You Might Be A Healthy Christian If...
You See The Offering As An Opportunity To Be Obedient.
August 12, 2001 F.B.C. Chester, Illinois Mike Fogerson, Speaker
Introduction:
1. I’m going to speaking on giving today.
A. I could say how your giving allows children in Africa and Kosovo to eat.
a I could tell you how your giving allows missionaries to do minister to people all over the world.
b I’m not going to. Your giving allows my child to eat. Your giving allows me to minister to people in Chester. (If you don’t give....I don’t paid)
B I know that people don’t like to hear this message...yet I gotta do it.
a In the gospels of Matthew, Mark & Luke, one verse in six deals with money. There are 29 parables that Jesus spoke, 16 of those had to do with a Christian and his money.
b I haven’t spoke on giving since the first of week of February.....its time.
*Before the service I have given someone a $100 bill to give to me during this part of the message..
*I tell the congregation that I have guests coming in from out of town and I need some cash to take them out to eat after the service.
*The person I have given the $100 to before the service raises their hand and says, "Here’s a $100 bucks pastor." and gives me the $100....I then go on preaching. This is going explained and used as the application in Point Two: C/b
2 We are looking at how you might be a healthy Christian........You See the Offering As An Opportunity to be obedient.
A I Cor. 16:1-2 is our key passage.16:1 Now about the collection for God’s people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. [2] On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.
a. Paul told how the believer was to give at church. (Essence of the Text in a Sentence)
b. Healthy Christians give back to God appropriately. (Essence of the Sermon In a Sentence)
B. ILet’s look at two mistakes that believers make about giving. (Transitional Sentence)
a. I hope you’ll not make the same mistake twice. (Objective)
b. What mistakes are you giving into?
c Let’s Pray.
I. Mistake 1: It’s no big deal if I don’t give.
A A very wealthy king invited all his friends to join him for dinner. (His treat) All they were asked to bring was one flask of wine. (Apparently this wasn’t a Baptist king.)
a The king was going to pour everyone’s flask into a large vat. (Interesting mix)
b On the big day, everyone gathered at the royal table and brought their flask...just like the king said. *Everyone poured their flasks into the vat, the servants poured their cups with the special dinner drink....they proposed a toast...then they all took a big gulp....of WATER.
*It seems that each guest had the same idea...if everyone is required to bring a flask of wine, no one will notice that I alone brought water instead.
*If everyone brought wine, no one would have noticed. Unfortunately, the idea was not shared by only one, but by all.
*What happened at that kings castle, happens in The Kings church.
B I Cor. 16:2 "each one of you...."
a Paul told the church at Corinth that EVERY SINGLE PERSON SHOULD GIVE.
b He understood that it took everyone to accomplish the mission of First Church Corinth. (Not 1/3, not ½, not 3/4.....each one of you!!!)
(IL) I Cor. 12:12-25 Paul wrote about how the church was like a body... "EACH ONE OF YOU HAS SOMETHING TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE BODY OF CHRIST." VV:18
C Your giving IS a big deal.
a Your giving has nothing to do with raising money, it has everything to do with raising you.
*The purpose of giving isn’t to get your money, possessions, tithe.
*The purpose of giving is to get you for God.
b Matt. 6:21 "For where your treasure ($) is, your heart will be also.
*Some folks say, "I’ll give more when I grow more." WRONG!
*Scripture says your money doesn’t follow your heart. Your heart follows your money!
*God doesn’t want your money (He doesn’t need it), He wants your heart. (That’s a big deal to God.)
* "Until God having your heart becomes a big deal, giving will NEVER be a big deal."
T.S: Giving is a big deal...make no mistake. Let me bring to light another mistake.
II Mistake #2: I don’t have to tithe because it’s an Old Testament thing.
A We find so much in the Old Testament we hold dear and true.
a Honor the Sabbath, marriage, monogamy, moral laws (kill, steal, lie), 10 commandments...Amen!
b Tithe? (Were under grace, not the law!)
*Tithing, to many, is an antiquated idea that is no longer expected since Jesus freed us from the laws of the Old Testament. Not consistent!
B I Cor. 16:2 "A sum of money is keeping with his income...." What Sum?
a The sum we know of is 1/10th. The Tithe is mentioned in Scripture over & over & over.
b Hebrews 7:2 "Abraham tithed 1/10th" Gen. 28:2 "Jacob gave 1/10th"
Matthew 23:23 "Jesus Commended the jews for tithing"
*Did Abraham tithe? Did Jacob tithe? Yes. Were they under the law? NO!!! Moses and the mosaic law came after Abraham and Jacob. Abe & Jake gave under Grace Too!!!
C Even though we are no longer under the law, tithing is still a discipline we practice.
a I Cor. 4:7 "...what do you have that you did not receive...?"
*Everything you have has been given to you by God.
*When we tithe, were simply giving back to God what’s His.
b Some of you are wondering about the $100 I got from Todd at the begining of the service.
*Ask Todd, "Todd, why did you give me that $100?" Todd answers, "Because It was yours to begin with pastor."
*I gave that money to Todd before the service. He gave it to me...because Todd knew it wasn’t his.
*The tithe we give is not ours to begin with...God is simply asking for us to give Him back what is His to begin with.
*The tithe was right for Abraham/Jacob under the grace of God. The tithe was right during the mosaic law. The tithe is still right under the gospel and grace of Jesus Christ.
Conclusion:
1. Tithing is never a matter of the wallet, it’s a matter of trust. Healthy Christians give back to God appropriately. (ESS)
A. We’ve looked at two mistakes that believers make about giving.
a. It’s no big deal if I don’t give. (Everybody is a part of this body..give)
b. I don’t have to tithe because its an Old Testament thing. (No it’s an obedience thing.)
B. I hope you’ll not make the same mistake twice. (Obj.)
a The bible says that you can’t serve God and mammon (money)
b True. But healthy Christians CAN serve God with their money.
2 What mistakes are you "giving" into?
A How do you eat an elephant? (One bite at a time.)
a A little at time, all the time......it’s like tithing with some of you.
b Some of you want to give appropriately...but your scared.
*Start a little at a time...be consistent until you eat that elephant.
B There were six frogs sitting on a lily pad and four decided to jump off into the water. How many are left on the lily pad?
a Six. They decided to jump, but they didn’t do it.
*Some of you may decide you want to give appropriately today.....but you won’t do it.
*How many of you are gonna not only decide....how many are gonna jump?
b What mistakes are you "giving" into?
