Giving #4

Joyous Giving
Stewardship #4
November 9th
Pastor Ben Fleming

Turn in your bibles to the book of Numbers and the book of Deuteronomy. Genesis – Exodus – Leviticus – Numbers and Deuteronmy. The 4th and 5th books in the Pentatuch. What does it mean to you to be faithful? Does it mean that you take a break at times or you forget or you decide that it is okay to no longer to be faithful – you deserve to be happy and this situation that you find yourself in is just to tough? It depends what we are talking about when we say faithful. My wife wants and expects me to be faithful to her. And I have been. My children want my wife and I to be faithful to each other. When Cheryl was hired by her boss – he expected her to be faithful at work. The schools take great pains at making sure students are faithful – their funds depend upon it. I am glad that the farmers are faithful to plant corn and wheat seed every year --- did anyone have some toast or cereal this morning? The bible expects a believer to be faithful to a church family and the bible expects a pastor to faithfully prepare and study to preach God’s Word.

Faithfulness describes God. He is never unfaithful. Deuteronomy 7:9 “Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; He is faithful God, keeping His covenant to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commands.” Faithfulness has everything to do with keeping your word. Is your yes yes and your no no? Deut 32:4 “He is the Rock, His works are perfect, and His ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, and upright is He.” Faithfulness has to do with that which is right or righteous. Psalm 12:1 “Help, Lord, for the godly are no more, the faithful have vanished from among men.” Faithfulness in men is what God is looking for. Faithfulness and godliness go together. Psalm 31:23 “Love the Lord all His saints. The Lord preserves the faithful but the proud He pays back in full.” Those who are proud are not faithful and God opposes them. In the New Testament Jesus tells us a parable about 3 servants who were entrusted with His masters money – the first two servants were faithful with the money and the master replies “well done, good and faithful servant” You have been faithful with a few things: I will put you in charge of many things” Jesus was referring to money – to possessions – ……….there is a connection between being faithful with what God gives us and the blessings of God in our lives. God’s children who are trustworthy with what God gives them --------------- He gives them more.

We are talking about money – but more specifically about stewardship of what God gives to us. If you are here for the first time --- please do not get up and walk out this is our 4th message on stewardship. For many in the church – when they think of giving they think of tithing. I hear that word from many of you. Most people in churches do not know what tithing means and most in the church do not tithe. Today – I want to briefly cover with you tithing and then focus on the rewards of God for the faithful giver. Please stand as we read our text this morning. Deut 14:22-23 and Deut 14:27-29 and Numbers 18:21 ---- PHIL

In the Old Testament the Jewish people were commanded to tithe under the Mosaic Law. They were commanded to give three tithes that averaged 20 -23 percent per year. Write it in on your outline:

1. Levitical Tithe. 10 percent of everything the Jewish people grew or raised was to be brought to the Temple. It was used to support the Levites who were the priests, musicians and servants who served in the tabernacle. Levites were not just the priests, they cleaned the tabernacle toilets and made the coffee. The temple had store rooms where tithes were brought and kept. Levites did not grow crops or raise animals. They depended upon the tithes of the people. Numbers 18:21 “And to the sons of Levi, behold, I have given all the tithe in Israel, for an inheritance, in return for their service which they perform, the service of the tent meeting.” …… It was God’s plan that the priests who came from the tribe of Levi would focus their full time on worship and teaching of the law……. In the New Testament – Paul says in the Christian church the one who devotes himself to preaching and teaching is to be supported by those who hear it. You read such things as “the workman is worthy of his wages”. The first tithe in the Old Testament was to support the Levite ministers.

2. Festival Tithe. The second annual tithe the Jewish people were required to give was a festival tithe from the remaining 9 tenths of their income to be set apart for the national religious programs of the Jewish nation. We read this in Deut 14. It was used by the Levites to run the temple. You might say it paid for the heat and electricity. Everyone participated in providing for what kept the temple running – everyone participated in paying the heating bill – the electric bill – everyone helped pay for the TP and cups at the water fountain.

