Also, probably money and things related to money are talked about more than any other thing today. It seems that everyone is trying to figure how to get as much money as they can.
Illus: A young fellow by the name of Sammy liked to hang out at the local grocery store. The owner didn't know what Sammy's problem was, but the other boys would tease him all the time, calling him “Slow Sammy”, and punching him on the shoulder as they passed.
To mock him for being slow, they would offer him a dime and a nickel, telling him he could have just one. They said he always took the nickel because it was bigger.
One day after Sammy took the nickel, the owner pulled him to one side and said, "Son, don't you know they're making fun of you? They think you don't know that the dime is worth more than the nickel. Are you really grabbing the nickel because it's bigger, or what?"
Sammy said, "No, but if I took the dime they'd quit doing it!"
Everyone is trying to discover some way they came make as much money as they can, because they really believe the more they have the better chance they have of living the good life, even though this has proven to be untrue many times.
• We have a lot to say about money, but so does God’s Word.
• Since God’s Word has so much to say about money, we should spend a lot of time finding out why God’s Word has so much to say about it.
Let’s look at THREE things about money concerning our giving. We see . . .
I. GOD KNOWS WHY WE GIVE
As Christians, we need to understand there are THREE kinds of givers:
(1) THOSE WHO GIVE OUT OF THEIR ABUNDANCE
We are often impressed that the rich can give so much. It makes them look like very generous people to give such large gifts. But when you compare their gift to the amount of wealth they have, many times the gift is really not that large.
Illus: Suppose we were at the gym and my little grandson was with me, and he reached down and picked up a ten pound weight. That would be good for a little fellow like him.
But suppose I reached down and I picked up a fifty pound weight. Now that would mean I am picking up four times more than he is picking up. That might look like a lot more. But when you compare the muscles a man has to the muscles a small child has, it is not that impressive.
When you compare the gifts that some of the rich give relative to the amount they possess, it really is not that impressive.
Illus: During the Tsunami disaster in Indonesia, many of us scraped to sacrifice money to help these folks. It was announced that one movie actress, Sandra Bullock, gave a million dollars. That was good, but it made our sacrificial gifts look small.
What we have to realize is that some can give a million dollars as easily as we can give a hundred dollars.
Some of the wealthy can give a million dollars and that gift does not even come close to being a sacrifice. THEY ARE GIVING OUT OF THEIR ABUNDANCE!
Illus: Ted Turner gave a billion dollars to the United Nations. But by his own admission it didn’t cost him anything…it was excess money he had earned over first 9 months of the year.
Many give to SHOW OFF their wealth. When they give, they will make sure that everyone knows about it. The nature of evil man is to SHOW OFF, making themselves look better than others.
Illus: Have you heard about the four men who were bragging about how smart their dogs were?
• One man was an engineer
• One was an accountant
• One was a chemist
• One was a government worker
To see who had the best dog:
• The engineer called to his dog. "T-square, do your stuff." T-square trotted over to a desk, took out some paper and a pen, and promptly drew a circle, a square, and a triangle. Everyone agreed that was a pretty smart dog.
• The accountant said his dog could do better. He called to his dog and said, "Spreadsheet, do your stuff." Spreadsheet went out into the kitchen and returned with a dozen cookies and placed them in the circle that T-square had drawn. He divided them into four equal piles of three cookies each. Everyone agreed that was good.
• The chemist said his dog could do better still. He called to his dog and said, "Measure, do your stuff." Measure got up, walked over to the fridge, took out a quart of milk, got a ten-ounce glass from the cupboard, and poured exactly eight ounces without spilling a drop and placed it in the square that T-square had drawn. Everyone agreed that was pretty impressive.
• The government worker called to his dog and said, "Coffee Break, do your stuff." Coffee Break jumped to his feet, ate the cookies placed in the circle, drank the milk placed in the square and claimed he had injured his back while doing so. He filed a grievance report for unsafe working conditions and put in for worker' compensation. Then he went home for the rest of the day on sick leave.
(2) THOSE WHO GIVE OUT PRETENSE AND SHOW
We live in a society that loves to IMPRESS others. But sometimes our efforts can backfire on us.
Illus: A young lawyer, starting up his private practice, was very anxious to impress potential clients. When he saw the first visitor to his office come through the door, he immediately picked up his phone and spoke into it.
• He said, “I'm sorry, but my caseload is so tremendous that I'm not going to be able to look into your problem for at least a month. I'll have to get back to you then."
• He then turned to the man who had just walked in, and said, "Now, what can I do for you?"
• "Nothing," replied the man. "I'm the telephone man and I am here to hook up your phone."
In the Old Testament temple, in the Court of the Women where the temple treasury was situated, women and men came to present their gifts. There were thirteen chests shaped like trumpets that they placed their gifts in. Each chest bore what the money inside was to be used for.
