Give Generously

And Moses spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, "This is the thing which the Lord commanded: Take from among you an offering to the Lord. Whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it as an offering to the Lord: gold and silver and bronze; blue and purple, and scarlet thread; fine linen, and goats' hair; ram skins dyed red, badger skins, and acacia wood; oil for the light, and spices for the anointing oil, for the sweet incense; onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod and in the breastplate."

Then turn to Chapter 36, Verse 1: "And Bezalel and Aholiab, and every gifted artisan in whom the Lord had put wisdom and understanding, to know how to do all manner of work for the service of the sanctuary, shall do according to all that the Lord has commanded."

Moses called Bezalel and Aholiab, and every gifted artisan in whose heart the Lord had put wisdom, everyone whose heart was stirred, to come and do the work. They received from Moses all the offering which the children of Israel had brought for the work of the service of making the sanctuary. So they continued bringing it to him as freewill offerings every single morning.

Then all the craftsmen who were doing all the work of the sanctuary came, each from the work he was doing, and they spoke to Moses, saying, "The people bring much more."

than enough for the service of the work which the Lord commanded us to do. And so Moses gave a commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout all the camp, saying, "Let neither man nor woman do any more work for the offering of the sanctuary." The people were restrained from bringing, for the material that they had was sufficient for the work to be done; indeed, it was too much.

Lord, we pray that You would give us insight as we look into Your Word today, that You'd continue to teach us. Lord, make us more like You. We thank You that You transform us by the renewing of our minds, by the Word that You've given to us, and by Your Spirit's work in us. So, Holy Spirit, we pray that today, as we come before You, You would do a work of making us new, transforming us so that we reflect You to a greater extent to a world that is in such need of Your bright, shining light. Work in us, Your people, we ask in Jesus' name. And all God's people agreed, saying, "Amen." You can be seated.

This is our sixth and final study in this series that we have called Life in Connection. We've taken the first six weeks of this year, 2014, to clearly articulate what our mission, vision, and values are as a church. As we have gone through this series, we're seeking to answer the questions of why we exist, who we are, what we do, and how we do it.

If you would again, take a look at the sermon guide in your bulletin, the side that has the church logo on it. It says Life in Connection. Week six is a message on everyone's favorite topic—Giving: Give Generously. There is our vision; it says: "Because of the cross of Christ, we know that we have been connected to God and one another in life-giving and satisfying communion. As the family of God, we grow together in His likeness by worship and the application of His Word. As a community of faith, we go to labor together for the joy and justice of all peoples."

Under the Values, how we do it: "We believe that a church is a gathering of individuals connected to God and one another by the cross of Christ. To facilitate, to make this a reality, this life in connection, Cross Connection aims to promote a vision for worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry, mission, and then, generosity. At the core of this vision is a love for God, one another, and the world."

I'm convinced that the abundant life that Jesus promised in John Chapter 10...

In Verse 10, it is said that "the thief has come to steal, to kill, and to destroy. But I have come that you may have life, and that you may have it more abundantly." Another English version states, "that you may have that life to its fullest." I am convinced that this abundant life is a life lived in connection with God and with one another. The thief came, as described in Genesis Chapter 3, to steal, kill, and destroy. He robbed humanity of what they were given in creation—a true communion, a genuine relationship with God in heaven, and a sincere fellowship and community with one another. This was taken away through the Fall, but Jesus comes to restore that: to restore us to God and to restore us to one another.

Our goal has been to set out and promote a vision for this life in connection. We, as a church, endeavor to live in that relationship with God and one another. We believe that it is the result of the things we have been looking at in this series over the last five weeks leading up to today. It is the result of gathering together as the people of God to worship God in song, in giving, in the Scriptures, and through prayer. We believe that worshiping together leads us deeper into this relationship with God.

Not only do we worship together, but we also talk about connecting with community. Living our lives together as a community of faith, as the family of God, leads us deeper into this abundant life, this life in connection. The overflow of both our worship and our community with one another is our service to one another, which is an expression of our love for one another and our love for God. As we discussed last week, engaging in mission—getting involved in the work that God came into the world to accomplish, that Jesus came to do—to seek and to save that which is lost, as the Gospel of Luke tells us in Luke 19, Verse 10.

So, we come, we worship together, we gather in community, we serve one another, and we engage in the work that God is engaged in. Finally, we are looking at everyone's favorite topic: the issue of giving generously. I know that there are probably some, even seated here this morning, who, when I talk about giving generously, instantly have that thought go through their mind that has been expressed by many people in our culture and community, whether they go to church on a regular basis or not. There are people who will say, "It seems like the church is always..."

Talking about money, the church is always discussing giving. A few years ago, I was looking to buy a new car. Has anyone ever set out to buy a new car before? It was about ten years ago, and I started thinking through all the options that were available. There are a lot of different things that you could get. After a while, I started thinking, "You know, I'd really like to have a Jeep. It would be great to have a Jeep."

