Get On The Team
10/16/05 Exodus 36:1-7 2 Corinthians 9:6-15
There is nothing like being on a winning team. Do you remember what it was like when the Indians were winning back when the Stadium first opened. We were glued listening to our radios wondering who was going to make that next big play to pull us out of a jam. There’s a whole new excitement when you’re winning. You get in the mindset of expecting things to happen.
God is always looking to build a winning team. God provides everything that’s needed for us to be winners. God’s people had been slaves in Eygpt for 430 years. God decided its time to show my people a greatness they have never known before.
He sent a man by the name of Moses to be a leader of His people and to bring them out of Egypt. Eygpt was the military superpower of its day. But its power was no match for the power of God, and God left the nation in shambles when Moses led the people out.
God had called out a group of people to be on His team. When they left Egypt, anything the former slaves asked the Egyptians for, the Egyptians eagerly gave it. God’s people came out with designer clothes, gold, silver, jewelry and the best of the things of Egypt.
After they were out of Eygpt, God wanted them to build a tabernacle, which is sort of like a moving church that you put up and take down with you as you move. God wanted this tabernacle to look magnificent because that was the place that was going to be associated with God’s name and God’s presence. There was artwork that would go into the temple that would require skilled craftsman. God specifically raised up to fellows on the team named Bezalel and Oholiab to lead the others in all the craftsmanship to go into the building of the tabernacle.
When God told Moses, to build the tabernacle, probably the first thing that came to Moses’s mind was, “where is the money going to come from.” God already had that taken care of because God had called a team together. God said, “Simply tell the people to come and bring me an offering. Tell them what I need to have the tabernacle built. When they make me a sanctuary, I will come and dwell among them.”
When it came time to collect the offering, people came morning after morning bringing in gold silver, bronze, expensive fabric, wood, oil, jewels, and precious stones. They brought in so much, the people collecting the offering started to complain to Moses.
They said, “Moses we have a problem. We have too much money and materials. Please ask the people to stop giving.” Moses went out to the people and said, “I hereby order you not to bring any more offerings for the sanctuary” The Scripture says the people were restrained from giving more.
These people had eagerly wanted to be on the team. They showed their commitment to the team by the sacrifices they were willing to make. They gave willingly and freely. Why, because they wanted the presence of God in their midst. They were grateful for what God had done in their lives.
God is still in the business of calling together teams in the New Testament. When the early church came together not too long after Jesus went back into heaven, the church was made up of people who had a lot of money, people who had some money, people who had little money and people who had no money.
One thing they did all have in common though was a love for Jesus Christ and for doing what He had told them to do. He had told them to go into the world and make disciples of all people. Jesus had also told them to love each other and to meet the needs of the poor. It was going to take money for this to happen.
They recognized that they were all on the same team, and the presence of God was in their midst in a powerful way. Look at one of the most feared passages in the bible, for those of us who have as much as we have. Acts 4:32-35
All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. [33] With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. [34] There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales [35] and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.
This verse goes against our American way of thinking. We believe what’s mine is mine, and what’s yours is yours and if you don’t ask for mine I won’t ask for yours. But our fear is due to a failure to understand the goodness of our God. It is not God’s intention for you to give, so that you can be broke. It’s God’s intention for you to give so that you can be blessed. God calls you on His team to bless you, so that you can be a blessing to others.
When part of the church in Jerusalem was suffering financially, The apostles asked the other churches to help them out. They were encouraging them to act like team players. They wanted them to see it was possible for them to come out as winners, by being generous. Look at 2 Corinthians 9:10-11 2 Cor. 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. [11] 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.
In this short verse on giving, we find several promises for God’s people willing to get on the team. First God promises you a supply and increase in your store of seed. A supply is a source. God is saying I can give you a job or I can give you money that you didn’t even know was coming your way. Second is the promise of a raise when it says I will increase your store of seed. How many of you would like to have an increase in your pay check or a larger amount of money in the bank?
Third God promises to make us more fruitful in our lives by making us more righteous. You see when holding on to money is no longer our first love, God becomes free to work in other areas of our lives. How many of us could use more righteousness in our lives.
