The National Center for Family Integrated Churches welcomes Jason Dohme with the following message entitled, Giving as Worship. Well, you can tell that the way to draw large numbers is to speak on giving. There's no more scintillating topic than parting from your money. The title of the message is giving as worship. Listen to John chapter four verse 23.

Jesus says, But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth. For the Father is seeking such to worship Him. In John 4-23, Jesus gives us the two great categories of worship spirit truth spirit engaging the hearts your heart and engaging your affections that's what it means to worship in spirit to have a heart engagement in the matter and truth according to what God has prescribed in His Word. Both are non-negotiable. You don't have spirit worship and truth worship, sometimes doing one and sometimes doing the other.

They depend on each other. One without the other invalidates the worship makes it unacceptable do you get that I mean this is so important you must worship in spirit and in truth much of the conference has been devoted to truth. Because we're teaching the Bible, we're teaching the truth about worship. And I appreciate the extent to which the other speakers have labored to include spirit as well to talk about the importance of heart level affections being engaged in the worship and not just mechanically doing the things that God has prescribed. So the speakers have been laboring to talk about spirit but most but according to the dynamics of a conference most of it is about truth.

It's teaching from the Word of God but this session is about worshiping in spirit do you find that strange we're talking about giving and there are two great categories of worship spirit and in truth and we're talking about giving and I'm saying it belongs in the category of worshiping in spirit again you have to have to both be together so they're not mutually exclusive in fact they're mutually dependent so you might think it's strange that I connect giving with worshiping in spirit because when we think of worshiping in spirit we think of the outpouring of affection which results in tingles right that's worshiping in spirit and an outpouring of affection the heart being engaged resulting in tingles I'm a recovering charismatic you can tell that from my preaching from time to time. So we have truth and tingles and giving doesn't go with tingles so it doesn't belong in the spirit category. I don't think that's right that's not the right way to think about it so I want to take us to what uh... Jesus has said on the matter in matthew six if you've got your bibles please turn to matthew six where Jesus makes such a close connection between your heart and the affections of your heart and giving.

This is why I want to put giving in the category of worshiping in spirit. Having the heart engaged, having an outpouring of affection toward God. Matthew 6, I'll begin reading in 19, and I'm actually going to read to the end of the chapter we're gonna have some long reading so I hope you have your Bibles with me and I hope you can track with these long readings so that you get the most benefit Matthew chapter 6 beginning in 19 Jesus says do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness. No one can serve two masters.

For either he will hate the one and love the other, or else He will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore, I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on, is not life more than food and the body more than clothing look at the birds of the air for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns yet your heavenly Father feeds them are you not more of more value than they which if you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature so why do you worry about clothing consider the lilies of the field how they grow they neither toil nor spin and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these now if God so clothes the grass of the field which today is and tomorrow is thrown into the oven will he not much more clothe you, oh you of little faith. Therefore, do not worry, saying, What shall we eat or what shall we drink or what shall we wear?

For after all these things, the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things but seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added to you therefore do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about its own things sufficient for the day is its own trouble Worship is intended by God to be an overflow of an all-consuming occupation with Him. It's meant to be an overflow of the heart a heart preoccupied with god heart completely consumed by god the great commandment is that you love the lord your god with all your heart with all your soul with all your strength completely consumed And when we want to do a temperature check on our hearts to see whether we have a white heart, a white hot love for God in this heart, or a lukewarm love for God in this heart or a cold love toward God in this heart there are a few good tests to know how you're doing it's a temperature check what's the temperature of the love of God in my heart is it cold or is it hot or is it something between between here's a good test your calendar what is my calendar declare that I love your calendars making a declaration of the things that you love.

It's the allocation of your time because your allocate, no matter what your mouth says, the allocation of your time is actually declaring what you really love sometimes it matches what people say they love sometimes it's different believe the calendar Believe the allocation of time. Here's another one, your thoughts. The preoccupation of my thoughts declare what I love. Things that you love your mind gravitates to. You think about the things that you love.

So if the declaration of your lips doesn't match the preoccupation of your thoughts believe your thoughts. You say you love God but your thoughts are drawn to everything else never to God believe your thoughts. Here's another one. Your checkbook. Your checkbook.

