Thank you.
Well, I suppose the first thing that I should do is take my watch off.
! And as you know, when a pastor takes his watch off, it means nothing at all.
!
I am very sensitive to the work of the Holy Spirit in my life and in your life.
And I am fully persuaded that the text in Ephesians, which explains the characteristics
of a Spirit-filled believer, indicates that when people are filled with the Spirit, it
shows up in their countenance, in their conversation, and it also shows up in their singing.
And I have a wonderful seat up here in the front because the singing that you engage in
kind of flows over top of me.
And then I have all these wonderful people on the front who minister to me as well and
encourage us.
They are there principally to encourage us in our corporate ministry in the Word.
And so my thanks to all of you for that.
I would like you to turn in your Bible this morning as we will spend this week and next
week addressing the biblical topic of stewardship to the chapters in 2 Corinthians 8 and 9 where
the apostle goes to great length to address the subject to believers there in Corinth who in his affection
for them, he wanted to be sure that they understood some of the underlying principles of the walk of faith.
There's hardly a month.
In fact, I think it would probably be exaggeration to say there's not a week that goes by, but there's never a month
that goes by that I do not receive either electronically or through the mail some kind of notification to go to a seminar
or purchase a program or pick up some kind of materials that will help this congregation with our stewardship.
And I want you to understand that every one of them proposes that if I would go ahead and buy the product that they are offering
that I can be certain that there are going to be these wonderful outcomes that are going to be expected
and they have these testimonials by one person after another that says, well, we use blah, blah, blah and bing, bang
and it all happened and it's wonderful and unbelievable.
And so I take these things and I do with them what I have done for about 30 some years in ministry
and I just throw them in the trash.
I do want you to understand that the business of fundraising is big business
and it's not a subject that can be neglected.
It's near the top of the requirements for a university president.
It may not be one of the things that is right there, check this box, can you do it?
But I assure you that the board of trustees, when they're evaluating whether or not a man should be considered
as a potential individual for a position such as president of the seminary or the university or whatever,
they want to be sure, can this guy raise funds?
You also find that the same thing is true in public nonprofits.
You know, there's always this question, okay, how will this person do it fundraising?
And it's one of the underlying truths that is part of every organization's existence.
And something that has interested me over the years, and I will tell you that I read the materials that,
at least in part, I kind of scan them, but one of the things I'm always looking for, and follow this,
I'm always looking to see what is the motivating principle that is at the center of the package.
Because here's what I know, that the issues of motive and what motivates people to do whatever it is
that you're encouraging them to do is a real giveaway, a real indicator of what the underlying issues are.
And some will propose that, hey, listen, if you're generous with your giving, guess what?
There's really good news for family members who are in purgatory because you can kind of diminish the longevity
of their prospect of staying there.
Did you know that?
It's not anything I've ever preached about here, I can tell you that, but there are contexts and constructs
in which it's understood.
Or here's another one, and it's the language of, okay, you're going to go to hell,
but you can shorten your stay in hell by being generous.
Now, with that kind of preaching, you could imagine that people would be scared spitless,
and unless they became inured to the whole process, they'd be pretty generous.
There are others who suggest that, listen, I want to tell you something.
Your generosity is pretty critical to the sad-eyed puppies and, you know, SPCA.
How many of you can't just take it?
I mean, around the holidays, the Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, just, they,
I can only take them a click.
But, I mean, the songs and the sad, I mean, it's horrible.
God says don't mistreat animals, but you know what?
It's all about how do you raise funds?
And then there are others, and I do listen to them occasionally, just for a little micro-second.
I mean, Joyce Myers or, you know, what is his name, the current hair-slicked-back guy?
Help me, help me, help me.
Joe Osteen, there it is.
One person was saying to me, I stopped visiting them at home, and they, oh, isn't he wonderful?
I said, what?
You know, and I decided I wouldn't go off on the situation because the person is in their 90s,
and I decided, you know, I'm not going to change the situation.
But, you know, every now and then I just kind of stop in just for a little peek.
