OPEN: Gordon Wood, a preacher in Ellison Bay, Wisconsin once wrote:
“Recently, I tried something different in our worship service. Instead of preaching at the end, I did it first, with music, the offering, and Scripture reading afterward. As I stood behind the pulpit, I could see people getting ready for the offering, until they realized I was starting my message.
Caitlyn, a first grader in the congregation, was perplexed by this change of routine, and whispered frantically to her mom, ‘Doesn’t he know we haven’t paid him to talk yet?’”
APPLY: Why do we give to the church? I mean - do we REALLY give our offerings to pay for the preacher to talk? Do we give of our tithes so that we can make sure staff has their “paychecks” and because the church building needs to be lighted, heated and cooled thru out the year?
In other words: Do we give because we “HAVE” to?
OR
Is there a better reason to give of my offering to the church?
In I Chronicles 29, David tells us why he gave to God.
I. David said he gave - because he believed the money belonged to God to begin with
LOOK WITH ME TO 1 Chronicles 29:13-16 David prays to God:
“Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name. But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand. We are aliens and strangers in your sight, as were all our forefathers. Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope. O LORD our God, as for all this abundance that we have provided for building you a temple for your Holy Name, it comes from your hand, and all of it belongs to you.”
Who did the money belong to? (GOD)
The money hadn’t been David’s
The offerings hadn’t belonged to the people
Everything belonged to God
II. Why is that important?
Well, 1st – it’s true. And David acknowledged it by saying:
"… who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.”
(1 Chronicles 29:14)
Or as James wrote: “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” (James 1:17)
Why is that true? Why would I believe that everything I have comes from God?
ILLUS: A scientist approached God and said, “Listen, we’ve decided we no longer need you. Nowadays, we can clone people, transplant hearts and do all kinds of things that were once considered miraculous.”
God patiently heard him out, and then said, “All right. To see whether or not you still need me, why don’t we have a man making contest?”
“Okay, great!” the scientist said.
“Now we’re going to do this just like I did back in the old days with Adam,” God said.
“That’s fine,” replied the scientist, and bent to scoop up a handful of dirt.
“Whoa,” God said, shaking his head. “Not so fast, pal. You get your own dirt.”
The point is this: you can’t do ANYTHING without using something God has created. Whether it’s the dirt at your feet, the metal in the ground or any other commodity that you might use to make a living – it was all created by God. Even your skills, your intellect, your physical ability: they’re all from God because God created you in His image. All of the things that you/ I use to make a living … have been given to us.
Now, this idea that God has given us everything is NOT ONLY true… it is pivotal. It’s critical. It’s highly important. BECAUSE it effects how we behave
It not only effects how we give our gifts to God.
It effects how we TREAT God.
ILLUS: Several years ago at a conference John Maxwell told the story of a congressman who took his son to McDonald’s. The father bought his son a Coke and a large order of fries and they went and sat down at one of those table not built big enough for people to sit in.
The father took a drink of his Coke and reached over to get a fry from his son, and his son put his hands around the fries and pulled them back.
The father said, “That’s okay, son.” But as he sat there he started thinking to himself,
“Doesn’t my son realize I’m the one who gave him those fries in the first place?
Doesn’t he realize I can take those fries away from him any time I want?
Doesn’t he realize I can go up to the counter and I’ve got enough money I can buy all the fries I want? I can tell the people at the counter, ‘Go out there and bury my son in French fries.’
Doesn’t my son realize I doesn’t need any of his fries? I can go get my own.
Doesn’t he realize all I wanted to do was share a couple of fries with him?”
And then the congressman said it hit him: his son was simply acting like he’d been acting with God.
His son had forgotten who bought the fries to begin with. And BECAUSE he had forgotten who really – by right - OWNED the fries he treated his father badly.
That doesn’t just happen to young boys. It can happen to any one of us when we forget that God truly owns all that we possess. And there are two reasons why this is true.
1. The “Golden Rule” – He who owns the gold makes the rules
That little boy thought HE owned the fries, therefore he believed he had the right to decide whether his dad deserved them.
If we who are in the church believe we “own” our money then we get to decide NOT ONLY whether God gets a share… but what is done with that share.
ILLUS: I once heard about a preacher who was approached by a fairly rich man in the congregation. The member was angry. A decision had been made in the congregation that he didn’t agree with. In no uncertain terms, he let the preacher know that until the church changed its policy he was going to withhold his tithe.
The preacher tried to reason with the member for a couple of minutes… but to no avail.
Then he said “You know, this is so important a matter that we really ought to talk to God about this.”
And before the member could even agree, the preacher took hold of the man’s hand and pulled him down to kneel right there in the aisle.
And he looked up toward heaven: “Dear God, we come before you and ask for your guidance in this matter. This brother has decided that he is unhappy with a decision this church has made and so he intends to refuse to give you any of his money until he can get his way. He intends to rob you Lord of your tithe until the church makes a decision that he favors….”
At about that time the rich man literally dragged the preacher to his feet protesting that that wasn’t what he intended at all.
But that was what he had intended. That rich man believed that he who OWNED the gold had the right to make the rules.
The 2nd reason we MUST believe that what we own actually belongs to God is because of…
2. The “Praise Factor” – He who owns the gold gets the praise
If I “OWN” my offering… if the money I have BELONGS to me… then the more I give to the church the more likely I am to receive praise. And thus, the richer I am and the more I’m capable of giving the more acknowledgment I’m likely to receive.
ILLUS: Back in 1991, I read about a large metropolitan church that received a gift of $150,000 from a corporate millionaire for a new organ. At the organ dedication, the donor was recognized with speeches, accolades, and a plaque of appreciation.