What does my checkbook declare that I love? Where your money flows to, the things that your money flows to says something about the condition of love for God in your heart so if the declaration of your lips says one thing and your checkbook declares something else believe the checkbook because the things that we love our funds flow to the things that we love now what does this text teach teaches many things actually Matthew 6 19 Matthew 6 verses 19 through the end of the chapter teaches a bunch of things I'm gonna talks specifically about four of them four of the these things before things from this tax that you need to know about giving number one godwardness with your money is a wise investment jesus teaches that godwardness with your dollars is a good investment. You're storing up your resources where the moths can't get it, get at it. Where the rust can't get at it where the thieves can't get at it and so it's kept for you times a million this is what Jesus teaches when your resources are Godward are put into play for the kingdom of heaven, for the kingdom of Jesus Christ, They are kept for you times a million.

And now you can either believe it or not believe it. This is what Jesus teaches. It's a wise investment. It's not a foolish investment. The world says it's a foolish investment.

Why would you give your money to these things spend it on yourself but Jesus teaches something exactly opposite of that exactly contrary to that that it's the wisest investment you can make that it is kept for you held for you beyond the things that can eat it up or steal it away and it's multiplied times a million this is the inheritance of the Saints number two your heart follows your money and the opposite is true, your money follows your heart. What happens with your money displays the condition of your heart. It follows your heart. It's a billboard for what's going on in your heart just puts it on display so you can look at a man's checkbook and know the things that he loves. It displays his heart and it shapes his heart.

It's both, it's a cause and an effect, not many things in life are that, but this is true. Jesus is teaching this. Giving is Giving or withholding is a cause and an effect, not just one or the other. It's either a vicious cycle, spiraling down, you withhold, or it's a virtuous cycle, and you gain and profit. You withhold, and it reveals coldness in your heart, and it just keeps getting colder.

Because it's idolatry, right? This is the nature of grasping onto your things as idolatry. So anytime you feed idolatry, it's going to grow. That's why it's a vicious cycle. You withhold, and you've just put yourself into a vicious cycle is going to make your heart colder and colder and colder till the day you repent or if you give if you let go of your things and your God word with your money It contributes to the warming of your heart.

This is true. I know in my own life this is true. If you want to be a blessing to yourself, scrape together some of your money and give it away and it will warm your heart. It'll increase your love for God. You'll find yourself benefiting more than the money you gave away number three you can't straddle the fence Jesus teaches you cannot straddle the fence.

As much as we try, you can only serve one master. No one can serve God and mammon. Mammon goes beyond money. It's all stuff. Money and other stuff.

Possessions, worldly possessions. You cannot serve two masters, You can only serve one. So your efforts to straddle are going to frustrate you. And you'll gravitate to one or the other master. Straddling is very, very temporary.

You're going to head in a direction number four you don't need to worry about being God word with your money giving shouldn't cause you to worry you don't need to worry why because it's not a zero-sum game You know what a zero-sum game is? A zero-sum game means there's only a set amount to allocate to you. Now in a zero-sum game there's only a set amount to allocate to you. It's allocated to you so when you give it's detracting from you. You've lost.

You lost the game when you give. But that's a world without God ruling it. Do you get that? If you think it's a zero-sum game, it's a world without God. There's not just a set amount to allocate to you.

God can allocate 10 times more to you or 10 times less to you or a thousand times more to you or a thousand times less to you. There's not a set amount. And so when you give, you're saying, no, no, no, it's not a zero-sum game. There's not a set amount to be allocated to me. There's a sovereign God who can give me tremendous wealth or no wealth.

So it's not a loss to me. When I give, it's not a loss to me because I get my allocation from God. It's not a set amount. He gives me what He desires to give me. I guess it's set in that way but only in that way god has a new unlimited resources to move around to wherever he wants to move them to so thinking I can't afford to give is exactly the wrong kind of thinking it's zero-sum game kind of thinking I lose because my set allocation is diminished no what the Bible teaches is that all things are his god owns the cattle on a thousand hills and he just disperses them however he wants he owns the cattle on the other hills to there are more than a thousand hills it just means to be a big number he owns it all the birth is the lord's and the fullness thereof all the resources are his he could give them all to you if he desires to it's not a loss to you to give It's not a diminishing of your set allocation.

