THE POWER OF THE TITHE3

THE POWER OF THE TITHE

“Fear Held Him Back”

Matthew 25:14-30

 14 “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone. 15 He gave five bags of silver to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last—dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip.

 16 “The servant who received the five bags of silver began to invest the money and earned five more. 17 The servant with two bags of silver also went to work and earned two more. 18 But the servant who received the one bag of silver dug a hole in the ground and hid the master’s money.

 19 “After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money. 20 The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of silver came forward with five more and said, ‘Master, you gave me five bags of silver to invest, and I have earned five more.’

 21 “The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’

 22 “The servant who had received the two bags of silver came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two bags of silver to invest, and I have earned two more.’

 23 “The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’

GO TO SCREEN!!!

 24 “Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate. 25 I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.’

 26 “But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate, 27 why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’

 28 “Then he ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one with the ten bags of silver. 29 To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away.”

We’ve seen in the last couple of weeks that:

A Conquering Church is a Tithing Church, because a tithing church empowers the gospel to go out to a lost and dying world.

And last week we looked at “The Original Fool on the Hill,” the rich man who was not generous toward God.

Now today I want to look at what I believe to be the number one hindrance to giving—FEAR.

Let me say right up front today, that if you are investigating Christianity and have not trusted Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, this is not for you.

Please don’t think we’re after your money. We’re not.

Let’s briefly go over the parable. The master of the house went away on a journey, to return again someday.

On leaving, He entrusted His wealth to three of His servants.

One was given five talents, one two talents, and the last, one talent.

A "talent" is a block of silver worth about $1000.

The one given five talents invested it and gained five more—he doubled what Jesus gave him.

The servant with two talents did the same.

But the servant given only one talent responded, not in faith, but in fear.

Now, there is a familiar saying in English, "Use it or lose it."

Use your muscles or they become weak and you fall down.

Use your brain or later in life you will become senile.

"Use it or lose it” is simple but true wisdom.

This parable of Jesus is all about “use it or lose it.”

Invest what God has given you into Kingdom work, or lose it all in the end.

Now, let’s look at this first servant, because the parable’s focus is on him:

First, we see that:

Fear paralyzed the one-talent servant.

The first two responded with eager faith. But this third servant responded with crippling fear.

And when you read closely, you see that his fear was based on a wrong opinion of his Master.

He said, “Master, I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed.”

Listen to how the one talent servant sees the Master... he thinks Jesus is a hard man. A vengeful man. A cruel man.

The servant thinks that if he fails, Jesus will punish him.

He's afraid of Jesus, afraid of God, and afraid to serve lest he fail and be in a worse situation.

His fear enslaves him.

He's part of the household of God, and yet, because of his fear he has never gotten to know who Jesus really is.

He’s never learned that Jesus is compassionate, merciful, kind, and forgiving.

“So he was afraid…”

Next,

Fear put the servant in self-preservation mode.

“…so I went out and hid your talent in the ground.”

In essence, he put his money under the mattress.

Fear caused this man to be a hoarder rather than an investor.

He hoarded what he had out of fear that Jesus would do him wrong.

I’ve lived long enough to see that there are two kinds of people in the world—those with open hands (giving and generous), and those with clenched fists (fearful and hoarding).

This man was the latter.

Next, we see that:

Fear made the servant miss out.

The one with five talents received five more.

The one with two talents received two more.

Both of them doubled their investment.

And they both heard fantastic words from the Master:

“‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’

But the fearful servant missed out. The Master in the parable said:

“Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. 29For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.”

In light of what this parable reveals, let me share four insights that will free you from the fear of giving:

First,

It’s all God’s anyway

Psalm 24:1 “The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it…”

Ps 50:9-11 “I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens, for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird in the mountains, and the creatures of the field are mine.”

We are stewards, managers of what is ultimately His.

Remember the parable said, “He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone.” So…

It’s all God’s anyway.

Next,

The law of sowing and reaping applies to your finances.

Paul once raised a missions offering from the Corinthian church. In the context of their financial gift, Paul said:

2 Corinthians 9:6 “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.”

In other words, the law of the harvest also applies to your giving. He went on to tell them:

“And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.

Then he reminded them in verse 10 of where all our provision comes from in the first place:

“For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you. Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous.”

So, the law of the harvest applies to your finances.

A third insight that will free you in your giving is:

Financial giving aligns your life with God’s agenda.

“So two good things will result from this ministry of giving—(First) the needs of the believers in Jerusalem will be met, and (second), they will joyfully express their thanks to God.

As a result of your ministry (of giving), they will give glory to God. For your generosity to them and to all believers will prove that you are obedient to the Good News of Christ.”

Giving to God’s work proves obedience to the gospel!

FACT: You can give without loving, but you can’t love without giving.

If you love God, your finances will show it.

The last insight I want to share that will free you in your giving is:

Trust God to provide for your needs.

Matthew 6:33 “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”

God will take care of you.

“And why worry about what you will wear? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are.”

“And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you, oh you of little faith.”—Matt. 6:28

BOTTOM LINE: Every week resources from this congregation are used to ensure that:

Unchurched people of this community will have a safe place to hear the life-changing message of Christ.

Kidz Turn children are being trained up in the Word of God.

Ignite teenagers are being saved and discipled.

LIFE groups are being formed.

People are being counseled.

Addicts are being set free.

Missionaries around the world are being supported.

Thousands are hearing the Word of God daily through radio.

Money that comes into this church helps maintain orphanages in Africa and Haiti, digs water wells in Africa, provides homes for unwed mothers, a new medical clinic in Haiti, and on the list goes.

Many of you have invested thousands of dollars over the last several years in stocks.

But a lot of the money that you put in that investment was lost.

But the money that you invested in God’s work has produced great dividends.

As a result of your faithful investment, you are storing treasures in heaven!

NEXT WEEK: Smart Money