A WHOPPER OF A LIE..
I. A MASSIVE LIE IS BEIBG
SPREAD THROUGHOUT ELKHART COUBTY AS 'WELL AS OTHER PARTS OF THR
WORLD.
A. This lie is being told on television.
B. This lie is being presented through the printed page.
C. This lie is being broadcast on radio stations.
D. This lie is being promoted by some who call themselves preachers.
E. The lie that I am speaking
of involves money.
F. People are being told that
if they will take out their check book.
G. Or they will take out their
credit card. or 1! they use cash...
H. To make a significant
contribution to a religious group.
I. God will take note of the
gift & do great things.
(1) If a big contribution is made, debt will
vanish.
(2) Giving a large sum will cause God to restore a broken family.
(3) A hefty gift will result in some type of physical healing.
(4) Giving to God is presented as a way to get about anything
J.
There are m any who teach that contributing money is the way to God's heart.
K.
This is absolutely false.
L. I want to begin by looking at some people who gave money to
God.
M. The givers we are
going to look at were big givers.
N.
These people
could have received a plaque for their generosity.
(1) Our
first text comes from 1 Sam. 15.
(2) The people of Israel had fought against
another nation.
(3) According to the text Israel won this
fight.
(4) There are war spoils from this battle.
but these are to be destroyed
(5) King Saul destroyed many things. But he
saved the best animals.
(6) There are sheep and oxen which were
suitable for sacrificing
(7) These animals were of the highest
quality.
(8) Perhaps better animals could not have
been found.
(9) These were going to be made into a gift
for Jehovah.
(10) V.
21 ~ “But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the
things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy
God in Gilgal.”
(11)
There were fine animals to be sacrificed.
(12)
However; the gift to God was not limited to livestock.
(13) The
people were going to offer other items.
(14) Rich
and expensive gifts were going to be given to God.
(15) The offering to God would be generous, be the finest
(17) What did God think about this generous offering? 22A –“And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord?
O.
God's spokesman
said, "Forget the sacrifice. Keep the money,
P.
"Leave the collection plate on the
table. "
Q.
" I do not
want what you desire to offer. "
{1) God said to Saul,
"Your offer not only disgusts me,
{2) " I am going to
punish you"
R.
I have never
heard a D preacher that God will
reject some offerings.
(1)
I have never
heard a D preacher say that God..
(2)
Has not only
rejected some offerings, God has actually punished.
(3)
These things
are in the Bible.
S.
What I have
heard preached from D pulpits -on a regular basis
T.
Is: "send in money and God will bless
you.
U.
This idea is
phoney as a $3 bill.
V. 1 Sam. 15 shows us that
this teaching is false.
(1)
If all we need
to do to be blessed by God is offer money.
(2)
Saul should
have had the windows of heaven opened.
(3)
This man tried
to make an offering, but he was punished.
(4)
Saul's generous
gift was rejected.
W.
This passage is
not the only one where this point is made.
X.
Jeremiah was a prophet to southern Israel.
Y.
He lived during
a time when Babylon was increasing in power.
Z.
Jeremiah had to do some preaching which upset
some people.
AA.
Here is what is
said in Jer. 6: 20 -~
(1)
The things
mentioned in this verse may need to be explained.
(2)
The prophet
mentions "frankincense" from "Sheba. "
{3) This incense came from a place 1400 miles
from Jerusalem.
{4)_ This
was so rare that it was used as incense in the temple
{5) This
item was very, very expensive.
{6)
Think: of this as being like an imported perfume -$800 for ½ oz
{7) The
other thing being offered to God was "sweet cane"—
{8) From
what we know this was imported from India.
AB. Getting these items would
have been difficult & expensive.
AC. Imagine, using the transportation
methods 600 years before Christ,
AD. To get costly items from a
place 1400 miles away from home.
AE. You go to all the trouble
to bring these things to Jerusalem.
AF. When you give them to someone/the receiver says, “No thanks.”
(1)" I don't want you
gift. Keep it”
(2) This is what God said to
these Jews.
(3) The
fact that these gifts were costly;
(4) The
fact that these gifts came from over a thousand miles a
(5) Did not matter to God. God
rejected the offering.
G. Maybe we cannot not imagine
turning down this type of gift from someone.
H.
God did. God
said, "Your sacrifices are not pleasing to me.
I. God did more than say He didn’t like some gifts.
J. God did more than turn away
His ear from some worshippers.
K. Perhaps one 0f the
strongest passages' is found In Amos 5.
{1) ABOS
had to deal with some people who were mean.
{2) This
man preached to people who trampled on the poor.
{3) Amos
preached to people who took bribes.
{4) Those
who were needy were neglected or defrauded.
L. I will read Amos 5:22 and
then back up to v. 21.
M.V 22 says: “Though ye
offer me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept them
neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts.
N. This is similar to the
reference in Jeremiah.
O. God said that He would
reject the contributions that people made.
