The sermon titled 'Giving As Worship' explores the dual nature of worship as described by Jesus in John 4:23, emphasizing worship in spirit and truth. The speaker argues that giving is a form of worship that involves both categories: it is prescribed by God (truth) and requires heartfelt engagement (spirit). The sermon focuses on Matthew 6, where Jesus discusses the connection between money and the heart, highlighting that where one's treasure is, so is one's heart. The speaker presents the idea that money and resources should be directed toward the Kingdom of God, offering a wise investment that transcends earthly limitations like moth and rust. It addresses the misconception of giving as a zero-sum game, arguing that God, the sovereign ruler, can provide abundantly beyond human understanding. The sermon includes tests to evaluate one's love for God, such as reviewing one's calendar, thoughts, and financial allocations. Several biblical examples are cited, including the widow's offering in Mark 12 and the generosity of early church believers in Acts, illustrating the transformative power of giving as worship. The speaker warns against the love of money, which can lead to idolatry and other sins, and emphasizes the importance of cheerful, sacrificial giving as a means to free oneself from material attachment.

As you listen to this, you're going to notice at about the five and a half minute mark that the audio changes. The original audio for the first part of the sermon was lost, and so it was re-recorded and then put together. The title of the sermon this morning is, giving as worship. And I'd like to begin by quoting something profound that Jesus says about worship in John chapter 4 verse 23. In John 4 23 Jesus says this, but the hour is coming and now is when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such to worship Him." So in saying this, Jesus gives his people the two great categories of worship.

Worship in spirit, in other words, engagement of the heart, engagement of the affections in acknowledging the greatness and the goodness of God. That's worship in spirit. And then worship in truth, worship according to what God has prescribed in His Word. And these two great categories are never to be disconnected, they're always to go together and not to be separated. So that worship that is characterized by one, but there's no attention given to the other, harms the worship, or maybe even invalidates the worship.

So that If I have a worship that is engaging my heart, engaging my affections, but totally neglects what God has prescribed in His Word, then that worship is harmed and may be invalidated. And the opposite is true as well. If there's just worship in truth, if there's just worship according to what God has prescribed, but it's heartless worship, that is an affront to God. God does not like that kind of worship. And so here's a question.

When we're thinking about giving as worship, would that be more in spirit or in truth, do you think? Well, I think most of us would say, no, that's more truth. That has more to do with what God has prescribed. But interestingly enough, as we go to the text in the New Testament that talk about giving, particularly as it relates to worship, we actually see that it has very much to do with the affections of the heart. So we're going to begin in Matthew chapter 6.

I'll be reading a long portion, Matthew chapter 6 verses 19 through 34, to begin to consider what Jesus has said on this topic. Matthew chapter 6 beginning in verse 19. Jesus says, Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is there your heart will be also. The lamp of the body is the eye.

If therefore your eye is good your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness! No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, Nor about your body what you will put on.

Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air for they neither Sow nor reap nor gather into barns yet your heavenly father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? So why do you worry about clothing?

Consider the lilies of the field how they grow. They neither toil nor spin and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so closed the grass of the field, which today is and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, Will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, What shall we eat, or what shall we drink, or what shall we wear? For after all these things the Gentiles seek.

For your Heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. Worship is about having God as the all-consuming occupation of the heart.

Worship is about putting God completely at the center so that he is the all-consuming occupation. And if you want a temperature check to see how you're doing with loving God with all the heart, with all the soul, with all the strength, there's a couple of places you can go to that are a really good test to let you know how you're doing. So let me suggest a few tests for the temperature of your heart. First, Your calendar is a test of the temperature of your heart. What does my calendar declare that I love?

In other words, you can go to your calendar, See the things that your time is being allocated towards and it's making a declaration about what you love. What is it declaring that I love? Now there might be a disconnect between what you say you love and what your calendar says you love. The Bible would have us believe your calendar. Here's another test.

Your thoughts. Your thoughts. Where do your thoughts gravitate to? The things that you love. It's a good temperature check.

Our thoughts are always wandering to the things that our hearts have an affection for. So if there's a disconnect between what you're saying you love and where your thoughts most often wonder to, the Bible would have us believe your thoughts. Here's a third test. It's a great temperature check. Your checkbook.