How's it working for Joyce, and how's it working for Joel, you know, and hear their stories.
And, you know, the underlying attitude is this, is that your giving is really the key that unlocks God's storehouse.
I mean, here it is, kind of a mathematical equation.
You give 10, you get 100.
You give 20, you get 200.
You know how it works?
And so, hey, that's a no-brainer.
If that was a guarantee in the stock market, all of us would be filthy rich.
And so, we find one motivation after another, and I do pay attention to the motives,
because they really are a giveaway at the underlying thought process that these various programs offer.
So, let me tell you something, and something that you have not heard me ever say before.
Last, this last Saturday, that was yesterday, because you know Sunday is the new week, correct?
Nod your head, you know that, okay?
Last Saturday, that was only yesterday.
Around about 8.30 in the morning, our pastors and deacons were meeting,
and one of the things that we were prayerfully deliberating on and considering
is the fact that your generosity as a congregation exceeded our budget by a full 10%.
And so, here is the board praying about being good stewards with the surplus.
We don't have an answer yet, but we want all of us to work at this together over time,
so we don't make...
How many of you, when you come home and say to your wife,
if I got a raise, she's already got it spent in less than 30 minutes?
I don't want to say anything unkind here, but it's human nature.
We all got plans.
And so, we want to pray.
We want to ask Jesus.
We want to talk together as a fellowship.
But I can tell you, in all the years of being a pastor and teaching on stewardship,
I've not walked to the pulpit and been able to say,
guess what, folks?
We're in a situation where we're trying to think about how to wisely and in an honorable fashion to God,
use the surplus.
So, I am not preaching this morning on stewardship
because this fellowship is in an impoverished status.
Over all the years that I have ministered, whether it is here or in one other place,
I have seen every case where the faithful, methodic, dependable preaching of the Word of God
produces in people's hearts a quiet obedience to the issue of faithfulness in stewardship.
And so, this morning, the reason I preach on the subject
is to do my responsible job of encouraging you to understand that the God of this universe
has established some principles that bring glory to his name and good to his people.
And there is no accident that I am in 2 Corinthians chapter 8.
Let me explain what I mean by that.
In order to preach the Word of God,
I have to be in the Word of God.
Does that make sense?
I'm not up here to tell you stories about giving.
I am up here to open up the Word of God
and rely upon the Spirit of God
to touch the heart of God's people
and lead them to say,
He is wise and He is good
and He is deserving of my willing sacrifice
and my life
and my wallet is just a small part of the bigger picture.
So, as we take 2 Corinthians chapter 8 and 9 in hand,
I want you to understand in a broad way
that true Christian giving reflects, for one, our view of God.
Secondly, it reflects our view of self.
And third, it reflects our view of what really matters.
Having said that, I want you to turn now to 2 Corinthians chapter 8
and just pick up there in chapter 8 verse 1
where the apostle, in writing this letter to the church at Corinth,
he starts out the chapter, he says,
We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God
that has been given among the churches of Macedonia.
Paul begins this two-chapter lesson on generous giving
by really pointing to the work of God
in the hearts of other believers
that he is going to use as an example.
And as he points to the generous hearts
of these impoverished Macedonians,
what he is really pointing out
is that their attitudes were the way they were
because of the grace of God.
It wasn't because of their excess that they had
that they were being generous
or because they had grown up in certain kinds of homes.
They had grown up like the rest of us.
They started out as bankrupt morally as every other person.
And yet the Spirit of God had gotten hold of their hearts
and brought them to the place
where they saw biblical stewardship
as an opportunity and as a blessing
rather than a liability.
The fact that the poor believers,
and I read your way through here,
it says here,
for in a severe test of affliction,
their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty
have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.
The fact that these poor, impoverished Macedonians
were so generous with their resources
was something that could not be explained in human terms.
It wasn't something that you could kind of track back
to a program or to kind of a strategy.
We're going to have everybody come together
and we're going to have this, you know,
fancy little proposal of tiering people in their giving
and all that kind of stuff.
