Open Handed: First things first
Notes
Transcript
Missions Challenge
Missions Challenge
Steve and Rebecca Coulburn - flooding & parsanage
$2500 Goal
RECAP
RECAP
Welcome to the Open Handed Series
Where we’re talking about THIS!
*everybody say THIS!*
Look to your neighbor and tell ‘em: you were made for THIS!
Last week we talked about the faith dilemma - and the need for operating even in our ‘little bit of faith’
With just a little bit of faith, we saw that Matthew witnessed Peter walking on water.
With just a little bit of faith, we read Jesus exhorting us with our faith - to have faith even the size of a mustard seed, we can move mountains.
But the problem is so often that we allow our fears to get in the way of faith.
We let our fears and worries bring “THIS” to “not right now”.
The fact is what we worry about most indicates where we trust God the least.
That also shows us where we are still trying to hold on the most control in our lives.
But the Bible tells us in Jer 17:7-8
Jeremiah 17:7–8 (CSB)
7 The person who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence indeed is the Lord, is blessed.
8 He will be like a tree planted by water: it sends its roots out toward a stream, it doesn’t fear when heat comes, and its foliage remains green. It will not worry in a year of drought or cease producing fruit.
So the question is:
How do we increase our faith?
How do we increase our trust??
Again, the Bible tells us: faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.
You can’t pray for more faith without reading the Word.
It’s reading and hearing the Word that increases our faith.
It’s hearing Jesus speak into your life.
For example: have someone tell Alana that her dad loves you, then I tell her I love her - which is most believable
When you get the Word directly from the source, it increases your belief - it increases your FAITH.
It’s in seeing faith returned to you fruitful that you find you can Trust in Jesus.
It’s coming into contact with Jesus, Himself, where you have faith-affirming encounter of a loving Savior.
Your faith is built and your trust is secured in God doing what He will’s to do in your life.
You’ve got to dig in and find the voice of God speaking into your life directly, and you will find the strength and mental fortitude to stand upon your faith and believe what God can do in you and through you. And you trust Him.
You see, you were made for THIS, and if you have just a little bit of faith…
Many times though, it’s not about our faith.
Everybody has faith. We all have faith.
The problem lies wherein we have our faith.
Where is your faith?
is in your boyfriend?
is it in your spouse?
is it in your bank account?
is it in your dreams??
is it in your TSP, or 401k
Your friends?
Your therapist?
When it comes to faith and THIS,
THIS is only complicated because we complicate what we don’t understand.
We turn THIS into mine for ‘safe-keeping’.
We turn giving into a complicated matter - wherein we’re too stubborn to release, we’re too fearful to release, we’re too anxious of the unknown to release.
The goal of this Open Handed series is to increase our knowledge of what the Word of God says about giving & generosity, and to live open-handedly…to freely give.
You see, it’s God’s nature to BLESS. So then OUR nature should also be to bless.
With a show of hands, how many here would say they are generous?
I’m excited about being a part of a church that is GENEROUS - both missionally and within community.
And to give you a slice of vision here - we believe in and operate in IRRATIONAL GENEROSITY.
IRRATIONAL GENEROSITY
When we give even if it hurts, because we’re never closer to the heart of God than when we give.
It doesn’t make sense, but it makes faith!
Now you might be thinking…oh here we go. But don’t tune me out just yet.
We’re all dealing with some crazy economic times these days.
- We’re all dealing with unrelenting inflation
- We’re unsure of what’s going on in the world
- There’s unsurety in our utility bills
- There’s unsurety in our financial futures
But check this out:
Inflation and famine does not phase tithers and givers - God’s system of generosity and giving was set up FOR times of famine
The fact of the matter is that God’s supply is greater than man’s inflation. It’s His name - Jehovah Jireh, the God who provides
Famine and lack were never a match for His Kingdom financial principals.
They include:
Tithing. Stewardship. Giving. and Generosity.
There are blessings that flow in the life of a believer who lives in God’s economic system!
What that doesn’t mean is that we’re trying to raise our standard of living….hello? This isn’t that prosperity supposed gospel that says giving your money is gonna magically make you a millionaire.
