Revelation
Chapter 18
LESSON 4 Part 2
TRUE WEALTH IS ONLY IN JESUS
Stewardship: Giving to God His in this Life
STEWARDSHIP IS GIVING OURSELVES WITHOUT RESERVATION TO THE
LORD! Jesus describes the Conditions of Discipleship. Open to Luke 14. Early
on in my ministry I met a pastor of 90 + years of age who said we as His
disciples, learners or followers must have:
* UNRIVALED LOVE
Luke 14:25-26
25 And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them,
26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and
children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
1. THIS DEALS WITH THE AFFECTIONS OF OUR HEART!
2. ALL TO JESUS
* UNCEASING CROSS BEARING
Luke 14:27
And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
Matthew 10:38
And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
1. THIS DEALS WITH OUR CONDUCT IN LIFE!
2. TAKE MY LIFE
A lovely story is told of the saintly Frances Ridley
Havergal who wrote the lines we so often sing without due seriousness
and commitment: Take my silver and my gold, Not a mite would I
withhold.
• It is a matter of record that this hymn was autobiographical.
Frances Ridley Havergal did what she sang. In her writings is
this personal testimony: “‘Take my silver and my gold’ now
means shipping off all my ornaments-including a jewel cabinet
which is really fit for a countess-to the Church Missionary
Society… I don’t think I need to tell you I never packed a box
with such pleasure.” This was giving with hilarity!
* UNRESERVED SURRENDER Luke 14:33
Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage,
and desireth conditions of peace.
THIS DEALS WITH PERSONAL POSSESSIONS!
1. Jesus has the right of disposal. He is the owner, and we are only
employees. Christ asks that He be above all our treasures on Earth be
they money or possessions.
Matthew 19:21
Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast,
and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.
2. Jesus teaches us that some hold on to things with grasping clenched
fists and lose them. He advises the way to keep things longer than you
can hold your breath. His plan is for us to open our hands, hold those
treasures palms upward and say, “ You are the Giver of all that I have.
You alone are the Owner of all things. I am Your servant forever. I will
be a steward for You of all these possessions. When You want
anything back just tell me, they are Yours!”
3. Such an attitude changes us from how much of MY money should I
give to how much of HIS money should I keep!
4. So if STEWARDSHIP IS GIVING OUR SELF WITHOUT
RESERVATION TO THE LORD, AS I GAVE MY LIFE FOR
THEE then -STEWARDSHIP IS GIVING OUR MONEY
WITHOUT RESERVATION TO THE LORD!
To tithe or not to tithe. Our Lord’s life on Earth as a man set the standard for
His disciples, and this principle applies equally to living for God and giving to
God. Paul holds Him up as the supreme Example.
2 Cor. 8:9
For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet
for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.
* Judaism was an expensive religion, and as a devout Jew, who fulfilled the
whole Law, our Lord was meticulous in fulfilling its financial obligations. What
would He pay into the Temple treasury from what He earned as a carpenter?
J. Oswald Sanders, Enjoying Intimacy with God, p. 151-58.
* A Jew was first required to give one tenth to God. Then at harvest time, the
farmer must give the firstfruits to God, and that consisted of one sixth of his
increase. Then every three years a second tenth was given for the poor social
security tax. In addition were the special offerings of cleansing and
consecration. That means that his total contributions to religion would be
nearer a fifth of his income than a tenth-and that does not include voluntary
support to the local synagogues It is not difficult to imagine the temptation in
times of stringency to withhold the tithe. So here we have our answer as to
how much of His income Jesus gave to God.
* If we object that the Jews were under law and we Christians are under grace,
and that for us the law of the tithe has been abrogated, another question
arises. Will a Christian who is experiencing intimacy with his Lord wish to
take advantage of grace so that he can give less to God’s work than the less
privileged Jew who knew nothing of Calvary’s sacrifice and the inestimable
blessings it has brought? Was our Lord’s matchless generosity in becoming
poor for us intended to beget stinginess in His children? Paul cited it rather
as an incentive to sacrificial giving.
*In speaking about tithing in
Matthew 23:23
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint
and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law,
judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave
the other undone.
Jesus said tithing was proper, and thus relevant
to us. Admittedly, tithing is nowhere specifically commanded in the New
Testament, since that is not the genius of God’s method under grace. Instead
of legislating regulations, Jesus enunciated principles by which His disciples
were to regulate their conduct. “I am not commanding you” were Paul’s
words. He knew that a lavish hand without a loving heart was valueless.
* Tithing was practiced by the patriarchs four hundred years before the Law
was given
Gen. 14:20
And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into
thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.
Gen.28:22.
And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God’s house: and of all
that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint
and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law,
judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave
the other undone.