I'll never forget years ago in ministry
where I was in a home
and the person,
they had just stopped in to visit our church
and they had very good questions about stewardship.
And I thought,
well, that's a good thing to ask about.
I mean, it is.
And they were asking,
do you have your deacons go around annually
and kind of assess what each family should give?
I said,
you know, it's kind of,
I didn't understand the question.
It's like,
what do you mean?
I mean,
hey,
how many of you know that I don't know what you give?
How many of you know that?
In fact,
if you've ever tried to give anything to me
that I think looks like money,
what happens?
Find a deacon,
please,
just not me.
Okay?
And it's a reflection of my little puny little brain.
I don't want it to be cluttered
with who you are and what you do
and how that plays out.
Do you follow me?
Don't give me money.
Don't mess with that.
You can give it to somebody else.
And so when this person was explaining,
they had deacons who would ride around
to each one of the houses
and they had like a little Paul Revere mailbag
that they would open up
and pull out the family
and kind of the,
I don't know how they did it,
but they kind of guessed at the family income.
You know,
you drive this kind of car,
cha-ching,
you have this kind of home,
cha-ching,
you have this kind of job,
cha-ching,
how much are you going to give?
Never crossed my mind
that that's the way to do it.
Why?
Because we don't,
say this with me,
we don't have it in the,
by,
I'm going to take my sweater off after that.
Me getting hot.
Okay, here we go.
We don't have it in the,
Bible.
That's not a bad answer, is it?
We don't have it in the,
Bible.
Well, what we do have in the Bible here,
is that here are people who are being generous.
And their generosity is a little confusing
when you stop and think about it in human terms.
Their generosity is only attributed to their view of God
and how they saw God at work in their lives.
I did have a lot of fun this last week
hearing that the professors at Harvard
who had been so supportive of the healthcare system,
the new one that we enjoy,
actually were all in a snit over the fact
that they themselves were contributors to the increase.
And one of the things about a Christian
is they're generous with their own money.
One of the things about a liberal
is they're generous with your money.
And the truth of the matter is,
is here in this situation that we're looking at,
in 2 Corinthians chapter 8,
we're looking at people who were generous
and there could be no explanation for it
other than, well, God must have done something spectacular.
And so as we kind of work our way through the passage,
we see here the Macedonian believers
really gave because of their view of God.
Look at what it says there in verse 1 again.
And it says that about the grace of God
that has been given among the churches of Macedonia.
We see that their activity,
which is explained there in verse 2
as an abundance of joy
and a wealth of overarching generosity on their part,
it really is an explanation of the fact
that they were doing this
because of what God had done in their lives.
So let me ask you,
when you give
and you give freely and willingly,
I'm not talking about manipulation.
The question is,
does your giving really reflect
an appreciation for the grace of God
and an expression of your thanksgiving
and satisfaction with what he's done?
I want you to understand this as well
as you kind of work your way through this passage.
The believer is caught up by grace
and thereby becomes an instrument of grace.
You look there at verse 7.
It says this,
as you excel in everything,
talking about the church there at Corinth,
you guys are doing good.
He says,
but I also want you to excel
in this act of grace also.
The grace that you receive
that is operating in your life
should not be limited
to just nice things that you say in the lobby.
It should be something that can be seen
across the broad expanse
of every part of your life.
And so as we stop and think about the matter
of the grace of giving,
let me take a minute here
and I, for one minute here,
thank you for being a very generous congregation.
The fact that we are 10% over budget
is not reflective
of all the other things
that our congregation does
in their generosity.
We are a generous people to a fault.
God bless.
But you know what I would also like
to be able to say in the future?
That means we have some way to go.
Did you see this coming?
Okay.
One of the things that I would like
to be able to say in the future is
I would like to be able to stand up here
and say, stop!
We have so many people
that are willing to work in the nursery
that we don't have enough room for that.
I mean, you...
I didn't hear an amen.
Just so you know.
Okay?
Or, I mean,
I don't want to ever see...
Hi, Kate.
Or June.
I don't want to see Kate and June retire
until after I'm dead anyway.
