Giving To God 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10
We have done a few things a bit differently today. Lots more music. The offering early in the service. No Psalm reading. And now we come to the sermon. It is a bit different today. In part it is because it's structure
and many of the illustrations are not mine - they belong to a well known preacher by the name of King Duncan - and I have changed and adapted them and added to them - and in part because I want to talk to you about giving to God today - not about giving thanks to God as we did last week for Thanksgiving. But rather about giving money to God. But first, let us pray.
O Lord, we pray, speak in the calming of our minds and in the longings of our hearts, by the words of my lips and in the thoughts that we form. Speak, O Lord, for your servants listen. Amen.
Jesus said: Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.
Throughout history most commentators and preachers spend a great deal time over this passage - mostly talking about either how Jesus avoided the trap set for him by his enemies, or about what things are Caesar's, and which are God's.
But this is not what today's gospel story is primarily all about.
Rather it is about the attitudes and the actions of those who refused to believe in Jesus
and about giving - or - as the old English version of the bible puts it - about rendering.
"Render unto Caesar," said Jesus, "the things that are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's."
Now, in doing the calculations involved in that statement you can be sure that the Tax Department will calculate how much we owe to Caesar. The question I want to pose for you today is this - What do you and I have that belongs to God?
And I want to get very personal about this morning - and talk specifically about money and what it is that we owe to God.
Why would I do this?
Because Jesus talks about money not just here in this passage but in many other places; and because talking about Christian discipleship without talking about one of the prime manifestations of that discipleship is
absurd.
Some pastors try to find creative ways of dealing with this subject of money.
In one church, the minister announced that if his congregation reached a certain fund-raising goal, he would permit them to place a clock on the pulpit. If they exceeded the goal by $1000, he would let them plug the clock in. If they exceeded the goal by $2000, he agreed to look at it!
That's one way of dealing with money.
It's better than one church I heard about. James Hatch said he robbed a Salt Lake City bank of $2,500 in order to donate more money to the Lord's Covenant Church. This particular church teaches that the Federal Reserve System is causing the collapse of the American economy. Hatch claimed that after he donated $7,000, a church member called to thank him and urged him to rob a bank. (2)
That may be going a bit far. I would like to find a middle ground.
"Render unto Caesar," said Jesus, "the things that are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's."
What are the things we owe to God?
Well, FIRST OF ALL notice that our Gifts to God are a payment on a debt, a kind of "paying it forward" as I mentioned last week, and not a bribe.
We don't give our gifts to God in order to get something back.
We don't give to God because we hope to receive special favours in return.
We give out of gratitude for what God has already done in our behalf.
There is a trend among believer today, especially here in North America, to be self-indulgent. Many of the so called 'successful' churches are packaging Christianity to fit people's wants, not their real needs.
For example, there are some churches that foster the idea that if we give a lot to the church, then God will make us prosperous in our homes. In short, thinking again of last week's message, if we sow lots of money, we will get lots of money back. This is the standard pitch of some of the more notorious televangelists - but it can be heard in many churches throughout Canada and the United States.
In order to see how ludicrous such theology is all we have to do is look at what happened to the Disciples. Surely if a group of Christians deserved to prosper because of their devotion, it is them. Every one of them
deserved a new chariot in front of their homes, a swimming pool in their back yard, and solid gold trinkets hanging from both arms.
Is that how the story turned out? No! Here is how their story ended Matthew suffered martyrdom by the sword in Ethiopia.
Mark died at Alexandria after being dragged through the streets of that city.
Luke was hanged on an olive tree in Greece.
John was put into a caldron of boiling oil, but escaped death and was banished to Patmos.
Peter was crucified at Rome with his head downward.
James was beheaded at Jerusalem.
James the Lesser was thrown from a pinnacle of the Temple and beaten to death below.
Philip was hanged against a pillar in Phrygia.
Bartholomew was flayed alive.
Andrew was bound to a cross, from whence he preached to his persecutors until he died.
Thomas was impaled on a stake at Coromandel, India.
Jude was shot to death with arrows.
Matthias was first stoned and then beheaded.
Barnabas was stoned to death at Salonica.
