the loan at all, but it's saying that in the seventh year, you're either not paying the interest or you're not paying the principal. There is some discussion on what is happening in this passage, and it could be a number of different things. It could be that Moses is saying that you're to release every debt.

For example, let's say you had a loan; someone loaned you ten thousand dollars. In the seventh year, let's say you owe five thousand of it. You paid half of it back so far, but in the seventh year, you still owe five thousand, and now it's going to be completely released and forgiven. The loan is forgiven. For some of you, that sounds really good, and you're thinking, "Boy, we should implement that here for maybe your student loan." There are some people who are actually kind of pushing for that, so that's an interesting consideration.

Some people think it's a complete remission of debt, that the loan is forgiven. Other people believe that it was just a holiday, if you will, from the interest. During that year, you don't have to pay the interest. Let's say you're paying five percent annually; you don't have to pay that five percent every seventh year. Then there are some people who think that it was a holiday from the principal and the interest, but you still owed the payment. After that year, you would pick that up again.

What's kind of fascinating is that I know some people during COVID who were having a hard time because work slowed down to a point where they could not pay their bills. Their mortgage company gave them a kind of sabbath year of rest from their mortgage payments, where they not only didn't have to pay the interest, but they didn't have to pay the principal. That was a big challenging discussion in our nation because how do you handle that if you're the landlord of someone and they're now not making payments?

So, there are different views about how we should interpret this passage. It may be true; it might be a full forgiveness of the total loan. It could be just a holiday from the interest, or it could be a holiday from the principal and the interest, and then you come back in the eighth year and start paying again. There are many different ins and outs, and any one of those things might be true. I don't believe that you can necessarily be dogmatic on this subject.

My aim when looking at these passages, as I have been sharing with you over the last several weeks while going through the book of Deuteronomy and examining these passages in the law, is to look into this passage and make application to our day.

For the principle or the spirit of the law over the clear letter of the law, I want to highlight something written by a commentator named Warren Wiersbe. He passed away a number of years ago, but Warren Wiersbe provides insight into the principle being taught in this passage. In his commentary on the book of Deuteronomy, he writes that the Sabbath year was part of God's wise plan to balance the economic scales in the nation of Israel, so that the rich could not exploit the poor, nor could the poor take advantage of the rich.

If I were to boil it down, what are we seeing here in this passage regarding the forgiving of debts, the forgiving of interest, or giving a holiday from the interest and principal? What is the core principle that we should take away from this section of Deuteronomy chapter 15? I would say it like this: for the child of God, if you have put your trust in Jesus Christ, economic exploitation is always wrong and will result in a curse. Let me emphasize that again because I think it is really important. There are probably some people who do not go to church, have never studied the Bible, and would never even open the book of Deuteronomy, yet they would totally agree with this statement: for the child of God, economic exploitation is always wrong and will result in a curse. It is a simple and powerful statement.

The curse I am mentioning, that economic exploitation will lead to a curse, often manifests as the failure or collapse of society. Society breaks down under the weight of economic exploitation, and we have seen that clearly witnessed in our society. It is evident that society breaks down under the weight of economic exploitation, which could also be termed usury. This exploitation goes both ways; it is not just the rich exploiting the poor. When I mention economic exploitation, many people will imagine rich individuals taking advantage of poor individuals, and while that is certainly a form of economic exploitation, it is not the only one.

It also could be the inverse: poor people taking advantage of rich people. As I said, we have seen this kind of economic exploitation in our own nation in recent history. You do not have to look very far back into recent American history to see issues of economic exploitation. I would suggest to you that one example of economic exploitation in our culture within the last 25 years is all that happened as a result of the subprime lending in the early 2000s and the economic collapse that followed in 2008.

There were people who didn't have a lot of money and who didn't have a good credit history, and they were able to take advantage of the system to get loans that they probably shouldn't have. So, there is economic exploitation there. However, there were also very wealthy individuals who were taking advantage of these people to acquire their assets. Ultimately, there was economic exploitation going both ways.