3. Welfare Tithe. The third tithe that the Mosaic law required was a welfare tithe in which every third year, the festival tithe was not to be taken to the temple in Jerusalem but it was to be kept at home and each family was to use it to feed the poor that came to or by their homes. God’s people were to take care of the poor. Every home had a room in it where this tithe was kept and when someone came by or when a family member knew of someone who was in need each family could help them. Since it was every 3 years it was thought by scholars to be a 1/3 per cent per year. So if you think in terms of tithing as a believer – then you must give 23 percent of your income. There is no church today that would refuse that……….. So – here is what I would propose to you and I realize some would disagree with me:
It is significant that no where in the New Testament is a believer commanded to tithe. In fact, you will not find any commands to give a mere 10 percent. If you believe the OT – the command was just over 23 percent. Tithing or 10 percent is a guideline to help a believer become a generous giver…………The New Testament commands a believer to give. Tithing is a tool that God has given us to help a believer become a faithful giver. So – may I ask you to stop thinking and speaking about becoming a tithing believer ------------ an American Christian is so prosperous that they cannot think and see themselves as being a New Testament giver unless they start at 10%. You have to start somewhere. ACCEPTING THE TEN PERCENT CHALLENGE . Now let’s switch gears. What are the rewards of faithful giving?

Rewards for Faithful Giving -- You will find that the bible promises four kinds of rewards to the faithful giver.

1. The Bible promises an emotional reward. A faithful giver will be happier. Everybody in here wants to be happy. Faithful giving increases your happiness. Acts 20:35 “In every thing I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Even in Malachi chapter 3 God promises that He will “throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have enough room for it.” Blessing includes emotional happiness. The word blessed means fortunate or happy. When we think of being blessed most of the time we think of money or stuff. When someone wins the lottery we think they are fortunate --- they will be happy. When Jesus said – “it is more blessed to give than to receive” He was saying that the person who gives another person $1000 is happier and is more fortunate than the person who got the $1000. We do not think that way. We think the person who got the $1000 should be the happiest. Jesus knew that when the Holy Spirit was inside of a person when they give to God and others with a cheerful heart ---- God causes them to experience great happiness. Some of you have tasted that. There is an emotional affection that takes over. There is a joy that you know that God sees what you are doing and that God is pleased. There is a joy in expanding the work of God’s kingdom. When Denny Bock asked our church to give a laptop to Mohammad I could not wait to do it --- I did not even get permission ---- I did it and I looked forward to telling you all what we did and when the photo came of him I was tickeled to show it to you.

John D Rockefeller said – “I have made millions, but it has brought me no happiness.”
When Howard Hughes was asked how much is enough – he said, “just one dollar more.”

Randy Alcorn – the founder of eternal perspective ministries has wrote, “ In my own experience, there is nothing more exhilarating than to participate in God’s kingdom program by meeting the spiritual and physical needs of others. Nothing is so stimulating and rewarding as joining with brothers and sisters in Christ in the highest cause in the universe --- bringing glory to God by extending His grace to others. Every since I came to Christ as a high school student, financial giving has been a vital part of my walk with God. For me, growing and giving have been almost inseparable. I do not consider myself a perfect model of giving. Yet some of the greatest joys of my life, and some of the closest times of intimacy with my Lord have come in the giving of myself and my resources.” Stingy Christians are not joyful. You cannot have joy in God and not become a giver. That seems like a selfish reason to become a giver --- I want more joy and I want to pursue joy. There is a godly pleasure in that but never fall into the trap of thinking pursuing joy in God is sin. There is no sin in pursuing pleasure in God.

2. The bible promises a spiritual reward. A faithful giver will experience a greater sense of a closeness to God. John 14:21 “Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves Me. He who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I too will love Him and show myself to Him.” Pastor Rod Rogers says in his book Pastor Driven Stewardship – “in my church I want God’s people to experience a greater sense of God’s love and presence in their life” – when someone tells me that is lacking I simply challenge them to give 10 times the amount they are currently giving and every person who did what I told them to do has come back with a testimony telling me of how much closer to God they are and how much more of the love of God they feel.”……… We can say that giving brings you closer to God because the bible says that God loves a cheerful giver so that tells us that there is a special affection in the heart of God for a giver and the words of Jesus in John 14 tells us that obeying the commands of God is essential to feeling the love of God. I do not change the love of God or make God love me any more by giving……. but I taste – know and feel the love of God because I obey God. Obeying God is drawing near to God and the bible says – draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Since God loves to give --- it makes sense that if you and I do not share His commitment to giving - you will never develop a deep intimate and satisfying relationship with Him. 2x 3rd reward.

