What’s In Your Wallet?
Part 3 – Money Matters
What’s in your wallet? I have mentioned to you that what you have in your wallet reveals what is important to you. Last time we dealt with family and in particular our children. I told you that in order for us to protect our nest we must cover our family with prayer & God’s Word, we must communicate with our family, we must confront & correct, and finally we must copy or reproduce ourselves in them. It is our responsibility and obligation to protect our house. Now I want to finish this series by talking to you about another very important issue in our lives. When you open our wallet you discover that one of the most important elements of our lives is our finances. Interestingly enough God already knew that this would be a key concern for us and has quite a bit to say on the subject. In fact, Jesus knew where our treasure is our heart would be also. So in Scripture there are about 500 verses on prayer, less than 500 on faith, but over 2,300 on how to handle finances! Jesus talked more about finances than any other subject! Jesus talked about finances in 16 of his 38 parables.
So it is fitting that we get bold enough to talk about money in church.
I want us to begin by looking at an odd portion of Scripture that seems to have nothing to do with giving.
Text: I Kings 18:2, 20, 22-35, 38
2And Elijah went to show himself unto Ahab. And the famine was sore in Samaria. 20So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto mount Carmel. 22Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, am left a prophet of Jehovah; but Baal’s prophets are four hundred and fifty men. 23Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, and put no fire under; and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on the wood, and put no fire under. 24And call ye on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of Jehovah; and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken. 25And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many; and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under. 26And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped about the altar which was made. 27And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud; for he is a god: either he is musing, or he is gone aside, or he is on a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth and must be awaked. 28And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lances, till the blood gushed out upon them. 29And it was so, when midday was past, that they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening oblation; but there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded. 30And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me; and all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of Jehovah that was thrown down. 31And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of Jehovah came, saying, Israel shall be thy name. 32And with the stones he built an altar in the name of Jehovah; and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed. 33And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid it on the wood. And he said, Fill four jars with water, and pour it on the burnt-offering, and on the wood. 34And he said, Do it the second time; and they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time; and they did it the third time. 35And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water. 38Then the fire of Jehovah fell, and consumed the burnt-offering, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.
This familiar face off between Elijah and the prophets of Baal teaches us an important thing about God’s perspective on giving. It is imperative that we start with understanding the condition of the land. There was a severe drought. It had not rained one drop for 3 ½ years. Crops failed, cattle died, children died. It was severe. Now the Word of God comes to Elijah that He will send rain. So Elijah arranges for a show down. He allows the false prophets to go first and as you know through all their efforts, wild shows, incantations, spells and actions they are unable to produce fire. You also know that with a simple pray Elijah asks for God’s fire, it falls, the people repent, false prophets are killed, rain falls, and victory is won. However, I want us to back up just a little to what happens right before the fire falls because there is a lesson here that God teaches us about the most important things in our life.
Before Elijah prays and before God responds what did Elijah do? He constructs and altar and then he commands the people to take 4 buckets of water and throw it on the sacrifice. If that wasn’t enough he commands them to do it a second time and then a third time. 12 buckets of what? Water. What have they been dealing with over the last 3 ½ years? A severe drought. He has commanded them to throw their most valuable commodity on an altar. He might of well have said, “Go get 12 buckets of gold or diamonds or get your Jag or your house and throw it on the altar.” Can you imagine the look on the people’s face when they see the very item that so desperately need thrown on the wood until it runs on the ground? They poured on what they didn’t have!
This passage of Scripture when taken in context with other portions of Scripture like Abraham offering his firstborn, promised son Isaac, then in the New Testament where we read about the widow who gave all she had 2 mites, and Ananias and Saphyria who lied about how much they gave and were instantly killed by God teaches us this very important truth about God and giving . . . God will often require from you what you want to hold on to the most! He knows our heart. He knows we have been taught to get all we can get and hold on to it tightly. But He wants us to know and understand that sacrifice releases a deluge of blessing and that stinginess produces death! What you try to hold on to you lose! Sacrifice requires faith. God will never let you get to the place in your life where faith is not required. He is obligated to keep you in a place where you have to have faith! If you ever arrive in the place where you don’t have to have faith you better check yourself because you are out of place and out from under His cover.
Fire licked up water! God loves sacrifice!
Here are the lessons we need to learn about money:
It isn’t the amount that you give that matters. So if amount doesn’t matter. What matters?
1. It is the order
Proverbs 3:9 "Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:"
God is a God of order. He never does anything out of order. We learn this lesson from the very beginning of the narrative. In Genesis, we discover that God operates in order. He creates water before He created fish to swim in the water. He creates sky before He creates birds to fly in the sky. He creates man before He creates a garden to be tended. He always operates in order. We learn this again when we read the account of Moses and Solomon building the tabernacle and temple. The Bible says over and over that they built it exactly as the Lord had commanded and when they do God’s glory fills the place so that the priests are unable to have church. God not only operates in but also blesses order. Therefore it is absolutely crucial for us to find out the order that God has established so that we can be in line for the blessing that comes along with being in order.
And the order that He established from Genesis and continued to pound this truth all the way into the New Testament is that we bring God our firstfruits! He says in Romans 11:16 - 16And if the firstfruit is holy, so is the lump: and if the root is holy, so are the branches. Teaching us that when we pay tithes or give God our firstfruits it makes the rest of our money holy. The firstfruit has the ability to redeem the rest.
