Hinderances to Giving

Introduction

I want to say at the onset, that as we began this series, I spent a few minutes explaining my apprehension to preach regarding the topic of money. I want to make something clear - I wasn’t then, and I’m not now apologizing for speaking on the topic. The Bible has much to say about it, therefore it’s necessary that we address it. If you are off-put by it or think that’s all I care about is money, then I’d just encourage you to go back & watch the first 5 minutes of the message two weeks ago & it will hopefully give you a better perspective, as I will not be repeating that today.

During the opening message of this series, we addressed the question ‘Why give?’ In that I did my best to explain Biblically the need and expectations concerning financially giving to the work of the LORD.

In that message, we concluded that we’re to give:

Because it’s Biblical

It’s Canon

In this we examined the Principle of Tithing was established before the Law (Abraham, Jacob)

It’s Command

In this we examined the Command to the COI under the Mosaic Covenant

It’s Consideration for Today

Because the Principle was established before the Law

Because the Law under the blood of Bulls and Goats commanded it

Because the Law is constantly referenced as examples and there’s nothing in the NT speaking otherwise

Because the blood of Christ in the NT is SO MUCH GREATER than the blood of bulls & goats in the OT

We conclude that the tithe is at MINIMUM still expected for the church today

Because of the Need

The Local Ministry

God expects the tithe to support the local ministry

Of Global Missions

God expects a free will offering to support needs abroad

To Elicit Blessings

In Bestowing

We give because it’s a blessing to be obedient & it feels good to give

In Receiving

You simply can’t out give God

As an Act of Worship

The Cause is Worthy

The Creator is Worthy

Today we’re going in the other direction.

Now this is the thing: I don’t think that for most people it’s a question of ‘Why Give’, but rather, ‘Why NOT?’. It’s easy to establish the Why, but it’s more telling to where we are in our walk with the LORD to establish ‘Why Not?’.

Are you giving unto the LORD, your Tithes AND your Offerings? If not, Why Not?

Is He getting His Just due, or are you - like the Jews & so many others before you - robbing God? Why not? Why are you robbing God? (God’s language, not mine)

Well, as it turns out, I could list 7 different reasons why people might not be giving to God as they should. If you can think of a reason that I missed - maybe it’s a reason you cite as to why you’re not giving God BACK what’s His, then speak to me after church & give me that reasoning, as I’d love to hear it.

Otherwise, I will assume that since I have given ample reason to give and providing I answer an objection or misunderstanding you might have on the subject - that everyone here will not only commit to giving, but not only commit, but do it.

That being said, the first Hinderance to Giving is a Lack of Faith

I. Lack of Faith

This I believe is the reason for most all failures of service for the Christian. They just lack faith.

Jesus certainly ascribed it to various failings:

He said it unto the apostles when they were in the storm: Matthew 8:26 “And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.”

He said it unto them when they struggled to feed the 5,000: Matthew 16:8 “Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread?”

He said it to Peter when he began to sink: Matthew 14:31 “And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?”

Most importantly to our message today: It’s recorded twice concerning God’s promises regarding money. Follow the trail: Matthew 6:19–21 “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Matthew 6:24 “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” Matthew 6:30 “Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?”

Many are not obedient in giving simply because of a lack of faith.

So what is a lack of faith?

They Don’t Believe God

Before I continue, I want to (hopefully) drive home the point that a lack of faith in God is an offence to Him in the highest order.

(Ill.) How do you feel when you tell someone something and they say ‘I don’t believe you’. What are they doing?

They’re impugning your character.

They’re calling you a liar.

How does it feel when they say ‘Oh yeah, I believe you’ - but then they act as if they don’t?

This is what a lack of faith is - you don’t believe God - and it’s an offence unto Him.

God’s Instructions

God says ‘You need to do this…’

and you say ‘but do I really?’

And God says ‘YES!’

and you say ‘I don’t think so’.

And God says ‘Thus saith the LORD’

and you say ‘But what you really meant to say was this, right?’

God (I believe) has given us clear direction concerning the giving of the tithe and offerings, both in declaration and example, yet so many people (preachers even) literally takes ONE verse in 2Cor. 9 to override the entire Bible’s instructions concerning financial obligations of God’s people.

But don’t worry - for those of you hanging your hat on ‘as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give’ to dictate your giving, I’m going to instruct you on the correct Biblical interpretation of that verse soon enough!