So, I began to research them. I looked on Auto Trader, and then I went to the dealer to explore all these different options. As I was looking at these Jeeps and researching them, I noticed that all of a sudden, there were Jeeps everywhere. Have you ever experienced that? I would be driving around town, and it seemed like every third car was a Jeep. I saw Jeeps of every type and sort. There were hard-topped Jeeps, soft-topped Jeeps, Jeeps with no top, and Jeeps with doors. There were also Jeeps with no doors, black Jeeps, white Jeeps, red Jeeps, lifted Jeeps, and Jeeps with winches on the front. Everywhere I looked, there were Jeeps. All of a sudden, it felt like everybody had a Jeep!

Now, the reality is that not everyone has a Jeep, but when you focus your attention on any one thing, you begin to identify it everywhere. I would suggest that some people think the church is only ever talking about money because that is where their minds are. They have their minds on their money and their money on their minds, as one lyricist once said. We are fixated on finances; our focus is on our money. We tend to zero in on those things that we are already thinking about. So, when you hear people say, "Well, the church is only ever talking about money," it may indicate something about where their attention and focus lie.

By nature, especially after the Fall, our minds are often absorbed with wealth and riches. The Bible speaks more about money than just about any other single topic. God addresses this issue quite a bit. There are more than 800 passages in the Scriptures, from Genesis to Revelation, that deal with the topics of money, wealth, riches, saving, giving, budgeting, and debt. Why does God choose to speak so much about the topic of money?

Money is a topic that often occupies our thoughts. I think God knows that we tend to focus on money, riches, and wealth because, in reality, we find these things—our wealth and our money—to be the sources of our provision and security. We believe that our security comes from these material possessions and that we need to look to them for sustenance in maintaining our way of life. However, this mindset is, of course, wrong. Scripturally, we recognize that this is not the way it is, but that is where our minds often go. We zero in on these things because we think that our protection, provision, and security lie within them.

It is interesting to note that every unit of currency in our nation, since the mid-1950s, bears what has become the motto of our nation: "In God We Trust." How many of you have seen that on your coins and dollar bills? It is on every unit of our currency, going all the way up. I think it is providential that this motto is there because we are so tempted to trust not in the God who gives us life and provision, but rather in the amount of those little dollar bills and coins that we possess.

In many ways, this motto serves as a good challenge and reminder that we should not trust in these things, but rather in God. However, it is challenging because when we see that motto, we must ask ourselves: Do I really trust completely and implicitly in God? We are often tempted to put our faith and trust in our finances and riches.

Just a month ago, I was watching the State of the Union address, where our president spoke before Congress and addressed the nation on the state of the union. During the address, they pulled back for a wide-angle shot of the congressional chamber. Above the place where the president was speaking, on the wall, was that motto: "In God We Trust." I thought, "What a good reminder!" Not only are we tempted to put our trust in our finances, but we are also tempted to trust in our leaders, our military, and those who direct us as a nation.

Yet, we must remember that God is over all of these things. Ultimately, our trust for provision, protection, and security should not come from these earthly sources, but rather from God. He is to be the One that we trust.

He is to be the One that we are putting all of our faith in. We are not putting our faith in our MasterCard, but we are putting our faith in our Master God. He is the One that we implicitly say, "We follow You. We look to You for all things." Certainly, God desires that this would be the case, that we would put our trust completely in Him. I believe that God is desiring to move us into a place where that becomes a reality: where, number one, we trust Him, and number two, we ultimately become like Him. He wants to make us more like Him.

He challenges us to be generous because, in being generous, we are adopting His nature. In being generous, we are walking in what He does. The Scriptures have a lot to say about this topic, and what we are going to be talking about today is not exhaustive; it is just a quick look at the layers of what the Scriptures have to say about finances, giving, and being someone who walks in generosity.

The Bible has so much to say about it that sometimes people accuse God and His church of just trying to make money. Unfortunately, there have been some, in the name of Christ and the church, who have set out purely to make money. Paul addresses this all the way back 2,000 years ago when he said, "Be careful of those who enter into the work purely out of greed, purely out of trying to get something." So, 2,000 years ago, that was the case, and we know there will be people in our day who try to use what the Scriptures say to make money.

But understand that God's intent is not to make money. The last thing that God needs is your money or my money. How many of you know that this is a reality? He doesn't need what we have. So, He is not trying to make money; He is trying to make us. I would say He is trying to make us more like Him. Why?

Well, point number one on your sermon guide: God is the Benchmark of Generosity. Of course, the immediate verse that comes to my mind when I think about God being the standard by which all are compared, as it relates to generosity, is John Chapter 3, Verse 16, where it says, "For God so loved the world that He"—what?—"gave." Compelled out of His love, He gave. Notice one of the things we see in that verse: "God so loved the world that He gave"—He didn't give to try and get anything back. He sacrificially gave, and He gave to the fullest extent. "He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." He gives for our life.