P.
In verse 21, we
find that God did more than reject what was given.
Q.
verse 21 says,
“ I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in
your solemn assemblies.”
R. This is serious
(1)If
we put this into today's terms,
(2) God
would say, "I hate what you put in the collection plate
(3)
"You check; your cash contribution disgusts me.” Keep it.
II. YE HAVE A SOCIETY FULL OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE
BEEI TAUGHT SEVERAL ERRORS ABOUT GOD AND MONEY.
(1) If we rob God. we sin.
(2) If we are big givers. God
may still be unhappy with us.
{1) If
robbing God is always wrong;
{2) And if God is not automatically
pleased by big contribution.
{3) What makes Him happy?
G. The answer is -found in 2 Cor. 8: 5 –“And
this they did , not as we hoped , but first gave their own selves to the Lord,
and unto us by the will of God.”
(1) God
did not appear to Saul and say, "Give me your $. "
(2)
Jesus did not
appear to the apostles and say, "Make a contribution
(3) The Lord said
to these men, I want you.
K. Listen again to 2 Cor. 8:5
. “And this they did , not as we hoped , but first gave their own selves to
the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.”
L. This passage sheds some
light on the Old Testament references.
M. The Jews were not willing
to give themselves to God.
N. The Hebrews wanted to give
money, but not themselves. They wanted to give $ and then live as they chose.
O. This didn't work. Money has
never been a -fix -for sin.
(1)
We get this
impression -from denominational preaching.
(2)
Some of the
teaching that is done indicates $ -fixes everything
(3)
The Bible shows
that this is not true.
P.
Giving a
contribution has never been the basis for righteousness.
Q.
If we are going
to please God in our day & time we must say.
(1) “God.
I am yours. I belong to you. I submit to you.”
(2)“I
am a slave to Jesus Christ.” This is giving ourself first
(3) Many in the world &
some in the church find this to be distort (4) Many want to live as they
choose.
(5) Many
want to submit to no one but themselves.
(6) The
Bible says that each one of us serves someone.
(7) There
is a power beyond man that has a yoke around our neck. (
a) II we
are an accountable person.
b) A
force not of this earth has control of our life.
c) The
Bible says that this force is Satan or the Son of Man
d) One of
these two beings owns us.
e) There
are no exceptions to this.
{8) We
can be yoked to Satan and one day meet him.
{9) Or we
can be yoked to Christ.
{10)
Jesus said His yoke is easy and His burden is light.
(11) If
our desire is to be yoked to Jesus, we must be an active Christian.
(12) The
Lord is not interested in half-hearted pretenders.
(13) He
has not time for slack, slothful, and lazy servants.
(14) Jesus is very serious about
Christianity.
(15) The people on Jesus’ team
are forbidden from being benchwarmers.
(16) Paul made this clear when
he wrote,
(17) “For me to live is
Christ.” In other words,
(18) Paul’s purpose in life
was to serve the Lord.
(19) That’s why Paul lived.
(20) This is why Paul got up
out of bed each morning.
(21) Jesus had purchased Paul,
and Paul was a slave to Christ.
(22) WE may not be a preacher,
deacon, or an elder.
(23) We may not be a bible
class teacher.
(24) If we are a Christian,
our job is to serve the Lord.
(25) Our life is to be
dedicated to God.
(26) As a servant we live to
give and we give as we live.
R.
Day in and day
out we are building a record like we have previously
S.
Our record
needs to reflect that we are...
T.
Teaching the
lost, doing good works, and edifying God's people.
U.
Because God has
given us His best gifts,
V.
We have a
responsibility to continuously and sacrificially give.
W.
When we
understand that we are slaves to Christ;
X.
Robbing God will be unthinkable and it will not be done.
{1) We
will not rob God of an opportunity to worship Him.
{2) We
will be faithful in our assembling together.
{3) We
will not rob God in the area of our abilities.
{4) What we can do as a Christian, we will do.
{5)
Furthermore, we will try to expand our abilities so we can be {6) We w/not rob God when it Comes
to carrying out His orders.
{7) We
have been told to study, teach others, edify, and do good work
{8) When we can do these things and we do not do them, rob
God
{9) We
also have a responsibility to give of our money.
Y.
I put monetary
giving at the bottom of the list.
Z.
People will
never give a proper monetary gift until they first give.
AA.
God calls for
us to give ourself to Him.
(1)
We can refuse
and stay yoked to Satan
(2)
WE can refuse
and lived a selfish and indulgent lifestyle.
(3)
The choice is
ours. God says that what we sow is related to what we reap.
(4)
If we sow
selfishness and indulgence, we reap a complete loss.
BB.
If we sow a
life of servant hood and giving,
CC.
We reap a
reward which God Himself has prepared
DD.
To have access
to this reward, we must first give of ourself.
EE.
We must become
a slave to Christ.
The Bible tells us how we become joined to Jesus.