Stewardship Questions We Must Answer
2 Corinthians 9:6-10
INTRODUCTION
I recall one of the Andy Griffith episodes that I think illustrates very well the matter of giving. It seems Andy had been elected chairman of the needy children charity drive. They were taking up money at the schools for this charity as well as in town. Well, word got back to Andy that Opie had only given a penny at school. Now he had a pretty good sum in his piggy bank, but he only gave a penny. This thing upset Andy to no end. Here he was the sheriff and the chairman of the drive and his own boy only gave a penny. His identity was tied up in his son, and he thought this was a bad reflection on him. On several occasions, he tried to explain to Opie why he should give more than that to this most worthy charity, but every time Opie would tell him that he could not give because he was saving that money. Andy, of course, thought Opie was saving it to buy something that a child would want. He even sent him to his room. He once used an apple to try to explain to Opie how important sharing was. Andy finally came to the place where he was totally disgusted with his son. Finally, Aunt Bee scolded him for being overly concerned about what others would think of him because his son had not given enough to a charity drive. Then she reminded Andy that he already knew what a good little boy Opie was. Now Andy was willing to forget all of that just because he chose not to give on this one occasion. Andy called Opie back for supper and told him they would just forget about that incident. If he wanted to skimp out on this charity this one time so he could buy something he wanted, that was okay. It was only then that Opie told his father why he was saving his money. It seems there was a little girl in his class who needed a coat, and he was saving his money so that he would have enough to buy it before winter. Andy says; “Opie you never told me that was why you were saving the money.” Opie responds, “You never asked me.”
One said, “Money isn’t everything, but it’s way ahead of whatever is in second place.” Then there is the businessperson that says; “We operate our business by the golden rule. Whoever has the gold makes the rules.”
But as we consider this matter of stewardship, I want you to understand that this is not a sermon solely on our need to give our money to God, for God wants more than that. Additionally, the giving of our money can never make up for a heart that is not right with God.
The religious leaders of Jesus’ day were noted for their strict obedience to God’s laws, laws which required the tithing of their money or goods, yet listen to what Jesus said to them on one occasion; “How terrible it will be for you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest part of your income, but you ignore the important things of the law-justice, mercy and faith. You should tithe, yes, but you should not leave undone the more important things.” It seems to me that Jesus is saying there are stewardship things we need to be involved in that don’t relate to the giving of our money and that are more important than the giving of our money. Now how often do we hear that preached or taught?
So as we think on this matter of stewardship today, remember that we are talking about much more than the giving of our money to God. We are talking about the giving of ourselves and all that God has endowed us with.
At the same time, we know that it is impossible for God’s churches to operate and do his work without money. Yes, we can have many volunteers, which saves the church from having to pay someone to do a job, but it still takes money for God’s church to operate. But if everyone only gave money and did not work in any way in God’s church, it still could not operate. It takes a combination. Think about it, what if everyone just sent their money in every week but never showed up for any services or to use their talents. How could we disciple and train?
Jesus did not just give money for us. He gave himself totally. We can give no less to him and his work. It is unfortunate that God’s churches have to have bingo, bazaars and raffles to raise money to do his work. It is unfortunate that we have to hear high pressure campaigns and devise cleverly designed schemes to get the money we need to do God’s work. If everyone in God’s churches would give of their money and themselves we would be amazed what could happen.
O. S. Hawkins said; The principle hindrance to the advancement of the kingdom of God is greed. It is the chief obstacle to heaven sent revival. It seems that when the back of greed is broken, the human spirit soars into regions of unselfishness. I believe that it is safe to say there can be no continuous revival without ‘hilarious’ giving. And I fear no contradiction: wherever there is ‘hilarious’ giving there will soon be revival.”
The sad reality is that there are many in our churches that will never be convinced of their need to give to God’s work. The church is the place they give their leftovers. They reason away their responsibility to give by saying they have nothing left over to give. Their bills and family responsibilities take everything they make. Now, I realize that many people are heavily in debt. That is no secret. Some of us here today are. But our bad decisions or unfortunate circumstances that have resulted in us being where we are do not relieve us of our responsibility to give of ourselves to God.
WHY SHOULD I GIVE?
One thing that will help us to answer this question is our realization that everything we have has been given to us by God. Now some have trouble with that. They don’t see God giving them anything. They believe it is the sweat of their brow or luck of the draw or a family inheritance that is responsible for what they have. Those may very well have been the means that God worked through, but ultimately he has given us everything.
Additionally, God is the owner of all we possess. This stands to reason. If he gave it to us, it is ours but ultimately he owns it. What we enjoy is a gift from God. My lawnmower belongs to God. My pets belong to God. My wife and children belong to God. My weeds belong to God. My vehicle belongs to God.
We should give first to God because God is the owner of all we possess. When we give, it is an acknowledgement of God’s ownership and lordship in every area of our life. Giving to God first was the idea behind the giving of the firstfruits in the Old Testament. God’s people were instructed to bring the firstfruits of their crops to the Lord. It was an acknowledgement that he owned what they had and was responsible for their crops.
We are accountable to God for how we use what he has given to us. This includes our money, time and talents. We are stewards of what he gives us, not owners. Listen to what the apostle Paul says about stewards or managers; “Now, a person who is put in charge as a manager must be faithful.”
So we give because God is the owner of all we possess. We also give because God tells us to. That in itself should be enough reason. In the Malachi passage, God accuses his people of cheating or robbing him. They ask how they have done that. He says; “You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to me.” As a result, God had placed a curse on them. They would be punished for their disobedience.
Giving is not relegated to the Old Testament, for Jesus talked about giving in the New. He said; “But how terrible it will be for you Pharisees! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest part of your income, but you completely forget about justice and the love of God. You should tithe, yes, but you should not leave undone the more important things.”
Then Paul also wrote; “Remember this-a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. You must each make up your own mind as to how much you should give. Don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. For God loves the person who gives cheerfully. And God will generously provide all you need.”
Another reason to give is because of the great need. God’s work depends on God’s people giving. Listen, if every one of the active members of this church gave what they ought to, our budget would be three times what it is now and we could do three times as much as we are doing. If every one of us used faithfully our gifts, the same little nucleus would not have to teach all the classes and serve on all the committees. We could send more to our missionaries. We could designate more to local charities. We could pay to have upkeep done on our building without establishing special funds. We could do more for the poor and hungry. We could start more churches. The list is endless, but we must give of our money and selves.
Take the above along with studies that have been done on giving habits and we will see that we limit God’s work when we are not faithful in our giving. Now all we have to do is read the paper, listen to the news or just exist everyday and we should be able to see the great spiritual needs that are around us. God has chosen to do his work through the means of his people giving.
A further reason for giving is because of the promises of God. Listen to verse 10 of the Malachi passage; “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Let me prove it to you!” Do you see the challenge? God challenges us to see if we can outgive him. Now if he owns all things, it just stands to reason that we can’t outgive him.
The writer of Proverbs says; “Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything your land produces. Then he will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with the finest wine.”
Maybe the greatest reason we should give to God is because of our gratitude for all he has done for us. No matter how difficult our circumstances in life have been, the Lord has blessed us. We can always look around-and sometimes not very far, and find someone who has more severe circumstances than we do. We can give out of a heart of love to God because he has given to us out of a heart filled with love.
A famous missionary by the name of C. T. Studd said; “If Jesus Christ be God, and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for him.”
The story is told of a lady who shared the joy she experienced when one of her children gave her a bouquet of dandelions. The dandelions were available, they were abundant and they were hers anyway since they came from her yard. What made the bouquet so special was because it was a declaration of love from her child. That is what our giving is. A declaration of our love for God.
WHAT SHOULD WE GIVE?
Theologians and Christians are divided on this issue. Some believe the tithe is just as binding today as it was in Old Testament time. Others believe that the New Testament does not bind the Christian with tithing. This being the case, we should look at New Testament passages that remind us to give cheerfully, not reluctantly, and in proportion to what we make.
It is not my purpose this morning to debate this issue. There is ample proof for either position. My purpose is to remind us that we should give and that we should give liberally and cheerfully of ourselves to God. I am not going to stand here and tell you that God will punish you if you don’t tithe. Neither am I going to stand here and say God will be satisfied if you give a dollar to church out of your $350 per week paycheck or $900 a month Social Security check.
Again I refer to the 2 Corinthians passage because I think it is very pertinent and relevant. “You must each make up your own mind as to how much you should give. Don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. For God loves the person who gives cheerfully. And God will generously provide all you need.”
Jesus reminds us that where our treasure is our hearts will be also. That is, what we consider important we will attend to. When we think God’s work is important, we will give to it. When we think God’s work is important, no one will have to beg us to use our talents to help carry it out. Folks listen, when God gets hold of your heart, what you give as a result will be enough. He will move you to give what is sufficient.
The Bible also says; “On every Lord’s Day, each of you should put aside some amount of money in relation to what you have earned.”
WHERE AND WHEN SHOULD WE GIVE
No doubt, there are many charitable organizations we can give to, but I think for the Christian our primary place to give is the local church. It is what we are a part of. It is where we are using our gifts and talents. It only makes sense to give our funds through it. This doesn’t mean we are only to give to it. We are not saying we should not support other charities just because we are supporting the church, but our primary giving should be to God’s local church.
The scripture I just read says we are to give on the Lord’s Day. I think this says we are to have a regular schedule for our giving. It should not be hit and miss. I mean, if your employer or the government decided to pay you when they felt like it, how would you meet your financial obligations? Since early Christians worshipped on the Lord’s Day, the Bible is saying we should give then. We must give regularly to our local church.
The Church is the only human agency Jesus established. He gave his life for the church. The church is the storehouse to which we bring our offerings for God. God’s kingdom work begins with the local church. One thing our president has encouraged is for churches to get more involved in meeting the needs of people to relieve the government from having to do so. This is the way it was before government programs stepped in.
CONCLUSION
The story is told of a millionaire who had his offices on the second floor of the First National Bank. He would ride the elevator up to his office but would take the stairs coming down. He was an arrogant man who was once poor but who had risen up in the world. He did not remember the downcast of this world.
In that building was a woman who scrubbed the stairs and the halls. He had walked past her often but had never really seen her. His head was high in the air as he thought of his millions. One day when he left his office and was making his way down the stairs, the scrublady was halfway down them. On one of the top stairs, which was wet with water and soap, sat a bar of soap. The millionaire stepped on it. One foot flew eastward and the other westward. As it had been his intention to descend the stairs, so he did. The scrublady stood aside courteously and let him descend. He considered whether or not to have her fired, but decided against it. But this is for sure, he never descended the steps again without noticing the scrublady.
The point of the story is this. It is sad what God often has to bring into our lives to help us notice how important our giving to him really is. We give because he is the owner of all we possess, because he commands us to, because of the great need, because of the promises of God and because of our gratitude for what he does for us. We should give regularly, cheerfully and in proportion to what we make, and we should do so to our local church.