He gives sacrificially and to the uttermost. The Apostle Paul, in Romans Chapter 8, Verse 32, tells us that God "did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all." So, God the Father delivered His Son for us. If that's the case, Paul goes on to say in Romans 8:32, "How shall He not also give us freely all things, all the other things that we have need of?"

When we approach the topic of giving and wealth, and the Bible has a lot to say about it, we recognize that God is not trying to get our money. He doesn't need our money. In fact, a verse that always makes me chuckle a little bit is found in the Old Testament; it says that "God owns the cattle on a thousand hills." How many of you have ever come across that verse? It may not mean a whole lot to you because I don't think there's probably anybody in here today that owns any cattle. It's just not a big deal to us; cattle is not a huge measure of success or financial gain to us.

But in a culture like the one in which those words were written, that's how you determined whether or not a person was wealthy. They had a lot of cattle, a lot of sheep, a lot of camels, and a lot of herds. Therefore, you knew that person was wealthy. And there we read, "God owns the cattle on a thousand hills."

Now, it's become kind of a joking, tongue-in-cheek thing in my house. There have been a number of times where we, like probably many of you, have experienced financial difficulty, realizing that some bill came out of nowhere that we didn't expect. We would think, "How are we going to pay this?" There have been a number of times where Andrea and I have somewhat tongue-in-cheek just prayed, "God, it's time for You to auction one of them cattle."

We have found that God is always faithful, and He always does take care of the things that we have need of, as He promised to do. That doesn't mean that He doesn't stretch us. It's not very hard for God to stretch us in the area of our finances. Is there anyone here today that's ever been anxious about your finances?

It's very easy for God to stretch us in this area; it's very easy for God to use this as a means of growing us to be more like Him. God is the greatest giver that ever was or ever will be. He is the supreme giver. From the Garden of Eden, which He gave to humanity, as Genesis tells us, all the way to the New Jerusalem, which He has promised to give to us in the future, we see that God is a giver from Genesis to Revelation.

It is very clear; the Bible makes this so clear to us. God is pictured as the supreme giver. God incarnate, that is, God in the flesh—Jesus—when He came, He came for a purpose.

Point Number II on your outline: Jesus Gave it All. Yes, I know that should, in some of your minds, bring up a song: "Jesus gave it all, all to Him I owe; sin had left its crimson stain, He washed it white as snow," or "washed it white again." So, He came, and He gave it all.

It was our key verse a couple of weeks ago when we were talking about the importance of serving within the body. We saw in Mark Chapter 10, Verse 45 that "the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve," and then it says, in the last words of that verse, "and to give His life a ransom for many." He came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many. In so doing, He fulfills the other mission that we saw last week in Luke Chapter 19, Verse 10, that He has come to seek and to save that which is lost. He has come to pursue and rescue by redeeming them, by buying them back, by paying the price that you and I could not pay.

That is what Jesus did on the cross; He paid the price that we could not pay, and He gave it all. So, God is the benchmark of generosity, and Jesus gave it all; He gave everything.

This gift is just that—a gift. It's not a payment for services; you and I have done nothing to receive this. It's out of His pure grace. There in Ephesians Chapter 2, we are told, "by grace are you saved through faith, it is not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." So, it's not something that we have worked to receive. It's not something that we work to maintain. It's something that He has purely given to us out of His grace because He is the supreme giver. God is sacrificially gracious.

If that is the case, that He is sacrificially gracious, then it follows, Point III on your outline, that: Sacrificial Generosity is an Expression of Christlikeness. If He, God, is sacrificially gracious, then...

Jesus came and gave it all. Sacrificial generosity is an expression of Christlikeness. When you and I give for no other reason than to be compelled by love to do so, we're not giving to get anything back. When we give sacrificially, it shows forth His glory. The reality is that no one gives completely sacrificially outside of Christ. There are always strings attached. You may have to dig deep, but you will always find that there is some string attached. Whether it is for temporal gain, to receive something here in this life, or to receive something in the next life, nobody gives with no ulterior motive.

I know there will be someone who will stand up and say, "What about so-and-so? What about this person?" But if you really peel it back, they are either trying to get something here in this life or they are trying to "pay it forward," if you will, into the next life. They might be thinking, "If I do this, then I will get some sort of righteousness." That is the reality of who we are at our base nature because of the Fall and because of sin.

However, in Christ, there is a transformation that takes place. Jesus says to His disciples, "Freely you have received, freely give." Compelled by the love of God, we give not only of our finances—although our hearts are so attached to our finances that this is an important aspect of giving—but we also give of our energy, our assets, and our time. We serve the Lord, as we talked about two weeks ago, engaging in the mission of God in redeeming the lost, seeking and saving that which is lost.

So, we are giving of our energy, our assets, and our finances, but we are also giving of our time, which, for some people, is far more costly than what they have in their bank account. Sacrificial generosity is an expression of Christlikeness. When we give in a sacrificial manner, we display the character of God in this world, and every one of us recognizes that this world needs to see the character of Christ. They need to see it where? In the church. They need to see us showing forth the love and glory of God by being like Him.