They don’t believe God’s instructions

God’s Promises

God has made several, but we’ll just remind you of two here:

To Repay Mal. 3:10; Luk. 6:38; Pro. 11:25

Malachi 3:10 “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.”

Luke 6:38 “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.”

Proverbs 11:25 “The liberal soul shall be made fat: And he that watereth shall be watered also himself.”

To Supply 2Cor. 9:10-11; Pro. 3:9-10

2 Corinthians 9:10–11 “Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;) Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God.”

Proverbs 3:9–10 “Honour the Lord with thy substance, And with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, And thy presses shall burst out with new wine.”

Of Chastisement Mal. 3:8-9

Malachi 3:8–9 “Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, Even this whole nation.”

People don’t give, simply because they don’t believe God!

One Hinderance is a Lack of Faith, next a Fear of Misuse.

II. Fear of Misuse

The Instruction to Bring

Malachi 3:10 “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.”

We see God dictate to bring it ‘to the storehouse’, which He goes on to say it’s for ‘mine house’.

We see the example: Acts 4:34–35 “Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, And laid them down at the apostles’ feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.”

The tithes and offerings were to be brought unto the church that distribution be made there.

Our God is a God of order - and this is the order of things - not everyone deciding and sending themselves their offering where they please.

(Ill.) Imagine for a moment the church needs a new roof. One family says ‘I think 20y shingles is what’s needed - therefor they by some squares of that. Another says ‘No, 30y architectural is the way to go’ so they buy squares of that. Another says ‘Metal roof is where it’s at’, so they buy some of that. Without organization and procedure, it’s a mess.

(Ill.) I had someone ask about giving me their tithes directly. Do you know what I said? No, it needs to go to the church.

We’re instructed to bring it there, but then there’s also the Importance of Accountability

The Importance of Accountability

I do believe that it’s imperative that churches operate in a manner that is above reproach.

Members deserve to know that their contributions are taken care of and well accounted for.

They should have access to finances and financial decisions, and in a congregational assembly such as what we have, a say in the direction which their finances are used.

If you’re unfamiliar, we at this church have a business meeting every month and distribute financial records revealing the expenditures of money here. We have a time to which questions about them may be asked and answered.

(Ill.) There was a time (maybe here, or elsewhere) where the financial practices lacked transparency. As the pastor, it needed addressed and better policies put in place. When I went to address it, of course I offended the treasurer and they quit the church. And as I told them, I didn’t suspect them of doing anything improper, but the process left the possibility of impropriety, therefore it needed changed.

All churches should have strict measures in place for a proper accounting of the money.

Now mind you, I didn’t say that everyone might agree on every expenditure - but they know what it was, and have the ability to question the legitimacy of it.

One Hinderance is a Lack of Faith, then Fear of Misuse. Next a Lack of Knowledge / Understanding

III. Lack of Knowledge / Understanding

Never Instructed

This is where I and others like me dropped the ball.

Ye call me pastor - and this you do well. But it’s important to understand what a pastor does.

pastor (def) one that has the care of the flock. The word literally means ‘shepherd’.

If we consider the great Scripture from a shepherd about a Shepherd we can get an understanding of that position: (Ps. 23)

v1-2 - He Provides

v3a - He Encourages Repentance

v3b - He Leads

v4a - He’s Available

v4b - He Corrects & Comforts

v5 - He Feeds

So among my responsibilities is to provide for you and feed you. To give you the things you need - and if you’re to live a full, Christian life - you need this. But it’s taken me a long time to dedicate a series to this subject. I don’t feel like I’m the only person to do this.

So there are some who are just ignorant of their responsibilities financially to the Work of God, because they’ve never been instructed.

Never instructed

Misunderstand Scripture

I’d mentioned that there are some who consider one verse that addresses giving in the NT and hold to that as justification to give less that they should. That verse is found in 2 Corinthians 9:7 “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.”

They interpret this to mean that unless they get some big heart urge to give, God is fine with them not giving. Church, this is NOT what this verse means.

Just like with any Scripture, you cannot take one verse and build doctrine from that verse to the rejection of the context and other corresponding Scripture. Let me give you some things to consider here:

He’s speaking of a Free Will Offering to the saints in Jerusalem - not their tithes.

He describes this as a ‘gift’ (2Cor. 8:4) and ‘bounty’ (which means blessing - 2Cor. 9:5)

You see this same distinction made in the previous letter Paul wrote to them. In 1Cor. 9 Paul addresses their responsibility to himself and the local ministry, then 1Cor. 16 he addresses the offering for the need in Jerusalem.