When metal coins were PITCHED into these vessels it made a loud noise. Of course, the bigger the coin the louder the sound.
Many wealthy people gave large amounts of gold, silver, bronze, and copper coins and would drop them in the container and you could hear the crowd say, “Oohhhh! Ahhhhhh!” On one occasion maybe the Lord’s disciples were there going, “Ooohhh! Ahhhhh!”
The Lord spoke these words, in Matthew 6:1-4, we read, “Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.”
IS THE LORD TEACHING AGAINST PUBLIC COLLECTION? No, He is teaching against bad motives for giving.
Look at verse 1 again, we read, “Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, TO BE SEEN OF THEM: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.”
The Lord was teaching that if our motive for giving is to IMPRESS PEOPLE, then that is our reward for giving, because when we get to heaven, God is not going to reward that kind of giving.
People have not changed a great deal since the Lord was here. Today, much of the giving is TO IMPRESS others.
Illus: One evening at a prayer meeting, the preacher invited people to give testimony to their faith.
A man in the front row stood up and told this story. "Many years ago I fell on very hard times. I lost my job. My wife divorced me. I was out on the street with nowhere to live. Desperate, I walked into a church and sat down and prayed. Then I took the very last dollar I had and put it in the offering. Penniless, I walked outside, only to run into an old friend of mine, who took pity on me and offered me a job with his company. I accepted it, became successful, and now I am a millionaire. All of this because of that night long ago when I put all the money I had in the offering at church."
The congregation was deeply moved and sat in silence for a minute. Then a little old lady stood up and said, "I dare you to do it again, right now."
(3) THOSE WHO GIVE SACRIFICIALLY
A little widow lady comes up and she drops her little coin into the container and it barely makes any noise. And there is no "ooohing" and "aaahing" when she made her contribution.
• The crowd of people might not have been impressed but the Lord Jesus was.
• He was not excited about what she gave but how she gave.
• Her giving reflected a commitment, not just a donation.
Look at Jesus response and what He said in verses 43-44. We read, “And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.”
This woman did virtually nothing for the temple finances, but did something very significant toward God.
Illus: I don’t NEED it when my children give gifts to me. Usually it is with money I earned anyway! And for the time being, I’m richer than they are; I could buy myself anything they might buy for me. But they still give me gifts - Why? For the same reason I gave gifts to MY Dad - they say "I love you, Dad." And the value of those gifts is FAR more than any dollar amount.
That’s the way it was with this widow’s gift, SHE IS RIGHT ON THE MONEY! That’s why Jesus said, “Hey, guys, look at this!”
• The problem with our giving is that we too often give the widow’s mite, without the widow’s spirit.
• What Jesus applauded was not the amount, but the attitude!
Illus: A couple I heard of had that attitude. They’d learned of a need and concluded they were not in a position to help. They said, "But then we realized, we do have cable television. So for the next three years we’re going to give up cable TV, and the money we save is what we’ll give -- $25 a month."
You have heard the old saying, “Money Talks”; it talks loud and clear. It talks every Sunday and tells us some do not LOVE GOD, they LOVE THINGS. What is your money saying about you?
GOD KNOWS WHY WE GIVE! This little old widow lady was RIGHT ON THE MONEY in the way she gave.
We see GOD KNOWS WHY WE GIVE and . . .
II. GOD KNOWS WHAT WE GIVE
Illus: If we had a big screen up here and we were to flash on the screen how much you gave:
• When the congregation saw what you gave, would they be saying, “Oooh!” and “Aaaah!”
• Or would they say, “That cheapskate, he pretends to love God, but look how little he gives to the God who has richly blessed him.”
Illus: When candidate Al Gore was running for President, he had a lot to say about caring for the poor and the average wage earner. Then they checked into how much he had given to charity the year before, and this very wealthy politician who is worth millions, had only given two hundred dollars. Needless to say he was embarrassed and he certainly should have been.
So should a lot of people who profess to love the Lord. Their money talks and it says, “THIS PERSON WHO PROFESSES TO LOVE THE LORD, DOES NOT LOVE THE LORD THEY LOVE THINGS!”
Listen, giving is done in privacy and most folks know that when they give. Some use that privacy to their advantage. They know that no one knows what they are giving, but their mistake is that they forget that the Lord knows.
Illus: They remind me of the man in the watermelon patch with his son. He looked north, south, east and west before he reached down and stole a watermelon. The son screamed, “Dad, you forgot to look up!”
A lot of folks are forgetting to look up. They are looking all around in an attempt to look good in the eyes of man, but they are failing to look up.
This passage of scripture teaches us that GOD KNOWS WHAT WE GIVE. And he is pleased or displeased with what we give.