Your checkbook. Your checkbook is making a declaration about the things that you love. Because our resources flow to the things we have an affection for. So If there's a disconnect between what you say you love and what your checkbook is declaring that you love, the Bible would have us believe your checkbook. We can go to our calendar and the content of our thoughts and our checkbook to do a temperature check on how we're doing in the category of the great commandment, loving God with all heart, soul, strength.

Now Jesus is saying in Matthew 6 that there is a direct connection between those things and money, giving, resources, stuff. Here are four things that I think are plainly taught in this text in Matthew 6. Four things. Number one, Godwardness with your money is a wise investment. Now The world doesn't think that's true.

The world thinks we are crazy for giving our money this way, for allocating resources towards the Kingdom of God. What a waste when you could spend it on yourself. That's the way the world thinks. But the Bible thinks differently. God would teach us to think differently.

As our minds are being reshaped, we're going to think less like it makes more sense to spend the money on us, and more like it makes sense to spend money on the kingdom of heaven. So Jesus says, when you store up treasure here, moths can get at it, the rust can get at it, The thieves can get at it and steal it away, but when you invest in the kingdom of God, when your resources are flowing towards the advancement of the kingdom of heaven, then it's kept. Your treasure is kept for you times a million. Jesus is teaching that in Matthew 6. Your resources are kept for you beyond where the moths can get at them, and the rust, and the thieves.

And then it's multiplied and multiplied and multiplied. This is the inheritance of the saints. So it's not foolishness to allocate your resources this way. It's wisdom according to Jesus. Number two, your heart follows your money, and your money follows your heart.

You say, well that sounds like a circle. Exactly. It is a circle. Your heart follows your money and your money follows your heart. Jesus is teaching both those things here.

He's saying that your money, and what happens with it, is a display for your heart. It's a billboard for what's going on in your heart. Where does Jesus say that? He says you can't serve two masters. You can tell which master is being served by where the resources are flowing to.

So it's a display. The use of your money is a billboard to help you understand what's going on in your heart. So your money is following your heart. But the other is also true. Where your resources flow actually shapes your heart too.

It's not just a display, it's an influence. So it's a cause and an effect at the same time. And it is a circle. And it will either be a vicious cycle, you're familiar with those, spiraling down, building speed all the time, or it's a virtuous cycle. There aren't very many of those, but this has the potential to be a virtuous cycle.

Because when you're withholding, when you're withholding, it has the effect of bringing coldness to your heart. That's true. When you're giving, it has the effect, a warming effect on your heart. Number three, you can't straddle the fence, at least not for long. As much as we try to straddle the fence and have a foot in both worlds, that's not how the universe is made.

You might do that for a little while, but you're going to trend one way or the other. You're on a trajectory. Nobody straddles forever. Jesus says you can only serve one master. No one can serve God and mammon.

Mammon is money plus. All the other stuff. Mammon is just all possessions. It could be money, could be cars, could be houses. Money plus.

So you cannot straddle the fence. Number four. You don't need to worry about being Godward with your money. You don't need to worry that you're not going to have food to eat if you're Godward with your money, or you won't have clothes to wear, or You won't have shelter. You don't have to worry about that, because there is a God in the heavens, is what Jesus is teaching.

And it is not a zero-sum game. This is so important. This is one of the most important things I'm going to say. Money, things, provision is not a zero-sum game. Here's what I mean.

A zero-sum game would mean there is only a set amount to allocate to you. It can never be more or less. That's a set amount and it goes to you. So that when you give, you're losing. That's a zero-sum game.

It's a net loss to you. It's bad for you to give. Because there's only a set amount, and you're getting the set amount. That is a world without a God who rules it and who controls all of the resources and who can distribute them however he chooses. So There is a God in heaven and he can give you ten times less than you have now tomorrow or ten times more or a hundred times less or a hundred times more or a thousand times less or a thousand times more Because it's all his And He can disposition it any way He chooses, because He's the sovereign God of heaven.

So if you're thinking, I can't afford to give, because There's a set allocation for me. And if I give, then I don't have enough to eat, or have a house, or clothes to wear. You've not thought about it like Jesus is teaching us to think about it. Jesus only knows of a world where there's a sovereign God in heaven who can allocate it all however he wants. It's not a zero-sum game.

He can dump a hundred times on you tomorrow if he wants to. You don't have to be fearful and be pinching, holding, grasping, squeezing your stuff for fear there's not more stuff that could be allocated to you if you're obedient. God owns the cattle on a thousand hills. And all the rest of the hills too. A thousand is just meant to be a big number.

