Walking Close to God

Giving

This morning I want to make a connection between your walk with God and your attitude towards giving financially.

The reaction of many, including myself until recently, is to be defensive.  We do not want to be known as a church that is out for your money.  We only take one offering a week unless we have a special speaker in the evening.  We provide free use of our facilities and do not have fundraisers where we try to get money from the community.  We are very careful not to portray what many televangelist have done that the church is all about taking money out of your pockets and putting into the church coffers.

We are defensive because there are those who have abused the trust placed in them and we don’t want to be identified with them. There are churches where the pastors have stolen money from the congregation, churches that are deep in debt, churches that preach giving every week.  I have even heard of churches that lock the doors until enough has been put into the offering plate.

All of this contributes to a culture where we fear sending the wrong message. 

I have changed my attitude on this somewhat from my reading of the Bible.  Especially, I see Jesus take a different tact on this.  As followers of Jesus, we should not be ashamed to give out the whole council of God.

Jesus makes a strong connection between our attitude toward money and our walk with the Lord.

This morning I want to expose you to Jesus’ teaching, his application, and then make some final remarks about this subject to close it out.

First, the teaching is found in 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.

When I read this verse, I find that it is the practice of many to do exactly the opposite of what Jesus taught.  He says, “Don’t store up for yourselves treasurers on earth…”  We store up treasures for ourselves on earth.  He says, “Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven…”  We don’t store up treasurers for ourselves in heaven.

Jesus is not against planning. He speaks on that in other passages.  However, many people plan to store up treasures on earth and make no plans to store up treasures in heaven. 

The sad news, according to Jesus, is that all the treasures you store up on earth will either be destroyed or stolen.  How much money do you spend on insurance to make sure that you will get a return if what you own is destroyed or stolen?  When you die, what will happen to your things? Your children will throw away all those papers you have been accumulating for years.  They will spend your money and you will have no control over whether they use it for good or bad purposes. 

The good news, according to Jesus, is that heavenly treasures cannot be destroyed or stolen. What you put into the bank of heaven is good for eternity.

This past week I was told that one of the people who took advantage of the camp scholarship fund received Christ at Fair Haven Camps.  I don’t know if you were one of the ones who gave or not, but if you were, you made a deposit into your heavenly bank.

This past week we had several young people out at the soccer clinic.  They and their parents heard the gospel very clearly through the various speakers.  We believe that the labor is worthy of his hire, so we helped the speakers with gas money and a little extra for their efforts.  Those of you that give share in the eternal good done at the soccer clinic by your investment in spiritual activities.

Some of you listening to what I am saying are blessed because you were a part of this.  Some may be indifferent.  This is where Jesus taught me the value of money in relationship to our walk with God. Listen to the voice of Jesus. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

This is the connection.  Jesus has enough money.  He created the world and all that is in it.  He doesn’t need anything from us.  What he wants is our heart.  He wants us to love him and be fully involved with him in what he is doing in this world.

Jesus recognizes that in the area of our finances we engage in spiritual warfare. 

In verse 24 he says, “No one can serve two masters. 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 both God and Money.

Who are the two masters?  God and money!  God and mammon!  Mammon is from an Aramaic noun, which means “wealth” or “property.”

Did you notice his use of the word “despise”? That is the reaction of many people when it comes to giving. We need to be careful where we give and how we give.  Some people are so careful that they never give.  They do not have a heart for the things of God so they do not put their treasure in that direction.

Notice how Jesus puts it.  The issue isn’t the treasure, it’s the heart.  The issues isn’t the mammon, it’s the master.  Where is our heart?  Who or what is our master?

The number one impediment to spiritual growth in this area is worry. I am not going to get into it at this time, but you can read the rest of this passage and see what Jesus says about the relationship between our worry and our saving habits.

In our family, we want to support God’s work, so we give ten percent, the tithe, off the top.  We give to God first because we want God to be first.  Abraham gave Melchizadek a tithe and Hebrews puts him as a type of Christ.  The Jewish people gave God a tithe as a way of acknowledging that all they had came from God.  We find no command for Christians about this specifically, but Jesus taught us to be generous, not stingy, with what we have.  The Lord loves a cheerful giver and that is important to us.

We pay our bills.  We believe that it is theft to take someone from someone else and not either pay for it or give it back.  If we promise to pay, we should pay.  If not, there is no difference between not paying and stealing from someone else. So often people say, “They can afford it.”  If so, don’t promise to pay them, just tell them you are taking it.  If they agree, you are ok.  If not, then not paying is stealing and is not a righteous act. If we ever came to the place where we could not pay, we believe it is right to tell the person as soon as possible and to make it right with them.

The story that Matthew told about Jesus is found in Matthew 19:16-30.

 Matthew 19:16–30 (NIV84)

16 Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” 17 “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments.” 18 “Which ones?” the man inquired. Jesus replied, “ ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, 19 honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’” 20 “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

Here is the connection.  This story Matthew tells us connects the teaching with a real life situation. Here is a man who professes he wants to walk close to God.  Jesus says to him, “You only need to do one thing.  Get rid of your god.”  If he gave his money to the poor and came and followed Jesus, he would have treasure in heaven.  Remember the principle.  You can tell where a person’s heart is by what they treasure.  What is most important to this man? Does he value his money or his walk with God the most?

22 When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.

Young people would want to keep their money rather than lose it for eternal purposes.  I have heard of rich people who, when faced with the prospect of dying, have spent their fortunes to stay alive.  Michael Jackson tried it and failed.  This young man had the opportunity to lay up treasure in heaven and turned it down.  Why?  Because his mouth and his heart did not agree.  His mouth wanted eternal life, his heart wanted it if it did not include loosing what was important to him.

23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?” 26 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

God does not make selling all we have a requirement for salvation. He does want us to confess with our mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in our heart that God raised him from the dead.  It is in the heart, the seat of our convictions, that the spiritual battle takes place.

He put it out for the young man so that we could see his heart.  What if the same requirement was true of us?  What if God said that the only way to heaven was to sell all you had, give it to the poor and then come follow Jesus?  Would you do it?  Or would your earthly treasurers mean more to you than following Jesus?

It would take real faith in Jesus to make such a step. Without faith it is impossible to please God.  This young man did not receive eternal life because of his earthly possessions; he did not receive eternal life because he didn’t trust Jesus. It’s like the old Jack Benny skit that asks, “Your money or your life?” To which the answer is given, “Take my life, I need my money to live on.” He couldn’t trust Jesus to take care of him.

The disciples had the same problem.

 27 Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?”

They had given up their jobs, their incomes, moved from their homes to be with Jesus. All their needs were met, but they had no savings that we are aware of.

 28 Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

This is special for the apostles.  They will be judging the twelve tribes of Israel at the renewal of all things.

This is for us.

29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.

Notice the “and everyone…”  That includes us.  When we walk the path of discipleship, whatever we “give up” will be nothing compared to what we receive. The apostle Paul put it this way.  “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. ” (Romans 8:18, NIV84)

I want to make some final remarks.

First, we do not need to apologize to anyone for speaking about money.  Jesus did.

Second, the way we spend our money is a reflection of where our heart really is.

Third, when we give to what is of eternal value, we will discover that we will walk closer to God. 

This is my concern.  This is why I am speaking on this.  I have come to realize that we give lip service to loving God, but when God reveals a need to us, whether it is for the church, the poor, missions, or other people, our response will show us where our heart really is. 

I want to be part of a congregation of people who love God from the heart.  I want to help all of us have a single mind towards God.  I want to have only one master in our life, Jesus Christ.

I have come to recognize that money masters many of our lives.  If we are going to grow spiritually in our walk with the Lord, Jesus tells us that we have to face the reality of the place money is given in our lives.

So where is your heart?  What changes do you need to make?

I have one suggestion for you to start you off.  Take some of your money and deposit it in a heavenly treasure.  Choose your place.  Take note of what happens in your heart as you do this.  Share with others the results.