Consider the Cost | John K. Jenkins Sr. | Sermon Notes — Hello Pastor

Sermon Notes

Consider the Cost

John K. Jenkins Sr.

First Baptist Church of Glenarden • Jun 28, 2026 • 96 min

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Summary

Pastor John K. Jenkins Sr. challenges believers to move away from hasty, impulse financial decisions and instead adopt biblical planning and budgeting. Just as God operates with order and structure—and even established a divine plan of redemption through Jesus Christ to settle our spiritual sin debt—believers are called to manage their household finances with intentionality, unity, and faithful stewardship.

Themes

Financial StewardshipBiblical PlanningUnity in MarriageOrder and StructureSpiritual Redemption

Key Points

1.
The Bible teaches in Proverbs 21:5 that diligent planning leads to plenty, whereas hasty, impulse spending leads to financial scarcity.
2.
Operating without a written budget means winging it, which ultimately causes financial resources to fly away.
3.
Jesus emphasized counting the cost before building in Luke 14:28–30, demonstrating that biblical stewardship requires deliberate planning before making financial commitments.
4.
A wise financial principle is to budget below your projected income—such as spending only 90% of expected revenue—to build reserves and guard against unforeseen circumstances.
5.
God is a God of structure and order, and He blesses individuals and churches that align their practical lives with His orderly ways.
6.
God desires unity in marriage, meaning couples should handle household finances together as a team rather than splitting bills individually.
7.
While secular budget guidelines provide standard spending percentages, believers in faith should explicitly include tithing as part of their personal budget.
8.
God established a divine redemption plan for our spiritual debt, sending His Son Jesus to shed His blood and pay for our sins in full.

Sermon Moments

“The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, but those of everyone who is hasty surely to poverty.”

“When you wing it, your finances fly away.”

“The God that we serve is a very structured, a very organized God. And he blesses those who pick up on his way of doing things.”

“Pastor Jenkins shared how First Baptist Church paid off $62 million on their building and avoided staff layoffs during the pandemic through diligent planning and budgeting.”

“For which of you intending to build a tower does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it?”

“I don't understand couples, married couples, where the husband pays certain bills and the wife pays certain bills. That's not unity.”

“God developed a budget for your soul... and he knew your soul was in debt, so he made a plan to get your soul debt paid for.”

“What can wash away our sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus... Jesus paid the debt so we could be free.”

This Week

Sit down this week to write out a clear monthly household budget instead of attempting to manage finances without a plan.

Establish a financial buffer by planning your household expenses below your total income to build savings and financial resilience.

Guard against hasty, impulse purchases by waiting and evaluating every item against your written budget before buying.

If married, sit down together to combine your income and manage a single, unified budget rather than splitting bills individually.

Include tithing as a regular part of your household budget as an expression of faith and trust in God.

Consider taking a financial freedom or biblical stewardship class to gain practical tools for long-term financial management.

Reflect on Christ's sacrifice on the cross, thanking God for paying your ultimate spiritual debt that material wealth could never resolve.

Remember This

Biblical stewardship requires deliberate planning, budgeting, and unified management of household resources, reflecting the orderly character of God who paid our ultimate spiritual debt through Jesus Christ.

A Challenge for You

Get right with God. Get saved. Rededicate. Get assurance. Or just join the church. This is the day the Lord has called you to be right with him... Come while the blood is running warm in your veins.

These are personal sermon notes shared to help you remember the message — not a replacement for Scripture, your church, or your pastors.