Blessings of Following Christ
#4 – We Get to Handle God’s Money (Part 2)
Various Scriptures
November 18, 2007
NOTE: THE ME/WE/GOD/YOU/WE FORMAT USED IN MY MESSAGES IS BORROWED FROM ANDY STANLEY’S BOOK, "COMMUNICATING FOR A CHANGE."
Introduction
I know it’s coming up on Thanksgiving, and you were probably thinking I would preach about Thanksgiving.
And I’ll be tying that in, but I promised last week that I would answer questions about the issue of giving, because I don’t think it’s enough to just preach a sermon and say, “You should give,” without looking at the questions that people really deal with in their hearts about giving.
I mentioned last week that the Bible is filled with teachings about money. I found some documentation for that this week:
“In fact, there are more verses in the Bible regarding our resources than about Heaven and Hell combined. Of the 38 parables Jesus told, 16 of them are about money. The Bible has fewer than 300 verses on prayer, less than 500 on faith and over 2,000 verses that deal with wealth and possessions! The inescapable conclusion is that how we deal with finances in general, and what we give in particular, is a big deal to God. And so we need to focus on our funds, no matter how uncomfortable we may feel about it.”
(Brian Bill, pontiacbible.org)
Me: Let me state once again for the record that what I’m sharing over these two weeks has nothing to do with anything I’m “supposed” to teach about regarding money. The denomination doesn’t give me “talking points” that I’m supposed to use when discussing money and giving.
What I’m sharing with you is the result of my own study of the issues of money and giving from Scripture and my own application to my own life.
I’ll be referencing my applications of these things throughout the message, but it’s not because I think I’m so perfect about all this or I feel the need to toot my own horn– because I’m not.
My purpose is to show you that I know what most of you are either going through right now or have gone through in the past when trying to discern just what God would have my family and me do in terms of giving our limited income to God through the church.
This stuff isn’t always easy for me to apply. But I’ll be honest. It’s easier for me to do it than it is to preach about it.
We: Why is that?
Because I don’t want to give anyone the impression that the church is after your money. That’s not the point.
When I was growing up, whenever a parent called for a “family meeting,” it was never a good thing. It wasn’t a meeting to see how everyone was doing, or to praise one of the kids for doing something well. The purpose of the meeting was to call someone on the carpet. And so I came to fear the term “family meeting.” I would just freeze with fear or anticipation of getting in trouble for something.
That’s how a lot of people react when they see that we’re going to talk about money at church.
So let me tell you that my purpose is not to lay a guilt trip on anyone or to beg for money.
My purpose is simply to let you know that part of the blessing of following Christ is that we get to handle God’s money.
And the primary way we handle God’s money, aside from meeting the needs of our family, is to invest in His kingdom.
You’re going to hear that phrase a lot today – investing in God’s kingdom. Because that’s how I think Scripture views our giving. It’s an opportunity to see God use the funds you give back to Him to advance His Kingdom and bring Him glory.
And I’m not giving these messages because we’re about to start a fund-raising campaign or something.
One member of the church was a very wealthy man who had never been known for his generosity. The church was involved in a big financial program and they resolved to pay this man a visit. When the committee met with him one afternoon, they said that in view of his considerable resources they were sure that he would like to make a substantial contribution to this program.
"I see," he said, "so you have it all figured out have you? In the course of your investigation did you discover that I have a widowed mother who has no other means of support but me?" No, they responded, they did not know that. "Did you know that I have a sister who was left by a drunken husband with five children and no means to provide for them?" No, they said, we did not know that either. "Well, sir, did you know also that I have a brother who was crippled by an automobile accident and can never work another day to support his wife and family?" Embarrassingly, they responded, no sir, we did not know that either. "Well," he thundered triumphantly, "I’ve never given any of them a cent so why should I give anything to you?" (SermonCentral.com. Submitted by Dennis Fakes)
So please relax – and listen to what I believe God wants you to learn about how we handle His money through our giving.
God: One of the new acronyms we’ve added to our vocabulary since the advent of the internet is the term “FAQ,” which stands for “Frequently Asked Questions.” This is a place on a website where you can go to get answers to the questions people ask the most regarding whatever the website is about.
I think it’s generally a tool of website folks who just get tired of answering the same question over and over and over and over.
Anyway, I want us to look at five “FAQ’s” about giving that I come across most frequently:
> Isn’t tithing an Old Testament teaching that isn’t in the New Testament?
I think that of all the questions regarding the issue of tithing, this is probably the most valid.
It’s true that you will find very little mention of tithing in the New Testament. In fact, most of the mentions come in the book of Hebrews when it describes Abraham giving a tithe to Melchizadek and the Old Testament system of tithing.
It’s also true that the New Testament emphasis of giving isn’t the tithe, but rather giving generously, if not sacrificially.
However, Jesus does discuss tithing in one small section of Scripture.
One of Jesus’ favorite activities seems to be getting the Pharisees and other religious leaders all upset by turning their religious attitudes and traditions on their head.
They had a real a real problem with that, and in the end, it cost Jesus His life.
In Luke 11, Jesus is ripping into them yet another time because they were all upset because He didn’t do the ceremonial washing before He ate. And it gives Him the opportunity to get after them about a number of things that show their hypocrisy.
It’s during this discourse that we find the following:
Luke 11:42 –
“What sorrow awaits you Pharisees! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens,[13] but you ignore justice and the love of God. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things.” (NLT)
Did you notice that? Jesus says that while we need to make sure that we don’t skimp on justice and loving God, we also need to continue to give to God – in this case, the tithe.
> What about when you can’t afford to give?
Here is one that I can attest to on a personal level. I’ve mentioned before that there were times when financially we were in a position where we had to look up just to see bottom!
