King of My Wallet

Various Scriptures

Introduction:

What if I told you that there was a subject that Jesus talked about more than heaven or hell? What would you assume that to be? It's money. Jesus talked more about money than either of those topics.

"The church just wants my money. The pastor gets paid too much. They are always asking for my money. I can't afford to give. Pastor, don’t talk about money because people don’t like that. Well actually in the Old Testament people were required to give but in the New Testament times and beyond we give because we WANT to give." These are all statements or sentiments that you may have heard or heard expressed in some other way when it comes to the church and money. People generally, particularly in the midwest, hold their finances very closely and resist the suggestion or even the assumption of a suggestion that someone may be telling us what to do with our money. I believe this comes partially from our hearty, pull yourself up by your own bootstraps, culture and mentality. "Who are you to tell me what to do with MY money?" At any rate, when we hear these things it is clear that we have a basic misunderstanding when it comes to money and possessions and how we as Christians are supposed to steward them. We also suffer from a fundamental misunderstanding of who the money actually belongs to in the first place. What I am proposing today is that we look to the Bible, God's inerrant Word, for how we are supposed to handle money as citizens of the Kingdom of God and specifically how it relates to generosity and giving to the support of the church. Let's pray together that the Lord would help us see clearly His commands and have the faith to obey what He tells us.

PRAY

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The first thing I need to make clear is this: Money is not bad.

1 Timothy 6:10 ESV

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

A lot of times, if we are not careful we can stumble into this idea that money is somehow bad. Make sure and take note of this passage from I Timothy. It is the love of money that is the root of all kinds of evil. It’s not the money itself but our disposition towards it that is the root of all different kinds of evil. When you begin to serve it and live for it and your whole existence becomes just making the next buck...

Matthew 6:2 ESV

“Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.

(when, not if...) Jesus expects generosity on the part of His children. ​ This much is clear.

I. Jesus wants us to give for the right reasons.

My goal here today is that you see and respond obediently to the will of the Lord God. I am not trying to guilt you in anyway. However, there are some very clear directions for how we are to live as followers of Christ in relation to finances. And these are not suggestions that God makes. I have a deep burden that so many times we take the commands of God and treat them like they are suggestions… like this is really the preferred way to live over here but if I don’t feel so good about that then I can still live over here and be just fine… But what we don’t want to do is to give sort of begrudgingly. You know as the brothers pass the baskets we don’t hope they see a bunch of scowls… like the guy who gives but doesn’t want to… OR the guy who hates the fact that he has to give but is afraid if he doesn’t give then he won’t get that new job so he sort of gives out of a desire to get something else… like he’s paying a membership fee or dues. These are the not what it means to give to the Lord’s church. First of all, you’re giving to God. So, in the remainder of my time this morning we are going to look at what the Bible would have us understand about what giving is, what we should give, and how we should give.

A. Giving as worship

First, we need to understand that giving is an act of worship. Some mistakenly think that worship is when we sing. It certainly is worship but it’s not all that is worship. It is worship when we hear the Word of the Lord proclaimed as you are during the sermon. It is worship when we serve and it is most certainly an act of worship when we give. Giving shows how great God is. It proves that He is worth it to us. It shows that we value not just the gift we have been given but the giver of that gift and that we trust Him.

Valuing God.

Matthew 13:46 ESV

who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

B. Giving as thankful imitation.

We give because Jesus gave. We are imitating the generous nature of God and we are showing thankfulness for the gift of Jesus who held not even His own life back from us. He died a criminal’s death on the cross that HE DID NOT DESERVE. We deserved death, and wrath, and hell and He willingly gave His life so that we could experience salvation and reconciliation with God and membership in the family of God. We get an eternal inheritance that moth and rust can not destroy because Jesus GAVE. We should do likewise. He gave all and yet we often hold back.

2 Corinthians 8:9 ESV

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.

C. Giving as discipleship.

Part of... Promotes Godliness Orders our priorities Teaches dependance on God for our needs. Stewardship

Matthew 6:21 ESV

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Matthew 6:24 ESV

“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

D. Giving cheerfully.

​ 2 Corinthians 9:6–7 CSB The point is this: The person who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the person who sows generously will also reap generously. Each person should do as he has decided in his heart—not reluctantly or out of compulsion, since God loves a cheerful giver.

pertaining to being full of cheer, cheerful, glad, happy (Not reluctant…)

II. What should I give to God?

A. All of everything.

It all belongs to Jesus. It’s all his and He has given us a stewardship in our position over a certain amount of money and time and talent. It’s all His. Once we understand this it helps us understand why we need to care about what God says for us to do with our money.

James 1:17 ESV

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

It’s all from Him and every good and perfect gift comes from Him. Our cheerful and obedient giving proves that we know it’s all God’s money. As evidence in Malachi 3 God accuses the Israelites who had not given obediently to what He commanded them of robbing God. Steve Harbin quote? Let me ask this question a different way and see if it changes your answer or the way you feel about the question... Instead of asking what should I give to God, maybe ask yourself, what shouldn’t I give to God? That puts it in a far different light.

1. The Old Testament Giver

- In the Old Testament, it is true that God did tie in material blessing to obedience. This was because God's people were defined as a physical nation (Israel). They were on a physical piece of land that produced for them a physical and material blessing. However, we must ALWAYS remember that the OT blessings of Israel were always pointing to something greater and longer lasting than simple physical and material blessings. Understand that a valid reason to give to God is to be blessed. But this doesn’t mean necessary material blessings today and it also doesn’t necessarily mean that blessing always has to follow giving. You can’t somehow trap God into having to bless you by giving. That is one of the ways the prosperity preachers go wrong. They take the blessings of God and tie them into money and make the money, the blessings the point of the giving and if the blessings aren’t coming then they say you aren’t giving enough. Reference the movie: American Gospel.

A word about tithing. The practice of tithing was an imperative, or command in the Old Testament. It was required, that is true. To tithe means to take 10 percent of your income right off the top and give that amount to God. In today’s era and that of the NT, think of tithing as the bare minimum. It’s not the end, but the starting point. When we speak of tithes and offerings, we are speaking of anything over and above the tithe being an offering.

2. The New Testament Giver

Nowhere in the NT are we commanded to give ten percent. 1 Corinthians 16:2 admonishes us to give in keeping with our income.

1 Corinthians 16:2 ESV

On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come.

2 Corinthians 9:7 ESV

Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

The 10 percent tithe in the OT along with the animal sacrifices, the festivals, and the offices of the priest were part of God’s OT regulations of how His people were supposed to worship Him. Jesus tells the people, and us, during the Sermon on the Mount that He fulfills the whole of the OT. The worship practices of Old Testament were pointing to Him. For more on this, consult the book of Hebrews. Because of Jesus, we aren’t under Israel’s legal, economic, or social laws. Instead we are subject to the Kingdom of Heaven. We are under the rule and law of Christ.

1 Corinthians 9:21 ESV

To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law.

So, some of you want a bottom line. Pastor, is it sin if I don’t give 10 percent? Possibly. I didn’t say no. For some of you, because of how God has set up and designed your life you could be sinning by hoarding if you’re not giving fifty percent of your income. Some of you may be giving obediently at a far lesser amount.

3. The Sacrificial Giver

When we study what the Bible has to say about following Jesus we can see that the Christian life is marked by self-denial.

We should be serving Jesus in a way that we are making sacrifices. _2 ways you can view this wrongly:_ - to believe that if your budget isn’t so tight it squeaks that you’re not giving enough away. This just is not true. - a second wrong view is that somehow comfort and Christianity can coexist. This doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy the financial blessings some. But it does mean that our comfort can not be found in material means. Our comfort should be found in Christ. Period.

A Story of Sacrificial Giving: Dr. Truett of Texas was invited to a church that was raising $6,500 to dedicate a church building. After $3,500 had been promised, the offerings ceased. Then a plainly-dressed woman arose and spoke to her husband who was taking the names. “Charley, I wonder if you would be willing to give our little cottage, just out of debt. We were offered $3,500 for it yesterday. Would you be willing to give our little house for Christ that His house may be free?” The fine fellow responded in the same high spirit: “Jennie, dear, I was thinking of the same thing.” Then looking up at Truett with his face covered with tears, he said, “We will give the $3,500.” Then there followed a scene beggaring all description. Men and women sobbed aloud, and almost in a moment the $3,500 was provided. Then without invitation there came down the aisle men and women, saying, “Sir, where is the Saviour, and how can we find him?”

When people far from God see people following God, trusting God, being obedient to what God has commanded and holding nothing back, it has an evangelistic effect. We see this in the early church. They held nothing back.

4. The Generous Giver

There’s this other theme in scripture when it comes to giving. There’s sacrifice and then there’s generosity.

Remember: What you give and what you keep back are ultimately both God’s and you want to be a faithful steward of His money.

I will say this: when you get to heaven I don’t think God is going to tell you that you should have kept more for yourself. I’m also pretty sure no one at the end of their life ever lays on their deathbed wishing they had kept more for themselves.

III. When should I give? To What:

A. Obligations

Providing for family

1 Timothy 5:8 ESV

But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

Most basicGive to your local church.

Galatians 6:6 ESV

Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches.

How much should you give? We’ve already covered the principals at play here and so you will need to do the heart work of figuring that out. I’m not going to tell you. These are the two obligations commanded in scripture.

