Giving From the Heart

Pastor Burcham's Sermon

Sunday, November 28, 2004

Well, were you there? Were you standing out in the line in front of Target? Were you posed, ready to pounce inside the mall early Friday morning? Did you get up at the crack of dawn looking for those super savers, those early bird specials that you can only get between 6:00 and noon and they're gone by 6:30 anyway? Were you out there fighting the traffic, greasing the MasterCard, writing out the checks? Or were you like me, hovered in a corner someplace praying that no one would ask me to go outside and go to the mall?

Millions of people were. Millions of people converged upon the stores in the metro area and across the nation. Millions of dollars were spent in the last two days, people wanting to get a jump on their holiday shopping. So it may seem strange to you that in the midst of all the check writing, in the midst of all the money that's being exchanged, in the midst of all the credit card transactions, that this of all Sundays we would choose to talk about stewardship, to talk about God's idea for how we should manage our money. But maybe it's not that strange. Maybe this is the perfect Sunday for us to continue our discovery of God's Word and what He has to say, because it may not hit next week but it probably will hit next month. January will come, and there will be buyers' remorse upon those millions of people. They're going to go to balance the checking account. They're going to look at the Visa bill when it comes, and all of a sudden they're going to get anxious about their finances. They're going to worry that they spent too much. Maybe you're not one of them, but maybe you are.

You see, God is the giver of all good gifts and God even gives us the gift of money and possessions. And it was never God's intention that we should worry about money, that we should have anxious thoughts about our savings account, that we should have sleepless nights about whether the checkbook is going to balance. You see, God only gives good gifts and He gives His gifts to be enjoyed. Now what we do with those gifts, that's a different story. But if we take God's gifts that He's given to us and we manage them according to the biblical principles that He sets out for us, you're going to discover that God really wants you to enjoy your money. God wants you to enjoy your money and all of your possessions. But the only way that's going to happen, the only way you're going to have a restful night's sleep, the only way you're going to have financial peace in your life is to, first of all, get the right attitude about money and then also use the biblical principles on how to manage that money.

Last week, we had an overview of that and we found out the right attitude about money is, first of all, money can't buy you happiness. I think we all agree that retail therapy, in the end, doesn't work. We also discovered that everything we have, in reality, belongs to God. It's His. He simply gives it to us on loan. He gives it to us to manage. So the right question is not, “Lord, what do you want me to do with my money?” But the right question is, “Lord, what do you want me to do with your money?” When we have that attitude, that realization that all of this really belongs to Him and we're just supposed to manage it, then God's Word tells us how to manage it. God says, first and foremost, foundational, He says you give a portion of it back to Him. Then He says you pay off all of your debts. And then He says you save for the future. In the end, what you discover is that you can have peace about your finances. You can enjoy all the gifts God has given to you.

Today we want to zero in on that foundational management principle God gives to us, and that principle is we give a portion of our income back to Him. Scripture talks more about this aspect of stewardship than all of the rest. Jesus spoke more about this issue than any other issue. It's an issue of taking what God has given to us and taking a portion of it and giving it back to Him. The question we want to answer today is when we give our offerings to God, what is God looking for? What is God looking for in our offerings?

We're going to use the gospel lesson we read just a moment ago about Jesus sitting outside of the temple watching the people put money into the treasury, and He identifies the widow. And He says what she gave is worth all the rest of it combined. And we read it out of the New International Version, but I like the New Living translation so let's look at it again. “Jesus went over to the collection blocks in the temple and sat and watched the crowds drop in their money. Many rich people put in large amounts. Then a poor widow came and dropped in two pennies. He called His disciples to Him and said, ‘I assure you. This poor widow has given more than all the others have given for they gave a tiny part of their surplus but she, poor as she is, has given everything that she has.'”

We're going to discover three things God is looking for when we bring our offerings to Him. The first thing God is looking at is He's looking at your heart. He's not looking at the offering envelope. He's not looking at the checkbook. He's not looking at the bank statement. He's looking at your heart. The first thing God is interested in is your heart and your attitude about giving back to Him. This passage has a stark contrast between the widow and the rest of the crowds putting their money into the treasury. And basically what Jesus is saying is, Jesus has no interest in obligatory giving. He has no interest in when we give gifts just because we're obliged to do so because that's our habit, that's our custom, that's what we do. Now Jesus had the insight into their heart that we do not have, so we can see from this text that, as Jesus looks into the hearts of the people and He sees the heart of the widow, there are two different attitudes. There are two different ways they are approaching giving back to God.

