TOWARDS FAITH PROMISE 2016:
MONEY, GOD, AND YOU
JOSHUA 7:1-5
INTRODUCTION… Dumb Crooks (geocities.com/Heartland/Cottage/1955/text/copdumbcrim.html)
* It seems this guy wanted some beer pretty badly. He decided that he’d just throw a cinder block through a liquor store window, grab some booze, and run. So he lifted the cinder block and heaved it over his head at the window. The cinder block bounced back and hit the would-be thief on the head, knocking him unconscious. Seems the liquor store window was made of Plexi-Glass. The whole event was caught on videotape.
* A Newark NJ woman reporting her car as stolen mentioned that there was a phone in it. The policeman taking the report called the phone and told the guy that answered that he had read the ad in the newspaper and wanted to buy the car. They arranged to meet, and the thief was arrested.
* Two men tried to pull the front off an ATM by running a chain from the machine to the bumper of their pickup truck. Instead of pulling the front panel off the machine, though, they pulled the bumper off their truck. Scared, they left the scene and drove home... With the chain still attached to the machine. With their bumper still attached to the chain. With their vehicle’s license plate still attached to the bumper.
* A police officer had a perfect hiding place for watching for speeders. But one day, everyone was under the speed limit, the officer found the problem: a 10 year old boy was standing on the side of the road with a huge hand painted sign which said "RADAR TRAP AHEAD." A little more investigative work led the officer to the boy’s accomplice, another boy about 100 yards beyond the radar trap with a sign reading, "TIPS" and a bucket at his feet, full of change.
People will do strange things… illegal things… comical things in pursuit of money. Perhaps the most famous misquoted verse in the Bible about money is 1 Timothy 6:10. 1 Timothy 6:9-10 says, “People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” Money itself is not evil, but can lead to traps, foolish desires, and piercing griefs which ruin us.
The passage we will look at today is one in which the desire for money did indeed lead to a trap, foolish desires, and piercing griefs which ruined an entire nation for awhile and eventually an entire family permanently. The passage is about a man named Achan who we might consider to be quite a foolish crook. He stole from God and tried to hide it.
THE SIN OF ACHAN
READ JOSHUA 7:1-5
But the Israelites acted unfaithfully in regard to the devoted things; Achan son of Carmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of them. So the LORD's anger burned against Israel. 2 Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth Aven to the east of Bethel, and told them, "Go up and spy out the region." So the men went up and spied out Ai. 3 When they returned to Joshua, they said, "Not all the people will have to go up against Ai. Send two or three thousand men to take it and do not weary all the people, for only a few men are there." 4 So about three thousand men went up; but they were routed by the men of Ai, 5 who killed about thirty-six of them. They chased the Israelites from the city gate as far as the stone quarries and struck them down on the slopes. At this the hearts of the people melted and became like water.
Verse 1 of chapter 7 tells us that Achan stole from God. Achan took some of the plunder from Jericho, which had all been dedicated to God and given to Him. Achan stole the sacred articles and put them among his own possessions and hid his theft from the other Israelites. He also deceived the people by not revealing that he had done it. What had Achan done? Achan stole from God.
READ JOSHUA 7:20-25
20 Achan replied, "It is true! I have sinned against the LORD, the God of Israel. This is what I have done: 21 When I saw in the plunder a beautiful robe from Babylonia, two hundred shekels of silver and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath." 22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent, and there it was, hidden in his tent, with the silver underneath. 23 They took the things from the tent, brought them to Joshua and all the Israelites and spread them out before the LORD. 24 Then Joshua, together with all Israel, took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the robe, the gold wedge, his sons and daughters, his cattle, donkeys and sheep, his tent and all that he had, to the Valley of Achor. 25 Joshua said, "Why have you brought this trouble on us? The LORD will bring trouble on you today." Then all Israel stoned him, and after they had stoned the rest, they burned them.
Later in Joshua chapter 7, Joshua confronts Achan about his actions and his theft. Achan himself (verse 21) describes his sin as covetousness. Once confronted and standing alone before the people, he confessed to his theft. He wanted that robe and the gold and the silver for himself. There was no mistake or accident or miscommunication. Everyone knew no plunder was to be taken from Jericho. Deuteronomy 5:19 states “you shall not steal.” Achan chose to take something that was not his. Achan broke the covenant the people of Israel had with God. The covenant was a trust relationship that Israel would obey the Lord and He would give them victory. It was a give and take relationship, but Achan sought only to take. The covenant was broken— the proof was that the armies of Ai defeated the armies of Israel.
Achan was a man who committed a grave sin against God. The end result of his sin was that he and all that he had (including his family) died. What was it that Achan did that was so awful that it required his life and the lives of his family? Achan stole from God.
PURPOSE/THREAD:
As we head towards Faith Promise in a few weeks, we will be fasting, praying, and seeking guidance from God about giving to missions here at NBCC. It is wise for us to get some perspective about money before we enter into a time of giving and deciding what to give. As we think about what occurred in Joshua 7 and in the life of Achan, let us look plainly at the Scriptures so that we do not fall into the same trap, foolish desires, and piercing griefs. Let’s keep Achan’s sin in mind as we look briefly at 3 other passages from the Bible. As we look at these passages, we will ask: What would Achan say? We are asking that because we don’t want to end up like Achan!
