Title: NOW ABOUT THE OFFERING

Focus: Our offerings to the Lord are a reflection of our heart’s disposition toward God and his rule in our lives.

Function: To move the people to worship God by disciplined, gracious giving and management of our God-given, financial resources.

Texts: Malachi 2:17-3:12; Luke 21:1-4

In his little booklet The Treasure Principle, Randy Alcorn tells a story about Alfred Nobel. Alfred Nobel was a famous Swedish chemist. He lived in the 19^th century and was fabulously rich because he invented and produced dynamite. Sticks of dynamites turned into bars of gold for Alfred Nobel.

Sometime in 1888, Mr. Nobel had a traumatic experience that changed his attitude toward money and wealth. He had learned that his brother Ludvig had died in France. But when he read in subsequent days the obituary in a French newspaper, he noticed that the editor of the paper had made a colossal error. The editor had placed the name of Alfred instead of Ludvig in the obituary. And the obituary read: “The Merchant of Death is Dead.”

The obituary with his name on it shocked Alfred Nobel, for the obituary described a man who made a fortune by helping people kill one another. As a result of his obituary, Alfred Nobel searched his heart and resolved to use his wealth to change his legacy. Alcorn wrote “When Nobel died eight years later, he left more than $9 million to fund awards for people whose work benefited humanity. The awards became known as the Nobel Prizes.”

Now you and I are fortunate. We don’t have to wait and read our own obituary to examine our hearts on the matter of money and stewardship. We have God’s Word, and we have Christ’s instructions and commendations.

The obituary jarred Alfred Nobel into deep soul searching. I hope that God’s Word and Christ’s instructions will do the same for you and me today. For just as Alfred Nobel was keen on making a fortune and living for himself, so we too find such impulses in our own hearts. God calls us, however, to live the life—not of a miser or of a greedy person, but the life of a grateful steward of God’s resources.

From today’s Scripture reading, I submit, it becomes clear that our offerings to the Lord are a reflection of our heart’s disposition toward God and his rule in our lives. I call upon each one of us—young and old alike—to worship God by disciplined, gracious giving and sound stewardship of our God-given resources.

But why should we pay attention to God’s Word, let alone listen to the preacher today? The answer is simple: If you consider yourself to be part of God’s people, then listen up. The prophet Malachi, for example, makes reference to the Levites—who are the temple priests; they are ministers of God’s Word and they present offerings to God on behalf of God’s people. The Levites had better listen to God’s Word, for they were forsaking their ministry; they did not walk their talk.

Malachi also addresses the nation of Israel, the O.T. church. In 3:6 he refers to the “descendants of Jacob” and in verse 9 Malachi echoes the Word of God saying: “You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me.” It turns out that the O.T. church in the days of Malachi is failing to practice the discipline of tithing as an act of divine worship.

Centuries later, we notice from the gospel of Luke that Jesus is addressing his followers. And Jesus has a word for the rich and the poor alike. So, I submit that you and I, who claim to be part of God’s people, followers of the Lord Jesus Christ today, do well to listen. God has a word for us. Our offerings to the Lord are a reflection of our heart’s disposition toward God and his rule in our lives.

Now what do we hear God say today through Malachi, the prophet and through Jesus, the Savior of the world?

Malachi speaks out against ungodly practices. Assuming the posture of a judge, God speaks through Malachi and says: “I will come near to you for judgment. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers, and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive aliens of justice, but do not fear me….” Clearly, there’s a host of problems and sinful behaviors going on in the O.T. church or people of God.

Another big problem is Israel’s refusal to discipline itself in worship by following God’s worship instructions on tithing. “You are robbing me,” says the Lord. “Bring me the whole tithe (not 2%, not 3 or 6% but the whole 1 tenth or 10% of your income) into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house.” In other words, the poor and destitute among God’s people do not have enough to eat because God’s people fail to worship God with their financial, God-given resources. People suffer because God’s people say “phew” on tithing.

God has a word for us who are so inclined: “Stop robbing me.” Repent. And watch or test me and see if I will not show my favor toward you with blessings from heaven. God has a word for all of us when it comes to presenting our offerings to him. Give me the whole tithe!

Centuries later, the Lord Jesus reinforces the discipline of offering our gifts to God, for he commends the poor widow for giving her last few coins, over against the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. Jesus says: “This poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”

Clearly, the poor widow’s giving reflect a commitment toward God that is different from the heart commitment of the rich. The rich cling to their resources; the poor widow lets go even of her last two copper coins. The rich place their future, their security and their trust in their financial resources; the poor widow surrenders her life, her future, her all to God. And Jesus praises her for doing so. That’s why I say that our offerings to the Lord are a reflection of our heart’s disposition toward God and his rule in our lives.

