Debt, Money, and Stewardship

The Christian & Debt - Part 8

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Economics and Stewardship

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2003-06-22

Synopsis: In this concluding message of the series, John Weaver presents the blessings of a debt-free life, emphasizing that God blesses obedience and that a faithful man abounds with blessings. He outlines six specific blessings: unparalleled freedom, unexpected delight, uncorrupted marital unity and intimacy, unrestrained conservation of resources, unfeigned contentment and trust in God's provision, and an unblemished testimony. The sermon concludes with practical applications for achieving debt-free living through repentance, discipline, a structured payment schedule, living within one's means, and consistent saving.

[John Weaver] Let me just tell those that are visiting today, I've been preaching a brief series, this is the eighth and the final message on the Christian and debt. I've had several questions and I'm going to be answering some of those in the not-so-distant future, but usually some of the questions are asked, and I try to answer them biblically, and one of them was asked about the Christian in debt. So for those of you who are visiting, you're getting in on the tail end of this one series, and we do have the other tapes if you're interested. Now, let me just tell you that if this series has not helped anybody, which I hope it has, but if it has not helped anybody, I know of one person that it helped. It helped my granddaughter and it helped my grandson as well. But you remember they visited over here one time when I was preaching this series and I was dealing with the fact that we should not be borrowing and all that God said about borrowing.

[John Weaver] And then I gave the illustration, you remember, about the man selling the horse saying, Lord willing, etc. Well, anyhow, that really hit a nerve with Lacey and Tripp because they went on about their business, but anyhow, that day and later on they were playing some little game and Rebecca told Lacey, she said, well, I'll let you have some of my marbles. And Lacey, who is five, said, oh mama, we're not supposed to borrow. And, well, she said, I'm not going to loan them to you, Lacey. You may have them. I'm just giving them to you so you can, you know, join in the game, etc. And she said, well, all right, but I'm not going to borrow, you know.

[John Weaver] So anyhow, last night or one day recently, yesterday, they rode their bicycles, their mother and the two kids rode their bicycles down to the gate, which is a mile and a mile back. You know, some of it's sand, etc. And Rebecca told me that Lacey kept saying, Lord willing, we're going to make it. So the funny thing is, she said, she said that four or five times and says just as they were starting to come around the last curve, she said, Lord willing, we'll see the light in a few minutes, Mama, and we'll be almost home. So I said, well, praise the Lord.

[John Weaver] At least somebody learned something and profited from the study. So let's look at Proverbs 10 and verse 22. The word of God says the blessing of the Lord, it make it rich. and he addeth no sorrow to it." Now look at that very simple verse again. The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow to it. Now look in Proverbs 28 and verse 20. Proverbs 28 and verse 20. The Word of God says, A faithful man shall abound with blessings, but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent. Now, look at the first part of that verse again. A faithful man shall abound with blessings.

[John Weaver] Now, in this series, we've dealt with the general teaching of debt in the Scripture, and out of 50 direct verses, 20 indirect verses, there is not one Scripture that encourages debt. In fact, debt is always frowned upon and is looked upon with condemnation. In fact, I showed you that although Scripture generally forbids debt, there are times that we have to borrow, but Bible always says, number one, it is a life emergency situation, say a life and death situation. When we do borrow, we borrow from a Christian, we borrow at no interest, and we borrow with a limitation of six years. And then, of course, I showed you that there was long-term interest, which involved slavery. Of course, even the short-term, or long-term debt, which involved slavery. And even the short-term debt could involve slavery as well. And then, of course, we looked at several other truths concerning debt in the Bible, and for the last couple of messages I've dealt with how to avoid debt.

[John Weaver] Now today I want to just bring a concluding message on the blessings of a debt-free life. The blessings of a debt-free life.

[John Weaver] Now unmistakably, God blesses obedience. All you have to do is read Deuteronomy chapter 28, Leviticus chapter 26, and the general tenor of Scripture, and you come up with one very clear principle, and that is this, that God's blessings always follow obedience, and God's cursings always follow disobedience. Now, God says a faithful man abounds with blessings. Why does a faithful man abound with blessings? Because a faithful man is an obedient man. That is, he faithfully obeys and therefore he is blessed by God.

[John Weaver] I want you to hold Proverbs 28, but look back in your Bibles to Psalm 1. Let me just show you what God says about the blessed man in Psalm 1. Notice Psalm 1 beginning there with verse 1. God says, blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly. That is, he does not listen to the advice of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, that is, he does not associate with those who are wicked and wrong, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful, he does not agree with them, so he does not follow their vice, he does not associate with them as such, he does not agree with them.

[John Weaver] Verse 2, but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law doth he meditate day and night, watch, And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that bringeth forth his fruit in his season. His leaf also shall not wither, and whatsoever he do shall prosper." Here's another way of saying that the faithful man shall abound with blessings. If you will turn over to Isaiah 58, and let's begin reading there with verse 10, you'll see the prophet Isaiah saying the same thing in a different way. Isaiah 58, beginning there with verse 10. Look what God says.

[John Weaver] And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, that is, your being obedient, Then thy light shall rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday. And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones. And thou shalt be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places. Thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations, and thou shalt be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of paths to dwell in.

[John Weaver] Now watch, if thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath from doing thy pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable, and shalt honor him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words, then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord, and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father, for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it."

[John Weaver] Now here's another way of saying that the faithful man shall abound with blessings. In other words, God is going to honor those that honor him.

[John Weaver] Now, in the area of what you and I would call debt-free living, there are numerous blessings. I want to mention just six of them this morning. The first one is the blessing of unparalleled freedom. The blessing of unparalleled freedom.

[John Weaver] Now for those of you who have been here through this series, I've quoted Proverbs 22 and verse 7 numerous times. There the word of God says that the rich ruleth over the poor and the borrower is servant or slave to the lender. Now notice what God says, the borrower is a servant or a slave to the lender. So the man who borrows then actually is working for the man who he borrows from. He is his servant. He is his slave.

[John Weaver] Now the opposite is just as equally true, and that is this, that he who does not borrow is not a slave. He is not a servant to anyone. What does that mean then? That means he's free. He's at liberty. He's independent.

[John Weaver] Now, you've got to understand that a free man is able to go as he pleases and to do as he pleases, wherever he pleases. He is under no constraint. He is under no obligation except the constraint and the obligation to Jesus Christ. I want you to turn in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians chapter 9. Watch what the Apostle Paul says in verse 21. 1 Corinthians chapter 9 and verse 21. 1 Corinthians chapter 9 and verse 21. Paul says, to them that are without the law, as without the law he became Is that what he's saying? He became all things to all men. To them that are without the law is without the law, being not without the law to God, but under the law to Christ, that I might gain them that are without the law. So Paul says at all times he was under the law of God and under the law of Christ. When the Word of God says in Galatians 5 and verse 1, stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made you free and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage, very clearly, although we walk in liberty, we do not walk apart from the commands of Christ and apart from the

[John Weaver] law of God. But one who is basically without obligations may do as he pleases and go wherever he pleases. I have a good friend that I went to school with, and this man had a tremendous business. And unhappily, it was one of those businesses where you had a lot of debt from time to time. And I went into his place of business one day because I wanted to do some business with him.

[John Weaver] I was not being nosy, and I certainly was not searching just to look around to search out his business, but on the counter open in front of me were two monthly payment books from the bank. One of his monthly payments was $10,000, and the other monthly payment was $8,000. Now I don't know how many other monthly payments he had, but I mean very clearly right there was $18,000.

[John Weaver] Now he had a lot of trucks, he had a lot of machinery. And one day, and he was in the concrete business by the way, and one day I was riding along the road with another friend who also grew up with this same gentleman. And he said, man, oh so-and-so is really doing good. I said, what makes you say he's really doing good? He said, well, he drives a Cadillac. And I said to him, I did not tell him about those payments that I had seen, and there was a whole stack of them left, so I know he owed a lot of money. I said, let me tell you something. I said, I don't drive a Cadillac. And I don't have all the equipment that this brother has. But I can only tell you something, I'm a lot freer than he is. He said, how can you say that? I said, well, if I want to take off tomorrow and go fishing, I can do it. He can't. He has payments to make at that bank every month.

[John Weaver] I said, moreover, he has employees that he has to pay. He has machinery that he has to keep up. And I said, let me tell you something. When it sets in and rains for three or four days in a row, you can't pour concrete in the rain. And moreover, when it gets below freezing, you can't pour concrete. And those payments come regardless of whether it's freezing or whether it's raining.

[John Weaver] So I'm here to tell you that he might have more money than I am, but I have more liberty and more freedom and probably enjoy life to a greater scale than he's ever dreamed of. You understand? If you are not in debt, you are basically free. The man who is not burdened with debt is free to prosper himself and not others. So the very first blessing of being debt-free is the blessing of unparalleled freedom. Here's the second blessing, and that is the blessing of unexpected delight. Now I'll explain that, the blessing of unexpected delight.

[John Weaver] Now the sheer exuberance of not owing anyone anything delights the soul And at the same time, it allows that soul to delight itself in whatever it pleases. You know, I've preached in a lot of different churches in this country, and I've taught in a lot of the colleges, and I've preached at a lot of the conferences. And one of the main complaints that I hear from Christians When it comes to studying the Word of God, or I should say, when it comes to their lack of studying the Word of God, their main complaint is this, I don't have the time. And then they'll say this, I have bills to pay and I have to work for a living.

[John Weaver] Well, let me tell you three things to begin with. First of all, everyone has bills to pay. Even a man who has no debts has bills to pay. Because that electrical bill is going to come every month. You see, you've got to buy gas, you've got to buy food. There are certain bills that you have even if you're not in debt. But everyone has bills to pay. Secondly, everyone has to work. Unless, of course, you're born in an extremely wealthy family. And even then, I believe you ought to work. But thirdly, let me tell you this. The difference is this. Not everyone plunges foolishly and unwisely into debt. That's the big difference.

[John Weaver] Some individuals have more discipline than others. Some individuals have more self-control than others.

[John Weaver] Now, the point I'm trying to make is this. If you do not have an exorbitant debt ceiling, then the time is yours and you may delight yourself in the Word of God and study all you want to. Let me show you. Look in your Bibles, first of all, to Psalm 37. We'll go to Psalm 37 and then just to Psalm 119. Let me show you several passages. Psalm 37.

[John Weaver] Note, if you would please, verse 4. Psalm 37, verse 4. God says, Delight thyself in the Lord, and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart." Now, isn't that interesting? Delight thyself in the Lord, and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Do you realize the best way to get what we want is to serve Christ faithfully and delight in Him? Look down in verse 11. He says,"...but the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace." The meek shall inherit the earth. Now I've told you before what the meek are. The meek are not some foot mat that allow people to wipe their feet on them all the time.

[John Weaver] That's not meekness according to the Bible. You remember in Numbers chapter 11 in verse 3, Moses is called the meekest man on earth. And Moses, the meekest man on earth, got on his knees and said, Lord, I pray that a new thing will happen. I pray that the earth will open up and these rebels will go down alive into hell. Now that's the meekest man on earth.

[John Weaver] He just prayed that God would kill a lot of people, and God did so. Meekness in the Bible is disciplined strife under God. It's just like that oxen that has the yoke on it. That strength of that ox is now disciplined and you can control it. So the meek are those who have been yoked to Christ and now their strength is disciplined and it goes in the area that God tells it to go in. So God says it's the disciplined individuals that are going to inherit the earth.

[John Weaver] Now look in your Bibles to Psalm 119. And let's begin there with verse 16. Psalm 119 and verse 16. Look what David says. Psalm 119 verse 16. I will delight myself in thy statutes. I will not forget thy word. Note, I will delight myself in my statutes. I will not forget thy word. Look in verse 24. Thy testimonies also are my delight. and my counselors." Verse 35,"'Teach me, O Lord, by the way of thy statutes, and I shall keep it unto the end.' Verse 47,"'I will delight myself in thy commandments, which I have loved.' Verse 70,"'Their heart is as fat as grease, but I delight in thy law.' Verse 77,"'Let thy tender mercies come unto me, that I may live, for thy law is my delight.'" One last one, Verse 174, David said in Psalm 119, verse 174, I have longed for thy salvation, O Lord, and thy law is my delight.

[John Weaver] Now, the argument that I don't have time to study the Word of God or that I have to work and make a living falls to pieces when you realize that it is possible to live a more disciplined life and live without debt, and therefore you have the opportunity to delight yourself in the Word of God and in the things of God. So the man then that can live without debt is free to do as he pleases. Now let me give you another area of this unexpected delight living without debt. And that is, if you're living without debt, you're living without an awful lot of stress.

[John Weaver] You just stop and think of the agitation and the turmoil and the stress that is in an individual's mind when he realizes he has to have a certain amount of money by the certain date of the month in order to pay the bill, or else he's in problems like he cannot believe. So, without agitation, without stress, one can think, one can enjoy his family, one can enjoy his life and the things that God has freely given unto him. By the way, what I've just mentioned does not even include the added health benefits. because very clearly stress destroys our bodies, and many times our sicknesses are stress-induced. And so we would be far more healthier emotionally, mentally, and physically if we learned to live without debt.

[John Weaver] It's absolutely amazing how delightful, exuberant, and cordial people can be when they're not overwhelmed by stress and by financial difficulties. So one of the blessings of debt-free living, then, is that you get an unexpected delight. Number three. I'm following right along. Here's the third blessing of unexpected... the third blessing of living debt-free, and that is uncorruptible or uncorrupted marital unity and intimacy. Uncorrupted marital unity and intimacy.

[John Weaver] I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of Ephesians chapter 5, and I might tell you something that might surprise you in this point. But do you realize that one of the major family problems is the fact that marital unity and marital intimacy has been corrupted and destroyed? Look in Ephesians chapter 5, And let's begin reading there with verse 31. Look what God says. Ephesians 5 and verse 31. And by the way, this is a direct quote from the book of Genesis. He says in Ephesians 5 and verse 31, For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother and shall be joined unto his wife, and they too shall be one flesh. Now the one flesh does not just simply refer to the sexual union. It does not refer just to the physical. But it does refer to the mental, to the emotional. It refers to everything. The husband and wife are to be one.

[John Weaver] Alice and I, many times, while we're riding down the road, we'll look at each other and say exactly the same thing at the same time. Or we're thinking about the same thing. We haven't said anything to each other. And we turn to say something and the other says, well, you know, I was just thinking about that very thing.

[John Weaver] Now, there is unity that God says that should be in the marriage, that two should be one. It may surprise you to learn that the number one problem in marriages today is money. That is number one. It is money that will divide and destroy and dissolve the unity in marriage. Either, number one, through a lack of it, which, by the way, could be from indolence and laziness, or it could be from a misuse of it, which is debt and wastefulness, or it could be from a failure to manage it properly. But the number one family problem, the number one marital problem is money. Money is first. Now listen to me.

[John Weaver] Sex is second, and in-laws are third. Isn't that interesting?

[John Weaver] Now let's try to figure this thing out. When people begin to have money problems, there's the stress, there's the agitation, there's the shortness, the curtness, the sarcasms, and the next thing you know, the intimacy of the marriage falls apart. And then all of a sudden, the family realizes, or at least the husband and wife realize, well, if we ever get out of this, we're going to have to cut our financial losses somehow.