God demands 1st. If we refuse to give our 1st it makes the statement that God isn’t first in our lives. The firstfruit is also called the “devoted” which means the “irrevocably giving over to the Lord”. The first 10% is Gods. It is to be devoted to Him. The story I read you last week about Elijah and widow said she had to feed him first and when she did her needs were met! She understood the order.
We don’t pay tithes after we pay all of our other bills. We sow our tithes first. God doesn’t like leftovers. You might like warmed up pizza, but God won’t eat leftovers! Bring the best of the flock first. If you pay everything else first and then pay your tithes you may be obeying the 10% part, but you are missing the blessing of Proverbs 3:10 – after we are told in verse 9 ("Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:") to bring the firstfruits it then says “so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine.” The promise is that when the firstfruits are given first only then will the blessing begin.
2. The percentage you give.
This is nonnegotiable. You can’t be blessed unless you meet God on His terms. He demands the first 10% allowing you to live on the other 90%. He could have demanded it all. But He said I want the first 10% sanctifying the remaining 90%.
Therefore, if you make $100 a week you should be giving $10 this week when the bucket goes by. Some of you have pacified your conscious by coming up with some conjured up amount that you just automatically drop in each week whether it is 10% or not. You could make $5000 this week and the check would still be written for $10. Then you wonder why you struggle financially. I am giving what is the deal? It is time to get the percentage right. Stop a moment and figure out how much you make a week or in a month and 10% of that belongs to God. Not 5% or 9% but a full 10%.
If you give less than that then you are robbing God and you are living under a curse. 10% opens up the windows of heaven according to Malachi. God very clearly demands that the whole tithe be brought into the storehouse! 7% won’t open the window. 9.5% won’t open the window. 10% is a window opening amount.
I know there is a teaching going around that tithing is an Old Testament teaching and we aren’t held to Old Testament teachings any more. Really, then let’s find out what Jesus thought about tithe! In Luke 11, Jesus is invited to sit down and eat with a Pharisee. Jesus doesn’t stop to wash his hands and feet before he sat down to eat and the Pharisee is offended and complains to Jesus. In Jesus’ scathing response to the Pharisee he gives us clear insight into his position on tithes. Luke 11:42 - 42But woe unto you Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and every herb, and pass over justice and the love of God: but these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. Did you catch the important word? Ought. You ought to have done this. It was right for you to do this. You should do this! There are other important things you should do as well, but you ought to have tithed!
We try to justify disobedience and we are cursed. Where can you find the most congregated group of robbers this morning. Prison? No, in the house of God. Once read that if every Christian in America got fired this week and began paying their tithes the church would actually see a dramatic increase in tithe. I don’t know if that is true, but I don’t doubt it since statistically only 9% of born again Christians tithed their income to churches in 2004.
We tip people more than we tithe to God. We would be embarrassed to get up and walk out of a rest. Without tipping, but we will go week after week to God’s house and dine, feast and think nothing of leaving without giving anything. I wished we would tip God . . . that would be more than most of us are doing now.
Not only that we are more faithful to our government that we are to our God! If we fail to sow into government we give them back taxes! We can go to weeks or two months without tithing and never make it up!
We have folks driving 40,000 cars, living in 100,000 houses, and spending 1000’s on clothes and entertainment and yet we can’t come up with more than a few $100 a year given to God.
And we wonder why we are cursed and can’t make ends meet, and can’t make the car payment, and can’t get ahead. We are living under a curse. Doesn’t God own the cattle on a thousand hills? Does God have a supply shortage? Does God have lack? No! Then why can’t we seem to tap into that supply. God will not be mocked. God will not lower His standards – ask Cain. Firstfruits must be given in order to receive blessings. It is all about percentage!
I am not trying to guilt you into giving! I am trying to position you for blessings!
3. The attitude with which we give.
God very clearly states that He doesn’t just like He loves a cheerful giver. A hilarious giver. Someone who gives until it seems silly to others. Our attitude must change from I have to give (there is nothing cheerful about that) to I get to give!
Our attitude cannot be corrupted by prosperity preaching so that we try to manipulate god. God won’t be played. He isn’t a genie in the bottle that if we rub right we get the 3 magical wishes! I will give to get. If I give enough I will get a Rolls Royce. God is obligated. No, our attitude must become one that says I give to get to give again. Jesus response to the widow who gave the 2 mites (all she had) teaches us that God is not interested in equal giving or even outlandish giving. He said in Mark 12:44 “All the others gave what’ll never miss; she gave extravagantly what she couldn’t afford- she gave her all.”
What He is interested in, which also bring you back to the text I read, is equal sacrifice and equal obedience. What may be a great sacrifice to you may mean nothing to me. It isn’t the amount of the check. It is the sacrifice that goes into the check! As long as you obey and as long as you sacrifice, operate in faith God is pleased.
If you get the order right, the percentage right and the attitude right you will be blessed.
I have discovered personally that you can’t out give God. My testimony. I couldn’t afford to pay tithes learned can’t afford not to. Everything I touched seemed to fall apart. Some of you need to go back and pay back tithes. If you give God 100% of 10% it works every time. I want to challenge you – give you 100 today. Do handout.
Prayer of commitment – hold wallet in hand. What I hold most important in life I will commit to you. I will obey Your Word even if it isn’t comfortable and even if it means sacrifice. I will try you and see if you are faithful