And while John lived until he was very old - it was in exile.
When the Disciples talked about stocks and bonds, they weren't talking about General Motors and Government issues. They were talking about the stocks and bonds that prisoners wear. When they talked of chains, they were not talking about the golden variety but heavy chains of cast iron.
They offered their prayers of thanksgiving not from the decks of their yachts but from prison cells.
If I were say to you that God will prosper you because you give your offerings to this church - or to any other church or charity - , I would be guilty of the worst kind of self-serving blasphemy. Our gifts are a debt
not a bribe - A debt of gratitude - of recognition that in the end everything we have comes from God and belongs to God..
SECOND - We need to recognize that God doesn't need our money. But we need to give.
There is an old story that goes like this:
There once was a wealthy man who was determined to take it with
him when he died. He prayed and prayed until he convinced the
Lord to let him bring his wealth inside the pearly gates. There
was one condition: He could only bring one suitcase of his
wealth with him. Therefore, the rich man filled his suitcase with gold bullion.
Then one day, he died. St. Peter greeted him at the gate and told
him he could come in, but his suitcase would have to be left.
"But I have an agreement with God," said the man, "to bring one
suitcase in heaven."
"That's very unusual," replied St. Peter. "Let me look inside that suitcase."
The man opened the suitcase to reveal the shining gold bullion.
St. Peter was amazed. He asked, "Why in the world would you
bring more pavement to heaven?"
There is nothing we have that God needs!
Our gold is as asphalt to God.
Our diamonds like water.
God doesn't need our money.
It's easy for us to have the misconception that God must have our resources to fulfill God's plan. Nothing could be farther from the truth. When we give our gifts to God it is not because God needs anything. It is we who need to give!
WHY DO WE NEED TO GIVE?
In order to combat the power of materialism in our lives.
There was a young man who was desperately in need of a job. He asked God to help him find employment, and when he secured a job that paid $10 a week, the young man was so overjoyed that he promised God that he would always give 10 percent of his income to the church. He began by giving $1 a week, 10% of his $10
income.
As time passed, the young man moved on to a higher paying job.
Now he was making $100 a week, and he dutifully put $10 in the plate each Sunday. Eventually, he earned $1,000 a week, and while he still put $100 in the plate, it had become a grudging duty.
Finally, he hit the big time -- earning $10,000 a week. He could not bear the thought of putting $1,000 into the plate each Sunday, so he sought out the pastor. "When I made that promise,
I only earned $10 a week," he said. "My promise made sense back then, but now things are different. Would you please release me from my promise to give 10% of my income to the church?"
The pastor thought about it for awhile and then replied, "My son, I cannot release you from a promise you made before God. But I would be happy to pray that your income be reduced back to the original $10 a week!"
There is no more deceptive and deadly power on this earth than the power of materialism. It is an addiction as strong as heroin and cocaine combined.
Here's how the deadly power of materialism works: The more goods of the earth we have, the more we feel we need. Luxuries become necessities; what was once extravagance becomes and essential. And, even worse, the more we have, the more we feel we deserve until the power of materialism separates us from our neighbour and ultimately from God. That is why Jesus had more to say about money than any other subject - not because God needs our money but because we need to give. It is the only way to break materialism's
hold.
And, friends, never has materialism been stronger than it is right now.
Mammon reigns triumphant and all of us are affected by it.
Just consider: The percentage of Americans who say they want to earn "a lot of money" grew from 38 percent in 1975 to 63 percent in 1994.
In a massive annual survey by the Higher Education Research
Institute at UCLA, the number of college freshmen who said it was
essential or very important to be very well off financially grew
from 41 percent in 1968 to 74 percent in 1995. At the same time,
the percentage who said "developing a meaningful philosophy of
life" was a top priority fell from 83 percent to 41 percent.
This information is detailed in an article titled "The State of
Greed," in U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT. (5)
Meanwhile in 1968, the typical church member gave 3.14 percent of
his income. By 1992, it was 2.52 percent.
"The State of Greed" is a good title.
Our gift to God is not a bribe but a debt.
We give not because God needs it but because we need to give.
We need to show that it is God who rules our lives, not greed.