As I said, for the child of God, economic exploitation is always wrong, and it will result in a curse. Sometimes, that curse manifests as the collapse of society. Economic exploitation, whether it is the rich against the poor or the poor against the rich, is always wrong and will bring about negative results. I think this is an important principle that we need to recognize as a biblical truth.

Many people you and I interact with on a regular basis—at school, at work, within our families, and in our neighborhoods—would agree with this concept that economic exploitation is always wrong and will cause the breakdown of society. Even people who do not go to church are likely to agree with that statement.

However, the major expectation of modern enlightened progressive Western liberal democracies—such as the United States of America, Canada to the north, Western Europe, Australia, and New Zealand—is different. The mindset of many people who do not go to church and who are not Bible readers, but who live in this culture, is that they look forward to a utopian end in which there is...

Society is often stratified, with a hierarchy that places the rich at the top and the poor at the bottom. An equitable society is what some desire, one in which stratification is leveled. They envision not only equal opportunity but also equal outcomes, where everyone has everything they need or want.

In recent years, you may have noticed this vision circulating in our culture. Many of your friends or family members imagine a future where you will own nothing and be happy. They foresee a world where college is free, healthcare is free, and robots do most of the heavy lifting. With one click, you can have same-day delivery without any cost, as it is provided through some redistributive process of universal basic income. This is the mindset and vision that some people hold in our culture.

Now, economic exploitation is always wrong; that is something I believe can be proven from the Bible. However, the concepts of universal basic income, free college, and healthcare as a human right are not exactly what I am referring to when I say that economic exploitation is wrong. These ideas may or may not address the issue of economic exploitation.

The notion that there will be equal outcomes and that the distinctions between the rich and the poor will disappear is not what this text is addressing. We have heard various monetary theories, economic ideas, and governing concepts for a long time that discuss eliminating the rich and the poor to equalize society. However, this text does not support the idea that we can completely equalize society in that way.

In fact, we will see later in this very text that the idea of a society with no rich and no poor does not align with reality. The Bible presents a different picture, stating that the poor will never cease to exist.

The land in Deuteronomy chapter 15, verse 11, reveals a significant truth that Jesus echoes in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and John in the New Testament. He states, "The poor you will have with you always." This means that the Bible speaks truth, which is that which accords with reality. The reality is, as much as some people do not like it, there will be those who are rich and those who are poor. Like it or not, there are riches and there is poverty; they are global realities. God's people are expected to deal properly within this context.

Let me state this emphatically: for the child of God, economic exploitation is always wrong, and it will result in a curse or the failure of society. Before we move on to the important grounding statement in this passage, consider this: when there are huge gaps between the have-nots and the have-lots, society is in danger of collapse. This is a major problem because we see an increasing wealth gap in Western societies in a significant way. When there is an increasing wealth gap, you can expect destabilizing effects within the culture. We are witnessing that take place right now.

These truths are incredibly important for our culture at this moment. If we obey the principles of Scripture, if we obey the principles of the law, there is a blessing. Deuteronomy chapter 15, verse 1, begins by stating, "At the end of every seven years, you shall grant a release of debts." Notice what Moses says in verse 4: "For the Lord will greatly bless you in the land." Again, in verse 1, it states, "At the end of every seven years, you shall grant a release of debts, for the Lord will greatly bless you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you to possess as an inheritance." This is contingent upon one condition: "Only if you carefully obey the voice of the Lord your God to observe with care all these commandments which I command you today."

Bless you, just as He promised you. You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. You shall reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over you. These verses, Deuteronomy chapter 15, verses 4 through 6, are so important that they contain key grounding statements in this passage.

Deuteronomy 15, verse 1, emphasizes what was previously taught in Exodus and Leviticus: usury in lending is wrong. Usury and economic exploitation are out of bounds as God sees it. If I observe God's teaching on this and carefully follow His precepts, obeying His commands, then those who honor God in how they handle their finances will experience God's abundance and blessing. I believe this is true nationally for a nation, and Moses was speaking this to the people who made up the nation of Israel. This principle applies not only to nations but also to individuals.