We can't think of it that way because Jesus teaches us not to think of it that way. Verse 33, but seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added to you shall the attitude shall the jesus says with the greatest certainty that he can supply every one of your needs no matter how much you give so don't let money be your master that is the point of Matthew 6 You cannot afford financially or otherwise to let money be your master. You can't afford it. Financially and otherwise. The otherwise is the big one.

Financially is just money. Now, listen to Malachi 3, verses 8 through 11. Malachi 3, starting in verse 8. Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed me.

But you say, in what way have we robbed you? In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse that there may be food in my house and try me now in this says the Lord of hosts if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such a blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it and I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes so that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the harvest says the Lord of hosts and all nations will call you blessed for you will be a delightful land says the Lord of hosts now compare that to zero-sum game thinking where there's just an allocation no God says if you stop robbing me I'll open up heaven for you and dump on you what you cannot measure. This is what the Bible teaches.

Now I'm a pastor, and honestly, I hate teaching on this. Why? Because ministries have twisted arms from time immemorial and we've all had our arm twisted and resented it. So pastors who have come through that and hate that manipulation, arm twisting, don't even want to touch it anymore and teach on it because it seems so self-serving for a man who's receiving his substance from the church to teach on giving. Like what is he looking for a raise or something?

But the truth is it's a pastoral issue. Jesus said your heart is connected to your money and if you're going to shepherd the hearts of people you better know something about how they're thinking about their money. Now regarding Malachi 3, where else does God invite us to test him? You might be able to think of one, but as I've been preparing, I've been thinking, and I'm stumped. We could probably come up with one.

But it's rare. God here is talking to robbers, people who are robbing him, and he still invites them to test him this is remarkable I can't think of another spot where god makes an offer like that to people who aren't even acting right not even trying to act rightly so you just have to take my word for it this is not false humility I'm a I'm a I'm an average guy I'm a middle shelf guy I've never been last at anything and I've never been first at anything, hardly. I'm middle of the pack. And I went off and I got a physical education degree. I'm a gym teacher.

God has blessed us so much in the area of finances now why because he wanted to because he's merciful and kind But both my wife and I came from families who just gave as a matter of course. They just gave faithfully because they thought they ought to. So we watched that. So from the first day of our marriage, we've been very faithful givers. And I would just say, that's not to attribute anything to us that's just we were given a good pattern we continued on in the pattern praise God may we give that to our children may we make it easy for them to be faithful givers by giving them an example to follow but but God God has opened the heavens for us in many ways he's blessed he's been so kind and merciful to us but in the area of finances PE teachers don't have a right to expect what god has given us not attempted not attempt part of it god's faithful god makes promises and keeps them this is not the prosperity gospel I despise the prosperity gospel But I think the prosperity gospel has made us run away from texts of scripture that teach something.

What is it teaching? It's teaching that God gives to his people not so that we can spend it on ourselves, but he's staging resources for the advancement of his kingdom. Why did God give me money? So I can live it up? No, he's putting resources in place for the use of his kingdom and he calls on those resources from time to time and I'm glad they're there One last thing before we leave Matthew 6.

This is not about God needing money. Does that even need to be said? God does not need my money, your money, anyone's money. It's about being free from the love of money. Giving is to your advantage.

You're not adding to God's resources. He's just, when you give, He's moving resources from one part of His kingdom to another. You've not added one thing to His kingdom when you give. It's not about Him needing money. It's about you being free from the love of money which is vitally important to your life Psalm 50 verse 12 by the way Psalm 50 verse 10 was I own the cattle on a thousand hills.

Now two verses later, Psalm 50 verse 12, God says, if I were hungry, I would not tell you. For the world is mine and all its fullness. God does not need your money. That's not what giving is about. He was hungry and he's not.

He wouldn't tell us. Okay. God is the primary giver. He causes people to give but he's the primary giver. He's totally free of need.

