Godly Financial Management Part 2
Paying God Part 7
Scriptures: Matthew 6:1-4; 23:2-5; 2 Corinthians 8:3; Proverbs 11:24-25
Introduction:
This morning I will conclude my series on giving. We have covered a lot of information and I want to give you time to digest it all. In my message this morning we will examine the mechanics of giving – meaning how we should actually do it. As I have already taught on being a cheerful giver, I will not cover that in this conclusion but I want to address some of the other things that I have mentioned throughout this series and during our bible study classes.
As you recall we have discussed several situations as it relates to how Churches today take up their tithes and offerings. We have heard about churches where the pastor asks for all of “his” tithers to come down first and give their tithes/offerings. We have heard of churches where they take up offerings repeatedly until they get the amount of money they want for that specific service (sometimes taking up two or three offerings in the same service.) We have heard stories of churches requiring their members to bring in their W-2s so that it could be determined how much they should be able to give to the church (to ensure that they are actually tithing.) We have heard of churches that posts what every member gives publicly for all to see thus promoting or elevating the status of some versus others. All of these examples are examples of how not to take up an offering based on God’s word. This morning I will review how we as individuals, regardless of what a church might require, should give to the Lord. We will begin with giving anonymously.
I. Giving Anonymously
When Jesus was teaching His disciples He told them the following in Matthew 6:1-4: “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven. So when you give to the poor, do not sound the trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.”
Let me confess up front that I have lost my share of rewards because of talking about something that I did for someone else versus keeping my mouth shut. So what I am telling you this morning is not coming from a perfect person, but someone who has been chastised by God. This is and continues to be a learning process. This is not always about bragging about something you’ve done for others, but includes the simple fact of confirming that something had been done when there is no need for you to do it. I have learned that regardless of the reason whatever we do for others should be kept private unless there are some very clear extenuating circumstances. When Jesus taught His followers He taught them to refrain from walking around talking about what they had done for others. He did not want them coming before the Church and giving a testimony about someone they helped as a means of bragging about their “righteousness.” He did not want them sneaking what they had done for others into their everyday conversations like making the statement “I took some food over to so and so because I heard how they were struggling.” What Jesus requires is that we do what we are going to do and walk away. We are not to wait for praise or an acknowledgement for what we did. He wants us to do it and do it secretly. In a perfect situation the person we help would not know that the help came from us as it would be totally anonymous but that cannot always happen. In the twenty-third chapter of Matthew Jesus told His followers the following in verses two through five: “…The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them. They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger. But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments. (Matthew 23:2-5)
In these verses Jesus talked about the mentality of some of the scribes and Pharisees. Jesus told His followers to follow their teachings as they taught the Law of Moses but He told not to follow what they do. So what did they do that concerned Jesus? They did everything that they could to draw attention to themselves! They did not lift a hand to relieve someone’s burden, just the opposite – they added to them. All of their deeds were done to draw attention to them. Jesus said that they broadened their “phylacteries.” These were square leather boxes containing four strips of parchments on which was written parts of the book of Deuteronomy. During prayer one was worn on the forehead between the eyebrows and another on the left arm close to the elbow. They were held in place by leather bands, which the Pharisees made broad to attract more attention to themselves and their holiness. Jesus also stated that they lengthen the tassels of their garments. What He was referring to was the hem or fringe on a garment that was placed there in accordance with Numbers 15:38 which the Pharisees made unnecessarily wide. When you read the rest of the chapter you see the other things they did as part of their desire to be recognized for their role in society. They loved the special place of honor at banquets; best seats in the synagogues; respectful greetings; being called Rabbi, etc. All of these things were done for self recognition. Jesus abhorred this as it went against everything He stood for in His ministry. As a matter of fact, when He did something He asked people not to tell that it was Him that did it. Long story short, as it relates to our giving, it should be done anonymously as possible without looking for any recognition to be given to us for what we did. If you seek recognition for something you did for someone else then you have your reward once you receive the recognition! Let’s move on to the next one.
