How To Manage Money

Mar 21, 2026

About this message

Examines areas where people crash and make mistakes, from money and wasted time to bitterness, and how to learn and grow rather than repeat them.

Message notes

Crash and Learn: How to Manage Money

•75% of people live paycheck-to-paycheck.

•The average 28-year-old has $34,000 in consumer debt.

•Only 50% of Americans pay off their credit cards at the end of each month. 50% don’t.

GIVE YOURSELF A POINT IF...

You spent more than you made last year — or you don’t know if you did.
Paying the minimum on your credit card each month is a way of life to you.
You don’t know how much you owe — or you’re not tracking your spending.
You’re not sure your retirement is on track.
You know the name of your Amazon driver.
Your trash bins are full of cardboard boxes every week.
You are not giving back to God 10% of the money He has entrusted to your care so that the message of Jesus can be spread.

“Then the man who had received the one talent came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’ “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. ”‘Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ Matthew 25:24–30

The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. Psalm 24:1

“Look, the highest heavens and the earth and everything in it all belongs to the Lord your God. Deuteronomy 10:14

“No one has ever given Me anything that I must pay back because everything under the sky belongs to me.” Job 41:11

10% for the Kingdom of God

10% for your future

Live on the other 80%

“Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed me! But you ask, ‘How do we rob you?’ “In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse — the whole nation of you — because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.” Malachi 3:8–10

$100,000

$10,000 Tithe
$10,000 Savings
$20,000 Taxes

$60,000

• 5 x $5 Coffees = $25 per week or = $100 per month

Skip the latte
Invest $1,200 per year in a mutual fund at 7% interest
In 35 years you could have... $194,963

• $3,000 Credit Card Debt 14% Interest Minimum Payments

24 years & 2 months
You will have paid $3,754 in extra interest.
$3,000 at 7% interest over 35 years would give you... $34,518

He who gathers money little by little makes it grow. Proverbs 13:11

Accepted Christ: 369

Participated in Baptism: 382

Week:

Needed $456,363

Given $412,315

Year: $16,429,069

Given $16,395,431

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Group discussion

Crash and Learn: Week 4

BIG IDEA

This week in our series, Crash and Learn, we are talking about a topic that impacts everyone, whether we realize it or not: money. It has been said that either we control our money, or our money controls us. You see, if we are not careful, money and the things we can buy with it can become idols in our lives. In our Bible study today, we will learn what Scripture teaches us about how we can honor God with our money. After all, anything we have is a gift from God, and we are responsible for stewarding it well.

Break the ICE

What is something you purchased that you were excited about but turned out to be a letdown?

WATCH SERMON RECAP HERE

SMALL GROUP QUESTIONS

Bible Study

1. Read Malachi 3:8-11. What does this verse reveal about how God views our generosity toward Him (or lack of generosity)?

Malachi 3:8-11

“Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated me! “But you ask, ‘What do you mean? When did we ever cheat you?’ “You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to me. 9You are under a curse, for your whole nation has been cheating me. 10Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test! 11Your crops will be abundant, for I will guard them from insects and disease. Your grapes will not fall from the vine before they are ripe,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

What is the promise we can claim if we choose to let go of selfishness and give back to Him? How have you experienced this promise to be true in your own life?
Read Proverbs 21:20-26. Compare the wise and the foolish person when it comes to how they steward their finances, according to this passage of Scripture.

Proverbs 21:20-26

The wise have wealth and luxury, but fools spend whatever they get. 21 Whoever pursues righteousness and unfailing love will find life, righteousness, and honor. 22 The wise conquer the city of the strong and level the fortress in which they trust. 23 Watch your tongue and keep your mouth shut, and you will stay out of trouble. 24 Mockers are proud and haughty; they act with boundless arrogance. 25 Despite their desires, the lazy will come to ruin, for their hands refuse to work. 26 Some people are always greedy for more, but the godly love to give!

4. How does greed keep us from practicing generosity?

Application

What keeps people from stewarding their money wisely?
Do you find managing your finances well easy or difficult? Why?
What is holding you back from fully stewarding your money wisely?

Moving Forward

Based on the Scripture we read today, what is one change you can implement in order to steward your money well? Maybe it is focusing on saving, practicing generosity, or signing up for our How to Be Financially Free Core Class. Whatever that looks like for you, share that change with your group and commit to taking that step this week.

Going Deeper

Have you heard the phrase “money talks”? This phrase rightly reveals that how we spend our money reveals the state of our hearts. It is true that if we want to steward our money well, we have to start with the state of our hearts. For the next few moments, let’s turn to Scripture to explore three heart postures that will positively impact how we steward our money.

Worship God over Money and What It Can Buy:

If we want to steward our money well, we first have to examine our values. You see, if we value money and what it can buy us more than anything, we will live selfishly, looking out for ourselves alone, and our wallets will show it. If we, however, value God more than anything else, we will not be tied to our money. We will view our money as a way to honor God and make Christ known to a world in desperate need of His hope.

1. Read Matthew 6:24.

Matthew 6:24

“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.

Summarize Jesus’ teaching in this passage of Scripture.
Why is it impossible to serve God and be enslaved to money?
How would focusing on God and serving Him over everything impact the way we steward our finances?

Trust God to Provide for You:

The way we view and spend our money also reveals where our trust is. If we trust our money to take care of us, we will hoard all the money we earn and keep it for ourselves. If we trust God with our money, we will work hard, but we will not feel the need to keep it all for ourselves, knowing that God will take care of us.

1. Read 1st Timothy 6:17.

1st Timothy 6:17

Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment.

Why should we trust God over money, according to this passage of Scripture?
Name one way God has richly provided for you.
How would trusting God to provide for us impact the way we steward our finances?

Practice Generosity:

One of the biggest characteristics that impacts how we steward our money is generosity. Generosity changes the way we view our money. You see, our natural tendency is toward selfishness, which convinces us we need every cent of what we earn for ourselves. There is a better way to live than keeping all our money and spending everything we have on ourselves, and that is generosity. When we have a spirit of generosity, we love to help those in need and save so that we can continue to be generous in the future.

1. Read 1st Timothy 6:18-19.

1st Timothy 6:18-19

Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. 19By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life.

How does this passage of Scripture challenge us to steward our money
What is the impact of living generously, according to this passage of Scripture?
How would having a heart of generosity impact the way we view our finances?

Reflect:

Look back on the Scripture you read with your group today. Pick a verse to memorize from your Scripture reading today. Share the verse you selected with your group, along with one way you can obey that passage of Scripture this week.

View Monthly Memory Verse