But blessing does flow through the life of a believer that trusts and operates in God’s system!
So we are not trying to raise our standard of living, but we ARE living up to God’s standard of giving!
The challenge is: the reason why people don’t give more, if we are truly honest with ourselves, people don’t give more because they don’t feel they can.
Basically - people have a scarcity mindset over an Abundance mindset.
There’s a victim mentality that is resistant to the freedom mindset.
Here’s the typical pattern we see:
God provides that paycheck
We consume it
We lack
We fear, and tighten our grip
We consume some more
It’s a vicious cycle. We hear it in the way people talk -
- “I want to do more, but I’m trying to save”, blows money on a PS5 or a weekend event
“I wish we could do more, but we can’t”
“I never can seem to get ahead”
“No matter what I do, there’s just never enough”
“I just know I’m going to end up with some financial burden”
“I can’t break free from this cycle of not having enough!”
It’s a scarcity mindset. Couple that we FOMO and all of a sudden we have debt crisis on top of the scarcity mindset.
BUT JESUS FOLLOWERS HAVE SOMETHING DIFFERENT! Because GOD did something on our behalf
And because God did something, we do something.
And when we do something, God does something!
It’s a whole different cycle - not one of scarcity, but a cycle of supply!
Please hear me this morning - GOD IS FAITHFUL! Always has been and always will be.
And when we are faithful with THIS - being faithful in our gifts; faithful in our giving; faithful in our tithing.
God sees that and multiplies it!
FAITHFULNESS UNLOCKS GOD’S SUPPLY
FAITHFULNESS UNLOCKS GOD’S SUPPLY
GOD IS FAITHFUL - and when we act and live in a faithful way, He responds faithfully!
God CANNOT be unfaithful. It’s impossible for Him. It’s not His character.
So when we become faithFUL, we tap into a characteristic of God. And the blessing of God’s character flows through us!
And when we are faithful in giving - firstly tithing - we show ourselves and others that God is still in control.
Because there lies the issue - who is in control and who is FIRST?
This is why it is part of our individual worship to God
By being faithful in tithing, I practice the fact that God is in control of my life and provision, therefore rendering Him worship
By holding back or gripping, I practice that I know better than God, and I control what provisions God has provided me.
One of those ways leads to a consistent cycle:
One of scarcity and lack, or one of blessing and multiplication.
Scarcity says: we consume, we lack, we fear, we consume, we lack, we fear…whatever is brought into that pot is totally consumed and leads to indebtedness
But on the faith side:
God supplies, we give, God multiplies, we have faith - God supplies, we give, God multiplies, we have more faith, God supplies, we give even more, God multiplies, we have more faith, and the cycle continues.
As Jesus followers - the very first thing we do in response to God blessing us is we return 10% (a tithe), back to Him as an act of worship.
Instead of living in fear, we live in FAITH.
2 Cor 5:7
7 For we walk by faith, not by sight.
It’s a faith flex that doesn’t make intellectual sense, only in God’s economy does it make sense, and we worship God with the tithe.
What does the tithe do? Several things, but one of the biggest things is in the life of the tither - God breaks the cycle of scarcity! and creates the cycle of Supply!
TITHING BREAKS THE CYCLE OF SCARCITY & CREATES A CYCLE OF SUPPLY
TITHING BREAKS THE CYCLE OF SCARCITY & CREATES A CYCLE OF SUPPLY
How does it work? What is tithe?
The tithe comes from the Hebrew word “maaser”, which means one-tenth.
One-tenth of everything that comes to us, we give BACK to God in an act of worship.
Malachi 3:10–11 (CSB)
10 Bring the full tenth into the storehouse so that there may be food in my house. Test me in this way,” says the Lord of Armies. “See if I will not open the floodgates of heaven and pour out a blessing for you without measure.
11 I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not ruin the produce of your land and your vine in your field will not fail to produce fruit,” says the Lord of Armies.
BRING - BRING YOUR TITHE
The word Bring here is specific. The word is not “GIVE”, it’s bring. Why? because you can’t gift what isn’t yours.