You know that he owns all of the things. Verse 33, but seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added to you. Shall be added to you. Shall be. God Almighty says that if our energy and our resources go towards seeking the kingdom, that the other things that we need shall be added unto us.

This is a promise from Scripture now listen to Malachi chapter 3 8 through 12 Malachi 3 8 through 12 will a man rob God Yet you have robbed me, but you say in what way have we robbed you? In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And try me now in this, says the Lord of hosts, If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such a blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it, and I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes so that He will not destroy the fruit of your ground, nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field, " says the Lord of hosts.

"'And all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a delightful land, ' says the Lord of hosts." Just put that side by side with the thinking that it's a zero-sum game. That there's just an allocation to you, no matter what, just one amount of money. So if you give out of it, you lose. That's not what God says. Certainly not what he says here in Malachi chapter 3.

He says, be faithful. I can open up the gates of heaven and dump it on you so you don't even have enough room to receive all that I send you. Now we get nervous when we get around these texts and pastors don't want to talk about money and I hate preaching on giving. I'm starting to like it actually. Why don't we want to touch this?

Because of the prosperity gospel that is a blight on the face of Christianity. It is a false gospel and no gospel at all. But that doesn't mean that this text isn't in the Bible and that it means something. And so, preachers who have come up and had an association with ministries that used manipulation and twisted arms don't want to teach on giving because it seems so self-serving. I get paid by the church.

Of course I preach on giving. Keep those tithes and offerings coming. And I have been through ministries that practice manipulation and twisted arms and I hate it. So I don't teach on giving because I want to be a thousand miles away from that. Here's the problem.

When we go to Matthew 6, it's a pastoral issue because money is tied to the heart. If you're supposed to be shepherding hearts, at some point you better be talking about money Because people are caught in that snare. And you better help them, or they'll never get free from the love of money, which leads into all sorts of other sins. Now, back to Malachi 3 for a minute. Where else does God make an offer like that?

To people who are in disobedience. That starts with an accusation and a rebuke. Can you think of anywhere else in the Bible That starts with an accusation and a rebuke. Can you think of anywhere else in the Bible that starts with an accusation and a rebuke? And ends with an invitation to open up the floodgates of heaven?

What a promise to people who have clearly been unfaithful. I spent weeks thinking about this before the conference, working on this message, And I kept trying to think of another place that's like that, where there's a promise like that, where you're invited to test God. The text says this. I'm not making it up. Test me in this.

So what am I? I'm a gym teacher. And I preach. I'm a preaching gym teacher. Here's our testimony.

We came up through homes where giving was a foregone conclusion. Faithfully giving families. Both Janet and I come from families that just, we never saw it another way. It was never even under discussion. It just happened.

Generously giving families. So we inherited that. That's a blessing. Give that to your children. Give that to your children.

We receive that. So from the earliest days of our marriage, do we ever talk about, I mean we never, I bet we haven't talked about, haven't talked 20 minutes in our married lives across 22 years about giving. We just, we received it, we received a good pattern, and we have just, the inertia has carried forward. So we've always given. Now, I have resources that a gym teacher doesn't have a claim to.

You know what I mean? I'm 20, I like to play basketball, so I think I'll major in physical education. It was about as complex as that. And then I don't even follow my major. I just, God has been abundant with us.

I'm a normal guy, I'm an average guy, and God has given us resources that we never had a right to make a claim to. And I'm not trying to just say it's only about the giving, maybe other things involved too. All I know is when I read this, I say, that has happened in my life. It's no credit to me. Write my parents a thank you note or something.

Maybe I should. We received it. A good pattern. But God has been faithful to us in this way. In our home, Malachi 3 makes a lot of sense.

And I can't afford to give makes no sense. One last thing before we leave Matthew 6. This is not about God needing our money. You knew that. This is about us being free from the love of money.

We don't give because God needs our money. We give because it helps us be free of the love of money. Psalm 50 verse 12, God says, If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine and all its fullness. God is the primary giver. God is the giver in this equation.

He's totally free of need. And He's got a thousand ways to fund the things he wants to do in this world. And when we give, we give back a sliver. We've received everything we have from him. And we give back a sliver because we're thankful.

