CHEST OF JOASH. -Strengthening the Church

Transcription

1 CHEST OF JOASH -Strengthening the Church Sunday, November 22, 2015 AM Text 2 Chronicles 24:4-6, 8-13 In the late 9 th century BC, the temple had fallen into disrepair. Joash was a 7 yr old king who devised a very unusual method to collect money to repair the temple. His collection plate was a chest, placed at the altar or the entrance to the gate of the temple where people would come by and place a sacrificial offering. What God did was pull the resources of ordinary people and rally them to do their part. As people came to worship the Lord, they gave their sacrificial offerings in the Chest. The work on the temple was soon completed, and God began to bless. For the last 15 years the COJ has been a vital part of the life of Calvary. It has become a Christmas tradition. It has helped stretch our faith beyond our wildest dreams as we have fulfilled God s purpose & plan for this church. The Chest of Joash and what goes on around it, is a miracle, the secret in many ways of the financial strength and faithful stewardship of God s people. Read 2 Chron. 24:4-6, 8-13 And it came to pass after this that Joash was minded to repair the house of the Lord. And he gathered together the priests and the Levites, and said to them, Go out unto the cities of Judah, and gather of all Israel money to repair the house of your God from year to year, and see that ye hasten the matter. Howbeit the Levites hastened it not. And the king called for Jehoiada the chief, and said unto him, Why hast thou not required of the Levites to bring in out of Judah and out of Jerusalem the collection, according to the commandment of Moses the servant of the Lord, and of the congregation of Israel, for the tabernacle of witness? And at the king s commandment they made a chest, and set it without at the gate of the house of the Lord. And they made a proclamation through Judah and Jerusalem, to bring in to the Lord the collection

2 2 that Moses the servant of God laid upon Israel in the wilderness. And all the princes and all the people rejoiced, and brought in, and cast into the chest, until they had made an end. Now it came to pass, that at what time the chest was brought unto the king s office by the hand of the Levites, and when they saw that there was much money, the king s office by the hand of the Levites, and when they saw that there was much money, the king s scribe and the high priest s officer came and emptied the chest, and took it, and carried it to his place again. Thus they did day by day, and gathered money in abundance. And the king and Jehoiada gave it to such as did the work of the service of the house of the Lord, and hired masons and carpenters to repair the house of the Lord, and also such as wrought iron and brass to mend the house of the Lord. So the workmen wrought, and the work was perfected by them, and they set the house of God in his state, and strengthened it. 2 Chronicles 24:4-13 CHEST OF JOASH IS ABOUT STRENGTHENING THE CHURCH 1. OUR DEPENDENCE ON GOD v. 2 Joash was probably the most unlikely person to lead the nation of Israel, but because of the Power of God on his life he was able to carry on the work of God. I can only imagine the obstacles that he faced as he sought to do what might have seemed to be impossible. What he found was that his faith grew as He saw the power of God at work. Joash did that which was right in the sight of the Lord He was young yet he knew he must depend on God. So did the Levites just follow suit? Verse 5 we see that Joash gave the command for the priests and Levites to go across all of Judah and collect the money from all of Israel to repair the temple. When we choose to make Jesus Lord of our life there will be no question about giving. Many in our church have struggled and have felt the pressures of the economy over the last few years.

3 3 A few months ago one of our men shared a testimony about how as soon as he surrendered to go on a missions trip that things began to fall apart. He was laid off from a job he had had for years, he had car problems and things began to break all at once. He gave testimony how God proved Himself faithful throughout the entire process and provided for his family and made it possible to go on the mission trip. Surrendering to the Lordship of Christ allows us to see God at work in our lives in a supernatural way. The issue of giving is a Lordship issue On Dec. 6 you will see who is really on the throne of your life. Are we really dependent on Him? It also Strengthens 2. OUR FAITH IN GOD v. 4 Remember Joash was the man of the hour that God had put into a position of leadership even at 7 yrs old. He set his heart to repair the House of God and restore it to its original splendor. His desire was to make the House of God, once again the place where people gathered to Worship and glorify God. What happened when they acted in faith, God began to bless and show His favor upon the nation of Israel as they turned their hearts toward Him. Our purpose in creation is to bring glory to God. That s why we were created. When God s people get excited and energized about worshipping Him and serving Him He begins to show His favor and people will be saved, people will be added to the church the kingdom of God will be expanded, and ultimately God will be glorified. It truly is a heart issue! Joash desired to repair the place for people to gather to worship God. He saw the purpose for the House of God, and he desired to restore it once again. One of the projects that our Chest of Joash offering will go for this year is to help strengthen the worship ministry of our church. We need to make several upgrades to our aging sound system. Our