3. The Bible promises an eternal reward. A faithful giver will be given treasure in heaven. Matthew 6:19 – 21 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Heaven is a long way off for many of us and we do not think about or really believe what Jesus said. Some of us think – who cares about treasures in heaven – I am just glad I am not going to hell. But the bible says, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” So if your heart is focused on money, your debts and your stuff and getting more stuff and better stuff then your heart is focused on the things of this earth but the believer who is focused on laying up treasure in heaven is bringing a bit of heaven to this earth to their heart. You are walking this earth with the focus of your heart on the eternal rewards that God promises……. When you get to heaven are you going to be surprised when someone walks up to you and says to you “thank you because of your investments I am here.” ?? I wonder how many believers are going to get to heaven and be surprised that what they sent on ahead did not earn them much eternal treasure. Many Christians who are rich in this life will find they are poor in the next --- this is perhaps what Jesus meant when He said – “But many who are first will be last and the last, first.” ---- eternal – spiritual and emotional rewards……….. and then #4

4. The Bible promises a financial reward. A faithful believer will always have more money than they need. I almost hesitate to put this one down but I cannot get around it since you find it in God’s Word – but what God has meant for good – man takes and turns it into greed. We are tempted to think: “I will give so that I can get. This promise says nothing about man and man’s need and any obligation that God has to man but it says everything about God……God always gives and He gives abundantly even when man does not. God does not need man’s giving --- giving is one of the ways that God fashions His children to become like Him. Look with me at three guarantees in the Word of God about money.

* Your level of giving determines your level of blessing. Luke 6:38 “Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” You give to God a token every so often and you can expect God to give to you a token back. 2 Corinthians 9:6 “he who sows sparingly reaps sparingly” --- throw a few handfuls of seed on the ground once or twice a year and that is what you can expect to reap back from God. I challenge you to be a faithful giver. I challenge you to increase every year the size of your giving – but start first by being faithful by giving the standard He set – a tithe.

* God rewards your generous giving by meeting all your financial needs. 2 Corinthians 9:8 “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, that always having all sufficiency in everything.” Proverbs 3:9 -10, Proverbs 11:24 - 25, Malachi 3:10, Matthew 6:33, Philippians 4:18 -19. The bible never says that God will provide your wants ---- the more prosperous we as Americans have become the more we think something is a need. How many of you had cell phones and internet and HDT 15 years ago???? It is by God’s grace that He meets your needs. In September of 1977 I left my parents home for language school and the mission field. I was a baby giver at age 22 --- I have never never had a situation where God did not meet my needs. To be honest with you --- I feel abundantly blessed. I have never won the lottery or been given an inheritance but I have been to places and done what most people would never think of doing. I have had a blast the past 31 years. Now --- I do not want you think that I do not struggle with worrying about making ends meet – I do. I have confessed many many times my lack of trust in God even though I have seen His track record – I can say to you we have always had sufficiency in everything and we give beyond 10%. 3rd guarantee

* God rewards your generous giving with an abundance of money to give to His work. Professor Hodge said about verse 8 of Corinthians. “From verse 8 -11 the apostle Paul assures the believer that the liberal and cheerful giver will always have something to give.” God gives the believer more money and He gives them more money not to spend on themselves but to invest more in His Kingdom……2x God wants to give His children the priviledge and choice of where they are going to invest money. Let me draw this out and say something you might disagree with……….. “In a sense” --- God wants to trust His children that they know better than He does where to spend the money so that it will bring more return for the Kingdom of God.” God rewards your generous giving with an abundance of money to give to His work. God rewards you by meeting all your financial needs and your level of giving determines your level of blessing.

Prayer: Heavenly Father thank You that You are God who gives. Teach us to give. Help us to give. Father we want to be stewards of what you have given to us and that we will hear You say “well done good and faithful servant.” Lord – thank You for the emotional rewards that come from giving. Thank you for the spiritual rewards and the eternal rewards that come from giving. Thank you for the financial rewards and that You guarantee us that You will meet all our needs.

Father – bless those who give. Help them to be faithful. Encourage them. Keep them healthy. Give them more so that they can give and give. Keep their cars running. Provide jobs for those who are jobless. Help us to look to You and find our pleasure in You and you alone. Amen