But, you know,
I can just imagine Kate and June
coming to me one day and saying,
you know, I'm really disappointed
there are some younger people
who want to teach Sunday school.
And, hey, we have opportunities
to serve besides your wallet.
That's what I'm trying to say.
How many of you got that message?
Okay?
Okay.
So, Pastor Saul, next week,
here's what I'm counting on.
The preaching of the Word of God
is going to bring conviction
and people are going to be flocking to you
saying, listen,
I realize I have been a little negligent
in this area.
My giving's faithful.
I know what I've done.
And I get a W-4 that helps me with that.
But what am I doing in the nursery?
Okay?
We need to be generous
in every area of our life.
Right?
This business of just arriving,
kind of sitting for a few minutes
and thinking God is pleased
with the fact you occupied a pew
is not in the Bible.
And when the grace of God
goes to work in your life,
you become a participator.
How many of you know what FIFO is?
First in, first out.
That's how it works in our refrigerator,
at least when I'm doing it.
I eat leftovers.
There are some people who are LIFOs.
You know what LIFO is?
Last in, first out.
You know,
how does that fit the Bible picture here?
No.
The believer that is caught by grace
becomes an instrument of grace.
That makes sense, doesn't it?
And so as you look here
at what we find in 2 Corinthians,
I want you to recognize
that Paul at the beginning
of this subject of giving stewardship,
he says, listen,
it's really a reflection of God's grace
and understanding how that grace
is operated in your life.
So coming back to that question,
as you kind of listen to teaching on giving,
one of the things that you can pay attention to
is what is the underlying motive
that encourages people
in the subject of giving?
when God and the grace of Christ
are not central,
it's just a matter of time
before you see silk suits
and Rolex watches
and jets
and mansions
in the lives of people
who ought to be humble servants
to the bride of Christ.
And let me tell you another thing.
Until a person really becomes,
truthfully,
a person who's been overwhelmed
by the beauty of salvation
and the joy of their deliverance
from eternal condemnation
and from the burden of sin,
that person does not really have
a thankful heart
that finds pleasure and satisfaction
in giving joyfully to God.
Let's come to the second point.
Biblical stewardship
really involves all that we have
and who we are.
I want you to look there, if you will.
We're in 2 Corinthians 8,
but put your finger on verse 5.
And this, not as we expected,
but they gave themselves
first to the Lord
and then by the will of God to us.
Godly giving flows
from relationship with Christ
and appreciation of grace.
Whenever you find yourself
kind of stressed or unhappy
or challenged in the area
of what you are doing for others,
and by the way,
I want to add to the fact
we are generous people
and we're also great at moving.
How many of you understand that?
I mean, we're into moving.
And let me say publicly,
thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you
for your generosity in cooking.
I said to the deacons yesterday,
I said, you know,
it's a shame that my wife
had to get sick for me
to find out how good you all to cook.
I mean, it's, we have,
some of you are saying,
what's that all about?
Well, here's the deal.
When people in our church get sick,
we bring meals.
So the poor wife who's sick,
she's had surgery,
you know, she doesn't have to get up
and cook and I don't have to cook either,
you know, it's kind of nice.
It's like, okay,
you're good at that.
And here's what,
what Paul wants this congregation
to understand.
He says, listen,
all of your kindness
really flows out
of your relationship with Christ
and your appreciation of grace.
He said, you gave of yourself first.
In order to explain
the generosity of the believers
there in Macedonia
as to why they were giving away
what little they had,
he wanted the people in Corinth
to understand that before they gave
their wealth and their property,
they'd given their life.
And let me help you understand
that this is a Bible principle
that we find elsewhere.
You keep your finger there
in 2 Corinthians
because we are coming back there,
but I want you to go back to Romans
just for a moment.
Romans chapter 12,
verse 1 and 2.
Romans chapter 12,
verse 1 and 2.
If you're sitting here,
and here,
just a,
this is a side by zinger, okay?
If you're sitting here,
how many of you know
that you're going to be doing taxes
between now and April 15th
unless you file an extension?
