Chapter 3

 

III. Loans

 

A. Be careful about getting loans.

    1. Proverbs 22:7 says, “The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is ____________ to the lender.”

Note: It is so easy to go into debt today. Just pick up the newspaper and look at the ads. “Buy now, and make no payments until next year!”

 

It sounds so good — until you have to start making

the payments, then you feel like a slave.

 

When you work all week, and discover that your whole check is already gone when you get it (to make all of the payments on the loans that you have incurred), that is when the truth of the Bible hits home — “the borrower is SERVANT to the lender.”

Before taking out a loan, consider carefully if you really need the item, or if you just want it. By taking out a loan, you are placing yourself under bondage to the lender, and you become his servant.

 

Be willing to pray about things before you rush right

out and buy them on time. Many miracles are missed,

because people are not willing to wait upon God

to provide the things that they need.

 

    2. Philippians 4:19 says, “But my God shall ____________ all your ________ according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

Note: The key to this is “waiting upon God.” You must be willing to wait upon God to give direction as to how to obtain the item needed. Sometimes God wants us to patiently work for things that are needed.

        a. Proverbs 13:11 says, “Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathereth by LABOUR shall ________________.”

        b. Proverbs 14:23 says, “In all LABOUR there is ____________: but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury.”

Note: So God may provide the work for you to do, and the strengthto do it, to make it possible for you to purchase what you need. It is up to you to be ambitious and willing to do that, if that is how God leads.

        c. I Timothy 5:8 says, “But if any ______________ not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.”

 

Christians ought to be ambitious, and not lazy.

We should never expect things to just be handed to us.

 

        d. Ephesians 4:28 says, “Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him ____________, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.”

        e. II Thessalonians 3:11,12 says, “For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, ______________ not at all, but are busybodies. Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they _________, and eat their own bread.”

    3. Psalm 106:13-15 says, “They soon forgat his works; they waited not for his ____________: But ____________ exceedingly in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert. And he gave them their ______________; but sent leanness into their soul.”

 

There is one thing worse than not getting what you

want — and that is getting what you want, when it is not

really God’s will to have it, or not yet God’s time.

 

Note: Israel wanted something, and they wanted it “RIGHT NOW!” So they did not go to God and ask His counsel about it. They just started lusting for it, coveting it, and wanting it. So God went ahead and allowed them to have it, but they were not happy — they had leanness in their soul.

Illustration: Many people have experienced that very thing in regard to vehicles. They drive into a car lot, and drive out with a new car. The salesman was so helpful, and made it so easy.  They get their request, but then later have leanness of soul, as they are burdened down with making payments on that new vehicle.

 

BEFORE YOU MAKE A LARGE PURCHASE — PRAY!

It would be better to walk away from a store with nothing,

than to walk away from that store with the burden of

large payments that you cannot really afford.

 

Note: If you will be willing to pray about your needs before rushing right out and buying something, then God can provide a way for you to earn the extra money that is needed, or He may cause someone else to see that you have a need, and move them to help you. They key is being willing to WAIT on the Lord.

    4. Psalm 27:14 says, “________ on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.”

    5. Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek ye __________ the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

Note: This last verse reminds us that God rewards a faithful life. God will meet the needs of the one who is saved and serving Him faithfully. We must remember to put God first — in our lives, and in our finances.

        a. Proverbs 3:9,10 say, “Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of ______ thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.”

 

If you do not tithe; that is, give give God 10%

of your income, then you are robbing God.

 

        b. Malachi 3:8-10 says, “Will a man ______ God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In ____________ and offerings. Ye are ____________ with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. _________ ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a ________________, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.”

 

Are you having financial trouble? Have you been

robbing God? There is no way for you to

prosper in life, if you are robbing God.

 

Note:   Is there no way for the Christian to remove himself from the curse? Yes, there is a way. The above verse says, “BRING ye all the tithes into the storehouse...” and the Lord will “pour YOU out a BLESSING.”

You can go from being cursed financially, to being blessed financially, if you will honor the Lord with what is His due. This does not mean that He will make you rich financially, but He promises to meet your needs.

        c. Psalm 37:25 says, “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the _________________ forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.”

 

The Bible does not forbid taking out a loan; because,

as we shall see, the Bible commands people to loan

money to the poor to meet their needs (but certain

restrictions apply, as you will see below).

 

Note: If you do find yourself in the position to take out a loan (after much prayer), consider the following carefully. If you get a loan to buy a house, the bank/realtor will show you the principal amount of your loan, and the amount of interest that you will pay if you do not pay the loan off early. The principal is the amount that you actually borrow. It is not uncommon to end up paying three times the original amount financed for a house, by the time a 30 year loan is paid off. More will be dealt with about the subject of interest in the next section.

 

Paying interest literally cripples young couples, and

many will do well to recover by the time that they retire.

 

Make sure that you buy things that meet your needs, not big and fancy things that you just want.

        d. The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 4:6, “Better is an ______________ with quietness, than both the hands ________ with travail and vexation of spirit.”

