Biblical Stewardship & Missions

Introduction

I want to take just a few minutes to explain how the finances of a local church work, primarily how they work at our church. God established early that His People FINANCE His Work, and He began this in the Old Testament with the nation of Israel, and He continues today with believers and local churches.

I have several slides that I want to share with you this morning that gives a picture of our church and our finances. I do this each year so that you, as members and attenders of our church, understand how we operate financially.

In the first slide, you will note that we are supported financially in two different ways.

The first way is through tithes and offerings.

I will say more about that in just a moment. As you can see on the slide, Tithes and Offerings make up 83.1% of our overall giving.

We are also supported financially through Mission Giving (aka Grace Giving or Faith Promise Giving).

Our Mission Giving is 16.9% of our overall giving.

Tithes and Offerings support the local ministries of our church. Everything from staff salaries to paying the electrical bill to the purchase of toilet paper is accomplished through the believer being obedient in giving the tithe and, at times, through special offerings. Our entire financial support comes directly from you as members and attendees of this church. We do not receive or accept any outside financial support from a denominational group or board.

Our mission giving goes to support missionaries on foreign fields, and every single dime designated to missions goes to missionaries.

So far, as of this past weekend, we have taken in $163,248.36 in tithes and offerings. We can only offer the Lord the praise! He promised that if we remain faithful to Him and His Word that He would provide. He has proven Himself once again to the ministry of this church.

Also as of this past weekend, we have received a total of $33,297.20.

As we move to the next slide, I want to encourage you to be faithful in giving your Tithes and Offerings.

Giving the Tithe is Obedience to the Lord.

God established tithing long before His dealing with the nation of Israel. You can go back to Abraham to see tithing in Genesis 14. Tithing is something that God directed His people to do for a long time. Israel especially was commanded to give the tithe setting the example for us today.

Leviticus 27:30–32 KJV 1900

30 And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s: it is holy unto the Lord. 31 And if a man will at all redeem ought of his tithes, he shall add thereto the fifth part thereof. 32 And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the Lord.

Many would argue that tithing is not for today, and I contend that they are wrong. God established tithing in the Old Testament and has not changed for today.

There are two verses on the screen behind me. The first is in the book of Malachi (the last book of the Old Testament). If you read the context of this verse, God is challenging Israel to be faithful in their tithes and offerings. They were being disobedient to His command and were withholding their tithes to them. God called them thieves, noting they had robbed Him of what belonged to Him.

Malachi 3:8–9 KJV 1900

8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. 9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, Even this whole nation.

Then He gives them this challenge in verse 10 saying...

Malachi 3:10 KJV 1900

10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be meat in mine house, And prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, If I will not open you the windows of heaven, And pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

There are two essential elements of this verse.

First, there is the command - “Bring ye ALL THE TITHES into the storehouse.”

No matter how you cut it , God demands the tithe. Either you are going to obey or disobey. This thought bring us back to the principles of stewardship that we have been learning. Remember God Owns It All. We learned that from Psalm 24. Last week, we learned that God Has ENTRUSTED to Us His Property.

Believers, your money is God’s money. Your house, your car, your boat, etc. is God’s. It all belongs to Him. He simply has entrusted you with it.

All God asks in return is that you give back to Him a tithe (a tenth) of what He has assigned to you.

What is tithe? Well, essentially, a tithe is 10%.

It is at least a good starting point. That means that God directs you to give back to Him 10% of all that you earn. For what reason? Note verse 10 again.

Malachi 3:10 KJV 1900

10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be meat in mine house, And prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, If I will not open you the windows of heaven, And pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

The way God finances His Work is through His People.

As you tithe and give back to the Lord by giving to this local church, God uses you to keep the work and ministry of this church functioning. When God’s people stop being obedient to God’s program of tithing, His Work suffers.

Now note one other essential element in this verse. Not only does God expect you to give your tithe, but...

He challenges you to do it so that you can prove Him.

Look again at the verse.