[John Weaver] And so what do they do? They either sell out and move in with somebody's parents until they can recover, thus bringing on the third problem, the in-law problems. And I'm going to tell you something, folks. There is no house big enough for two families.

[John Weaver] Now that doesn't mean your mother can't live with you or your father can't live with you, but I'm just saying, there has to be one head to a house. And when you get two families trying to run things in one house, you have problems. And if I have to move in with my in-laws, if my father-in-law was still alive, if I'm in his house, guess what? He's the head of his house. And it's not going to be long before he's going to start telling me what he thinks I ought to be doing. And there's going to be conflicts. So money is the number one problem. Sex is number two and in-laws are number three. Now let me just point something out. You can save yourselves a lot of heartache by not going in debt. Let me tell you something that's funny. To me this is Not haha funny, but I have seen it so often it is unreal. Here's a young couple, they get married. They're not willing to wait and save.

[John Weaver] They're not willing to rent. They want a new house like mom and daddy's got a new house. And they'll go in debt and get them a new house. Then they're not content. to just have, you know, a dining room and a bedroom. No. They want all of that house filled with furniture at once and new furniture. They'll go further in debt to get the new furniture. And I want you to do this. You check this out. It happens every time. When somebody comes up with a new house and new furniture, inevitably they get a new car. Inevitably. And you know what those young people think? Well, why can't I have a new house?

[John Weaver] My mother and father have one. Why can't I have good looking furniture? My parents have it. Why can't I have a new car? My parents have it. And they never stop and think, yes, their parents have some of those things, but it took them 40 and 50 years to get those things. And what happens is, there's a lack of harmony, there's a lack of unity, and they start going contrary to each other and going their separate ways, the next thing you know, there's a divorce. You're not going to disrupt the harmony and the unity if you learn to stay out of debt, if you learn biblical economics. And if the husband and wife will apply those economics, then you're not going to have the problems that the average family has in their marriage.

[John Weaver] Let me tell you something, folks. I can teach you the principles of God's Word from the dawn to the setting sun, but unless you practice them, unless you apply them, unless you use them, they'll never benefit you one little bit. Period. Period. So another blessing, then, of debt-free living is miracle union, uncorrupted miracle union and intimacy. Number four. Here's the fourth blessing of debt-free living, and that is an unrestrained conservation of resources.

[John Weaver] I'll say that again, and then I'll explain it. An unrestrained conservation of resources. Translated, if you don't have debt, you can save as much money as you want to save. Let me put it to you like this. It is impossible to put back when you must constantly put out. I've had married couples tell me that we can't afford to save. And my response is, you can't afford not to save.

[John Weaver] No individual, no family, no church, no entity will ever get ahead until they have a disciplined, consistent savings program. Prudence dictates that we plan for the unforeseen. Look in your bias. Proverbs 14, verse 15. Proverbs 14, verse 15 to begin with. Prudence dictates that we plan for the unforeseen. In Proverbs 14 and verse 15, we read this. Proverbs 14, verse 15. The simple believeth every word. But the prudent man looketh well to his going." What does that mean? He plans ahead. Look in Proverbs 22 and verse 3.

[John Weaver] I've quoted this one before, but I want you to see it in this context. Proverbs 22 and verse 3. A prudent man foreseeth the evil and hideth himself, but the simple pass on and are punished. Now look in Proverbs 27 and verse 1. This one may surprise you. But look what God says. Boast not thyself of tomorrow, for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.

[John Weaver] So you better be doing some preparation. Now listen to me. The problem is not that we do not make enough money to save. The problem is we do not consistently save from what we do make. Let me say that again. The problem is not that we do not make enough money to save. The problem is we do not consistently save from that which we do make. Oh, about a year ago, I saw a news program. It was on a black, the news program was about a black woman.

[John Weaver] I think she was in Mississippi. She had just donated a million bucks to a college for scholarships for black students who were not able to afford college. The amazing thing is this. The woman who gave the money was nothing more than a housekeeper. Let me put it to you like this. She was a janitor, so to speak. But you know what she had done now? She was an older woman. She had saved her money and had invested it wisely. And when she was in her seventies, she was able to give away a million bucks on a housekeeper's pay. People who keep houses do not make that much money.

[John Weaver] So it's not the problem. that we don't make enough to save, the problem is we don't save out of what we do make. You know, most of us have never realized the power of pennies. You know how God's Word tells us to teach the truth? Isaiah 28, line upon line, line upon line, precept upon precept, precept upon precept, here a little, there a little. You don't realize how much a little adds up if it is done consistently.

[John Weaver] Let me give you an illustration. Some of you have known me for many years. And you've known there have been trying times financially in our lives, and still are to a certain degree. But when Rebecca, our youngest, was in college, it came time for her quarterly tuition to be paid, and it had to be paid or she could not go that quarter. I didn't have the money. I just simply did not have the money.

[John Weaver] And I told Alice, I said, I don't know what we're going to do. And then I had a thought. Her quarterly tuition was only, you know, $350, $60, something like that. I said, you know, I've been saving pennies for a long time. I said, let's get those pennies and count them. And you know, when we got through counting those pennies, do you remember the total? We had nearly $500 in pennies. I took them down to the bank, swapped them in, paid our tuition, had some money to spare. From pennies! From pennies! Do you realize if you just took the change that you get every day and threw it in a box, all your change, pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, whatever, can you imagine how much money you would have at the end of six months or a year? Now I'm just pointing out the fact it is amazing how that change will add up.

[John Weaver] You say, I can't afford it. You can save. You might not be able to save as much as someone, but you can save. And let me tell you something. If you don't have debt, you can save more. But once you learn the power of cash, it will excite you. When Rebecca was still in school, she was working some and she had a little bit of her money. And Rebecca has always been our daughter that loved jewelry. The other girls could care less about it, but Becca loves jewelry. So she came to me and she said, Daddy, I've seen a watch down at the jewelry store that I want to buy. And I said, how much is it? She said, it's 140 something bucks. And she said, you know the jeweler pretty well, don't you? I said, sure, I know him very well. She said, would you talk to him and see if he would let me pay him You know, 20, 30 bucks down and 20, 30 bucks a week until I could pay for that watch.

[John Weaver] I said, Sugar, I won't talk to him for you. But I said, I will tell you what I shall do. You just give me all the money that you were going to give him. And I will save it for you. And when we have enough money, we'll go down and buy the watch. She said, OK. So, when I had about $85 or $90, I said, let's go get the watch. She said, but Daddy, the watch is $140. I said, let's go get the watch. So I put her in the car and we walked down and I walked in the jewelry store and I looked at my friend and I said, how much is that watch?

[John Weaver] Of course it was written there, $145. And he said, it's $145. How much for cash? He said, I'll take $90. I had enough money to buy her the watch and I think she had about $5 left over. I said, now let that be a lesson to you. The $145 is for those who want to charge things and to pay for it on time. When you offer the man cash, you're going to get it for less.

[John Weaver] Now, you say, I can't say you can. And if you don't have the debts, it's unrestrained. One of my favorite stories, and I don't know if it's true, I know it was told for the truth, but I don't know if it's true or not, but it was told for the truth. A fellow I know who was going around helping churches supposedly, and I'll clarify that in just a few moments, he was selling church bonds to build buildings is what it amounted to. He said he went to a black church. And the black church wanted a bond program.

[John Weaver] He said they looked at their expenses and what they had coming in. They did a study that took them two or three days. He said there was no way in the world that that black church could afford to build a building. He said we could not do the bond program for it. And he called his partner's name. And he said he went there on a Sunday night and he explained to the people that they could not do the bond program.

[John Weaver] And he used all the legal terms, you know, trying to beat around the bush and try not to hurt anybody's feelings. And he said when he got through, all the folks in the congregation kind of looking at each other. You know, what did he say? And he said the old black preacher got up and he stepped behind the pulpit and he said, Folks, what the man here is trying to say is this.

[John Weaver] When your outgo exceeds your income, then your upkeep is going to be your downfall. He said the old black pastor said that. But that's the truth, folks. When your outgo exceeds your income, then your upkeep is going to be your downfall. And if you don't have something stuck back, you're going to find that that downfall occurs quite frequently. And so one of the blessings of debt-free living is it will allow you to conserve your resources to the maximum extent. Number five. Here's the fifth blessing. of debt-free living, and that is unfeigned commitment or contentment and trust in God's provision. Unfeigned contentment and trust in God's provision.

[John Weaver] Now, remember the word unfeigned is found in the Bible. It means unhypocritical or unpretended. So you can have unhypocritical and unpretended contentment and trust in God's provision. Let me show you two passages. Look, first of all, the first Timothy, chapter six. I'm not going to expound this verse. I did so two weeks ago. First Timothy, chapter six, look at verse eight, and then we're going to turn to the book of James. Look in first Timothy, chapter six and verse eight.

[John Weaver] God says, and having food and raiment, let us therewith be content. And having food and raiment, let us therewith be content. What is He saying? Be content with your needs. Be content with the necessities of life.

[John Weaver] Now look to the book of James, chapter 4, and let's begin reading there with verse 1. James 4, verse 1. Look what He says. James 4, verse 1. From whence come wars and fightings among you? Come they not hence even of your lusts that warden your members?" Now look what he says. You lust and have not. You kill and desire to have and cannot obtain. You fight in war, yet you have not because you ask not.

[John Weaver] And then he makes this amazing statement. You ask and receive not. Because you ask amiss that you may consume it upon your own lusts.

[John Weaver] Now the interesting thing is this. He says one of the reasons we don't have is we don't ask. Another reason we don't have is because we ask amiss. We ask wrongly. We don't ask for God's honor and glory. We ask just simply to consume it upon our own lusts. We ask and receive not, God says, because many times you really just do not need what you're asking for. You might want it, but you don't really need it.

[John Weaver] Now, we've got to learn to be content with God's provision, and we've got to be willing to wait for God's timing. Unhappily, most people are not content with God's provision, and they are unwilling to wait for God's timing. And when we are unwilling to wait, and when we are discontented, what do we do? We go out and borrow and make it happen. All that means, translated is, we just go into debt. By the way, the absence of debt is evidence of contentment and trusting in Lord and willing to wait upon him.

[John Weaver] Let me give you a little principle. You ought to write this down. What God orders, he pays for. What God orders, he pays for. Do you realize God has never ever demanded that His people go into debt to build Him a building. It is true that offerings were taken to build the tabernacle and the temple, but let me tell you something, when that tabernacle and that temple were built, they were debt free.

[John Weaver] There were no bond programs. There were no loans from the bank. They were debt-free. I'm terribly afraid, folks, that most of our modern-day building programs are not for God's honor and glory, but they're for the praise and the adulation of man. And the reason I can say that is most of our modern-day buildings are not paid for, no matter church buildings. The average church is in debt up to its eyeballs flying. a lack of contentment and trust in God's provision.

[John Weaver] I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of Hosea. Daniel, Hosea. Look in Hosea chapter 8 at verse 14. Hosea chapter 8 verse 14. Hosea 8 verse 14. I'm afraid this charge can be leveled today at modern-day Christians. Look what he says, Hosea 8 and verse 14. For Israel hath forgotten his Maker, and built the temples, and Judah hath multiplied fenced cities. Look what God says. But I will send a fire upon his cities, and it shall devour the palaces thereof. God was not pleased with the buildings. He said, the trouble is my people have forgotten me and their intent on building temples, their intent on building buildings. The average congregation has forgotten God, has forgotten His law, and their intent on building buildings for their own pride and for their own glory and not for God. I want you to turn to Acts chapter 26.

[John Weaver] I want to show you A statement by the Apostle Paul, and this statement has been mirrored by many pastors, I can assure you, especially once they get into the sinking fund payment and those debts, the bills that have to be paid on a regular basis. In Acts 26, I want to say Isaiah, in Acts chapter 26 and verse 29, Paul is before Griffith, he's in prison, and look what he says. In fact, verse 28, Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian. And Paul answered, and Paul said, I would to God that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day were both almost and altogether such as I am, except these bonds." Paul said, I would to God that every man was like I am, except these bonds. That is, Paul was referring to his imprisonment. Most modern pastors, after a while, they say, put to God, I was without these bonds. But they're referring to church bonds, when those sinking fund payments come due every day.

[John Weaver] Now listen, folks, we must covenantally and faithfully exercise our responsibility and work the hardest we can and the best we can for God's honor and God's glory and then rest. We've got to be content. Listen, you can't rush God. God is the slowest individual you'll ever get hooked up with. But he's always on time. His time. Not our time. And what we've got to learn is this. We've got to learn to experience and exercise unfeigned contentment and trust in Him and say, Lord, I'm willing to do my best. I'm willing to work hard. I'm willing to trust you and I'm willing to rest. And in your time, you'll work it out.

[John Weaver] And that way you can live a debt free life. Let me tell you the very fact that you're debt free. would be evidence of your contentment and trust in God's provision. Number six. Here's the sixth blessing of a debt-free life, and that is the blessing of an unblemished testimony. Look in your Bibles to 1 Timothy 3 and verse 7. 1 Timothy 3 and verse 7.

[John Weaver] This verse refers to a pastor, and God says in verse 7, he must have a good report of them which are without, lest he fall into reproach in the snare of the devil. When you look down to verse 10, he's referring to a deacon, and let these also first be proved and then let them use the office of a deacon being found blameless. Now God says his church officers, pastors, and deacons must be blameless.

[John Weaver] By the way, let me just tell you that every qualification listed in 1 Timothy chapter 3 for a pastor is required of every other Christian except one. And that is the requirement that's found in the latter part of verse 2, apt to teach.

[John Weaver] Now watch, in verse 2, Christians are required to be vigilant, sober, of good behavior, given hospitality. They're required not to be given to much wine, no striker, not greedy and filthy lucre, but patient, not a brawler, not covetous. Christians are required to rule their own house as well. You see what I'm saying? And when the pastor is supposed to be blameless, that is, having an unblemished testimony, certainly the Christians are supposed to be that well also. Now, one of the greatest disgraces among pastors and deacons and Christians are those pastors and deacons and Christians who do not pay their bills.

[John Weaver] Let me tell you something, folks. It is more than a disgrace. It is a sin. It's a violation of the eighth commandment, thou shalt not steal. Fraud and deceit is, and failure to pay, is an aspect of theft. You say, but Brother Weaver, wait a minute, you don't understand. You don't understand. I'm a Christian, but my problem is not that I want to have a blemished testimony. My problem is I just don't have enough money to pay my bills.

[John Weaver] Well, the answer is very simple. If you don't have enough money to pay the bills, don't make the bills to begin with. You follow what I'm saying? No one can charge you with not paying your bills if you haven't made any bills, if you don't have any money to pay a bill. But if you make a bill, you must pay that bill, you must have the money for that.

[John Weaver] Now if we do not have debt, there is no one to repay, there's no late payments, there's no penalties. You understand what I'm saying? So being debt-free is one step in having an unblemished testimony. And unhappily, most pastors, most preachers, most deacons, and most Christians have tarnished their testimonies by their inability to discipline themselves and pay their debts the way they ought to. It's not only a disgrace, it's a sin.

[John Weaver] And I want to tell you something, folks. This has always been my philosophy and my wife can tell you. There have been plenty of times that we ate beans for a week and two weeks because I was going to make sure my bills were paid. I'm not going to steal from someone else. You understand what I'm saying? If I have to do without, that's one thing. If we have to do without, that's one thing. But I'm not going to steal from someone else just to put food on my table.

