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The Word of God for us, the People of God .
Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed
down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your
lap. The amount you give will determine
the amount you get back.” Luke 6:38
“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.
Matthew 6:24
I was tempted to preach a sermon about total-life
discipleship this morning and deftly weave-into the message precepts and principles
of money. That would have been my
“comfort zone”.
I repented! God
never called me to preach in a comfort zone, or to provide one for the church
family. God’s Word has also convinced me
that although we human beings say my this or my
that – when, whatever we possess, is all His, not ours. The Lord IS the owner of the cattle on
a thousand hills – and, oh yes, He also owns the hills and the air over them!
While stewardship extends to every area of life…time,
health, family, I am specifically talking about money this morning. This will be a Biblical message in the
tradition of Jesus. Jesus said more
about a person’s possessions (and what he does with them) than He did about
heaven, hell, love or the second coming.
So, this sermon is about money; specifically, the
money in your pocket. My meaning is
clear…we may say, “my money, my real estate, my family, my time, my, my, my”
But, it is not your money or time, it is His!
The discipline of stewardship is the discovery that
God has trusted each of us enough to place money and other resources in our
pockets. A person who sees his
responsibilities and privileges as God’s steward over what
he possesses, is one who has believed what his preacher said when he stood
before the congregation and said: Friends,
I have good news and bad news: the good
news is that this church has all the money it needs to run the programs, pay
our missionaries, and keep the poor cared-for; the bad news is…that money is
still in your pockets.
This is also a straight-forward message – these are
urgent times! I could attempt to make us
all feel good by pointing to what we have done in the past to give to missions. I could try to make us feel guilty that we
aren’t building new buildings like some other churches do. But “feel good” sermons, or “guilt-trips”
aren’t what is called-for by God’s Word.
“Feel good” messages are like putting a band-aide on a cancerous
tumor. If a doctor tells you things are
well, that you should go home and you’ll do just fine, when in reality you have
only a few weeks to live, he is not a doctor – he’s the enemy. It is the same with a preacher who feels he must
coat the Word of God with candy-coating.
When you take all the façade and fluff off a feel-good message or a
guilt-trip, what you have underneath the veneer is truth. And God calls us to talk truth and live in
the truth.
A guilt-trip preacher might get you to part with a few
bucks, but you don’t get near the heart of God with guilt-giving. If we give out of guilt it only takes a
little time until the guilt subsides; then we slip back into our old ways. Once the guilt emotion wears off, we
rediscover our real heart’s desire – self!
Guilt doesn’t last. What DOES
last is the Word of God.
And so, this morning I want to share with you the BASICS OF CHRISTIAN STEWARDSHIP from
the “Owner’s Manual”…God’s Word. When
you start with basics you must start with…
Christian
Stewardship Basic #1. DEFINITION
The question is, “What is Christian Stewardship?” The answer is simple – it is the whole
tithe (as we read in Malachi).
Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in
my Temple. Malachi 3:10a
Mathematically the tithe is 10% of your income. The first time we encounter the word “tithe”
in the Bible is Genesis 14:20, where Abraham paid a tithe to a priest named
Melchizedek.
Positionally it is not just A tenth; it is the First
Tenth!
When most of us are introduced to the idea of giving a
tithe we mentally picture all our other financial commitments, and then try to
“fit” tithing into the program.
That is not what God has told us to do. All the way through Scripture we encounter
the principle of “first-fruits”. God’s
people are not to bring leftovers to worship.
Abel’s brother, Cain imagined his choice of offering
was just as good as what God had required.
He was wrong; it got him in big trouble.
God requires “first-fruits” – in other words, He
requires the best you have. In Malachi’s
day the people brought sick and disfigured animals for sacrifice, keeping the
best for themselves.
The first tenth…the tithe…is not only the first you
get; it is to be the best you have!
Definitely…the tithe is the Lord’s!
“One-tenth of the
produce of the land, whether grain from the fields or fruit from the trees,
belongs to the Lord and must be set apart to him as holy. Leviticus 27:30
We may be tempted to say, “That’s Old Testament law;
we’re under grace!” That is true, but
Jesus also said, rather clearly, that He came to fulfill the law, not do-away
with it.
The early church took that seriously. You can see (in Acts and Philippians) that
the first century believers not only gave a tithe, which was their baseline…the
starting point of stewardship, but they then gave gifts and offerings above
the tithe. Giving was a sacrificial
completing of the law.
You may also say, “OK, tithing is Biblical, but I just
can’t afford that much right now.” I
have heard those words many times. Truth
be told, I said those words early on in my walk with
Jesus. That usually means the person has
obligated his or her income to the point where we are way over our head, so
much so, that the concept of tithing brings fear. You fear that the charge cards won’t get
paid! Folks, that fear is an indication
that your comfort in the way you’ve arranged your financial life is more important
to you than obedience to God; for a follower of Jesus Christ, that
is a dangerous game to play.
Common sense says you must pay your bills; otherwise
you’ll get hauled into court. Spiritual
sense overrules the objection here.
