THE SECRET OF JOYFUL GIVING
Matthew 13
INTRODUCTION
Today I am going to ask you to make a commitment with regard
to your giving in 2005. The commitment is outlined on the back of your sheet of
sermon notes in your bulletin. I hope that you will fill out your commitment
card before you leave here today.
My goal is to share with you Jesus’ secret to joyful giving.
Some stewardship sermons try to motivate out of guilt. This is
not one of them.
I hope you will give to God’s church and her ministries
because you are thankful, because it makes bottom line sense to you, and because
you realize what you have been given.
In our Bible lesson today, Jesus tells a story of a man
finding a treasure. If you know Jesus as your Savior, your have already found a
treasure. You have found the treasure of the greatest person in the world
– Jesus. You have found the treasure of the greatest place in the world
– heaven.
Having found the treasures of the greatest person and the
greatest place, the question we try to answer today is:
What does God want us to do with our possessions?
The key to joyful giving away of our possessions begins with
the treasure principle and our first point in your outline.
IGNITE THE TREASURE PRINCIPLE IN YOUR LIFE
We all know the truth of the statement:
“You can’t take it with you.
The Treasure Principle is this:
You can’t take it with you---But you can send it on ahead.”
IGNITE THE TREASURE PRINCIPLE
Long ago, even the Psalmist knew that you can’t take it with
you.
Psalm 49:16-17
Do not be overawed when a man grows rich,
when the splendor of his house increases;
17for he will take nothing with him when he dies,
his splendor will not descend with him.
You can’t take it with you, but you can send it on ahead.
This is the principle that needs to be ignited in the hearts
of most Christians today. We can do that by identifying Jesus’ financial
wisdom in this principle.
IDENTIFY JESUS’ FINANCIAL WISDOM
Matthew 13:44
"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a
field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold
all he had and bought that field.
Jesus functions here as the foremost market timer. He
tells us to once and for all switch our investment vehicles. He instructs us to
transfer our fund from earth to heaven. Christ’s financial forecast for
earth is bleak—but He’s unreservedly bullish about investing in heaven,
where every market indicator is eternally positive.
(Randy Alcorn) One of our central spiritual decisions is
determining what is a reasonable amount to live on. Whatever that amount is—and
it will legitimately vary from person to person—we shouldn’t hoard or spend
the excess.
It might help to think of your excess like Uno cards. In God’s
economy, it’s better to end your life on earth with less than more.
Jesus’ Wisdom is to invest in
something that won’t control you. Often we invest our treasures into
possessions that demand our time, devotion and attention. The very thing we
longed to own ends up owning us.
When you invest in God’s kingdom, instead of more demands
being placed on you, God gives you more freedom from the things of this world.
The act of giving is a vivid reminder that it’s all about
God, not about us. The act of giving says “I am not the point. God is the
point. God does not exist for me. I exist for Him.”
Giving is a joyful surrender to a greater person and a greater
agenda. Giving affirms Christ’s lordship. Giving dethrones
me and exalts Him.
That is why Jesus says that instead of investing in the things
of earth, invest in eternity.
INVEST IN ETERNITY (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. 20But store
up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and
where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there
your heart will be also.
Proverbs 23:5 Cast but a glance at
riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the
sky like an eagle.
Jesus warns us not to store up treasures on earth, it’s not
just because wealth might be lost; it’s because wealth will always
be lost. Either it leaves us while we live, or we leave it when we die. No
exceptions.
“Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven.” Why?
Because its right? Not just that, but because it’s smart. Because such
treasures will last. Jesus argues from the bottom line. It’s not an emotional
appeal; it’s a logical one: Invest in what has lasting value.
For where your treasure is, your heart will be also.
Money leads, Hearts follow.
Each year, I challenge our elders and deacons to lead by
example when it comes to giving. First of all, leading is by example is the only
way they can encourage you to give with any integrity. Second, because I know
that if they are giving their gifts to God’s church, they will also be giving
their hearts to God’s church. Money leads, Hearts
follow.
GIVE IN RESPONSE TO GOD’S GRACE
2 Corinthians 8:9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became
poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.
“Gaze upon Christ long enough, and you’ll become more of a
giver. Give long enough, and you’ll become more like Christ.”
Like thunder follows lighting, giving follows grace.
We give because God gave. God gave his grace, He gave his
love, God gave His Son.
God loves to give and God loves a cheerful giver.
This doesn’t mean we should give only when we’re feeling cheerful. The
cheerfulness often comes during and after the act of obedience, not before it.
So don’t wait until you feel like giving—it could be a long wait! Just give
and watch the joy follow.
I have seen that with my kids this past week.
Their school is raising money to buy fishing boats for people in South Asia. One
girl came to school with half of her life’s savings - $150. She inspired the
others to give and to do it with great joy.
When I was at the dedication of the Korean Christian
Reformed Church in Wyoming, MI, the newly elected elders gave the church her
sound system. They inspired others to give.
The Apostle Paul in Romans 12 lets
us know that some people have been given the gift of mercy, and they help us all
to be more merciful by their example. Some people have the gift of teaching and
they help us all learn by their instruction. Some people have the gift of
intercession and they bless us all by their prayers.
The Bible says that some have the gift of giving, and you
bless God’s church with your gifts and you also inspire others to become
better givers themselves.
Mr Cohen of Philanthropy Journal says, “There’s an old
saying in the world of fund-raising that the main reason people don’t give is
that no one asks them.”
Jesus wasn’t afraid to ask. That is why he said: Matthew
13:44
"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a
field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went
and sold all he had and bought that field.
MY GIVING COVENANT
See outline in your bulletin
MY GIVING COVENANT
Circle each number to which you are making a
commitment
1. I affirm God’s full ownership of me and everything
entrusted to me.
Psalm 24:1
The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it;
We must realize that we are not the owners only the
managers. In fact, we might want to think of ourselves as God’s UPS
drivers. We are called by God to deliver his gifts to the needs of His
world.
2. I will set aside the firstfruits—starting with at least
10 percent—of all I receive, treating it as holy and belonging exclusively to
the Lord.
Leviticus 27:30
" 'A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain
from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the
Lord.
Malachi 3:10
10Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be
food in my house. Test me in this," says the Lord Almighty, "and see
if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing
that you will not have room enough for it.
Studies show that American Christians give on average between
2 and 3 percent of their income.
Tithing isn’t the place to stop, but the place to start.
Realistically, some of you will be able to start tithing
today. Others will have to work out a three year plan of increase by a few
percentage points a year.
Statistics show that most Christians need a giving jump start.
Good news is that giving is habit forming.
In a January 7 New York Times article, Clyde Haberman notes
that aid agencies in New York, even though they are concerned about a drop in
giving in the short term as a result of people giving to Tsunami Relief, in the
long term they will likely see an overall increase in giving. Experience shows
that once people start giving, generosity can be habit forming.
People often catch the giving bug and don’t get over it.
3. Out of the remaining treasures God entrusts to me, I will
seek to make generous freewill gifts.
2 Corinthians 9:11
You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous
on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to
God.
4A. I ask God to teach me to give sacrificially to His
purposes,
including helping the poor and reaching the lost.
Acts 20:35
In everything 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.'"
4B. I commit myself to avoiding indebtedness so that I don’t
tie up His funds and can therefore feel greater freedom to follow the Spirit’s
promptings to give.
5. Recognizing that I cannot take earthly treasures from this
world, I determine to lay them up as heavenly treasures.
Signed: __________________________
Date: _____________
Witness: __________________________ Date: _____________
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