[John Weaver] I've got news for you. I can ask someone for food before I can do that. Or I can lose a few pounds But you and I have got to learn that God requires us to have a blameless, an unblemished testimony. And one of the aspects of having that unblemished testimony is knowing how to biblically manage your money and to stay out of debt. And what few bills you do have, make sure they're paid on time.

[John Weaver] Now, let me make a couple of applications before we close today. You say, Brother Weaver, I wish, I wish, I wish I could live debt free. Well, the answer is you can. And the first step is repentance. You just have to change your mind. Change your mind about debt. Change your mind about obedience. And repentance is a change of mind that affects your conduct. If I'm walking toward the East, and I repent, then that means I turn around and I walk toward the west. I cease going toward the east. If I am constantly in debt, I repent. That means I learn to stay out of debt. I learn to avoid debt.

[John Weaver] Now, the second application is this. Not only must we have repentance, but secondly, the method of recovery is discipline, Christian discipline. You remember the Bible says in 1 Timothy chapter 4 and verse 7, I believe it is, where Paul says, but exercise thyself rather unto godliness. And the word exercise is the word gymnasio. It's where we get our English word gymnasium and gymnastics from. And what God is saying is we have to discipline ourselves. You see, it is God's Word, listen now, it is God's Word that gives us the hope and the direction for change. It is God's Spirit that gives us the power and the ability to change. But Christian discipline is the method that he uses for change. And we just have to learn to discipline ourselves. Now, if we're going to get out of debt, we must start with repentance. We must secondly, develop discipline. And then thirdly, we must formulate a structured, deliberate payment schedule to get out of debt.

[John Weaver] Now, let me tell you, There are several suggestions that you could make, but it depends upon your personality. It depends upon your makeup. You see, a lot of people are easily discouraged. If a person is easily discouraged, then my suggestion is this. You take the smallest bills first and knock them out because they're going to be the easiest. And just don't make any more after you knock them out.

[John Weaver] Then you can go from one to the other one at the time. But I want to tell you, if you are not easily discouraged, if you can do this for the long haul, you know where I would start? I'd start at the one that's charging me the most interest. I'd start at the one that's costing me the most. And I'd put my energy there. But a lot of people, they want to see something right away. But if you start knocking those things out, and then you refuse to go back into debt, You're going to find that one by one by one by one, you're going to be out of debt.

[John Weaver] Next thing you know, you have all the money that you can do with what you wish to do with, and you won't be giving it to someone else. Fourthly, we must learn to live within our means. We must learn to live within our means. I'm going to tell you something, folks. I like a Cadillac as much as anybody. But I can't drive one. I can't afford one. I like those fine Ford Explorers. Oh, they're beautiful. But I can't drive one. I can't afford it. I love ribeye steak, but I can't eat it every day. I can't afford it. I like expensive clothes and expensive furniture, but I can't afford them. So I'm going to wear what I can wear and sit on what I can sit on. Let me put it to you like this. I am not going to sell my liberty to gratify my lusts. My liberty and my freedom means more to me than my lusts. So you've just got to learn to live within your means. If you make 200 bucks a week and that's all you can make, you've got to live within it.

[John Weaver] You make 500 bucks a week and that's all you make. You've got to live within it. You can't make 500 a week and live like you make a thousand. I never will forget. This was 30 years ago or longer. It was longer. But I used to work. When Alice and I got married, I used to work with State Farm Insurance. And we had a couple insured. He was the president of a local college.

[John Weaver] His wife, oh my stars, she wore these fancy high-heeled shoes, and I don't care if it was the dead of summer, she had one of those furs around her neck, dolled up to make Tammy Faye Baker look sick. She had this little fancy poodle dog, I mean, one of those little toy poodles, one of those small ones, on a leash, had a diamond studded collar around her neck. Little dog had her toes painted and, you know, bows in her ears.

[John Weaver] And you'd see that woman walking down the street with that. And you know what? They never could pay their insurance. Never could. I mean, they'd have to come in and work out payments or, I don't know, Why in the world are you dressing like that and you can't even pay your bills? Yeah, that's it. The want exceeded the needs. They weren't able to distinguish between a need and a want. But if you don't live within your means, let me put it to you easily, folks, your upkeep is going to be your downfall. It's just that simple.

[John Weaver] And then fifthly, you have to learn to regularly consistently and purposefully save. You know what you need to do? You can have a general savings, but if I want a new shotgun, if I want a new tractor, if I want a new car, or if we want some new clothes, then we can put some money aside for that particular purpose. And you don't have to deplete your other savings just to get one little thing that you want. But unless you learn to save regularly and consistently and purposefully, it won't do you any good to get out of debt. Because if you don't have it when you need it, you'll have to go right back in debt. But it starts. with a repentant heart. Let's pray.

[John Weaver] Father, we thank Thee for Jesus Christ today. We acknowledge His Lordship, His salvation. And we acknowledge, Lord, that we are what we are only by the grace of God. We have what we have only by the grace of God. And we must be stewards of what You have given us. And maybe one of the reasons, Lord, You have not given us more is because we have not used well that which you have already given us. Help us to be honest and faithful stewards, and to realize the truth that a faithful man shall abound with blessings, because a faithful man will obey Thee faithfully in every area of his life. Help us in Christ's name we pray. Amen.

The Christian & Debt - Part 8

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	750685218
Subject	Economics and Stewardship
Course	Debt, Money, and Stewardship
Genre	Sermon
Date	2003-06-22
Dictation Name
Book	Book 072: The Christian & Debt — Chapter 8
Source Timed Segments	87

Formatted Transcript

Introduction and Review of the Series

Weaver introduces the final message on the Christian and debt, reviews the series' key points, and shares a personal illustration of his grandchildren learning the principles taught.

Let me just tell those that are visiting today, I've been preaching a brief series, this is the eighth and the final message on the Christian and debt. I've had several questions and I'm going to be answering some of those in the not-so-distant future, but usually some of the questions are asked, and I try to answer them biblically, and one of them was asked about the Christian in debt. So for those of you who are visiting, you're getting in on the tail end of this one series, and we do have the other tapes if you're interested. Now, let me just tell you that if this series has not helped anybody, which I hope it has, but if it has not helped anybody, I know of one person that it helped. It helped my granddaughter and it helped my grandson as well. But you remember they visited over here one time when I was preaching this series and I was dealing with the fact that we should not be borrowing and all that God said about borrowing.

And then I gave the illustration, you remember, about the man selling the horse saying, Lord willing, etc. Well, anyhow, that really hit a nerve with Lacey and Tripp because they went on about their business, but anyhow, that day and later on they were playing some little game and Rebecca told Lacey, she said, well, I'll let you have some of my marbles. And Lacey, who is five, said, oh mama, we're not supposed to borrow. And, well, she said, I'm not going to loan them to you, Lacey. You may have them. I'm just giving them to you so you can, you know, join in the game, etc. And she said, well, all right, but I'm not going to borrow, you know.

So anyhow, last night or one day recently, yesterday, they rode their bicycles, their mother and the two kids rode their bicycles down to the gate, which is a mile and a mile back. You know, some of it's sand, etc. And Rebecca told me that Lacey kept saying, Lord willing, we're going to make it. So the funny thing is, she said, she said that four or five times and says just as they were starting to come around the last curve, she said, Lord willing, we'll see the light in a few minutes, Mama, and we'll be almost home. So I said, well, praise the Lord. At least somebody learned something and profited from the study. So let's look at Proverbs 10 and verse 22. The word of God says,

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 10:22

"The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow to it."

Now look at that very simple verse again. The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow to it. Now look in Proverbs 28 and verse 20. Proverbs 28 and verse 20. The Word of God says, "A faithful man shall abound with blessings, but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent." Now, look at the first part of that verse again. A faithful man shall abound with blessings.

The Blessing of Unparalleled Freedom

Being debt-free means not being a servant or slave to any lender, allowing one to go and do as they please under the law of Christ.

Now for those of you who have been here through this series, I've quoted Proverbs 22 and verse 7 numerous times. There the word of God says that

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 22:7

"the rich ruleth over the poor and the borrower is servant or slave to the lender."

Now notice what God says, the borrower is a servant or a slave to the lender. So the man who borrows then actually is working for the man who he borrows from. He is his servant. He is his slave.

Now the opposite is just as equally true, and that is this, that he who does not borrow is not a slave. He is not a servant to anyone. What does that mean then? That means he's free. He's at liberty. He's independent.

Now, you've got to understand that a free man is able to go as he pleases and to do as he pleases, wherever he pleases. He is under no constraint. He is under no obligation except the constraint and the obligation to Jesus Christ. I want you to turn in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians chapter 9. Watch what the Apostle Paul says in verse 21. 1 Corinthians chapter 9 and verse 21. Paul says,

Scripture Reading — 1 Corinthians 9:21

"To them that are without the law, as without the law,"

he became—is that what he's saying? He became all things to all men.

Scripture Reading — 1 Corinthians 9:21

"To them that are without the law is without the law, being not without the law to God, but under the law to Christ, that I might gain them that are without the law."

So Paul says at all times he was under the law of God and under the law of Christ. When the Word of God says in Galatians 5 and verse 1, "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made you free and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage," very clearly, although we walk in liberty, we do not walk apart from the commands of Christ and apart from the law of God.

But one who is basically without obligations may do as he pleases and go wherever he pleases. I have a good friend that I went to school with, and this man had a tremendous business. And unhappily, it was one of those businesses where you had a lot of debt from time to time. And I went into his place of business one day because I wanted to do some business with him. I was not being nosy, and I certainly was not searching just to look around to search out his business, but on the counter open in front of me were two monthly payment books from the bank. One of his monthly payments was $10,000, and the other monthly payment was $8,000. Now I don't know how many other monthly payments he had, but I mean very clearly right there was $18,000.

Now he had a lot of trucks, he had a lot of machinery. And one day, and he was in the concrete business by the way, and one day I was riding along the road with another friend who also grew up with this same gentleman. And he said, man, oh so-and-so is really doing good. I said, what makes you say he's really doing good? He said, well, he drives a Cadillac. And I said to him, I did not tell him about those payments that I had seen, and there was a whole stack of them left, so I know he owed a lot of money. I said, let me tell you something. I said, I don't drive a Cadillac. And I don't have all the equipment that this brother has. But I can only tell you something, I'm a lot freer than he is. He said, how can you say that? I said, well, if I want to take off tomorrow and go fishing, I can do it. He can't. He has payments to make at that bank every month.

I said, moreover, he has employees that he has to pay. He has machinery that he has to keep up. And I said, let me tell you something. When it sets in and rains for three or four days in a row, you can't pour concrete in the rain. And moreover, when it gets below freezing, you can't pour concrete. And those payments come regardless of whether it's freezing or whether it's raining.

So I'm here to tell you that he might have more money than I am, but I have more liberty and more freedom and probably enjoy life to a greater scale than he's ever dreamed of. You understand? If you are not in debt, you are basically free. The man who is not burdened with debt is free to prosper himself and not others. So the very first blessing of being debt-free is the blessing of unparalleled freedom. Here's the second blessing, and that is the blessing of unexpected delight. Now I'll explain that, the blessing of unexpected delight.

The Blessing of Unexpected Delight

Living without debt removes stress and provides time to delight in God's Word, leading to a more joyful and healthier life.

Now the sheer exuberance of not owing anyone anything delights the soul. And at the same time, it allows that soul to delight itself in whatever it pleases. You know, I've preached in a lot of different churches in this country, and I've taught in a lot of the colleges, and I've preached at a lot of the conferences. And one of the main complaints that I hear from Christians when it comes to studying the Word of God, or I should say, when it comes to their lack of studying the Word of God, their main complaint is this, I don't have the time. And then they'll say this, I have bills to pay and I have to work for a living. Well, let me tell you three things to begin with. First of all, everyone has bills to pay. Even a man who has no debts has bills to pay. Because that electrical bill is going to come every month. You see, you've got to buy gas, you've got to buy food. There are certain bills that you have even if you're not in debt. But everyone has bills to pay. Secondly, everyone has to work. Unless, of course, you're born in an extremely wealthy family. And even then, I believe you ought to work. But thirdly, let me tell you this. The difference is this. Not everyone plunges foolishly and unwisely into debt. That's the big difference.

Some individuals have more discipline than others. Some individuals have more self-control than others. Now, the point I'm trying to make is this. If you do not have an exorbitant debt ceiling, then the time is yours and you may delight yourself in the Word of God and study all you want to. Let me show you. Look in your Bibles, first of all, to Psalm 37. We'll go to Psalm 37 and then just to Psalm 119. Let me show you several passages. Psalm 37.

Note, if you would please, verse 4. Psalm 37, verse 4. God says,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 37:4, 11

"Delight thyself in the Lord, and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart."

Now, isn't that interesting? Delight thyself in the Lord, and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Do you realize the best way to get what we want is to serve Christ faithfully and delight in Him? Look down in verse 11. He says, "...but the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace." The meek shall inherit the earth. Now I've told you before what the meek are. The meek are not some foot mat that allow people to wipe their feet on them all the time.

That's not meekness according to the Bible. You remember in Numbers chapter 11 in verse 3, Moses is called the meekest man on earth. And Moses, the meekest man on earth, got on his knees and said, Lord, I pray that a new thing will happen. I pray that the earth will open up and these rebels will go down alive into hell. Now that's the meekest man on earth. He just prayed that God would kill a lot of people, and God did so. Meekness in the Bible is disciplined strife under God. It's just like that oxen that has the yoke on it. That strength of that ox is now disciplined and you can control it. So the meek are those who have been yoked to Christ and now their strength is disciplined and it goes in the area that God tells it to go in. So God says it's the disciplined individuals that are going to inherit the earth.

Now look in your Bibles to Psalm 119. And let's begin there with verse 16. Psalm 119 and verse 16. Look what David says. Psalm 119 verse 16,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 119:16, 24, 35, 47, 70, 77, 174

"I will delight myself in thy statutes. I will not forget thy word."

Note, I will delight myself in thy statutes. I will not forget thy word. Look in verse 24, "Thy testimonies also are my delight and my counselors." Verse 35, "Teach me, O Lord, by the way of thy statutes, and I shall keep it unto the end." Verse 47,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 119:16, 24, 35, 47, 70, 77, 174

"I will delight myself in thy commandments, which I have loved."

Verse 70, "Their heart is as fat as grease, but I delight in thy law." Verse 77, "Let thy tender mercies come unto me, that I may live, for thy law is my delight." One last one, verse 174, David said in Psalm 119, verse 174, "I have longed for thy salvation, O Lord, and thy law is my delight."

Now, the argument that I don't have time to study the Word of God or that I have to work and make a living falls to pieces when you realize that it is possible to live a more disciplined life and live without debt, and therefore you have the opportunity to delight yourself in the Word of God and in the things of God. So the man then that can live without debt is free to do as he pleases. Now let me give you another area of this unexpected delight living without debt. And that is, if you're living without debt, you're living without an awful lot of stress. You just stop and think of the agitation and the turmoil and the stress that is in an individual's mind when he realizes he has to have a certain amount of money by the certain date of the month in order to pay the bill, or else he's in problems like he cannot believe. So, without agitation, without stress, one can think, one can enjoy his family, one can enjoy his life and the things that God has freely given unto him. By the way, what I've just mentioned does not even include the added health benefits, because very clearly stress destroys our bodies, and many times our sicknesses are stress-induced. And so we would be far more healthier emotionally, mentally, and physically if we learned to live without debt.

