#3 The “Stumbling Blocks To Spirituality”
Series
"SUGAR AND SPICE, BUT NOT EVERYTHING NICE!"
TEXT: Matt.
23:23-24 Mal. 3:8-12 2 Cor.9:6-11 Prov.
11:24
INTRO: If you met
a person who claimed to be a "born-again" Christian that told you he/she
weekly robbed a bank with masks and a revolver in their hand as their way of
meeting their needs, what would you think of them?
If you met a person who claimed to be a
"born-again" Christian that told you he/she
worked hard for a living and were honest, but to other people they were cruel
and insensitive, and were unfaithful to commitments they had made to others,
what would you think?
You would probably at best consider
them one of the poorest examples of being a Christian, or at worst you would
doubt the reality of their salvation! Of course you would not likely see
yourself as one of these examples but would likely think of someone else you
think matches these examples.
ILLUS: A new
convert declared his determination to give all that he had for the Master. He
said, "Pastor, if I had fifty pigs, I'd give twenty-five of them to the Lord."
"That's very nice," said the pastor. "If you had thirty would you give fifteen
to the Lord?" "Of course I would," said the new Christian. "If you had ten would
you give five of them?" asked the pastor again. "You know I would," he answered.
Then the pastor said, "If you had two, would you give one to the Lord?" "Now
Pastor, don't ask me that. You know I have only two pigs." --
Unknown
PROP SENT: The
Scriptures teach us that we are to be balanced in our walk with God, considering
and practicing two important areas of lifestyle ... the material realm and the spiritual realm. We need to let God affect the giving of
our tithes and our temperament! The healthy believer is the one who does
both!
I. GIVING & GOD Matt. 23:23a,c; Mal. 3:8-9
A. Rightful Portions Matt.
23:23a,c
1. Is giving in the material
realm important to God! YES!
a. Jesus carefully tells the
Pharisees that they should CONTINUE to tithe, and to also do the other things
that are part of temperament.
b. In Matt. 23:23c Jesus states
that they are to continue to tithe!
Jesus tells them to CONTINUE to tithe,
and to add to
this the weightier matters of the law like love and justice. Jesus never
said to discontinue tithing!
c. It has always amazed me that
people have said that Jesus never supported tithing, or that tithing is only an
Old Testament concept!
2. In tithing God emphasizes 2
things:
a. God's
Ownership.
b. Man's
Stewardship.
3. 1 in every 60 verses in the
Gospels speaks about money!
4. Jesus spoke of money twice as
much as He did heaven and hell combined!
5. Money is mentioned 6 times as
much in the Bible as is baptism by water!
6. It is spoken of 45 times more
than communion!
7. ALL the Patriarchs,
prophets, priests and Pastors tithed in the Bible that was in a right
relationship to God!
8. Financial giving was many
times the start of great revivals in the Old
Testament!
9. The
10. Waitresses and waiters are given 15% tips
(or more) ... how about God?
11. The taxes on gasoline are around 10% (or
more) for each gallon you buy ... do you ignore this or refuse to pay
it?
12. God expects His rightful portion, we
should not deny Him this!
a. Jesus does not put down the
faithfulness of the Pharisees in their giving, they were careful to give God His
10% in everything.
b. If they did this and were
evil, how much more careful should we be as God's people who are not
evil?!
ILLUS: We would
be horrified by someone who called themselves a Christian and yet robbed a local
bank at gunpoint weekly ... YET many Christians rob God each week in just as
real a fashion when they refuse to give God their tithes ... can this be
ignored? HEAVENS NO! God’s own words in Malachi are “robbed”
… God’s own words to His own people were: Mal 3:8
“Will a man rob God? Yet you rob
me.” Those are
His words, not mine!
– Dennis
Marquardt
c. These are not the words of a
minister trying to get more money ... but God's Word trying to help the believer
have their needs met and be in a position to be blessed by
God!
