2021.02.21 The Divine Drama Revisited

The Divine Drama Revisited

What do they need to know? Why we take an offering!

Why do they need to know it? So they can respond in gratitude rather than obligation!

What do they need to do? Give cheerfully or not give

Why do they need to do it? To be faithful to the Lord

How can I help them remember?

Me

Don’t you hate it when someone tells you to do something and doesn’t bother to tell you why?

I have always been a “why guy.”

If the boss tells me what to do I’ll do it. Explain why and I can make decisions based on the concept behind the directive. I might even be able to convert other workers to drop their resistance to the change.

Robots do what they’ve been programmed to do without question. They’ll get the job done, but they won’t ever help anyone understand the reasons.

We

In the Church, we do a lot of things, and when someone dares to ask, “Why do we do that?” we tell them something ridiculous like, “That’s just the way we do things.”

Is that okay? [NO - IT IS NOT!]

God

Jesus quoted Deut. 6:5 to one of the lawyers trying to trap him. "You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. (Mat 22:37 NASB)

God wants us to think! He wants us to consider the meanings behind things. He wants us to understand not just what to do, but why.

The Bible – not a rule book. Hear that again … The Bible IS NOT a rule book!

Bible is a book that teaches us about the nature of God. We learn about His characteristics … who he is … because he wants us to be partners in His ministry, not robots.

[Jesus:] I don't call you servants any longer, because servants don't know what their master is doing. Instead, I call you friends, because everything I heard from my Father I have made known to you. (Joh 15:15 CEB)

In today’s Old Testament passage we read what we are supposed to do … we’re supposed to give a portion of what we earn/grow/etc. to God. We give a portion of what God has provided back to him as a show of faithfulness. But why?

We take a collection every week, but why? [ask … take answers]

Why do you give? [ask … take answers]

emphasis on Vs. 7

Deuteronomy 26:5–11 NASB

5 “You shall answer and say before the Lord your God, ‘My father was a wandering Aramean, and he went down to Egypt and sojourned there, few in number; but there he became a great, mighty and populous nation. 6 ‘And the Egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us, and imposed hard labor on us. 7 ‘Then we cried to the Lord, the God of our fathers, and the Lord heard our voice and saw our affliction and our toil and our oppression; 8 and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with great terror and with signs and wonders; 9 and He has brought us to this place and has given us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. 10 ‘Now behold, I have brought the first of the produce of the ground which You, O Lord have given me.’ And you shall set it down before the Lord your God, and worship before the Lord your God; 11 and you and the Levite and the alien who is among you shall rejoice in all the good which the Lord your God has given you and your household.

The Divine Drama Revisited

It’s gratitude. God doesn’t need our offering … Psalm 50 – God owns “the cattle on a thousand hills.”

We take an offering to provide an opportunity for worship in this manner … an opportunity to show our gratitude for all that God has done for us!

You

Me? I give to the Lord because He has been so good to me! This is an obligation, but I also see this as a form of worship … whether giving is done by cash or check or electronic transfer. God provides, we respond to him as an expression of gratitude.

We

Most pastors would tell people to participate in the offering. I don’t want to tell you what to do. I would much rather tell you why.

Has God been good to you? Has He blessed you? Have you been the recipient of His grace and His mercy? How have you responded?

Most of the physical offering has already been placed in the box at the sanctuary entrance. In a minute, we’ll take some time to allow for electronic gifts. If you don’t give anything to the offering, so be it. If you contribute ANYthing, I hope you recognize that we don’t want anyone to give out of obligation, or to make the bills.

I would encourage you to give, but I would encourage you to recognize that your father was starving in Egypt. He was treated harshly. He cried out to the Lord and God responded.

And when you’ve been in need, God has been actively working for your good.

The Offering is an opportunity to “celebrate all the good things Yahweh your God has done for you and your family.” Understanding that is much more important than just putting a check in the box each week. If God’s been gracious to you, he says this is a way we’re expected to show our gratitude. Let’s pray.