"Real Transformation Through Compassion"

This morning will be a little different for several reasons.

First, Pastor Dean asked that I preach two sermons on Money. You may wonder why he is not preaching these sermons but it might have something to do with the expression 'If you can't stand the heat then stay out of the Kitchen' ? I guess the heat will be all mine.

This morning will also be different because the sermons will be more teaching than preaching, more theory than practice. I have even provided Coles notes of pertinent scripture passages. Hopefully this will help you follow along and give you some fodder for after service discussions which are sure to follow.

Finally, this will be a different because I plan to preach both sermons this morning. I thought it best that we just get it over with - like swallowing strong medicine all at once. Next week, in place of 'theoretical' lessons, we will have 'real' people talk about 'real' spiritual journeys as it pertains to today's topic.

So let's begin the first sermon. This sermon is directed specifically to those of you who have not yet made a spiritual commitment to follow Jesus Christ. You know you are welcome here as you journey spiritually and we are ok with the fact that you are still looking, not buying. So here is your sermon. Lakeview Church is a registered charity with the Government of Canada. You will be issued receipts for any gifts you might make. We appreciate all donations of time or money; however, please understand that we are just glad that you are here - please don't feel any obligation to give. Thank-you and have a nice day.

If this sermon applies to you then feel free to head to Bean Blessed for a coffee; however, you are more than welcome to hang out and watch the Christ followers squirm during Sermon No. 2 - it could be amusing.

Ok, now for the rest of us, those who are striving to be committed followers of Jesus Christ, before we begin I am going to pray. This will provide a moment of grace since, as you know, prayer is not only a means of communicating with God, invoking the Almighty to assist us in times distress, such as during sermons on money, it is also the one time in the service when nearly everyone's eyes are shut. So if you are expecting to be overly uncomfortable with today's sermon then let me extend this grace. Feel free to take this opportunity to step out and join the others at coffee. God is gracious, he does not push, he calls. Please stay only if you are willing to listen to his call.

Now as we go to prayer I want you all to stand. This will make it easier for people to get by you. It also allows you easier access to your wallets or purses since as we go to prayer I would like you to reach inside your purse or wallet and take out some money, denominations of cash or a debit or credit card. Hold these in your hand and after prayer leave them tucked into your notes or the pew in front of you. We might as well go face to face right from the start.

Let us Pray- Our hands hold paper and plastic. Teach us from the Greatest Command- heart/treasure, soul/will, mind/truth, strength/living each day

You may be seated. There are nearly 2400 references in scripture to wealth and money - more than references to prayer or heaven or hell. There are rules on giving a percent of our income, referred to as a tithe. A hotly debated topic in churches - is it a fixed percentage? Taken on gross or net? Directed to your local church or just good works? There are also commands about giving to the poor, about charging interest, about making loans and on and on it goes.

Now I understand there are personality types out there that would much prefer that I just simply lay out the rules - plain and simple. It makes it a lot easier to know whether you are right or wrong. Unfortunately, as an 'idea' person I get most excited about the underlying truths, the principles, that lie behind the rules. Next week will see how these principles are lived out in 'real' lives.

The first principle is one that is viewed very strangely by North American culture in the 21 st century. It is the principle of Lordship.

Lordship

Romans 10:9 says: '.if you confess with your mouth "Jesus is Lord" and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved ". As a Christ follower you have confessed, that is agreed with God, that Jesus is Lord. But what do we mean by Lord and what does that have to do with my money. Let's begin by looking at this name, in scripture.

You will remember the story of God revealing his name to Moses in front of the burning bush? He said his name was YHWH, or Yahweh, a name that the Hebrew people feared to pronounce, and which literally means, the 'I AM', or the 'I ALWAYS WILL BE'. Since the Hebrew people wouldn't pronounce the name, they would often refer to God simply as 'Adonai' or Lord. It was in medieval times that the vowels from Adonai were mixed with YHWH to form the word 'Jehovah'.

The name of God is a mystery and what God meant may never be fully known but it carries the sense of an existence which is before all others. Nelson's dictionary writes: "An existence that is eternal and from which all other reality is created. God is the author of life and salvation... who is behind everything and to whom everything must finally be traced." (Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary, 1986)

In the New Testament Jesus is often referred to as 'Lord'. You may recall Thomas' declaration of faith (John 20:28); ' My Lord and My God ". The Greek word used is 'kurios (koo'-ree-os)' meaning supreme in authority.