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The temple in Jerusalem is the place where God reveals himself as Israel’s God. It’s the place where people come to pray and present their sacrifices and offerings to the Lord. Today, God’s people come together for public worship at church. God reveals himself through all the acts of worship, including the preaching, the sacraments, and yes, the offerings. Here are some things you and I must always remember when it comes to our offerings in the context of public worship:

a. The offering is an act of worship: Many of us seem to think it’s a time for innocent diversions—taking notes, sharing peppermints, or reading bulletin announcements—while the offering plate passes by. But truly, presenting your financial gifts in worship is a way of revealing your heart’s disposition toward God and his reign in your life. Do not think of the offering time as something of a nuisance or a diversion or as something that is “optional.” The offering is an act of worship—an act just as important and precious to God as the acts of prayer or confession or preaching.

b. The offering is an act of love: When we present our financial gifts, we do so in the context of God’s Word, which says that we are to love God and our neighbor. Our gifts make it possible to express love toward our neighbor. And our offerings enable the church to spread the influence or rule of God in the world. At its core, the offering is an act of love. And we show the disposition of our hearts toward God by our engagement or participation in the offerings.

c. The offering is an act of faith: When the poor widow offered her last two coins, she placed her life in God’s hand, trusting in God’s provision for her. That was an act of faith. When we give of our financial resources, and do so charitably, with the discipline of regular tithing, we are saying in essence to God: “Lord, we trust that you will provide for our daily bread.” The offering is an act of faith.

d. The offering is an act of gratitude. Some people think that God is too demanding when he asks us to give and tithe from our resources. Thus they end up robbing God. But remember that our offerings are always in response to God’s gifts to us—whether it’s the gift of income, of employment, of ability to generate resources or whether it’s the gift of salvation that comes to us in Jesus Christ. Our giving is always in response to God’s giving to us. So, our offering is an act of gratitude—an act of thankfulness toward God’s love and provision and salvation for us.

e. The offering is an act of obedience: God calls for the giving of our resources as an act of worship because God thereby shapes us to be the kind of people he wants us to be. God wants us to be his stewards of the resources he gives us. As stewards, God demands that we return to him a portion of the gifts we receive from him. When we do so, we become the kind of stewards God wants us to be. And thus, in offering our gifts we demonstrate not only love, and faith and gratitude, but also obedience to our heavenly Father.

f. The offering is an act of freedom: the miser in our midst and the greedy among us are people that are in bondage to money. Christians, however, are called to be free, free to serve, free to give of themselves and their resources in service of God’s kingdom. Those unwilling to present their gifts or offerings in accordance with God’s Word show that they are in bondage. Shall we bow down in service to the gods of wealth and money or shall we serve the living God? The offering is an act of freedom. Clearly, folks, our offerings to the Lord are a reflection of our heart’s disposition toward God and his rule in our lives.

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So, here’s what I ask each one of us to do:

Follow God’s example and practice tithing: Yes, tithe as God tithes. Does not the scripture say that Christ apportions gifts to the church—not only financial resources but also people with particular abilities and gifts: pastors, evangelists, teachers, etc.? In fact, Paul says in Eph. 4:7 that “…to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.” And does not the Scripture teach us that God the Holy Spirit provides us with abilities such as hospitality, teaching, prophesying, exercising faith, and gifts of service?

What would happen if God stops granting us such gifts? What would happen if God stops giving us sunlight for the crops, energy for the greenhouses, and scientific knowledge to make life better for society? What if God stops apportioning gifts to churches, people groups and nations? What if God withholds his gifts? Then we experience poverty, and misery, and judgment. If God stops tithing his gifts to each one of us according to his grace and sovereign will, you and I will ultimately perish. We live by the grace of God. He tithes or apportions to us his lavish gifts.

We must learn to do the same. Some of us here will protest and say that Christians do not live under law but grace. “Tithing is no longer required by God,” many will argue. You are right. God looks for something far more precious than the discipline of tithing in our lives; he looks for grace, gratitude, love, faith and obedience—a heart filled with worship of him.

Think of tithing as a discipline. A toddler must learn to walk steadily so that he can go through life as God has designed. The discipline of walking leads to the grace of moving forward, of going to places, and of living a full life. So it is with tithing. The discipline of tithing leads to a disciplined approach of managing God’s resources. In fact, good stewardship begins with the tithe.

Surely, the person who tithes discovers the grace of faith and love and gratitude and obedience. Charity and joy come to the foreground and become the fuel that lies at the heart of our weekly offerings. But the offerings begin with the discipline of tithing and culminate with the lifestyle of gratitude and joyful giving to God. Do not rob God. Rather, follow God’s example and practice tithing. It will lead to a heart that learns to rest in God.

With the near collapse of the financial and housing markets these last few weeks and months, many of us have lost money, if not in reality, then on paper. Some have lost more than money. I hope and pray that none of us have lost faith and trust in God’s provision.

Now, more than ever, we do well to examine our hearts. Do we trust God for daily provision—like the poor widow—and shall we show our trust, our love, our faith, our gratitude, our freedom in Christ and our obedience to God? Or shall we choose the way of the miser? Shall we act as robbers or shall we act as stewards with the resources God gives us?

Hear the Word of the Lord! In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen!