Moving on with God: the next step with money
2 Cor 9:6-15 WBC 15/6/3pm
One of the golden-sticker-laden sweepstake entry forms and magazine sales pitches that show up just about weekly in most Americans’ mailboxes has just been sent to God!
American Family Publishers sent its computer generated entry form to "God of Bushell", at the Bushell Assembly of God, a church in central Florida.
"God, we’re searching for you. You’ve been positively identified as our $11 million mystery millionaire," the form read.
The fine print showed the Creator was merely a finalist, but the letter encouraged Him to try His luck.
"Imagine the looks you’d get from your neighbours.... don’t just sit there, God, come forward now and claim your prize".
Bill Brack, the Church’s Pastor, told the Tampa Tribune that he had not yet decided whether the church would enter the sweepstakes. "God already has $11 million," he said.
Reuters Ltd, cited in Leadership magazine, Summer 97
The Power of money
There are all kinds of things that will try and control you in this world
- have ‘power’
- are good things, but can suck you in and control you
o ‘destroy your soul’
o ‘wage war against your soul’
(where is that term from? ‘watch out for things that wage war against your soul’
• has been going through my head these last few weeks)
God created a GOOD world- but it is most definitely fallen… as are we…
- and so these god things get distorted… and become DESTROYERS
Richard Foster describes 3 of the main ones as money, sex and power
- and he’s right
And so- in a series on ‘moving on with God’ we need to… it is right to… have a sermon on ‘the next step with money’
- as we ALL need to learn how to master mammon, money to move on
- Illustr: it’s one of the biggest issues in the west. Philipino lady who visited Ken in USA and was so looking forward to ‘spiritual richness’ of USA, but realised that just as their poverty in Philippines is financial… scrapping on rubbish heaps… so USAs ‘richness is also their poverty’. They are impoverished.
o Have SO much!
o So do we!
Paul says 1CO 6:12 "Everything is permissible for me"--but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me"--but I will not be mastered by anything. 13 "Food for the stomach and the stomach for food"--but God will destroy them both.
I’d add- money for needs and we need money- but I will not be mastered by anything.
Let me ask you
- does money, possessions own you… or you own it?
- Are you free to do what you like and God wants with money
o Or does it wield a power over you?
- Do you own it or is it your master?
They say a Christian needs 2 conversions- one for their soul and one for their wallet
Illustr: man holding money as baptised.jpg saved in Ills folder. @Everything that goes under the water belongs to God’
I believe all of us… me included… would have to say
‘it is for freedom that Christ has set us free… if the Son sets you free you shall be free indeed….
…. But I’m still working at being free from… WITH… this one’
- there are times when I have been free, and times when sinfully bound
o now- I want to work towards complete mastery of it and freedom in it
‘Jesus as Lord of all’
If we can find this freedom… generosity… we shall know
- God’s contentment 1TI 6:6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.
- God’s blessing
o As it IS more blessed to give than to receive
o God is no man’s debtor. He gives back more than we can give
So- how do we manage this one? Move forward with this one?
The pacifying of money
I know no other method than obediently giving it away… as God directs
But how much should we give… and how… and to whom… and what if we don’t have much?
Listen- God does not expect us to give what we do not have,!
- and here (v7), He does not want you to give under duress, or to please others, or reluctantly
o rather freely and generously. Lit ‘hilariously’
- so, if your attitude is ‘humph! Here! Take it, GOD, then!’
o you’ve missed the point… and will miss the blessing!
o It’s not so much about what it does for God and His kingdom, as how it benefits US!
- If that’s your feelings- start small, feel the freedom and reward… and in time you’ll be motivated to give more
And if you feel you don’t have much:
1CO 16:1 Now about the collection for God’s people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. 2 On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.
But the truth is- we really have SO much
- it’s just never quite enough…and we’re never quite as free as we should be
So- no pleading poverty, tonight
- learn the freedom and fulfilment of grateful obedient giving
So- how much?
Well- the OT spoke of the ‘tithe’.
- 10% of everything. Crops cattle money
- on top of that: occasional freewill offerings, offering of firstfruits, redeeming of firstborn children and cattle
The tithe was God’s. Denying Him that was tantamount to robbery
MAL 3:8 "Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me.
"But you ask, `How do we rob you?’
"In tithes and offerings. 9 You are under a curse--the whole nation of you--because you are robbing me. 10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. 11 I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit," says the LORD Almighty. 12 "Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land," says the LORD Almighty.
- do you see, though, again- how the emphasis is not just how it displeases God but makes THEM miss His fullness?
This ‘tithe’ was a great and liberating principle- unfortunately the Jews in their Midrash, interpretation, added a whole load of extra ‘laws’ to it that weren’t from god that crippled them!
Now- the NT is not about laws and amounts- but rather principles and grace
- so the exact amount doesn’t apply. The principle does… and even more so
o now it’s all God’s! He’ll let you keep most
o you give as He guides
But the 10% is a good benchmark to go by.
- “is it pre or post tax?” Well- note that isn’t clarified anywhere, OT or new
o and I suspect if we’re arguing over that… we’ve kind of missed it and probably aren’t giving 5%!
10% of your INCOME (not capital or inheritance, but rather income from it) is a healthy principle
To whom?
The OT tithe was given to the Levites (Nu 18:21ff). Priestly people
- they then tithed to the full time priests who looked after the temple etc. (Aaron’s descendents)
- Later, Heb 7:5, it just speaks of tithing to the priests
o Probably because after return of Ezra/Nehemiah the priests were about the only ones of the Levites who followed their calling
(cf Matthew/Levi the tax collector!) he got trapped by it!
So- this tells us that the gift was really about ‘ministry’, not people
Also Deut 12:8 clarifies it more. It’s to be the ministry centred around the temple
to the place the LORD your God will choose as a dwelling for his Name--there you are to bring everything I command you: your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and special gifts, and all the choice possessions you have vowed to the LORD. 12 And there rejoice before the LORD your God,
- and it’s to be around joy… celebration… thankfulness
So- we are supposed to give to God’s ministry in the place of worship.
So- can I give you some humble but bold suggestions, guidelines, now?
- this is ‘the sermon on the amount!’
- aim to give 10%, and more if God leads you. Do make sure you give SOME money, and not only ‘time’- as this is rewarding and gives mastery over mammon
- give to God first. I realise I’ve really slacked on this one. With us it has ended up being fag end not first-fruits
o The 1 Cor 16 passage implies this- at start of the week
- give this 10% to ministry.
o Suggestion min of 5% to your local place of worship
= principle of OT temple
they then give from there
it’s where you worship, are committed, support and are supported
o be flexible with rest. Let the Lord prompt you as needs arise
keeps you ‘listening’ and ‘global’
o is Tear Fund ‘ministry’? Yep- I reckon so. Are other famine appeals? Honest- I dunno! Pray about it!
- give ‘consideredly’
o after thought! Plan it. STO and gift aid. Take it first out of your income
- give secretly
o we are aiming to please God and move on with Him in doing this! That’s the whole point… so
don’t tell others
try and keep Him as the focus
o (Only Treasurer and Gift Aid sec know who gives what. I never see)
I know some churches the pastor checks to see who’s ‘serious’. It’s a good way of measuring it
• But I want to stick clear of that
- give joyfully!
o ‘thanks be to God for HIS indescribable gift 2 Cor 9:15
o if you can really get into it… you’re getting there!
The potential of money
Friends, I want to encourage you to move forward on this one
- it has such great potential
o to bless you!
o OT is very clear: God will bless you if you put Him first.
Give and He’ll give back
Malachi- “pour out blessings”
Physical, material reward in the here & now = v much part of OT
• That’s the covenant God made with Abrahams physical descendants
o NT is very clear- God will meet all your NEEDS (v9) and increase the harvest of righteousness in your lives (v10) so you are rich in every way (v11)
Including rich in your giving (v11b)
o to be a blessing
Just think what God could do, here, if our folks were free… freed up to give
Amen?!
