OPEN: A preacher told his church this story about an airplane trip he’d recently taken from Chicago to California:
"I was on the plane when they ran into some very severe turbulence. The plane began to shake terribly and the passengers were getting alarmed. Even the flight attendants were looking concerned. Finally, one of the passengers who sat behind him (and who knew he was a preacher) leaned over the seat and said, “This is really frightening. Do you suppose you could… I don't know... do something religious?'"
The preacher paused, smiled at his audience and said: "So I took up a collection."
Money and church… it IS kind of a religious thing. In fact… it’s a BIBLICAL thing.
ILLUS: Someone studied Jesus parables and found that 16 of Jesus’ 38 parables (nearly half) were concerned with how we to handle money and possessions. In addition he found that - in the Gospels - an amazing 1 out of 10 verses deal directly with subject of money. Further, he noted: the Bible offers 500 verses on prayer, less than 500 verses on faith, but more than 2000 verses on money and possessions.
So, when God talks to us about how we use our money… it’s just part of the deal. Someone once noted: “a faith that hasn’t reached your wallet, probably hasn’t reached your heart.” (Adrian Rogers)
Last week I said it this way: how we handle our money is kind of a barometer of our faith. AND sometimes the barometer isn’t as much a reflection of the people in the audience as it is a reflection of the faith of the preacher.
ILLUS: I heard of one church where the church was struggling financially. It was one of those churches where the preacher knew what everybody was giving and he knew of certain folks who were fairly well of who were not doing their part. So the preacher got up in the pulpit and began naming names! THEN they passed the plate – not once, not twice, but 3 times… until the preacher was satisfied with what they’d taken in.
What’s that tell us about that preacher? Was he a dominating kind of person? Controlling? Maybe a little creepy? Yeah, probably. But I think it says even more about his faith. The church needed money and this preacher didn’t trust God to supply it. He didn’t think God would supply the need, so he felt he had to do it for God! That preacher lacked faith in God.
Now, at this congregation, I haven’t a clue what any of you put in the plate. I don’t want to know. I figure you put in the plate what you do because you love Jesus. It’s between you and God and I let God worry about the finances for this church.
But let’s flip the coin over - that story tells us a bit about the church this preacher served. There were apparently people out in the pews who were sitting on premises rather than standing on the promises. Why were they sitting rather than standing? Because the moment they stood up, their wallets would have been exposed. Some of the folks in THAT church didn’t seem to have the faith that Paul writes about in II Corinthians. That kind of faith was one where “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” 2 Corinthians 9:7
Just to be clear, Paul was not talking about the tithe we take up every week. He was talking about a special offering. The church at Jerusalem was in trouble (there’d been a famine in that area and they were having trouble finding food to eat) and other congregations were taking up money to help them out.
But the principle is the same whether you’re giving your tithe or making a special offering. And here’s the principle: God doesn’t need your money.
There's an old Christian hymn where the first verse says this:
"My Father is rich in houses and lands, He holdeth the wealth of the world in His hands!
Of rubies and diamonds, of silver and gold, His coffers are full, He has riches untold. " (A Child Of The King)
He doesn't need your offerings and He doesn’t want you to give it grudgingly or reluctantly. But WHAT we give IS A REFLECTION of our faith… and of our love for God.
ILLUS: I read a church where they’d taken up the offering and brought the plates down front. The man who was supposed to pray took the plates - held them up in the air and he gave this 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."
That’s why God loves a cheerful giver. Think about it: a reluctant giver is like someone who is paying a bill. How many of you have bills you have to pay? Of course you do. You have utilities, phone bills, internet bills and so on. Do you like the people you pay the bill to? I do. I go into LMU (Logansport Municipal Utilities) and sometimes have a short friendly conversation with the person behind the desk. I like the folks down there. But do I love paying the bill? No. I pay the bill because I owe the money. They offer a service and I’m paying for it. How many of you love Comcast? Nobody seems to like Comcast. But they offer a service and we pay them for it. And if they don’t supply what they’ve promised we get on the phone and demand action… sometimes for hours……………
No one really LOVES paying bills and there are people who give reluctantly to God as if they were paying a bill. But a cheerful giver is one who is giving to God because they LOVE God. As one person once said: “You may give without loving, but you cannot love without giving.”
