Sunday, September 27, 2020

Kingdom Living Series #5 - Luke 6:38 & Matthew 6:24 GIVE

 

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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!

Title Image:  Pixabay.com  Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation  Matthew 10:24-39©


 

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