It's absolutely amazing how delightful, exuberant, and cordial people can be when they're not overwhelmed by stress and by financial difficulties. So one of the blessings of debt-free living, then, is that you get an unexpected delight. Number three. I'm following right along. Here's the third blessing of living debt-free, and that is uncorrupted marital unity and intimacy. Uncorrupted marital unity and intimacy.

The Blessing of Uncorrupted Marital Unity and Intimacy

Money is the number one problem in marriages; avoiding debt helps preserve unity and intimacy by eliminating financial stress.

I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of Ephesians chapter 5, and I might tell you something that might surprise you in this point. But do you realize that one of the major family problems is the fact that marital unity and marital intimacy has been corrupted and destroyed? Look in Ephesians chapter 5, and let's begin reading there with verse 31. Look what God says. Ephesians 5 and verse 31. And by the way, this is a direct quote from the book of Genesis. He says in Ephesians 5 and verse 31,

Scripture Reading — Ephesians 5:31

"For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh."

Now the one flesh does not just simply refer to the sexual union. It does not refer just to the physical. But it does refer to the mental, to the emotional. It refers to everything. The husband and wife are to be one.

Alice and I, many times, while we're riding down the road, we'll look at each other and say exactly the same thing at the same time. Or we're thinking about the same thing. We haven't said anything to each other. And we turn to say something and the other says, well, you know, I was just thinking about that very thing.

Now, there is unity that God says that should be in the marriage, that two should be one. It may surprise you to learn that the number one problem in marriages today is money. That is number one. It is money that will divide and destroy and dissolve the unity in marriage. Either, number one, through a lack of it, which, by the way, could be from indolence and laziness, or it could be from a misuse of it, which is debt and wastefulness, or it could be from a failure to manage it properly. But the number one family problem, the number one marital problem is money. Money is first. Now listen to me.

Sex is second, and in-laws are third. Isn't that interesting? Now let's try to figure this thing out. When people begin to have money problems, there's the stress, there's the agitation, there's the shortness, the curtness, the sarcasms, and the next thing you know, the intimacy of the marriage falls apart. And then all of a sudden, the family realizes, or at least the husband and wife realize, well, if we ever get out of this, we're going to have to cut our financial losses somehow. And so what do they do? They either sell out and move in with somebody's parents until they can recover, thus bringing on the third problem, the in-law problems. And I'm going to tell you something, folks. There is no house big enough for two families.

Now that doesn't mean your mother can't live with you or your father can't live with you, but I'm just saying, there has to be one head to a house. And when you get two families trying to run things in one house, you have problems. And if I have to move in with my in-laws, if my father-in-law was still alive, if I'm in his house, guess what? He's the head of his house. And it's not going to be long before he's going to start telling me what he thinks I ought to be doing. And there's going to be conflicts. So money is the number one problem. Sex is number two and in-laws are number three. Now let me just point something out. You can save yourselves a lot of heartache by not going in debt. Let me tell you something that's funny. To me this is not haha funny, but I have seen it so often it is unreal. Here's a young couple, they get married. They're not willing to wait and save.

They're not willing to rent. They want a new house like mom and daddy's got a new house. And they'll go in debt and get them a new house. Then they're not content to just have, you know, a dining room and a bedroom. No. They want all of that house filled with furniture at once and new furniture. They'll go further in debt to get the new furniture. And I want you to do this. You check this out. It happens every time. When somebody comes up with a new house and new furniture, inevitably they get a new car. Inevitably. And you know what those young people think? Well, why can't I have a new house?

My mother and father have one. Why can't I have good looking furniture? My parents have it. Why can't I have a new car? My parents have it. And they never stop and think, yes, their parents have some of those things, but it took them 40 and 50 years to get those things. And what happens is, there's a lack of harmony, there's a lack of unity, and they start going contrary to each other and going their separate ways, the next thing you know, there's a divorce. You're not going to disrupt the harmony and the unity if you learn to stay out of debt, if you learn biblical economics. And if the husband and wife will apply those economics, then you're not going to have the problems that the average family has in their marriage.

Let me tell you something, folks. I can teach you the principles of God's Word from the dawn to the setting sun, but unless you practice them, unless you apply them, unless you use them, they'll never benefit you one little bit. Period. Period. So another blessing, then, of debt-free living is uncorrupted marital unity and intimacy. Number four. Here's the fourth blessing of debt-free living, and that is an unrestrained conservation of resources.

The Blessing of Unrestrained Conservation of Resources

Without debt, one can save consistently and prepare for the unforeseen, as illustrated by the power of saving even small amounts.

I'll say that again, and then I'll explain it. An unrestrained conservation of resources. Translated, if you don't have debt, you can save as much money as you want to save. Let me put it to you like this. It is impossible to put back when you must constantly put out. I've had married couples tell me that we can't afford to save. And my response is, you can't afford not to save.

No individual, no family, no church, no entity will ever get ahead until they have a disciplined, consistent savings program. Prudence dictates that we plan for the unforeseen. Look in your Bibles. Proverbs 14, verse 15. Proverbs 14, verse 15 to begin with. Prudence dictates that we plan for the unforeseen. In Proverbs 14 and verse 15, we read this. Proverbs 14, verse 15,

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 14:15

"The simple believeth every word, but the prudent man looketh well to his going."

What does that mean? He plans ahead. Look in Proverbs 22 and verse 3.

I've quoted this one before, but I want you to see it in this context. Proverbs 22 and verse 3,

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 22:3

"A prudent man foreseeth the evil and hideth himself, but the simple pass on and are punished."

Now look in Proverbs 27 and verse 1. This one may surprise you. But look what God says. "Boast not thyself of tomorrow, for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth."

So you better be doing some preparation. Now listen to me. The problem is not that we do not make enough money to save. The problem is we do not consistently save from what we do make. Let me say that again. The problem is not that we do not make enough money to save. The problem is we do not consistently save from that which we do make. Oh, about a year ago, I saw a news program. It was on a black—the news program was about a black woman.

I think she was in Mississippi. She had just donated a million bucks to a college for scholarships for black students who were not able to afford college. The amazing thing is this. The woman who gave the money was nothing more than a housekeeper. Let me put it to you like this. She was a janitor, so to speak. But you know what she had done now? She was an older woman. She had saved her money and had invested it wisely. And when she was in her seventies, she was able to give away a million bucks on a housekeeper's pay. People who keep houses do not make that much money.

So it's not the problem that we don't make enough to save, the problem is we don't save out of what we do make. You know, most of us have never realized the power of pennies. You know how God's Word tells us to teach the truth? Isaiah 28, line upon line, line upon line, precept upon precept, precept upon precept, here a little, there a little. You don't realize how much a little adds up if it is done consistently. Let me give you an illustration. Some of you have known me for many years. And you've known there have been trying times financially in our lives, and still are to a certain degree. But when Rebecca, our youngest, was in college, it came time for her quarterly tuition to be paid, and it had to be paid or she could not go that quarter. I didn't have the money. I just simply did not have the money.

And I told Alice, I said, I don't know what we're going to do. And then I had a thought. Her quarterly tuition was only, you know, $350, $60, something like that. I said, you know, I've been saving pennies for a long time. I said, let's get those pennies and count them. And you know, when we got through counting those pennies, do you remember the total? We had nearly $500 in pennies. I took them down to the bank, swapped them in, paid our tuition, had some money to spare. From pennies! From pennies! Do you realize if you just took the change that you get every day and threw it in a box, all your change, pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, whatever, can you imagine how much money you would have at the end of six months or a year? Now I'm just pointing out the fact it is amazing how that change will add up.

You say, I can't afford it. You can save. You might not be able to save as much as someone, but you can save. And let me tell you something. If you don't have debt, you can save more. But once you learn the power of cash, it will excite you. When Rebecca was still in school, she was working some and she had a little bit of her money. And Rebecca has always been our daughter that loved jewelry. The other girls could care less about it, but Becca loves jewelry. So she came to me and she said, Daddy, I've seen a watch down at the jewelry store that I want to buy. And I said, how much is it? She said, it's 140 something bucks. And she said, you know the jeweler pretty well, don't you? I said, sure, I know him very well. She said, would you talk to him and see if he would let me pay him, you know, 20, 30 bucks down and 20, 30 bucks a week until I could pay for that watch.

I said, Sugar, I won't talk to him for you. But I said, I will tell you what I shall do. You just give me all the money that you were going to give him. And I will save it for you. And when we have enough money, we'll go down and buy the watch. She said, OK. So, when I had about $85 or $90, I said, let's go get the watch. She said, but Daddy, the watch is $140. I said, let's go get the watch. So I put her in the car and we walked down and I walked in the jewelry store and I looked at my friend and I said, how much is that watch?

Of course it was written there, $145. And he said, it's $145. How much for cash? He said, I'll take $90. I had enough money to buy her the watch and I think she had about $5 left over. I said, now let that be a lesson to you. The $145 is for those who want to charge things and to pay for it on time. When you offer the man cash, you're going to get it for less.

Now, you say, I can't save. You can. And if you don't have the debts, it's unrestrained. One of my favorite stories, and I don't know if it's true, I know it was told for the truth, but I don't know if it's true or not, but it was told for the truth. A fellow I know who was going around helping churches supposedly, and I'll clarify that in just a few moments, he was selling church bonds to build buildings is what it amounted to. He said he went to a black church. And the black church wanted a bond program.

He said they looked at their expenses and what they had coming in. They did a study that took them two or three days. He said there was no way in the world that that black church could afford to build a building. He said we could not do the bond program for it. And he called his partner's name. And he said he went there on a Sunday night and he explained to the people that they could not do the bond program. And he used all the legal terms, you know, trying to beat around the bush and try not to hurt anybody's feelings. And he said when he got through, all the folks in the congregation kind of looking at each other. You know, what did he say? And he said the old black preacher got up and he stepped behind the pulpit and he said, Folks, what the man here is trying to say is this.

When your outgo exceeds your income, then your upkeep is going to be your downfall. He said the old black pastor said that. But that's the truth, folks. When your outgo exceeds your income, then your upkeep is going to be your downfall. And if you don't have something stuck back, you're going to find that that downfall occurs quite frequently. And so one of the blessings of debt-free living is it will allow you to conserve your resources to the maximum extent. Number five. Here's the fifth blessing of debt-free living, and that is unfeigned contentment and trust in God's provision. Unfeigned contentment and trust in God's provision.

The Blessing of Unfeigned Contentment and Trust in God's Provision

Debt-free living demonstrates contentment with God's provision and a willingness to wait on His timing rather than borrowing to fulfill desires.

Now, remember the word unfeigned is found in the Bible. It means unhypocritical or unpretended. So you can have unhypocritical and unpretended contentment and trust in God's provision. Let me show you two passages. Look, first of all, the first Timothy, chapter six. I'm not going to expound this verse. I did so two weeks ago. First Timothy, chapter six, look at verse eight, and then we're going to turn to the book of James. Look in first Timothy, chapter six and verse eight.

God says, "And having food and raiment, let us therewith be content." And having food and raiment, let us therewith be content. What is He saying? Be content with your needs. Be content with the necessities of life.

Now look to the book of James, chapter 4, and let's begin reading there with verse 1. James 4, verse 1. Look what He says. James 4, verse 1,

Scripture Reading — James 4:1-3

"From whence come wars and fightings among you? Come they not hence even of your lusts that war in your members?"

Now look what he says.

Scripture Reading — James 4:1-3

"Ye lust and have not. Ye kill and desire to have and cannot obtain. Ye fight and war, yet ye have not because ye ask not."

And then he makes this amazing statement. "Ye ask and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your own lusts." Now the interesting thing is this. He says one of the reasons we don't have is we don't ask. Another reason we don't have is because we ask amiss. We ask wrongly. We don't ask for God's honor and glory. We ask just simply to consume it upon our own lusts. We ask and receive not, God says, because many times you really just do not need what you're asking for. You might want it, but you don't really need it.

Now, we've got to learn to be content with God's provision, and we've got to be willing to wait for God's timing. Unhappily, most people are not content with God's provision, and they are unwilling to wait for God's timing. And when we are unwilling to wait, and when we are discontented, what do we do? We go out and borrow and make it happen. All that means, translated, is we just go into debt. By the way, the absence of debt is evidence of contentment and trusting in the Lord and willing to wait upon him. Let me give you a little principle. You ought to write this down. What God orders, he pays for. What God orders, he pays for. Do you realize God has never ever demanded that His people go into debt to build Him a building. It is true that offerings were taken to build the tabernacle and the temple, but let me tell you something, when that tabernacle and that temple were built, they were debt free.

There were no bond programs. There were no loans from the bank. They were debt-free. I'm terribly afraid, folks, that most of our modern-day building programs are not for God's honor and glory, but they're for the praise and the adulation of man. And the reason I can say that is most of our modern-day buildings are not paid for, no matter church buildings. The average church is in debt up to its eyeballs, flying a lack of contentment and trust in God's provision. I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of Hosea. Daniel, Hosea. Look in Hosea chapter 8 at verse 14. Hosea chapter 8 verse 14. I'm afraid this charge can be leveled today at modern-day Christians. Look what he says, Hosea 8 and verse 14,

Scripture Reading — Hosea 8:14

"For Israel hath forgotten his Maker, and built the temples, and Judah hath multiplied fenced cities. But I will send a fire upon his cities, and it shall devour the palaces thereof."

God was not pleased with the buildings. He said, the trouble is my people have forgotten me and their intent on building temples, their intent on building buildings. The average congregation has forgotten God, has forgotten His law, and their intent on building buildings for their own pride and for their own glory and not for God. I want you to turn to Acts chapter 26.

I want to show you a statement by the Apostle Paul, and this statement has been mirrored by many pastors, I can assure you, especially once they get into the sinking fund payment and those debts, the bills that have to be paid on a regular basis. In Acts 26, I want to say Isaiah, in Acts chapter 26 and verse 29, Paul is before Agrippa, he's in prison, and look what he says. In fact, verse 28, "Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian." And Paul answered, and Paul said,

Scripture Reading — Acts 26:29

"I would to God that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day were both almost and altogether such as I am, except these bonds."

Paul said, I would to God that every man was like I am, except these bonds. That is, Paul was referring to his imprisonment. Most modern pastors, after a while, they say, would to God, I was without these bonds. But they're referring to church bonds, when those sinking fund payments come due every day.

Now listen, folks, we must covenantally and faithfully exercise our responsibility and work the hardest we can and the best we can for God's honor and God's glory and then rest. We've got to be content. Listen, you can't rush God. God is the slowest individual you'll ever get hooked up with. But he's always on time. His time. Not our time. And what we've got to learn is this. We've got to learn to experience and exercise unfeigned contentment and trust in Him and say, Lord, I'm willing to do my best. I'm willing to work hard. I'm willing to trust you and I'm willing to rest. And in your time, you'll work it out.

And that way you can live a debt free life. Let me tell you the very fact that you're debt free would be evidence of your contentment and trust in God's provision. Number six. Here's the sixth blessing of a debt-free life, and that is the blessing of an unblemished testimony. Look in your Bibles to 1 Timothy 3 and verse 7. 1 Timothy 3 and verse 7.