AND THERE'S ONE THING MORE that needs to be said: Our giving to god is supposed to come off the top, not from what we have left over.
The person who believes in God but does not have faith in God says,
"Don't ask me to pledge to God's work. I will give as I am able."
The idea is that I will give if I have enough left over after satisfying my needs and desires.
There are many Christians who practice this kind of giving - who give from what is left over rather than from what they first receive - and so their offering is but a token gift - a token gift grows out of a token faith.
There is a story that has been repeated in many places over the years - a true story I am told...
It seems that there was a church who need a new treasurer, so they asked the local grain elevator manager to take the position. He agreed under two conditions.
One, that no treasurer's report would be given for the first
year, and two, that no questions be asked about finances during
that year.
The people were surprised, but finally agreed since most of them
did business with him and he was a trusted man. At the end of
the year he gave his report:
* The church mortgage of some $68,000 has been paid.
* The minister's salary has been increased by 10%.
* The congregations pledge to the Mission Work of the
denomination has been paid twice over.
* There are not outstanding bills.
* And there is a cash balance of $11,252!
Immediately the shocked congregation asked, "How did you do it?
Where did the money come from?"
He quietly answered: "Most of you bring your grain to my
elevator. Throughout the year I simply withheld ten percent on
your behalf and gave it to the church in your name. You didn't
even miss it!"
Can you imagine what we could do for the Lord if we were all willing to give at least the tithe to God, who really owns it?
The person who gives to God only what is left over will never be a cheerful giver. He or she will always give out of a resentful heart.
But the man or woman who gives God the first fruits will know the joy and the satisfaction that comes with truly trusting God.
Our gifts are a debt, not a bribe.
We give not because God needs our gifts but because we need to give them in order to fight the power of materialism in our lives.
We give off the top not from what's left over.
FINALLY, let me say this so that you do not go away thinking that this in nothing but a pitch for increased giving to this church -- it is not.
I don't care whether or not you give a dime to this church.
What I do care about is whether or not you give yourself to God -
whether or not you regard God as the source of your life and your living
and live accordingly as a people of gratitude - a people of faith -
We have done a few things a bit differently today. Lots more music. The offering early in the service. No Psalm reading. And now we come to the sermon. It is a bit different today. In part it is because it's structure
and many of the illustrations are not mine - they belong to a well known preacher by the name of King Duncan - and I have changed and adapted them and added to them - and in part because I want to talk to you about giving to God today - not about giving thanks to God as we did last week for Thanksgiving. But rather about giving money to God. But first, let us pray.
O Lord, we pray, speak in the calming of our minds and in the longings of our hearts, by the words of my lips and in the thoughts that we form. Speak, O Lord, for your servants listen. Amen.
Jesus said: Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.
Throughout history most commentators and preachers spend a great deal time over this passage - mostly talking about either how Jesus avoided the trap set for him by his enemies, or about what things are Caesar's, and which are God's.
But this is not what today's gospel story is primarily all about.
Rather it is about the attitudes and the actions of those who refused to believe in Jesus
and about giving - or - as the old English version of the bible puts it - about rendering.
"Render unto Caesar," said Jesus, "the things that are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's."
Now, in doing the calculations involved in that statement you can be sure that the Tax Department will calculate how much we owe to Caesar. The question I want to pose for you today is this - What do you and I have that belongs to God?
And I want to get very personal about this morning - and talk specifically about money and what it is that we owe to God.
Why would I do this?
Because Jesus talks about money not just here in this passage but in many other places; and because talking about Christian discipleship without talking about one of the prime manifestations of that discipleship is
absurd.
Some pastors try to find creative ways of dealing with this subject of money.
In one church, the minister announced that if his congregation reached a certain fund-raising goal, he would permit them to place a clock on the pulpit. If they exceeded the goal by $1000, he would let them plug the clock in. If they exceeded the goal by $2000, he agreed to look at it!
That's one way of dealing with money.
It's better than one church I heard about. James Hatch said he robbed a Salt Lake City bank of $2,500 in order to donate more money to the Lord's Covenant Church. This particular church teaches that the Federal Reserve System is causing the collapse of the American economy. Hatch claimed that after he donated $7,000, a church member called to thank him and urged him to rob a bank. (2)
That may be going a bit far. I would like to find a middle ground.
