The Sermon That Nobody Wants to Hear
By Pastor Jim
The story is told of a pastor who phoned the home of some recent visitors to his church, and a voice answered very softly and quietly, "Hello?". The pastor said, "Who is this?" There was a whisper on the other end, as the voice said, "This is Jimmy." The pastor said, "How old are you, Jimmy?" He said, "I’m four years old." "Jimmy, may I please speak to your Mother?" "No, not right now; she’s very busy." "Well then can I speak to your Dad?" "No, he’s really busy, too.”
The pastor, wondering why this little boy was taking the calls began to get concerned that perhaps he really home alone, so he asked, "Are there any other adults at your house?” "Yes, the police.” The pastor was really worried now. Was this little boy in trouble? Did something happen to his parents? What could be going on? So he asked, "Well, Jimmy, could I speak to one of the police officers?” "No, they’re all very busy too.”
The pastor just knew that some terrible tragedy had struck the hope of this new family and he just had to find out what had happened so he asked, "Jimmy, anybody else there?” "Oh yes, a lot of firemen are here with their big red fire truck.” "Jimmy, could you please ask one of the firemen to come to the phone?” "I can’t; they’re too busy."
Finally, in exasperation the pastor asked, "Jimmy, what’s happening? What are they all busy doing?" The little whispering voice came back and said proudly, “They’re all looking for me. I’m playing hide and seek, and I’m winning; Bye."
Some Christians are just like little Jimmy. They’re hiding out, hoping that no one will be able to find them, and they think that they are safe because no one really knows them as they really are. They try to live by flying under the radar, hoping that even God won’t know what they are doing; or better, what they are not doing.
Nothing in the church causes someone to hide from the truth anymore than a sermon like I feel led to give you this morning. Today, the Lord and His Word have a message for us that some of us would just as soon never heard. We’ve tried to ignore this part of God’s Word and sometimes even downright denied it was even there. Even though we all believe that God’s Word is truth, and that we need to live by every part of that Word, there are a few things that we just wish weren’t there and find it hard to accept.
This is one message that is liable to hit you where it hurts the most. No, it’s not in your face; nor is it in your head; its right smack in the middle of your pocketbook, and the pain will travel from your pocket book to your head first of all; and then it will reverse course in a little while and hit you right in your heart. I believe that the Holy Spirit and the Word of God desire to speak to each of us this morning concerning the subject of being a faithful and good steward in the House of God.
I know that this is an unpopular subject for many people so if you don’t want to take a chance on being struck by the Word of God and brought under conviction, then you might just want to tune me out for the next 30-45 minutes. Go right ahead and do that but don’t forget that you are tuning out the Word of God too. The only problem is that you can tune me out, but you will not be able to tune Jesus out on the day you stand before Him in judgment. Whatever excuses we use now had better be really good to stand up in the court of God’s Law.
For me, as your Pastor, it is very hard to speak to you concerning the issue of stewardship, especially when it comes to your habits of giving in offerings and paying in tithes. I don’t mind bringing up the stewardship of your time and talents because so many people figure that they are already giving their fair share of those things. But to speak of finances; well that’s a horse of a different color.
First of all, let me say that I consider it a very great privilege to be a part of God’s family and His church, and that serving the Lord brings the greatest joy that anyone could experience. In the same fashion it is a great honor to be among the chosen few. It’s a wonderful thing to be called and anointed by God and to have the wonderful privilege of knowing the Son of God, Jesus Christ, as my Lord and Savior. The presence of God and the gifts of God in my life are just marvelous. He has opened the spout where the glory comes out and I believe that He has put Myself, and all of you, and this church right where those glories land. We are a people who are so very blessed of God.
To be able to give back to the Lord anything that I can to further the gospel or to show the Love of God to a lost and dying world is a great privilege. Just to think that of all of the billions of people that have lived on this planet from the foundation of the world, God chose me, and chose you – is something too far above me to even imagine, and yet He did choose us. Oh how blessed is the one that chooses to see the Light of God and to come to know the goodness and mercy of God; and the one who experiences the Grace of God; then finally to have the great gift of eternal life bestowed upon us! Could we ever praise God, or thank Him enough; and could we ever out-give God?
The gifts of life, freedom, peace, health and most of all, of salvation, are far more than any of us deserve; and yet God freely gives these to us.
Proverbs 24:3-4, "Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established: And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches."
The wisdom. Knowledge and understanding all come from the Lord; and by them every part of our lives is filled with riches and the precious Spirit of the Lord. All of these are gifts from God alone.
Do you believe you are doing all you can do in the area of giving? What do you think hinders you from doing more? Do you try to find reasons not to; or do you obey God? If you try to logically figure it out, there will always be a lot of reasons that you can’t give to the Work of the Lord. The devil will see to it that you have plenty of excuses; and plenty of ways to procrastinate because he knows that not only are you robbing yourself of God’s blessings but you are hindering the work of the Lord as well.
What we need isn’t logic; it’s faith in God. What we need is motivation to do the right thing. How can you get that motivation?
The University of Oklahoma is quite proud of its wrestling team and on a certain day they were going down to wrestle at Memphis State. The Coach got his team together and said, “Guys, Memphis State has developed a hold called the double reverse. They take a man and bend him in two once, then they bend in two a second time, turn him upside down, get him where he can’t move his arms or his legs and they’ll pen him and it’s over. Whatever you do, don’t let them get you in that double reverse.
OK, coach, we’ll watch for it. The first five guys went to the mat and sure enough, all five were defeated by the double reverse. The coach then went over to the smallest wrestler on the team and said, “Son, if you get caught in the double reverse we won’t even place in this meet. Whatever you do don’t get caught in the double reverse.” Ok Coach”, the kid said. “I’ll do my very best.”
Then he immediately went out and got caught in the double reverse, bent in two once, twice, turned him upside down. The coach groaned and covered his eyes. He just knew the match was lost.
About then he heard a loud scream. Then everybody began to shout and applaud. For the first time in history the infamous double reverse had been broken.
At the end of the match, the Coach asked, "What did you do?" The kid said, “Well he bent me over, turned me and I couldn’t move." "I know, I know that part, what did you do to break free?"
"Well, Coach, as I was going down I remembered what you said, ‘Do whatever you have to do!’ I looked out there and there was a big toe right in front of my mouth. So I reached out there and chomped down hard as if I would bite that toe clean off. You know something, coach, its an amazing thing how much motivation you can have to break free when you nearly bite off your own big toe!"
Sometimes we just need a little motivation to do the right thing in obeying God’s Word concerning stewardship.
Do you believe you are doing all you can do in the area of giving? What do you think hinders you from doing more? Some people say: * If I had a better job, I’d be able to give more. Others would say, Well when I win the lottery; or get my inheritance; or win the jackpot at the casino, I’ll give more. Others say, Well, let me pay off a few more debts and I’ll give more.
But we really don’t need more money to be able to give more. What we need is the right kind of motivation. I hope that today we all get a little better motivated.
In the Parable of the Talents found in Matthew Chapter 25 we can see that the Lord has left us all with a certain amount of his investment at our disposal to do with as we choose. Those who reinvested what the Lord had given them were blessed and called faithful. Each one of them, except the last one, heard those words of the Lord that we all hope to hear one day.
Matthew 25:21, "…Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord."
But there was one servant who had received blessings from his Lord that did not invest it in the work of the Lord. He hid it; hoarded it for himself; and would not give back to God an investment on what God had given to him.
This was an unfaithful servant; one that was disobedient and undeserving of the blessings of the Lord, and in Matthew 25:30, the Lord appoints him with a reward that he truly did not expect, "And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
Luke 12:48b also has this to say concerning the gifts that God has given to us; "… For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more."
Have not we been blessed as a nation more than others? Have we as the people of God not been blessed more than any other people on earth? Then God will expect us to give more in return if we are to be called faithful.
One thing that I have noticed is that we often think that our little bit doesn’t matter so why worry about it? Have we forgotten that Jesus honored even the widow’s mite because she gave it out of her need and not out of her abundance?
I find it very amazing that God chooses to build His church and to fund His work through the giving of those who seemingly are the least able to give at all. I don’t know why we should find that so amazing though when we remember the loaves and the fish that Jesus multiplied to feed the 5000.
I have learned one fact – God can do more with my little; than I can do with my abundance. There have been times when we struggled; in fact I guess that all of life has been a struggle financially. Our kids always qualified for either free or reduced lunches at school. We probably could have qualified for government assistance but I was just too proud to apply for it. I can’t tell you how many days I went to work without lunch; and it wasn’t because I was on a fast either.
But we never failed to pay our tithes and give in the offerings, and we never went hungry; and somehow the bills got paid. Most people have a goal in mind to get out of debt. My goal was just to pay the bills because there was never anything left to pay on a debt to get it reduced.
A long time ago I read the Book of Malachi where God’s Word teaches us about paying of our tithes and offerings, and I decided to take God up on His dare! Have you never read God’s dare to you concerning Himself.
Malachi 3:10, "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it."
God is speaking to His people when He makes this dare. “I dare you to prove me. I dare you to see if I won’t do what I say I will do.” Out of your need, give to my work. Out of your abundance, give to my House. Out of your distress, give to my Kingdom. Give of your possessions, of your finances, of your life, of your time and see what I will do!”
Do you want your finances to go a little further? Trust God and give Him His portion. If you want your finances blessed even more then give a little more in the offerings.