The usage of consecrated tithes prevailed
among Romans, Greeks, and Arabians as well as with the Jews; so tithing
seems to rest on the common law of God’s Kingdom rather than on special
Hebrew legislation.
Jesus gave tithes and offerings. Is the servant greater than his Lord?
* It is a misconception of the meaning of “grace” to think that it leaves it open
for a believer to do less than a devout Jew would have done. If the true spirit
of grace has gripped my heart, I will not be calculating the minimum I can get
away with, but the maximum I can give to my Lord. The New Testament
standard is not lower than the Old.
* In speaking about tithing in
Matthew 23:23
Jesus said, “You tithe mint and dill
and cumin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice
and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done
Samuel Chadwick, “Concerning Christian Giving,” The Christian, 3 February 1967, p. 14.
without neglecting the others.” Did that obligation cease a few days later
when He died? Is the Christian not “under law to Christ,” with His higher law
of love? “I am not free from God’s law,” said Paul, “but am under Christ’s law”
1 Cor. 9:21
To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God,
but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law.
* It would seem from an impartial weighing of the relevant Scriptures, that
though there is no legal obligation resting on a believer to give a tithe, or
more, of his income, his experience of Christ’s matchless grace should
provide a powerful incentive to emulate the example of his Master. As has
been said, sacrifice is the ecstasy of giving the best we have to the One,
which we love the most.
WHAT DO GREAT CHRISTIANS SAY ABOUT TITHING?
* I am in hearty agreement with the principle Dr. Kendall expounds, that tithing
our income is a minimum Christian obligation, and that the church and its
mission are bound to suffer when we disobey. God still loves a cheerful
giver. -John Stott
* The rediscovery about God’s principles about money and tithing could
revolutionize the church. This little book … could be the spark that ignites a
new commitment to support God’s work, in God’s way, by God’s people.
Billy Graham
* A. Criswell tells us the story about the pastor who was asked, “How many
church members do you have?” The answer was, One hundred fifty.” The
pastor was further asked, “How many of them are tithers?” The pastor replied,
“One hundred fifty.” In astonishment the inquirer exclaimed, “What! All one
hundred fifty, the entire church, are tithers?” “Yes indeed,” said the pastor.
“About fifty of them bring the tithe to the storehouse, and God collects it from
the rest.” In the end “we do not cheat God,” concludes Dr. Criswell. “I can
either give it to him in a deeply spiritual act of worship, or He can collect it. In
either case, God gets His own.”
STEWARDSHIP IS RESISTING SATAN’S STRATEGY
Since money is one of the essentials of the work of the Kingdom, it is not
surprising that the great adversary does all in his power to prevent it from finding
its way into God’s treasury, and for that he has many tricks in his bag.
* BY SPENDING: He encourages over-commitment in buying: purchasing
more than one can afford on time payments, so that there is little left over to
give to God.
* BY UPGRADING: He plays on our competitive instincts and incites us to
constantly upgrade our standard of living, so that increases in income are
already committed. When John Wesley was earning -$30 a year, he lived on
Kendall, Tithing, p. 103.
$26 and gave the rest to God. When his salary was raised to $60, he lived on
$26 and gave the rest to God. [$ equals British Pounds]
* BY WAITING: He dries up the fountains of generosity in the heart by
suggesting postponement of giving to some future time. The stifling of a
generous impulse today makes it easier for us to do the same tomorrow.
* BY LEVERAGING: He so arranges things that the assets of the generous
man become frozen or over-committed, that he cannot give what he
genuinely wishes to give. Expanding business too rapidly often demands
reinvestment on a scale that leaves little for giving.
* BY KEEPING IT TO THE END: We live in such an age of uncertainty. Many
elderly fear that their savings will be exhausted before they expire. Many
others want to pass the wealth on to their children.
Thus Satan encourages people to short-circuit present liberality through what Dr.
A. J. Gordon styled extra corpus benevolence-the postponement of generosity
until after death.
Why is it that so many Christians make death their executor, leaving thousands
and millions to be dispensed by his bony fingers? … It is doubtless wise to make
modest provision for our dependents as we are able, but surely it cannot be
termed Christian generosity when a man waits until death shakes it out of his
pockets. Let us give all we can in our lifetime, and have the joy of seeing our
money work for God. God promises a reward for “deeds done in the body,” not
out of it. To be generous with God from right motives brings its reward here as
well as hereafter.
Let us aim to qualify for the blessedness promised in our Lord’s ninth beatitude.
“Only one life to live and soon is past
Only what’s done for Christ will last!”
Hoping to make the time I have left count for the glory of God.
Revelation Chapter 18 LESSON 4 Part 2