B. Refuser's Penalty! Mal.
3:8-9
1. God attached a penalty to the
one who would rob Him by not giving the tithe:
a. You see,
giving God 10% of your finances is NOT a financial matter ... it is a SPIRITUAL
matter ... we must be careful to see
this!
b. Spiritual people therefore
will not have a difficult time giving to God His due! They see this as spiritual and not a
financial issue!
c. How often? 1 Cor.
16:2 "…
first day of the week."
2. Malachi 3:8-9 clearly states that not to give means
the believer will live under a financial curse!
a. The whole nation of
b. Many might have been tempted
to say, "WHEN
I GET CAUGHT UP I WILL TITHE" ... but while they are waiting to give
they are operating under a curse which might mean they won't be able to get
caught up!
c. This is the irony of
giving! If you wait till you can
afford it you may not ever give!
The curse isn't lifted until you give!
d. Some will always argue, "This is a hard
saying, who can hear it?"
ILLUS: An A/G
church that was bankrupt and still owed $250,000! The new Pastor had them increase their
giving from the 5% they had been giving, to a new level of 10%. Within months they increased it again to
15% and still over months increased it more ... today they are running more than
1,000 people (from their 250 people before) and they are not only doing great
financially, but have put up a beautiful new building. Today (around 1990) they were 3½ years
ahead of their mortgage payments and paid off 114 acres of
property! -- (A/G
church in Erie, PA.)
e. Some people say that won’t
give their tithes because they feel the leadership isn’t good and they don’t
feel they should give tithes to leaders who don’t use it properly. However, when we tithe we aren’t giving
it to leaders or people, it is given to God, so this is a poor excuse. God will hold leaders who misuse His
tithes accountable, but He will also hold us accountable for what we do or don’t
do.
ILLUS: In the
book of 1 Samuel, the nation started to withhold the giving of their tithes
because they didn't like the evil sons of the priest ELI. Eli's sons were so wicked that God struck
them dead ... AND God cursed the nation too for withholding their tithes! ... He
brought the wicked Philistines in to destroy their prosperity for their
withholding tithes! Even evil
priests like the sons of Eli were no excuse for not giving!
3. God has established a
"REFUSER'S PENALTY" for the failure to give as He has asked
us.
a. No exceptions were made for
this penalty, He calls for all to honor Him with their tithe [WHERE IS IT
SUPPOSE TO BE GIVEN? ... “LOCAL STOREHOUSE!” …
b. Even the poor in the Bible
were called upon to give God the tithe ... God made it fair by asking each to
give the same percentage.
4. To refuse God His due, is to
rob Him just as if you wore a mask and put a gun to His head and took His
money! I know this sounds strong
... but this is His Word, not mine!
5. To refuse to give God's due
is to invite the "devourer" into your financial
life!
6. DON'T MISS GOD'S POINT ... HE
IS TRYING TO SHARE WITH US THE SECRETS TO LIVE UNDER HIS BLESSINGS! ... DON'T
JUST SEE THE HARDSHIP IN GIVING!
a. I've never known a bankrupt
tither!
b. Those who give usually are
very stable in their finances; they started by giving, not by getting ahead
first and then giving!
7. Of course what we do with
the other 90% is just as important too!
8. I spent this much time on
this subject because unlike the Pharisees, we don't take the material commands
of Christ that serious, just the more spiritually sounding ones; both are
considered important by our Lord!
II. GAINING GRACES Matt.
23:23b,c
A. Righteous Priorities Matt.
23:23b
1. The need to add to the
temperament; Justice, Mercy, and Faithfulness is
vital!
a. These are the characteristics
of a godly heart ... something the Pharisees lacked!
b. Though they passed the
material test, they needed to round out their living with the important matters
of the heart!
c. True giving is first a matter
of the heart.
ILLUS: We heard
of a man and woman who gave a sizeable contribution to the church to honor the
memory of their son who lost his life in the war. When the announcement was made of the
generous donation, a woman whispered to her husband, "Let's give the same amount
for our boy!" Her husband said,
"What are you talking about? Our son wasn't killed." "That's just the point," she said. "Let's give it as an expression of our
gratitude to God for sparing his life!" -- James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton:
Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988) p. 262.