Given a choice, I’d rather be hauled into any court in the land and be
publicly humiliated, have all my worldly possessions taken away, and be put in
prison for life-without-parole, than to stand one second before God’s court in
heaven, having withheld what belongs to the Lord!
The first basic of Christian stewardship is definition.
The first tenth is holy
to the Lord; it doesn’t belong to us…or MasterCard…it belongs to God.
Christian
Stewardship Basic #2. DESTINATION
Where should I give my tithe? God gave us the answer through the prophet:
“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse… Malachi 3:10a
The storehouse is the church; more accurately – your
church! Someone once called the paying
of our tithes “an act of worship AT
God’s house of worship.” The place where
you have chosen to worship is the place you are to worship with your tithe.
Whenever God’s Word is specific (such as “thou shalt
not steal”) we are to be obediently quiet.
There is no question that the Bible tells us to bring our tithe where
we worship. It is my personal belief that
when and what you give ABOVE
the tithe is discretionary. You give
those gifts where the Spirit impresses you the greatest need exists. But the first-fruits tithe belongs where you
worship.
Sometimes I am asked for counsel by folks on the
Internet. One family years ago considered
me their “temporary pastor”. They lived
in another state and were looking for a church home. They wanted to know what to do with their
tithe until they found a church…should they send it to me? I told them to give the tithe where they
worshipped each week.
A lady in a church I once served told me that it was a
joy to bring her tithe to the worship service.
She counted it a privilege to offer to God her tithe and other offerings
as an act of worship.
She also told me that an even greater joy she
experienced was putting away several dollars each month (in addition
to her tithe) so that she could be “in” on meeting needs for the poor children
in her neighborhood. Folks, that woman
bought more new shoes and blue jeans for kids that weren’t hers, than anyone
I’ve ever met. These were her gifts
above the tithe. However, for the
ongoing mission and work of the church, God’s people who make up that church
body are to faithfully BRING their tithes to worship each Lord’s Day.
On the first day of
each week, you should each put aside a portion of the money you have earned.
Don’t wait until I get there and then try to collect it all at once. 1 Corinthians 16:2
Definition – the first10%, your best Destination – God’s house, your church,
and…
Christian
Stewardship Basic #3. Disbursement
What will my tithe do?
It meets the needs which God chooses.
Notice that it meets spiritual needs:
“You must set aside a tithe of your
crops—one-tenth of all the crops you harvest each year. Bring this tithe to the
designated place of worship—the place the Lord your God chooses for
his name to be honored—and eat it there in his presence. This applies to your tithes of grain, new
wine, olive oil, and the firstborn males of your flocks and herds. Doing this will teach you always to fear
the Lord your God. Deuteronomy
14:22 - 23
One of the chief needs we all have is to learn to
worship. A man came to his pastor with a
check for $10,000. He said, “Preacher,
this is my tithe for the next two years; I want to pay it up in advance.” The pastor wouldn’t take the check. He told the man, “You bring it as you receive
from the Lord.”
Giving is connected to our regular need of worship. You wouldn’t pray one good long prayer at the
beginning of the year; or eat one good meal.
Your spiritual needs are met in ways you can’t describe when you bring your
offering regularly. On the first day of
the week you bring yourself, and your offering.
Beside spiritual needs, our giving also meets temporal
needs:
“At the end of every third year, bring
the entire tithe of that year’s harvest and store it in the nearest town. Give it to the Levites,
who will receive no allotment of land among you, as well as to the foreigners
living among you, the orphans, and the widows in your towns, so they can eat
and be satisfied. Then the Lord your God will bless you in all your
work. Deuteronomy
14:28 - 29
God’s people should never have to beg or go
hungry. That is God’s promise, but it is
based upon the fidelity of believers in the local church to bring their tithes
for the meat in the storehouse.
The formula for revival has always been humble prayer,
mixed with earnest obedience! When God’s
praying people are God’s obedient, giving people, the world sees the
demonstration of God’s power and love in action.
Needs are met.
Miracles take place.
Society is deeply affected.
Now, those are three basics –
Definition: Christian stewardship is the whole tithe…your
best
Destination: given where you worship…your church
Disbursed: to meet the needs God has ordained…your
responsibility
Of course “stewardship” is a word that encompasses all
of life, not just things related to money.
We must be careful to remember that all we possess (our time, health,
family, etc.), are all gifts from God; they should be well-taken-care-of as
acts of ultimate stewardship. There is
another caution, however. We must also
beware of:
Christian
Stewardship Basic #4. Don’t Delay
What if I reject this?
Simple answer – you are robbing God!
God says that without stuttering through the prophet
Malachi:
“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. Malachi 3:8
That is very plain language. And even though it is disturbing information,
this is a fact that demands very plain details.
Many people are listed on the rolls of many
churches. Unfortunately, they not only
neglect to worship with their presence, they choose to spend God’s tithes on
themselves. That is not obedient, and it
is not at all smart! It is
self-destructive.
