Sacrificial Giving.

Introductions:

It has been my experience that when one talks about money and giving, it makes us uncomfortable. Why is that? I think it is because money is extremely sensitive to us. Whether it is because we think that it is of no one’s business or that the right hand is not to know what the left hand is doing. Maybe our mind takes us to how we can barely pay the bills as it is right now so how can Monty ask us to give sacrificially?

There will probably be many other things that will cross your mind as we journey through this text. In fact, by the end of the sermon, you may…or rather you probably will have more questions than answers. Questions that you will have to wrestle with God on, questions that I may be able to help with or maybe not. However, what Paul helps us with in properly navigating those questions is that it comes down to our attitude. His main point as I see it is how to have the right attitude towards money.

My outline is pretty straight forward as I will show first of all the wrong and then the right attitude towards money. Then lastly I will try to summarize the reason why sacrificial giving has eternal blessings.

Point #1 - The Worldly View of Money.

Point #1 -

Paul now returns to his discussion on money after taking a few verses to encourage Timothy to continue to fight the good fight of faith in (11-16) that Ralph preached on last Sunday. If you recall from the message a couple weeks ago, Paul gave strict warnings of the dangers of desiring money. How it is a snare or trap that leads to the ruin and destruction of ones life. That due to the love of money, this craving for wealth has caused the shipwreck of their faith as they pierce themselves with many sorrows.

In the congregation there would be those who were listening to this teaching and would more than likely be left with some great pain if the teaching stopped there. Pastorally, Paul knew this would happen so he now gives guidance in distinguishing two separate groups. In (9) is the the first group of those who desire to be rich. Now in (17) is the group of individuals that already are rich in this present age. The Christians that already were rich in the church would be wondering what was to become of them. If desiring to be rich led to many pitfalls in life what were these rich Christians to do with their money?

Paul answers this by instructing Timothy to charge these individuals to not be haughty. This is to say that they should not be proud, arrogant, snobbish, condescending or self promoting. This is what the world does. The world says that their wealth is accumulated because of their hard work, skillful character, wise choices in what land to purchase and shrewdness in getting the best deal possible. Look at me and all that I have accomplished. This is what Nebuchadnezzar thought. All his fame and fortune were due to his being a great ruler and he highly exalted himself. Paul says to the rich believer, “Don’t be like that, be humble and gracious.”

Paul says to the rich believer, “Don’t be like that, be humble and gracious.”

He then instructs them to not set their hopes on fat bank balances. Riches in possessions and money are uncertain. Consider the stock market crash of 1929 that led to half the banks in the US failing and 30% of the workforce with no job. Everything was going great until those fateful 4 days in October where the market dropped 25%. In todays currency the market lost almost 400 billion dollars in four short days. People were wiped out of savings, businesses had to be sold for pennies on the dollar. Disaster. This crash caused people who had hoped in money to be overcome with despair. Their “kingdom” came crumbling down and led many to commit suicide because their hope was in possessions and riches.

Paul tells us not to set our hopes on riches because they are uncertain. As Christians, we have everything we need and then some. Both in this age and the one to come. As long as we have food and shelter, let us be content (8). Whatever we have in this life, abundance or lack, acknowledge that it is God who has given us the ability to work, to be wise in decisions, for favour at our jobs to get promotions and for our crops to multiply. We plant but it is God who brings the rain and the increase.

I had an unbelieving friend who would ask my sincerely why we pray before meals. Was it not you who went to the garden and picked the corn? Did you not pay from your hard labour to the butcher for your steak? Did you not labour over the stove to make this meal? You did this, why would you thank God for it? Well my reply at the time was not as refined as it is now, but quite simply I acknowledged that without God’s air in my lungs I could not breathe to smell this good food. Without arms and legs and a mind I could not work to earn money to pay the butcher. Everything that we have is from the Lord God Almighty, so do not be like the world in having confidence in your riches but on God.

Everything that we have is from the Lord God Almighty, so do not be like the world in having confidence in your riches but on God.

It did not go well with him as God humbled this great king in bringing him his knees as a mad man.

Notice these wonderful words at the end of (17). God provides for us richly with everything we need for us to enjoy. Whether you have much or little, we are to enjoy what God has given us. Our good Father’s desire is for us to enjoy, to delight in and benefit from his rich blessings. Enjoy a prosperous year, delight in warm clothes, appreciate food that can fill your belly, adore God for the love of family, the church of Christ and the salvation of your souls. Worship God who has given all these blessings to you.