This does beg the question: if those who honor God in their finances will experience His abundance and blessing, how should I honor God in my finances? The answer to that question actually requires a whole class. I conduct a class called Faith and Finances, and we will probably be offering that class again at some point this year, maybe within the next six or eight weeks. We will let you know when we are going to be doing that class.

The Faith and Finances class is really important; it provides a comprehensive understanding of what the Bible has to say about governing our finances. It offers practical principles from Scripture and wisdom that we can meld together or see the crossover between these concepts. However, I will provide some brief insights or considerations at the end of this message today on how to honor God in my finances.

I want you to recognize that this point comes directly from the Scriptures. The idea that those who honor God in how they handle their finances will experience His abundance and blessing is rooted in the Scriptures. Notice in Deuteronomy 15, verses 4 through 6, what I am calling the grounding statements.

Statements or the grounding words you can identify in this text come from Deuteronomy 15:1, which gives us the command: "You shall have a release of debts. You shall grant a release of debts every single Shemitah, every seventh year." You need to release these debts.

Verses 4 and 6 provide the grounding result: if you do this, or if you're faithful in this and you obey God, then here is the grounding statement: "For the Lord will greatly bless you in the land" (verse 4). Verse 6 continues, "For the Lord your God will bless you just as He promised you." When we read the words at the end of verse 6, that you will lend and not borrow, it means that there will be an abundance; there will be no lack.

If you obey God in this and do not commit usury against those who are within the nation, and you do not take advantage of them, if there is no economic exploitation, then there will be an abundance; there will be no lack. However, it does not mean that there won't be rich people or poor people. It does not mean that society will be equal; that is not what it is saying.

Verse 11 of Deuteronomy chapter 15 states, "The poor will never cease from the land." There will always be poor people, at least until the Lord comes and rules and reigns in righteousness. Because we live in a broken, fallen world, there will always be the reality that some people do not have much, while others have much.

Since the poor will never cease from the land, we have the next important financial and economic principle for God's people in the following verses. Look at Deuteronomy chapter 15, verse 7: "If there is among you a poor man of your brethren within any of the gates of your land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brother. But you shall open your hand wide to him and willingly lend him sufficient for his need, whatever he needs."

I am not even sure I can fully express just how important this is. What I want you to notice in this passage is that God distinguishes between the tithe, which we considered last week, where you shall give a tenth part of everything you've brought in.

Annually, to the Lord, He distinguishes between the tithe and generous giving to those who are poor. There is a difference between the tithe to the Lord and being generous to the poor. Additionally, I think it is worth considering whether or not lending and borrowing would be necessary if God's people were to observe this command. Would it really be necessary for there to be lending and borrowing if God's people fully followed these principles?

Furthermore, notice the focus in this passage is on the heart and the hand. This is really important. The hearts and hands of the people of God should remain open to those who are in need. This is key. The hearts and the hands of the people of God should remain open to those who are in need. There are many important keys in these verses, specifically in verses 7 and 8 of Deuteronomy chapter 15.

The first important key that I think you should take notice of in this passage is that a hard heart and a closed fist are not representative of God. Let me say that again: a hard heart and a closed fist do not represent God well. Our God is a giving and loving Father. The most famous verse in all of the Scriptures makes this absolutely clear. In John chapter 3, verse 16, it says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

So, the first important key is that we should not have a hard heart and a closed fist because those do not represent the Lord well. The second important key in this passage is that Moses says, "You shall open your hand willingly." What is commanded here is to be one who has a willing heart. If you can't do this willingly, then don't do it. However, if you can't do this willingly, you should consider whether or not your heart is right and whether your unwillingness is honoring to God. God loves a cheerful giver, and God Himself is a loving and cheerful giver.