"Render unto Caesar," said Jesus, "the things that are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's."
What are the things we owe to God?
Well, FIRST OF ALL notice that our Gifts to God are a payment on a debt, a kind of "paying it forward" as I mentioned last week, and not a bribe.
We don't give our gifts to God in order to get something back.
We don't give to God because we hope to receive special favours in return.
We give out of gratitude for what God has already done in our behalf.
There is a trend among believer today, especially here in North America, to be self-indulgent. Many of the so called 'successful' churches are packaging Christianity to fit people's wants, not their real needs.
For example, there are some churches that foster the idea that if we give a lot to the church, then God will make us prosperous in our homes. In short, thinking again of last week's message, if we sow lots of money, we will get lots of money back. This is the standard pitch of some of the more notorious televangelists - but it can be heard in many churches throughout Canada and the United States.
In order to see how ludicrous such theology is all we have to do is look at what happened to the Disciples. Surely if a group of Christians deserved to prosper because of their devotion, it is them. Every one of them
deserved a new chariot in front of their homes, a swimming pool in their back yard, and solid gold trinkets hanging from both arms.
Is that how the story turned out? No! Here is how their story ended Matthew suffered martyrdom by the sword in Ethiopia.
Mark died at Alexandria after being dragged through the streets of that city.
Luke was hanged on an olive tree in Greece.
John was put into a caldron of boiling oil, but escaped death and was banished to Patmos.
Peter was crucified at Rome with his head downward.
James was beheaded at Jerusalem.
James the Lesser was thrown from a pinnacle of the Temple and beaten to death below.
Philip was hanged against a pillar in Phrygia.
Bartholomew was flayed alive.
Andrew was bound to a cross, from whence he preached to his persecutors until he died.
Thomas was impaled on a stake at Coromandel, India.
Jude was shot to death with arrows.
Matthias was first stoned and then beheaded.
Barnabas was stoned to death at Salonica.
And while John lived until he was very old - it was in exile.
When the Disciples talked about stocks and bonds, they weren't talking about General Motors and Government issues. They were talking about the stocks and bonds that prisoners wear. When they talked of chains, they were not talking about the golden variety but heavy chains of cast iron.
They offered their prayers of thanksgiving not from the decks of their yachts but from prison cells.
If I were say to you that God will prosper you because you give your offerings to this church - or to any other church or charity - , I would be guilty of the worst kind of self-serving blasphemy. Our gifts are a debt
not a bribe - A debt of gratitude - of recognition that in the end everything we have comes from God and belongs to God..
SECOND - We need to recognize that God doesn't need our money. But we need to give.
There is an old story that goes like this:
There once was a wealthy man who was determined to take it with
him when he died. He prayed and prayed until he convinced the
Lord to let him bring his wealth inside the pearly gates. There
was one condition: He could only bring one suitcase of his
wealth with him. Therefore, the rich man filled his suitcase with gold bullion.
Then one day, he died. St. Peter greeted him at the gate and told
him he could come in, but his suitcase would have to be left.
"But I have an agreement with God," said the man, "to bring one
suitcase in heaven."
"That's very unusual," replied St. Peter. "Let me look inside that suitcase."
The man opened the suitcase to reveal the shining gold bullion.
St. Peter was amazed. He asked, "Why in the world would you
bring more pavement to heaven?"
There is nothing we have that God needs!
Our gold is as asphalt to God.
Our diamonds like water.
God doesn't need our money.
It's easy for us to have the misconception that God must have our resources to fulfill God's plan. Nothing could be farther from the truth. When we give our gifts to God it is not because God needs anything. It is we who need to give!
WHY DO WE NEED TO GIVE?
In order to combat the power of materialism in our lives.
There was a young man who was desperately in need of a job. He asked God to help him find employment, and when he secured a job that paid $10 a week, the young man was so overjoyed that he promised God that he would always give 10 percent of his income to the church. He began by giving $1 a week, 10% of his $10
income.
As time passed, the young man moved on to a higher paying job.