It is difficult for us to fully grasp the significance of Lordship. We are a democratized culture. We assume all beings should be equal - but we cannot democratize God. He is not equal. He is entirely different, the great I AM, from an entirely different dimension, outside of time and space, all holy, all just, all powerful, all righteous. If you truly met such a being face to face what would be your response?

We could spend a weeks studying Lordship. But let me give you two clear outcomes of this principle in scripture.

The first is that nothing created is ours - it is all His. The people of Israel were led from Egypt to become a holy nation, given a Promise Land, but God made it clear in Leviticus:

• The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is mine and you are but aliens and my tenants . (Lev 25:23)

The great book of wisdom reminds us:

• when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, -- this is a gift of God . (Eccl 5:18-19)

The psalmist wrote:

• "The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it." (Psalms 24)

And James reminds us

• Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father . (James 1:17)

The second lesson, more prominent in the New Testament, is that not only is all of creation God's, but when we are bought back, redeemed, by the death and resurrection of Christ then all of who we are is his.

• Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. (1 Cor 6:9-10)
• I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)
• Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-- this is your spiritual act of worship . (Rom 12:1)

So, all you are, and all you own - every dollar you receive, every moment of your day, is not your own, it is God's. Now if you are like me that kind of statement starts to get your back up a bit. We begin to resist. But God is not imposing his Lordship - as the apostle Paul reminds us repeatedly, but calling us to loving lay down our lives - to literally become slaves of love.

C.S. Lewis refers to God's allowance for us to exercise our will, even when it would override his, as the 'Divine Abdication'. An all powerful God, the Lord of all the universe, the Lord of all we are whether we acknowledge it or not, allows us to choose whether we will recognize his Lordship. In fact, most of the journey of Salvation is about learning to submit to his Lordship.

Now many of us would mentally accede to the Lordship of Christ. But his Lordship isn't always lived out in our lives. I remind myself a lot our dog Lucy in this regard. There is no question that Lucy sees the human's in her family as Lord. They are from another dimension - they can open doors and provide food and water seemingly out of nothing. But they also call for obedience and well, although she acknowledges our Lordship it is not always practiced with a great deal of enthusiasm. The following video will show her willing obedience, for a reward, and then obedience that is less than an enthusiastic acknowledgement of Lordship.

Example of Lucy the Dog's reponse to "Lordship" - video

So how do we learn to bend our will to his - to acknowledge his Lordship, to daily remind ourselves that all we have and all we are belongs to him?

The Old Testament provides a wonderful tool for this - it is called a tithe. What we produce, whether from the Land or wages from an employer, represents our lives. In the Old Testament the practice was described as setting aside 1/10 th for God. Listen to just a couple of verses that describe this practice:

• 'A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD' (Lev 27:30)
• 'Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the Lord your God' (Exodus 23:19)
• 'Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year. so that you may learn to revere the LORD your God always.' (Deuteronomy 14: 22-24)

By giving away 1/10 th of our income we remind ourselves and tell God - 'I recognize that what I have is not mine, it is a gift from God. I know that I am not my own, I am bought with a price. Things of this earth will not own me. I have given my life in service to a King who died for me.'

Just as an aside - I know the idea of a tithe comes across as a 'rule'.
It is a useful rule for living but your obedience isn't to the rule. Jesus condemned rules for the sake of rules when he quoted from the prophet Isaiah:

• 'These people honor me with their lips but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men " (Mark 7:6,7)

And he condemned the religious leaders with these words:

• 'Woe to you, teachers of the law ., you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices. but you have neglected the more important matters of the law - justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former'
  (Matt. 23:23-24)

In the Old Testament the bringing of the tithe wasn't a hardship - it was a time of rejoicing and celebration. Paul reminds us that the spirit of giving is critical:

• 'Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.'
  (II Corinthians 9:7)

The tithe can help you express the Lordship of God in your life - however if the tithe is only a rule then obeying it does not make that Lordship so.

Stewardship

Now, it is not difficult to figure out how much your tithe will be. You simply take the number at the bottom of your pay stub and move the decimal over 1 place to the left. If only tax Canada would be so simple.

There is a temptation; however, to faithfully write the check for the 10% and then feel a great rush of freedom that you can now spend the rest however you wish. God gets 10% I get 90%. That really isn't the deal. Christ didn't promote this view of the tithe. His concern was much more on how we manage the 90%.