And even if we don't, his ability to do the things he wants to do is not impaired one little bit. He's not impoverished in any way. Now, Listen to 1 Timothy 6 verses 6 through 10. Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.

And having food and clothing with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from their faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." The love of money is a gateway sin. That's what Paul is teaching. The Desire to be rich is a gateway sin.

In other words, it opens up the door to all sorts of other sins, other lusts. Why is that? Because it is idolatry. It is the lifting up of something and giving it worship that God deserves. It's the worship of money or stuff, money and stuff.

And when you open up the gate to idolatry, and particularly this kind of idolatry, these sins travel in packs. That is true. These sins travel together. So it would be unusual to find a lover of money who doesn't have other besetting sins in his or her life. If you think you can be tangled in that web and it won't keep you from worshipping in spirit, you're deceived.

Because you are worshipping. You're worshipping an idol. So the love of money is a worship killer. The love of earthly things is a worship killer. And many a rich young ruler has gone away sorrowful.

You know what I mean? The rich young ruler comes to Jesus, What must I do to have eternal life? Keep the commandments. I've kept the commandments. Give me that idol.

And he went away sorrow. Sorrowful. He loved his idol. He loved his idol. God is helping us to be free of a major worship killer with the giving commands.

The giving commands are actually a great mercy. A great mercy. We should praise God for the giving commands because He's extracting us from this sin that leads to all kinds of other sins. He's pulling us away from it. He's helping us by telling us to give.

It helps us not to love money. It helps us not to desire to be rich. Now turn to 2 Corinthians 9. 2 Corinthians 9. We're going to read the whole chapter.

2 Corinthians 9, while you're turning there, is actually a response to 1 Corinthians 16, 1 through 3. In 1 Corinthians 16, 1 through 3, Paul is writing the Corinthians and he's saying on the first day of the week, set a little bit aside. According to the prosperity that God gives you, the first day of the week comes, you set a little bit aside, so that when I send somebody to you, there will be an offering ready to take for those in need in Jerusalem. So in 1 Corinthians 16, 1-3, Paul has commanded the Corinthians to be ready to give to saints in need in Jerusalem. Second Corinthians 9 is the postscript to that, that says what's happening later.

Second Corinthians 9, beginning of verse 1, Paul writes, now concerning the ministering to the Saints it is superfluous or needless for me to write to you, for I know your willingness about which I boast of you to the Macedonians, that Achaia was ready a year ago, and your zeal has stirred up the majority. Yet I have sent the Brethren, lest our boasting of you should be in vain in this respect, that as I said, you may be ready. Lest if some Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we, not to mention you, should be ashamed of this confident boasting. Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren to go to you ahead of time and prepare your generous gift beforehand, which you had previously promised, that it may be ready as a matter of generosity and not as a grudging obligation. But this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.

So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity. For God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. As it is written, He has dispersed abroad, He has given to the poor, His righteousness endures forever. Now may He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness while you are enriched in everything for all liberality which causes thanksgiving through us to God.

For the administration of this service not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also is abounding through many thanksgivings to God. While, through the proof of this ministry, they glorify God for the obedience of your confession to the gospel of Christ and for your liberal sharing of them with them and all men and by their prayer for you who long for you because of the exceeding grace of God in you. Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift. Before I talk about this text, I want us to remember that Jesus said, on the two great commandments of love hang all the law and the prophets. Jesus said The great commandment is to love God with all heart, soul, strength.

And to love your neighbor as yourself. The great commandment and the second greatest commandment. Love for God, love for neighbor. And then he says this, it's striking. On these two commandments, these two great commandments of love, hang all the law and the prophets.

In other words, everything in your Bible takes its significance from its relationship to one of these things. So there are these two great hooks, this great frame that you have to hang everything in your Bible on. You either hang it on the hook of love for God, or you hang it on the hook of love for your neighbor, or you hang it across both hooks. Those are our options. Everything in your Bible takes its significance from its relationship to one of these two things, loving God, loving your neighbor, or loving both.

So the giving commands are about either loving God or loving your neighbor or loving both. It's both. It's both. What does this text teach in light of that? In light of the fact that giving is really at its foundation about loving God and loving your neighbor, the two great commands, What does this text teach?

Four things. Number one, your zeal can stir up others. This is verse two, where Paul says, your zeal has stirred up the majority. So here a minority of generous givers have stirred up the majority. They've been a blessing, they've been a help.