Malachi 3:10 KJV 1900

10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be meat in mine house, And prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, If I will not open you the windows of heaven, And pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

God is saying to you to try Him. Be obedient and tithe, putting Him to the test. What is His promise here? If you are obedient, He will “open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” When you are obedient to the small things, God blesses you with more responsibility for bigger things. Thus, He says, “Prove me.” God is saying, “I double-dog dare you to tithe and see what I will do.”

Now, again, some would argue that tithing is not for today.

What about that argument? I say that argument is bologna.

The basis for their argument is the New Testament does not command tithing. Those who make such an argument like to separate the Old Testament from the New. The last time I checked, all of God’s Word applies to today and every believer. Remember 2 Timothy 3:16.

2 Timothy 3:16–17 KJV 1900

16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

I am pretty sure that “all” means “all.” Therefore, the Old Testament is just as pertinent to us as believers today as is the New Testament, and tithing is one of the things that is still expected of us today.

As for tithing in the New Testament, many often overlook the context of Christ’s ministry.

Christ came first to the nation of Israel to offer Himself as the Messiah, the Savior. Israel, as a nation, rejected Christ’s offer. Christ extended His offer to all countries and all men as He died upon the cross of Calvary. Context is everything. Christ started the New Testament local church. He said...

Matthew 16:18 KJV 1900

18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

The early believers were Jews. Even though the nation as a whole rejected Christ, some individually believed and accepted Him as Messiah. From those early believers and followers, Christ started the first local church, later known as the local church at Jerusalem. This church which became the model for all other churches, was mainly comprised of Jewish believers. Jewish believers already knew to tithe and understood it as a command from God. Christ never taught that tithing should cease. Instead, on occasion, He encouraged tithing. I will give one example, which is the second verse on the slide.

Matthew 23:23 KJV 1900

23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

Note that Christ is addressing an issue with scribes and Pharisees. He called them hypocrites. Why? These religious and very proud men would grow the most miniature plants like mint, anise, and cummin. Then, they would give 10% of their spice, boasting how faithful they were in paying the tithe. Yet, they did nothing in the weightier matters of the law concerning judgment, mercy, and faith. You will note that Christ says in this verse, “…these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.” In other words, they did right in tithing. It was the right and proper thing to do in obedience to God’s command to tithe. However, there were other things they should have been just attentive to do as well.

We find Christ encouraging obedience to tithe. The early believers who were Jews had no problem with tithing.

Later, as we get into Paul’s epistles, the Holy Spirit continues to encourage believers to give and even reminds us to give on the first day of the week.

I say all that to say this. Tithing is an important command to obey today, just as it was in the Old Testament, and nothing has changed. And, if you go back to Malachi, God challenges us today just as He challenged Israel to tithe and prove Him.

Personally, my wife and I have lived by this command since the day we were married. I honestly have no idea how much we have given back to the Lord over all those years. What I do know is this! In all the years we have tithed and given sacrificially to missions, God has proved Himself to us over and over again. He has always provided for my family and me. We have seen Him “pour out” His blessing upon us. He will do the same for you. However, to experience it, you have to be obedient.

Let me encourage you this morning to start being obedient through tithing. I am fully convinced that if every believer who is a member and faithful attendee of our church were obedient in this one area, we would have more than enough money to fund everything God wants us to do here at Calvary Baptist Church. However, it takes every single one of us to be obedient.

Now, what about Mission Giving?

Mission giving is giving that goes above and beyond tithing.

Mission giving is all about demonstrating our love for the Lord. Remember tithing is about obedience.

Mission giving, however, is an appreciation for God’s grace bestowed upon us.

As a believer, you sit here this morning assured that you have a place in Heaven. You do not have that assurance because of what you have done, for none us could ever earn such a blessed place. We have that assurance simply because of all that God has done for us.

Ephesians 2:8–9 KJV 1900

8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

We owe everything to Him because of what He has done. He, the Lord Jesus Christ, came to this earth on a mission to save men. He accomplished that mission by going to the cross, dying there, buried, and then arising victorious over death and the grave on the third day. That is what we call the good news - the gospel message. As believers, we are secure in Christ because of the gospel message. Thus, our love for the Lord should be expressed daily by our actions and our words. We are to proclaim the Gospel message to those around us personally . That is our responsibility. However, we should also love seeing the Gospel message taken around the world to places we cannot go. If we indeed are thankful for all that God has done for us, we should seek to help those who desire to take the Gospel around the world. This desire is something the Holy Spirit speaks about in 2 Corinthians 10.