We give back a sliver of what he's given to us. That's what happens when you give. He's given you a lot and you give back a little sliver of that and even if you don't god is an impoverished in any way now listen to uh... First timothy chapter six verses six through ten this first uh... Timothy chapter six first six three ten paul writes Now godliness with contentment is great gain.

For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing with these we shall be content but those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." What Paul is teaching in 1 Timothy 6 is that the love of money is a gateway sin. The desire to be rich is a gateway sin. It leads to many other sins.

Why? Because it's idolatry. The nature of greed, desiring to be rich, loving money is idolatry. It's raising something up and giving it worship that is due to almighty god god never made stuff and money to be worshiped so back to Jesus no one can serve two masters it is idolatry and once you've opened the door to idolatry bunch of other things sneak in so greed and the desire to be rich in loving money almost never never travels by itself it It travels in company and it opens the door to all kinds of other sins. Because once you've bowed before an idol, there's a line of idols who would also like to be served by you.

And if you think being entangled in that web won't keep you from worshipping in spirit, you're deceived. Do you see the connection here now between giving and worship? That if you love money and you're grasping on to these goods, then you're entangled in a web that will keep you from worshiping in spirit. It will keep your affections cold. It will throw a wet blanket on your love for God.

Loving earthly things is a worship killer. And Many a rich young ruler has gone away sorrowful. You know what I'm talking about. I think this is Matthew 22. The rich young ruler comes to Jesus.

He wants to know what he must do to be saved. Jesus says keep the commandments. He says I have. Jesus says give me that idol. Go give away your goods to the poor they come back and follow me he goes away sorrowful The love of money was a worship killer.

Kept him out of heaven. At least then. Who knows what happened in the life of this man. But he walked away an unregenerate man from that encounter with the Lord of heaven. So God is helping us be free of a major worship killer.

And He's helping us to be citizens of a better country. To not think that our life is here. Our life's not here. If you're born again, your life's not here. Your life has so little to do with the stuff that you have.

And so we should praise God that He's prying this worship killer out of our hands through the giving commands. This is actually a mercy of God towards his people that he would have us give to break our hearts' attachment to the things of this world. That's what the giving commands are fundamentally about, is to keep you from loving money now turn in your Bibles to second Corinthians chapter nine got another lengthy reading here it's a wonderful reading okay second Corinthians chapter nine you're turning there it's a response to first Corinthians chapter sixteen where Paul writes to the Corinthians that on the first day of the week they ought to lay something aside as God has given them increase. So he's given them instructions to when they meet on the first day of the week to put something aside so they'll have an offering ready to send for Saints in need so 2nd Corinthians 9 is a response to first Corinthians 16 verses 1 through 3 where Paul had instructed them to do that now second Corinthians 9 I want to read the whole chapter st. Corinthians 9 verse 1 Paul writes Now concerning the ministering to the saints, it is superfluous or needless for me to write to you.

For I know your willingness about which I boast of you to the Macedonians, that Achaea was ready a year ago, and your zeal has stirred up the majority. Yet I have sent the brethren, lest our boasting of you should be in vain in this respect that as I said you may be ready, lest if some Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we, not to mention you, should be ashamed of this confident boasting. Therefore, I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren to go to you ahead of time and prepare your generous gift beforehand, which you had previously promised, that it may be ready as a matter of generosity and not as a grudging obligation. But this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully so Let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.

As it is written, He has dispersed abroad, He has given to the poor, His righteousness endures forever. Now may He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness, while you are enriched in everything for all liberality which causes thanksgiving through us to God. For the administration of this service not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also is abounding through many thanksgiving to God while through the proof of this ministry they glorify God for the obedience of your confession to the gospel of Christ and for your liberal sharing with them and all men and by their prayer for you who long for you because of the exceeding grace of God in you thanks be to God for his indescribable gift. Remember, Jesus said on the two great commandments hang all the law and the prophets. Jesus is asked, which is the great commandment?

He says the first and great commandment is to love God with all your heart, soul, and strength. The second greatest commandment is like it, to love your neighbor as yourself. And then he makes this striking claim on these two great commandments of love loving god loving your neighbor hang all the law and the profits everything in the bible takes its significance from its relationship to love for god for love for neighbor that's a pretty simple system I like the simplicity of that system. Everything hangs on one of two hooks, loving God or loving your neighbor. So anytime you encounter a commandment, you ought to say, which hook am I supposed to hang this on?

Is it loving God or is it loving neighbor or is it both? Those are your only options when you encounter a commandment. It either gets its significance because it has to do with loving God or it gets its significance because it has to do with loving your neighbor or both. Okay, so if you're thinking about any commandment out of the context of love, either God or neighbor or both, then you have not really understood that commandment as God intended. That's what Jesus clearly teaches.

So the giving commands are either about loving God or the giving commands are about loving your neighbor or the giving commands are about loving both. And Paul is teaching in 2 Corinthians 9, the chapter I just read, is both. The giving commands hang across both of those great hooks what does this text teach four things I want to say it teaches number one your zeal can stir up others your zeal in giving can stir up others verse two your zeal has stirred up the majority the majority worth thrust into action were stirred up or helped were blessed because of the giving of the corinthians This is a way you can be a blessing to the people of God. It gets around. I'm not saying you should be showy about your giving.

Boy, if we had time we could develop that. You should not be showy about your giving. You should not know, your left hand should not know what your right hand's doing anonymous giving is the best kind of giving but when there's generous giving word gets around and it's stirs up seal for god it's stirs up love for god paul saying that your Your zeal can stir up others. In 2 Corinthians 9, zeal for giving in the Corinthian church stirred up the majority. This is a blessing.

The people of God need this. People of God need encouragement wherever they can get it. Here's a source of encouragement. Number two, your giving should be a matter of generosity not a grudging obligation that's almost word for word first five you're giving should be a matter of generosity is to be an act of the heart not a grudging obligation that does not mean you should only give when you feel like it smell that means so that you say why does never feel like it so I never give I am obeying second Corinthians 9 being true to myself that's not what Paul is teaching if you don't feel like giving this is an opportunity to troubleshoot your soul. Because you don't stop there.

You don't just say, I don't feel like giving so I don't have to give, because if I gave it would be grudging and I'm not supposed to do that so I'm not giving anything if you find yourself not desiring to give and wanting to clutch hold of everything not able to part with anything you have trouble in your soul And this is actually an opportunity for the mercy of God to be poured out on you. To go find that problem and do something about it and repent. So you'll be warm-hearted and you won't be wanting to clutch it all anymore. If you don't feel like giving, you have a love for God problem or you have a love for neighbor problem or you have a love for God and neighbor problem. It's probably that one.

They're so attached. You need to troubleshoot that. You need to find the source of the problem. Then you just need to repent. Turn away from it.

And then when you repent, what the book of Acts says, I think this is Acts chapter 1 times of refreshing come from the Lord have you ever had that happen you repented you were wound up tight and you repented and you're free as a bird, you're light as a feather. Your stuff doesn't seem very important anymore. Repentance does this for our hearts. Praise God for His mercy. He doesn't leave us in that state where we're just clutching to our stuff.

He gives us opportunities to troubleshoot the problems of the heart verse seven so let each one give us the purposes in his heart not grudgingly or of necessity for god loves a cheerful giver why does god love cheerful giver because giving is a demonstration of love and honor this is how all your giving should be don't you ever give to make a show it's not worth it keep your stuff a fear keep your stuff if all you're giving is just a show spend it on yourself tomorrow more efficient god loves cheerful giver because it is a demonstration of love for Him. It is a demonstration of honor for Him. It is a form of worship. Giving is a form of worship where you acknowledge that everything that you have every good gift is from above everything in your life is worth anything at all has come from God and out of thanksgiving you want to part with some of it number three number three you get what you give the Bible teaches this I'm not teaching sow a seed theology, send me one thousand dollars. God will give you a Cadillac.

That's crazy talk. That is a blight on the Lord's people. But Paul is teaching something here with this text. Again, we've been given a text with real things to be, truths to be taught. Paul is teaching that you get what you give.

Verse 6, if you sow sparingly, you reap sparingly. If you sow bountifully, then you will reap bountifully. I think that why that is, is because god knows that people who are parting with their mam and their possessions their money he could trust them with more resources because again the resources aren't just for our consumption it's a staging of resources for the advancement of the kingdom of heaven so god sees faithful sons who obey his commandments to give cheerfully and he says okay I can stage more resources for my kingdom here I think that's what's happening so it's said in this tax but I think that's what's happening verse 8 says God is able that's all you need to know those three words God is able to what to make all grace abound toward you to provide you with all sufficiency in all things, to give you an abundance for every good work. God is able to do all of those things and it's way more than money. Don't you cheapen this by saying that sewing and reaping just has to do with money is that all you want that's not enough for my giving I want more return for my giving than just money I want the mercy of God I want the blessing of God in my soul.

What a cheap counterfeit to want it just to come back to you in the form of cash. It is Cold hard cash. It is cold and hard. There's not much to commend it, honestly. But the blessings of God, the other blessings of God also exceed cold hard cash times whatever.

Times a bunch. May we look for the return in things that are non monetary as well as monetary number four you're giving results in worship very often you're giving results in worship verse 11 which causes thanksgiving through us to God people were thanking God because of the giving of the Corinthians verse 13 through the proof of this ministry they glorify God God was getting glory because of the giving of the Corinthians here's another virtuous cycle not a vicious cycle that swirls down and down and down but a virtuous cycle that goes up and up and up God's people are generous and there are some who are looking on hearing about generous giving and they're stirred up and then on the other end of it the recipients are glorifying god so much to be gained in being open-handed on both hands on the giving and even if it's anonymous people here generous giving is happening among the people of god there must really be love there and it's turns up the majority and then on the back and the recipients are saying god you supplied for me thank you they're giving glory to god it's good on every front.

Now, inspiring examples as worship. We're going to close with this and I'm going to work through these fast. But here are some just inspiring examples of giving as worship, of God being worshiped through people giving. Luke 19 verses 1 through 10. We're not going there.

You can write it down. Luke 19, 1 through 10, Zacchaeus was a wee little man. And a wee little man was he, but he was a rich man. He was an unregenerate man who Jesus called out of a sycamore tree and he went to his house and this man became born again and here's what he says in verse 8. Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor.

And if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold. Here's a man who's happy to be born again. And all of a sudden, for the first time in his life, money means nothing to him. And there is an outpouring of worship because he's free from his sins. He's light as a feather for the first time in his life.

And there's a massive outpouring of giving. It's just worship to a God who has redeemed him. This is what we see in the early church in Acts 2. Peter preaches at Pentecost. Three thousand people get born again and here's Acts 2 44 and 45.

Now all who believed were together and had all things in common and sold their possessions and goods and divided them among all as anyone had need." This is what happens when people are born again. There's an outpouring of the Spirit. On the day of Pentecost, many people are born again and people stop caring about their stuff. Someone has a need, I'll go sell my stuff. People get really happy to be free from their sins.

Have you noticed that? Do you remember that? Do you remember what it was like to have first been saved and how little money mattered to you then? Have we grown cold to the miracle of our redemption? So we wanted to start, put a little bit of offense around our stuff.

Let's go back to our first love. Repent! Return to your first love, those first days of your salvation, when you cared nothing for money and stuff how about this marked twelve forty one three forty four marked twelve forty one three forty four Jesus is standing watching the Treasury rich people are coming and throwing large amounts of money into the Treasury than this old woman come she's a widow she puts in two mites this would be a fraction of a penny for us jesus gathers his disciples together to comment on this because this woman obviously trusted god to provide she gave the last of her provision she obviously trusted that God it wasn't a zero-sum game she wasn't being diminished God could provide and Jesus sees that kind of worship and calls together the crew to witness this look what she just did he never did that for the rich people who came and gave a lot of money it's not about the amount of money again God doesn't need our money here comes a widow cheerfully giving sacrificially giving and Jesus thinks that is worthy of comment. Brothers and sisters, order your financial life so that you can give a good portion.