Now, a person could think in their mind that this group that Paul refers to being rich is not you. Maybe you could be tempted to think that someone who is rich is someone who has a million dollars tax free in the account, or if you have enough in the RRSP’s to retire on, then you are rich. But if you were in Ephesus, nearly everyone in this church would be considered to be very wealthy. In fact, according to current world’s standards the average income in Albania is $379/month where in Canada it is $4,134/month. Yes I know that you cannot compare apples to oranges but I think you get the point. So let us be careful before we exclude ourselves from Paul’s teaching.

Transition:

Therefore, the world’s attitude towards money is to gain more for ourselves so we can make a name for ourselves. Paul instructs the rich believers to not think of your money this way but rejoice in the Giver of everything which is God our Saviour. Now, Paul turns from the negative use of money to the positive.

Point #2 - The Godly View of Money.

In (18), “they” which is the rich believers are to do good. So does he contradict himself that the poor are not to do good? Not at all. He is just wanting to emphasize that the proper attitude towards money as a Christian is to do good with your money. What are some examples? Obviously from this letter alone, those who are rich have more ability to give to the widows in the church. For the orphans and poor, they need food and shelter. Food and daily living requires money.

Instead of being rich in possessions, use your money to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share. This is what often is referred to being good stewards of money. What does it mean to be a steward? To get the right interpretation of this doctrine we need to start in creation.

1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

Since God created all things and the fulness thereof which includes you and me, He alone is owner of all things. From the pennies in your piggy bank to the wheat in the bin to the investments in RRSP’s. As a Christian you were bought with the precious blood of Jesus Christ so that you would receive the forgiveness of sins and eternal life through our Saviour who died and rose again. So since God is owner of all things, He has entrusted us to be a good steward or manager of His possessions. This includes children that are born to us, homes that we live in, a flock that is to be shepherded, our jobs as well as the money that is in the bank account. One thing to add that is vitally important in understanding stewardship. It is more than just managing money, time, resources or gifts. It is about our faithful obedience to Jesus Christ. It is what motivates us to action because we love Jesus and want to bring honour and glory to God our Saviour!

So in the context of this letter, the rich are to properly steward or manage their money in such a way so as to use it for advancing the kingdom of God. The godly view of money is to always be ready to give in times of need. I can’t tell you how often I am so grateful to God for you and your generosity. Just this week when we had our pastor cluster, Roland Thiessen from Redberry had mentioned how for 3 months he had been looking for hay for the horses and in one mention here in Glenbush, a whole semi load was donated. This is what faith in active obedience to God looks like. Not for public acknowledgement but properly stewarding what we have to bless others. Keep it up brothers and sisters. Be generous, be ready to share whenever there is a need for this is the proper attitude we are to have regarding our riches.

Transition:

Therefore

Therefore, we have seen how the world views riches and how God views riches. Paul’s teaching for the church is like everything else...counter cultural. The godly view of money is radical and makes no sense to those who do not know God. Now Paul moves to the reasoning behind having a generous spirit.

Point #3 - The Godly View of Money Builds Eternal Treasures.

In our backyard, we have these strange creatures that jump from tree to tree, sit on the roof of our shed looking at us while at the same time gnawing on pine cones. Martin, do you know which animal I am talking about? A squirrel. They hoard pine cones to extract the seeds in them for eating through the winter along with other seeds and nuts. They know that winter can be long so they store up a large treasury of food. Joseph rightly interpreted Pharaoh’s dream that there would be seven bountiful years of harvest followed by seven years of painful drought. Joseph was put in charge of building large bins to hold the grain for the lean years to come. As beneficial as pine seeds and wheat are to squirrels and people, they both have one thing in common. They are both consumed. This also applies to money. Someone could hoard all their money for a rainy day or for retirement and all of a sudden someone breaks in to steal it or inflation increases at such a rate that it becomes worthless. It is all consumed at some point and has no lasting value.

But with a godly view of money that we just discussed, using money to help others in need like the good Samaritan has eternal value. Paul states that when money is used properly for the kingdom of God, the one who is generous is building his treasure not in a bank where robbers can steal but in heaven where the Almighty lives. The generous Christian lays a solid foundation in heaven for the future by using their wealth not for themselves but for God.

