The sermon manuscript is available for download below. SERMON SLIDES: 1. “Honor the Lord with your possessions and with the first produce of your entire harvest; then your barns will be completely filled, and your vats will overflow with new wine.” - Proverbs 3:9-10 2. THE LAW OF WISE INVESTING - Honor God with all that you have 3. Honor Ownership, Honor Ownership's Requirements 4. THE LAW OF RETURNS 5. There is the Gain of Posessions 6. There is the Gain of Perspective 7. Wealth can be a BENEFIT - "The Lord's blessing enriches, and he adds no painful effort to it." - Proverbs 10:22 8. Wealth has its LIMITATIONS AND DANGERS 9. Money can't buy happiness - "Better a little with the fear of God-than great treasure and unrest." - Proverbs 15:16 10. Money can be unstable and unpredictable - "Do not wear yourself out to get rich…cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone” - Proverbs 23:4-5 11. Money can be disorienting - “The wealth of the rich is their fortified city” - Proverbs 18:11 12. Money can be consuming - "One eager to get rich will not go unpunished" - Proverbs 28:20 13. “Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me my daily bread. Otherwise I may have too much and disown You and say ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal and so dishonor the name of God” - Proverbs 30:7-9 14. A Checklist-- 1. Have you settled it - that God owns all you possess? 2. Could your financial stress be related to your unwillingness to acknowledge His ownership? 3. Does God get the first, the best -- or the leftovers -- or nothing? 4. Do you seek God’s will regarding significant expenditures? 5. Are you wise, shrewd, prudent, discerning with your money—or impulsive and possessive?

The sermon manuscript is available for download below. SERMON SLIDES: 1. “Honor the Lord with your possessions and with the first produce of your entire harvest; then your barns will be completely filled, and your vats will overflow with new wine.” - Proverbs 3:9-10 2. First observation- GOD IS TOO WISE TO EVER BE UNWISE - “I possess good advice and sound wisdom; I have understanding and strength” - Proverbs 8:14 3. Second observation- GOD IS TOO SOVEREIGN TO EVER LOSE CONTROL 4. HE IS SOVEREIGN OVER ALL OF CREATION - “He gathers the wind in His fists, wraps the waters in His garments, and establishes the ends of the earth” - Proverbs 30:4 5. HE IS SOVEREIGN OVER ALL OF OUR PLANS - “The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.” - Proverbs 16:1 6. HE IS SOVEREIGN OVER OUR BATTLES - “A horse is prepared for the day of battle, but victory comes from the Lord.” - Proverbs 21:31 7. HE IS SOVEREIGN OVER ALL OF LIFE'S AFFAIRS - “A king's heart is like a channeled water in the Lord's hand; He directs it wherever He chooses.” - Proverbs 21:1 8. HE IS SOVEREIGN OVER CHANCE - “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord” - Proverbs 16:33 - The roll of the dice, the casting of lots - every decision comes from the Lord 9. Third observation- GOD IS TOO PRESENT TO EVER BE ABSENT - “The eyes of the Lord are in every place watching the evil and the good.” - Proverbs 15:3 10. Fourth observation- GOD IS TOO JUST TO EVER BE UNFAIR - “Many desire a ruler's favor, but a person receives justice from the Lord.” - Proverbs 29:26 11. Fifth observation- GOD IS TOO VAST TO EVER BE UNDERSTOOD - “Even a courageous person's steps are determined by the Lord, so how can anyone understand his own way.” - Proverbs 20:24

The sermon manuscript is available for download below. Laying the Groundwork for Wisdom 1. GET THE CONTEXT -Proverbs is a part of wisdom literature that includes Ecclesiastes and Job 2. GET THE AUDIENCE -Proverbs is addressed to the simple, the young, and those who want to keep learning 3. GET THE FORM -Proverbs is poetry set to parallelism a. SYNONYMOUS - Both lines say the same thing -11:25 b. ANTITHETICAL - the next line contrasts - 15:1 c. SYNTHETIC - the second line expands the thought - 15:31 d. EMBLEMATIC - one line pictures the other - 25:14 4. GET THE PACE -Proverbs is a country road inviting us to slow down -Peditation - walk and meditate, reflect, ponder 5. GET THE MEANS -Wisdom comes by exploring and mining truth; observing life; and choosing the right relationships - 2:4; 6:6; 13:20 6. GET THE POINT -It is not enough to share our faith - there must be a life of wisdom behind our gospel centered words "Be wise as serpets and gentle as doves" - Jesus

You can view John's blog at www.drjohnejohnson.org

John 14:12