One of his clearest teachings on Lordship was his metaphor of a steward. The Webster-Merriam dictionary defines a steward this way:

• one employed to manage.a fiscal agent.one who actively directs affairs

In the parables of the stewards, or you may know them as the parable of the talents, Christ lays out God's expectations as it pertains to his Lordship over our resources. I will leave you to read through these parables in detail but you know the basic story line. In Matthew the talents are given by a wealthy man, while in Luke it is a man of noble birth about to be appointed King:

• ' It will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability'. (Matthew 25)

Notice that each servant gets a different numbers of talents. We don't the same resources - but we are accountable for the resources we have. Each of the stewards are given freedom to do as they feel is wise with the money. Two of the servants invest wisely and double that of which they are stewards. But one buries it, hides it away . possibly due to fear, or laziness. In the end he loses the very thing he is trying to keep.

The master's response to the 2 wise stewards is exactly the same:

• 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' (Matt 25:23)
• Jesus' conclusion is this:
  • For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. (Matthew 25:29-30)

God's priority is not on preserving but rather on expanding his Kingdom through careful and intelligent use of the resources he has given us. To be a good steward you must act wisely. You must plan, make considered choices.

Now you are going to hate this . you will need a management plan, a budget, you will need to plan ahead. You will need to figure out a way to manage your money, to reduce your debt load. Consider Paul's very practical advice to the Corinthian church:

• 'Now about the collection for God's people:. On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.' (1Cor 16:1,2)
• Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give,
  (2 Cor 9:7-8)

Decisions must be made - no 'impulse' giving here.

But why do we struggle with making wise decisions about kingdom investments. Well there is a second parable which you should read - the parable of the sower. In this parable Christ is pretty blunt about what he sees as the biggest challenge for stewards.

The story begins with the description of a farmer sowing seed. Some seed falls on the path and is eaten by birds. Some falls on rock and sprouts but dies off. Some falls among good ground but ground that is full of thorns and some falls on clean, good soil yielding a crop a hundred times more than was sown. (Luke 8:5-8)

Christ explains that the seed on the pathway represents the lives of people where the gospel never enters their hearts, the rocky soil is the where the gospel is received but where the soil is too shallow for roots, but the seed on good soil filled with thorns is particularly tragic:

• 'The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature.' (Luke 8:14)

Bob Dylan sang; "it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody."

Christ reminds us that a good steward must make a choice:

• 'No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.' (Luke 16:13)

If you have lost the 'freedom' to be a good steward then you need help. You may need to learn to budget your money or get out from a stifling debt load. The church has people who can work with you so that you don't face these struggles alone. Call Pastor Dean, Elizabeth, Gloria, or Darren - we have a small group bible study on stewardship, we have people that will work one-on-one with you on budgets and money management.

Stewardship requires planning and fiscal management. Economic decision making is based on making optimum choices. So how do we know what is best? This question moves us to the final principle.

Discipleship

So we are to recognize the Lordship of Christ in all we have and are to be wise stewards of the resources with which we have been entrusted, but what is in it for me? What good do I get out of starting to tithe, or being a better manager of my resources?

Don't you find that the life of a Christ follower is full of irony? The way up is down, the first are last, the greatest is the servant of all?

Well here is another area much like that. You see, God is Lord whether you recognize it or not. He controls your investments whether you are wise or not. The reason that he gives us these choices, this freedom, is so that by learning to trust and obey we will begin to receive that for which we really hunger - our Salvation.

Lordship and Stewardship are simply disciplines because we are called to the life of a disciple.

Here is the call of Christ to his disciples:

• 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.' ( Matt. 16:24 )

Self denial is simply the daily life of a good steward. Do I really need the new car, house, or expensive holiday? Sometimes the answer from God is 'yes' - you do. Rejoice - he is extravagant in his blessings. But many times it is no, you can do without it. The point is, a good steward asks the question; 'where is the wisest investment of my time and money?' and with God's help he learns to be a good manager of God's resources and through his life the kingdom multiples a hundred times.

This doesn't depend simply on 'rules' - it depends on your ability to listen and obey - to follow. Saying day after day after day, 'You are Lord. You are my leader and my King. Give me the grace this day to be obedient to your Lordship.' And know that God will go with you as choose to initiate this daily journey.

Isaiah spoke about this when he wrote:

• 'Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it.' (Isa 30:21)

But there are also times that he will ask for everything. Not just 10% or a wise investment. He will ask for your entire life. He will ask you to take up your cross. He will ask you for a sacrificial gift. Listen to these passages:

• 'I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, . ' (Rom 12:1)
• . whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ-- I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 3:7,8 )

How many of you have watched the Fellowship of the Ring? The danger in the movie is a ring, a ring that exerts power over the heart of its holder until it twists and corrupts them completely. 1 Tim 6:10 reminds us that 'the love of money is a root of all evil.'