B. Opportunities

There are these times in the Bible where opportunities to give are presented to the believers. A great example is in 2 Corinthians 8:8 where Paul doesn’t give a command but presents an opportunity for the Corinthian believers to support the churches in Judea who were in financial straits.

Galatians 6:10 is instructive here.

Galatians 6:10 ESV

So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

IV. What should my giving look like? (As alliterated by CHBC)

How do I structure it or determine it? This is the practical section of this message. I want to give you some points that come straight from the Core Seminar material from another church. I did not come up with these on my own.

A. Periodic

This could also read: regularly... Firstfruits... Is it a regular thing where you are giving weekly or monthly depending on when you get paid?

B. Personal

Paul says... “each one of you.” We should not assume anything other than our own personal giving.

C. Planned

Paul’s admonition to set aside should cause us to plan our budgets so that giving is put in at the beginning. It’s not a momentary decision on Sunday morning when the basket gets to the end of the row but an intentional act of worship. This is one area where online giving will be of great benefit to some of you.

D. Progresive

Give according to your means...in keeping with your income. If your income is more or goes up then your giving should increase as well.

Here’s an example I found in some of my preparation:

Let’s say that Believer A has an income of $30,000 per year and Believer B receives $60,000 per year. Both give 10% of their income. With everything else being equal, has Believer B given progressively? No, they haven’t. After giving, Believer A has $27,000 left to live on, and Believer B has $54,000, or twice as much. Believer B could actually give 20% and still have over $20,000 more to live on than Believer A.

Some of you are old enough to remember a band called Van Halen. They had a very interesting clause in their performance contract. Article 126 stipulated that "a bowl of M&Ms be provided backstage, but with every single brown M&M removed." If the band arrived and found any brown M&Ms, they were free to cancel the contract and receive full payment. So why did the band hate brown M&Ms so much? It was a safety thing. They were the first big band to play in third-level markets and used nine tractor trailer's worth of equipment! Mistakes were common and potentially life-threatening, especially if the stage couldn't support all the weight. So they had to make sure that the promoter read the contract; hence, Article 126. To quote their lead singer, "When I would walk backstage, if I saw a brown M&M in that bowl...well, line-check the entire production...Guaranteed you'd run into a problem."' It seems silly at first, but a detail like that turns out to be hugely important. To a more biblical framework, those who are faithful with little will be faithful with much.

E. Plentiful

Our giving is supposed to be generous. We mentioned this above. Paul wanted it so that when he came to Corinth he wouldn’t have to make collections.

F. Private

Matthew 6:2 ESV

“Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.

Matthew 6:3–4 ESV

But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Conclusion

It is more blessed to give than to receive. These are Jesus’ words. Look at

Acts 20:35 ESV

In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”

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Then the membership votes to either approve the budget or to ask for it to be amended. Once that vote passes, it has the same effect as the membership of the church saying, “this is a good budget and we will give to support the budget that we voted to support.” I have a belief that if everyone in a church gave obediently to support the church then the church would not lack anything it needed for the mission that God has placed before her. I believe that. We are talking about an eternal impact.

In the movie Gladiator, Maximus, a Roman general is about to lead his troops into battle and he gives a speech to get them all pumped up. He says, “Brothers, what we do in life, echoes in eternity.” So much of that resonates with what we know of finances and eternity.

Randy Alcorn, in his book, Money, Possessions, and Eternity writes:

“Our use of money and possessions is a decisive statement of our eternal values. What we do with our money loudly affirms which kingdom we belong to. Whenever we give of our resources to further God’s kingdom, we cast a ballot for Christ and against Satan, for heaven and against hell. Whenever we use our resources selfishly and indifferently we further Satan’s goals. The key to a right use of money and possessions is a right perspective—an eternal perspective. Each of our lives is positioned like a bow, drawn across the strings of a cosmic violin, producing vibrations that resound for all eternity. The slightest action of the bow produces a sound, a sound that is never lost. What I do today has tremendous bearing on eternity. Indeed, it is the stuff of which eternity is made. The everyday choices I make regarding money and possessions are of eternal consequence.”

Isaac Watts wrote many of the hymns that have marked the worship and teaching of the church for hundreds of years. The song When I Survey the Wondrous Cross has some especially connecting lyrics with our giving.

When I Survey the Wondrous Cross Words by Isaac Watts

VERSE 1 When I survey the wondrous cross On which the Prince of glory died, My richest gain I count but loss, And pour contempt on all my pride.

VERSE 2 Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast Save in the death of Christ, my God. All the vain things that charm me most, I sacrifice them to His blood.

VERSE 3 See, from His head, His hands, His feet, Sorrow and love flow mingled down. Did e’er such love and sorrow meet Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

VERSE 4 Were the whole realm of nature mine, That were a present far too small. Love so amazing, so divine, Demands my soul, my life, my all.