What’s interesting here is the promise we receive from God about offerings “… whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” (2 Corinthians 9:6) God is saying if you give bountifully and cheerfully you will reap bountifully from God. Now, does that promise just show up in this verse? Oh nooooooo…
In Luke 6:38 Jesus said: “give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you."
ILLUS: The image that comes into my mind when I read this like a can of soda pop. How many of you have ever taken a can of pop and shaken it real hard and then popped the top on it? You’re not too smart are you? We all know what’s going to happen when someone does that – the liquid is going to go all over the place. But that’s the imagery Jesus is using here (without all the sticky liquid). When we give generously and cheerfully to God, all kinds of blessings will spill out all over our lives.
Then there’s Malachi 3:10 “Bring the full tithe 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 a blessing until there is no more need.”
And in Proverbs 3:9-10 God says: “Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine”
The idea is this: If you and I honor God with our finances… He’ll honor us. God promises that if we give Him the FIRST fruits of our labor He will supply all our needs (not necessarily wants…but needs). God responds by giving us according to the measure we gave. If we are generous to Him… He’s generous to us. He will literally open the windows of heaven and pour down blessings.
But it has to be for what you’ve DECIDED to give. Godly giving is something you plan ahead for. Notice in that Proverbs passage it’s the FIRST FRUITS. It’s not your leftovers… it’s the first portion of what you’ve earned or received.
ILLUS: If you find yourself coming to church each Sunday and asking yourself: I’ve got a $5 a $10 and a $20 dollar bill… which one should I give? I mean, the 5 seems too chintzy and I really don’t want to give the 20. Ok, I’ll give the $10. That’s not first fruit giving, that’s leftovers, and, in giving leftovers…we tell God how much we think of Him.
But why would God tie how we give to how strong our FAITH is?
Well, 1st - because the tithe isn’t about money – it is about faith. One person said: “Tithing is not God’s way of raising money. It’s God’s way of raising Christians! Tithing is for YOUR benefit - not God’s. It’s a test!” (David Hill)
ILLUS: A preacher told of a young couple that said “just as soon as we get on top of our school debts and pay off the car and some bills, we’re going to begin tithing.” Then they added: “Just as soon as we can get a few bucks ahead.” Now the preacher understood what they were saying. Money was tight. But he noted that what they were actually saying was this, “As soon as we DON’T have to do this by faith, we’re going to start tithing.”
But tithing is all about FAITH – it’s about stretching our faith. 2 Corinthians 9:6 says “… whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” 2 Corinthians 9:6
ILLUS: There was a poor Georgia farmer standing in front of his tumbledown shack. A stranger stopped for a drink of water. Wanting to strike up a conversation the stranger asked: "How is your cotton coming along?"
"Ain't got none," replied the farmer.
"Did you plant any?" asked the stranger.
"Nope," was the reply, "afraid of bollweevils."
"Well," continued the stranger, "how is your corn?"
"Didn't plant none, fraid there weren't going to be no rain”
"Well, how are your potatoes?"
"Ain't got none. Scairt of potato bugs."
"Well, what did you plant?" pressed the stranger.
"Nothin' - I jest played safe."
Now, why didn’t that farmer sow seed for cotton/corn/potatoes? Because he was afraid. He had no faith. But isn’t planting seeds what a farmer does? I mean, by definition a farmer… farms. He plants seed to raise a crop. And every time that farmer plants seeds he is acting on faith. He’s acting on the faith that the crops WILL come in.
It’s the same way with our tithe. When we give our tithe we are acting on faith that God will honor His promise. Thus - tithing builds our faith.
2nd reason God wants us to learn to give: when we give God makes us His partners in ministry.
“God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.” 2 Corinthians 9:8
When we show God we can be trusted to use our money for HIM He responds by giving us MORE resources to use for HIM. That reflects what Jesus said in His parable about the Talents. He told of a wealthy man who entrusted his servants with differing amounts of money. When he returned from his journey he made this comment to the servants who were faithful with what he’d given them: "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” Matthew 25:21
That’s how God views us when it comes to being his partner in ministry.