Here is how Mission Giving works at our church. (SHOW THE NEXT SLIDE & EXPLAIN THE CHART!)

For now, let me encourage you to be involved.

Malachi 3:10 KJV 1900

10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be meat in mine house, And prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, If I will not open you the windows of heaven, And pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

Prove the Lord through obedience in tithing.

Prove the Lord through sacrificial commitment to mission giving.

If you recall, our text was Matthew 25:14-30. For the sake of time, I am not going to go back and read the entire text. Instead, I am simply going to hit the highlights of the parable given by Christ.

Remember that this parable follows the first. The first speaks to being spiritually prepared for the Lord’s return by having oil in your lamp. Salvation is first, and you must first accept Christ before you can do anything else for Him.

This second parable is about being His servants, and its focus now is on those who already believers and committed to following Him. Again, this parable is in light of the imminent return of Christ.

Here are the details of the parable!

The master is leaving for a long trip out of the country.

Before he leaves, he calls his three stewards, and he entrusts to them his wealth.

The first receives five talents of the master’s wealth.

The second receives two talents of the master’s wealth.

The third receives one talent of the master’s wealth.

Each steward was not only entrusted with the wealth but was also given the freedom to use his wealth as they saw fit.

The first steward took his five talents and made good use of them, earning five more talents for a total of ten. He doubled his talents.

The second steward did the same, and he doubled his talents as well.

However, the third steward, took a different approach. Essentially, the third steward didn’t want to put any effort into using the talent entrusted to him. So, instead of working, he hid his talent and did nothing.

The master returns, and he calls each steward before him to account for their efforts with his wealth.

The first reports, and his master is quite pleased.

The second reports, and, again, his master is quite pleased.

However, the third steward reports and his master is quite disappointed.

Why the disappointment? The steward was lazy. and he made no effort to utilize the talent the master had entrusted to him. Note the master’s words and reaction to this lazy steward.

Matthew 25:26–28 KJV 1900

26 His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: 27 Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. 28 Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.

Now, remember.

God Owns It All!

Here is the principle for this week, as seen in our text! And, remember, the context is Christ speaking to His disciples. Thus, He is talking about His servant, who is every person committed to following Him. Therefore, as believers

God HAS ENTRUSTED Us with His Property!

The most incredible privilege we have as believers is to be God’s servants or, as our story indicates, His stewards. And, just like the story, each of us as believers is given talents to be used for Him. Remember back in the story that He gave to one steward five talents, two talents, and the last one talent. So, God has also entrusted to each believer a measure of talent to be used for Him.

Last week, I used Ephesian 4 as an illustration of how God gives gifts. In that passage, God uniquely gifts men who are pastors for a specific purpose. However, it is not just pastor who have gifts; each believer has a gift or gifts to serve Him. Look with me at Romans 12 and verses 6-8.

Romans 12:6–8 KJV 1900

6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; 7 Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; 8 Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.

It is important to note that Romans 12 begins with God’s challenge in verse 1, stating...

Romans 12:1 KJV 1900

1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Our reasonable service for God as believers is to live each day sacrificially, holy, and acceptable unto God. That is stewardship once again.

It matters not what status you may have in this church; as a believer, you are to serve Him. That is the bottom line.

For that reason, the Holy Spirit notes that each believer is given gifts from God. Each is given gifts “differing according to the grace that is given to us.” In other words, God entrusts to each believer gifts different from other believers.

Some believers have the gift of prophecy; prophecy is simply speaking the Word of God. Some believers have a unique ability to speak the words of Scripture in a way that helps us understand and know all that God has said.

Some believers have the gift of ministry. Ministry is that unique ability to serve the Lord and others. They are the ones who see needs and then find ways to meet those needs. You will see these people cooking, serving, cleaning, and doing all sorts of things to help others. It is a beautiful gift from God.