Picture this in your mind if you will. You have the temple and, in one room of the temple as you enter in, there is a whole series of horn-shaped receptacles, about seven of them I believe. And as you walked in, you placed your offering in for the temple. So the crowds are coming in and each of them is putting some money in. And Jesus even points out there are some wealthy people among them. There's nothing wrong with being wealthy. And the wealthy people are putting some pretty substantial amount into the treasury. Then comes this poor little widow. Now maybe she wasn't old, but that's how I picture her. Old, a little bit feeble, walking with a cane. Her clothes are clean, but they're worn and they're tattered. And she opens up her little purse, and there are only two coins left. And without hesitating, she takes both out and gives them both to the Lord. And Jesus said what she gave was worth all the rest of it combined. You see, Jesus could look into the heart and He could see that she had the right heart. She had a heart of thankfulness, a heart that was responding back to God's love. She had a heart that trusted in God, that God would take care of her. You see, too often we look on the outside and not on the inside. Some of the other people who passed by put in large amounts. But Jesus points out, “Well, what's $500, what's $100 put into the offering plate if you're worth millions?” What's a $20 spot if you have thousands in the bank? What's $50 if you know your IRA is doing great? You see, it's all in perspective of what they had. They gave a fraction out of their surplus back to God out of obligation. This is what they do when they go to the temple. They make their offering. They don't think about it, and they keep moving on. But not the widow. The widow thought about what she was doing. And she gave all she had to God. And it was her heart, a heart that joyfully gave back to God, a heart that trusted in God. That's what He's interested in, and that's what God is interested in you. God is interested in your heart. He doesn't look at things the way we look at things.

1 Samuel points out for us, “The Lord does not look at things like man. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” God wants to know what's our attitude when we bring our offering to Him. Is it just something we do because it's Sunday morning? Is it something we do because it's a tax write off? Why is it we give to God? God wants to know where our heart is. Paul said the same thing to the Church at Corinth . He said, “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give,” now note the next part, “not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves the cheerful giver.” Not reluctantly or under compulsion. It's one of the most important teachings of Scripture as far as our stewardship is concerned, as far as our giving back to God.

Let me put it in practical terms for you. If, when the offering plate comes by, if the thought that goes through your mind, if the feeling you have in your heart is, “Well, I guess I have to, I suppose the church needs it. Yeah, I guess.” Put the offering envelope away. Stop writing the check, and put your wallet back in your pocket. And I'm serious about that, because God's not interested in it. God is not interested in obligatory gifts. God is not interested in guilt gifts. God is not interested feeling that you're pressured and you have to give back to God. God is interested in your heart. He's interested in a cheerful giver, a joyful giver, someone who responds back to all God has given them. That's the attitude of the widow, and that's the attitude that God is looking at from you. He's looking at your heart.

God's looking for something else too. God is looking for a proportionate response back to Him. God is looking for us in proportion to how He has blessed us that we then also would be a blessing back to Him. You see, I know some of your characters, as you're coming out the door shaking my hand, you're going to say, “You know, Pastor, I'm going to follow the widow's example and each and every week, cheerfully, joyfully, I'm going to pop in two cents in the offering plate.” But see, that's going to tempt me to respond back and say, “Congratulations. I'm glad you're following the widow's example. Scripture said she put in everything she had.” And we'd both be wrong. Because that's not what Scripture teaches.

Scripture teaches that the attitude is the same for all people. The attitude should be one of joy and one of response, but the amount in which we give back to God is as individual as each person sitting in this room. Because it is proportionate to the way in which God has blessed you. In the Old Testament, God made it simple. In the Old Testament, He said, “Just give me a tenth of everything you have.” We saw that in the passage from the Chronicles, wasn't it? You know, I can't remember. Two and a half services later, and my brain just goes dead. I don't remember, but you remember it, don't you? It says to give a tithe of everything you have, a tithe of everything from the field, a tithe of everything on the tree. God made it simple. Now you should note that this isn't the only offering the Old Testament prescribes. It's only one of them. You see, we all think it's just a tenth of everything and that's all God asks from the Old Testament. That's not true. God asked of His people much more than that. But this is the one, each time, this is what it had each year, a tenth of everything you had was to go back to God. So it was simple. It was the same for all people, whether you were rich, whether you were poor, whether you had a million dollars, whether you had a hundred dollars, ten percent went back to God.