If you are a giver and unwilling to be giving to other people, you really have to question whether or not you are honoring God with your finances and your wealth. Understand that if you don't do this willingly, it not only reveals something about your heart, but your unwillingness carries with it a result that is not a good thing. The unwillingness to give to those who are in need is not good at all.

The first important thing to consider in this passage is that a hard heart and a closed fist are not representative of God. The second important point is that we need to do this willingly; we need to have an open heart and be willing to give to those who are in need. The third key in this passage is that Moses says you shall open your hand and willingly lend him sufficient for his need.

In this passage, both giving and lending are mentioned. Sometimes you are going to give charitably to someone something that they need, and sometimes you are going to lend to someone something that they need. Now, what's the difference between giving and lending? With giving, there are no strings attached; there is no repayment necessary. With lending, you are giving to someone who is borrowing, and there is an expectation that they will give it back or repay whatever it is you have lent to them.

In this passage, both giving charitably and lending are mentioned, and I would suggest that there is a difference between the two. Sometimes your giving is a charitable blessing, and other times it is given as a loan. You are letting someone borrow something, and circumstances and situations can change. In fact, during the Sabbath year, the Shemitah year, every seventh year there is a release of debts. This means that sometimes, depending on the circumstances and the situation, what you are giving to a person is going to be a gift and not a loan because the Shemitah, the release of debts year, is coming.

It is important to go into it knowing that what you are giving may not be repaid; it will be immediately released because the release of debts is approaching. So, whether it is a charitable gift or a loan with an anticipated repayment, you should be ready to give. This is what the passage teaches: you should be ready to give or to lend to someone.

Among your brothers, there are those who are in need. The last word, "need," in this passage is really important and leads us to a fourth and final key for thinking about this topic. Moses repeats that word "need" twice. He says, "You shall open your hand and willingly lend sufficient for his need, whatever he needs."

There are many poor people in society, and we see that there are a lot of poor people throughout the world. There will always be the poor. They may want what those who are more wealthy than they are have, but those who have more should seek to lend or give sufficient to meet a person's needs. Sometimes we don't give someone everything that they want, but we do give for what they need.

Continuing on, Moses says in Deuteronomy chapter 15, verse 9, "Beware lest there be a wicked thought in your heart, saying, 'The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand,' and your eye be evil against your poor brother, and you give him nothing. He cries out to the Lord against you, and it becomes sin among you."

It is not very likely that I need to explain much of what is going on in this verse; I’m not sure it could be much clearer. Nevertheless, this is pretty striking. It is a wicked heart and an evil eye that thinks to withhold from someone the aid that they need. If someone is in need and you can see their need, Proverbs chapter 3, I believe around verse 9, says it is in the power of your hand to give it to them. If you see someone in need and it is in the power of your hand to give it to them, and you withhold that from them, that is a hard and evil heart.

A wicked heart and an evil eye are not good things. This means you can be very religious in your ritualistic practice. You can go to church, give a tithe, serve at a church, read your Bible, and do all these kinds of religious ritualistic things, and yet at the same time be unrighteous in how you handle your wealth. It is really important that we take note of what is being said here: a wicked heart and an evil eye are not good, and that applies to those who withhold aid from those who are in need.

Jesus actually talks about this in the New Testament, in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 10. He tells a very famous story that we refer to as the Good Samaritan story. In this story, Jesus describes a man in need who has been beaten and stripped by thieves.

Jesus told this story in response to a religious lawyer, probably a scribe, who wanted to justify himself. He asked Jesus to explain who his neighbor was because Jesus had told him to love his neighbor. The lawyer said, "Well, who is my neighbor?" Jesus then tells the story of a man who fell among thieves. As he lay for dead, stripped naked and beaten on the side of the road, a priest walked by and simply passed him without helping. A Levite, who belonged to the priestly tribe among the children of Israel, also walked by and did not help the man in need.