Just nod your head
like you know this is happening, okay?
And so along with doing your taxes,
you're probably going to be looking for,
what is it called?
The W-4 that we send out?
W-2?
What is it?
What does the church send out?
A statement of giving.
Okay.
How many of you,
don't raise your hands,
but one of the things
that goes with,
you know,
church people,
you know,
you're looking for a statement of giving
because you want to add that
to your tax computation.
Agree?
Nod your head.
You can nod your head now,
this part, okay?
And when you do that,
you can kind of figure out
whether or not
you are
a skin flint
or whether you're generous
because you get to look at your,
how many of you remember
what you gave last January?
Well,
I am married and accountant,
so I don't have to worry
about those details.
But,
the rest of it,
it helps to have a record.
And,
and,
and when we stop
and think about the generosity
of our heart,
here's the point I want you to see.
All it says is what you think
about what God's done for you.
That's the point
that Paul is making here
in chapter 12.
He says,
I appeal to you therefore.
Now,
what's the therefore?
It,
it's pointing back
to the argument
of chapter 1 through 11
that really is explaining
this wonderful work
of God
in saving despicable,
brokenhearted,
miserable sinners.
And,
and on the basis
of what he has done
in saving us,
he says,
it is a reasonable thing
to present my body
as a living sacrifice.
You did all of this for me.
I don't have a problem
doing something else
for other people.
One of the things that,
that I have often said
is that when,
when God gives me
the opportunity
of ministering to people,
particularly in the area
of marriage,
because of what God did
in,
in reconciling our home
and doing such a blessing
in,
in my life
and in Judith's life,
I always say,
people say,
oh,
thank you so much.
I say,
I get to say thank you
to Jesus every time
I serve in this capacity.
Do you follow that?
And,
and when you are overwhelmed
by the blessing
of being rescued
by the Lord
from the absolute moral
bankruptcy of your heart,
every time you ever
do anything,
all it is is saying
thank you.
And so Paul is explaining
here in chapter 12
that this business
of being sacrificial
with your wallet
and sacrificial
with your life
is,
is just really
no more than
expressing thanksgiving
for what God has done.
Let me have you
look at another
passage
and we're
going to creep
back towards
2 Corinthians
chapter 8
but go to
2 Corinthians
chapter 5
verse 15.
Did Jesus die
for your sins
and the answer
is what?
Yes,
he did
and he died
in your place.
Here's what it says
in verse 15
and he died
for all
that those
who live
might not,
might no longer
live for themselves.
What does it mean
to live for yourself?
What's it mean
to live for yourself?
I know you don't know
about this
so I'll explain it
a little bit,
okay?
Living for yourself
means that
when you have
a windfall
the first thought
you have
is what?
How can I spend it
on
me?
And Paul says,
hey listen,
since Jesus
died for you
one of the things
that happens
is that you don't
live any longer
for yourself
but you live
for him
who for their
sakes died
and rose again.
I'm living
for Jesus.
That's why I live
and that's why
you live.
And Paul wants
us to understand
that when we
are living
with that kind
of mindset
the issue
of giving
is something
that is not
a burden
and a hardship
but it's a joyful
expression
of our thankfulness.
I'll never forget
one of the things
that someone said
to me that stuck.
He said,
when there is room
in the heart
there is room
in the wallet.
You got that?
When there is room
in the heart
there is room
in the wallet.
I'm going to give you
a little illustration
of that.
I am a coffee drinker.
I mean,
I can do instant.
I can do Maxwell.
I can do Folgers.
I can do any swill
that has caffeine
in it.
I am not
a discriminating
coffee drinker.
I think my brain
says how much
caffeine and that's
the thing that counts.
But my wife,
now my wife
is a different story.
She's a,
she is a,
I wouldn't use it,
she's not here
to defend herself,
she's sick,
but she's a coffee
connoisseur.
We actually roast
our own
to accommodate her.
And so,
you know,
she happens to like
Tim Hortons.
How many of you know
what a Tim Hortons
coffee costs?