Do you want your life to be blessed; your children to be blessed; to be able to accomplish more in a day; to have the blessings of God upon your life in every way? If so, then learn to give to God sacrificially; not just what satisfies your conscience, but what God asks you to give.
Have you ever given your last dollar in the offering and wondered where the next one was coming from? You’re still here aren’t you? Doesn’t that mean that God supplied your need? He’s not left you forsaken or begging on the street. He has poured out blessings upon you.
If you don’t believe that God can make your paycheck stretch farther than you can, then try Him. Put His Word to the test. He won’t fail you.
What God also says is that if we don’t give Him what is due to Him then we are no better than a thief that steals from his neighbor, except that we are stealing from God. If we don’t give of our tithes and offerings, we are robbing God! I didn’t say that; God did in Malachi 3:8-9, "Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me…"
Robbing God brings with it a curse, not a blessing. There are a lot of people in church who live on the edge of always losing everything. The biggest reason is not that they have not had the income or the means to come out of that situation. The biggest reason is that they have never learned the laws of stewardship, nor do they understand the laws of sowing and reaping.
A few of the Laws of Stewardship and of Sowing and Reaping:
THE LAW OF RIGHTFUL OWNERSHIP – Nothing truly belongs to us; everything actually belongs to God.
THE LAW OF PURPOSEFUL POSSESSION – Wise stewards are guided by lordship, not “hoardship.”
THE LAW OF MIRACULOUS MULTIPLICATION – Man’s economic measurements are no match for God’s miracles of multiplication.
THE LAW OF GUARANTEED RETURN – As you give, so it will be given to you. You get more back than you give.
THE LAW OF JOYFUL GENEROSITY – God loves those who give with the right attitude.
THE LAW OF FAITHFUL DEPENDABILITY – How much can God trust you is the mark of a true steward.
THE LAW OF PARADOXICAL PARTICIPATION – The greatest blessings often come out of the greatest sacrifices.
THE LAW OF SUPERNATURAL SUPPLY – God enables the giver to give beyond his ability to give.
THE LAW OF PERSONAL INITIATIVE – Giving out of a desire to give is better than giving out of duty.
THE LAW OF GRACEFUL ABUNDANCE – Abundant grace brings abundant blessing that spurs abundant ministry.
THE LAW OF SECRET SPIRITUALITY – Godly giving is a private demonstration of our faithfulness, not a public display of pride.
THE LAW OF SACRIFICIAL EXAMPLE – The most significant gifts are often given by the most insignificant givers. (The Widow’s Mite)
THE LAW OF RISKY MISMANAGEMENT – Trying to rob God will always cause robbery of your blessings.
THE LAW OF GODLY CONTENTMENT – Wise stewards are happy with what they have, not hassled by what they don’t have.
THE LAW OF ABSOLUTE HARVEST – Sow sparingly, reap sparingly; sow bountifully, reap bountifully.
THE LAW OF CHANNELED RESOURCES – Good Stewards are “pipe-lines”; not storage tanks.
THE LAW OF LOVING COMPLIANCE – Pure obedience, prompted by pure love, produces pure stewardship.
(Excerpts from “The 33 Laws of Stewardship; Principles for a Life of True Fulfillment” by Dave Sutherland, Kirk Nowery)
If we could remember these Laws of Stewardship and live by them we would certainly see more of the blessings of God in our lives, and it is also certain that we would be counted as profitable servants in the eyes of God. Faithfulness, and obedience to God’s Word and in the performance of our duties as good stewards once we have been born again into the Family of God will ensure our place in the Bride of Christ. This is what God requires of each one of us.
I Corinthians 4:2 says, “Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.”
Inevitably there are always some people who question whether tithing is taught in the New Testament since all we usually quote is from the Old Testament and most think that the Old Testament Law was abolished when Jesus died on the Cross.
First of all let me say that the Law was not abolished, it was fulfilled in Jesus. He died for our disobedience to the Law and has paid our debt in full through his perfect blood sacrifice. But if you aren’t Born Again, or if you choose to not surrender your heart and life to Jesus and backslide into a life of rebellion against God, then you place yourself back under that Law and there is no more sacrifice for you other than the Blood of Jesus. The Law still carries the power to condemn, but not to save.
Even though we are living under the dispensation of Grace through the Cross of Christ, we must embrace that Grace and live under the Lordship of Jesus, or we will never enjoy the promises of the New Testament.
Tithing and giving in offerings was practiced and taught long before the Law of Moses was ever given. 400 years before Israel was ever created, Abraham was faithful in giving of his tithes to Melchizedek, and Paul, in Romans 4:12 said that we should walk in the same faith that Abraham had. Hebrews chapter 7 also reinforces the idea of paying tithes under the New Testament covenant.