One of the ways we walk like Him is by giving sacrificially and generously to those who are in need, both within the Body of Christ and outside in the world. I stand here today with a very happy heart because the reality is that when you look at the church—the Body of Christ, the people of God, the family of God—they have been the most generous throughout history.

You like it or not, it's just the reality. Even in secular research conducted in our nation within the last 20 years, it has been found that the evangelical church in America, which we would be classified as, gives ten times more than the average non-believer in the world, specifically the average atheist.

I want you to think about that. On average, an evangelical gives $4,200 a year to some sort of non-profit charity or Christian ministry. In contrast, the average atheist in our nation gives only $490. That is a tenfold difference. This is an expression of Christlikeness, and it's an awesome thing to consider. This data comes from Gallup, from just a few years ago, and it is at least interesting to reflect upon.

Sacrificial generosity is indeed an expression of Christlikeness. People see the glory of God in the church when it is sacrificial in giving for those in need. This leads us to Point IV: Giving is Commanded.

How many of you, when you became a Christian and stepped into the church, did so completely perfect? We all chuckle because there's not a single one of us who would say that is the case. When you become a Christian, you still carry with you a lot of your old ways of thinking. It takes time to be sanctified. That is where God is changing us—changing our minds and changing our hearts.

He first changes our hearts, and over time, that change influences our minds. However, when we first begin to follow God and step into the Body of Christ, we carry a lot of the baggage from our old way of thinking. Since our old way of thinking is completely absorbed with our finances, and we have a grip on these things, it takes time before we realize that we can let them go.

Between the time that we willingly let go of these things and that initial stage, there is a command that we must follow: God commands us to give. Why? Because it is not in our nature to do so. He says, "Listen, this is what I've called you to do." Whether you recognize it yet as an act of devotion, it may start as simply a duty: "I'm doing this because I've been told in the Scriptures to do it."

Over time, as you begin to release these things and realize that God has freely given them to you, you will come to understand the deeper significance of your giving.

Do it out of devotion. I do it out of love. But between that stage, when you first become a Christian, and when you say, "Out of devotion, I just willingly give," at the start, it's duty. The Bible says, "Do it." I'm going to do it, even though I'm not really wanting to.

Have you ever done something that the Bible told you to do, but you didn't want to do it? Like every day! Love one another. Be patient. None of us go, "Yeah, that's exactly what I want to do in this instance right now," when this person just cut me off on the freeway. That's what I want to do—be patient with them. No! What I'd really like to do is honk at them and yell at them, and all that sort of stuff. That's just a reality. But God gives us commands. Why? Because He knows our minds are not there yet. He changes our hearts, but He's directing us into those things. And so, we have to make a cognitive decision: "I'm going to do this, even though I'm not entirely wanting to." Now, over time, the "want to" comes along. Why? Because the heart's been changed.

God is the benchmark of generosity. Jesus gave it all; sacrificial generosity is an expression of Him, of Christlikeness. Therefore, giving is commanded.

The Old Testament is filled with exhortations and commands to give. There are a whole bunch of them in the Old Testament. The children of Israel, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the people whom God called to be His priests here in the world, were commanded very clearly by God to give. The first command to give is the command of 10 percent called the tithe, which was given in Leviticus Chapter 27, Verse 30. In Leviticus Chapter 27, Verses 30 and 32, God says to His people, the nation of Israel, "You are to take of your firstfruits of everything that you bring in, and you're to give 10 percent and make it holy to the Lord."

Now, those words, "holy to the Lord," mean consecrated to Him. It's no longer yours; you've said, "This is God's. I'm dedicating it to Him. Whatever He wants to do with it, He does with it; it's consecrated." We all understand the idea of consecrating certain things in our lives—setting them aside; it's only for this use. Maybe you, in your life, at some point or another, have consecrated money for something, saying, "Well, we're going to save up, and we're going to buy a house." So you have an area, a bank account, where you've been putting money aside. Over time, it's growing, and now something comes along that you want, like a big screen TV.

And you might think, "Yeah, but we have all this money." However, I would say, "No, no, no, no. That's consecrated because we're going to buy a house. That money is holy to this purpose, and we're not using it for anything else."

Like some of you here in the church, I pay my taxes in a different way; I pay quarterly, like someone who is self-employed. It's a strange situation that happens with clergy. Therefore, I need to set aside money to prepare for the time when the IRS says, "Okay, now you give that to us." That money is consecrated. There have been several times when our bank account looks like, "Wow! There's a whole bunch of money in there." I would respond, "Yeah, but it's for taxes." Andrea and I would say, "Okay... All right... Can't touch it! It's for taxes! It's consecrated." I just went to see the taxman a couple of days ago, and he asked, "Hey, you got your money to pay it?" I replied, "Yeah, it's consecrated; it's theirs, it's not mine; it's consecrated."

We all understand this. In Leviticus Chapter 27, God says, "You're to give 10 percent of everything that you bring in." Imagine it like this: 10 percent of all GDP—Gross Domestic Product—in that nation was to be consecrated to the Lord.