Finally, a despised Samaritan came along. The Samaritans were a minority group who lived among the nation of Israel, between the Sea of Galilee in the north and the city of Jerusalem in the south. They were a hated and despised people among the Israelites. However, the Samaritan came and provided all that was needed, and even more, to help the man in need.

At the end of the story, Jesus asked the lawyer, "Which of these do you suppose was a neighbor to the man who fell among thieves?" The lawyer replied, "I suppose the guy who showed mercy." Jesus then said, "Go and do likewise."

Here’s the thing: we can be very religious and ritualistic in our faith and still withhold what is needed from those who are in need. If we do that, we are not fulfilling the righteous requirement of the law in any way. We need to ensure that we do not have a wicked heart and an evil eye that withholds aid from those who are in need, like the priest and the Levite in the Good Samaritan story. The hearts and hands of the people of God should remain open to aid those who are in need, because it is a wicked heart and an evil eye that thinks to withhold from those who are suffering.

There is a grounding statement, or what I would say a compelling reason, to follow God's command. Look at what we read in Deuteronomy chapter 15, verse 10: "You shall surely give to him," the person who is in need, "and your heart should not be grieved when you give to him." You should do so willingly, because for this thing the Lord your God will bless you in all of your works and in all to which you put your hand. For the poor will never cease from the land; therefore, I command you, saying, "You shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor and your needy in the land."

Let me ask you a very rhetorical question: Do you want God to bless you in all the work which you put your hand to? I can't imagine that anyone in their right mind would answer no to that question. Of course, we all want God to bless us in all the works which we put our hand to.

Let me jump to Moses's closing summation in the book of Deuteronomy and look at Deuteronomy chapter 28. If you have a Bible, you can turn there. Deuteronomy chapter 28 is kind of like the closing statement of the entire book. Moses says this in Deuteronomy chapter 28, verse 1: "Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you because you obey the voice of the Lord your God."

"Blessed you shall be in the city; blessed you shall be in the country. Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of the ground, the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle, and the offspring of your flocks. Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. Blessed shall you be when you come in; blessed shall you be when you go out. The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face. They shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways. The Lord will command the blessing on you in your storehouses and in all to which you set your hand, and He will bless you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you."

Note this well: This is such an important point. God will command a blessing to those who do not withhold their goods to bless those in need. Let me say it again: God will command a blessing to those who do not withhold their goods to bless those in need. It is fascinating to me that we Christians, under the influence of the early Christian ascetics and the...

Monastics and the Christian Puritans have inherited an aversion to desire, especially the desire for pleasure and blessing. Yet, routinely in the Scriptures, God appeals to our desire as a way to urge our obedience. As I cited in my message last time, Jesus in the Gospel of Luke writes, "Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."

In that passage, Jesus is basically teaching exactly what I just said: God will command a blessing to those who do not withhold their goods to bless those in need. As you bless other people by giving to the things they have need of, God will return to you a blessing. "Give, and it will be given to you, pressed down, overflowing," is what Jesus teaches in that passage.

Now, that truth, as I shared in my message last time, has been used or misused, I would say, by some in the prosperity gospel and in American ministries today, and in a very bad way. However, it doesn't negate the truth that God will bless us as we bless others. There is a blessing in obedience.

With that, I want to pivot a little bit. Earlier, I said that those who honor God in how they handle their finances will experience God's abundance and His blessing. I also mentioned that this point begs the question: How should I honor God in my finances?

Of course, I said that we have a class called Faith and Finances that we offer here at the church from time to time, and we will teach it again in the future. I will share more about that at another point, but I want to briefly share some of the key points that we cover in the Faith and Finances class for your consideration.

The first essential thing I want you to think about in considering how to take care of your faith and finances is that it is essential for the child of God, if you are a follower of God, to recognize that they are a manager and not the owner of all that they have in their life. The Bible says that the...

The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof. God is the owner of all things. Additionally, the Apostle Paul in 1st Corinthians, chapter 6, says that I am not my own; I've been bought with a price. Therefore, I belong to God, and I ought to glorify God with my life and with my body. The Bible makes it very clear, both in the Old Testament and the New Testament, that everything belongs to God, including the entirety of my life, my energy, my assets, my time, my talents, and my treasure. It all belongs to God.