In the New Testament, though, God does not prescribe for us what percent we are to give back to Him. But God does say it should be proportionate in how He has blessed us. You see, God doesn't expect us to give what we can't give. 2 Corinthians says, “For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have.” So God doesn't expect you to do anything you're not able to do, that you're not capable of doing. He's not asking you to give something you don't have. God says as I have blessed you in a proportionate way, then you are blessing back to me. And then you respond back to Him. Once again, if we look at Corinthians, it talks about that we are supposed to, at the first part of the week, set aside a sum of money in keeping with our income. So in keeping with the income God has given to us, we set aside a portion of that to be given back to Him.

Now let me say this about the tithes. God in the New Testament does not command that we give ten percent of what we have, but I'm going to offer you my personal opinion and note it for that. I believe the tithe is a good gauge for us, and I believe it is a worthy goal for us. For some of you, a tithe may just be completely unthinkable because of where you are financially. Frankly, for some of you, a tithe is just giving out of your surplus and it won't even scratch the surface. But the tithe is a gauge. It's a gauge in which we can decide how are we responding back to God. Because God is looking for a proportionate amount of how He's blessed us, blessing in return. And God does say this: God says He's looking for us to be generous, and He's not ashamed of that. He's looking for us to be generous as He has been generous to us. Will you think about it for a moment how generous God has been to you, all the things God has done for you? For a moment, let's just think of all the physical blessings God has given to you. Think about the Thanksgiving meal you sat down with. Think about your family, your friends. Think about your car, your home, the clothes you're wearing. Think about all the things He has blessed this nation and He's blessed you with just for life in this world. Now add on top of that God gives you eternity, and that eternity costs God.

What would you give to save the life of your child? Would you empty the bank accounts? Would you cash in all of your investments? Would you cash out all of your life insurance? Would you gladly and willingly give that to save the life of your child? And yet God willingly gave His child for you. God willingly gave His Son for this world. Jesus willingly came on and took flesh and blood. He could have stayed at the right hand of the Father but instead He became one of us. And though He was innocent, He took on our guilt. Though He was sinless, He was punished, punished for all of our sins. The death we deserve He died upon the cross. And because of that death and subsequent resurrection, we were able to bask in His forgiveness this morning knowing we're white as snow, cleansed from all of our sin, cleansed from all guilt, knowing that when this life ends, we have an eternity with Him. Has God been generous with you? Think of all God has done for you, not just in this world but in the world to come. He's held back nothing. He's given everything to you. How can one respond to that? One can never pay Him back for that. How could you even say thanks for that? How can you show gratitude for that? Actually, giving back to God is a gift from Him. It's a gift from Him because it's a way in which we can respond back to His generosity. God has given us a real tangible way, something we can get a hold of in responding back to all He has done for us. And God says, “As I have been generous with you,” He says, “then be generous and return back to me.”

Paul was challenging the Church at Corinth to do that very thing. He was talking about the church, the Macedonians and how they gave. He says, “For I testify that they gave as much as they were able and even beyond their ability, entirely on their own.” And then he says to the Church at Corinth , “But just as you excel in everything in faith and speech and knowledge in complete earnestness and in your love for us, see that you also excel in the grace of giving.” Paul is challenging the Church at Corinth to excel in the grace of giving, to be generous with what they give back to God and for the work in His kingdom. He says, “Excel in the grace of giving.”

My friends, it's time for us to talk turkey, time for the rubber to hit the road. Let's get practical about this. You're going to have to ask yourself, “Are you excelling in the gift of giving?” Are you excelling in the grace of giving? There are a couple of ways we could answer that. If the tip you left last night for the server is larger than the amount you plan on putting in the plate this morning, you're not excelling in the grace of giving. If what you pay for your cable or satellite exceeds what you give to God each and every month, you are not excelling in the grace of giving. If what you spent on presents on Friday and Saturday exceeds what you plan on giving to God for the entire year, you are not excelling in the grace of giving.