Fourth God promise us that we can be rich in every way, which means not only in money, but in relationships, friendships, and our walk with God. Fifth God promises to put us in place of being a blessing in all kinds of situations. Sixth, our way of life will result in others praising God. Do you see that God doesn’t ask us to give to make us broke, but to give so that we can be in a position to be blessed. We have to get on the team in order to get what God has for us.
There was a guy by the name of Joseph who wanted to be on the team. He was so eager the help, the apostles gave him the name Barnabus, which means Son of Encouragement. Barnabus understood what it was to be on the team. He went and sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostle’s feet.
He didn’t think twice about it after he did it. You see when you’re giving because you love the Lord, you don’t think of it as a sacrifice. It simply becomes part of your nature. You want to be generous.
There are some people who want to pretend they are on the team but they really aren’t, but they like the praise that go along with being on a winning team. They like the benefits. The church is one of the few places left, where you can be on the team, get most of the benefits, and not do your part in carrying the load.
We make the mistake of sometimes thinking that we join the team by confessing our sins. No, the decision to join the team is to be made after counting the cost of what it takes to be on the team. Jesus said, “if you’re going to be on my team, first sit down and count the cost involved. Are you really willing to deny yourselves pleasures, fame, fortune and fun that could be yours, in order to pick up your cross which means all kinds of sacrifices and total obedience to me for the rest of your lives.” If you’re not, then don’t even bother confessing your sins, and inviting me into your life. You see Jesus knows that a judgment day is coming, and it is better not to have known the truth, than to have known it and reject it.
Well there was a couple in the bible who wanted to join the team, but didn’t want to pay the full cost. They were well known among the believers and professed Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. They admired how the church praised those who were willing to sacrifice themselves and their property for the kingdom of God.
They thought wouldn’t it be nice to have people say all those nice things about us. Their names were Ananais and Sapphira. Ananais’s name meant “God is gracious” and Sapphira meant “beautiful.” They were well known to the apostles.
They decided to make an impression on the church. They owned some land that they were not using and they decided to sell it and give the money to the church just like everybody else was doing. I don’t know what happened as to whether they got a lot more money than they had expected to get from the land, or they didn’t get as much as they wanted to get from the land.
But something happened when they actually got the money in their hands. It’s like the people who say, “if I ever get a lot of money, the church isn’t going to have to worry about any bills.” The church wouldn’t have to worry about any bills now with the jobs we have if we were all willing to get on the team.
When they looked at the money, Ananias, said “Honey we can’t give all of this to the church. I feel led to keep some of it for us.” Sapphira, said, “you know I was thinking the same thing. But you know, they went crazy when Barnabus gave all that he had.” Ananias said, “Well nobody knows how much we got for the land but you and me. I’m not going to tell. We can tell them that this is all the money we got for it, and we can keep this portion for ourselves.” Sapphira smiled and thought about the good times they would be having with that extra money.
Ananias came to the church, went before the apostles just like Barnabus did and waited to hear rounds of approval and clapping just like Barnabus got. Instead, Peter took one look at him and said, “Wait a minute brother. How on earth did you let Satan enter your heart to the point of coming in here and lying to the Holy Spirit by keeping some of the money for yourself.
Look you didn’t have to sell the land, because it was yours to keep. Even after you sold it, it was your money to give as you please. What made you try to pull a fast one over on God. You didn’t lie to us, you lied to God.
Ananias didn’t get a chance to explain, he didn’t get a chance to try to blame his wife, he didn’t even get a chance to say I’m sorry. The Scriptures say the minute he heard it he fell over dead. When people heard what had happened it nearly scared them to death. A few young men came forward, wrapped up his body, carried him out and buried him. He didn’t even have a funeral service.
Now Sapphira came in three hours later. She was expecting to get recognized and to come forward and have everyone applaud her for her faithfulness. Nobody had gotten word to her yet about what had happened to her husband so she missed his burial. Peter did give her the chance to come clean. He said, “now tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land.” She was sticking by their story and said “yes it is the price.”
