The Foundations of Biblical Stewardship

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.

2 Corinthians 8 · chapter mention

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,

2 Corinthians 8 · chapter mention

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

2 Corinthians 8 · chapter mention

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,

2 Corinthians 8 · chapter mention

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?

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.

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,

Romans 12:1

verse 1 and 2.

Romans chapter 12,

Romans 12:1

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,

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

2 Corinthians 8 · chapter mention

chapter 8

but go to

2 Corinthians

2 Corinthians 5:15

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

2 Corinthians 9:13

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,

Malachi 2:7

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,

Malachi 2:7

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.