2. Had they had these qualities
of justice, mercy and faithfulness, they would have likely had the qualities of
giving anyway! The error was that
they PRIDED themselves in their giving (which was wrong since it belonged to God
anyway!) and ignored the need to love others in giving these essential qualities
of grace!
3. No wonder Jesus says, "GOD LOVES THE
CHEERFUL GIVER" ... because just giving money isn't enough either ...
it must even be given the right way, with God's graces in our
life!
B. Requirements Practiced Matt. 23:23c
1. Jesus thus calls them to do
BOTH, not neglect one for the other, but BOTH!
a. The 2 together round out the
saint of Christ!
b. Since tithing is also a
spiritual matter and not just a financial one Jesus says to them, "IF YOU ARE
TRULY SPIRITUAL, DO BOTH!"
2. Jesus didn't want them to
just "AMEN" these truths, but to practice them!
a. And so too we today must be
careful that we are not just in agreement with God's
Word…
b. But that we are also in
practice on them!
3. How much we call upon God to
give us His grace, mercy, and faithfulness; yet are we willing to practice these
also!
a. We must not hold back from
100% participation … being a servant of God includes all areas of our
life.
ILLUS: The empire
of the Franks had an unusual commitment to Christ, sometimes whole armies were
baptized as Christians because of their leader's conversion to
Christianity. However, they were at
war, and because of this so much was at stake that they didn't want to be too
much of a Christian army. So, a
solution was found, when baptizing the Franks ... as stated, sometimes a whole
army at once, the warriors would go down into the water with only their right
hands held high above the waters so that it was the only part of their body not
baptized. This way, they could
soothe their conscience in war by brutally killing the enemy because their hand
had not been baptized! While we
don't do this today with swords, some people hold high their pocketbooks so they
don't get baptized so they don't have commit their finances to the
Lord! -- Unknown
b. We cannot excuse one part of
our life while asking God to “anoint” or “bless” the other
areas.
4. How often we call upon God to
give to us financially, to meet our pressing needs, yet without tithing God
cannot respond as He would like, for we exist under a curse! To ask requires that we first are
giving!
5. WE MUST PRACTICE ALL AREAS OF
CHRISTIANITY ... even in giving, whether our goods or His
graces!
6. This principle is true in
other areas as well; if we want forgiveness, Jesus calls upon us to be forgivers
or we cannot be forgiven, so too with finances.
III. GENEROUSITY & GUARANTEES Mal. 3:10-12; 2 Cor. 9:6-11; Prov. 11:24
A. Rewarded Production Mal.
3:10-12
1. God promises to keep the "devourer" from those who give their tithes
& offerings to Him!
a. This promise is still
true!
b. We are invited to test
God in this ... the only time God says we can
test Him in the Bible!
c. NOTE: The term "blessing"
indicates more than just "financial" blessings! God's blessings may return in other ways
beside greater income, but it will be things that are of greater value than what
you gave Him!
d. Such things as salvation of
loved ones, the growth of His Spirit in you, the friendships of others,
etc.
2. If all tithe, God promises to
make that Nation or church the awe and envy of those around
them!
a. Ever envy some other
Christian that seems to be doing so well, it may not be their income level, they
might make the same as you or less ... but they may be tithing while you are
not!
b. They will be living under a
blessing if they give!
ILLUS: Paul and I
were dairy farmers in the Northern New England town of
3. This point is true also of
the important areas Jesus was asking of the Pharisees, such as mercy, justice,
faithfulness ... the more you give of this, the more it comes back to you
also!
a. To those who are faithful ...
they will find many faithful friends around them.
b. To those who forgive, they
will find forgiveness when they need it.
c. To those who are fair with
others, others will be fair with them.
4. Giving brings us under God's
blessings, the lack of it leaves us under His curse!
B. Reducing Poverty 2 Cor.
9:6-11
1. Every farmer knows you must
give a certain amount of grain away to the ground in order to receive something
back ... something more than you give.
a. Every farmer believes the
principle of “sowing and reaping” that God
created.
b. Their trust in this is
demonstrated every time they plant those seeds, they must plant them BEFORE they
get results, not after! They have faith that this principle will always work ...
and it does!