4 4 building is 9 years old and is in desperate need of sound upgrades. The new equipment will help serve both services on Sundays & will make a huge impact on our weekly worship experience. God has really blessed our church over the last year with incredible talent and He is growing the worship ministry of Calvary. Let s celebrate what God is doing. As we give it shows that we value the opportunity to worship the Lord each week and want to make it even stronger. Matt. 6:20-21, But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Giving is a heart issue. It Strengthens our Faith! This year we have seen souls saved, new people added to the church week after week, and a growing heart for worshipping God. Just 2 weeks ago we saw 10 follow the Lord in baptism. The Spirit of God has been incredible! When God has control of our heart there is no limit to what He can do. God s the one that builds His church, and when we get our hearts right He will use us to accomplish His plan for the ages. The Bible says, Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it. Psalm 127:1 God wants to strengthen our Faith through Chest of Joash so that He might use us to build His Church. 3. OUR ETERNAL FOCUS v The Chest of Joash is about capturing God s heart on building His Kingdom. It s an Eternal issue! God has always used the faithful stewardship of His people to accomplish His work in carrying forth the gospel. Over the years it has been the faithful tithes and offerings that has financed the work of God s church. The Bible tells us that God loves a cheerful giver. If you want to see some cheerful givers come on Dec 6 and watch as each member of our church, young and old, come by the chest of Joash and put their gift in. Why are we so happy? It is because we have learned the joy of giving to Jesus. We must see giving with an eternal perspective!

5 What Impact are we having locally? For over a year God began to work in my heart about launching our contemporary service. I prayed about it, sought counsel, presented it to our staff & our deacons and began to watch as God blessed. We knew it would take people sacrificing financially, it would require people stepping up to serve more often, getting out of their comfort zones to reach more people, and upset the apple cart for others. That is a small price to see God at work! See what God is Raleigh: Since our Launch Average 100 more in Sunday morning attendance Added 21 families comprising 47 people Baptized 15 people Over 220 first time guests More people serving regularly than ever before 5 A couple of weeks ago I shared what God has been doing lately in our church one of our deacons spoke up and said Pastor, it s working. God is really doing it! Over the last few weeks several newer families have told me how happy they are that God has brought them here and how excited they are to be a part of a growing church that has a vision to reach their community. Several have mentioned the potential for God to do big things here is huge! When we have an eternal perspective it isn t hard to give sacrificially to help strengthen God s church. How powerful would it be next Sunday to see God do something so miraculous and supernatural that revival would break out? Friends when we get serious about God working giving is just a sign that our heart is in the right place, that we have an eternal perspective and that Jesus is Lord of our life. In American Churches the breakdown of giving looks like this: 20% of members Give 80% of all funds 30% of members Give the other 20%

6 50% of members Give nothing ever! Unfortunately It seems that at the least half the church members in America don t think it matters that they ever contribute to the finances of the church. What happened in our text is the people gave, and the temple work was completed. Verse 13, So the workmen wrought, and the work was perfected by them, and they set the house of God in his state, and strengthened it. When we get serious about reaching the Lost of our city God will strengthen His Church!! Life Application: Pray about what God would have you to give on Dec. 6 6 Prepare set aside the funds to be able to give sacrificially Think outside of the box! (Money/stocks/bonds/jewelry/vehicle/real estate/business donation) Plan for God to do Supernatural things on Dec. 6 show up expecting God to bless! Jeremiah 33:3 Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. CHEST OF JOASH GOAL: $60, The goal this year: Complete the water project Sound Upgrades Budget Reserve for New Year THIS WEEK: Pray that God would increase our faith and we would respond accordingly and the Kingdom of God would be expanded as a result!