Back to the Basics:
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Introduction
Introduction
Great couple of weeks.
Time to look to the future.
However tonight we are going to continue looking back to the basics of our faith.
Tonight we are going to look at a topic that has been avoided and abused in various Christian circles. And whether you have been in a situation during your life where someone has neglected to teach the principle seek to expound on this evening or where they have mistaught or misrepresented it, know that their neglect or abuse should not change our desire to still live according to the proper teachings of the Bible.
With that introduction let’s dive into the basic understanding of proper financial stewardship as a means of worshipping the Lord.
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
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.
The word for treasure here is understood to be representative of our finances based upon the context of its use but can also be understood, and not only in an allegorical sense, but based upon the previous verses as anything which we treasure. Our identity, our money, our time, etc.
So while tonight we will be exploring finances specifically, I want you to understand that our giving to God is about so much more than money.
When we give something to God I believe He can take it and use it in ways greater than we ever could.
And when we give it to Him He will provide for us.
God Provides Everything We have
God Provides Everything We have
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
We know every good gift comes from God but what does that mean for us?
It means that first
God is the owner of all
God is the owner of all
What we have comes from Him.
The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; The world, and they that dwell therein.
It’s Him who provides for our needs
The eyes of all wait upon thee; And thou givest them their meat in due season.
Thou openest thine hand, And satisfiest the desire of every living thing.
When we receive these gifts it is our responsibility to steward them properly.
Understanding that we don’t own what we have changes our approach to it. We are simply stewards of God’s grace.
As good stewards we will give an account for how we manage the resources we have been given.
Romans 14:10-12
But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.
So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.
These three truths are found in the parable that Jesus told of the nobleman and the servants.
Now, with what God has given us, He has instructed us to give as well.
There are many principles in the word of God about financial stewardship but tonight we will focus on the principles surrounding the giving to God’s work.
God’s Word Instructs us to Give
God’s Word Instructs us to Give
There is both direct instruction and examples of first century Christians giving. Through both of these we will see three specific ways to give.
First we should give regulaurly
Give regularly
Give regularly
Prior to the giving of the law being given to Moses we have the principle of the tithe being given in genesis.
And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king’s dale.
And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.
And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:
And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.
And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.
Abraham gave 10% of all he had to the priest Melchizedek.
And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not.
And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.
And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it.
And he called the name of that place Beth-el: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first.
And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on,
So that I come again to my father’s house in peace; then shall the Lord be my God:
And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God’s house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.
Melchizedek.
Then in Malachi, a common place quoted to defend the tithe to New Testament Christians that I will expound on later but for the moment I ask that you just see the connection and the principle of the 10% and of regular giving.
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.
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.
Then we find Paul writing to the Corinthians instructing them to give regularly and proportionately to God’s blessing on them. Our giving isn’t meant to be whenever we feel like it. It is to be based upon how God gives to us.
Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.
So we see regular giving and we see a principle of 10%.
We are to give regularly and we are to give by grace
Give by Grace
Give by Grace
The most moving example of giving in scripture is highlighted by the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians when he rights of Macedonians and their example.
Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia;
How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality.
For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves;
Praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints.
In their poverty they gave, they gave regularly and sacrificially, willing to give without the law not rooted in guilt but by grace.
Give willingly
Give willingly
Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
God then rewards our giving.
God Rewards Giving
God Rewards Giving
I’m always careful to saw that the rewards of God as a blessing to our giving are not always material in nature.
God will meet our needs
God will meet our needs
By example of the Macedonians we understand that we can give out of poverty and still remain in impoverished states. This goes back to our understanding of the blessings God. If we believe the greatest blessing God can bestow upon us is material in nature…we have lost sight of what He has meant to be truly important.
Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
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?
Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
God will bless our gifts
God will bless our gifts
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.
We are not promised health and wealth but we are promised to to be blessed in proportion to our giving.
Now please don’t go writing a check to the church for your entire paycheck expecting it to come back to you. I again say, material blessings are not what we always get in return.
We are to give to the work of the Lord and we are to give to those in need but we are not to improperly steward what God has given us.
God will multiply fruit to our account
God will multiply fruit to our account
The greatest reason we have to give to the work of the Lord, is to have a part in investing in eternity.
Just as we invest in missions work to see souls saved in far off lands, we must invest the work of the local church to see people sound who live around us.
proves this principle of multiplying fruit.
So what do we do with this information?
Conclusion
Conclusion
First we need understand something.
We read from malachi 3 earlier and I told you I would expound upon it later…now is that time.
turn back over to malachi 3 and look at verses 6-10
For I am the Lord, I change not; Therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.
Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return?
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.
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.
Let’s go through a proper exegesis of this passage by asking some questions.
Who is speaking here? God
Who is he addressing? Sons of Jacob, Jews, Israel
What are some things he is telling them? change not, Rob God by not giving tithe, cursed if you don’t tithe, Prove me on this matter.
Does the Bible teach a replacement theology? (Church replaced Israel in promises) NO
Does this passage literally apply to New Testament Christians? No
Now does that mean we shouldn’t learn from the principles given? NO. The Ten commandments were not given to us either yet we seek to live by them, right?
So what are the principles here?
God does not change. He is the same throughout time. The principles He presents are representative of his character and nature.
He mentions the tithe. The 10%, proportional giving, is again brought into light as a principle of giving to the Lord. When it came to the nation of Israel He said they were robbing him by not giving their tithes, their tenth. Now there were multiple tithes and offerings that the Israelites gave and if we tried to give according to all of those, we would not be able to survive because of the changes in the culture. However, we do see the 10% principle continuing to be presented.
The principle of blessings based upon giving are present here as well. This is consistent with the teachings of Paul in the NT as well.
So what do we do? Do we give 10%? Do we give whatever we want?
First you need to remember that we give by grace and not by law. So the amount you give cannot be dictated by me or anyone else.
I will teach you principles, I will tell you how I give, and then it’s between you, the Word, and the Holy Spirit.
Explination of how I give.
You should be giving regularly, willingly, proportinately, and by grace.
PRAY