The writer of the article went on to point out that “meanwhile, in the same church, an elderly woman living on Social Security has been faithfully giving her small weekly gift in the offering plate. She has carefully managed her resources and is able to make ends meet, but it is tough. Each week she has gladly set aside her tithe for the church. She has never been honored for her giving; she has never received a plaque of appreciation.”
A millionaire gave $150,000 for a new church organ… and who got the praise? He did.
ILLUS: I’ve noticed in older churches that this has happened a lot. If you went into an older church building with the stain glass windows on either side and you were to take a close look at those windows… you’ll notice a small little square piece of glass at the bottom of those windows. What would you usually see in those little “squares”? That’s right: “Donated by:…” Somebody wanted everyone to remember who donated that window to the church, or who it was donated in memory of.
Essentially, they still owned that part of the church building. And it would take a church vote to remove it. Money was given to the church and the donator was given the praise.
By contrast… notice what David says: “O LORD our God, as for all this abundance that we have provided for building you a temple for your Holy Name, it comes from your hand, and all of it belongs to you… Then David said to the whole assembly, ‘Praise the LORD your God.’ So they all praised the LORD, the God of their fathers; they bowed low and fell prostrate before the LORD and the king.” 1 Chronicles 29:16 and 20
They praised God for the Temple that was to built.
They praised God for His kindness to them as a people.
BUT most importantly, they praised God for the abundance of the offerings they gave.
David’s one focus was that God should receive the praise for the offering that was given.
III. This idea – that God owns all our possessions - is a critical measure of our spiritual maturity
ILLUS: In fact, I’ve gotten to the point where I explain this very concept before I baptize people into Christ. I’ll read them Romans 10:9 “…if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Then I’ll point out that “confessing Jesus as my Lord” is pivotal to our salvation. In the days of Jesus, if you called someone your “Lord”, that person owned you. He was the master and you were the slave.
Did a slave “own” anything? Of course not.
Then I pull out my wallet. I’ll point to the picture section where I have pictures of my wife and children and I’ll explain that they don’t belong to me… they belong to Jesus. And because my wife and kids belong to Christ, He holds me accountable for how I treat my wife and how I treat my kids. They are His, not mine.
And I’ll point to the money that in the billfold and explain that none of it belongs to me. It’s His. This truth should not only effect how I give my offering to God every Sunday… it should effect the very way I handle my finances throughout the week.
Since that money belongs to Jesus, I should examine everything I buy, rent or lease asking if such an expenditure would please Him.
Thus, it is essential for we who are Christians to realize our possessions belong to Him. In fact it is SO critical a measure of my spiritual maturity that King David said God “tests us” in this.
LOOK AGAIN at 1 Chronicles 29:17 “I know, my God, that you TEST the heart and are pleased with integrity. All these things have I given willingly and with honest intent. And now I have seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you.”
DAVID SAW HIS OFFERING AS A TEST OF THE HEART
ILLUS: I once read the remarks of two people who decided to trust God with the tithe:
One man remarked "I heard about (tithing) but we decided we could not afford it. Then as time went on and our troubles grew, we talked it over, prayed about it and decided to try it. Now a couple of years later we agree it was the best thing we did. We are out of our problems and glad we began tithing. God seemed to bless and prosper us."
Another said he was glad he had decided to tithe: "God seemed to honor my nine tenths more than the ten tenths not tithed.”.
Let’s be honest… money is a big test us. The church can ask for me to give of my time, and I’ll gladly give of my spare time to help in various projects. The church can ask me to share my talents, and I’ll gladly sing, or teach, or whatever. But let the church make demands on my money… now we’re getting personal.
ILLUS: Bruce Larson once wrote:
Oh, God-
The bumper sticker says smile if you love Jesus;
So I smiled all day long… And the people thought I worked for Jimmy Carter.
The bumper sticker said honk if you love Jesus;
So I honked… and a policeman arrested me for disturbing the peace in a hospital zone.
The bumper sticker said wave if you love Jesus;
So I waved with both hands… but lost control of the car and crashed into the back of a Baptist bus.
Oh, God -
If I cannot smile… or honk… or wave…
How will Jesus know that I love Him?
If you love Jesus tithe… honking is too easy.
ILLUS: When the ushers had taken up the offering one Sunday and brought the plates down to the alter rail, the preacher took the plates and held them up in the air and he gave a prayer:
“Lord, regardless of what we say about you, this is really what we say about you, this is really what we feel about you. Amen.”
Now don’t get me wrong… how much you give to the church WILL NOT effect your salvation. You can be saved without ever giving a dime to this or any other congregation. However, until we’re prepared to commit ourselves to giving God a significant portion of our income we haven’t begun to be mature in our faith.
CLOSE: At one time at the City Temple in London, there was (in the congregation) a restaurant owner named Emil Mettler, who was a close friend of Albert Schweitzer and a kind of agent for Schweitzer in Britain.
Mettler would never allow a Christian worker to pay for a meal in his restaurant but once he did happen to open his cash register in the presence of the Secretary of the London Missionary Society. The Secretary was astonished to see among the bills and coins a six-inch nail. What was it doing there?
Mettler explained, "I keep this nail with my money to remind me of the price that Christ paid for my salvation and of what I owe Him in return."
SERMONS IN THIS SERIES
The Attitude of Ownership - 1 Chronicles 29:1-29:20
The Bondage of Debt - Deuteronomy 28:1-28:14
The Power Of Choice - Malachi 3:7-3:12
The Decision and The Promise - Genesis 22:1-22:19