Worship and giving are activities you need
in your life; they are designed to bless you and strengthen you. It’s extremely harmful to your spiritual and
even physical health to put aside your need for worship and giving.
Consider the principle of “The Widow’s Mite”. Jesus and his disciples were sitting near the
treasury of the temple. An extremely
poor widow walked-in and dropped in two coins…mites – pennies, if you
will.
A “mite” was about 1/64 of a day’s wages. In today’s economy it equals about 71/2 minutes
of paycheck. So, if you work for $10 an
hour, it would be about $1.25.
Listen to what Jesus said about this Godly woman. Luke records:
Then a poor widow came by and dropped
in two small coins. “I tell
you the truth,” Jesus said, “this poor widow has given more than all
the rest of them. Luke 21:2-3
Now Jesus said her gift was greater than any other –
even the rich folks who gave large sums.
The reason Jesus assessed the gift that way was that it was all the poor
woman had. The woman was down to less
than the cost of a cheeseburger! She
gave out of her need…sacrificially.
Two important facts here:
1.
The woman was at
worship – she was there with an open heart, and…
2.
She was going to
give, even if it meant not eating that day.
It’s no wonder Jesus called the woman’s gift HUGE! Jesus pointed-out this poor woman to help us
understand that giving to God is never hidden from the eyes of God. He has promised that giving will bless us,
and He is as good as His promises. That
promise is to give, and God sees, and God blesses.
But the reverse is also true in the principle; those
who withhold that which belongs to God (worship and tithes) bring reproach on
themselves – and the damage is considerable.
You may recall the rich young ruler. Jesus told him to “let go” of his riches…it
would lead to treasure in heaven. The
young man went away sad, supposing he had more than heaven had to offer. Jesus’ told his disciples that the young rich
man was in peril of holding on to the weight that would keep him out of heaven.
If God will praise a widow for giving her last
buck-and-a-quarter, he will certainly condemn anyone who steals what is
rightfully His. Would a man rob God?
Christian
Stewardship Basic #5. Decide
What if I have not been faithful with the tithe? Am I toast?
Well, Yes, if you don’t change (repent)…but, if you
do, then it becomes No! It all depends
on you. Here is how Malachi ended that
argument:
Bring 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! Malachi 3:10
The promise of judgment for disobedience is real; but
so is the promise of mercy and blessing.
If you have been holding out on giving God your best
in stewardship, you can repent…that means change your mind AND your
ways, return to God, begin anew.
You can start right now giving Him your best. When you return to God, He returns to
you.
It is done in faith…you take a step towards God,
believing He will accept you; and His Word promises He will.
That is how the Christian life is begun; an act of
faith as you pray for forgiveness…God accepts this genuine repentance and
accepts you as a child of His.
That is also how the Christian life continues, we act
in faith every day, worshipping and giving.
It is God’s way.
What is your decision? Have you been faithful with God’s tithe? If so, wonderful…continue to grow in the
faith as you give tithes and offerings above the tithe.
Already there?
Teach others the joy you have experienced.
Have you not been faithful? Begin now and grow. Return to God’s way, and His ways will bless
you.
Have you not ever begun the walk with God? You can start.
·
Remember, when it was time for God to give, He didn’t send
some old, broken-down, left-over angel for which he had no further use. God sent his first-fruits – His best – His
one and only begotten Son…for you!
The tithe is God’s standard of Christian giving
because what you have in your possession represents all you are. It represents your labor, your work, and your
worth, your willingness to serve God.
You can choose to give God the leftovers, your least, what you can
spare…but it will never be any better than that.
The steps can be very definite this morning. We have reserved taking the offering until
now…you can begin to trust God by giving your tithe, even if you have never
done that before.
You can also trust Him by joining hands with this
church family – become part of what is going on here to serve Him in worship
and witness.
The first-fruits of what God requires is YOU first. Let’s face it, if God’s got you, your wallet
won’t be in question.
Let the church say, Amen!
Our Prayer
Father
God, none of us human beings start-out in life hoping to invite disaster and
catastrophe to be our daily companion as we travel through these few years we
are given. But we do get sidetracked by
the shine and glitter of things money can buy…and the prestige having lots of
things, and power, and first place in the contests of who has the best
toys.
We
confess that, having been born with the same kind of sinful cravings Adam and
Eve developed, it doesn’t take too long before the wonder and joy we see in a
baby’s eyes turns green with envy, and hot red when someone tries to take away
our favorite rattle, or iPhone. Stuff
becomes too important, and the generosity of being a faithful steward is far
from our hearts and minds.
Lord,
help us today, as we consider how YOU gave, and what that means for how we will
look on the resources You gave us…We believe in stewardship; help us to
overcome the unbelief of our ingrown selfishness.
For the glory, honor, and praise to which You alone are worthy, o
Lord, we pray in the Name of the Son, cooperating with the Spirit, to honor and
exalt the Majesty of the Father.
Let
it be so in each of our lives…Amen!
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