• The Lord saw those that gave large offerings out of their abundance.
• The Lord saw those who gave large offerings for pretense and show.
• But the Lord also saw that this widow sacrificially gave everything she had because she loved God.
This little widow WAS RIGHT ON THE MONEY; she knew how to give unto the Lord in such a way as to please the Lord.
We see GOD KNOWS WHY WE GIVE, GOD KNOWS WHAT WE GIVE and . . .
III. GOD KNOWS HOW MUCH WE SHOULD GIVE
THE BIBLE TEACHES PROPORTIONATE GIVING. Some might be saying, “WHAT IS THAT?”
• Simply stated; you GIVE as GOD prospers you to give!
• Another way to say it is, “TO WHOM MUCH IS GIVEN MUCH IS REQUIRED!”
There are people who believe, in spite of what this Bible teaches, that every penny that comes into their hands is THEIR MONEY. They hoard their money as if they are going to take it all with them.
Illlus: They remind me of the rich man on his death bed. He attempted to formulate a plan that would allow him to take at least some of his considerable wealth with him.
He called for the three men he trusted most -- his lawyer, his doctor, and his clergyman. He told them, "I'm going to give each of you a million in cash before I die. At my funeral, I want you to place the money in my coffin so that I can take it with me."
All three agreed to do this and were given the money. At the funeral, each approached the coffin and placed the money inside of it.
While riding in the limousine back from the cemetery:
• The clergyman said, "I have to confess something to you fellows. Brother Smith was a good churchman all his life, and I know he would have wanted me to do this. The church needed a new baptistry very badly, and I took $10,000 of the money he gave me and bought one. I placed the rest of the money in his coffin.”
• The physician then said, "Well, since we're confiding in one another, I might as well tell you that I didn't put the full amount in the coffin either. Smith had a disease that could have been diagnosed sooner if I had this very new machine, but the machine cost $50,000 and I couldn't afford it then. I used $50,000 of the money to buy the machine so that I might be able to save another patient. I know that Smith would have wanted me to do that."
• The lawyer then said, "I'm ashamed of both of you. I put my personal check inside the coffin for the full million dollars.”
Listen, we can not all put big sums of money in the offering plate, nor does God expect us to do so if we do not have the resources.
The Bible teaches PROPORTIONATE GIVING! That is, some should give more than others because they have more to give. God only hold us responsible for what He has blessed us with.
Illus: Dr. Odell Belger was out visiting with one of his deacons. They were visiting a very poor family and the matter of money came up in the conversation. This lady was telling how poor she was, and it was a heart touching situation. The deacon said, “Listen, I know you are having it hard, so God does not expect you to give.” Dr. Belger did not want to say anything in front of the folks they were visiting, but at the appropriate time he said to him, “Jim, I want to talk to you about something you said at the poor ladies home.” The man was a very good Christian and he said, “OK pastor.” The pastor began to explain to him that what he told the woman did not line up with the scriptures.
• He used this woman in this passage of scripture to show him that the Bible does not exempt anyone from giving. They might not be able to tithe what someone else might be able to give, but they can give in proportion to what God has blessed them with.
• He further began to explain it is as wrong to steal a dime from the Lord as it is wrong to steal a thousand dollars.
The deacon said, “Pastor, I never thought of it that way. I will go back to her and tell her that what I said was wrong because I want God to bless her as much as God would bless a man who gives a thousand dollars.”
From this passage of scripture, we see that God’s Word teaches PROPORTIONATE GIVING!
• Listen, you can not give what you do not have. But you can give a tithe of what God has blessed you with.
• This woman WAS RIGHT ON THE MONEY, she gave what she had to give.
Illus: On Mount Moriah, Abraham was willing to give the one thing that meant the most to him in this world, his long promised and long awaited son of his old age.
God was testing Abraham. The test was, “Abraham, will you give what is dearest to you? Will you give me your son??”
• Abraham walked up the mountain to offer Isaac as a sacrifice just as the pagans were often expected to do.
• He built the altar. He stacked the wood and put his son on top of the wood.
• He took out his knife. An angel stopped him and pointed out a ram that was caught by its horns in a thicket. God provided the ram.
Abraham had demonstrated that he was willing to give God anything, indeed everything. In turn God provided for Him.
Giving is actually two things:
• It is showing that the Lord means more to us than money
• It is showing that we are trusting the Lord Jesus to provide for us
There are people who believe they can not trust the Lord to take care of them; they can do a better job of taking care of themselves. Abraham gave the best he had and God provided what he needed.
Conclusion:
I. GOD KNOWS WHY WE GIVE
II. GOD KNOWS WHAT WE GIVE
III. GOD KNOWS HOW MUCH WE SHOULD GIVE