They have fanned the flames for the majority. They've been used of God to help their brothers and sisters. When we give, And this is not in any way contradicting anonymous giving, not at all. Anonymous giving is the best kind of giving. When you can do it that way, you should do it that way.

But even anonymous giving, anonymous, generous giving, does make it to the grapevine. And it makes its way around. People hear about generous anonymous giving. And they're stirred up very often. And it proves to be a blessing because people say, love is flourishing here.

God is doing something here. God is moving in the hearts of His people here. That has an effect on people who have been born again. It stirs them up. Number two, your giving should be a matter of generosity, not a grudging obligation.

That's verse 5. It's almost exactly the words of verse 5. Your giving should be a matter of generosity, an overflow of the heart, not a grudging obligation. Now, this does not mean you should only give when you feel like it. It sounds like it means that.

It does not mean that. It means that if you don't feel like it, you better know you've got a problem and do something about it. God has given us a way to troubleshoot our hearts here. I don't feel like giving. Uh-oh.

Sirens going off, red flags waving. I want to keep my stuff. No one can have any of my stuff. Problem in the heart. You either have a love for God problem, or you have a love for neighbor problem, or both.

When your heart constricts, contracts, grows cold and you don't want to part with anything, God has given you a way to troubleshoot. God has given you a siren that's going off and a red flag that is waving. Verse 7, so let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver." Why does God love a cheerful giver? Because giving, cheerful giving, is a demonstration of love and honor. Cheerful giving is a demonstration of love and honor.

Cheerful giving is a demonstration of love and honor. It's a form of worship. Cheerful giving is simply a form of worship. Number three, you get what you give, you get what you give. Verse six, if you sow sparingly you reap sparingly, if you sow bountifully you reap bountifully, don't get the heebie-jeebies We're not talking about the prosperity gospel.

We're not talking about sowing a seed. It'll come back to you in the form of a Cadillac. That's stupid. That's stupid. Verse 8, God is able.

God is able. That's what Jesus was saying in Matthew 6 when we were just there. God is able, that's all you need to know, able to do what? To make all grace abound towards you. To provide you with all sufficiency in all things.

To give you an abundance for every good work. God's able to give you money to give. Paul said that here in this chapter And this goes way more than money. Don't cheapen this by making it only money that comes back to you for your generosity. Would you be satisfied with that?

I'm not satisfied with that. I don't want to give money and get back money. I want to give money and get back joy. Get back grace. Get back burning in my heart for God.

That's what makes give a seed theology, Give a thousand dollars, get back a Cadillac. So bankrupt. We should look at that and just despise it for how little it gives you back. Number four. You're giving results in worship.

Very often you're giving results in worship. Verse 11, which causes thanksgiving through us to God. There was an eruption of thanksgiving because of the giving here. To God. In other words, people on the other end of the giving had their needs met, and they saw it coming from God.

That's really good theology, by the way. Every gift, every good gift comes from heaven. It might come through somebody, but it comes from heaven. And so these people whose needs were met thanked God. Verse 13, through the proof of this ministry they glorified God.

God received the glory for the giving. So it's a virtuous cycle, not a vicious one. Giving is a form of worship, and it results in worship. On the front end of the giving, people heard about the generous giving and they were stirred up. That's good.

And the givers were worshiping by giving cheerfully. And then on the back end, those who received glorified God for it. It's good all the way around. I'm going to close. That doesn't mean we're close to closing.

So don't get your hopes up. I'm going to close with inspiring examples of giving as worship. Inspiring examples of giving as worship. It's so fun to talk about these things, to look at these examples in the Bible, and just rejoice in them. The first one is out of Luke 19 verses 1 through 10.

Luke 19, 1 through 10 is, Zacchaeus was a wee little man, And a wee little man was he. He was a wee little unregenerate man up in a tree. And Jesus called him down and went to his house. And he repented. And he was born again.

Now verse 8, Lord I give half of my good pseudopore, and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold." Undoubtedly Zacchaeus was a money-loving man. But when he was born again, that was broken. He used to, 10 minutes ago he loved money. Now he's giving away half of his goods. And he can't remember why he loved money.

See, this is what love for God does. It just displaces love for money. This is what we see in the life of the early church. In Acts chapter 2, it's Pentecost. Peter preaches this amazing sermon.