If we fast forward from Leviticus to the next book, Numbers, we find that God explains what that 10 percent is going to be used for. In Numbers Chapter 18, Verses 20 through 25, God tells the nation, which He had previously instructed to consecrate 10 percent, "Now, you're to give that 10 percent to the Levites," who were the priestly tribe of the nation responsible for leading the nation in all things spiritual. So, in Leviticus 27, He says, "You're to consecrate 10 percent." In Numbers, He specifies, "Now you're to give that to the Levites for the work."

However, that tithe didn't end there. In the Book of Deuteronomy, Chapters 12 and 14, God commanded that another 10 percent be received from the nation. In addition to the 10 percent that went to the Lord for the spiritual service of the nation, there was another 10 percent mentioned in Deuteronomy 12 and Deuteronomy 14. This brought the total to 20 percent, and that second 10 percent was to be given for the festivals of the nation, the feast days of Israel. Israel had seven religious feasts that they observed annually. God said, "You're going to fund that by giving another 10 percent towards the festivals." Later on, in another passage of Scripture, He adds, "Not only do you give 10 percent to the Levites and 10 percent to the festivals, but every three years, you're going to..."

To bring another 10 percent, which, when you divide it up, means 3 percent annually, you're going to give to the poor, to those in the nation who have very little and are poverty-stricken. You're going to give 10 percent to the Levites for their spiritual service, 10 percent to the festivals in Israel, and 3 percent annually to the poor. So, now we're up to 23 percent. Twenty-three percent of everything that came into the nation of Israel, everything they gleaned in the field, all of their herds, and everything they made as a nation was to be dedicated: 10 percent to the Levites, 10 percent to the festivals, and 3 percent annually to the poor.

But it didn't stop there. Later on, God would tell His people that not only were they to do that, but also in the Scriptures, particularly in Deuteronomy, He said, "When you harvest your fields," and most of the people in the nation of Israel were farmers, "you are to leave the corners and edges of your field unharvested. You are only to make one pass through your fields or one pass through your vineyard, and you are only to harvest the middle. Whatever you drop on the ground is to be left there for the poverty-stricken of the nation to come and glean." It was a welfare plan. There was a national welfare plan that required all the farmers of the land to glean only one pass through their fields and leave the edges, allowing those who were poor to come and glean.

Additionally, every single year, every male 20 years and older had to give a half shekel to the temple. This was called the Temple Tax. The Temple Tax wasn't very big; it's believed that it was, if you do the math, somewhere around $5.00 a year. You might think, "Well, that's not that big a deal." It's kind of like when you do your taxes and they ask on the form, "Would you like to dedicate $3.00 to the presidential race?" Probably nobody in here does that. It's not that big of a deal; it's not a lot of money. But that's kind of what it was. Every single male, 20 years and older, in the nation of Israel had to give a half shekel of silver to the temple.

Now, the reason for that was partially to support the temple, but primarily, it was for a census; it was a way to calculate "how many men do we have over 20 years old? Because they're the ones who are going to go to war if we ever have a war." So, they had 10 percent to the Levites, 10 percent for the festivals, 3 percent for the poor, leave the edges of your field ungleaned, and give a half shekel of silver every single year to the temple. Those were commanded, and that was apart from the national taxes. In Deuteronomy, God said, "Someday, Israel, you're a theocracy right now, but someday you're going to want a king."

Theocracy to a monarchy. And God said, "Just so you know, when you do that, your king's going to want to take taxes, in addition to the 23 percent, the half shekel, leaving the fields unharvested at the edges." And so God commanded the nation of Israel to give in this way.

Now, I know, look around; we're not the nation of Israel. We don't live under the old covenant. We're not a part of the Old Testament system. We don't have the Levites. We don't have national festivals unto the Lord that we give to. We live in a nation that does take taxes for the working of the nation, but we're under the new covenant; we're in the New Testament. We're not under those laws that are given in the Old Testament. So, do we have to give in the same way?

It's interesting that in Matthew Chapter 23 and Luke Chapter 11, Jesus affirms the tithe; He says that you ought to give a tithe. But then in 1 Corinthians Chapter 16, Verse 1, the Apostle Paul says to the church at Corinth, which was not a Jewish gathering of people at all, but a bunch of Gentiles, just like us. How many Gentiles are here today? Paul says in 1 Corinthians 16, Verse 1, "Now concerning the collection for the saints," the offering for the Body of Christ, "as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also."

It appears from 1 Corinthians 16, Verse 1, that the Apostle Paul gave a command to the churches of Galatia, and now to the churches of Corinth, and also to the churches of Macedonia. He said, "I'm giving you an order that you're to give for the needs of the saints." Then in Verses 2 through 4 of 1 Corinthians 16, he explains how that is to be received; just practical information. So, Paul gives a command there.

As you study the New Testament, particularly through the Book of Acts and the epistles, you find that giving was a regular part of church life; it was a regular part of the Body of Christ. How do we know that?

Let me just give you a few things to consider: In Acts Chapter 2, the early Christians supported one another. Acts Chapter 2:43 through 47 states that they gave to support the needs of those within the Body of Christ. In Acts Chapter 4, many of the early Christians sold some of their investments.

They sold pieces of land that they weren't using. They sold things that they had that they were not using, and they gave those charitably to the church. In Acts Chapter 6, it says that they gave to support those who were widows within the Body of Christ, who could not provide for themselves. In Acts Chapter 19, it tells us that they gave to support missionary work. The Apostle Paul was supported by churches to engage in mission, carrying the Gospel to those who had not received it.

Paul taught, in 1 Corinthians 16 and 2 Corinthians 8 and 2 Corinthians Chapter 9, that the church was to give sacrificially. He thanked the church in Philippi, in Philippians Chapter 4, for their generosity in supporting the missionary work that he did on the field. He taught Timothy, who was Paul's disciple in ministry, that Timothy should teach the church he oversaw to be givers, in 1 Timothy Chapter 6, Verses 17 and 18. He says, "Charge those who are rich that they give."

You may say, "Well, he's talking only to the rich." Well, I'm talking to the rich, too. You might think, "I'm not very rich." However, how many of you remember, a few years ago, the whole Occupy Wall Street movement? They were saying, "We are the 99 percent!" Does anyone remember that? The 99 percent? Do you realize that every single one of us sitting here today is part of the 9 percent of the world that has all the wealth?

If you have an average salary in the city of Escondido, which is a family of four bringing in an average of $54,000, that is actually under the average for Escondido, but Escondido is one of the lower-income areas in North County. If you have an average salary of $50,000 a year, living here in Southern California as a family of four, you have more wealth than 91 percent of the rest of the world. If you own a home, even if you're paying payments on it and might technically say, "The bank actually owns it. I only own maybe like 2 percent of it. I pay interest every single month, a whole bunch of it," if you own a home and you own two working cars, you are actually in the top 2 percent of wealth in the entire world.

So, the reality is, when you look around this room, we are probably closer to the 1 percent than the 99. It's all in perspective. Do you know that 80 percent of the world lives on less money than you probably make in a day? Three billion people in the world, which is half of the world's population, live on less.

Less than $2.50 a day. This is less than we spend on the typical latte at Starbucks. The amount of money that Americans spend on weight loss annually is more than the GDP of 120 of the 160 nations of the world. Perspective.

So Paul says, in 1 Timothy Chapter 6, Verses 17 and 18, to charge those that are rich not to trust in their riches. We should not trust in our riches! In God We Trust! Paul instructs us to give. To the church at Rome, he said, in Romans Chapter 12, Verses 18 and 13, that they should distribute liberally to the needs of the saints. The Apostle John, in 1 John Chapter 3, Verse 17, states that giving is a declaration of the love of God. The author of the Book of Hebrews exhorts Christians not to forget to do good and to give sacrificially, as mentioned in Hebrews Chapter 13, Verse 16.

Both the Old Testament and the New Testament charge us to be givers. However, the New Testament does not necessarily set a specific number, as the Old Testament did. Why? Because the New Testament encourages us to give generously, out of our love for God, having received His love, and to give in a way that mirrors His generosity. We should give in a way that reflects His generosity.

I would suggest, although it might get me into trouble, that 10 percent is a starting place, not the goal. I know I will probably receive some emails about this, and I understand.

Point Number V on your outline: Generous Giving is an Issue of Stewardship. What does this mean? A steward is a manager of somebody else's goods. When we start to recognize what the Bible teaches, we understand that everything we have, including our ability to make money, comes from God, as stated in Deuteronomy. Psalm 24, Verse 1 tells us, "The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof." In Haggai Chapter 2, Verse 8, God reminds His people that "the silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine; even though you have it there in your temple, it's Mine."

In 1 Corinthians Chapter 6, Verses 19 and 20, the Apostle Paul tells the church that we are not our own; we have been bought with a price. We are God's possession, and everything we have is God's possession. When we begin to recognize that God has lent it to us to be managers of all that we have, then we begin to understand our role as stewards.

To understand that we are not owners, but we are stewards. It is required of stewards, or managers, that one be found faithful, as 1 Corinthians Chapter 4, Verse 2 tells us. Giving is an issue of stewardship, and the sooner we recognize that everything I have—my car, my house, my savings account, my investment account—everything I have is not mine, but God's. He has given it to me to engage in mission and to bring glory to Him in the world. The sooner I begin to understand that this is a different way to live.

Point Number VI, and this is so important: Giving lessens our grip on this world and its grip on us. I will be the first to confess, church, there are plenty of things in this world that have their grip on me. How do I know that this is the case? Because Paul, in Philippians Chapter 1, says, "For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." He tells the church in Philippi, "You know, I'm split between two opinions, or two decisions. I know that to stay here and be with you would be helpful for you, but I'd much rather die and go be with the Lord."

I think, "Wow, Paul, that's pretty awesome that you'd much rather go and be with the Lord." Every single time I reflect on that verse, I ask myself, "Is that true of me?" Part of me responds, "No, because of this. I'm not ready yet." When I honestly think about it, I realize that this world has a grip on me; there are certain things in this world that hold me back. Giving releases that grip on me; it lessens the grip of this world on me and my grip on the things of this world. There are plenty of things that we say, "I can't let this go! I can't let this go! I can't let this go!" And God is saying, "Just let Me have it! Just let Me have it!"

How many of you remember the story of the rich young ruler who came to Jesus? He said to Jesus, "Master, what must I do, good Teacher, to inherit eternal life?" This was a young man who had great assets and many servants. It appears that he was very wealthy, and it's highly likely that he received all that he had by inheritance. Now he comes to Jesus for the one thing that wasn't in the will. He asks, "Good master, what must I do to inherit eternal life? I inherited everything else. I didn't inherit this."

And Jesus says, "Well, you know the Scriptures..."

How do you read the law? Jesus said, "Do the law—honor your father and your mother." He goes through the list of all the things that you are to do. This young man responds, "Yeah, I've done all that; from my youth, I've done all that."

Then Jesus touches on the one thing that this man had a grip on. He says, "Go, sell everything you have, give it to the poor, and come follow Me." The young man went away saddened and grieved because he had many possessions. He couldn't let it go. Why? Those things had a grip on him, and he had a grip on them. He said, "I can't let this go! I can't let this go! It was the precious, the precious."

Would you turn in your Bibles to the Gospel of Luke, Luke Chapter 12, Verse 33? In this whole section of Luke Chapter 12, Verses 22 through 35, we are going to zero in on Verses 33 through 35. This section contains the same message that Jesus shares in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew Chapter 6, where He says to His disciples, "Don't worry about your life, what you're going to eat, or what you're going to put on. Is not life more than clothing and food? Consider the lilies of the field: they don't toil or spin, and yet they are more decked out, more arrayed than even Solomon in all of his greatness. Those things are here one day and gone the next."

Then He says, "Consider the birds of the air; they don't gather into barns, but your heavenly Father feeds them. So, why are you anxious for all of these things? Don't be anxious and worry about what you're going to put on, what you're going to wear, or where you're going to sleep. That's what non-believers are consumed with and worried about. But your heavenly Father knows what you have need of; He'll take care of those things. So don't be anxious in your mind," as Verse 29 states.

How many of you will confess that there have been times when you have been anxious about your sustenance and how you are going to take care of yourself? We've all experienced it. He says, "Listen, don't be anxious about these things. All the unbelievers seek after this, but your Father knows the things you have need of. Seek first His kingdom; have your mind set on His kingdom and the next life, not being gripped by this world or having a grip on this world."

How do we do that? Look at Verse 33: "Sell what you have and give alms; give to the poor."

"Provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, and treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." He says, "Don't worry about what you're going to wear, what you're going to eat, where you're going to sleep. After all, those are the things that the rest of the world worries about."

You might say, "All right, I'm trying. I'm having a hard time doing that." It's a command. It's emphatic. Jesus says, "Don't worry about those things." How many of you are perfectly fulfilling the command to not worry? No hands. We live in one of the most anxious nations in the world. The most wealthy nation in the world also lives in the most anxious nation. What is that? Everybody in the world thinks that "if I just had that, I wouldn't worry. If I just had that, I wouldn't worry." And here we have that, and what do we have? Worry! Do you see there's something wrong here?

So, what does He say is the cure for being anxious about your stuff? Give it away! Wait! What?! You won't worry about it if you don't have it, is essentially what He's saying, right? "No... Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Backup one second, pastor!" I didn't say it; Jesus said it! So, I'm just reading what He said. He said, "Don't worry."

You might say, "Okay, I'm trying not to worry. I have all this stuff; I don't know how to not worry." He says, "Okay, here's what you do: Sell what you have and give it away." Why? "Well, because then you'll be providing yourselves money bags that do not grow old, and treasure in the heavens." If you do that, then you're thinking about the future; you're investing in the future. We're told in our nation that we need to invest in the future. Listen, there is a future beyond 65. That's a very short time. There's a future. He says, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Our interest will always be in our investments. You see, we think our interest comes from our investments, but our interest will be in our investments. So, where your treasure is, that's where you're going to be focused; that's where your heart will be.

Gallup Research has been doing this amazing thing for about the last quarter century. For the last 25 years, they've been charting happiness in America. They call up to 1,000 people every single week and ask questions that have to do with happiness and well-being. And you know what's very interesting? When you line the happiness graph up with the stock market, they go like this.

Why is that? It's interesting. The stock market loses 300 points, and the happiness of America goes, "Oh, goodness!" It goes up 1,000 points, and they say, "Whew! We're happy!" When someone asks, "How are you doing today?" the response might be, "I don't know, I haven't checked the stock market, Dow Jones." If the market is down, they might say, "I'm not happy."

Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Look at this, Verse 35: "Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning." This is a simple statement, but what does it mean? Metaphorically, it means this: Be ready to go. This is in your home; be ready to go, invested in the future. Sell what you have and give; it lessens the grip of this world on you and your grip on this world.

Seventh, and finally, on your outline, this one is somewhat difficult, and I will provide a clarifier before it. It's somewhat difficult because the Bible says some amazing things about giving that have been hijacked by bad teaching. Number VII: Our generosity will be rewarded. Words like that have been hijacked by those who would be classified as "prosperity preachers." When you boil down their message, it is this: Give so that you can get.

You can turn on the TV or the radio and find all kinds of preachers, in the name of Jesus, saying, "Give so that you can get." It was just as bad 2,000 years ago as it is today, and maybe worse today because now we can proclaim it so far. There were people in the early church, and Paul speaks against bringing people into ministry who are greedy for gain. There were individuals in the early church who were serving the Lord just so that they could get something. They probably preached a very similar gospel: Give and you'll get more.

You know what? They have verses that they use, and they are powerful verses, but we are sometimes afraid to talk about them because people will say, "Ah, you're just one of those prosperity teachers." No. Listen, God does reward generosity. In Luke Chapter 6, Verse 38, Jesus says this: "Give."

And it will be given to you. Sounds just like what some of these guys are saying. Now notice, He's not saying, "Give so that it will be given to you." He says, "Give, and the result is, it's going to be given to you." It's just the reward of God. "Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure you use, it will be measured back to you."

The Apostle Paul, in 2 Corinthians Chapter 9, Verses 5 through 15, talks about giving like sowing seed, like planting. He says, "If you sow sparingly, you just sow a few seeds; you're going to reap just a very small harvest. But if you sow bountifully, you'll reap an abundant harvest." He is saying, "So, give, and it'll be given back to you."

Now, maybe in this life you'll receive a reward, but it is certain: "He who sees in secret will reward you openly in the next life," as the Scriptures declare.

Last verse, and we'll close: Acts 20, Verse 35. Paul the Apostle is quoting Jesus, and he says this: "I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support those who are weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, when He said that 'it is more blessed to give than to receive.'" It is more blessed to give than to receive.

Why are we commanded by God to give? Well, giving sacrificially declares His glory in the world; people see His character in the church as we give. He is the standard by which all are compared as it relates to generosity because He gave it all, Jesus did, when He came. He wants us to come into the place where we recognize that what we've been given—both our assets, our energy, the gifts, talents, and abilities to earn a wage—it's all been given to us by God. It's not ours; it's His.

So, we don't want to have a tight grip on this world; we want to let it go. Why? Because we're investing in a future that is beyond 65, and you won't need long-term healthcare; there will be no sickness. I'm looking forward to that.

And so He says, "Give, give generously." Now, I know that it's a difficult thing sometimes for us to do this because we look at what we have and think, "I just don't have enough to do that. I can't do that. My life, financially, is in disarray." The reality is, most Americans' lives are in disarray financially, with debt that they can't manage and finances that they don't know how to take care of.

As a church, we say we want to help you in that. If you notice in your bulletin, we are having a class here at the church at the beginning of March, specifically on March 5th and 7th. These classes will take place on Wednesday nights at 7:00 PM. It is a free financial class that a friend of ours, Randy Gladden, is going to come and teach. He will cover topics on finances, including debt, budgeting, and a little bit on investments.

One final thing: one of the decisions we've made as a church this year is to receive some special free-will offerings in addition to our regular weekly giving. We will be receiving an offering here, and I will have Rich come up. I realize this is not the norm for our church, and you may think this is strange. However, in the Old Testament, there were times when people gave free-will offerings, specifically as we saw in Exodus 35 and 36 today, where there was a need.

We have a need here at the church for our Benevolence Ministry. There are people in our church and in our community who come to us on a weekly basis and say, "I have a need." Many times, it is a financial need. We seek to help people when, with the wisdom of the Lord, we are able to do so. In the past, we used to have a mid-week Bible study where we would receive an offering, and all of that would go towards the benevolence needs of the church. However, we no longer have that.

So, what we are going to do is receive an offering this morning. If you are stirred by the Lord, just like in Exodus 35, to give to the benevolence needs of the church, we invite you to do so. If you are not prepared to give right now, that is fine; you can give at another time or online through our church website. We just thought we would ask and put it out to you. If you are visiting our church today and this is not your normal home church, we are not asking you to do anything. You are not part of the family here, but if you would like to give, you can.

We will sing one last song to the Lord, and our ushers will come to receive a special offering for benevolence before we close our service.

Father, help us to magnify You in this world, to serve one another, to engage in the mission of seeking and saving that which is lost, and to give generously—not by compulsion, but with a heart that is glad, saying, "Freely I have received, and freely I give." Make it a reality in my life, Lord, because I know that there are so many things that have a grip on me in this world, and I want to let go.

We praise You and thank You, Jesus, for giving it all to save us. Thank You, Lord. Amen.