The Blessing of an Unblemished Testimony

Paying bills on time and avoiding debt maintains a good report before others, as failure to pay is a sin and a disgrace.

This verse refers to a pastor, and God says in verse 7,

Scripture Reading — 1 Timothy 3:7, 10

"He must have a good report of them which are without, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil."

When you look down to verse 10, he's referring to a deacon, "And let these also first be proved and then let them use the office of a deacon being found blameless." Now God says his church officers, pastors, and deacons must be blameless. By the way, let me just tell you that every qualification listed in 1 Timothy chapter 3 for a pastor is required of every other Christian except one. And that is the requirement that's found in the latter part of verse 2, apt to teach. Now watch, in verse 2, Christians are required to be vigilant, sober, of good behavior, given hospitality. They're required not to be given to much wine, no striker, not greedy and filthy lucre, but patient, not a brawler, not covetous. Christians are required to rule their own house as well. You see what I'm saying? And when the pastor is supposed to be blameless, that is, having an unblemished testimony, certainly the Christians are supposed to be that well also. Now, one of the greatest disgraces among pastors and deacons and Christians are those pastors and deacons and Christians who do not pay their bills.

Let me tell you something, folks. It is more than a disgrace. It is a sin. It's a violation of the eighth commandment, thou shalt not steal. Fraud and deceit is, and failure to pay, is an aspect of theft. You say, but Brother Weaver, wait a minute, you don't understand. You don't understand. I'm a Christian, but my problem is not that I want to have a blemished testimony. My problem is I just don't have enough money to pay my bills.

Well, the answer is very simple. If you don't have enough money to pay the bills, don't make the bills to begin with. You follow what I'm saying? No one can charge you with not paying your bills if you haven't made any bills, if you don't have any money to pay a bill. But if you make a bill, you must pay that bill, you must have the money for that.

Now if we do not have debt, there is no one to repay, there's no late payments, there's no penalties. You understand what I'm saying? So being debt-free is one step in having an unblemished testimony. And unhappily, most pastors, most preachers, most deacons, and most Christians have tarnished their testimonies by their inability to discipline themselves and pay their debts the way they ought to. It's not only a disgrace, it's a sin. And I want to tell you something, folks. This has always been my philosophy and my wife can tell you. There have been plenty of times that we ate beans for a week and two weeks because I was going to make sure my bills were paid. I'm not going to steal from someone else. You understand what I'm saying? If I have to do without, that's one thing. If we have to do without, that's one thing. But I'm not going to steal from someone else just to put food on my table.

I've got news for you. I can ask someone for food before I can do that. Or I can lose a few pounds. But you and I have got to learn that God requires us to have a blameless, an unblemished testimony. And one of the aspects of having that unblemished testimony is knowing how to biblically manage your money and to stay out of debt. And what few bills you do have, make sure they're paid on time.

Practical Applications for Debt-Free Living

Weaver provides five steps: repentance, discipline, a structured payment schedule, living within one's means, and consistent saving.

Now, let me make a couple of applications before we close today. You say, Brother Weaver, I wish, I wish, I wish I could live debt free. Well, the answer is you can. And the first step is repentance. You just have to change your mind. Change your mind about debt. Change your mind about obedience. And repentance is a change of mind that affects your conduct. If I'm walking toward the East, and I repent, then that means I turn around and I walk toward the west. I cease going toward the east. If I am constantly in debt, I repent. That means I learn to stay out of debt. I learn to avoid debt.

Now, the second application is this. Not only must we have repentance, but secondly, the method of recovery is discipline, Christian discipline. You remember the Bible says in 1 Timothy chapter 4 and verse 7, I believe it is, where Paul says,

Scripture Reading — 1 Timothy 4:7

"But exercise thyself rather unto godliness."

And the word exercise is the word gymnasio. It's where we get our English word gymnasium and gymnastics from. And what God is saying is we have to discipline ourselves. You see, it is God's Word, listen now, it is God's Word that gives us the hope and the direction for change. It is God's Spirit that gives us the power and the ability to change. But Christian discipline is the method that he uses for change. And we just have to learn to discipline ourselves. Now, if we're going to get out of debt, we must start with repentance. We must secondly, develop discipline. And then thirdly, we must formulate a structured, deliberate payment schedule to get out of debt.

Now, let me tell you, there are several suggestions that you could make, but it depends upon your personality. It depends upon your makeup. You see, a lot of people are easily discouraged. If a person is easily discouraged, then my suggestion is this. You take the smallest bills first and knock them out because they're going to be the easiest. And just don't make any more after you knock them out.

Then you can go from one to the other one at the time. But I want to tell you, if you are not easily discouraged, if you can do this for the long haul, you know where I would start? I'd start at the one that's charging me the most interest. I'd start at the one that's costing me the most. And I'd put my energy there. But a lot of people, they want to see something right away. But if you start knocking those things out, and then you refuse to go back into debt, you're going to find that one by one by one by one, you're going to be out of debt.

Next thing you know, you have all the money that you can do with what you wish to do with, and you won't be giving it to someone else. Fourthly, we must learn to live within our means. We must learn to live within our means. I'm going to tell you something, folks. I like a Cadillac as much as anybody. But I can't drive one. I can't afford one. I like those fine Ford Explorers. Oh, they're beautiful. But I can't drive one. I can't afford it. I love ribeye steak, but I can't eat it every day. I can't afford it. I like expensive clothes and expensive furniture, but I can't afford them. So I'm going to wear what I can wear and sit on what I can sit on. Let me put it to you like this. I am not going to sell my liberty to gratify my lusts. My liberty and my freedom means more to me than my lusts. So you've just got to learn to live within your means. If you make 200 bucks a week and that's all you can make, you've got to live within it.

You make 500 bucks a week and that's all you make. You've got to live within it. You can't make 500 a week and live like you make a thousand. I never will forget. This was 30 years ago or longer. It was longer. But I used to work. When Alice and I got married, I used to work with State Farm Insurance. And we had a couple insured. He was the president of a local college.

His wife, oh my stars, she wore these fancy high-heeled shoes, and I don't care if it was the dead of summer, she had one of those furs around her neck, dolled up to make Tammy Faye Bakker look sick. She had this little fancy poodle dog, I mean, one of those little toy poodles, one of those small ones, on a leash, had a diamond studded collar around her neck. Little dog had her toes painted and, you know, bows in her ears. And you'd see that woman walking down the street with that. And you know what? They never could pay their insurance. Never could. I mean, they'd have to come in and work out payments or, I don't know, why in the world are you dressing like that and you can't even pay your bills? Yeah, that's it. The want exceeded the needs. They weren't able to distinguish between a need and a want. But if you don't live within your means, let me put it to you easily, folks, your upkeep is going to be your downfall. It's just that simple.

And then fifthly, you have to learn to regularly, consistently, and purposefully save. You know what you need to do? You can have a general savings, but if I want a new shotgun, if I want a new tractor, if I want a new car, or if we want some new clothes, then we can put some money aside for that particular purpose. And you don't have to deplete your other savings just to get one little thing that you want. But unless you learn to save regularly and consistently and purposefully, it won't do you any good to get out of debt. Because if you don't have it when you need it, you'll have to go right back in debt. But it starts with a repentant heart. Let's pray.

Study Guide

Major Themes

Obedience Brings Blessings

Summary: God's blessings follow obedience, and a faithful man abounds with blessings because he faithfully obeys God's commands.

Evidence: Proverbs 28:20, Psalm 1, Isaiah 58, and the general tenor of Scripture show that blessings follow obedience.

Freedom from Servitude

Summary: The borrower is a servant to the lender; being debt-free means unparalleled freedom and independence under Christ's law.

Evidence: Proverbs 22:7 and 1 Corinthians 9:21 illustrate the contrast between bondage and liberty.

Contentment and Trust in God

Summary: Debt-free living reflects contentment with God's provision and trust in His timing, avoiding the discontent that leads to borrowing.

Evidence: 1 Timothy 6:8 and James 4:1-3 teach contentment and warn against asking amiss to consume on lusts.

Financial Discipline and Stewardship

Summary: Christians must exercise discipline, live within their means, and save consistently to avoid debt and honor God.

Evidence: 1 Timothy 4:7 uses the word 'exercise' (gymnasio) to emphasize discipline; Proverbs 14:15 and 22:3 highlight prudence.

Marital Unity and Money

Summary: Money is the number one problem in marriages; debt causes stress that corrupts unity and intimacy.

Evidence: Ephesians 5:31 describes the one-flesh union, which is disrupted by financial problems.

Testimony and Integrity

Summary: Christians must have an unblemished testimony by paying their bills, as failure to do so is a sin and a disgrace.

Evidence: 1 Timothy 3:7 requires a good report; not paying bills violates the eighth commandment.

Key Arguments

Debt is Always Frowned Upon in Scripture

Summary: Out of 50 direct and 20 indirect verses, no Scripture encourages debt; it is always condemned.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'there is not one Scripture that encourages debt. In fact, debt is always frowned upon and is looked upon with condemnation.'

The Borrower is a Slave to the Lender

Summary: Proverbs 22:7 teaches that borrowing makes one a servant or slave, so avoiding debt brings freedom.

Evidence: Weaver quotes Proverbs 22:7 and explains, 'the borrower is a servant or a slave to the lender.'

Debt Causes Stress and Hinders Delight in God

Summary: Financial obligations create stress and take time away from studying God's Word and delighting in Him.

Evidence: Weaver argues that without debt, 'the time is yours and you may delight yourself in the Word of God.'

Money Problems Destroy Marriages

Summary: Money is the number one marital problem, leading to stress, curtness, and ultimately divorce.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'the number one problem in marriages today is money. That is number one.'

Saving is Possible and Necessary

Summary: The problem is not insufficient income but failure to save consistently; even small savings add up.

Evidence: Weaver illustrates with the story of saving pennies to pay tuition and the janitor who gave a million dollars.

Debt-Free Living Requires Repentance and Discipline

Summary: To live debt-free, one must repent, exercise Christian discipline, and follow a structured plan.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'the first step is repentance... the method of recovery is discipline, Christian discipline.'

Scripture References

Proverbs 10:22

Context: The blessing of the Lord makes rich and adds no sorrow.

Proverbs 28:20

Context: A faithful man shall abound with blessings.

Psalm 1:1-3

Context: The blessed man delights in God's law and prospers.

Isaiah 58:10-14

Context: Obedience leads to guidance, satisfaction, and honor from God.

Proverbs 22:7

Context: The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.

1 Corinthians 9:21

Context: Paul was under the law to Christ, illustrating freedom within God's law.

Galatians 5:1

Context: Stand fast in liberty and do not be entangled again with bondage.

Psalm 37:4, 11

Context: Delight in the Lord and He will give desires; the meek delight in peace.

Psalm 119:16, 24, 35, 47, 70, 77, 174

Context: David delighted in God's statutes and law.

Ephesians 5:31

Context: A man shall leave his parents and be joined to his wife, becoming one flesh.

Proverbs 14:15

Context: The prudent man looks well to his going.

Proverbs 22:3

Context: A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself.

Proverbs 27:1

Context: Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.

1 Timothy 6:8

Context: Having food and clothing, be content.

James 4:1-3

Context: Wars come from lusts; you ask and receive not because you ask amiss.

Hosea 8:14

Context: Israel forgot God and built temples; God will send fire on their cities.

Acts 26:29

Context: Paul wished all were like him except for his bonds (imprisonment).

1 Timothy 3:7, 10

Context: A pastor must have a good report; deacons must be blameless.

1 Timothy 4:7

Context: Exercise yourself unto godliness (discipline).

Historical References

Illustration of a friend in the concrete business with large monthly payments

Context: Weaver contrasts his own freedom with a friend who had $18,000 in monthly payments and could not take time off.

Story of a black woman janitor who donated a million dollars

Context: Used to illustrate that consistent saving, not high income, is key to accumulating resources.

Personal story of saving pennies to pay daughter's tuition

Context: Weaver recounts how saving pennies over time yielded nearly $500, enough to pay a college tuition bill.

Story of buying a watch for cash at a discount

Context: Weaver taught his daughter the power of cash by negotiating a lower price for a watch.

Anecdote about a black preacher's saying on outgo exceeding income

Context: An old black preacher summarized a bond program rejection by saying, 'When your outgo exceeds your income, then your upkeep is going to be your downfall.'

Illustration of a college president's wife who dressed extravagantly but couldn't pay insurance

Context: Used to show the folly of living beyond one's means and not distinguishing needs from wants.

Important Quotes

The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow to it.

Significance: Introduces the theme that God's blessings are pure and without negative consequences, contrasting with the sorrow of debt.

A faithful man shall abound with blessings.

Significance: Key verse for the message, emphasizing that faithfulness (obedience) leads to abundant blessings.

The rich ruleth over the poor and the borrower is servant or slave to the lender.

Significance: Foundational verse for the argument that debt brings bondage, while debt-free living brings freedom.

Delight thyself in the Lord, and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

Significance: Supports the blessing of unexpected delight, showing that delighting in God leads to fulfilled desires.

When your outgo exceeds your income, then your upkeep is going to be your downfall.

Significance: A memorable summary of the danger of living beyond one's means, attributed to an old black preacher.

And having food and raiment, let us therewith be content.

Significance: Biblical basis for contentment with necessities, countering the discontent that leads to debt.

What God orders, he pays for.

Significance: A principle that God does not require His people to go into debt to accomplish His will, encouraging trust in His provision.

I would to God that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day were both almost and altogether such as I am, except these bonds.

Significance: Paul's words are applied to modern pastors who wish they were free from church building debts.

Discussion Questions

How does the principle that 'the borrower is servant to the lender' (Proverbs 22:7) affect your view of financial freedom?

Context: Weaver emphasizes that debt-free living brings unparalleled freedom, contrasting it with the bondage of debt.

In what ways can financial stress corrupt marital unity and intimacy, and how can couples guard against this?

Context: Money is identified as the number one problem in marriages, leading to stress and division.

What practical steps can you take to develop a consistent savings habit, even with a limited income?

Context: Weaver argues that saving is possible for everyone and shares examples like saving pennies and the janitor's story.

How does contentment with God's provision (1 Timothy 6:8) help you avoid the trap of debt?

Context: The message teaches that discontent leads to borrowing, while contentment reflects trust in God's timing.

Why is failing to pay bills considered a sin and a violation of the eighth commandment?

Context: Weaver states that not paying debts is a form of theft and tarnishes a Christian's testimony.

What does repentance look like in the area of financial habits, and how can discipline lead to lasting change?

Context: The applications section calls for repentance, discipline, and a structured plan to get out of debt.

Applications

Repentance from Debt

Summary: Change your mind about debt and obedience, turning away from borrowing and toward God's principles.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'the first step is repentance. You just have to change your mind about debt. Change your mind about obedience.'

Exercise Christian Discipline

Summary: Discipline yourself in financial matters as part of godly exercise, using God's Word for direction and the Spirit for power.

Evidence: Weaver references 1 Timothy 4:7 and explains that discipline is the method God uses for change.

Formulate a Debt Payment Schedule

Summary: Create a deliberate plan to pay off debts, starting with either the smallest bills or the highest interest, depending on your personality.

Evidence: Weaver suggests, 'you take the smallest bills first and knock them out' or 'start at the one that's charging me the most interest.'

Live Within Your Means

Summary: Distinguish between needs and wants, and do not spend more than you earn to avoid financial downfall.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'I am not going to sell my liberty to gratify my lusts' and warns that outgo exceeding income leads to downfall.

Save Regularly and Purposefully

Summary: Save consistently for both general and specific goals to avoid future debt and build financial stability.

Evidence: Weaver advises, 'you have to learn to regularly, consistently, and purposefully save.'

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T23:38:05Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T14:30:37Z

Clean Transcript

The Christian & Debt - Part 8

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

Let me just tell those that are visiting today, I've been preaching a brief series, this is the eighth and the final message on the Christian and debt. I've had several questions and I'm going to be answering some of those in the not-so-distant future, but usually some of the questions are asked, and I try to answer them biblically, and one of them was asked about the Christian in debt. So for those of you who are visiting, you're getting in on the tail end of this one series, and we do have the other tapes if you're interested. Now, let me just tell you that if this series has not helped anybody, which I hope it has, but if it has not helped anybody, I know of one person that it helped. It helped my granddaughter and it helped my grandson as well. But you remember they visited over here one time when I was preaching this series and I was dealing with the fact that we should not be borrowing and all that God said about borrowing.
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And then I gave the illustration, you remember, about the man selling the horse saying, Lord willing, etc. Well, anyhow, that really hit a nerve with Lacey and Tripp because they went on about their business, but anyhow, that day and later on they were playing some little game and Rebecca told Lacey, she said, well, I'll let you have some of my marbles. And Lacey, who is five, said, oh mama, we're not supposed to borrow. And, well, she said, I'm not going to loan them to you, Lacey. You may have them. I'm just giving them to you so you can, you know, join in the game, etc. And she said, well, all right, but I'm not going to borrow, you know.
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So anyhow, last night or one day recently, yesterday, they rode their bicycles, their mother and the two kids rode their bicycles down to the gate, which is a mile and a mile back. You know, some of it's sand, etc. And Rebecca told me that Lacey kept saying, Lord willing, we're going to make it. So the funny thing is, she said, she said that four or five times and says just as they were starting to come around the last curve, she said, Lord willing, we'll see the light in a few minutes, Mama, and we'll be almost home. So I said, well, praise the Lord.
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At least somebody learned something and profited from the study. So let's look at Proverbs 10 and verse 22. The word of God says, "The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow to it." Now look at that very simple verse again. The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow to it. Now look in Proverbs 28 and verse 20. Proverbs 28 and verse 20. The Word of God says, "A faithful man shall abound with blessings, but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent." Now, look at the first part of that verse again. A faithful man shall abound with blessings.
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Now, in this series, we've dealt with the general teaching of debt in the Scripture, and out of 50 direct verses, 20 indirect verses, there is not one Scripture that encourages debt. In fact, debt is always frowned upon and is looked upon with condemnation. In fact, I showed you that although Scripture generally forbids debt, there are times that we have to borrow, but the Bible always says, number one, it is a life emergency situation, say a life and death situation. When we do borrow, we borrow from a Christian, we borrow at no interest, and we borrow with a limitation of six years. And then, of course, I showed you that there was long-term debt, which involved slavery. And even the short-term debt could involve slavery as well. And then, of course, we looked at several other truths concerning debt in the Bible, and for the last couple of messages I've dealt with how to avoid debt.
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Now today I want to just bring a concluding message on the blessings of a debt-free life. The blessings of a debt-free life.
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Now unmistakably, God blesses obedience. All you have to do is read Deuteronomy chapter 28, Leviticus chapter 26, and the general tenor of Scripture, and you come up with one very clear principle, and that is this, that God's blessings always follow obedience, and God's cursings always follow disobedience. Now, God says a faithful man abounds with blessings. Why does a faithful man abound with blessings? Because a faithful man is an obedient man. That is, he faithfully obeys and therefore he is blessed by God.
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I want you to hold Proverbs 28, but look back in your Bibles to Psalm 1. Let me just show you what God says about the blessed man in Psalm 1. Notice Psalm 1 beginning there with verse 1. God says, "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly." That is, he does not listen to the advice of the ungodly, "nor standeth in the way of sinners," that is, he does not associate with those who are wicked and wrong, "nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful," he does not agree with them, so he does not follow their vice, he does not associate with them as such, he does not agree with them.
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Verse 2, "But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that bringeth forth his fruit in his season. His leaf also shall not wither, and whatsoever he do shall prosper." Here's another way of saying that the faithful man shall abound with blessings. If you will turn over to Isaiah 58, and let's begin reading there with verse 10, you'll see the prophet Isaiah saying the same thing in a different way. Isaiah 58, beginning there with verse 10. Look what God says.
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"And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul," that is, your being obedient, "Then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday. And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones. And thou shalt be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places. Thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations, and thou shalt be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of paths to dwell in."
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Now watch, "If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath from doing thy pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable, and shalt honor him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words, then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord, and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father, for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it."
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Now here's another way of saying that the faithful man shall abound with blessings. In other words, God is going to honor those that honor him.
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Now, in the area of what you and I would call debt-free living, there are numerous blessings. I want to mention just six of them this morning. The first one is the blessing of unparalleled freedom. The blessing of unparalleled freedom.
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Now for those of you who have been here through this series, I've quoted Proverbs 22 and verse 7 numerous times. There the word of God says that "the rich ruleth over the poor and the borrower is servant or slave to the lender." Now notice what God says, the borrower is a servant or a slave to the lender. So the man who borrows then actually is working for the man who he borrows from. He is his servant. He is his slave.
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Now the opposite is just as equally true, and that is this, that he who does not borrow is not a slave. He is not a servant to anyone. What does that mean then? That means he's free. He's at liberty. He's independent.
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Now, you've got to understand that a free man is able to go as he pleases and to do as he pleases, wherever he pleases. He is under no constraint. He is under no obligation except the constraint and the obligation to Jesus Christ. I want you to turn in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians chapter 9. Watch what the Apostle Paul says in verse 21. 1 Corinthians chapter 9 and verse 21. Paul says, "To them that are without the law, as without the law," he became—is that what he's saying? He became all things to all men. "To them that are without the law is without the law, being not without the law to God, but under the law to Christ, that I might gain them that are without the law." So Paul says at all times he was under the law of God and under the law of Christ. When the Word of God says in Galatians 5 and verse 1, "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made you free and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage," very clearly, although we walk in liberty, we do not walk apart from the commands of Christ and apart from the law of God.
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But one who is basically without obligations may do as he pleases and go wherever he pleases. I have a good friend that I went to school with, and this man had a tremendous business. And unhappily, it was one of those businesses where you had a lot of debt from time to time. And I went into his place of business one day because I wanted to do some business with him.
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I was not being nosy, and I certainly was not searching just to look around to search out his business, but on the counter open in front of me were two monthly payment books from the bank. One of his monthly payments was $10,000, and the other monthly payment was $8,000. Now I don't know how many other monthly payments he had, but I mean very clearly right there was $18,000.
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Now he had a lot of trucks, he had a lot of machinery. And one day, and he was in the concrete business by the way, and one day I was riding along the road with another friend who also grew up with this same gentleman. And he said, man, oh so-and-so is really doing good. I said, what makes you say he's really doing good? He said, well, he drives a Cadillac. And I said to him, I did not tell him about those payments that I had seen, and there was a whole stack of them left, so I know he owed a lot of money. I said, let me tell you something. I said, I don't drive a Cadillac. And I don't have all the equipment that this brother has. But I can only tell you something, I'm a lot freer than he is. He said, how can you say that? I said, well, if I want to take off tomorrow and go fishing, I can do it. He can't. He has payments to make at that bank every month.
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I said, moreover, he has employees that he has to pay. He has machinery that he has to keep up. And I said, let me tell you something. When it sets in and rains for three or four days in a row, you can't pour concrete in the rain. And moreover, when it gets below freezing, you can't pour concrete. And those payments come regardless of whether it's freezing or whether it's raining.
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So I'm here to tell you that he might have more money than I am, but I have more liberty and more freedom and probably enjoy life to a greater scale than he's ever dreamed of. You understand? If you are not in debt, you are basically free. The man who is not burdened with debt is free to prosper himself and not others. So the very first blessing of being debt-free is the blessing of unparalleled freedom. Here's the second blessing, and that is the blessing of unexpected delight. Now I'll explain that, the blessing of unexpected delight.
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Now the sheer exuberance of not owing anyone anything delights the soul. And at the same time, it allows that soul to delight itself in whatever it pleases. You know, I've preached in a lot of different churches in this country, and I've taught in a lot of the colleges, and I've preached at a lot of the conferences. And one of the main complaints that I hear from Christians when it comes to studying the Word of God, or I should say, when it comes to their lack of studying the Word of God, their main complaint is this, I don't have the time. And then they'll say this, I have bills to pay and I have to work for a living.
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Well, let me tell you three things to begin with. First of all, everyone has bills to pay. Even a man who has no debts has bills to pay. Because that electrical bill is going to come every month. You see, you've got to buy gas, you've got to buy food. There are certain bills that you have even if you're not in debt. But everyone has bills to pay. Secondly, everyone has to work. Unless, of course, you're born in an extremely wealthy family. And even then, I believe you ought to work. But thirdly, let me tell you this. The difference is this. Not everyone plunges foolishly and unwisely into debt. That's the big difference.
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Some individuals have more discipline than others. Some individuals have more self-control than others.
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Now, the point I'm trying to make is this. If you do not have an exorbitant debt ceiling, then the time is yours and you may delight yourself in the Word of God and study all you want to. Let me show you. Look in your Bibles, first of all, to Psalm 37. We'll go to Psalm 37 and then just to Psalm 119. Let me show you several passages. Psalm 37.
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Note, if you would please, verse 4. Psalm 37, verse 4. God says, "Delight thyself in the Lord, and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart." Now, isn't that interesting? Delight thyself in the Lord, and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Do you realize the best way to get what we want is to serve Christ faithfully and delight in Him? Look down in verse 11. He says, "...but the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace." The meek shall inherit the earth. Now I've told you before what the meek are. The meek are not some foot mat that allow people to wipe their feet on them all the time.
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That's not meekness according to the Bible. You remember in Numbers chapter 11 in verse 3, Moses is called the meekest man on earth. And Moses, the meekest man on earth, got on his knees and said, Lord, I pray that a new thing will happen. I pray that the earth will open up and these rebels will go down alive into hell. Now that's the meekest man on earth.
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He just prayed that God would kill a lot of people, and God did so. Meekness in the Bible is disciplined strife under God. It's just like that oxen that has the yoke on it. That strength of that ox is now disciplined and you can control it. So the meek are those who have been yoked to Christ and now their strength is disciplined and it goes in the area that God tells it to go in. So God says it's the disciplined individuals that are going to inherit the earth.
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Now look in your Bibles to Psalm 119. And let's begin there with verse 16. Psalm 119 and verse 16. Look what David says. Psalm 119 verse 16, "I will delight myself in thy statutes. I will not forget thy word." Note, I will delight myself in thy statutes. I will not forget thy word. Look in verse 24, "Thy testimonies also are my delight and my counselors." Verse 35, "Teach me, O Lord, by the way of thy statutes, and I shall keep it unto the end." Verse 47, "I will delight myself in thy commandments, which I have loved." Verse 70, "Their heart is as fat as grease, but I delight in thy law." Verse 77, "Let thy tender mercies come unto me, that I may live, for thy law is my delight." One last one, verse 174, David said in Psalm 119, verse 174, "I have longed for thy salvation, O Lord, and thy law is my delight."
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Now, the argument that I don't have time to study the Word of God or that I have to work and make a living falls to pieces when you realize that it is possible to live a more disciplined life and live without debt, and therefore you have the opportunity to delight yourself in the Word of God and in the things of God. So the man then that can live without debt is free to do as he pleases. Now let me give you another area of this unexpected delight living without debt. And that is, if you're living without debt, you're living without an awful lot of stress.
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You just stop and think of the agitation and the turmoil and the stress that is in an individual's mind when he realizes he has to have a certain amount of money by the certain date of the month in order to pay the bill, or else he's in problems like he cannot believe. So, without agitation, without stress, one can think, one can enjoy his family, one can enjoy his life and the things that God has freely given unto him. By the way, what I've just mentioned does not even include the added health benefits, because very clearly stress destroys our bodies, and many times our sicknesses are stress-induced. And so we would be far more healthier emotionally, mentally, and physically if we learned to live without debt.
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It's absolutely amazing how delightful, exuberant, and cordial people can be when they're not overwhelmed by stress and by financial difficulties. So one of the blessings of debt-free living, then, is that you get an unexpected delight. Number three. I'm following right along. Here's the third blessing of living debt-free, and that is uncorrupted marital unity and intimacy. Uncorrupted marital unity and intimacy.
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I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of Ephesians chapter 5, and I might tell you something that might surprise you in this point. But do you realize that one of the major family problems is the fact that marital unity and marital intimacy has been corrupted and destroyed? Look in Ephesians chapter 5, and let's begin reading there with verse 31. Look what God says. Ephesians 5 and verse 31. And by the way, this is a direct quote from the book of Genesis. He says in Ephesians 5 and verse 31, "For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh." Now the one flesh does not just simply refer to the sexual union. It does not refer just to the physical. But it does refer to the mental, to the emotional. It refers to everything. The husband and wife are to be one.
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Alice and I, many times, while we're riding down the road, we'll look at each other and say exactly the same thing at the same time. Or we're thinking about the same thing. We haven't said anything to each other. And we turn to say something and the other says, well, you know, I was just thinking about that very thing.
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Now, there is unity that God says that should be in the marriage, that two should be one. It may surprise you to learn that the number one problem in marriages today is money. That is number one. It is money that will divide and destroy and dissolve the unity in marriage. Either, number one, through a lack of it, which, by the way, could be from indolence and laziness, or it could be from a misuse of it, which is debt and wastefulness, or it could be from a failure to manage it properly. But the number one family problem, the number one marital problem is money. Money is first. Now listen to me.
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Sex is second, and in-laws are third. Isn't that interesting?
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Now let's try to figure this thing out. When people begin to have money problems, there's the stress, there's the agitation, there's the shortness, the curtness, the sarcasms, and the next thing you know, the intimacy of the marriage falls apart. And then all of a sudden, the family realizes, or at least the husband and wife realize, well, if we ever get out of this, we're going to have to cut our financial losses somehow.
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And so what do they do? They either sell out and move in with somebody's parents until they can recover, thus bringing on the third problem, the in-law problems. And I'm going to tell you something, folks. There is no house big enough for two families.
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Now that doesn't mean your mother can't live with you or your father can't live with you, but I'm just saying, there has to be one head to a house. And when you get two families trying to run things in one house, you have problems. And if I have to move in with my in-laws, if my father-in-law was still alive, if I'm in his house, guess what? He's the head of his house. And it's not going to be long before he's going to start telling me what he thinks I ought to be doing. And there's going to be conflicts. So money is the number one problem. Sex is number two and in-laws are number three. Now let me just point something out. You can save yourselves a lot of heartache by not going in debt. Let me tell you something that's funny. To me this is not haha funny, but I have seen it so often it is unreal. Here's a young couple, they get married. They're not willing to wait and save.
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They're not willing to rent. They want a new house like mom and daddy's got a new house. And they'll go in debt and get them a new house. Then they're not content to just have, you know, a dining room and a bedroom. No. They want all of that house filled with furniture at once and new furniture. They'll go further in debt to get the new furniture. And I want you to do this. You check this out. It happens every time. When somebody comes up with a new house and new furniture, inevitably they get a new car. Inevitably. And you know what those young people think? Well, why can't I have a new house?
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My mother and father have one. Why can't I have good looking furniture? My parents have it. Why can't I have a new car? My parents have it. And they never stop and think, yes, their parents have some of those things, but it took them 40 and 50 years to get those things. And what happens is, there's a lack of harmony, there's a lack of unity, and they start going contrary to each other and going their separate ways, the next thing you know, there's a divorce. You're not going to disrupt the harmony and the unity if you learn to stay out of debt, if you learn biblical economics. And if the husband and wife will apply those economics, then you're not going to have the problems that the average family has in their marriage.
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Let me tell you something, folks. I can teach you the principles of God's Word from the dawn to the setting sun, but unless you practice them, unless you apply them, unless you use them, they'll never benefit you one little bit. Period. Period. So another blessing, then, of debt-free living is uncorrupted marital unity and intimacy. Number four. Here's the fourth blessing of debt-free living, and that is an unrestrained conservation of resources.
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I'll say that again, and then I'll explain it. An unrestrained conservation of resources. Translated, if you don't have debt, you can save as much money as you want to save. Let me put it to you like this. It is impossible to put back when you must constantly put out. I've had married couples tell me that we can't afford to save. And my response is, you can't afford not to save.