There are two options in scripture regarding the tithe.
You can bring it
You can steal it
WHY???
1 The Lord spoke to Moses: 2 “Consecrate every firstborn male to me, the firstborn from every womb among the Israelites, both man and domestic animal; it is mine.”
God brought a new nation out of bondage, and called them blessed…They were His.
30 “Every tenth of the land’s produce, grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord.
God brought new life from the seed planted in the ground…it is HIS.
You might have a good grip on what may seem valuable to you, but the reality is
Psalm 24:1
1 The earth and everything in it, the world and its inhabitants, belong to the Lord;
He has given to you to be a steward of the moment.
That brings the next question:
Where do you tithe?
Where do you tithe?
Bring your tithe to the storehouse
Nehemiah 10:38 (CSB)
38 A priest from Aaron’s descendants is to accompany the Levites when they collect the tenth, and the Levites are to take a tenth of this offering to the storerooms of the treasury in the house of our God.
Tithing is not about giving to your preference. It’s not yours to give so you can’t decide where it goes.
Tithe always comes to the church; you can’t divide, designate or give it somewhere else.
10 Bring the full tenth into the storehouse so that there may be food in my house. Test me in this way,” says the Lord of Armies. “See if I will not open the floodgates of heaven and pour out a blessing for you without measure.
Tithe provides for the work of the ministry! That’s what it does. When you return 10% into God’s ministry, a lot gets done in the world!
Let me ask you this - with a show of hands, and please be honest:
How many of you would say that your life is spiritually different because of God’s work in this Church?
That’s what happens - food and shelter are the primary needs of us human-beings. Spiritual food and a house makes a difference. Someone else gave. The ministry went forward. Your life is impacted. That is what we do.
Some people would say that’s Old Testament, that’s irrelevant to New Testament church. I declare that to be quite misinformed.
Tithing pre-dates the Law of the Old Testament. Tithing was always about relationship - before there was a legalistic perspective.
You have to remember the Tree in the Garden
You have to remember Cain and Abel’s offerings
You have to remember Abraham and Melchizadek
You have to remember Jacob and God
Tithing is about RELATIONSHIP
Tithing is about RELATIONSHIP
Here’s one preacher’s example:
Let’s take a test - because every time you get paid, there’s a test; monthly, weekly, every 1st and 15th, there’s a test:
Who are you going to thank for your income?
Thank God - by putting God first and honor with tithing the first fruits?
VISA and/or MasterCard
Travel experience
Candy crush add-ons…
Here’s my reality: when I get sick, I don’t call MasterCard. When my life is falling apart VISA doesn’t have a department for that.
No, we call on God. When it comes to what we need the most, we call on God.
Tithing is a TEST - and its the ONLY area in all of Scripture that God, Himself, says: TEST ME IN THIS.
9 You are suffering under a curse, yet you—the whole nation—are still robbing me. 10 Bring the full tenth into the storehouse so that there may be food in my house. Test me in this way,” says the Lord of Armies. “See if I will not open the floodgates of heaven and pour out a blessing for you without measure.
One-tenth, 10%; TEN is the number of TESTING
How many plagues to test Pharoah’s heart
How many commandments were given to the new nation of Israel and to Moses?
How many virgins were there to see if their lamps were filled with oil?
How many disciples were there? :) Just seeing if you’re paying attention?
Here’s another aspect - the TEST is not just for you!
God said “Test ME in this” - It’s a test for God
Do you tithe? Put it to the test! See what happens!
It’s not a scheme to unlock more riches, it’s a faithfulness that taps into God’s faithfulness.
What does the tithe do? Again, several things, but it breaks the cycle of scarcity in your life, and creates a cycle of supply!
When that electric bill comes into your hands, you’ll either shout “oh me”, or “oh my LORD”, and only one’s going to pull you through.
It takes FAITH to give first! It doesn’t take faith when you’ve done the maths and say, “it looks like I can do that this month”
God doesn’t want our leftovers
Tithing is believing God can and will do MORE with my 90%, than I can with 100%.
And we all probably agree that we struggle with 100% anyway.