I. ACHAN’S SIN IN VIEW OF MATTHEW 22:15-22
READ MATTHEW 22:15-22
Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. 16 They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. "Teacher," they said, "we know you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren't swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are. 17 Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?" 18 But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, "You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? 19 Show me the coin used for paying the tax." They brought him a denarius, 20 and he asked them, "Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?" 21 "Caesar's," they replied. Then he said to them, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." 22 When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away.
The situation we find Jesus in when reading this passage was a common one for Him. The Pharisees often tried to trap Jesus in order to find some charge to have Him arrested. They begin by laying on praise and the flattery quite thick. They heralded Him as a man of integrity and a true teacher of God’s Word and then asked Him: Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar? A simple yes or no question; it was a simple question full of trouble.
A “yes” answer to this question would allow the Pharisees to charge that He was a Roman supporter and a traitor to Israel and His ministry would lose all its momentum. A “no” answer would allow the Pharisees to go to the Roman authorities and charge Him with inciting rebellion against the Emperor and encouraging others not to pay taxes. In the end, Jesus’ insightful response was “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God’s what is God’s.” Jesus is saying two very important things when He gave this response. First, He was teaching His followers to be good citizens and pay taxes and obey the laws. Passages in the Bible such as Ezra 7:26, Matthew 17:27, Romans 13:1, 1 Peter 2:13-14, and Titus 3:1 all command us as believers to be good citizens. Second, it occurs to me that Jesus is affirming that giving back to God is admirable and a command of God. God is the Giver of All Things and we ought to be able and willing to give back to Him.
THREAD: What would Achan say?
I think Achan would say it’s your money and you earned it… you keep it and do whatever you want with it. Achan would be wrong. Dead wrong.
II. ACHAN’S SIN IN VIEW OF 2 CORINTHIANS 9:6-9
READ 2 CORINTHIANS 9:6-9
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 9 As it is written: "He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever."
The Apostle Paul is instructing the Corinthians about giving and sharing. Paul lays down several principles that aid us in thinking about giving.
One, Paul teaches that a person should give “what he has decided in his heart to give.” This means that the Christian is not required to give only a tenth, but gives as much as they decide. You may sow as much as you like and we are not limited as believers to only giving God 10% of what He has already generously given to us.
Two, God will take care of the giver and will see that his needs are met. Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:33 that if we “seek first His kingdom” something special happens; “All these things will be given to you as well.” God will take care of our worries and needs if we give to Him first.
Three, we are also advised to give generously because the returns on the giving will be generous as well. Our giving is an expression of thanks to God and He in turn will bless us.
Four, the giving needs to be done with a joyful heart and with thanksgiving. Paul tells us that our motivation for giving should be out of thanks to God and not because we are required. When giving, attitude is important.
THREAD: What would Achan say?
I think Achan would say that banking on God’s blessings is foolish and relying on God is weak. I think Achan would say that you have to look out for yourself and yourself only because nobody else cares about you. Achan would say doing what you want with your money has no consequences spiritually. Achan would be wrong. Stone-dead wrong.
III. ACHAN’S SIN IN VIEW OF MALACHI 3:8-10
I want us to look at one last passage about giving and then we’ll be done this morning. I realize that each one of these passages should probably be their own sermon, but I want you to realize that God has desires and commands about money which are woven throughout all of Scripture. Jesus, the Apostle Paul, and God Himself have much to say about giving and our needed perspective about money. We know from Joshua chapter 7 that Achan stole from God, but he was not the first nor was He the last to do so. The book of Malachi recounts that the whole nation of Israel was refusing to tithe and God says they were robbing Him. God the Father speaks to us in Malachi 3.
READ MALACHI 3:8-10
Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. "But you ask, 'How do we rob you?' "In tithes and offerings. 9 You are under a curse-- the whole nation of you-- because you are robbing me. 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.
We see plainly in this passage that to withhold tithes from the Lord is to rob Him. God states that because the nation of Israel is not tithing that they are not receiving His blessings. Not tithing or giving 10% of your income is robbing God. There simply is no way around this truth. God lays it out in these verses and there is no way to translate it away or interpret it any different.
THREAD: What would Achan say?
I think Achan would say chance it! Chance keeping what you have to yourself! Chance it! Who is going to know anyway! Achan would say that keeping money and income to yourself for your own purposes is just fine and he’d bet that God would just overlook it. Achan would be wrong. Burned-stone-dead wrong.
PURPOSE/THREAD:
As we head towards Faith Promise in a few weeks, we will be fasting, praying, and seeking guidance from God about giving to missions here at NBCC. It is wise for us to get some perspective about money before we enter into a time of giving and deciding what to give.
In Matthew 22, Jesus Christ commands us to give to God and keep our money in perspective.
In 2 Corinthians 9, the Apostle Paul would tell us to sow generously with those around us.
In Malachi 3, God commands us to give back to Him.
FAITH PROMISE
At NBCC, we follow Faith-Promise yearly to support the local and international missions of our church. Faith Promise is a commitment made to God based not necessarily on what you already have, but based on what you believe God will provide you for use in worldwide evangelism. Each person is challenged to give “As he has purposed in his heart” (2 Corinthians 9:7).
A Faith-Promise is an agreement with God in which you promise to trust God to somehow provide you with the funds to regularly support the worldwide mission’s efforts of New Beginnings Christian Church. The Faith-Promise program encourages systematic giving, based upon each person’s faith and trust in God’s provision. A Faith-Promise is not a ‘pledge’ to the local congregation, but is a promise between you and God to be generous.
CONCLUSION
