SERMON BASIC THOUGHTS
"IT’S TIME TO PUT GOD TO THE TEST...
AND DISCOVER HIS LOVE!’
Dr. David L. Haun
King David was called by a prophet Gad to build an altar to the honor and glory of God. When he approached the property’s owner, he was offered the land for free. David’s answer: "No, I will not have it as a gift. I will buy it, for I don’t want to offer to the Lord my God burnt offerings that have cost me nothing." Today we are given a challenge by God to put Him to the test. Many Christians through the years have taken this challenge of God, have put Him to the test, and have learned the wonder of His fulfilling love. Listen carefully to God’s amazing offer. Our Scriptures for today’s sermon come from the Old and the New Testament:
OLD TESTAMENT SCRIPTURE II Samuel 24;18-25 (NIV)
18 On that day [the prophet] Gad went to David and said to him, "Go up and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite." 19 So David went up, as the Lord had commanded through Gad. 20 When Araunah looked and saw the king and his men coming toward him, he went out and bowed down before the king with his face to the ground. 21 Araunah said, "Why has my lord the king come to his servant?"
"To buy your threshing floor," David answered, "so I can build an altar to the Lord that the plague on the people may be stopped."
22 Araunah said to David, "Let my lord the king take whatever pleases him and offer it up. Here are oxen for the burnt offering, and here are threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood. 23 O king, Araunah gives all this to the king." Araunah also said to him, "May the Lord your God accept you."
24 But the king replied to Araunah, "No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing."
So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen and paid fifty shekels of silver for them. 25 David built an altar to the Lord there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings.
I.
THE OFFERING DEMAND OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
A. God’s Old Testament demand is to offer Him a Tithe. The OT tithe is 10%
And the Lord owns every tenth animal of your herds and flocks and other domestic animals, as they pass by for counting. The tenth given to the Lord shall not be selected on the basis of whether it is good or bad, and there shall be no substitutions.
Lev 27:32-33 TLB
B. The offering is given because we honor God.
"Tithing has always been a test of the heart, not a matter of money. Our attitude toward tithing is a clear reflection of the confidence we have or don’t have in God. The Lord does not want our money. He wants our trust." (1)
C. The prophet Malachi accused the people of ignoring this Old Testament demand. As a result, they failed to put God first, and dishonored him.
A son honors his father, and servants their master. If then I am a father, where is the honor due me? And if I am a master, where is the respect due me? says the Lord of hosts. ...Will anyone rob God? Yet you are robbing. Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in my house, and thus put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts; see if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you an overflowing blessing." Malachi 1:6, 3:8-10. (NRSV)
Notice: 1) God’s demanded honor
2) God’s expected respect
3) God’s challenge for a test
4) God’s eternal promise
II.
THE OFFERING METHOD OF THE NEW TESTAMENT
A. In II Corinthians 8, Paul urges the Christians in Corinth to consider the Macedonian church as a guide to their own giving.
Now I want to tell you, dear brothers and sisters, what God in his kindness has done for the churches in Macedonia. Though they have been going through much trouble and hard times, their wonderful joy and deep poverty have overflowed in rich generosity. For I can testify that they gave not only what they could afford but far more. And they did it of their own free will. They begged us again and again for the gracious privilege of sharing in the gift for the Christians in Jerusalem. Best of all, they went beyond our highest hopes, for their first action was to dedicate themselves to the Lord and to us for whatever directions God might give them. II Cor 8:1-5 ( Living New Testament)
Notice: 1) The source, Macedonia.
2) The situation, trouble and hard times.
3) The Response, gave more than affordable
4) The motivation, dedication to God.
B. Consider Paul’s instructions to the Corinthian Christians.
"Regarding the relief offering for poor Christians that is being collected, you get the same instructions I gave the churches in Galatia. Every Sunday each of you make an offering and put it in safekeeping. Be as generous as you can. When I get there you’ll have it ready, and I won’t have to make a special appeal. Then after I arrive, I’ll write letters authorizing whomever you delegate, and send them off to Jerusalem to deliver your gift." I Corinthians 16:1-3 (The Message)
Notice: 1) The method, each Sunday
2) The means, be as generous as you can.
3) The distribution, to meet needs.
C. Note the Example of Christ:
You know how full of love and kindness our Lord Jesus Christ was. Though he was very rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich. 2 Cor 8:9 (New Living Testament)
Notice: 1) Who He was.
2) What He did.
3) Why He did it.
III.
THE PROMISE STRAIGHT FROM GOD
...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. Mal 3:10 (NIV)
God is able to make it up to you by giving you everything you need and more so that there will not only be enough for your own needs but plenty left over to give joyfully to others. ... For God, who gives seed to the farmer to plant, and later on good crops to harvest and eat, will give you more and more seed to plant and will make it grow so that you can give away more and more fruit from your harvest. 2 Cor 9:8, 10 (Living)
III
THE CHALLENGE GOD OFFERS YOU TODAY
"Put Me To The Test..."
Bring the full tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house; and thereby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you an overflowing blessing.
Mal 3:10-11 (RSV)
A. My experience.
I was serving my first church in Beaufort, South Carolina. A young marine and his wife accepted Christ as Lord, and began to be active in our church. One Sunday I preached on tithing. After church, they stopped at the door after church and asked if I would come by their home. That afternoon, I went to see them. They said, "we’d like to tithe. Could you help us do it?" They then laid out their debts and bills. This young corporal and his wife owed more in monthly bills than their income. As I sat there with my mouth open in shock, he added to the load by sharing that while he was due for a promotion to sargent, the marine corps was threatening him with an undesirable discharge because of his bad credit record and debt letters.
Needless to say, I uttered a silent prayer. And then said something like, "you’ve got a problem. You have a responsibility to God in your stewardship. But at the same time you have a responsibility to all these merchants to pay what you owe. And finally, you’re about to get kicked out on the street." We talked a while, and came to a solution that I thought might help them. The couple committed that day to give two percent of every penny they earned to Christ. In addition, they agreed to cut out some unnecessary spending they were doing. Finally, the husband agreed to go to his commanding officer and request help in handling his money and meeting his bills.
We wrote their pledge to give 2% on piece of notebook paper and they signed it. Several things happened in the next weeks. The commanding officer agreed to help them, and they were placed on a strict budget. A payoff loan was arranged through the credit union, which allowed them to satisfy the most critical debts. Since the credit letters were straightened out, he was placed on the list for promotion.
By the time my marine friend was transferred to a base in North Carolina, their level of percentage giving to Christ had grown to five percent. One of the last promises my military friend made was that they would continue to put God to the test until they reached the tithe.
B. So here is the test I offer you today. Try an experiment for the next 12 weeks, try percentage giving.
1. What is Percentage Giving? It is prayerfully selecting a percent of your income and setting it aside FIRST as your offering to Jesus Christ.
2. The basis of the percentage you select is a response between
What you feel God deserves.
What you owe in current bills
And then prayerfully determining what percentage you feel you can offer.
3. The percentage amount is a prayer choice between you and God. No one will know your decision.
C. Enclosed with your bulletin is a pledge card. Since this is between you and God, there is no place to sign your name. Let’s pray, as you decide to what degree you are willikng to put God to the test.
FOOTNOTES
(1) Rev. Bob Coy, pastor Calvery Chapel, Ft. Lauderdale, Fl. From a sermon
