The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;

Psalm 24:1 (NIV)

           Do you remember the tug of wars you had as children?  “It’s mine!” “No, it’s mine!”  “Mommy!”  Some of the same “tug of wars” continue into adulthood.  Husbands and wives often clash over this issue. 

Some families have established "my paycheck" and "your paycheck" kinds of systems.  I believe that this is basically unhealthy.  We joke in our house that my wife owns everything.  I wrote the vows and after giving her all my worldly goods, I forgot to put in a clause that gave them back.  So she reminds me that it is all hers.  But in reality, we share.  I think that it is wise for a couple to see all their assets as joint.  Then out of the one budget, each can have spendable income that is jointly agreed upon. When couples divide assets I believe it does not create harmony, but can create envy and division.  Often the discussion arises, however, as to who owns or who controls what you have. 

This clash is seen as a cause of wars.  Iraq invades Kuwait because of a historical dispute over property rights.  Many countries, such as Egypt, are trying to reclaim artifacts taken during times of war and return them to the native country. President Bush struck a chord with many when he campaigned on the idea that the government’s money was “our money.”  Who owns it is an important question.

     One reason I am doing this series is that Christians think differently about these issues than many other people do.  You will find that many in this church are going to nod their heads in agreement with much of what I say because they have a Christian mindset.  For others, this series on stewardship will be new information.  In fact, some of the information I am going to give may cause you to grumble around the dinner table.  But your struggle will not be with me, it will be with God over the ownership of what you have.

     Our text today is Psalm 24:1: The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.  When we ask the question, “Who owns it?” the Christian answer is “God owns it.”  Everything on the earth, in the earth and living upon the earth belong to God.  The ore we take out of the ground belongs to God.  The trees we cut down in the forest belong to God.  And Americans, Iraqui’s, Chinese,  Indians and  Mexicans all belong to God. 

     This is reiterated in Psalm 100:3. Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.  As our creator, he is also our owner.  We don’t like that word in the United States because of its tie to slavery, but I will tell you that it is horrible to be a slave of man, but it is good to be a slave of God. 

     Yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand. (Isa 64:8).   This is what Isaiah affirms.  We are clay in God’s hands.  He also says, You turn things upside down, as if the potter were thought to be like the clay! Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, "He did not make me"? Can the pot say of the potter, "He knows nothing"? (Isa 29:16).  This verse shows an arrogance we have towards God.  God made everything, He owns everything, and can do with it as He wants.  But we turn that relationship upside down and think that we own God and can tell him what to do, or even tell him what we are going to do as if he is powerless against us. 

     For the Christian this idea that God owns everything is even stronger. 19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honour God with your body. (1Co 6:19-20).  And then later on in the same book it says, 23 You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men. (1Co 7:23). 

    There are some implications of this teaching that we should explore.  If God truly owns everything and that is clear in our minds, then it will have a profound effect on everything that we do.

     First, we will be concerned about the use of the resources and materials that we have on this earth.  We will not be tree huggers, nor will we be people that pound nails into trees to ruin the saws of lumberjacks.  We will not be counted with those who write graffiti on walls nor with those who throw rocks through windows.  But we will be concerned about what we have on this earth.

     If God owns the cattle on a thousand hills and the wealth of every mine, we will exercise caution to avoid unnecessary waste.  The old days of catching 50 fish and then throwing them away were unchristian.  Why? Because God is against fishing?  No, Jesus caught fish.  But He is against us abusing the resources that He has given us.

The other side of the coin is that he has given us all things richly to enjoy.  The earth is here to sustain us.  God is not against hunting and fishing, he is not against the use of our natural resources, he is not against mining or the cutting of trees.  But he is against the abuse. 

     Second, we will be concerned about what we do with our bodies.  If our bodies belong to God and not to ourselves there are several applications of this attitude to our daily life.

    1.  We will be careful about what we eat and drink.  Both drunkenness, gluttontry and sexual immorality are listed as sin in the Bible.  Why?  Because all of them use or abuse the purpose for which God gave us our bodies.  Drunkenness  lowers our inhibitions and slows up our reflexes.  God doesn’t want our inhibitions lowered, nor does he want our reflexes to slow down!  Gluttontry puts pressure on the heart and the cardiovascular system.  God intended for us to use food, not abuse food.  When we are conscious of God’s ownership of our lives, it affects these areas of our life.

    2. We will be careful about what we look at and say.  Why?  Because our eyes were given to us by God to look at what is pure and wholesome.  Our tongues were given to be used to praise God and encourage others.  God didn’t give us eyes to engage in pornography.  He didn’t give us tongues to promote rebellion or improper sexual relationships.  If in fact we belong to God it will affect what we read, what we sing, what we listen to, where we go and who we go with. It even affects who we date and marry.  If we belong to God, we will want to marry a person who also is following Christ.  God and Satan do not coexist well.  All of this because we live in light of God’s ownership of our lives.

    Third, if we are concerned about resources on the earth and how we use our bodies, we will also give ownership of life’s purposes to God.  God has a purpose for every one of us.  That purpose is to trust Christ and to follow Him.  That purpose involves allowing God to change us and then use us for his purposes.  He is the potter and we are the clay.

Christians will be concerned with the will of God. “The most important thing in the world is not to know the Lord’s will, but to know the Lord.”  But when we know the Lord, we want to please Him in all we do.

     Fourthly, if we give ownership of life’s purposes to God, we also recognize that God’s ownership of us covers our talents and influence.

     I was impressed at the impact the police officers had at NBBI as they shared their testimonies.  We are touched when we know accountants, business owners, stay-at-home moms, single men and women, older married couples, rich and poor people  testify of God’s work in their lives.  We are touched by testimonies of rock singers, country western groups and others who not only talk the talk but walk the walk in a public way.  We are encouraged when we hear George Bush pray or Jimmy Carter teaching Sunday school.  God uses all of these things for his glory.  He owns all.

     In the Old Testament, the core value of God’s ownership of everything was visually demonstrated by something called “first fruits.”  The firstfruits were the first fruits of everything.  The first-born male child was a first-fruit to be given to God, though a sacrifice could be made instead of dedicating the child to the priests.  The first-fruits of cattle, grain, wine, olive oil, sheered wool, meal, honey,  and other garden products were given to the Lord.  The tithe was a first-fruit.  5 As soon as the order went out, the Israelites generously gave the firstfruits of their grain, new wine, oil and honey and all that the fields produced. They brought a great amount, a tithe of everything. (2Ch 31:5).

     So also for many Christians, they have a habit of giving to God first before giving to anything else.  Many Christians will tithe to the Lord and then use the rest to pay bills.  For the non-believer, this sounds like a waste.  But for the Christian, the money is not given to the church, but to the Lord as an act of worship and a first-fruits in recognition of his ownership of all we have.

           So what does the church do with the first-fruits?  We give it all away.  The church supports the paid staff.  Without your tithes and offerings we would not be able to have the staff we have today.  We give it away to provide supplies to help the staff minister in a more effective way.  We give it away to missionaries to spread the gospel to the whole world.  We use it to make this building warm and attractive as a meeting place for God’s people.  Imagine meeting with this many in your living room.  We use it to provide teacher materials for Sunday School and youth groups.  We give it away to people in need.  Often this is done behind the scenes with anonymous gifts that never reach the attention of the congregation.  Sometimes people feel burdened to help others, as was indicated by a recent gift to help people with oil this season or with the Angel Tree at Christmas time.

           Because of this, Christians in this church hold to two balancing ideas.  The first idea is that God is worthy of our first-fruits.  We give them with joy and as an act of worship.  The second is that we have a responsibility to spend what is given in a manner worthy of the trust given to us by people and a manner that meets the approval of God. 

           Around your table at noon today, I would ask you to throw out this question, “Do we live and act as if all we have belongs to God?”  Next week we will discuss a second question, “If God owns it, why do I have it?”