Peter said, “how could you and your husband both agree to test the Spirit of the Lord. You see these guys coming in the door. They just finished burying your husband and now they’re going to carry you out as well.” At that moment she fell at his feet and died. They never got to spend that money they were holding back for whatever they were planning.
It’s interesting Peter said, how could you and your husband both agree to test the Spirit of the Lord. What he was saying there was, “trying to see how much you can get away with before the Lord will take action against you.” Ananias and Sapphira wanted others to think more highly of them than they actually deserved.
They thought as along as they gave something God was going to be pleased with it. God wanted their giving to be accompanied by integrity and honesty. That’s part of what’s required if you’re going to be on the team. Is your giving an indication of your honesty and integrity as a believer.
Whenever God was doing something new, his judgment was harsher. When God’s people first came to the promise land, he told them everything in the city of Jericho was to be destroyed and nothing taken. Achan disobeyed by taking some gold. He and his family were destroyed.
In the case of Ananias and Sapphira, this is the first time the believers are referred to as the church. God does things in the beginning that may seem harsh to serve as a reference point of warning of the judgment to come.
We need you on the team at Glenville. We need you to do you part in the kingdom of God with your talents and your money . God has blessed you with resources, and God expects you to give them back. In Luke 11:42 Jesus told the Pharisees they ought to tithe. He commended Zacheeus for giving 50%.
He commended the widow for giving 100%. So our giving should be somewhere between 10% and 100% of what we receive. If all of us on the team gave at the bottom level of 10% , we could cover all of our bills, reach more people for Christ, and build the New Life Center without having another fund raiser.
It says in 2 Corinthians 9:12 “This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.” When we give we are not only blessing others, we cause others to praise God which is what we are suppose to be about.
Let me ask you this. Are you on the team today? Are you giving your very best for the Lord. Why is it that you give? The reason we are to give is because God loves people. God so loved the world that God gave Jesus so that no one would have to be lost. God has given us the responsibility and obligation to reach as many people as possible to escape hell and to take them to heaven with us. He has given us the responsibility to offer hope in people’s lives that only comes through Jesus Christ. If we don’t support the mission of God in the world, then who is really on God’s team? When God loved, God gave. We are called to be like God.
Sermon Outline Pastor Rick 10/16/05
“Get On The Team”
Exodus 36:1-7 2 Corinthians 9:6-15
A. The Thrill Of Being A Winning Team
1. The Indians
2. Moses & The Children Of Israel
3. God’s Call To Build The Tabernacle
4. The Generosity Of The People
5. The Problem Of Giving Too Much
B. Understanding The Nature Of Team
1. The Team Of The Early Church
2. Different Economic Backgrounds
3. Loving Jesus & Loving Others
Acts 4:32-35
All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. [33] With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. [34] There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales [35] and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.
4. Contrary To American Thinking
5. Acting As Team players
2 Cor. 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. [11] 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.
C. God Has Six Promises
1. Supply And Increase
2. An Overdue Raise
3. Fruitful In All Areas
4. Rich In Every Way
5. Blessing To Many
6. Testimony Of Praise
D. Meet Joseph—Team Player
1. Barnabus (Son Of Encouragement)
2. Eager To Sacrifice
E. Pretenders For The Team
1. Benefits Without Payment
2. When Do You Join
3. Jesus Says—Count The Cost
4. Judgment Day is For Real
F. A Couple Trying Out
1. In The Church & Known
2. Ananais—God Is Gracious
3. Sapphira—Beautiful
4. Looking For Praise & Approval
H. Money Can Change Us
1. A Plan To Deceive
2. God Knows Everything
3. Conspiring Against God
I. The Holy Spirit Reveals
1. Ananias Before Peter
2. Peter Exposes The Plot
3. Death And Funeral
4. Second Death & Funeral
J. When We Tempt The Lord
1. Giving—Honesty & Integrity
2. God’s Early Judgment
K. We Need You On The Team
1. Jesuss-10%, 50%, 100%
2 Cor. 9:12 This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.
2. Giving Because Of Who God Is
3. God’s Challenge To Us
4. Who’s On The Team
5. God Love & So God Gave