Jesus tells us, you should tithe, and to not forget the more important matters of the law.
When God supplies, we worshipfully return 10%; God multiplies all of it, and we return 10%; and He multiplies it again.
Tithing is not a debt to pay, it is worship to God.
TITHING TEACHES US TO PUT GOD FIRST
TITHING TEACHES US TO PUT GOD FIRST
Tithing isn’t JUST about finances! It’s about a lifestyle of worshiping God.
Placing Him first in ALL aspects of our lives pleases God.
Chick-fil-a is a great example:
Only open 6 days a week, but yet smash any competition in their business. Why? They put God first. Sunday, the first day, is the Lord’s.
And we see they have supernatural favor - some would say supernatural flavor.
But if a chicken sandwich business can get that kind of favor - don’t you think you can?
Pastor Robert Morris said it this way: “If God is first in your life, then everything will come into order.”
If your life is chaotic right now? I encourage you to make a shift in your priorities.
Not saying that you wont’ have problems as a Christian - as a disciple of Christ.
But one who has their life in order will find the tests of life much easier to handle than the one who’s life is out of order.
Jesus said in
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.
God wants your heart. Period. because
21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
And if He has your heart, He’s what you treasure.
Can we pass the test of what’s first in our lives?
God doesn’t want seconds or leftovers.
It doesn’t take faith to give after my bills are taken care of. It takes faith to give first, knowing He’s going to help you with the rest.
Because it’s not the dollar amount that enacts the blessing; it’s the faith that enacts the blessing.
In closing…
GOD WILL NEVER BE SECOND
GOD WILL NEVER BE SECOND
We talk about putting God first; but even if He’s not first in your life, He’s still first.
You can’t rearrange His order of the universe.
God can NEVER be second.
He can’t act outside of His character.
He can’t accept a second place, or a left-over offering.
Whatever He gives you, one day He will ask for it back.
A few weeks ago, we talked about the Parable of the Talents - and how the master gave to his servants expecting to receive it back when he returned.
Jesus was explaining the fruitfulness and faithfulness God expects of His servants.
We also see the same principle with Abraham and Isaac.
What did Abraham ask for? A son
What did God ask Abraham for? His son…
Abraham pleaded with God for the miracle - something he needed in his life - to continue on - to have life’s meaning and value…
God provided the miracle of Isaac…
Then God said He wanted him back.
It was a test. God wanted to test how much Abraham really trusted Him.
Abraham passed the test. And God proved His faithfulness and Character.
1 After these events, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield; your reward will be very great.
Abraham passed God’s test. God found He still had Abraham’s heart.
God passed Abraham’s test. Abraham still had God’s miracle.
Both continued in blessing and relationship!
Your reward of loving Jesus and putting Him first in life…is HIMSELF - It’s Jesus!
Your reward is not more money, healthier relationships, a following, a perceived quality of life - Your reward is JESUS…and He works out the rest.
UNDERSTAND THE RELATIONAL ASPECT OF TITHING
UNDERSTAND THE RELATIONAL ASPECT OF TITHING
Firstborn & Firstfruits
1 The Lord spoke to Moses: 2 “Consecrate every firstborn male to me, the firstborn from every womb among the Israelites, both man and domestic animal; it is mine.”
God wants the firstfruits - the blessing of the firsts - it’s where God proves Himself time and time again… the first of Creation. The first of what exists…it’s His.
Exodus 23:19 (CSB)
19 “Bring the best of the firstfruits of your land to the house of the Lord your God.
Not only does He want the firsts, He wants the fullness and best of what is first.
God operates in the same way.
God operates in giving us the first and very best He has.
Jesus was a Tithe!
Six times in Scripture the Lord Jesus is declared to be the first-born of God
29 For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
6 Again, when he brings his firstborn into the world, he says, And let all God’s angels worship him.
5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has set us free from our sins by his blood,
1 Corinthians mentions Jesus as “the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep” Jesus was God’s first fruits - His one and only Son, and the best that humanity had to offer.
So think about this when you think about your tithe:
If Jesus is God’s tithe, God cares more intimately about the tithe than you and I might think - because it’s personal.