Once I understand that everything belongs to God, I need to begin to understand that I am a steward and not an owner of all that I have. As a steward, I will be held accountable for how I manage the things I possess. I believe that the Scriptures teach that I will give an account to God for how I have utilized my time, my talent, and my treasure.

First, I need to recognize that everything I have belongs to God and that I am a steward of those things. Second, as a steward, I will be held accountable for how I use my time, my talents, and my treasure. Third, because I am a steward accountable to God for how I manage all that He has given to me, I should keep a good accounting of what I have been given. This includes keeping a good accounting of my time, my talents, and my treasure.

Not only do I need to keep a good accounting of all those things, but I also need to keep a good accounting of how they are being utilized. This means, or at least wisdom would suggest, that I should keep a good accounting of my finances, which would require a budget. Some people have a really hard time with the idea of a budget, but that's what we see when we take the principles of Scripture into account.

What principles? I am not the owner of all the things that I have—my time, my talents, my treasure. God is the owner, and I am a steward. I will be held accountable for how I use those things that He has given to me, and I will give an answer to Him. Therefore, I should keep a good accounting of how I have taken care of all those things that He has given to me. This might require, as it relates to finances, a budget. From what we have considered previously about tithing in our last message, both the first fruits and charity should be a part of that budget.

There are a lot of things to consider.

The principles of Scripture and the wisdom around finances intersect in significant ways. However, those teachings are for another day. If the teaching on that topic is something you feel would be helpful, here’s what I’d like you to do. If you’re interested in the Faith and Finances class, which we’re going to hold here at the church and probably put up on the internet as a video at some point, please send a text message with just the words "Faith and Finances" to the phone number on the screen: 760-814-1223. By sending a text message to 760-814-1223 with the words "Faith and Finances," you will let us know that you are interested. We will have your phone number and can follow up with you to let you know when we’re going to be doing that class.

As we finish up today, I know I’ve given you a lot to think about in this passage from Deuteronomy 15. I want to summarize or review some of the key points we’ve seen. For the child of God, economic exploitation is always wrong and will result in a curse. In some respects, I think we are witnessing the results of that curse play out in our culture right now. You don’t have to look very far to see it. Because of the horrible ways we are handling finances at a national level, a local level, and even within our own homes, we are experiencing the resulting curse that comes when we exploit riches and one another with riches.

So, for the child of God, economic exploitation is always wrong and will lead to the failure of society. It will result in a curse. Secondly, those who honor God in how they handle their finances will experience God’s abundance and His blessing. I have experienced this personally and have witnessed it in the lives of others who have taken God seriously regarding His teachings on finances. I believe, and I have experienced, that if you honor God with your first fruits and see yourself rightly as a manager of all the things you have—not the owner of those things, but the manager—you will seek to use those things according to the principles of Scripture.

God will bless you in a wonderful way. The third thing we've seen today is that the hearts and hands of the people of God should remain open to those who are in need. This one is important, but it also requires significant discernment and prayer.

You see, just giving money to every person you see on the street who seems to be poor is not actually helping those in need; it might actually be hurting them. I'm sure you've seen some of the images coming out of especially San Francisco, but also out of Los Angeles. We clearly have a significant problem with homelessness here in California, and we just keep throwing a whole bunch of money at the situation.

Recently, I saw some reports from San Francisco where a number of homeless individuals on the streets are being given free phones and nearly a thousand dollars a month in just free money. Additionally, we've lessened the laws on theft, so people just go into stores and take whatever they want. If you give money to a person in that situation on the street, it's highly unlikely that you are actually helping that person; you are probably hurting them.

Your heart should be open, and your hands should be ready to give, but you should use wisdom and discernment from the Lord as to how you do that. That's what we seek to do here at the church, and you should do that as well. If you lack wisdom in this area or don't have the best insight, seek the help and guidance of other believers who have better wisdom than you. The book of James says to pray and ask God to give you wisdom.