I need to talk to the members of Gloria Dei for just a moment. It's my responsibility to tell you, as members of this church, that we excel in many things here but we do not excel in the grace of giving. It's just a cold, hard fact. We set the pace in many areas of ministry. We're able to be a resource for many other congregations in various ways; but, when it comes to giving, we do not excel. And I believe it's time for us to change that. I also believe with my whole heart that we will.

I believe that you, as God's people, will respond to God's Word. And I believe that once that Word is studied and learned and we take it to heart, I believe there is going to be a change and I believe this congregation will excel in giving, just as we excel in other ministry areas, I believe we will excel in giving. Once we come face to face with the fact that everything we have is God's and we just need to manage it well, once we start managing our resources well, we start managing all God has given to us, I believe we will excel in the grace of giving. Once we see the generosity of God and are truly touched to the heart for all He has done for us, I believe we will excel in the grace of giving. I have no doubt. I have every confidence that this congregation will do that. We will excel in the grace of giving, and we will do things by the grace of God in His kingdom that we hadn't even dreamed of.

But it all starts today. It all begins right now. Because you can't wait until tomorrow. It has to happen now. For the members of Gloria Dei, you're going to receive another letter from me this week, and inside that letter is going to be two important items. The first important item is going to be a giving graph and what that is, is the first step you need to do to get a hold on this is to decide what portion of your income are you giving back to God. It's the hardest step. Some people will not have the courage to take it. They'll just say, “Well, I know and I'm okay.” Have the courage. Have the courage to look at the chart, look at your income weekly or yearly, trace it over to what you're giving, and that's going to tell you what percent of your income you're giving to God. That's where you have to start. You have to be honest with yourself so you know. I don't want you to get disheartened by that. I don't want you to feel guilty about that. This is not about under compulsion. No, this is about joyfully giving to God and this is taking the first step.

The second thing I want you to do is when you look at that, say, “Is this a generous gift back to God? Am I excelling in the grace of giving? Am I responding in a proportionate way to how God has blessed me?” If you are, wonderful. If you're not, then ask yourself the question, “Where do I want to be? What's the goal I want to set?” Are you going to use the tithe? Is the tithe not big enough? Is it going to be 12%, 15%? Is it going to be 8%? Is it going to be 7%? What percentage is it? And then find out what that is.

Now maybe you're not going to be able to make that jump in one year. Maybe you need to start managing the rest of God's resources well and you're going to spend some time putting those other principles in place. But you're going to set the goal and you're going to start moving towards it. Some of you started this last year. I know you did. And you're going to continue on this year. We're going to hold the goal out there, and we're going to creep towards it. Maybe it's a 1%, maybe 2%, or 3% gain. But you're going to move towards that, and you're going to respond back to God all the blessings He's given to you.

My Friends, from a personal level, you need to know the joy of doing this. You need to know the blessings of God when you start managing His resources according to His Word. A few years back, I was not happy of how I was responding to God's Word. And frankly, I'm still not satisfied. But it took the courageous step of finding out what it was, and I set the goal as a family to start moving towards it.

I am convinced if you take that step, if you listen to God's Word, you know that everything you have is God's and He's graciously given it to you, if you start managing those resources and managing your money according to His principles, if you willingly, joyfully give back to God a portion of what He's given to you, you will know the joys and the blessings from God that I can't begin to explain to you. I can guarantee you this. You will have peace about your finances. When you start managing it the way God says to manage it, you will not have sleepless nights. You will have peace about your finances and you will enjoy all the blessings God has in store for you.

Stand and pray with me please. Heavenly Father, you're the giver of all good gifts and you've given to us so many resources. You've given to us eternity and life with you forever. You've given to us all the things we need for this life. You've given us family and friends, home and shelter and food and clothing and the list goes on and on. Father, we pray that we would take a portion of our income and gladly and willingly offer it back to you. Father, give us the courage to take those first steps. Give us the courage to get our house in order. Give us the courage that if we need help to start managing our resources in a godly way that we sign up for the classes or we talk to the financial counselor, whatever it is, Lord, that we need to do so we can manage all of our resources well. And, Father, bless our offerings. Give us joy in our heart. Let each offering time be a time of worship for us, a remembrance of all you've done for us, and an opportunity for us to share back with you what you've already given to us. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Copyright 2004 Gloria Dei Lutheran Church