He encourages them by the example of the other churches which gave abundantly (2Cor. 8:2-4)

He encourages them to give (2Cor. 8:7) and prove their love for Christ in doing so (2Cor. 8:8)

He prefaces the statement by speaking of the law of sowing & reaping (2Cor. 9:6)

He concludes it by speaking of the power of God to supply their need in return (2Cor. 9:8-11)

You see, in 2Cor. 9:7, he’s not giving an excuse not to give, but an exhortation to give with the right attitude!

And here is the great takeaway from this: If you aren’t giving less under Grace than they were required to under the Law - then you don’t have a Scripture problem, you’ve got a heart problem.

If your heart is telling you that you’re less a debtor to God under the covenant in the blood of His Son than the covenant under the blood of bulls and goats, YOU are the one with the problem!

Which leads me to the next point - Another Hinderance to give is Moral Failures

IV. Moral Failures

Greed

We tend to think that moral failures only revolve around sexual sins - fornication, adultery, etc. But moral failures reach far beyond that.

Proverbs 21:26 “He coveteth greedily all the day long: But the righteous giveth and spareth not.”

Many don’t give simply because they’re greedy. They have it, and God Himself cannot pry it from their fingers.

Greed is most certainly a moral failure

Covetousness

Greed tends to plague those who have it to hoard it.

Covetousness is a similar moral failure in that their desires demand that they feed their flesh instead of submit to the Spirit.

1 Timothy 6:6–10 “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”

Some don’t because of their moral failures - they are greedy & covetous

One Hinderance is a Lack of Faith, then Fear of Misuse, Lack of Knowledge / Understanding, Moral Failures - which leads us to Financial Constraints

V. Financial Constraints

Many a soul understands God’s expectations concerning giving. They’re not pulling the wool over their own eyes & trying to deny it - they simply say ‘I just don’t have it to give’.

If you were to conduct an audit on most all of these people, what you would find is that they don’t have a ‘giving’ problem, they’ve got a priority problem

Priority Problems

They got money for a home, cell phone, eating out (just food in general), gas in their cars - multiple cars, insurance, starbucks, etc… They’ve just got a priority problem.

You’ll have those that say ‘Preacher, I don’t waste any money - I just barely pay my necessary bills. How can I afford to give tithes & offerings?’ Are you ready for the answer? You give to God first and let Him take care of your necessities.

Didn’t He promise to?

What makes you think that He won’t supply for your house payment if you honor Him first?

Jesus did say: Luke 12:27–31 “Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith? And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

Many don’t give because of Financial Constraints

One Hinderance is a Lack of Faith, then Fear of Misuse, Lack of Knowledge / Understanding, Moral Failures - which leads us to Financial Constraints. Next, the Lack of Instant Gratification

VI. Lack of Instant Gratification

The Payoff is Rarely Seen this Side of Heaven

Has any of you given a gift to someone and watched them open it, and seeing the joy & wonder on their face as they do?

Oftentimes when we give for the ministry, we don’t see that very often - so therefore that motivation is lacking.

You spend money on a car, you get a car to show for it. A house, you have a house to show for it. A new fishing pole - whatever… you typically have something tangible to show for it, but oftentimes not in ministry.

In ministry we’ll not see the majority of the true effects till we reach the Gloryland.

Lack of Instant Gratification

One Hinderance is a Lack of Faith, then Fear of Misuse, Lack of Knowledge / Understanding, Moral Failures - which leads us to Financial Constraints, Lack of Instant Gratification - and lastly, Apathy

VII. Apathy

They Just Don’t Care

They know what the Bible says, they just don’t care.

They know there’s a need, they just don’t care

They know people are dying and going to Hell, they just don’t care

They HAVE NO VALID EXCUSE, THEY JUST DON’T CARE!

This I believe to be the most egregious sinful reasons why men don’t give as God has instructed.

Ignorance is valid, till you’re ignorant no longer

Financial constraints are valid, till you’re honest with your spending and God’s view on the matter

But there’s no excuse for Apathy.

There is a cure for Apathy - it’s called Empathy. When you begin to hurt as others hurt. Whether you’re hurting for the lost soul on His way to Hell, of you’re hurting for the Saviour who’s Sacrifice is being rejected - Empathy will cure Apathy.

Conclusion

So church, let me ask you this question: How have you recieved this message? If you’re giving of your tithes and offerings, then probably fairly well.