So, the hearts and hands of the people of God should remain open to those in need.

The fourth thing we saw in this passage today is that God will command a blessing to those who do not withhold their goods to bless those in need. I am convinced that God blesses us to be a blessing. As we hold the blessings of God with an open hand, I have found that He is pleased to give us more so that we can be a conduit of further blessing through which He can bless other people.

God said to Abraham in Genesis chapter 12, when He called Abraham, "I will bless you, and you shall be a blessing." I read that passage in Deuteronomy chapter 28, where it says you will be blessed when you go out and blessed when you come in.

Be blessed in your bread bowl. You're going to be blessed, and you're flocked. You're going to be blessed and blessed and blessed. Why would God bless the children of Israel? What was the purpose of all that? God made it very clear: you are blessed to be a blessing.

If you are blessed today, I am very blessed. I am blessed to be a blessing, and I should maintain an open hand, ready and willing to give to those who are in need to bless them. I would say, "God, we need help," because it's so easy for us to constrict and hold on to these things, thinking that they're mine, like the Scrooge character, and just be a miser. But God says, "No, I want you to have an open hand. I have blessed you to be a blessing." As you are willing to bless others, God will bless you with more to be able to be a blessing to others.

I've seen that in my own life. I've seen it in the lives of many people here at Cross Connection Church, and I know that it is biblically true. I've seen it practically play out in many people's lives.

So, Father God, I pray that you would help us to think through this passage and to consider how we ought to use the wealth that you've given to us. It's not just wealth and money; it's not just wealth in the things that we possess, but it's the wealth of our time, the wealth of our energy, the wealth of our talents, and the wealth of all the things that you've given to us. We will give an account for how we have used those things, and so I pray that you'd help us to use those things in a way that honors and glorifies you. For we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen.

That is who you are. You never stop working. You never stop, you never stop working. Even when I don't see you working, even when I don't feel like you're working, you never stop.

You'll never keep a light in the darkness, my God. Thanks for joining us for our broadcast today. I pray that you were greatly encouraged by it. We here at Cross Connection Church would love to invite you to join us in person next week on Sunday at 8:30 and 10:30 services. If you can make it, again, 8:30 and 10:30 services here at Cross Connection Church in Escondido, California. We'd love to see you there.

Of course, if you want any more information about Cross Connection Church, check us out on our website, lifeinconnection.com. God bless you guys and have a wonderful week.

Good morning, Cross Connection! It's Pastor Garrett here, and we are so glad that you could join us for church this morning as we seek to live life in connection with God, one another, and the world through Jesus Christ. We've got a lot of ways for you to do that coming up.

Up first, we have an evangelism opportunity. We are going to be going out into the community on April 2nd, which is a Saturday, and we want to invite you to come with us. If you have no evangelism experience, great! We would love to have you, train you, and show you how to share your faith. If you have shared your faith before, we would also love to invite you to join us to help. We know that God really wants to reach Escondido and the greater community around us, so this is a great opportunity.

On April 2nd, Saturday, we would love to see you here. You can find out more at events.lifeinconnection.com. While you're at events.lifeinconnection.com, ladies, we have some events coming up for you, especially a retreat in May, so check that out as well.

Today, we have a special event going on after the second service. We are going to be doing a youth fundraiser barbecue. If you are attending the second service, join us! For those in the first service, if you want to come back afterwards for some lunch and hang out, we would love to have you. You will smell the barbecue after the second service.

We are raising funds to send kids to summer camp, so if you would like to donate, you can do that very easily on our website, and there will be a link below. We are really looking forward to summer camp this year. We are taking our junior hires and high schoolers to Catalina Island to Camp by the Sea, which is just a beautiful camp. I know God is going to really reach the kids there. Parents, get your kids signed up if you haven't already, and let me know if you have any questions.