Series Faith without works is dead
Being a good steward with all He has given us
Luke 12:16-21
Good morning everyone- glad that you have joined with us today.
WE began last week a series called “Faith without works is dead”
I professed that we cannot earn our salvation.
It is by the grace of God that we are saved less anyone should boast. but, we can be saved and not amount to a hill of beans for the kingdom of God because we do not understand the responsibility we hold by being called children of God.
Being saved should come with a warning label that says “Working for Jesus” it is like the label that is on pillows that says what…”do not remove this label under penalty of law”. Well, it is your pillow you can do whatever you want. As a child of God, the label should be working for Jesus and the only one who has the authority to remove that label in your life is the maker of your life and His name is Jesus!
Last week we looked at surrender…not hap hazard surrender but total surrender.
The kind of surrender that says I throw the white flag as you being in control of my life and my life is now in Christ Jesus and the life I now live is directed 100 % by what Jesus tells me in His word and my heart is no longer doing my own thing but doing what the Lord has directed me.
With that kind of faith, my works won’t be dead, but it will be alive in Christ Jesus and it will accomplish what Jesus wants because He is running my life. Amen.
If we have surrendered to the Lord that way, then we are able to find the second piece of the puzzle and that is that everything we have and will have belongs to the Lord.
If we have not totally surrendered our lives, we will not do what the Lord requires in that everything has been turned over to Jesus and what He gives us and what we get has been acquired because of the goodness and mercy and grace of God.
You been to college…PTL
You have a nice home…PTL
You drive a nice car…PTL
You are a stay at home mom raising two wonderful kids PTL…it all belongs to the Lord
Illustration
When I was a kid, I didn’t know I was poor. Everyone around me seemed the same as I was.When I was growing up what I needed was there. I didn’t have the best. I HAD TO WEAR CONVERSE sneakers because they were only 10.00 at Atlantic Mills stores in Milwaukee and now those same shoes cost 100.00 dollars so I guess I had the best before society knew it was the best.
I learned to be thankful for what I was given because I saw some who had it worse than I.
Wearing clean hand me downs everyday was better than those who only had one change of clothes for the week.
You get where I am going? I was thankful to my family for providing me with what I need.
Then I met Jesus and Jesus taught me surrender and I learned a lot of it the hard way because I was a slow learner…ANY SLOW LEARNERS IN THE HOUSE THIS MORNING!
He is teaching me and continues to teach me all that I have is His and comes from Him.
The second piece of puzzle- Being a good steward of what the Lord has given you.
Now if you began to get uneasy because you think this is another tithing message coming your way than you will miss the big picture of the lesson this morning.
Tithing is a thing but it is only a portion of the thing. You have to put a couple things together to get the whole lesson.
Are you willing to have an open mind to the word of God this morning for your life? look at me and say Amen.
Let me show you how most Americans handle money-
The average credit card debt in America is 5,733 dollars for each household adult. Which means when two working people are in a family they are over 10,000 in debt.
I think that is a low national average because most I talk to in conversation are double or triple that amount.(THAT IS NOT COUNTING SCHOOL LOANS) which is your responsibility- you took the loan out, you pay the loan back you don’t want to pay it back then you should not have taken the debt. (That is a godly principal- pay back what you borrow and do not be a slave to the lender)
The average credit score of Americans is 650-675
About 25% of Americans are debt free and most have done that after they have tanked their finances and over time and experience built it back up again.
So I say that to say this…God is not afraid to talk about money.
In The Old Testament God tells his people that the first 10% of the harvest or 10 % of incoming income belongs to the Lord. It is to be used to supply the storehouse or church to help those in need.
I say the Old Testament because some argue that God doesn’t require tithing in the New Testament, only referencing giving.
There are over 30 scriptures in New Testament on giving.
Some have a pre-conceived idea that he has done away with giving to the church. When I am talking to someone about the bible and they say something I don’t agree with I always say chapter and verse meaning show me where it is said. I say show me chapter and verse where the Lord tells us we have no responsibility to tithing and no responsibility to giving to the things of God? It’s not there.
Of the people who give- 80% give 2% not 10 %
Only 5% of church people universal tithe 10%
Some say if I had more money I would give more money- kind of like the people that promise if they win the lottery or get a great inheritance all the good they would do for family, needy people and the community. AND THE CHURCH. Most times does not happen.
Those making 45,000-50,000 ONLY 4% give anything on a regular basis much less tithe.
Those making 100,000-1,000,000 much less amount. So it is not incoming money that is the problem.
Okay let go of your wallets and purse…no one is coming to take another offering or sending any letters out with amount owed on them.
I say this morning because I teach God’s word and this is a part of discipleship.
It is a big part of growing in the Lord. It is definitely part of surrendering to the things of God and being obedient.
You will never again be able to say I did not know we were suppose to tithe.
I never understood what the Lord said about tithing.
The rest of the time this morning I want to talk about getting our hearts right with the Lord and some of these other things we struggle with will fall in line.
WHEN 247 MILLION US CITIZENS IDENTIFY AS CHISTIANS AND ONLY 1.5 MILLION TITHE, IT IS A HEART ISSUE.
Turn with me to Luke 12:16 as you are turning there, let me read words of Jesus in verse 15 just prior to the text.
(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.”
Money is an indicator of the heart- “where your treasures are there is your heart”
If you will not let loose of what is not yours- you will not be able to do what the Lord commands of us in what is ours.
