Sermon Dan Neary

God Wants Your Money

I think this is the first time that I’ve come straight out and preached a money sermon here at The Chapel. Shame on me!

Above everything else, when it comes to the sermons around here, we have endeavored to be Biblical. We have a high view of Scripture; we feel that the main purpose of the sermons here is to explain God’s Word and apply it to our lives. Yet, I have skirted around this topic… even though the Bible has so much to say about money. Some have made the claim that no other specific topic receives as much attention in the Bible.

Now we haven’t completely ignored the topic… of course. We do receive an offering every Sunday. And Lindbeck handled the topic in our Sermon on the Mount series back in October of 2003.

I suppose I’ve shied away from the topic because it is so easily abused or misunderstood. Haven’t we all heard those who are outside of the faith look in and say “the Church is just after my money”?

It isn’t an unreasonable conclusion, really, that it is all about the money. I suppose if you just visited a bunch of churches, the one thing that most would do every Sunday is pass the plate. One could get the impression that the offering was the most important part of the service… that the Church, or even the Preacher, really needs the money.

That’s one of the things I like about this church. When it comes right down to it, we really don’t need your money… we’re certainly not desperate for your money… and the pastors, especially here, aren’t desperate for your money. I know there are churches where the pastor has to be really concerned about the offerings as they relate very directly to keeping the doors open or even keeping the kids fed and the mortgage paid. But that just isn’t the case here… we all have jobs.

There are downsides to not having full-time pastors, you might see us more throughout the week, and the church would likely even grow faster, if you had full-time pastors… but one of the upsides is that we’re certainly not desperate for the part-time salaries the church provides.

At least in the case of this church, it would be hard to make the case that we’re here to get into your wallets.

That would be a negative misconception about money and the church… but there are others misconceptions that are really quite appealing, but maybe even more dangerous. There are those who stay out of church because they think it is all about the money… and there are those who are in the church because they think it is all about the money. It isn’t at all difficult to find a church that will cater to your personal prosperity… regularly making the case that God’s most prominent expression of His love for us is to bless us… with cash, and homes, and cars, and all manner of things.

You don’t even have to go to church; you can just watch TV. I don’t suppose I should be… but I’m sort of amused by the “Profit Prophet” Robert Tilton. I was flipping the channels and was shocked to see “Brother Bob” back on the air… I thought that all the exposé’s took him down in the 90s… but he is back. It was the same ol’ same ol’… tell God what you want, sow your seed of faith, send in a “vow offering” and you will receive God’s financial blessings. He even had a new book: “How to Get Rich and Have Everything You Ever Wanted.”

I hope we’re all repulsed by such nonsense… but the truth is we often come to church with a “what’s in it for me” attitude. We may not expect to “Get Rich and Have Everything We Ever Wanted” but we do come for our gratification.

Don’t misunderstand; I want you to find what you want here. We put a great deal of effort into making Sunday mornings something that will appeal to you. I want you to enjoy the music, the liturgy and preaching, and treats… I want you to enjoy each other. And in our consumerist society, we are conditioned to paying a fee for the services we receive. So, I suppose it would be natural to view the money as part of the transaction. You get something by being here and a part of the church… it is natural that you should pay. It is like the movies or a museum… there is simply a price for admission.

Really? Is that how it works? Does that line up with our understanding of Biblical Stewardship? Our society, our consumerist, secular world, conditions us to view money in a certain way… but there is another, sacred way. We who are Christians are called to think differently about money.

Biblical Stewardship: The Truth About Money

Biblical stewardship requires that Christians view money differently from the way the secular world views it. The secular world equates affluence with success and happiness. Therefore, society constantly struggles to acquire as much wealth as possible. The Bible, however, exposes the worthlessness of such a struggle by revealing the truth about money.

The Psalms proclaim, "But man, despite his riches, does not endure; he is like the beasts that perish" (Psalm 49:12). No matter how much one struggles for wealth, death still awaits because money cannot add days to one's life here on earth.

One could argue that, although money does not keep death away, it is still worth pursuing because it brings happiness and satisfaction in life. Right?

We can look to the passage that Glenn read for us this morning. Solomon, a wise and rich man, argues, "Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless. As goods increase, so do those who consume them. And what benefit are they to the owner except to feast his eyes on them….the abundance of a rich man permits him no sleep" (Ecclesiastes 5:10-12). Money is meaningless. It can never satisfy those who love it and, instead, offers frivolous goods and anxiety. The struggle for wealth brings with it dissatisfaction, not a better life.

Biblical Stewardship: That Which is of True Value

Biblical stewardship does not require that a Christian despise money or to discontinue earning it. Money is a necessity for basic living. The Bible does warn, however, that the love of money creates evil (1 Timothy 6:10). It is important not to allow money to become the center of one's life. When money is not the object of one's love and devotion, one is free to focus on higher things.

Part of the secret here is this word I’ve been throwing around: Stewardship. A steward is someone who cares for somebody else’s stuff. So when we use a word like stewardship, we’re acknowledging that the stuff we call ours really isn’t ours at all. How can that be?!!? I earned it, it has my name on it… whose is it then?

Our faith, in some of the simplest terms, gives us an understanding that we are saved, redeemed, bought. This isn’t just some sort of purchased in advance ticket to heaven. If we believe this stuff is true, then everything is different. Our lives are not our own… we belong to God (thank God!) and anything we might think is ours… is His… hence stewardship. Our time, talent, resources, efforts, gifts, money, kids, stuff are all His… and we are merely His stewards. He trusts us to manage all this well for His glory.

