Treasure Principles
For such a time as this
November 19, 2006
Treasure Principles
The tyranny of things
Lets say that someone gives you a free TV... Now what? You have to get an antenna or subscribe to cable. You need a vcr, a dvd, a TIVO box, and surround sound speakers to make the experience grand. Then to truly have the best experience you need a new plasma TV with High Definition. This all costs money but even more than that – you have to actually sit and watch the TV. It takes up your time. It becomes an investment of your life.
This is time you could read, spend with the kids, or even invest in prayer and reading the Bible – not that I would go “spiritual” on you! So what’s the cost of the free television?
How about that new boat or the quad-runner, the jet ski, or that new four door, V-8 belch fire SUV with 6 disc CD changer, DVD player and individual headphones? When you buy this stuff you have to insure it, put gas in it or load it with CDs, DVDs; you have to change the oil in it, service it at the dealer, wash it, clean it, polish it, store it, and then after everything else you have to actually use it.
The problem isn’t TV, boat, or a cottage. It’s us. It’s the law of life and the tyranny of things. Solomon called it chasing after the wind…
Chasing after the Wind
“Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless…”
As goods increase, so do those who consume them. And what benefit are they to the owner except to feast his eyes on them?
The sleep of a laborer is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of a rich man permits him no sleep.
I have seen a grievous evil under the sun: wealth hoarded to the harm of its owner, or wealth lost through some misfortune, so that when he has a son there is nothing left for him.
Naked a man comes from his mother’s womb, and as he comes, so he departs. He takes nothing from his labor that he can carry in his hand.
Ecc 5:10-15
Ok. Stuff is a challenge and a problem we face that directly affects our lives – spiritually, financially, emotionally, as well as physically. It creates all kinds of pressures and stresses in our lives and on top of that it does not make you happy!
We all know this! We all know that mammon, stuff, things, shopping, and materialism does not satisfy the hunger in our soul for happiness.
But… we still feed the hunger with the wrong food. We do it all the time. We’re addicted to stuff!
We are like heroin addicts except we are mainlining DVD’s, digital cameras, and designer jeans. It’s like we have an IV attached to our arm pumping in “stuff” – lots and lots of stuff.
So how do you break the addiction? What is the answer to materialism? How do we fight this plague? If affluenaza is the disease, what’s the cure? If materialism is the poison, what’s the antidote?
Are you ready? There is only one answer and it’s drastic. Some of you might go into shock. Everyone hold onto the arms of their chairs right now. Grab hold of your mate’s or your friends hand right now! Got a good grip? Are you ready?? Here it is…
Key #4: Giving is the only antidote to Materialism
When Paul wrote to a young preacher named Timothy and gave him sound advice for leading the church here is what he said about money:
Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.
1 Timothy 6:17-19
Key #4: Giving is the only antidote to Materialism
Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.
1 Timothy 6:17-19
The answer is to learn the grace of giving. Paul says that being generous and willing to share allows us to take hold of the only true life.
The act of giving is a vivid reminder that it’s all about God and not about me. It’s saying that I’m not the point. He is the point. God does not exist for me. He is a not my spiritual butler.
God’s money has a higher purpose than my affluence. Giving is a joyful surrender to a greater person and a greater agenda. Giving affirms the Lord’s supremacy. It dethrones me and exhalts him.
As long as I have something, I believe I own it. But when I give it away, I relinquish control, power, and prestige. At the moment of release a light turns on and the magic spell is broken. My mind clears. I recognize God as owner, myself as servant, and others as intended beneficiaries of what God has entrusted to me.
Giving helps me see what life is really about - people and God. Of course, it isn’t just money. Time, wisdom, expertise all make wonderful gifts. But giving my possessions breaks me free from the gravitational hold things and shifts my center of gravity to heaven.
Now let’s talk a little about the tithe.
Oh, boy, I know you are thinking that it’s finally come to this.
Well, you are right but I’m not going to say what you think I’m going to say. Most people look at tithing as a great spiritual standard that only the holiest and most spiritual can achieve. Not so... tithing is a little like the toddler’s first steps. Returning a tenth of your increase is how you honor God with your life.