Now he was making $100 a week, and he dutifully put $10 in the plate each Sunday. Eventually, he earned $1,000 a week, and while he still put $100 in the plate, it had become a grudging duty.
Finally, he hit the big time -- earning $10,000 a week. He could not bear the thought of putting $1,000 into the plate each Sunday, so he sought out the pastor. "When I made that promise,
I only earned $10 a week," he said. "My promise made sense back then, but now things are different. Would you please release me from my promise to give 10% of my income to the church?"
The pastor thought about it for awhile and then replied, "My son, I cannot release you from a promise you made before God. But I would be happy to pray that your income be reduced back to the original $10 a week!"
There is no more deceptive and deadly power on this earth than the power of materialism. It is an addiction as strong as heroin and cocaine combined.
Here's how the deadly power of materialism works: The more goods of the earth we have, the more we feel we need. Luxuries become necessities; what was once extravagance becomes and essential. And, even worse, the more we have, the more we feel we deserve until the power of materialism separates us from our neighbour and ultimately from God. That is why Jesus had more to say about money than any other subject - not because God needs our money but because we need to give. It is the only way to break materialism's
hold.
And, friends, never has materialism been stronger than it is right now.
Mammon reigns triumphant and all of us are affected by it.
Just consider: The percentage of Americans who say they want to earn "a lot of money" grew from 38 percent in 1975 to 63 percent in 1994.
In a massive annual survey by the Higher Education Research
Institute at UCLA, the number of college freshmen who said it was
essential or very important to be very well off financially grew
from 41 percent in 1968 to 74 percent in 1995. At the same time,
the percentage who said "developing a meaningful philosophy of
life" was a top priority fell from 83 percent to 41 percent.
This information is detailed in an article titled "The State of
Greed," in U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT. (5)
Meanwhile in 1968, the typical church member gave 3.14 percent of
his income. By 1992, it was 2.52 percent.
"The State of Greed" is a good title.
Our gift to God is not a bribe but a debt.
We give not because God needs it but because we need to give.
We need to show that it is God who rules our lives, not greed.
AND THERE'S ONE THING MORE that needs to be said: Our giving to god is supposed to come off the top, not from what we have left over.
The person who believes in God but does not have faith in God says,
"Don't ask me to pledge to God's work. I will give as I am able."
The idea is that I will give if I have enough left over after satisfying my needs and desires.
There are many Christians who practice this kind of giving - who give from what is left over rather than from what they first receive - and so their offering is but a token gift - a token gift grows out of a token faith.
There is a story that has been repeated in many places over the years - a true story I am told...
It seems that there was a church who need a new treasurer, so they asked the local grain elevator manager to take the position. He agreed under two conditions.
One, that no treasurer's report would be given for the first
year, and two, that no questions be asked about finances during
that year.
The people were surprised, but finally agreed since most of them
did business with him and he was a trusted man. At the end of
the year he gave his report:
* The church mortgage of some $68,000 has been paid.
* The minister's salary has been increased by 10%.
* The congregations pledge to the Mission Work of the
denomination has been paid twice over.
* There are not outstanding bills.
* And there is a cash balance of $11,252!
Immediately the shocked congregation asked, "How did you do it?
Where did the money come from?"
He quietly answered: "Most of you bring your grain to my
elevator. Throughout the year I simply withheld ten percent on
your behalf and gave it to the church in your name. You didn't
even miss it!"
Can you imagine what we could do for the Lord if we were all willing to give at least the tithe to God, who really owns it?
The person who gives to God only what is left over will never be a cheerful giver. He or she will always give out of a resentful heart.
But the man or woman who gives God the first fruits will know the joy and the satisfaction that comes with truly trusting God.
Our gifts are a debt, not a bribe.
We give not because God needs our gifts but because we need to give them in order to fight the power of materialism in our lives.
We give off the top not from what's left over.
FINALLY, let me say this so that you do not go away thinking that this in nothing but a pitch for increased giving to this church -- it is not.
I don't care whether or not you give a dime to this church.
What I do care about is whether or not you give yourself to God -
whether or not you regard God as the source of your life and your living
and live accordingly as a people of gratitude - a people of faith -
