In the last session, we talked about money - the TRUST fund – what God has entrusted to us. Everything belongs to Him but He has given us money as a trust in this life.
• We talked about the tithe – 10% of what we have. God wants us to RETURN to Him as a way of honouring His ownership over everything we have.
• We do not want to rob God (principle of OWNERSHIP), we do not want to rob ourselves of His blessings (principle of TRUST), and we do not want to rob His church (principle of SUSTENANCE).
• That’s how God wants us to support the work of His Kingdom in these last days.
It is a practical way of expressing the recognition of God’s Lordship over our lives.
• Strictly speaking it is not a law, because Abraham and Jacob tithed even when there was no Law.
• It is something we do willingly and cheerfully, without compulsion.
Before I go on to today’s topic of managing the other 90% of our money, I like to highlight a few more things about the tithe.
• The teaching of the tithe unfortunately is not something that all Christians agreed upon. Majority of the churches agrees with it but some disagrees.
• Joshua mentioned to me a book that is against tithing, and so I thought I need to highlight this to you.
• You are going to come across books or articles on the internet against the teaching of tithing. They say it is an OT Law and we shouldn’t be teaching it, because we are saved by God’s grace and not the Law. Teaching the law makes it legalistic and we are putting people under a yoke. We should be teaching God’s grace and love.
• Don’t teach the tithe (legalistic); let people offer by their own freewill.
Let me put it this way. We tithe not because it is a law to follow but a principle to live by. And it is a good one.
• Jesus says in Matt 5:17-18 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them. 18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.”
• We are not saved by keeping the Law and it is powerless to change us, but the Law is not useless – it shows us God’s way of righteousness and holiness.
• We teach the Ten Commandments, not to put our trust in our own efforts in keeping the Law, but to get us to understand the heart of God.
I go to church on a Sunday, not because the Ten Commandments say ‘Observe the Sabbath’ but because I love Him and I want to worship Him.
• I honour my parents not because I am commanded to do so, but because I love my parents and I want to bless them.
• So I tithe not because it is a law but because it is my way of thanking God for giving me everything in life.
In fact, Jesus expected more. Matt 5:27-28 “You have heard that it was said, `Do not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
• If we say we are living under grace and not the law, we need to give more.
• To say we want to give to God cheerfully and willingly will mean more than a tithe; that’s just the bare minimum suggested by the Law. By grace, we should be giving more and not less.
On the other end of the spectrum, there are churches that enforce the tithe.
• They come after you for it. They send you reminder letters at the end of each month, telling you to pay up your tithes.
• The rationale is this. Malachi 3 says God’s house is deprived if we rob Him of the tithe. So in order for the church to be blessed, they make sure that no member default on the tithe.
But we don’t do that here. It goes against the principle of cheerful giving.
• So we tithe faithfully, cheerfully and willingly, because we want to. We honour Him as the Lord of all that we have. And we want to bless the work of His Kingdom.
• Tithing is a good and blessed principle to live by, not a law to follow.
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Today we want to talk about the other 90% of God’s money that He has put in our hands.
• We want to be good stewards of this 90%. We do not want to fall in love with it, nor hoard it for our selfish purposes.
• We want to stay above it and not be her prisoner, like the rich young ruler who walked away from Jesus because he couldn’t let go of his wealth.
• Let us read our text for today – 1 Tim 6:6-10, 17-19.
What are the attitudes you have towards what you have? I like to suggest 3:
• Be thankful for what you have – the principle of contentment
• Use wisely what you have - “do good, to be rich in good deeds” – the principle of prudence
• Share what you have – “be generous and willing to share” – the principle of giving
(1) The Principle of Contentment – Don’t crave for what you do not have.
Enjoy what you have no matter what you have. Be thankful.
• Sometimes what we don’t have keeps us from enjoying what we do have.
• We are so busy, trying to get what we do not have, that we did not enjoy what we already have.
A typical market in the United States in 1976 stocked 9,000 items; today that same market carries 30,000 different items.
• People have this obsessive compulsion to possess more and more things. It gives us this false feeling that we are truly fulfilled if we have the latest, the fastest, the biggest, nicest, of everything.