Let me tell you about Tyler Boogard. Tyler is a 9 year old boy who comes to MCC with his mom. A couple of Saturday’s ago he worked all day raking to make a total of go. He made $47 dollars raking leaves. That Saturday evening he asked his mom to help him with the calculator so he could figure out what a tenth of $47 was. Then on the next day, the first day of the week, Sunday he came to church and ran with excitement up to the offering box with his tithe. You probably didn’t notice him – but he was one of the best givers in the whole church that day… He gave the best, he gave with gladness and he gave the first tenth.
Listen to me folks. The Bible teaches tithing from cover to cover. It is a one of the key treasure principles because it helps us break free from our addiction to stuff.
Now if you say, wait a minute preacher, we’re not under the law. There is no requirement to give the tithe like in the OT - I’m fine with that as long as you are not saying it to get out of giving! In fact while we tend to see someone who tithes as a spiritual giant the reality is that 1/10th is the baseline for giving. You return the tithe. To give an offering you go beyond the tithe. And by the way, you didn’t ask yet but you will. Gross – not net!
God asks us to tithe because of what it does for us. It is the one thing we are told to test God in. Test God in the tithe and he will bless you in wonderful ways.
Ok! Are you ready for the last key treasure principle. Grab hold of one another again… Here it is.
Key #5: God prospers me, not to raise my standard of living, but to raise my standard of giving.
Let’s talk about the health and wealth prosperity gospel for a minute. There a number of teachers, preachers, and evangelists who are busy convincing you to send them money so God can prove that he loves you by blessing you with health and wealth.
The problem is that this theology is 1/2 right. God does prosper us and he does heal us sometimes. But he won’t let us treat him like a no-lose slot machine, a cosmic genie, or a private divine butler.
Giving is often sacrificial and we will often feel that sacrifice. (This should not be a huge surprise!) but God does often bless us with wealth but the key to this whole theological jungle is one question: "Why?" Why does God give us prosperity?
Look at what the Apostle Paul taught on this subject in 2 Corinthians 9:10-11
Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.
2 Corinthians 9:10-11
Stop right here for a minute… ask your self one question, “Why?” Why does God supply seed to the sower and bread for food? Why does God go beyond the need and increase your store of seed and enlarge your harvest? Why? The answer is in the very next verse…
Key #5: God prospers me, not to raise my standard of living, but to raise my standard of giving.
You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God."
2 Corinthians 9:10-11
God comes right out and tells us why he gives us more money than we need. It’s NOT so that we can find more ways to spend it. It’s NOT so we can indulge ourselves and spoil our children. It’s NOT so we can insulate ourselves from needing God’s provision.
It’s so we can GIVE - generously. God’s prosperity is a blessing - and it is also a test.
We’re God’s FedEx man. What would you think of a FedEx man, the postman, or the UPS man who instead of delivering the package if they took it home and kept it. Wait... that’s not right. It’s not for them it’s for someone else.
God wants us to experience the joy of passing the prosperity around to others and to accomplish his work - for in giving we gain far more than the receiver. It really is more blessed to give than to get.
Because People Matter
There is something powerful in ceremony. At the end of our HS days we held a great gather of family and friends and received a diploma that proclaimed that we had graduated. At the close of our college days we received the accolades of our friends and family we accepted our honors and again received a diploma.
When we close out a season of sports competition we gather at a banquet and the trophies are presented to the best athletes.
Did the ceremony make the achievement greater or better? Of course not, the ceremony marked the achievement as substantial, special, above and beyond the normal. It says to the world – this is extraordinary and you are extraordinary.
Today we are engaged in a giving campaign to raise the funds needed to launch our building program. For the last month I’ve asked you to pray and consider what God wants you to give toward the launch of our first ministry center.
Some of you have answered the call and your commitments have already gone over three hundred thousand dollars.
But today, I’d like to invite all here to come to the front of the auditorium as we sing a song of offering, praise and thanksgiving, and to lay their commitment card in the treasure chest.
For some it will be a restatement of what they have already committed.
For some it will be an increase of what they have already committed.
For most of us it will be the first opportunity we have had to respond to the question… God what do you want me to do?
Join with all of God’s children this morning and come while we sing and worship. Lay your offering in the treasure chest and worship with your whole heart.
Come right now as we sing!
