Sermon Title: Heart Giving 11.20.16

Heart Giving (11.20.16) 1

First Scripture: Philippians 4:10-13

10I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me.Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it.11I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be contentwhatever the circumstances.12I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.13I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

Second Scripture: Matthew 6:19-21, 25-33

(19-21) 19“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth,where moths and vermin destroy,and where thieves break in and steal.20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven,where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

(25-33) 25“Therefore I tell you, do not worryabout your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.Are you not much more valuable than they?27Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[e]?

28“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendorwas dressed like one of these.30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?31So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.33But seek first his kingdomand his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Breakfast is probably my favorite meal of the day. I could eat breakfast for, breakfast, lunch and dinner! What are some of our favorite breakfast foods?
Now that we are all hungry, let's consider what breakfast can teach us about the difference between mere involvement and being committed. In a bacon, egg, and cheese omelet, the cow and chicken are involved whereas the pig is committed! More than our mere involvement in church and His kingdom, God wants us to be committed to it! This morning we are completing our generosity series entitled Shiny gods with commitment Sunday. In this series our hope is to free ourselves from the shiny god distractions so we can be more committed to God and His purposes for our lives.
We started this journey by naming our idols, discerning how God can show us where we have misplaced our loyalty, and love for Him on the passing things of this world. We then continued by considering that the reason God frees us from those distractions is for work. Work is God's means of enabling us to bless others and live out our calling. Last week we looked at the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000 to discern how kingdom economics work. They work by seeing the need to share God's love and surrendering what we have to God so He might use our service to spread His kingdom.
We are completing the series with a call for commitment to heart giving. What has God called us to commit to in terms of supporting the ministries of this church? Not a commitment of paying dues to be a part of a club, or a tax to pay so we earn heaven, or anything like that. Instead, heart giving is a commitment to invest in God's kingdom here on earth. Heart giving is recognizing that we, as followers of Christ, are to not store up earthly treasures of material positions. Instead, heart giving leads us to, as Jesus tells us in our reading out of Matthew, invest our treasures in God's kingdom! So, what is heart giving andhow does it show that we are not merely involved in God's kingdom but committed to it? Our answers all begin with the letter 'C' to help us all with memory. They are giving with confidence, contentment, and courage.
When giving to the Kingdom of Heaven from the heart our commitment comes from being confident and not controlling with our resources.
In our reading out of Matthew, right after Jesus asks why do you worry about having things to eat or wear He says, in verse 30, "you of little faith? Why do you worry... Your Father in heaven knows you need these things." In making the connection between a lack of faith and worry, Jesus reveals something very profound about heart giving. The question it raises is, who or what do we really have confidence in, who or what do we really trust?If our ultimate trust is in earthly resources every time the stock market hiccups, the price of gas goes up, or our 401k seems uncertain we are going to want to control our money.
Our hearts will stop us from committing to God's kingdom because our trust, our confidence, does not rest upon Him. Of course, problems with this abound. First, our money will begin to control us, rather than us controlling our money. This is how idolatry works. Idols promise to give us comfort and control when all they really do is produce more anxiety and begin to control us. The second is related to this. When our hearts become consumed over how to control our money and financial future we will miss out on the very reason we were created. We were created to be sons and daughters of the King of the universe. We were created to be agents of His healing, hope, and wholeness.
If, on the other hand, we put our confidence in the Lord our money will become a tool in God's hands, rather than a master controlling us. This, of course, does not mean we become irresponsible thinking "I can spend money however I want, because my confidence is in the Lord and He'll magically fill my bank account when I need it." Instead, putting our confidence in the Lord means dealing with the resources we have been given responsibility realizing they are a means to an end, not an end in and of themselves. That end is seeking first His kingdom and His righteousness. Seeking His kingdom first means giving God our first and best, not or leftovers. When we invest in that, we can be confident, that he will bring about His kingdom of love, grace, and life transformation through our investment. I promise you, that is an investment we will never regret!
As we grow in confidence in the Lord and our money controls us less, we begin to be content with what the Lord has given us but never complacent with where we are.