In my flesh
that grates
against me.
Do you understand
what I'm saying?
How many of you,
you get my point.
I can buy
McDonald's for
almost half
because I get
a senior cup.
And,
you know,
but when I drive
through the drive
through at
Tim Hortons
and they say
$1.80,
I think,
well,
I love my wife.
And it's true.
I go out of my way
to surprise her
with a cup of coffee
and when they say
that'll be $1.80,
I say,
well,
thank you.
Do you know why?
Because I'm tickled pink
with the bride I have.
I like her.
And so,
here's the point.
your giving
is a reflection
of how you relate
to the one
who is your redeemer
and your savior.
Later on
in the book
of 2 Corinthians,
and we're not going
to get there
this morning,
but it says
God loves a hilarious,
a cheerful giver.
You know,
I know we do it
electronically,
but every now and then
just giggling
as the plates go by,
it wouldn't bother me
at all.
I get to do this.
That's okay.
Well,
one more thing.
Biblical stewardship
really reflects our values.
Money's a tool.
We use it
to serve our purposes,
to accomplish
our ambitions,
satisfy our needs
and wants.
And as a result
of that,
really,
the way we use money
really shows
what we think
is important.
Now,
we've all,
all of us
have heard people
say before,
I can't afford that.
It's a standard
statement.
And,
I know I'm going
out on a limb here,
but,
who in their right mind
would imagine
that a collection
of nail polish
that costs over $1,200
is reasonable?
I didn't see any takers
for that.
But,
the same person
who would think
that $1,200
for a nail polish
was reasonable
would absolutely
choke at the idea
of anybody ever
spending $1,000
on a gun.
I didn't see
takers for that
either,
other than,
but,
here's my point.
Money reflects
what we think
is important.
And so,
Paul explains
the impact
of godly giving
over in 2 Corinthians
chapter 9,
verse 13.
Let's just take a look
at that for a minute.
Talking about
the giving
of the church.
The church.
For,
in verse 12,
it says,
for the ministry
of this service
is not only supplying
the needs
of the saints.
In other words,
it's doing something
very practical
and necessary,
but is also
overflowing
in many
thanksgivings
to God.
I have enjoyed
watching
Tom and Nancy's
ministry
in South Africa
from the day
their family
with their
four little girls
all grown
and giving
you grandkids
now,
and that's
lots of fun,
let me tell you
something.
But,
you know,
I remember
when they came,
please don't send
me to Africa,
remember that song?
You guys did a great job.
And I read his blog,
incidentally,
read his blog,
you got that?
Read his,
it's a good blog.
It'll be convicting,
I don't want that,
but it will,
it'll be encouraging,
and it'll help
you partner,
and that's what
what we do
in missions
is we partner.
I appreciate
what he said about
you guys are part
of it over there.
We are.
And we have
the privilege
of investing
in a work
in the lives
of people
that we're not
going to see
until we get
to heaven.
And then we will
gather together
before the throne
of God,
and we are going
to blow the roof
off in our praise
and adoration
of Christ.
Isn't that right?
Why are you here?
Oh, there are
some people
over there
in Columbus,
generous,
and they sent
Tom and Nancy,
and it was because
of Nancy and Tom
that I came to Christ.
Whoa,
I had a part
to play.
Here's Paul,
verse 12.
He says,
it doesn't only
meet the needs,
but it also
produces this
overflowing
of thanksgiving
to God.
Verse 13,
by their approval
of this service,
they're saying,
that's the right
thing to do,
they will glorify
God because
of your submission
flowing from
your confession
of the gospel
of Christ.
So let me help
you understand
that as you look
at this passage,
godly giving
really shows
our agreement
with the gospel.
Think about that.
Godly giving
really shows
your agreement
with the gospel.
And so if you're
sitting here
and I remember
in the first church
that I pastored,
and remember,
I don't know
what people give.
How many of you
just say that?
Pastor doesn't know
what people give.
But I'll never forget
a deacon coming to me.
