Home Makeover: Review

Written by Ed Allen
Saturday, 12 November 2005 19:00

Sermons - Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

Sermon Notes

Today, we are going to address some questions that people have raised from previous sermons in this series.

Questions from The Right Structure sermon

How do we honor parents who are not honorable?

We should honor them, but not in teh ways that exceed or endanger personal or family health. We should build protection / boundries where they're called for, but we should still honor them.

What about the child who would rather get disciplined instead of obey?

Talk to them. Take that as an opportunity to speak into their life and address the issue. It is often a pride issue. They may not get it at first, but they will over time.

You may need to find another way to discipline that impresses on them the importance of honoring you and the importance of obedience.

What if we've blown it as parents?

• Love them. Love covers over a multitude of sins.
• Pray about them. God is in teh restoration business.
• Ask your child's forgiveness.

Questions from The Right Finances sermon

Finances revisited: How do we get beyond the math?

For most financial planners, it is usually about the math. They tend to focus on four main principles:

• The Principle of Earning: they say you need to maximize your earnings (focus on the job where you can earn the most money).
• The Principle of Spending: they say you need to keep it below your earnings.
• The Principle of Savings: they say you need to save for contingencies / emergencies (it is a mindset of storing up against worry).
• The Principle of Investment: they say you need to maximize your return so that you can maximize your wealth. They say you need to find the right interest on the right money for the big payoff.

God moves us beyond the math.

• The Principle of Earning: God says to find your calling, what you were made to be and pursue that. If you are living out your calling, God will provide.
• The Principle of Spending: God sees the the Monster of More and the control that can have over our lives. It leads to a perpetual dissatisfaction. We will always want more. But God leads us to contentment and freedom.
• The Principle of Saving: God's mindset is to save - not because of worry, but because it is wise (see Proverbs 6:6-8)
• The Principle of Investment: God says to pay special attention to the right kind of investments. Invest in heavenly treasures (see Matthew 6:19-21). Ask God where to invest our excess.
• The Principle of Giving: Financial planners often don't address this, or they only address it in terms of its benefit or detriment to your own bottom line. Paul addresses giving in Acts 20:32-35 and reminds us that 'it is more blessed to give than to receive.'"