II. Giving Voluntarily
As we have discussed previously when we talked about being cheerful givers, Paul made it clear that our giving must be voluntary. In 2 Corinthians 8:3 Paul says “For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord.” As we have read in 2 Corinthians 9:7 he states “Each must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly of under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
In these verses we find that whatever we choose to give we must do it voluntarily. We should not be forced to give something just so the Church can meet a budget that might be too aggressive. Being asked to bring in your W-2 so that you can be told what you should give go against giving voluntarily. I mean really, if I wanted to give a certain percentage of my income to the Church I would do it by choice – not by force. When we give voluntarily that is where our blessing comes from because we want to give it. We give it from our heart – it’s our choice! Consider what Solomon said in Proverbs 11:24-25: “There is one who scatters, and yet increases all the more. And there is one who withholds what is justly due, and yet it results only in want. The generous man will be prosperous and he who waters will himself be watered.” The blessing comes through what we do voluntarily for God and He rewards accordingly.
III. Have An Expectation
This may sound self-serving but it is not. When we give to God we should have an expectation that one God will accept it; two, He will use it; and three, He will reward of for the gifts. We are not giving to receive as some have taught; but we should have an expectation that something will come from the seeds we sow. When a farmer plant seeds in the ground he expects that something will grow from those seeds. He inspects his fields looking for the increase that will come from the seeds he had sown. Our expectation is similar in that we know that the seeds we sow will produce something for God. We also expect that as God, according to His word, will acknowledge our gifts if we are giving them with the right motivation and clarity of mind. When we study what Paul said in 2 Corinthians 9:6-9 we find that he made a promise. He states that if we sow sparingly we would reap the same. If a farmer sows a few seeds he will reap a small crop. The same applies to how we sow into the work of God. Let me read to you what Paul said in verse eight: “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed.” This is an expectation! If we do what we are supposed to do we can expect God to fulfill His role in our lives. This is not just an expectation - it is our faith captured in a promise. If we believe that we are God’s children we can believe that He will take care of us through our faithfulness.
IV. Giving Sacrificially
The last area that I want to address this morning is giving sacrificially. Remember the church of Macedonia who gave above and beyond? They gave a sacrificial gift because they wanted to give something to the poor saints living in Judea. Paul said this of them in 2 Corinthians 8:2-4: “That in a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality. For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord, begging us with much urging for the favor of participation in the support of the saints.” Paul said they gave above and beyond which means they truly gave a sacrificial gift. The women who gave the two copper coins that I talked about previously also gave a sacrificial offering. This gift was motivated by love.
When we give sacrificially we give with the intention of doing without something so that we can give. For example, maybe you had been saving to purchase something new for your home. A few days before you were to make the purchase you hear of a need that the Church or someone within the Church has and monies are needed to meet the need. You choose to take the money you had saved for yourself and give it toward this particular need. Instead of saying that you do not have the money because you had plans for it you give it up so that someone else’s need could be met. You recognized that you would have to start all over with saving for your household item but you do not care. Giving sacrificially means that whatever you’re giving it is a sacrifice for you. It is a gift that in reality you cannot afford to give (according to the world’s standard) but spiritually you cannot afford not to give. When we give in this manner we are truly demonstrating a heart that is becoming more and more aligned to Christ.
Conclusion
When I began this message I talked about how we utilize the money that God places within our hands. I shared with you that if we believe that God is our source then we are obligated to believe that the money we receive belongs to Him and therefore should be used according to His purposes. I demonstrated to you that God has enabled us to have funds to use for our benefit and for the benefit of others. If we use His wisdom, we will have enough money to handle our needs while also living in such a way that we can help meet the needs of others. Our motivation for helping others is the love that we have for God.
When I discussed giving to the Church with you I told you that you are not required to tithe and you will not go to hell if you don’t. You are required to give freely and cheerfully because that is where your heart is. You are not to be forced to give a certain amount but you are asked to listen to God and give as He directs you in some circumstances while in others being free to give whatever you choose. It is your responsibility to understand that the needs of the Church are met through your gifts and therefore if the Church is going to accomplish what God has called it to do it will need cheerful, faithful givers. This was the point of my sharing funds with the youth and enabling them to go out and help one of their peers in need. I wanted them to begin to understand that we can all do something to help others even though we may only have a little to start with.
As I close this series I want to ask you to look at your personal finances. Are you utilizing them according to the will of God? Can you say that you are focusing on God as it relates to how you manage your finances? Are you listening to Him for direction in how you’re giving? Are you living paycheck to paycheck or are you living beneath your means so that you can save for your future while helping someone else in need? How you answer these question will speak directly to where you heart currently lies and what you might need to do to come into obedience to Christ. Remember, God wants our obedience not our money. If we are obedient to Him the money will take care of itself.
I hope and pray that you have gathered a few seeds from this series. May God forever bless and keep you.