Some believers have the gift of teaching. Teaching is the ability to know God’s Word, to see the principles of God’s Word, and then teach others how to live practically those principles. In this area are those who are talented at teaching children, teaching teens, and teaching adults.

Some believers have the gift of exhortation. The gift of exhortation is the ability to encourage others. They are the ones who immediately recognize when someone is hurting, and they look to encourage that person in the Lord. They have this fifth sense, if I may when identifying the discouraged and even depressed.

Some believers have the gift of giving. They just love to give and give and give. They provide financially and materially as they give of themselves, and they just keep on giving.

Some believers have the gift of ruling. They are very good at administration and organization.

Some believers have the gift of mercy. They are the ones who hurt when others hurt and rejoice much when others rejoice. They have a unique ability to empathize with others.

A companion passage to this on is 1 Corinthians 12. We will eventually be studying that chapter as we continue our journey through 1 Corinthians.

The fact remains that if you are a believer, God has entrusted you with some talent or gift.

It might be that He has assigned you with more than one. It might be that you have two talents or even five talents. Right now, He is away on a journey. In His absence, He left you with His Spirit, and He has entrusted you with a gift or gifts. Our job is to use them. Look again at Romans 12 and verse 8.

Romans 12:8 KJV 1900

8 Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.

After listing all the different gifts that a believer may have from the Lord, the Holy Spirit says, “let him do it.” Essentially, He is says take the gifts given you and use them. Don’t be the third steward hiding your gift under a rock or in a hole. Instead, be a faithful steward and use the gifts that God has entrusted to you. Go back to verse 8 and note that

We are to do it with 3 attitudes.

with simplicity - humbleness as God’s servant.

with diligence - attentiveness to the job given to us.

with cheerfulness - happiness to be serving the Lord.

What is the principle for today?

It is simply this!

God HAS ENTRUSTED you, as a believer, with His Wealth, and He has done so by giving you a gift or gifts to use in service for Him. He expects each believer to use their talents to spread the gospel message to the entire world.

Now, here is the last thought I will leave with you.

Either use it, or you can lose it!

If you go back to that second parable of Matthew 25, two stewards used their talents for their master. Their reward was praise from their master and additional responsibility in his kingdom. However, the third steward did nothing with his talent as he hid it and left it there. His reward was he not only lost his talent to another, but he was also rejected by the master. I believe that Matthew 25:30 speaks to this fact.

Read it with me again.

Matthew 25:30 KJV 1900

30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The truly saved are those who have the same desire as the first two stewards.

A true believer in Christ is motivated to live for Him and serve Him. Thus, the professing believer, one who speaks with their mouth and has not truly accepted him, is a steward who does nothing and has no desire to serve Him. In the end, God will reveal who truly belongs to Him. We all are going to stand before Him. On that day, God will show all things.

Here is the question for now.

What servant are you? Are you one who truly knows the Lord and desires to serve Him?

If so, then start using the talents God has given you. However, if you have no desire to serve the Lord, I suggest you begin with your salvation. Have you truly put your faith in Him? Have you indeed acknowledged your sin and helplessness for the Lord? Have you fully believed in all that He did in dying for you? If not, why not today?

As I was preparing this message, a hymn kept ringing in my mind. We just sang this not too long ago, and it is the hymn “Have I Done My Best for Jesus.” I will leave you with the haunting words of this great hymn.

I wonder, have I done my best for Jesus, Who died upon the cruel tree? To think of His great sacrifice at Calv'ry! I know my Lord expects the best from me.

The hours that I have wasted are so many, The hours I've spent for Christ so few; Because of all my lack of love for Jesus, I wonder if His heart is breaking too. [Refrain]

I wonder, have I cared enough for others, Or have I let them die alone? I might have helped a wand'rer to the Saviour, The seed of precious Life I might have sown. [Refrain]

No longer will I stay within the valley– I'll climb to mountain heights above; The world is dying now for want of someone To tell them of the Saviour's matchless love. [Refrain]

How many are the lost that I have lifted? How many are the chained I've helped to free? I wonder, have I done my best for Jesus, When He has done so much for me?