How does the Bible actually say you should organize your money? Not just how much to give or how much to save, but the actual order. Because if we are honest, most Americans have quietly organized theirs the same way. Earn it. Enjoy it. Save some. And if there is anything left over, leave God a tip. Pastor Brandon walks the church through why that order is exactly backwards.

This sermon wraps up a three week teaching series at Alliance Church on what Scripture actually teaches about money. Pastor Brandon opens with a thought experiment. Imagine God sends heaven's auditors down to grade the last year of your finances. Bank statements. Cash flow reports. What letter grade would show up on your report card? Then he references the old Pastor Mark Harris line. The last part of a person to get saved is their wallet.

Then he takes the church back to Luke 12:13 through 21. Someone in the crowd interrupts Jesus with an inheritance fight, and Jesus refuses to referee it. Instead, he goes underneath the request and warns everyone. Be on your guard against all kinds of greed. Not just the obvious kind. Not just the rich person's kind. Every kind. Status greed. Security greed. Comfort greed. The common denominator underneath all of it is self centeredness. My money is my money for me.

Then Pastor Brandon lays it out with pastoral honesty. The rich man's fatal mistake was not making money or making a plan. It was two things. He failed to acknowledge the harvest came from God. And he placed his confidence in the grain, not the giver. God calls him a fool, which in Bible language does not mean silly. It means someone who lives as if God does not exist.

Then he offers what most Christians have never actually heard laid out plainly. The biblical order for organizing your money.

One. Earn it. Scripture upholds hard work.
Two. Give some to God first, as firstfruits.
Three. Save some for your needs.
Four. Then enjoy some, and give some to people in need.

That is a completely different order from the American default. And he is careful to say the whole point. You do not give God money to make him happy with you. You give God your heart through Jesus Christ, and because of Jesus, he is already happy with you. What flows from that is a totally different relationship with your paycheck.

He closes with the invitation. Sit down this week, with your spouse if you are married, and prayerfully audit your finances. Does the order reflect who owns it? Does it reflect where you want your heart to be?

If money has felt confusing, tight, or spiritually murky, this teaching from Pastor Brandon will give you the clearest framework you have heard in a long time.