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No individual, no family, no church, no entity will ever get ahead until they have a disciplined, consistent savings program. Prudence dictates that we plan for the unforeseen. Look in your Bibles. Proverbs 14, verse 15. Proverbs 14, verse 15 to begin with. Prudence dictates that we plan for the unforeseen. In Proverbs 14 and verse 15, we read this. Proverbs 14, verse 15, "The simple believeth every word, but the prudent man looketh well to his going." What does that mean? He plans ahead. Look in Proverbs 22 and verse 3.
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I've quoted this one before, but I want you to see it in this context. Proverbs 22 and verse 3, "A prudent man foreseeth the evil and hideth himself, but the simple pass on and are punished." Now look in Proverbs 27 and verse 1. This one may surprise you. But look what God says. "Boast not thyself of tomorrow, for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth."
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So you better be doing some preparation. Now listen to me. The problem is not that we do not make enough money to save. The problem is we do not consistently save from what we do make. Let me say that again. The problem is not that we do not make enough money to save. The problem is we do not consistently save from that which we do make. Oh, about a year ago, I saw a news program. It was on a black—the news program was about a black woman.
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I think she was in Mississippi. She had just donated a million bucks to a college for scholarships for black students who were not able to afford college. The amazing thing is this. The woman who gave the money was nothing more than a housekeeper. Let me put it to you like this. She was a janitor, so to speak. But you know what she had done now? She was an older woman. She had saved her money and had invested it wisely. And when she was in her seventies, she was able to give away a million bucks on a housekeeper's pay. People who keep houses do not make that much money.
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So it's not the problem that we don't make enough to save, the problem is we don't save out of what we do make. You know, most of us have never realized the power of pennies. You know how God's Word tells us to teach the truth? Isaiah 28, line upon line, line upon line, precept upon precept, precept upon precept, here a little, there a little. You don't realize how much a little adds up if it is done consistently.
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Let me give you an illustration. Some of you have known me for many years. And you've known there have been trying times financially in our lives, and still are to a certain degree. But when Rebecca, our youngest, was in college, it came time for her quarterly tuition to be paid, and it had to be paid or she could not go that quarter. I didn't have the money. I just simply did not have the money.
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And I told Alice, I said, I don't know what we're going to do. And then I had a thought. Her quarterly tuition was only, you know, $350, $60, something like that. I said, you know, I've been saving pennies for a long time. I said, let's get those pennies and count them. And you know, when we got through counting those pennies, do you remember the total? We had nearly $500 in pennies. I took them down to the bank, swapped them in, paid our tuition, had some money to spare. From pennies! From pennies! Do you realize if you just took the change that you get every day and threw it in a box, all your change, pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, whatever, can you imagine how much money you would have at the end of six months or a year? Now I'm just pointing out the fact it is amazing how that change will add up.
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You say, I can't afford it. You can save. You might not be able to save as much as someone, but you can save. And let me tell you something. If you don't have debt, you can save more. But once you learn the power of cash, it will excite you. When Rebecca was still in school, she was working some and she had a little bit of her money. And Rebecca has always been our daughter that loved jewelry. The other girls could care less about it, but Becca loves jewelry. So she came to me and she said, Daddy, I've seen a watch down at the jewelry store that I want to buy. And I said, how much is it? She said, it's 140 something bucks. And she said, you know the jeweler pretty well, don't you? I said, sure, I know him very well. She said, would you talk to him and see if he would let me pay him, you know, 20, 30 bucks down and 20, 30 bucks a week until I could pay for that watch.
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I said, Sugar, I won't talk to him for you. But I said, I will tell you what I shall do. You just give me all the money that you were going to give him. And I will save it for you. And when we have enough money, we'll go down and buy the watch. She said, OK. So, when I had about $85 or $90, I said, let's go get the watch. She said, but Daddy, the watch is $140. I said, let's go get the watch. So I put her in the car and we walked down and I walked in the jewelry store and I looked at my friend and I said, how much is that watch?
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Of course it was written there, $145. And he said, it's $145. How much for cash? He said, I'll take $90. I had enough money to buy her the watch and I think she had about $5 left over. I said, now let that be a lesson to you. The $145 is for those who want to charge things and to pay for it on time. When you offer the man cash, you're going to get it for less.
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Now, you say, I can't save. You can. And if you don't have the debts, it's unrestrained. One of my favorite stories, and I don't know if it's true, I know it was told for the truth, but I don't know if it's true or not, but it was told for the truth. A fellow I know who was going around helping churches supposedly, and I'll clarify that in just a few moments, he was selling church bonds to build buildings is what it amounted to. He said he went to a black church. And the black church wanted a bond program.
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He said they looked at their expenses and what they had coming in. They did a study that took them two or three days. He said there was no way in the world that that black church could afford to build a building. He said we could not do the bond program for it. And he called his partner's name. And he said he went there on a Sunday night and he explained to the people that they could not do the bond program.
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And he used all the legal terms, you know, trying to beat around the bush and try not to hurt anybody's feelings. And he said when he got through, all the folks in the congregation kind of looking at each other. You know, what did he say? And he said the old black preacher got up and he stepped behind the pulpit and he said, Folks, what the man here is trying to say is this.
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When your outgo exceeds your income, then your upkeep is going to be your downfall. He said the old black pastor said that. But that's the truth, folks. When your outgo exceeds your income, then your upkeep is going to be your downfall. And if you don't have something stuck back, you're going to find that that downfall occurs quite frequently. And so one of the blessings of debt-free living is it will allow you to conserve your resources to the maximum extent. Number five. Here's the fifth blessing of debt-free living, and that is unfeigned contentment and trust in God's provision. Unfeigned contentment and trust in God's provision.
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Now, remember the word unfeigned is found in the Bible. It means unhypocritical or unpretended. So you can have unhypocritical and unpretended contentment and trust in God's provision. Let me show you two passages. Look, first of all, the first Timothy, chapter six. I'm not going to expound this verse. I did so two weeks ago. First Timothy, chapter six, look at verse eight, and then we're going to turn to the book of James. Look in first Timothy, chapter six and verse eight.
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God says, "And having food and raiment, let us therewith be content." And having food and raiment, let us therewith be content. What is He saying? Be content with your needs. Be content with the necessities of life.
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Now look to the book of James, chapter 4, and let's begin reading there with verse 1. James 4, verse 1. Look what He says. James 4, verse 1, "From whence come wars and fightings among you? Come they not hence even of your lusts that war in your members?" Now look what he says. "Ye lust and have not. Ye kill and desire to have and cannot obtain. Ye fight and war, yet ye have not because ye ask not."
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And then he makes this amazing statement. "Ye ask and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your own lusts."
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Now the interesting thing is this. He says one of the reasons we don't have is we don't ask. Another reason we don't have is because we ask amiss. We ask wrongly. We don't ask for God's honor and glory. We ask just simply to consume it upon our own lusts. We ask and receive not, God says, because many times you really just do not need what you're asking for. You might want it, but you don't really need it.
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Now, we've got to learn to be content with God's provision, and we've got to be willing to wait for God's timing. Unhappily, most people are not content with God's provision, and they are unwilling to wait for God's timing. And when we are unwilling to wait, and when we are discontented, what do we do? We go out and borrow and make it happen. All that means, translated, is we just go into debt. By the way, the absence of debt is evidence of contentment and trusting in the Lord and willing to wait upon him.
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Let me give you a little principle. You ought to write this down. What God orders, he pays for. What God orders, he pays for. Do you realize God has never ever demanded that His people go into debt to build Him a building. It is true that offerings were taken to build the tabernacle and the temple, but let me tell you something, when that tabernacle and that temple were built, they were debt free.
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There were no bond programs. There were no loans from the bank. They were debt-free. I'm terribly afraid, folks, that most of our modern-day building programs are not for God's honor and glory, but they're for the praise and the adulation of man. And the reason I can say that is most of our modern-day buildings are not paid for, no matter church buildings. The average church is in debt up to its eyeballs, flying a lack of contentment and trust in God's provision.
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I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of Hosea. Daniel, Hosea. Look in Hosea chapter 8 at verse 14. Hosea chapter 8 verse 14. I'm afraid this charge can be leveled today at modern-day Christians. Look what he says, Hosea 8 and verse 14, "For Israel hath forgotten his Maker, and built the temples, and Judah hath multiplied fenced cities. But I will send a fire upon his cities, and it shall devour the palaces thereof." God was not pleased with the buildings. He said, the trouble is my people have forgotten me and their intent on building temples, their intent on building buildings. The average congregation has forgotten God, has forgotten His law, and their intent on building buildings for their own pride and for their own glory and not for God. I want you to turn to Acts chapter 26.
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I want to show you a statement by the Apostle Paul, and this statement has been mirrored by many pastors, I can assure you, especially once they get into the sinking fund payment and those debts, the bills that have to be paid on a regular basis. In Acts 26, I want to say Isaiah, in Acts chapter 26 and verse 29, Paul is before Agrippa, he's in prison, and look what he says. In fact, verse 28, "Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian." And Paul answered, and Paul said, "I would to God that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day were both almost and altogether such as I am, except these bonds." Paul said, I would to God that every man was like I am, except these bonds. That is, Paul was referring to his imprisonment. Most modern pastors, after a while, they say, would to God, I was without these bonds. But they're referring to church bonds, when those sinking fund payments come due every day.
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Now listen, folks, we must covenantally and faithfully exercise our responsibility and work the hardest we can and the best we can for God's honor and God's glory and then rest. We've got to be content. Listen, you can't rush God. God is the slowest individual you'll ever get hooked up with. But he's always on time. His time. Not our time. And what we've got to learn is this. We've got to learn to experience and exercise unfeigned contentment and trust in Him and say, Lord, I'm willing to do my best. I'm willing to work hard. I'm willing to trust you and I'm willing to rest. And in your time, you'll work it out.
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And that way you can live a debt free life. Let me tell you the very fact that you're debt free would be evidence of your contentment and trust in God's provision. Number six. Here's the sixth blessing of a debt-free life, and that is the blessing of an unblemished testimony. Look in your Bibles to 1 Timothy 3 and verse 7. 1 Timothy 3 and verse 7.
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This verse refers to a pastor, and God says in verse 7, "He must have a good report of them which are without, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil." When you look down to verse 10, he's referring to a deacon, "And let these also first be proved and then let them use the office of a deacon being found blameless." Now God says his church officers, pastors, and deacons must be blameless.
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By the way, let me just tell you that every qualification listed in 1 Timothy chapter 3 for a pastor is required of every other Christian except one. And that is the requirement that's found in the latter part of verse 2, apt to teach.
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Now watch, in verse 2, Christians are required to be vigilant, sober, of good behavior, given hospitality. They're required not to be given to much wine, no striker, not greedy and filthy lucre, but patient, not a brawler, not covetous. Christians are required to rule their own house as well. You see what I'm saying? And when the pastor is supposed to be blameless, that is, having an unblemished testimony, certainly the Christians are supposed to be that well also. Now, one of the greatest disgraces among pastors and deacons and Christians are those pastors and deacons and Christians who do not pay their bills.
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Let me tell you something, folks. It is more than a disgrace. It is a sin. It's a violation of the eighth commandment, thou shalt not steal. Fraud and deceit is, and failure to pay, is an aspect of theft. You say, but Brother Weaver, wait a minute, you don't understand. You don't understand. I'm a Christian, but my problem is not that I want to have a blemished testimony. My problem is I just don't have enough money to pay my bills.
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Well, the answer is very simple. If you don't have enough money to pay the bills, don't make the bills to begin with. You follow what I'm saying? No one can charge you with not paying your bills if you haven't made any bills, if you don't have any money to pay a bill. But if you make a bill, you must pay that bill, you must have the money for that.
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Now if we do not have debt, there is no one to repay, there's no late payments, there's no penalties. You understand what I'm saying? So being debt-free is one step in having an unblemished testimony. And unhappily, most pastors, most preachers, most deacons, and most Christians have tarnished their testimonies by their inability to discipline themselves and pay their debts the way they ought to. It's not only a disgrace, it's a sin.
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And I want to tell you something, folks. This has always been my philosophy and my wife can tell you. There have been plenty of times that we ate beans for a week and two weeks because I was going to make sure my bills were paid. I'm not going to steal from someone else. You understand what I'm saying? If I have to do without, that's one thing. If we have to do without, that's one thing. But I'm not going to steal from someone else just to put food on my table.
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I've got news for you. I can ask someone for food before I can do that. Or I can lose a few pounds. But you and I have got to learn that God requires us to have a blameless, an unblemished testimony. And one of the aspects of having that unblemished testimony is knowing how to biblically manage your money and to stay out of debt. And what few bills you do have, make sure they're paid on time.
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Now, let me make a couple of applications before we close today. You say, Brother Weaver, I wish, I wish, I wish I could live debt free. Well, the answer is you can. And the first step is repentance. You just have to change your mind. Change your mind about debt. Change your mind about obedience. And repentance is a change of mind that affects your conduct. If I'm walking toward the East, and I repent, then that means I turn around and I walk toward the west. I cease going toward the east. If I am constantly in debt, I repent. That means I learn to stay out of debt. I learn to avoid debt.
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Now, the second application is this. Not only must we have repentance, but secondly, the method of recovery is discipline, Christian discipline. You remember the Bible says in 1 Timothy chapter 4 and verse 7, I believe it is, where Paul says, "But exercise thyself rather unto godliness." And the word exercise is the word gymnasio. It's where we get our English word gymnasium and gymnastics from. And what God is saying is we have to discipline ourselves. You see, it is God's Word, listen now, it is God's Word that gives us the hope and the direction for change. It is God's Spirit that gives us the power and the ability to change. But Christian discipline is the method that he uses for change. And we just have to learn to discipline ourselves. Now, if we're going to get out of debt, we must start with repentance. We must secondly, develop discipline. And then thirdly, we must formulate a structured, deliberate payment schedule to get out of debt.
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Now, let me tell you, there are several suggestions that you could make, but it depends upon your personality. It depends upon your makeup. You see, a lot of people are easily discouraged. If a person is easily discouraged, then my suggestion is this. You take the smallest bills first and knock them out because they're going to be the easiest. And just don't make any more after you knock them out.
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Then you can go from one to the other one at the time. But I want to tell you, if you are not easily discouraged, if you can do this for the long haul, you know where I would start? I'd start at the one that's charging me the most interest. I'd start at the one that's costing me the most. And I'd put my energy there. But a lot of people, they want to see something right away. But if you start knocking those things out, and then you refuse to go back into debt, you're going to find that one by one by one by one, you're going to be out of debt.
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Next thing you know, you have all the money that you can do with what you wish to do with, and you won't be giving it to someone else. Fourthly, we must learn to live within our means. We must learn to live within our means. I'm going to tell you something, folks. I like a Cadillac as much as anybody. But I can't drive one. I can't afford one. I like those fine Ford Explorers. Oh, they're beautiful. But I can't drive one. I can't afford it. I love ribeye steak, but I can't eat it every day. I can't afford it. I like expensive clothes and expensive furniture, but I can't afford them. So I'm going to wear what I can wear and sit on what I can sit on. Let me put it to you like this. I am not going to sell my liberty to gratify my lusts. My liberty and my freedom means more to me than my lusts. So you've just got to learn to live within your means. If you make 200 bucks a week and that's all you can make, you've got to live within it.
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You make 500 bucks a week and that's all you make. You've got to live within it. You can't make 500 a week and live like you make a thousand. I never will forget. This was 30 years ago or longer. It was longer. But I used to work. When Alice and I got married, I used to work with State Farm Insurance. And we had a couple insured. He was the president of a local college.
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His wife, oh my stars, she wore these fancy high-heeled shoes, and I don't care if it was the dead of summer, she had one of those furs around her neck, dolled up to make Tammy Faye Bakker look sick. She had this little fancy poodle dog, I mean, one of those little toy poodles, one of those small ones, on a leash, had a diamond studded collar around her neck. Little dog had her toes painted and, you know, bows in her ears.
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And you'd see that woman walking down the street with that. And you know what? They never could pay their insurance. Never could. I mean, they'd have to come in and work out payments or, I don't know, why in the world are you dressing like that and you can't even pay your bills? Yeah, that's it. The want exceeded the needs. They weren't able to distinguish between a need and a want. But if you don't live within your means, let me put it to you easily, folks, your upkeep is going to be your downfall. It's just that simple.
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And then fifthly, you have to learn to regularly, consistently, and purposefully save. You know what you need to do? You can have a general savings, but if I want a new shotgun, if I want a new tractor, if I want a new car, or if we want some new clothes, then we can put some money aside for that particular purpose. And you don't have to deplete your other savings just to get one little thing that you want. But unless you learn to save regularly and consistently and purposefully, it won't do you any good to get out of debt. Because if you don't have it when you need it, you'll have to go right back in debt. But it starts with a repentant heart. Let's pray.
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Father, we thank Thee for Jesus Christ today. We acknowledge His Lordship, His salvation. And we acknowledge, Lord, that we are what we are only by the grace of God. We have what we have only by the grace of God. And we must be stewards of what You have given us. And maybe one of the reasons, Lord, You have not given us more is because we have not used well that which you have already given us. Help us to be honest and faithful stewards, and to realize the truth that a faithful man shall abound with blessings, because a faithful man will obey Thee faithfully in every area of his life. Help us in Christ's name we pray. Amen.
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T23:38:05Z