God shows us that out of the 100 % of the money given us, money that we have been blessed with by the Lord that 10 % is his and 90 % is ours.
Wait a minute, I forgot about Uncle Sam- He get s his off the top.
What would happen or what has happened if you neglect to render unto Caesar what is Caesar? Why? Because it is not ours.
He shows us that when we are obedient, he will supply our needs. That His portion comes off the top not out of what is left.
Society today is of that selfish mindset that everything is all about them. If that was not true no one would be watching all the reality TV shows.
All it shows is most people’s true self.
Luke 12:16-21 read from bible.
Why do hoarders hoard? Because they are afraid that their need won’t be met when they need it.
What if I need it and it is not there?
I am not talking about mental illness… some of it comes from that.
Why would someone starve or freeze to death without food or shelter to find out they had a bank account of plenty money and didn’t use it- that is mental illness.
What I am talking about is never having enough- one more dollar to be made.
Again this is not about securing a future and being a good steward for the future-we should be thinking ahead.
I have taught my kids and often said that just because you have a dollar in your pocket does not mean you have to spend it. It is about selfishness and disobedience to the things of God.
I know a pastor who requires his staff to have their tithes taken right out of their check before they get it. I have told this person that I would not be able to be on staff with them.
Not because I don’t tithe but because tithing to Becky and I was a joyful experience that we did together.
We would write that check and pray that God would use it for His honor and glory. We could not do that if it was forced to be taken out, it would not be out of joy but a requirement like government taxes taken from us.
Jesus tells a parable
A simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson as told by Jesus.
The parable this morning is a man that has been blessed by God with a great harvest (income) and he chooses to build bigger barns to hold all his riches.
Never once remembering God.
Never mentioning the helping of others.
Only about maintaining his wealth for his personal use.
Tithing tells and shows God that you will live within your means and give what is required to be faithful and obedient.
Tithe is 10% and an offering is given above the tithe.
Anyone giving to outside ministries the tithe is to come to the home church first. Pastor so and so on TV does not get the tithe, a person in need does not get your tithe, your children don’t get the tithe. The tithe comes to the church and fellowship in which you are being disciple.
Everything else gets an offering in addition to the tithe.
If you are giving your tithes like you are giving your taxes reluctantly, you are missing the blessing that the Lord has for you. Paul tells us that God loves a cheerful giver!
We all know generosity is good, and that giving to our local church and to causes we care about is the right thing to do. But as followers of Christ, giving is not optional.
Way back in Genesis, God gave our first parents, Adam and Eve, a mandate. Yes, there was the mandate to rule over creation and subdue it, but even before that, there was another command woven into the DNA of our first parents, and in ours as well. He created them to bear His image (1:26–27).
When we bear God’s image to one another and to all creation, we reflect His good heart. And the Bible makes it clear that God is a generous and cheerful giver.
2Corinthians9:6-8
“Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
God uses the tithe as an investment to get people involved.
If we are blessed beyond our needs, it is not to live more lavishly but to bless others. The church and the kingdom are blessed, yet God's nature also blesses the giver.
Giving is a Privilege
The 1st Century church modeled for us what it means to give generously and joyfully so that more and more people could find their way back to God.
2 Corinthians 8:2-4 “Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints.” (NIV)
Giving is a Blessing
God uses the tithe as an investment where everyone involved gets a return. If we are blessed beyond our needs, it is not to live more lavishly but to bless others. The church and the kingdom are blessed, yet God’s nature also blesses the giver.
Malachi 3:10 “‘Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,’ says the LORD Almighty, ‘and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.’” (NIV)
Matthew 25:40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
Proverbs 3:27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due when it is in your power to do it.
“To love another person is to see the face of God”, as quoted by the famous author Victor Hugo. As Christians, our every decision should be because of the love of God and the grace that He showed us. Every good deed that we do for our fellow humans. Helping those in need makes us the mirror that will reflect the love of God so it can shine for others as well.
Being generous does not mean that we should give a lot. It simply means that we are always ready to share what we have with people who need it more than we do. For example, the water in someone’s bottle is just enough to last for the day and they won’t get another until the day is through. However, they see someone feeling ill because of thirst. Would they prioritize their future need for water or help the person struggling from thirst at the moment? Generosity does not mean to give without thinking. It just means that we should never deny help when we have the capacity to do so.
It is more than money- walk some cookies over to someone. I know we don’t do that anymore- why because that takes time and energy. Go the extra mile
But instead of answering him directly, Jesus tells a story. We may think it’s about rich people in general, people like Bill Gates or Warren Buffett, or maybe about dishonest rich people like Bernie Madoff or all the politicians who got rich in office. But that’s not what it’s about. If it were, we could simply ignore the message because none of us are in that boat, are we? We’re all decent hard-working folks who if we happen to have a little set aside for a rainy day or our retirement, why that’s only prudent, isn’t it?
I know people who wear selfishness as a badge of honor
As we close
If you have only gotten that the preacher is after more money for the church- you have missed the lesson the Lord has for you and I have not done a good job in sharing it.
It is about being obedient to Him
It is about being sensitive to those around us.
It is about doing a heart check and making sure we are right with Him.
If I did it right and you are sensitive and open this morning- everyone of us including the preacher should say Lord… I see areas in my life that you want to speak into and I want you to be able to do that.
Amen.
Prayer-