Three thousand people are born again because the Spirit is poured out to grant faith and repentance. Then we see late in Acts chapter 2 what life in this early church is like. Listen to Acts chapter 2 verses 44 through 45. Now all who believed were together and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all as anyone had need. This is what happens when people are born again.

Especially with new believers who it's so fresh in their minds what the weight of their sin was And now the weight of their sin has been removed and they're free as a bird. They're light as a feather. They don't care about their stuff. So that if you have a need, I'll sell my stuff. Provide for your need.

Have we grown close to the miracle of our redemption? That's one of the risks of being in the faith for a long time. It's a blessing and you can't avoid it. As time goes by, you can't avoid having been in the faith for a long time, but the distance increases from that point in time when you were redeemed. You were born again, and your heart can grow cold, And sometimes you need to repent and to return to your first love, so that you stop caring about your self-forgiveness.

This is not a problem for new believers. Because last week they were bound up in the worst kind of chains. And today they're set free. And they're so happy. New believers bring a host of problems with them, but they are happy people to be free from their sins.

They don't care a lot about their stuff. Mark 12, 41-44, another inspiring example of giving as worship. Mark 12, 41-44. Jesus is standing outside the treasury. An old woman comes, she's a widow.

She only has two mites left, she puts them into the treasury. Two mites would be a fraction of a penny in our currency. A fraction of a penny. Nothing. Honestly, not worth receiving.

Not worth the time to log the amount. Obviously this is a woman who trusts God, can supply her needs. She doesn't think that she can, she's only been allocated two mites and if she gives away any of it, the game's up. She believes in a God in heaven who owns all resources and can supply her needs. So she just gives the two mites, even though that's all she has.

Out of love for God, out of gratitude to God. It's not the amount. It's not the amount. Before this widow came, the rich people were coming and putting in piles of money. And Jesus just is there quietly and then this widow comes.

The widow comes and says, guys, guys, come look at this. He thinks that the two mites are worth noticing. It's not the amount. Give sacrificially. Order your financial life so that you can give a good portion.

It's a form of worship. Order your financial life, you know, income, outgo. Order that so that you can give a good portion. Give sacrificially. It will help you be free from the love of money.

Cut your expenses. Eat out less. Do you know how fun it is to give money? Super fun. Super fun to give money.

Finally, last example, Exodus 36. Turn there, You have to see this. You have to see this one with your own two eyes. Exodus 36. Now, I want to make a disclaimer.

I preached this to a group of people yesterday who don't have a building fund. Okay, it had nothing to do with the building fund. You have a building fund, so it might seem like I'm preaching this about the building fund. It's not about the building fund. Exodus 26, 36, excuse me, Exodus 36.

I'll begin in two. In Exodus 36, God has given all the instructions for tabernacle worship. And exactly how the tabernacle is supposed to be built, the things that are supposed to go into it. And now that's going to require resources. There's going to be a call for free will offerings for the tabernacle.

Exodus 36 beginning in verse 2 I'll read through 7. Then Moses called Bezalel and Aholiab and every gifted artisan in whose heart the Lord had put wisdom, everyone whose heart was stirred to come and do the work. And they received from Moses all the offering which the children of Israel had brought for the work of the service of making the sanctuary. So they continued bringing to him freewill offerings every morning. Then all the craftsmen who were doing all the work of the sanctuary came each from the work he was doing.

And they spoke to Moses saying, the people bring much more than enough for the service of the work which the Lord commanded us to do. So Moses gave a commandment and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp saying, Let neither man nor woman do any more work for the offering of the sanctuary. And the people were restrained from bringing. For the material they had was sufficient for all the work to be done. Indeed too much.

I wonder what the fine was for that. I've commanded you not to bring anything else, and you have brought something. 30 lashes or something. I don't know. I just want to weep at the beauty of that.

Stop bringing! It's too much! What are we going to do with all this surplus? There were people who were so happy in God and rejoicing that God had given them a way to worship Him. And no one was required.

This is not the tithe. This is just free will. Who's happy? Who's thankful? Let's collect the stuff.

In Exodus 40, at the very end of Exodus, they're commissioning the tabernacle. They're starting the worship that God had commanded. God comes like a cloud into the temple, so the priests have to leave. They can't even see what they're doing in the temple. Because the presence of God falls so heavily on the tabernacle, He's been worshipped.

