Offerings
Blake Heffner November 11th, 2006
“Offerings” November 11, 2006
The Sacrament of Holy Baptism and Recognition of Veterans
Texts: Luke 21;1-4; 12;48b Romans 12:1,4-8
INTRO: The theme of stewardship is all about how we manage the gifts God has given us. It is about offering these gifts back to God and using them for other people. They are never purely for our own enjoyment. Let us pray.
I. God has given us all gifts – for the good of others
Of all the lists Paul gives us of God’s gifts, I like this one in Romans the best, because these are gifts that we can identify with. They are not the extraordinary ones, like speaking in strange tongues or working miracles – which God is still giving to people today. No, here he talks about things we know and appreciate: preaching, serving, teaching, encouraging, giving, leading and showing compassion. We not only understand these gifts, we have benefited from them in others and we recognize them in our own lives.
In fact, Janet and Jeff, as parents of two boys, you’ll need every one of these gifts. Sometimes, you’ll need to preach to them and explain God’s will. They surely need you to serve them, teach them, encourage them, share your resources with them (big time!), lead them by your example, and show them compassion! Right?
I especially enjoy the picture of the Greek word for ‘encouragement.’ The KJV word ‘exhortation’ is a better translation. It means “to call near.” I see an athletic coach calling a player over, putting his arm on the player’s shoulder and telling him or her something important. It may be to admonish the player “Never do that again!” It may be a word of comfort after the player has really blundered. It may be an instruction for the rest of the team. It may be a word of encouragement that the player needs to get back into the game with confidence. What a tremendous gift it is to be an encourager.
Paul says that God grants each of us different gifts of grace. That’s true. Some are just more naturally gifted teachers; others more compassionate. I wonder if Paul might also agree that the Lord gives such things freely to us whenever and wherever they are needed. Our world is begging for such gifts today. Humble servanthood and wise leadership are rarely found in the same person. We often don’t take the time to offer sincere exhortation or heartfelt compassion. With so much debt and rampant spending, genuinely generous giving is also a rare gem.
The question is – the stewardship question is – am I / are we using the gifts that God has given us – or are we keeping them on the shelf for another day? Such gifts are never for ourselves, they are given for the sake of others. Who are the people around us that God wants us to bless?
II. Stewardship begins with “sacrifice”
Jesus told a story about a master who put his servants in charge of his affairs and then left town. His servants decided to throw a huge party while he was away. They didn’t manage his affairs faithfully. And when the master returned, they were severely punished. Stewardship begins with sacrifice - sacrificing our own agenda for that of others. Yesterday was Veterans Day, and soon we will recognize the veterans among us. Clearly, each of you had other options, but you chose to serve our country, to risk life and limb for our peace and freedom. Your tremendous sacrifices deserve to be honored.
Serving God requires sacrifice and trust in the Lord, too. David, would you tell us how God brought you into this ministry and has sustained you? …
Thank you, David. You have shared so much of yourself with us!
III. Becoming a “Living Sacrifice”
Before we talk about gifts, we should really back up. Paul began his 12th chapter to the Romans with a significant appeal: “I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God.”
In others words, prior to receiving and using God’s gifts, we must become gifts. We must present ourselves – in body, mind and soul – to God as a “living sacrifice.” This is the key to biblical stewardship. Nothing of any value happens until we get this straight. When we have offered ourselves to God, and all we have is His, then we’re ready to think about using his gifts.
Paul gives us a clear example in II Corinthians. He is telling the Corinthians how the churches in Macedonia gave unexpected and lavish gifts for the poor in Jerusalem. “They gave voluntarily according to their means and even beyond their means…[But] first, they gave themselves to the Lord.” That’s the ticket. They became living sacrifices.
The key lies in first giving ourselves to the Lord. Then it’s easy to see that our talents belong to Him, as well as our time and our resources. Too many times stewardship campaigns start with resources, and leave out the critical part about first becoming living sacrifices.
IV. Check-list for “living sacrifices”
There are a five simple ways to tell if we are living sacrifices:
· First of all, do we have a deep desire to be in worshipful conversation with our Lord – not just on Sundays? Because we belong to Him, we will want to begin each and every day in conversation with Him - praising Him for his goodness, his love and mercy, asking Him what He would have us do that day, and seeking His help in meeting the challenges of the day.
· Secondly, do we will want to spend time each day in His Word, seeking to hear His voice speak to us through the pages of the Bible. The Bible leads us into worshiping God, trusting Him to supply our needs and guide our steps. OK, we may not actually read the Bible daily, but is there within us a hunger to feed on God’s Word as our spiritual food?
· Thirdly, do we sense that our lives are being changed? It’s not enough, in God’s eyes that we are saved – although that is fundamental. Paul is always exhorting us to be changed – to take off our old nature like dirty clothes and put on the new nature in Christ. What is the evidence that we are actually being changed? Can other people tell that we are different? If not, we may taken ourselves off of the living sacrifice altar.
· Fourthly, do we have this urge to serve the Lord in concrete ways? Do we find ourselves praying, as Don Mickel often sings, “Lord, what would you have me to do?” There are some around here who are always looking for such opportunities. You can see pictures that Dale Murray took when he was refurbishing the housing of the church bell recently. Nobody asked him to do this; he simply saw the need and decided to fill it. Another saint has begun compiling a pictorial record of all our veterans. She too is always looking for something that needs to be done and quietly doing these things. How about you?
· Finally, do we find ourselves with an insatiable desire to give of our financial resources to the Lord? [Here he goes! you’re thinking. Stewardship is almost always comes down to money!] Believe it or not, living sacrifices find unadulterated joy in giving. We see this in the widow’s life. She gave everything she had that day. It’s not how much you give, but how much it means to you. God loves when we give cheerfully that which means much to us.
So, how do you stack up as a living sacrifice? Are you right there with five “Yeses”? Or, are you wondering whether there is any hope for you? Friends, there is hope for us all – at every stage of the journey. I invite you – with Paul – to present yourselves today as a living sacrifice to God. Then, you will see his gifts of grace abound in your life!
Prayer
Gracious God, we thank you that you look more at our intentions than our performance. You love us and are so patient with us. When we go astray, like a good shepherd you come looking for us. When fail to follow through on our best intentions, you are kind and eager to call us near, like a good coach, and give us a word of exhortation. Whisper such words into our hearts this morning. Invite us into deeper dimensions of discipleship. Give us encouragement and that blessed assurance that “Jesus is mine” – yes a foretaste of glory divine…
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