If you love money you are in grave danger. You can minimize the danger by being a careful steward of your resources, using them wisely as God directs, and by regularly declaring your allegiance with the tithe. But there are times when the defeat of the enemy requires total sacrifice - not just management or rules.

There is a hero in the movie - a wizard named Gandalf. He was a faithful steward of the Fellowship of the Ring, trying to make wise choices, denying his own desires in order to follow his quest. Yet in spite of wise choices circumstances bring him into the mines of Moria where he has to confront the devil himself, Belrog. There is only one way to escape - watch and see.

Clip from Lord of the Rings - you Shall not Pass!

Fly, you fools!

The only way of escape was complete sacrifice. Now I don't want to spoil the sequel for you but as a result of his sacrifice he becomes a purer, more powerful wizard than he was before.

You see this is the irony of the life of a disciple. Disciplines, whether prayer, or study, or giving, seem to leave you feeling at times like you are losing your life when in fact it is returning to you the life you were always meant to have.

The rich young ruler asked Christ for eternal life. Christ tests him by telling him; ' Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me. ' The man became sad because he had great wealth.

• 'Jesus said to his disciples, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!" ... It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.'
  (Mark 10:21-25)

In all the world, there are no people in greater peril from the Belrog of riches than us. But nothing is impossible with God.

• 'For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it'. Mark 8:35

Sometimes you have stop and scream out with your entire life - YOU SHALL NOT PASS!

You are no fool to give away something you cannot hold to find something you cannot lose - a life for a life.

I have included in your handout a number of beautiful promises that speak to exactly this reality. As we live in the Lordship of Christ, as we are careful stewards of his kingdom, and as we take up the life of discipleship - God will be faithful. This is along journey but God will go with you - one step at a time.

Closing - Tithes / Offerings / Confession

Next week we will hear 3 spiritual sojourners talk about God's faithfulness in the areas of tithing, stewardship, and sacrificial giving. We pray that their stories will not only inspire but will inform us of practical ways we can begin to incorporate these spiritual practices into our own lives. Remember to contact the church office if you need help with stewardship or money management. There is help if you want it.

But today I felt that we should close by offering you a liturgy, a form of communion. You may recall a few weeks ago that we knelt at the altar, sharing in the body and blood of Christ.

This morning we will receive our tithes and offerings this morning the same way. We may need to confess that our view of Christ's Lordship has been more like Lucy the Dog. We obey the rules but we don't live it out in our daily lives. We may need to ask his forgiveness for being unfaithful stewards and for his help to learn to be wise kingdom builders. We need to worship him with our tithes and our offerings and by kneeling place our whole selves on the altar.

This won't be easy. Liturgy literally means the 'work of the people.' If you are willing to do the hard work of a steward then come. You can bring your tithes and offerings if you have them ready- you may want to just bring yourself. Remember - you just have to decide - God will be patient and walk with you.

Jesus told of a poor widow who was only able to give 2 pennies but she was honoured because while others gave out of their wealth; she, gave out of her poverty. (Mark 12:43-44)

Wealth we do not lack - but it is our spiritual poverty that we need to offer up to our Lord and King.

Listen to the invitation.

'You who truly and earnestly repent of your sins, who live in love and peace with your neighbours, and who intend to lead a new life, following the commandments of God and walking henceforth in his holy ways, draw near with faith, and humbly bowing make your honest confession to Almighty God'.

Confess - agree with God - He is Lord, Give your gift as a reminder that all you have is his, and ask for his grace to deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow him.

Worship -

Benediction

Psalms 24 noticed 1st and last stanzas -benediction?

The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters.

Who may ascend the hill of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false. He will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God his Savior. Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, O God of Jacob. Selah

Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is he, this King of glory? The LORD Almighty--he is the King of glory.

Promises Closing . could cycle through during instrumental times?

1. Promises
   1. Prov 3:9-10 Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.
   2. Mal. 3:10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse/ Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.
   3. Luke 6:38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
   4. 2 Cor 9:6-15 Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. . And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. . You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
   5. 2 Cor 8:1-12 And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God's will. . just as you excel in everything-in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us-see that you also excel in this grace of giving. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.
   6. Acts 20:35 The Lord Jesus himself said: `It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"