ILLUS: There’s the story of a man who inherited a rice field. He was new at farming but learned what he could from those around him. Now if you’ve ever read up on how they grow rice you realize that the rice paddies are covered with irrigated water. In the 1st season as a farmer, the man noted that the irrigation water ran through his field and the crop was good. But the waters overflowed into the neighbor's field and helped that man’s crop grow too. But when the next season came, the new farmer said to himself, ‘Why should I permit all the waters to flow through my field into his? Water is wealth, and I must keep it all for myself.' So he built himself a dam that prevented the water from flowing into his neighbor's fields. The result? He had no crop that year. When he dammed up the water it became stagnant and it created a marsh and a swamp."
You see, that’s how God views our offerings. He allows His blessings to flow into our lives kind of like a refreshing stream. But if we simply keep those blessings to ourselves, we become stagnant and worthless to God as a partner/ministry. So, when we give freely because of what God has given us THEN we become partners in God’s ministry.
But, what is HIS ministry?
ILLUS: There was a Bible College where the president was asked by a supporter what he saw the mission of the college to be. “Our mission is to change the world.” And he was right – God’s mission for that Bible college, and for our church, and for US as followers of Christ is…to change the world! When we became Christians we became God’s partners in that. And every church that stands for Jesus is a partner in that.
And as a church - we take that responsibility very seriously. When you put your money in the plate - in your tithes/ offerings we try hard not to waste anything you’ve given. The money that is given here goes to missions, benevolence, outreach, teaching and preaching. EVERYTHING we do here is focused on changing the world. And as you put your offering in the plate, you are a partner in that!
Now, one last thing: when you and I give to God like this - we shake up the world. Some of that shaking up is in the form of the thanksgiving it creates. “For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God.” 2 Corinthians 9:12
That alone is worth the price of our offerings. Every time we baptize someone into Christ; every time we give money to missions; every time we give money to people in need in the community, that creates an atmosphere of praise and thanksgiving to God.
But then… I noticed THIS verse: “As it is written, ‘He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.’” (2 Corinthians 9:9). It is written? Where is THAT written? Well, I looked it up – it’s written in Psalm 112. So, I went back and read THAT verse… AND the following verse:
“He has distributed freely; he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever; his horn is exalted in honor. (AND THE NEXT VERSE SAYS) The wicked man sees it and is angry; he gnashes his teeth and melts away.” Psalm 112:9-10
That’s cool. What that tells me is that every time we give of our tithes and offerings to God… we tick off wicked people. We make them angry. And they gnash their teeth. Now why would they do that? Why would they get angry and gnash their teeth? Because WHEN you give to God you DEFY wicked people. In your offerings you declare your faith in a God that you trust… and a God who changes lives and a God who will change the world.
And the wicked can’t handle that.
Their lives are built on the idea that there is no God. But your gift declares YOU not only believe there is a God, you believe in His mission to change the world. Works for me!
CLOSE: One last thought: your gift you place in the offering plates each Sunday, if you do it right, you’re not giving it to me, or to the Elders or even to this church. If you do it right, your gift is given to God.
Years ago, it was the custom for people to bring their gifts to front of the church. A well-known preacher was making an appeal to give to a good cause. Many came to present their offerings. Among those who were lined up in the aisle was a little crippled girl who hobbled up to the front and pulled a ring from her finger and placed it on the table. The preacher noted that and was touched by her offering. So he sent an usher to bring the little girl to his study. The preacher said, "My dear, I saw what you did. It was beautiful. But the response of the people was so generous that we really have enough to take care of the need. We do not feel right about keeping your beautiful ring, so we have decided to give your ring back to you."
The little girl frowned and shook her head. “You do not understand. I did not give my ring to you, I gave it to God!”
Here’s the deal. Your best gift is the one you make to God. But if you don’t belong to Jesus, you can give as much as you like and it will make little difference, because God (and this Church) cares less about your money than about your soul. Before you give your gift to God - FIRST give your life to Him.
INVITATION