Let's take a close look at verses 32-33 in our reading out of Matthew this morning. Jesus says "32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.33But seek first his kingdomand his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Here Jesus does not tell us to live complacent lives. Lives where we do not run after, seek, or strive after anything. Instead heart giving causes us to live passionately, seeking His kingdom and righteousness. In the Lord, heart giving causes us to be content with what He has given us but never complacent with where we are.
This is where Paul is coming from in our reading out of Philippians. Paul tells us that he has learned the how to be content with an abundance of material comfort and when lacking it. The secretis realizing our life purpose. It is not to obtain stuff and material comfort. Instead, we were made to seek after God's kingdom coming through us. In that, we can be content, knowing that God will provide for us what we need to live out that purpose. If the stock market is up, we are content, if it is down, we are content, if our retirement is going well, we are content, if it is not going so well, we are content. We are content because we trust that He will provide us with what we need to live out the mission He has given us!
Content but never complacent knowing that He calls us to give from the heart. Actively, and sacrificially, give ourselves to His mission. Heart giving asks, how can I be content with living more simplistically so I can invest in His kingdom? What is the next sacrifice He is calling me to make, not reluctantly, but joyously? Joyously, because in it we can participate in His in-breaking kingdom. His kingdom feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned with the good news of God's redemption through Jesus Christ.
While living in contentment with what God has given us and not being complacent with were we are, heart giving calls us to be courageous in living and giving!
So much of how we approach our finances and giving is not courageous but cowardly. We worry about not having enough, losing what we have, and what it might look like to live more simply. When considering our fears surrounding money and the investment of it, I am reminded of Jesus' parable of the talents. In this parable a master goes on a long trip leaving five talents to one servant, two to another, and one to the final servant. A talent was the equivalent of 20 years wages. So even though one received five, another two, and the final one only one, all of them have received a large sum of money.
The servants given five and two talents invested the money and doubled it! The master's said to both of them"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!" The servant given one talent buried it and gave it back to the master. In explaining himself he blames the master, citing fear as his excuse for not investing. The master's response was, less than favorable. In Matthew 25:26-30, the master says, "‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed?27Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags.29For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.30And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Like I said, less than favorable!
There are a few important things to note here. First, notice the master does not show any preference between the first two servants. He does not give more praise to the one who had received, and invested five compared to the one who did the same thing with two. Also, the servant with one tries to blame the master, and his fear of him, as his reason to not invest the money. In the same way, God does not care how much we have currently. We all have different monetary, talent, opportunity, and energy resources. Like the master in the parable, God is concerned withwhat are wedoing with the resources we have been given. When we are giving from the heart in God's kingdom we cannot allow fear over losing what we have make us cowards. First of all, everything we have been given is a gift from Him anyhow. Second, God has given us those gifts, not to horde them as cowards, but to courageously invest them in His kingdom and His righteousness coming through us!
In a moment Anjanette is going to sing the song Legacy. During that time, we are inviting everyone to come forward and put your commitment card in one of these baskets. As we consider the commitment God is calling us to let's ask God, "How can we be more like the pig and less like the chicken and cow in breakfast? What kind of legacy do you want me to leave? How can I not just be involved with You and Your kingdom but committed to them?"
Committed by being confident, not in our own ability but in the power of the Holy Spirit working through us and our resources of time, talents, and treasures. Committed by being content with what we have but never complacent in where we are. Committed through courageous giving. Courageous giving as reflected in what Pastor Mike Slaughter, the author of the book that inspired this series, wrote, "I want to know at the end of my life that I did something more than eat the food, breathe the air, and have a pretty good life. I want to know that I left it all on the field, sowed all that I was given, and reaped a harvest that will continue to have an impact on lives for the Kingdom long after I have physically left this place. What about you? Join me. Let's lose our lives, only to find them in God's love."
Let us pray: Lord, incline our hearts to commit to you so that our giving is truly heart giving.
Receive this blessing and benediction: Let us go forth, leaving it all out on the field. Committing our lives to God's kingdom coming to us and through us. Making our sacrifice heart giving!