• Most people are NOT contented with what they have, most of the time. Something is always missing.
• And the problem is this DRIVE to have more or better things will never end, because there will always be more and better things.
• Verse 7 gives us a sober reminder: “we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it” (6:7) In fact, we do not need to wait for death to come. Sometimes, everything just goes in an instant, through illness, wars, accidents and natural disasters.
ASK: Are you always craving for more, not satisfied with what you have?
• This is a paradox actually, because if God “richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment” (v.17b), if His Name is Jehovah Jireh our provider; if Psalm 23 says, “the Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want”, and the Lord says do not worry about your life, for your heavenly Father knows and provides (you are more precious than the birds of the air), then logically we ought to have enough.
• So the feeling that we do not have enough is a misguided one. It has to do with our relationship with God, an inability to trust Him.
The issue is not with the amount of money you have, but the condition of your heart.
• If God supplies at one level, and we want to live at a higher level, our desires will push us beyond what we have. When our desires exceed our means, we are asking for trouble.
• The Bible says such desires or greed will cause us to “fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction.”
• Don’t live beyond your means. Try to spend only what you have.
So that control must come from within us. We have to step onto the brakes ourselves, and control the urge, by God’s grace, to crave for more.
• We can seek to improve our life and splurge ourselves occasionally but not with an attitude that we are deprived. Be grateful for what God has given you.
• Verse 17 says don’t put your hope in things; put your hope in God. He alone can make me happy and fulfilled in life.
(2) The Principle of Prudence – save faithfully and spend wisely
This leads us to the second point. If our concern should not be what we DO NOT have, then it is with what we DO HAVE.
• No wonder the Bible speaks so much about what God has given us. And to remind us of the need to USE what God has given us, for His purpose and glory.
• Paul says here: Command the rich “do good, to be rich in good deeds.” (6:18) If God has given them the resources to do so, they should.
We need to plan our spending – not entirely on ourselves alone, but to do the works of God, to “do good and be rich in good deeds”.
• If God blesses us so that we can be a blessing to others, then it makes sense to plan our spending. In order words, we need to save, budget, invest, prioritize, and spend our money wisely.
• God wants us to make money honestly, save it faithfully, and spend it wisely.
Prov 21:20 “In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has.”
• Save a portion faithfully, don’t spend it all. Save it for future or urgent needs.
• Develop a regular saving plan. It guards us from greed and impulse buying.
Jesus says in Luke 12:15 “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
• Don’t spend beyond your means. The advertisers will say, ‘Buy now, pay later.’ Don’t keep spending what we do not have. We do not want to live under the burden of a huge debt. We need to borrow sometimes, but make sure we have a plan of repayment and pay up quickly.
• Why are people always in debt? The problem is not that they do not make enough, but they do not spend it wisely.
What is wise spending for the Christians? 1 Tim 6:18-19 “Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 19 In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.”
• Remember to invest in the Lord’s work, because that alone last for eternity.
• Everything else will be burnt up, except that which you do for the Lord.
(3) The Principle of Giving – Give generously and share your blessings
This principle is taught over and over again in Scripture. Give and it will be given to you. Just like seeds, the more we sow the more we reap.
God is a giver. And He wants us to be like Him.
• No matter how much I have, I’m not financially free until I’ve learned to give.
• People say, "You can’t take it with you." That’s true, but you can send it on ahead. "Store up for yourselves treasure in Heaven." Matt 6:20
Heard of this story about a guy who died and got to heaven? He saw all the big mansions and then one little shack. He said, "Is that where I’m supposed to live? Why?"
Answer: "That’s all the building material you sent ahead."
So remember to invest in God’s work. We do that by investing in people – those who are lost, those who are hurting, those who are in need.
Have you seen the movie THE BLIND SIDE?
It is about the couple Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy who adopted a black American Michael Oher (who is now an American football player with the Baltimore Ravens) into their home when he was a struggling high school student living in foster homes.
The couple came up with a new book - In a Heartbeat: Sharing the Power of Cheerful Giving, talking about giving as a way of life.
They sum up their giving philosophy with The Popcorn Theory - “You can’t help everyone, but you can try to help the hot ones who pop right up in front of your face.”