Good stewardship encourages a Christian to find true value in life. If money does not offer much to life, what does? The Bible states, "Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf" (Proverbs 11:28). The righteous, not the rich, thrive. But how do the righteous thrive without riches? They thrive because they understand and possess what holds a higher value.

The righteous have character. Proverbs 22:1 states, "A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold." A pure reputation, for example, should be one's goal in life rather than the accumulation of wealth. Character lasts. Money cannot.

Believing in Jesus offers the righteous a lifetime of wealth (Romans 11:33). Knowing God and understanding his love are the true eternal riches.

The author of Hebrews writes, "Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5). Money does not love and it does not linger.

The Hebrews passage goes on to proclaim “we say with confident, “The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid.” It is God who stands by and blesses his children in immeasurable amounts-this promise, not money, truly satisfies.

Biblical Stewardship: It's About Heart

Biblical stewardship calls a Christian to give back to God through tithing. The word "tithe" merely means "a tenth." A Christian, therefore, ought to set aside a tenth of his or her income for God.

For God, tithing is not about a percentage. Tithing has more to do with one's heart during the act of giving than the actual amount given to God. The Bible offers this story: "As he looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. 'I tell you the truth,' he said, 'this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out her poverty put in all she had to live on'" (Luke 21:1-4). The woman gave two copper coins-what amounted to a fraction of a penny. This seems a trivial amount. However, God viewed her trivial amount with more regard than the large offerings of the rich. Why? By giving all she had, the woman showed utter devotion to God. She was willing to offer everything she possessed to show love to God.

Biblical stewardship is a giving out of devotion rather than duty. It's about the heart of the giver-the Christian willing to give out of poverty, not wealth.

So what about us? What about these offering plates of ours?

There are lots of ways to receive an offering. I know of churches that really make a big deal out of the offering: boisterous music and a march to the front to joyfully make an offering for all to see. Many pass plates like us, some have baskets, others have bags, and some have boxes. The rage these days seems to be credit/debit card stations in the church lobby… you can even give online here.

And I know of a few churches that do not take an offering at all during their worship services. I guess I understand why; they are so focused on the seeker that they don’t want to turn anyone off with the offering.
I get it… but I think it is tragic… here’s why.

When we go to see a doctor for any sort of check up, there are a few things they seem to do every time: temp, pulse, blood pressure, weight. They do this because they are simple diagnostic tools to gauge health. If one of those simple measures is out of line, they can dig deeper, look closer, order more tests, and identify and eventually address the problem.

Of all the things we regularly do in worship (sing, pray, recite creeds, fellowship, etc.), I think the financial offering may be one of the most meaningful acts of worship and one of the best indicators of spiritual health. The offering, in my view, is about the best opportunities for a spiritual check-up that we have. Think about it… what goes through your mind when the plates come out? What do you feel? Do you feel anything at all?

Our chief duty as God’s people is to glorify Him… to worship Him. Throughout the Bible, worship is most often associated with sacrifice. Lambs and birds and bulls and grain and wine and oil and money… in most cases the words worship and sacrifice are interchangeable.

I suppose all the things we do in worship are a sacrifice, of some extent, of time and energy and effort (sometimes enduring a sermon here is a significant sacrifice of patience)… but putting something in the plate is generally the most real sacrifice.

We don’t hunt or farm for our existence… we do what we do, spending our lives in various ways and we literally exchange our lives for dollars. So when we participate in an offering as part of our worship, we are, in a very real way, saying “God, I’m offering my life to you.”

When we give out of our abundance, when times are good, we acknowledge that God is our source; we acknowledge His blessing. Conversely, when we hold on to our abundance, when we blow-off the idea that tithing is a solid principle, we are in effect saying to God, “This is all mine. I did it. I earned it. You, God, have nothing to do with this part of my life.”

On the other hand, when we give out of our need, when times are tough, we acknowledge that in spite of our circumstances, we trust in God. Conversely when we let an offering plate pass by, thinking that we can’t afford to give, we are essentially saying, “God, there isn’t anything You can do to help me here… I’m going to hold on to it all, and get myself out of this mess on my own.”

This morning I’m going to ask you to consider this simple principle:
Never let an offering plate go by without participating.

This is something that I’ve tried to live by for a long time now. Sometimes that plate is an opportunity to give my tithe, other times it is an opportunity to significantly participate in an offering beyond that tithe… but lots of times it is simply a time to place another small offering in the plate as part of my worship reminding myself, and proclaiming to God, that my life and livelihood are His.

I know that lots of us here are tithers, some are meticulous about it and tithe to the penny, others are approximate tithers, and many give well beyond a 10% tithe (these are those who have really found the joy of giving and have realized the truth that you cannot out give God).

What I’m suggesting here isn’t so much about amounts… it is about participation. This act of worship is vitally important.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus nailed it when He said “where your treasure is, there your heart is also.” Jesus knows that we don’t kid around with our treasure, our money. We might do all sorts of religious things half-heartedly… but money… now that is serious.

I titled this sermon, sort of tongue-in-cheek, God Wants Your Money… but the truth is that your money is meaningless, especially to Him. God doesn’t want your money… God Wants Your Heart.

Faithfulness in giving, in participating in offerings, is a significant act of worship and devotion. If we learn anything from the story of the widow’s mite, we ought to learn that participation is more important than amount.

Sometimes I don’t have much to give… I’ve even been known to borrow from a neighbor or write an IOU at offering time… I can remember once that the only thing I had in my pocket was a paper clip, so in it went. The point is worship, real, tangible, meaningful worship.

Maybe you can’t get your head around this idea of tithing this morning, a whole 10%... don’t worry about that today. Start with a commitment to worship through giving, this is the real point, and the rest will come.