Just order it. Reduce your expenses so you can get more will you be happier or less happier you'll be happier on the authority of the Word of God you will be happier order your financial life so that you can give a good portion now listen to this come with me to Exodus 36 Exodus 36 you have to see this if you got a bible turned exit thirty six you'll be glad you did an inspiring example of giving as worship exits thirty six the people of god have been given All the instructions for the tabernacle, for the worship of God. Exodus 36, I'll begin reading in verse 2 through verse 6, excuse me, 7. Exodus 36 verse 2, then Moses called Bezalel and Aholahab, and every gifted artisan in whose heart the lord had put wisdom everyone whose heart was stirred to come and do the work and 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 to him free will offerings every morning so the Tabernacle, the instructions for the tabernacle have been given and it takes resources so people are bringing free will offerings.

Verse four, 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 so Moses gave a commandment and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp saying let neither man nor woman do any more work for the offering of the sanctuary and the people were restrained from bringing for the material they had was sufficient for all the work to be done indeed too much you have a thankful people in Exodus 36 and it's free will offerings all free will offerings just bring what you want be guided by your thankfulness to God for what he's done for his people and just bring accordingly and here they come and here they come and here they come and they finally have to make an announcement stop bringing just makes me wanna cry it's so beautiful The people of God would have such thankfulness, welling up in their hearts for His goodness, for His beauty, that they would have to be restrained.

If we were to turn to Exodus 40 we would find in verses 34 and 35 the commissioning of the tabernacle and the presence of God falls so heavy on it, it's a cloud and the priests can't go in because they can't see what they're doing god is so pleased with what these people have done they've obeyed him and then some okay a few concluding remarks check your checkbook check your checkbook it's making a declaration it's a temperature meter about love of god in the heart what's it declaring what do you love secondly make giving an event dads make giving an event I am a total loser at what I'm getting ready to say. I've never once done what I'm getting ready to suggest at you, but because I've said I'm a total loser, I'm not a hypocrite. And that's good. I think when we give, fathers, we should gather our families around the checkbook to say, look what God has done. We have what we need again.

And we're giving, but just because he's given more to us, we're just giving a little sliver back, we're so thankful he's done it again! Has God been so faithful and abundant that It's just such a matter of course that we have food and clothing and shelter, everything that we need and oftentimes more that we don't even want to gather around to give thanks. That's wrong. The domes have done that for a lot of years. I repent.

I repent. Make giving an event. Gather around the checkbook and praise Almighty God for giving you what you have okay how much should I give I'm gonna tell you the answer you've been waiting for the answer I'm going to tell you how much you should give cheerfully and sacrificially period I'm done how much yes cheerfully is that 10% yes sacrificially I'm not answering your question you should be ashamed of asking I think I think new testament believers have good reasons to start at ten percent to start at the time I don't think I can make an airtight case for that. But I don't think it matters. The New Testament is calling you to give cheerfully and sacrificially.

Do you think whether the tithe does or doesn't come over gives you any relief do you cheerfully and sacrificially I think if you give cheerfully and sacrificially them out it will take care of itself that you'll find yourself typing but that's one man's view listen to j c rile from closing with this j c rile he hits the nail on the head hi do urge on every professing Christian who wishes to be happy. So is he talking to us? You're a professing Christian who wishes to be happy. The immense importance of making no compromise between God and the world. Do not try to drive a hard bargain as if you wanted to give Christ as little of your heart as possible and to keep as much as possible the things of this life.

I find myself wanting to drive a hard bargain. Have we not been redeemed? Have we not been set free from our sins? Do you want to drive a hard bargain with your Redeemer? Our Father, I thank You for Your Word and I pray that You would press the truths of Your Word home to us.

May we not be a people driving a hard bargain, but a people who live in gratitude for what you have done. Oh God, what have you done in redeeming a sinful people? Open our hearts, oh God, to love you as we ought. In Jesus' name, Amen. For more messages, articles, and videos on the subject of conforming the church and the family to the word of God, and for more information about the National Center for Family Integrated Churches, where you can search our online network to find family integrated churches in your area, log on to our website ncfic.org.