A Great Temple To Build – Lesson #1

Text: 1 Chronicles 29:14-20

Prior to Keith presenting the budget.

          Well, its that time of year again. It’s time to talk about money – that dreaded subject for every preacher. Talking about money and the budget is almost a necessary evil in my book. If you are visiting today for the first time I want you to know that we don’t talk about money every week. In fact, we consider giving to be for the members of this church not the visitors. Visitors are free to do so, but it is not necessary, nor expected of you. We are not always asking for money…The Old Couple in NC Mountains – snowed in – red cross. “Well, its been a tough year around these parts and I just don’t think I can give this year.”

          Keith Boan, our deacon of finance, is going to present to you a brief rundown of the budget proposal for 2001. Before he does that I want to express my appreciation to the deacons for envisioning, not a humdrum church, but a growing work for the Lord. Some of you may fret when you see this proposal, but please bear in mind that this is a proposal established by our deacons who see a bright future for Northview; a church pursuing excellence for the glory of God. This budget comes from a group of deacons who have grasped the vision of building a great temple for God. This proposal, in my mind, is one of the most positive things I’ve seen at Northview. I commend our deacons, and I express to you my gratitude for being able to serve side by side with you in this work.

OS: God’s people have always been asked to give…I have some ideas as to why…possessions are always striving for first place in our lives…Money Talks. If you can get into someone’s pocket book you’ve done something. (Preacher, “Stand up – now reach forward and get the pocket book or billfold of the person in front of you and give like you always wanted to, yet felt you never could afford.”) God may ask His people to give to ensure that worldly wealth has not become our security in His place. As feeble and temporal as money is we still seem to sink our fingernails there for security purposes.

Let’s take a moment and look at a couple of examples in the OT of God asking His people to give for a different reason. Exodus 25:1-8 - - 1 Chronicles 29:14-20

“That’s Different”

Yes, things were different then – theirs was a light burden compared to the one we bear today.

I.                  We are confronted with the same request and the same task, but the tasks is of a greater significance than back then. That was just a shadow of what we are called by God to do.

A.      1 Corinthians 3 16 Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?

B.      When we talk about mission and vision and growing its not just to hear ourselves talk. This is a mission from God. It’s not some preacher’s dream of having a big church, it’s God’s dwelling place that we are talking about. Everything we do as a body has something to do with expanding or providing maintenance for this dwelling place for God through His Spirit!

C.      Money just happens to be required to reach people in our day and time. Can you imagine Moses or David/Solomon saying to God, “I’m sorry but we didn’t get enough contribution to build your dwelling place…” Or, “Sorry Lord but we had to cut some corners and we didn’t end up with the square footage you asked for, we know you’ll be a little cramped but it just couldn’t be helped.”

D.      Maybe there are some cheap ways to expand God’s dwelling today…but God hasn’t called us to be efficient He’s called us to be effective! Yes, we should conduct this church responsibly, but let us never neglect, because of money, any work of God that we are capable of doing!