THE POWER AND PURPOSE OF GIVING Matthew 6:21

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1 THE POWER AND PURPOSE OF GIVING Matthew 6:21 Introduction I had an interesting conversation with my brother-inlaw recently about giving an offering. We were at a restaurant in Tyler late one Sunday night. He had been invited to sing at a church while he was visiting from Denver where he is the Minister of Music with a large church, and I was preaching at another church in Tyler. We met for dinner after the Sunday evening service. During our conversation we discussed fund-raising because his church is about to begin a new multi-million dollar building project. We talked about potential giving and various approaches. He indicated that they were concerned about making sure that everything was done from a spiritual perspective. Les mentioned how they were very careful not to offend anyone by being too aggressive about money. Then he said, We even make sure that visitors understand that they are not expected to give when the offering is passed. As soon as he made that statement, I could not help but pounce on his words. After all, this was my brother-in-law. Everyone wants to take advantage of any opportunity to get in a good shot in that situation. I didn t wait too long before I attacked by asking, Why do you have an offering in the worship service? He gave the typical response, We want to give people the opportunity to be obedient. So, I replied, The purpose of having an offering is to be obedient? Not exactly, he said, already beginning to sense that I was setting him up. We also want to give members an opportunity to support our ministry, he added. What about worship, I asked. Do you realize that giving an offering is worship? Oh, that s where you are headed, he said acting relieved. Sure it is worship. He made this statement without realizing that he was walking right into my trap. How come you don t want visitors to worship? I asked and the trap was sprung. At that point, my mother-in-law, who had heard only enough of our conversation to realize that we were talking about giving an offering, jumped into the discussion. Les, realizing that he was in a no-win situation, breathed a sigh of relief that she had come to his rescue. Eventually, Les and I resumed our discussion about giving an offering and worship. I had the distinct advantage because this is a conversation that I have frequently with pastors and other church leaders. It is really based on the issue of what is the purpose and power of giving an offering. Office of Stewardship - BGCT 1

2 If I were to ask anyone of you what is the major issue facing the church today, almost all would say worship. We talk about worship wars, and we all face the reality of trying to make our worship services appealing to outsiders while keeping insiders happy. Many church leaders have fallen from this tightrope. It is ironic that in the midst of such a great emphasis on worship, one of the most worshipful things we do is being neglected. When the church gathers, there is nothing more worshipful than giving an offering. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus made a startling statement that can help us resolve this issue:... for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:21). The verb tense of this statement is future, so Jesus is essentially saying, Wherever you put your treasure, your heart will eventually, inevitably be in that same place. If that is true, and I certainly believe it is because Jesus said it, then providing an opportunity to give an offering is a tremendous thing. It gives power and purpose to the offering. Transition: We will study two men who encountered Jesus in order to discover the power and purpose of giving an offering. I. The Power of an Offering Luke 18:18-23) 18 A ruler questioned Him, saying, Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? 19 And Jesus said to him, Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. 20 You know the commandments, DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, DO NOT MURDER, DO NOT STEAL, DO NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS, HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER. 21 And he said, All these things I have kept from my youth. 22 When Jesus heard this, He said to him, One thing you still lack; sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me. 23 But when he had heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. A. The Context (vs.18-21) Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem where He would spend the final days of His life. Before He arrived in Jericho, a few miles outside of Jerusalem, Jesus encountered a young man who has become very well known to Bible students. Although we do not know his name, we know a great deal about him. 1. A Man who was Successful We know the man was successful because he is identified as a ruler. The term probably indicates that this man was a leader in the local synagogue. Local elders took responsibility for oversight of the synagogue and they normally appointed one to be the ruler. The ruler was a layman who took care of the building and selected those who participated in the service. He was responsible for the sacred scrolls. To be chosen for this position would mean that he was considered a leader in the community and a man of respect among the people. Office of Stewardship - BGCT 2