The Christian & Debt - Part 8

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

In this concluding message of the series, John Weaver presents the blessings of a debt-free life, emphasizing that God blesses obedience and that a faithful man abounds with blessings. He outlines six specific blessings: unparalleled freedom, unexpected delight, uncorrupted marital unity and intimacy, unrestrained conservation of resources, unfeigned contentment and trust in God's provision, and an unblemished testimony. The sermon concludes with practical applications for achieving debt-free living through repentance, discipline, a structured payment schedule, living within one's means, and consistent saving.

Introduction and Review of the Series

Weaver introduces the final message on the Christian and debt, reviews the series' key points, and shares a personal illustration of his grandchildren learning the principles taught.

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 10:22

"The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow to it."

The Blessing of Unparalleled Freedom

Being debt-free means not being a servant or slave to any lender, allowing one to go and do as they please under the law of Christ.

Now for those of you who have been here through this series, I've quoted Proverbs 22 and verse 7 numerous times. There the word of God says that

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 22:7

"the rich ruleth over the poor and the borrower is servant or slave to the lender."

Now notice what God says, the borrower is a servant or a slave to the lender. So the man who borrows then actually is working for the man who he borrows from. He is his servant. He is his slave.

Scripture Reading — 1 Corinthians 9:21

"To them that are without the law, as without the law,"

he became—is that what he's saying? He became all things to all men.

Scripture Reading — 1 Corinthians 9:21

"To them that are without the law is without the law, being not without the law to God, but under the law to Christ, that I might gain them that are without the law."

The Blessing of Unexpected Delight

Living without debt removes stress and provides time to delight in God's Word, leading to a more joyful and healthier life.

Note, if you would please, verse 4. Psalm 37, verse 4. God says,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 37:4, 11

"Delight thyself in the Lord, and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart."

Now look in your Bibles to Psalm 119. And let's begin there with verse 16. Psalm 119 and verse 16. Look what David says. Psalm 119 verse 16,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 119:16, 24, 35, 47, 70, 77, 174

"I will delight myself in thy statutes. I will not forget thy word."

Scripture Reading — Psalm 119:16, 24, 35, 47, 70, 77, 174

"I will delight myself in thy commandments, which I have loved."

The Blessing of Uncorrupted Marital Unity and Intimacy

Money is the number one problem in marriages; avoiding debt helps preserve unity and intimacy by eliminating financial stress.

Scripture Reading — Ephesians 5:31

"For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh."

The Blessing of Unrestrained Conservation of Resources

Without debt, one can save consistently and prepare for the unforeseen, as illustrated by the power of saving even small amounts.

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 14:15

"The simple believeth every word, but the prudent man looketh well to his going."

What does that mean? He plans ahead. Look in Proverbs 22 and verse 3.

I've quoted this one before, but I want you to see it in this context. Proverbs 22 and verse 3,

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 22:3

"A prudent man foreseeth the evil and hideth himself, but the simple pass on and are punished."

Now look in Proverbs 27 and verse 1. This one may surprise you. But look what God says. "Boast not thyself of tomorrow, for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth."

The Blessing of Unfeigned Contentment and Trust in God's Provision

Debt-free living demonstrates contentment with God's provision and a willingness to wait on His timing rather than borrowing to fulfill desires.

Now look to the book of James, chapter 4, and let's begin reading there with verse 1. James 4, verse 1. Look what He says. James 4, verse 1,

Scripture Reading — James 4:1-3

"From whence come wars and fightings among you? Come they not hence even of your lusts that war in your members?"

Now look what he says.

Scripture Reading — James 4:1-3

"Ye lust and have not. Ye kill and desire to have and cannot obtain. Ye fight and war, yet ye have not because ye ask not."

Scripture Reading — Hosea 8:14

"For Israel hath forgotten his Maker, and built the temples, and Judah hath multiplied fenced cities. But I will send a fire upon his cities, and it shall devour the palaces thereof."

Scripture Reading — Acts 26:29

"I would to God that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day were both almost and altogether such as I am, except these bonds."

The Blessing of an Unblemished Testimony

Paying bills on time and avoiding debt maintains a good report before others, as failure to pay is a sin and a disgrace.

This verse refers to a pastor, and God says in verse 7,

Scripture Reading — 1 Timothy 3:7, 10

"He must have a good report of them which are without, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil."

Practical Applications for Debt-Free Living

Weaver provides five steps: repentance, discipline, a structured payment schedule, living within one's means, and consistent saving.

Scripture Reading — 1 Timothy 4:7

"But exercise thyself rather unto godliness."

The Christian & Debt - Part 8

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	750685218
Subject	Economics and Stewardship
Course	Debt, Money, and Stewardship
Genre	Sermon
Date	2003-06-22
Dictation Name
Book	Book 072: The Christian & Debt — Chapter 8
Source Timed Segments	87

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction and Review of the Series: Weaver introduces the final message on the Christian and debt, reviews the series' key points, and shares a personal illustration of his grandchildren learning the principles taught.
The Blessing of Unparalleled Freedom: Being debt-free means not being a servant or slave to any lender, allowing one to go and do as they please under the law of Christ.
The Blessing of Unexpected Delight: Living without debt removes stress and provides time to delight in God's Word, leading to a more joyful and healthier life.
The Blessing of Uncorrupted Marital Unity and Intimacy: Money is the number one problem in marriages; avoiding debt helps preserve unity and intimacy by eliminating financial stress.
The Blessing of Unrestrained Conservation of Resources: Without debt, one can save consistently and prepare for the unforeseen, as illustrated by the power of saving even small amounts.
The Blessing of Unfeigned Contentment and Trust in God's Provision: Debt-free living demonstrates contentment with God's provision and a willingness to wait on His timing rather than borrowing to fulfill desires.
The Blessing of an Unblemished Testimony: Paying bills on time and avoiding debt maintains a good report before others, as failure to pay is a sin and a disgrace.
Practical Applications for Debt-Free Living: Weaver provides five steps: repentance, discipline, a structured payment schedule, living within one's means, and consistent saving.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Debt is Always Frowned Upon in Scripture

Out of 50 direct and 20 indirect verses, no Scripture encourages debt; it is always condemned.

Weaver states, 'there is not one Scripture that encourages debt. In fact, debt is always frowned upon and is looked upon with condemnation.'

The Borrower is a Slave to the Lender

Proverbs 22:7 teaches that borrowing makes one a servant or slave, so avoiding debt brings freedom.

Weaver quotes Proverbs 22:7 and explains, 'the borrower is a servant or a slave to the lender.'

Debt Causes Stress and Hinders Delight in God

Financial obligations create stress and take time away from studying God's Word and delighting in Him.

Weaver argues that without debt, 'the time is yours and you may delight yourself in the Word of God.'

Money Problems Destroy Marriages

Money is the number one marital problem, leading to stress, curtness, and ultimately divorce.

Weaver states, 'the number one problem in marriages today is money. That is number one.'

Saving is Possible and Necessary

The problem is not insufficient income but failure to save consistently; even small savings add up.

Weaver illustrates with the story of saving pennies to pay tuition and the janitor who gave a million dollars.

Debt-Free Living Requires Repentance and Discipline

To live debt-free, one must repent, exercise Christian discipline, and follow a structured plan.

Weaver says, 'the first step is repentance... the method of recovery is discipline, Christian discipline.'

Scripture References

Proverbs 10:22: The blessing of the Lord makes rich and adds no sorrow.
Proverbs 28:20: A faithful man shall abound with blessings.
Psalm 1:1-3: The blessed man delights in God's law and prospers.
Isaiah 58:10-14: Obedience leads to guidance, satisfaction, and honor from God.
Proverbs 22:7: The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.
1 Corinthians 9:21: Paul was under the law to Christ, illustrating freedom within God's law.
Galatians 5:1: Stand fast in liberty and do not be entangled again with bondage.
Psalm 37:4, 11: Delight in the Lord and He will give desires; the meek delight in peace.
Psalm 119:16, 24, 35, 47, 70, 77, 174: David delighted in God's statutes and law.
Ephesians 5:31: A man shall leave his parents and be joined to his wife, becoming one flesh.
Proverbs 14:15: The prudent man looks well to his going.
Proverbs 22:3: A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself.
Proverbs 27:1: Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.
1 Timothy 6:8: Having food and clothing, be content.
James 4:1-3: Wars come from lusts; you ask and receive not because you ask amiss.
Hosea 8:14: Israel forgot God and built temples; God will send fire on their cities.
Acts 26:29: Paul wished all were like him except for his bonds (imprisonment).
1 Timothy 3:7, 10: A pastor must have a good report; deacons must be blameless.
1 Timothy 4:7: Exercise yourself unto godliness (discipline).

Historical References

Illustration of a friend in the concrete business with large monthly payments: Weaver contrasts his own freedom with a friend who had $18,000 in monthly payments and could not take time off.
Story of a black woman janitor who donated a million dollars: Used to illustrate that consistent saving, not high income, is key to accumulating resources.
Personal story of saving pennies to pay daughter's tuition: Weaver recounts how saving pennies over time yielded nearly $500, enough to pay a college tuition bill.
Story of buying a watch for cash at a discount: Weaver taught his daughter the power of cash by negotiating a lower price for a watch.
Anecdote about a black preacher's saying on outgo exceeding income: An old black preacher summarized a bond program rejection by saying, 'When your outgo exceeds your income, then your upkeep is going to be your downfall.'
Illustration of a college president's wife who dressed extravagantly but couldn't pay insurance: Used to show the folly of living beyond one's means and not distinguishing needs from wants.

Important Quotes

The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow to it.

Introduces the theme that God's blessings are pure and without negative consequences, contrasting with the sorrow of debt.

A faithful man shall abound with blessings.

Key verse for the message, emphasizing that faithfulness (obedience) leads to abundant blessings.

The rich ruleth over the poor and the borrower is servant or slave to the lender.

Foundational verse for the argument that debt brings bondage, while debt-free living brings freedom.

Delight thyself in the Lord, and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

Supports the blessing of unexpected delight, showing that delighting in God leads to fulfilled desires.

When your outgo exceeds your income, then your upkeep is going to be your downfall.

A memorable summary of the danger of living beyond one's means, attributed to an old black preacher.

And having food and raiment, let us therewith be content.

Biblical basis for contentment with necessities, countering the discontent that leads to debt.

What God orders, he pays for.

A principle that God does not require His people to go into debt to accomplish His will, encouraging trust in His provision.

I would to God that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day were both almost and altogether such as I am, except these bonds.

Paul's words are applied to modern pastors who wish they were free from church building debts.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

How does the principle that 'the borrower is servant to the lender' (Proverbs 22:7) affect your view of financial freedom?

[Context]

Weaver emphasizes that debt-free living brings unparalleled freedom, contrasting it with the bondage of debt.

[Question]

In what ways can financial stress corrupt marital unity and intimacy, and how can couples guard against this?

[Context]

Money is identified as the number one problem in marriages, leading to stress and division.

[Question]

What practical steps can you take to develop a consistent savings habit, even with a limited income?

[Context]

Weaver argues that saving is possible for everyone and shares examples like saving pennies and the janitor's story.

[Question]

How does contentment with God's provision (1 Timothy 6:8) help you avoid the trap of debt?

[Context]

The message teaches that discontent leads to borrowing, while contentment reflects trust in God's timing.

[Question]

Why is failing to pay bills considered a sin and a violation of the eighth commandment?

[Context]

Weaver states that not paying debts is a form of theft and tarnishes a Christian's testimony.

[Question]

What does repentance look like in the area of financial habits, and how can discipline lead to lasting change?

[Context]

The applications section calls for repentance, discipline, and a structured plan to get out of debt.

Applications

Format deepseek deepseek-v4-pro structured study JSON | Source Commentary.net transcript enrichment

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T14:30:37Z