Some would try to use 2 Corinthians 9:7 as an escape hatch from giving their 10% to God. “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” Those who pull this scripture out of context often say that each man then has a choice on what to give and is not commanded to give 10% unto the Lord’s work.
The problem with this argument is that this verse is not dealing with giving to support the church, but rather in giving to the poor. Under the Law, giving to the poor was a freewill offering. The Law commanded freewill offerings as well as tithes.
Deuteronomy 12:5-6, “But you are to seek the place the LORD your God will choose from among all your tribes to put his Name there for his dwelling. To that place you must go; there bring your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and special gifts, what you have vowed to give and your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks.”
So not only do we owe 10% to God as a debt of love, but God also expects us to give of a free will, offerings over and above our 10%. If we do so out of a cheerful heart, how much more will God honor our faithfulness?
One last matter that I want to address is this: Where should you pay your tithes, and where should you give your special gifts and offerings?
First of all, the tithes are not to go to a preacher, but they are to be given into the “storehouse” according to Malachi 3:10. The storehouse is the House of God which is the church. Then the church is to also be good stewards of how the offerings are used, to see that they are used for the purposes of God’s work. Of course, the support of those who minister in the church is a part of the church’s responsibility.
The tithes are not to be given in support of missions, or as offerings to those in need, or sent to ministries anywhere other than your home church where you are fed and where you are rooted to grow in the Lord. Missions giving, offerings to ministries outside of your home church and any special offerings should be given as the Lord leads you but these are to be over and above your tithes to the House of God. The church, in turn, gives the tithe of what is received in support of missions, helping those in need and giving of offerings to in other areas. We have a program called “First Fruits” where the church gives 10% of all offerings over and above the Tithes that are received into an effort to help start new churches through our Louisiana District offices.
God has established this method of supporting the work of the Lord. If we would all do our part; what God expects and has commanded us to do, then there would always be sufficient support to do whatever God wants us to do. I only wish that our Federal Government could learn to be as efficient as the church in spending our money. They require a lot more than 10%.
Now I know of a lot of churches where the minister takes all of the tithes and the church survives on offerings above the tithes. That’s not scriptural at all. The House of God should not suffer and be in need while the preacher takes all the money.
But because there are preachers that will abuse and misuse the offerings there are a lot of people who refuse to give unto the House of the Lord the way that they should. And there are a lot more who don’t pay tithes and give much in offerings because they just don’t believe that they can afford to. Let me say to those folks that you have it backwards; You Cannot Afford to Not Give God What You Owe Him.” Yes you have the responsibility to see to it that your tithes and offerings are used for the right purpose, but you do not have the right to rob God.
One last passage that I want to read to you is found in Haggai 1:5-7, "Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways. Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes. Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways."
To not pay your tithes is to rob God. To not give in the offerings is to be unfaithful to your duties to the Lord and to the church. When we fail to fulfill our duties then we place our own economic welfare into great jeopardy. In refusing to pay our tithes or to give in offerings, or to give only a portion of that which we owe to God and which belongs to Him, we open ourselves to a curse that will cause God to bring judgment upon ourselves financially.
Many today who are in hard times are there because they keep refusing to trust God. Remember, God can do more with a little, than we can with much. God will work in your life and mine, to help us have all we need and to provide for our families if we trust Him. God still says, “Prove Me!” “Put God to the test and see if He doesn’t fulfill His Word. He will not fail you, but you have to trust Him. You can either keep doing things your way and continue in that downward spiral, or you can do it God’s way and watch Him begin to reverse that downward trend and lift you up.
I will warn you though, that sometimes God has to work in us for a while to bring us up because we have been going down for a long time. It doesn’t happen overnight in most cases. God wants you to trust Him no matter what. He wants you to live by faith and not by sight. He will bring you out, but He is also going to test your faithfulness along the way.
Giving of tithes and offerings unto the Lord is our great privilege and also a debt that we owe to God. We can give and be blessed or we can not give and be cursed. The choice is ours.
I want to thank those of you who are faithful in your tithes and offerings. Because of your faithfulness, our church is doing well. God has blessed us so greatly and I know that He is blessing you and giving back to you in so many ways that you can’t count them all. For those who haven’t been so faithful, why not start today? Turn your financial curse into a blessing by being faithful in the giving of your tithes and offerings and just watch God open the windows of Heaven in your life.
This is a sermon that I don’t like to preach because it seems kind of self-serviing, but this isn’t my church; it’s our church; it’s your church too. This is a Sermon that nobody really wants to hear, but sometimes we just need to be reminded of what God expects of us. God won’t except excuses for disobeying His Word and I want all of us to stand before Jesus one day and know that we have been found faithful in all things.
When you pay your tithes and give offerings to the work of the Lord its like making deposits into the Bank of Heaven. So build your accounts in Heaven and watch your accounts on the earth be blessed by God because of your faithfulness.