3 2. A Man who was Respectful He addressed Jesus as good Teacher. When he did, Jesus responded in an interesting fashion, Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. It appears that Jesus sensed the man came to Him out of reverence and respect. He probably thought that Jesus was a prophet, one who could help him understand the scriptures and realize his quest for eternal life. 3. A Man who was Faithful We also know the man had faithfully kept the commands of God. When Jesus pointed out five of them specifically, he claimed to have been faithful since childhood. Jesus did not dispute the man s bold claim, so perhaps he had been faithful to God. He was probably known as a man who lived according to God s law. 4. A Man who was Needful In spite of all the he had accomplished and every quality that he possessed, the man still had a need that drove him to seek out Jesus. He was on a search for eternal life. He sought the one act that would produce salvation. Everything he had previously tried had failed to bring him the greatest prize. B. The Cure (v.22) If you quiz most people about what it means to be saved, to have a ticket to heaven, they will recite a list of things that this man already possessed. He was a good man; active in church, respected by the community, a religious leader. That should be all a person needs in order to be saved. Yet, he was honest enough to admit that something was lacking. Jesus went to the heart of the man s problem when He said, One thing you still lack; sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me. It is an amazing statement, very unlike anything that we teach about evangelism. Basically, Jesus said, In order to be saved you must get rid of the other god in your life (money), and follow Me. Remember Jesus words from the Sermon on the Mount. This man s heart was with his treasure, his money. Jesus gave him the opportunity to move his treasure, which would move his heart. That is the power of an offering. Now, I am not saying that giving an offering produces salvation. I am not trying to replace the gospel of grace with a type of works salvation. Instead, my point is that when we give our treasure to Jesus, He will soon have our heart. If you can t give Him your treasure, He will never have your heart. C. The Consequence (v.23) This truth is very apparent in the response of the young man to Jesus request But when he had heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. Office of Stewardship - BGCT 3

4 He went away sad because he was unwilling to do what was necessary in order to be saved. This man would have been very comfortable in many of our churches where he would not be asked to give his money. Illustration: I met Karen one Sunday morning while greeting people at the conclusion of the morning worship service. I was the guest preacher and she was a regular attendee. She posed a question that I had never been asked before and it led to a fascinating conversation. My sermon had been on the subject of tithing and we had also discussed other financial principles found in God s Word. Karen asked if God s principles apply to non-christians as well as Christians. She especially wanted to know if they applied to atheists. I responded that since they were God s principles, they were universal. In other words, they are effective for everyone, regardless of their belief. She then told me that she was an atheist, having been taught by her parents that there was no god. I was somewhat shocked because I do not recall ever having a conversation with a professed atheist while standing in a church building. I asked Karen why she was at church. She said that she came to church because her two daughters wanted to attend and she did not want them to go alone. Karen then made an amazing statement. She had calculated that her offering that day had been only three percent, so she had increased it to a tithe so that she could experience the blessings of tithing. Contrary to her claims, Karen was not an atheist. She was someone seeking the truth. I told her that I would be praying that she would receive the blessing of being able to know the truth about God. I spoke with her pastor a few months later, and sure enough, Karen had become a believer. She had put her treasure with God and soon her heart followed. She experienced the power of giving an offering. It is a great tragedy when we do not allow people to experience this power because we are afraid to ask them to give. Instead, we should be inviting people to seize the opportunity to get their heart in the proper place. II. The Purpose of an Offering - Luke 19: He entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 And there was a man called by the name of Zaccheus; he was a chief tax collector and he was rich. 3 Zaccheus was trying to see who Jesus was, and was unable because of the crowd, for he was small in stature. 4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree in order to see Him, for He was about to pass through that way. 5 When Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house. 6 And he hurried and came down and received Him gladly. 7 When they saw it, they all began to grumble, saying, He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner. 8 Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much. 9 And Jesus said to him, Office of Stewardship - BGCT 4