2. This principle Paul shares
with the Corinthians works in both directions:
a. Sow a little sin you’ll reap
a huge harvest of ungodliness!
b. This is why God seems so hard
sometimes on little things we do that we shouldn't ... He knows a greater
harvest will result if He doesn't plow up our hard
heart!
3. Some might think I am being
too hard on giving ... yet I'm trying to help you stamp out your poverty, to get
out from under the curse of God!
a. Whether the need in you is
tithes.
b. Or in
temperament!
ILLUS: When you
go to a doctor for your annual check-up, he or she will often begin to poke,
prod, and press various places, all the while asking, "Does this hurt? How about
this?"
If you cry out in pain, one of two
things has happened. Either the
doctor has pushed to hard, without the right sensitivity. Or, more likely, there's something wrong,
and the doctor will say, "We'd better do some more tests. It's not supposed to hurt
there!"
So it is when pastors preach on
financial responsibility, and certain members cry out in discomfort, criticizing
the message and the messenger. Either the pastor has pushed too hard.
Or perhaps there's something wrong.
In that case, I say, "My friend,
we're in need of the Great Physician, because it's not supposed to hurt
there." -- Ben
Rogers
4. The way to reduce poverty is
to give up what God asks for, just like the farmer ... if he wants to have more
the next year, he must give up some now!
5. "Reaping &
Sowing" principle: you'll always receive more of what you
sow!
a. Sow evil ... lots more
results!
b. Sow righteousness ... lots
more results!
6. The aspect of faith in this
is that we FIRST sow, then we reap!
a. So many people want God to
bless them first and then they will begin giving ... this will never happen
because you are at the time living under the curse God pronounced in Mal. 3!
b. Faith means you start,
believing God will do as He says!
c. Try it sometime ... with your
tithes, and with your temperament:
(1. Give God His due financially
first.
(2. Forgive others FIRST and
watch your life change as well as those around you!
7. Spiritual poverty would be
reduced if we would first give; JUSTICE, MERCY, AND
FAITHFULNESS!
a. Some say, "I would come
more often if..."
b. "I would be
faithful if…"
c. "I would tithe
if..."
8. Get out from under God's
curse and watch what becomes possible!
9. Remember too ... stewardship
is all 100%!
10. Notice in 2
Cor. 9:8 that Paul's says that the one who financially gives will see God
"MAKE ALL
GRACE ABOUND TOWARD THEM."
a. Financial
matters!
b. And all
areas!
C. Rewarding Principle Prov.
11:24
1. "Freely
giving" … the “no strings attached” kind of giving! Prov.
11:24
a. The person who gives freely
... will never find themselves with less, only more!
b. And yet, they are not
giving to get more!
c. Probably why this happens is
because he who gives freely counts his giving in careful terms, thus he is
really being a steward over the whole, even what is not
given!
d. This kind of management can
only bring greater rewards!
2. Note too the one who "withholds
unduly" comes to poverty!
a. He who withholds is only
thinking of self need, thus he will be left alone to make
it!
b. If we are left alone to make
life work we will more likely fail, we need God and each
other!
3. Giving is a rewarding
principle! It brings life and
happiness to the giver!
ILLUS: No man was
ever honored for what he received. Honor is the reward for what he
gave. -- James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton:
Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988) p. 241.
a. Thus, "IT IS MORE
BLESSED TO GIVE THAN TO RECEIVE!"
b. We live under God's blessings
when we give the tithe and the temperament to Him:
c. We live under God's curses if
we don't! The only way out is to
give your way out!
d. Ask the farmer if this is
always true!
e. Ask the tither if this is
always true!
CONCLUSION: Jesus' teaching in this
passage is the importance of faithfulness to God from your tithes to your
temperament! We are called to BOTH, not just one or the other! We are
called to give grace and gold, mercy and money, faithfulness
in all areas of life ... when we do; we live under God's blessings and not His
curses. Are you faithful in both
tithes and temperament? Why not be
blessed rather than cursed?