I'd been there
for five years
and this deacon
came to me
and said,
boy,
I was just convicted
by your service
on your teaching
on stewardship
because I have never,
ever been faithful
in the area of giving.
So I may be preaching
this morning
and who knows,
right?
But the truth
of the matter is
is your giving
really shows
your agreement
with the gospel.
And by the way,
the gospel is more
than fire insurance.
Would you agree
with that?
It's a call
to living our life
for the glory
of God.
God.
And a person
who confesses
to be a Christian
and yet is consumed
by covetousness
or jealousy
or bitterness
and is just kind of
rolled up in this
little ball of greed
and self-focus
is a person
who is not reflecting
the power of the gospel
to change.
I had the wonderful
opportunity this last week
in ministry
in the neighborhood
where I now live
and it's an opportunity
all over the place.
I love it.
A person
as I was ministering
to him said,
yeah,
I'm a believer.
I just,
of his own initiative
he said this,
he said,
I just don't see
any work
that is happening
to help me change.
I said,
well,
let me tell you
a little secret.
I don't know
if you're saved or not
but here's what I do know.
When the spirit of God
brings salvation,
the spirit of God
also goes to work
to save you.
And I can tell you
with certainty
that he will
keep on working
to bring about
the fruit of righteousness
or he's going
to keep on working
to bring you
to the point
of repentance,
you harden your heart,
he'll keep working.
So a person
who confesses
to be a Christian
and yet is not
caught up
with joy
and satisfaction
in the matter
of giving,
probably not a bad thing
to kind of double check,
am I a person
who knows Christ
but kind of has forgotten
the blessing
of the gospel
or am I a person
who's just got
the vocabulary
and really doesn't
have the heart
and the work of grace?
Finally,
I want you
to understand this,
godly giving
makes God look good.
Godly giving
makes God look good.
It says here,
they will glorify God.
You know what it means
to glorify God?
It means to say,
man,
he's somebody special.
How did he get
in your wallet?
Well,
you don't know
what he's done for me.
I'm a lifelong debtor.
I was on my way
to hell.
My life was
an absolute mess.
Sin had overwhelmed me
and I was a slave
to my wicked heart
and yet the grace
of God
came into my life
and took darkness
and turned it
into light
and took death
and turned it
into life.
He's got my heart.
No big deal
to have my wallet.
And so,
as I close this morning,
here's something
I want you to think about.
Practically,
where you sit,
do you actually
find pleasure
in giving
to the Lord?
Is that something
that you find
satisfaction of?
And I'm all in favor
of electronic giving.
It works.
It's what we do.
But you know what?
In addition to the
electronic giving,
Judith and I
regularly think about
what we're doing.
Because I don't want
our giving
to become something
that is just habitual
and it's like
paying property taxes.
How many of you,
you know,
we pay property taxes
and you're like,
okay,
you know.
I want our giving
to be a positive,
satisfying reminder
of my relationship
with Christ.
Is that the way
it is for you?
Every time I give,
I think about,
man,
Jesus has done
so much for me
and this is just
a little token
of my thanks.
Do you recognize
that your pattern
of giving
really says
a great deal
about who you
believe God is
and what he's worth?
So why would a pastor
preach on stewardship
here?
Let me give you
an answer.
Turn in your Bible
as I close
to Malachi 2,
verse 7.
Nod your heads
at this.
God's infinitely wise
and he's infinitely good.
Hey,
everybody look up
just for a second.
Just to see
who was looking up.
Okay.
Everybody look up.
Let me say it again.
God is infinitely wise
and infinitely good.
Okay.
And my job
is to point to God.
Isn't that right?
Malachi 2,
verse 7,
for the lips
of a priest
should keep knowledge,
should guard knowledge
and people
should seek instruction
from his mouth.
What does God think?
For he
is the messenger
of the Lord of hosts.
my job
is to be faithful
in speaking
the glory
and the supremacy
and the significance
of the Lord of hosts
and there's not
a word
that he gives us
that is not
for our good
and for his
preeminence
and glory.
God's people said,
Amen.
Let's close
some prayer.
Amen.