5 Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost. The story of Zaccheus teaches us what it really means to be saved. A. The Context vs.1-4 We can discern a great deal of information about Zaccheus from the information provided by the Gospel writer. He was A Man who Knew Rejection The name Zaccheus literally means righteous one. Because this was the name chosen by his parents, it obviously reflected the hopes they had for their son. Up to this point, he was far from being righteous. A second quality of Zaccheus is that he was small in stature. He was short. I have learned that any time you have a physical feature that is recognized by everyone, it was the source of great teasing by other children as he grew up. Zaccheus was a man who had disappointed his parents, ridiculed by his friends, and needing something to make him a success. The best way to win acceptance is to become rich, and in his world, the quickest way to riches was to become a tax collector. The only problem with that course of action is that everyone hated tax collectors. Zaccheus was no stranger to rejection. 2. A Man who Risked Respect Imagine the risk of a grown man climbing a tree like a 10-year-old boy. It would have been extremely undignified for an adult. Since he already suffered from rejection, the last thing Zaccheus wanted was for someone to see him sitting in a tree. Therefore, I suspect he did not climb a tree in the middle of the road, conspicuously waiting for Jesus. He probably scouted for a tree alongside the highway, hoping to get high enough to be able to see over the crowd and get a glimpse of Jesus. What little respect he had left would have evaporated if anyone saw him. 3. A Man who Feared Recognition So, picture Zaccheus, perched in the branches of a tree on the side of the road, hoping no one would notice him. However, as he watched the approaching throng surrounding Jesus, instead of walking down the middle of the road as he had expected, they all moved toward Zaccheus tree. His worst fear was about to be realized. Jesus led the entire crowd to the foot of the very tree where Zaccheus was balanced. He probably positioned his body, hoping to be camouflaged by the leaves. Maybe Jesus wouldn t stop. Surely everyone would be so busy looking at Jesus that they would not look up into the tree. But, not only did Jesus stop at the base of the tree, He looked up through the branches as if He were searching for something that was lost. Office of Stewardship - BGCT 5

6 B. The Cure v.5 The way the story is told, we tend to think it was Zaccheus who wanted to see Jesus. In reality, it was Jesus who wanted to see Zaccheus. When Jesus finally saw him, Zaccheus experienced grace. It says that Jesus said, Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house. 1. Recognition Jesus called him by name, he recognized him. That is certainly grace, when the Son of God calls you by name. The first step in Zaccheus cure was to be recognized for who he was. I wonder if it was the first time in his life that the most important person in town took the initiative to call him by name. 2. Request Jesus then requested that Zaccheus, hurry and come down from the tree. It was time to get on with things; there was no need to sit around, to remain hidden in the tree. 3. Reason The reason is because Jesus planned to stay at his house. This was not to be a brief encounter. Jesus intended to become his friend. Hospitality was an important thing in Zaccheus culture, and to have the most important visitor to ever come to the city ask to stay at your house would make you the most important person in that city. The man who had known nothing but rejection all of his life was about to be transformed by meeting Jesus. C. The Consequence Note the consequences of the encounter between Jesus and Zaccheus. 1. Gladness (v.6) Zaccheus received Jesus gladly. The word literally means that he was full of joy. It is not surprising that when a man has a miserable life transformed that he is glad. Nothing greater could have happened to him. 2. Grumbling (v.7) The response of everyone else was in sharp contrast to Zaccheus, they all began to grumble. Not only was Zaccheus confronted with a new reality, but so was everyone. They were the ones who had rejected Zaccheus. The crowd contained those who had teased him for being small, criticized him for working for the Romans, and argued with him over tax rates. They were the ones who pushed him aside when he tried to get through a crowd. They were the ones who would never visit in the home of such a sinner. Then Jesus, the one they all admired and had come to see, treated Zaccheus in a totally different manner. He chose to stay at Zaccheus house. Everything they had believed about righteousness and rejection was suddenly called into question. 3. Generosity (v.8) Office of Stewardship - BGCT 6