Even before the worship that He's prescribed begins, The generous, free-hearted, thankful, cheerful giving of His people has worshiped Him and He is glad. A few concluding remarks. Check your checkbook. Your checkbook is making a declaration about the condition of your heart. To make sure that it's saying the same thing your lips are saying.

If you find a difference, believe your checkbook. Don't stop there. Repent. Here's what happens when we repent. Until the day we die, God is going to continue revealing our sin and bringing us to repentance.

Here's what Acts 1 says, happens when you repent. Times of refreshing come from the presence of the Lord. We don't end up sorry that we repented. We end up refreshed. God sends times of refreshing from His presence when we turn away from loving earth and we turn towards him.

Next, make giving an event. Make giving an event. So, I have a confession. I'm going to advocate something that I've never once in my life done. I am a loser.

I have never done this. But my declaration that I am a loser means that I am not a hypocrite. Because I just told you I've never done this. So I'm not being hypocritical. I think when we give our offerings, dads, I think when we're giving, We should gather the troops around the checkbook.

And we should bow down before God who has given us everything we have and say, He's done it again this month. We have everything we need again this month. Thank you God for all that you've given us. Now portion goes back to you, it's only what you've given us. Thank you.

Please give us what we need next month too. God has been so faithful to the domes that it hasn't seemed like it was ever in jeopardy. Our food, our clothes, our housing, it hasn't ever seemed in jeopardy. That's how good God has been to our family. Sometimes you're close to the line.

We first got married, we were pretty close to the line. For a long time we've been way over the line. It's just never seemed like it was in jeopardy. So you stop Remembering that God has given you everything you have No, no Gather your families around the checkbook to thank God that he's given you what you need and what you have and more than Make giving an event Next how much should I give? We're finally down to it.

Finally down to the point where I tell you how much to give. Cheerfully, sacrificially. How much is that? Cheerfully, sacrificially. Is that 10%?

Cheerfully, Sacrificially. Is that 10%? Cheerfully. Sacrificially. I'm not giving you a number.

Should you give to the building fund? I have no idea. I'm probably not going to. I'll keep my powder dry for what Sovereign Redeemer does. Maybe you should give a lot to the building fund.

Maybe you should give nothing. But in all you're giving, it should be cheerful and sacrificial. If you find coldness of heart that makes you want to put a death grip on your stuff, you better go find the problem and address it. I believe that there are good reasons to believe that New Testament Christians should start at tithing. I do not believe the case for that is airtight.

If you want to know the reasons, I think there are good reasons to think that New Testament Christians should believe at tithing. Come talk to me, I'll give you my reasons. You'll accept them or not accept them. I almost think it's a moot point in this sense. I think it's not even the right question in this sense.

If you're giving cheerfully, if you're giving sacrificially, does that sound less than 10% to you? Like I'm not sure it helps you if the tithe doesn't carry over into the new covenant. Are you helped by that? Does that mean God isn't calling for your giving anymore? We end with Ryle.

J.C. Ryle gets the last word. Here's what he says. This is the heart of the matter. I do urge on every professing Christian who wishes to be happy.

Is the room engaged now? Professing Christians who wish to be happy. Anybody in that group? The immense importance of making no compromise between God and the world. Do not try to drive a hard bargain As if you wanted to give Christ as little of your heart as possible.

And to keep as much as possible of the things of this life. I can't cry on command, by the way. Every time I read this quote, I cry. Because in my heart, there's something that wants to drive a hard bargain. As if Christ had done nothing for us.

But God wants us to be a people who have felt the weight of our sins. And Remember what it's like to be as free as a bird, and as light as a feather. That governs us, so we don't care about stuff. If you find something in your heart that has you wanting to drive a hard bargain so you can keep as much of your heart as possible, may God have mercy on us. We are a payable people indeed.

Let's pray. Oh, I thank you for your grace in Christ and how I want it to be before my eyes at all times. I want to be like the tax collector who cannot even lift his eyes to Heaven, but beats his breast and says, have mercy on me a sinner. God, help us not to love money, help us to love you. Help us to grow in our love for you, Lord.

Teach us, instruct us, incline our hearts towards you. Pray that you would break us from wanting to make a hard bargain with you. And we would surrender ourselves to completely be yours. All of the things that you've given us would be in play for your kingdom. To advance the kingship of Jesus Christ.

May it be so in Jesus name, Amen.