I won’t get into all the details except to say that our predicament was a combination of unforeseen medical circumstances as well as foolish use of credit cards.
Mark 12:41-44 –
41 Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42 But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny.
43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything--all she had to live on."
Folks, I love my wife. And one of the things I love about her is that she is able to think through things that I am unable to because I am in the midst of the turmoil.
During the lowest point of our financial lives, she simply asked this: “Have we been tithing? If not, maybe that’s the problem.”
She wasn’t saying that we were being punished because we weren’t tithing, she was asking if we were trusting God with our money, especially to the point of giving money we couldn’t afford to give?
I don’t remember my answer, but I do remember that I made a commitment from that point on to tithe, no matter what.
Over time, our financial situation got better. And while I don’t think we were being punished for not tithing, I think God was blessing us because we did.
Was it the money? No, it was the fact that we understood that God owned it anyway, and that if we would be obedient to Him in this, we could trust Him to help us with the rest.
And we’re tithing today. That’s not prideful boasting. It’s to tell you that I don’t just talk about this stuff. I do it, and I can testify to God’s faithfulness in helping us out.
So what should you do? Start small and work toward being able to give at least 10%.
Maybe you need to examine your spending – you may need to give up some of the necessities of life like cable TV, or other luxuries you may indulge in.
> Does God promise to make us rich if we give?
No – but He promises to take care of us.
I mentioned earlier that giving of tithes and offerings are an investment in the Kingdom of God. And if the Kingdom of God is our focus, then God will help to meet the needs of those who invest in it with their tithes and offerings.
Matthew 6:33 –
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things [food, clothing, etc.] will be given to you as well.”
Again, this goes back to the idea that we need to trust God even when it seems foolish to do so.
Believe me, I know it’s not easy. But I’m living proof that when we focus on God and His priorities, He’ll come through on the rest of it.
> If we’re supposed to give with a cheerful heart, should we hold off on giving until we can do it cheerfully?
It’s very true that we should give from a cheerful heart, because it says in 2 Corinthians 9 that God loves a cheerful giver.
So if we can’t give cheerfully, should we just hold off? I don’t think so. And here’s just one passage that I think illustrates that, and that is John 14:15 –
"If you love me, you will obey what I command.”
How many of you, when you were growing up, could say to your Mom or Dad, “I can’t obey you cheerfully, so I’m not going to obey, okay?”
The reality is that if you tried to get away with that, you’d find that it’s better to obey when you don’t feel like it than to obey with a sore rump, right?
This goes to the heart of what it means to say we love God. If you say you love Jesus, then I say, “Put your money where your mouth is.”
This was the issue with the rich young ruler who asked Jesus what he needed to do to inherit eternal life. Jesus saw that his wealth was his real love, and when Jesus asked him to give it up for His sake, the young man left.
Obedience to God isn’t an issue of feelings or emotion.
There were plenty of times when I felt lousy about writing that tithe check. But I did it anyway, just as some of you do and have. I did it because I had committed myself to God to do that, and because I trusted Him to meet my needs.
To renege on that commitment would have been a sin. But I say that I love Christ, so I need to fulfill my commitments.
Bumper sticker "Tithe if you love Jesus, any idiot can honk!" (SermonCentral.com; submitted by Joseph Rodgers)
> If I give my time and talents, shouldn’t that be enough?
I would be tempted to say yes, except for a few things:
1. Few people actually give 10% of their time to God through the church.
Think about it – the week has 168 hours in it. How many people give 17 hours a week to the church on a volunteer basis? Not many.
And church attendance doesn’t count. Helping during the service or Sunday School or whatever would, but not just coming in and taking part in the worship.
2. Those who tithe their money are the ones most likely to tithe their time and talents.
For these folks, it’s not an “either/or,” it’s a “both/and.”
They generally carry the bulk of the responsibility, both financially and ministry-wise. They understand the investment of everything they have – time, talent, and money as an investment in the Kingdom of Christ.
3. Nothing in Scripture suggests time and talents as a substitute for money.
Again, God understands the role of money in our lives, and I think that He is saying that we need to trust Him to take care of us when we give money for His causes.
Folks, here’s the bottom line of what I’m trying to communicate with these messages:
It’s God’s money – we need to use it for His purposes.
You: So here’s the application that I want you to take away from these messages:
Seriously ask God what He would have you give to invest in His kingdom, then do it.
If you feel He wants you to tithe 10 percent, then do it.
If you feel that He wants you to give more than that, then do it.
If you feel that He wants you to start small and try to get the rest of your finances under control to the point where you can give more, then do it.
I’m not going to tell you what you should give. I’m simply telling you that God has shared His money with you, with the expectation of investing a portion of it back into His kingdom.
We: This Thursday is Thanksgiving. And for many of you, it’s a great time to be around family and friends, in-laws… and outlaws.
Some of you are wondering if there is a way that you can avoid being around your spouse’s family without getting in trouble from either the family or your spouse!
And let me tell you – it’s a lost cause, so just go with it, knowing that this, too, shall pass.
But for most of us, it’s a good time. Good food, fun conversation, and if you’re really lucky, a long nap after lunch.
One of the best motivations for giving, or giving back, as the case really is, is to give out of an attitude of thanksgiving.
You’re saying to God, “Out of gratitude for all that You do for me, I’m giving back a portion of that – for Your glory and for the sake of Your kingdom.
So as you contemplate what God would have you do in this area, start by recognizing the fact that all you have – possessions, family, the ability to work, and anything else that is good – are gifts from God that He showers on you because it benefits you and honors Him.
Be thankful not only in your heart – be thankful in how you handle His money.
Let’s pray.