Note: This is why it is so important to NOT take out loans for items which are not an absolute necessity. Some people buy furniture, appliances, clothes, electronics, lawn/garden equipment, cameras, etc., all on payment plans.

 

What they are doing is paying for everything more than

once, because of all the interest being charged.

 

A. Be careful when getting loans.

 

B. Be careful when giving loans.

    1. Please read Psalm 112, and answer the following questions.

        a. Verse 4 says, “Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of ____________________, and righteous.”

        b. Verse 5 says, “A good man showeth favour, and ______________: he will guide his affairs with ____________________.”

        c. Verse 9 says, “He hath dispersed, he hath given to the ________; his righteousness endureth for ever; his horn shall be exalted with honour.”

Note: This chapter clearly shows that it is God that blesses, and that grants riches to people.

        d. Deuteronomy 8:18 says, “But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee __________ to get ____________, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.”

Note: When the Lord blesses financially, He also requires responsibility in regard to what is done with that wealth.

        e. I Timothy 6:17,18 says, “Charge them that are ________ in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to ____________________, willing to communicate.”

 

When God blesses us, He expects us to help others

in need. But remember, He says to “lend with discretion.”

 

Note: Discretion means “ability to make responsible decisions; individual choice or judgment; power of free decision or latitude of choice within certain legal bounds” (Merriam-Webster’s 11th Collegiate Dictionary).

It is a person’s own choice whether to offer a loan to someone. If a person has a need, but has proven himself to be untrustworthy and/or lazy, then that person will probably not be granted a loan.

        f. I Corinthians 4:2 says, “Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found __________________.”

Note: When giving a loan to another Christian, it must be given “interest free.” Please see the next section for details.

        g. The Bible says in Deuteronomy 15:1-3, “At the end of every __________ years thou shalt make a release. And this is the manner of the release: Every creditor that lendeth ought unto his neighbour shall ______________ it; he shall not exact it of his neighbour, or of his brother; because it is called the LORD'S release. Of a foreigner thou mayest exact it again: but that which is thine with thy brother thine hand shall release.”

Illustration: One man found that the two house loans he had taken out in his life could have been paid off in seven years each (at the monthly payment rate the bank had set), if the loans would have been interest free. That is very interesting in light of what the Bible teaches in those verses above, because in God’s plan, that is exactly what He required — interest free loans to relatives or fellow believers. And the maximum length of time for a loan was to be 7 years.

 

Think of how many Christians could have their homes

paid for in 7 years, if other Christians whom God has

blessed, would lend interest free loans to them.

 

If this principle was followed, churches would not have as many financial problems as they do. The members would have more money to invest in the Lord’s work, instead of spending so much trying to pay all of the interest on their loans.

 

Why are Christians with wealth not obeying this,

and helping out their fellow Christians?

 

One reason may be that many Christians are not trustworthy and responsible today. Remember, lend with discretion.

Another reason may be greed. When you have a great deal of money, it can earn a good deal of interest each month. If you loan out your money interest free, then you will lose all of your interest. It is sad that so many people are only thinking about laying up treasure upon earth, instead of in heaven.

        h. Matthew 6:19-21 says that we are not to lay up for ourselves treasures upon __________, but we are to lay up treasures in ____________.

Note: How can you really tell if you are laying up treasure in heaven, or upon earth? The next verse gives you the answer.

        i. Matthew 6:21 will give you the answer right away. “For where your treasure is, there will your ___________ be also.”

Note: On what is your heart set? Serving the Lord? Or gaining another material possession? You now know the answer as to where your treasure really is. If it is in the wrong place, start putting it in the right place today!

 

REVIEW:

1. Proverbs 22:7 tells us that “The borrower is ______________ to the lender.”

2. We should be willing to ________ about things before we rush right out and buy them.

3. Many miracles are missed, because people are not willing to ________ upon God to provide the things that they need.

4. Philippians 4:19 reminds us that “God shall supply all your ________ according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

5. There may be times that God will provide some work to do to meet a need, because Proverbs 13:11 tells us, “He that gathereth by ____________ shall increase.”

6. I Timothy 5:8 tells us how God hates laziness, “But if any ______________ not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.”

7. We need to be faithfully serving God if we want our needs met, because Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek ye ____________ the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

8. People rob God by withholding something from Him described in Malachi 3:8-10. “Will a man rob God? Yet have ye robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In ____________ and offerings.”

9. A believer is told to give loans to help those in need, but that will not mean to everyone, because Psalm 112:5 says, “A good man showeth favour, and lendeth: he will guide his affairs with ___________________.”

10. Loans in the Bible were limited to a certain number of years, revealed in Deuteronomy 15:1-3, “At the end of every ___________ years thou shalt make a release.”

11. One reason that Christians are not helping out others with interest-free loans, is greed. When you have a great deal of money, it can earn a good deal of ________________ each month.

12. It is sad that so many people are laying up treasure upon __________, instead of in heaven.

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