Abingdon Community ChurchSunday 26th April 2015

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Recap last week: God’s family

• Multiple pictures of the church in the Bible– Body, Flock, Bride, Vine, House, Nation

• Family– “Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister

and mother.” Mark 3:34• Three characteristics:– Families share a family likeness– Families are there for each other– Families aren’t perfect!

1.“Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income.”

2.“Money is the root of all evil”

3.“You cannot serve both God and Money”

4.“On the first day of the week, each one of you should set aside a tenth of your income ”

5.“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have”

IN

OUT

OUT

IN

IN

Ecc 5:10

Mat 6:24

Heb 13:5

c.f. 1 Tim 6:10

c.f. 1 Cor 16:2

JESUS: 16 out of 38 parables (~40%) 1 in every 3-10 verses in Matthew,

Mark & Luke

BIBLE VERSES ON...BaptismPrayerFaithLoveMoney & Possessions

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Treasures on earth or treasures in heaven?

“Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”

“You cannot serve both God and Money”

“Your use of money shows what you think of God”

Brian Kluth“You may say to yourself, ‘My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.’ But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.”

Deut 8:17,18

Matt 6:25-34“Worry is not a little weakness we all give way to from time to time. It is a sin that is strictly forbidden”

Michael Green

“Worry is practical atheism and an affront to God”R H Mounce

Worry is unnecessary, even for the hardworking.(v26)Worry is useless. (v27)Worry is blind. (v28-29)Worry is essentially a failure to trust God.(v30-32)Therefore, worry WILL affect our choices...

Invested in heaven or invested in earth?

What does this mean in practice? Parables...The rich fool (Luke 12:13-21)INVEST IN KINGDOM OR OUR OWN FUTURE/RETIRMENT?

The shrewd manager (Luke 16:1-9)INVEST IN PEOPLE & RELATIONSHIPS THAT IMPACT ETERNITY

The rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31)INVEST IN NEEDS OF OTHERS OR OUR OWN COMFORT?

The minas or talents (Luke 19:11-27, Mat 25:14-30)PLAY IT SAFE OR TAKE RISKS FOR KINGDOM ADVANCE?

Amy Carmichael (1867-1951), missionary to India:“You can give without loving...

But you cannot love without giving.”

God is the “Yahweh Yireh” - Lord our provider

God is an extravagantly generous Father!

“6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

“9 As it is written: “They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor; their righteousness endures forever.”10 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.”

TRUST“Give to God what’s right, not what’s left.”

GRATITUDE“Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.”

James 1:17 GENEROSITY

“Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.”

THIRD KEY ATMOSPHERE: GENEROSITY

OUR PRACTICE: EVERY FAMILY HAS TO HAVE A WAY TO HANDLE FINANCE

“The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the right-eous give generously... They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be a blessing.”

Psalm 37:21,26 “Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely, who conduct their affairs with justice.”

Psalm 112:5 “A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.” Proverbs 11:25 “The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor.” Proverbs 22:9

Give back 10% of all God blesses us with (i.e. gross income)

Give this to local church as place of spiritual feeding & nurture

Give as much as we can in offerings over and above this to support those in need, spread the gospel and build God’s kingdom

Alongside this, we take responsibility for our own support & that of our family – so giving is in faith not presumption.

‘Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. 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 there will not be room

enough to store it.’

Bible overview... First giving: Cain & Abel Gen 4

Offerings to God (sacrifices etc) e.g. Gen 8

Abraham & Jacob: spontaneous 10%Gen 14, 28

Mosaic Law Prophets calling Israelites back to this

Neh 13

Mal 3

Mosaic Law... Multiple offerings, firstfruits AND tithe = 10% of

all you harvested/received Lev 27:30-33 Firstfruits brought to temple, part offered on

altar, rest went to priests Num 18:12-15 Tithes went to Levites, and their tithe to priests

Num 18:21-29 Tithes usually at temple, some eaten in

celebration & rest to LevitesDeut 12:17-19, 14:22-27

After every 3 years, tithe kept locally to feed Levites, foreigners, fatherless & widowsDeut 14:28-29

Why tithe in the OT? To honour God Deut 14:23, Mal 3

The support God’s ministriesNum 18:21,Neh 13:10-11

To ensure care for the poor & needyDeut 14:28-29

To secure God’s blessing!Deut 14:29, Mal 3:10-12

23 Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. 24 So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. 25 Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.

Gal 3:23-25

PLUS Rom 7:4, 8:1-4 & many others...

We respond to God by giving in proportion to our income 1 Cor 16:1-2

Minsters of the gospel get their support from the gospel 1 Cor 9:11-14

We are commanded to remember the poor

e.g. Gal 2:9-10 Promise is still there that those who give

will receive e.g. 2 Cor 9:6, Luke 6:38

No law on giving Generosity is the rule God’s people have always given 10%,

“generous” must mean more than this! This is just the start ... Offerings, time,

love, hospitality, shared lives...

Gift Aid return from government

Capital projects(currently New Yatt road site)

King’s School

King’s Centre

Parents External users / groups

Externalgiving

profit

Hire

Contribute for use

bursaries

fees

Region: pastors salaries, working together, church planting...

~90%

OCC: Wider apostolic work, nations, HR, legal

& finances

~30%

YOU!

Local church: day to day work

Tithes & general offerings

Youth & Schools work

Specific offerings

Our God is able to bless us abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having

all that we need, we will abound in every good work ...

...we will be made rich in every way SO THAT we can be generous on every occasion, and through others our

generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. AMEN!

Our finances are a key battle ground in heaven’s invasion of earth: they reveal where our heart is.

A battle of the headDO WE SEE GOD AS AN EXTRAVAGANTLY GENEROUS FATHER OR ARE WE STILL STRUGGLING TO PROVIDE FOR OURSLEVES?

A battle of the heartDOES OUR USE OF MONEY SHOW OUR HEARTS TO BE IN HEAVEN OR ON EARTH?

A battle of the handsDOES OUR GIVING MEASURE UP TO THE GENEROSITY OF GOD?