7 When we get to verse 8, we finally arrive at the heart of the matter, heard in the words of Zaccheus, Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much. Zaccheus did not give the offering in order to be accepted by Jesus, that had already occurred when Jesus stopped at the foot of the tree. His generosity was a response to what Jesus did for him. Giving an offering provided a visible testimony of how his life had been changed. It was the most appropriate thing he could do considering what Jesus had done for him. Did you catch the ramifications of that statement? It was the most appropriate response he could make considering what Jesus had done for him. That is still true for you and me today. The offering is worship at its finest. The purpose of the offering is to express gratitude for God s grace. It is also important to note the amount of the offering. Zaccheus was not like so many today who quibble over the legitimacy of the tithe or whether one should tithe on the net or the gross. He not only gave away half of his possessions, he also promised to repay quadruple anyone he had defrauded. Since he was a tax collector you know that meant a significant amount. It is a shame when we do not allow Christians to experience this kind of worship because we are afraid to ask for an offering. Illustration: Henry (Parsons) Crowell ( ) was born into an affluent family and you would expect he would have all the advantages of wealth. However, as a young boy, he was stricken with a life-threatening illness and his family was told there was little hope that he would have a meaningful life. As a sickly teenager, Henry had the opportunity of hearing the great preacher D.L. Moody speak to a Cleveland congregation in On that night, he heard Moody s famous statement that the world has yet to see what God can do with any man who is fully consecrated to Him. Fighting back the tears, Henry left that meeting with the conviction that life is best lived with complete reliance on God, and he set out to achieve that goal. Many years later, Henry promoted an uncommon use for common oats. His idea of using oats as breakfast cereal caught on and Quaker Oats were born. Henry Crowell became one of the wealthiest men in Chicago. Henry viewed all things as a stewardship from God. He recruited other business leaders in Chicago to work together to combat organized crime, including Al Capone. He also organized outreaches ministries, taking the Gospel to more than 15,000 families in Chicago. It is estimated that Henry Crowell gave away 70% of his earnings for more than 40 years. His integrity and generosity earned him the opportunity to declare his faith in Christ. Over the years, one businessman after another would comment about how they came to know Christ because of Henry Parsons Crowell. Office of Stewardship - BGCT 7

8 His response to meeting Jesus was to become a giver. It was the same response made by Zaccheus thousands of years earlier. Neither of these men gave in order to be accepted by Jesus and saved. They gave in response to what Jesus had already done. Their offering was worship. That is the purpose of an offering. What greater invitation can we make within the context of worship than the opportunity to give an offering. Conclusion Before we finish, we need to return to the words of Jesus in Matthew 6: for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Essentially, we have noticed that there are two ways to view this statement: Actively Wherever I put my treasure, my heart will soon follow. In other words, I can determine where my heart will be by directing my treasure. If I give my treasure to God, He will soon have my heart. Passively The location of my treasure reveals the location of my heart. When I demonstrate that God has my treasure, then I am declaring that He also has my heart. Giving is simply celebrating what God has already done for me. Illustration: After successfully establishing a restaurant chain, two banks, a ranch, farm and real estate ventures, Jerry Caven says that s when the real fun started. At age 59, Jerry and his wife Muriel were headed into retirement, looking for a nice lake home. Then God changed their plans and led them to put their money and time overseas. It s been exciting. Before we gave token amounts, now we put substantial money into missions. Our hearts are in India now. We visit and minister there often. What changed the Cavens attitude toward giving was realizing God s ownership. Once we understood we were giving away God s money to God s work, we had a peace and joy we never had back when we thought it was our money! After seeing the way poor Christians in India trust Him, we ve asked God if he wants us to give away all of our money. He hasn t led us to do that yet. But we ve meant it when we asked. Jerry says, A nonchristian couple saw us giving, and saw how much it excited and changed us. Then they started giving too, even before knowing Christ. They saw the joy and they wanted in on it! When we give an offering with that attitude, people will see our joy and desire to be in on it! Perhaps that is the best reason to give an offering. Office of Stewardship - BGCT 8