By doing so, there are two things that are evident. One, the generous steward understands that the money in his possession is not his but God’s so by giving freely of what he has, he proves or gives assurance to his own soul that he has been born of God. Why? Because the world does not view money this way. As we already stated, the world hoards money for themselves because they do not trust God. The believer knows that God has saved him/her and so they seek God in how to use it for the glory of God. This does not mean at conversion we will do this perfectly. It is a process. Secondly, since they understand that there is an eternal home, that naked they came into this world and naked they will go out, they seek to build their rewards where God is. Scripture is very clear on this as Jesus says in the sermon on the mount .

19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Quite simply, if your heart is set on this world, that is where you will try to build your treasures. If your heart is set on God, you will want to build your treasures where He is.

So where is your heart? If you are anything like me, I struggle greatly with this topic. This week was extremely hard as I wrestled with how much should one save? For you who farm, you are probably thinking that because you have large expenses, you have to keep enough money to cover bills until the next harvest because it could be the following spring if it like last year. We know that cars break down, furnaces fail, medications for kids or ourselves are needed, and the list goes on and on. How much does one need to keep to cover these things? Is it bad to save? Is it wrong to save for a vehicle or a quad or a camper? Do we just empty the account, give it all away and hope we can put groceries on the table next month?

As I said in my introduction, talking about money and generosity can lead to more questions than answers. But...I found some sense of peace right within this text. Hopefully it will help you as you process these kinds of questions. It is given to us in the two purpose clauses.

The first purpose is to enjoy God’s blessings (17) whether they are money, health, family, freedom, forgiveness, salvation and God’s benevolent care for His children in giving good gifts to us. The second purpose is that as a result of being rich in doing good for others, you take hold of that which is truly life (19b) By being ready to share, you are growing in spiritual maturity in understanding that your life and your possessions are not yours. They are God’s that you are managing. You are learning to not to be selfish with God’s blessings but to be a vessel that through God’s gifts, you are giving to others. Resulting in building treasures in heaven which you will enjoy forever.

We could summarize this by saying I enjoy God’s gifts and I enjoy giving it away because I know my treasure is Jesus. Eternal life is my reward. I am taking hold of what is truly life.

Application:

What is your attitude towards your possessions? If you view your money as yours and no one will take this from you, it will show up in how defensive we get when someone asks us for help. You will be condescending to the one in need. “They made their bed, sleep in it.” The examples are endless. However, if you view your money as God’s your attitude may be “I feel bad that a business deal went south on you. Let us get a fundraiser together for you, let us get some meals for your freezer, let me pay your power and heating bill this month.” Wait a second, you already are doing this for one another aren’t you? Keep it up brothers and sisters!

Maybe today, you feel the weight of guilt that you have not been generous or that you have been a miser in trusting only your money because you have gone through hard times. Be encouraged, confess your sin to God who is rich in mercy and loves you deeply. Plead with the Almighty to give you a new heart of generosity because you love Jesus and those whom He died for.

Another sensitive area is to be on the receiving end of generosity. Sadly, our pride can get in the way for being blessed by our church family. Let us be careful not to hide our difficulties but share them so as a body we can love on you and bring glory to God by properly stewarding God’s money so that there is no one in need in the body of Christ.

As God is kind and generous to us, let us be imitators of God in giving freely to others for the glory of God. Sacrificial giving is painful. That is what sacrificing means. It is a deep and affects us where it hurts because there is a million reasons to not give. When a need arises and we start to make excuses, let us first pause and remember the ultimate sacrifice. Jesus, the Son of God, coming to earth as a baby, growing up to be tempted, betrayed, denied, beaten, spit upon, nailed to a Roman cross, then endure the wrath of God for sinners so that they would receive forgiveness. He would die in our place and then be resurrected 3 days later in a glorified body. A glorified body that each Christian will have on that great day! Eternal life! We give, because we have been given Jesus. (Pause)

Do you know Jesus? Trust in Him for salvation for your soul. Look upon our glorious King and believe that He came to save you from your sin and give you the gift of eternal life.

Conclusion:

Conclusion:

Whether we are rich or poor, we are to be rich in good works. Faith without works is a dead faith as James tells us. Let us think deeply and consider carefully how rich we really are. Let us grasp the good news for what it truly is and believe that we cannot out give God. Let us be ready to share of our possessions because we love God and want to grow in godliness for the sake of Christ our Redeemer. Let us confess our selfishness and ask the Lord to give us eyes to see His people as He sees them. Let us trust in God to help us in our need, to believe as a child that God loves us which He truly does. May this help us as we seek to live for the glory of God. Amen.