May 8, 2019

Honoring the Lord #

Proverbs 3:9-10

Intro.

Honor - Esteem due or paid to worth; high estimation; respect; consideration; reverence;

There are many ways to honor the Lord. We can honor God with our time, we can honor God with our talents, but in this proverb, we are admonished and encouraged to honor God with our Treasure!

Giving is:

I. Developed in the Heart #

A. Starts with your heart! #

If God doesn’t have your heart, your giving cannot be right!

1. Matt 6:19-21 - #

a) Earthly treasures - corruptible, vulnerable

b) Treasure (what you value) there is your heart!

This is a heart issue!
Luke 12:16-21 - 16 - “ground brought forth”, 17 “my fruits”, 18 - “my barns” excludes God. Dangerous place to be!

B. Cheerful giver! #

(2 Cor 9:7) “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.”

Hoosier Hills Baptist Camp, Family camp offering every year. Hallelujah offering! $10 bill - Amen, $20 bill - Praise the Lord, $50 bill - Hallelujah, $100 bill - Amen, Praise the Lord, Hallelujah!

1. Money… NO!!! your problem is not the preacher, it is not the Word of God, it is not the church, it is not offerings, your problem is your heart! #

2. Giving is to be done voluntarily, not out of obligation, and cheerfully! #

II. Displayed through Substance #

A. Personal #

1. “Thy”, “Thine”. This is a personal command. It is really easy for you to tell someone else how to spend their money, but this is God telling you how to spend your money! #

So don’t think this is good for so and so… think, am I honoring God…

ASK God… am I honoring God?

God will show you if you are not honoring God.

B. Measure #

[Mark 12:41-44]{.underline}

God is not impressed with your riches!

God is impressed with your faith!

C. Substance #

1. God doesn’t limit giving to money! #

2. There are places in the world, where money is not something people have a lot of. But they are farmers, and have livestock, vegetables, they give of what they have! Don’t bring a sheep next week to church, and leave it here for us! #

3. People brought in plastic eggs for easter! People have given things to the church… it isn’t always financial. #

III. Directed to The Lord #

A. Giving is letting go! #

Not continuing to control
You don’t continue to control something you give away!
You give a gift to a friend… you cannot control what that friend does with the gift after it is given!
Some people want to give, and then control everything that is done with that gift… that is not giving!

a) Entrusting that God will use it.

b) We give to missionaries, and trust that they are using it for the Work of the Lord. We read their prayer letters, and strive to stay up to date on what they are doing… but we don’t call them, and demand the money back, or tell them where to spend it. We give and trust the Lord!

B. Giving is to the Lord #

Anchor Baptist Church is a place that seeks to operate at our very best under the leadership of the Lord!
1 Chr 29:6-9 - David is taking an offering for the Temple to be built. It was gathered in a location for God!

You may write the check to Anchor Baptist Church, but you are giving to God!

(Mal 3:10) “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.”

IV. Determined as a Priority! - “Firstfruits” #

A. Best! #

Firstfruit in the Hebrew means… first, or beginning! Firstfruit illustration: You have labored in your garden, broke up the fallow ground. You have planted the seed, watered, weeded, watched as the plant has grown. That tomato beings to grow, and you are excited as you watch it ripen up! Finally the day arrives, it is ripe, it is ready for harvest! You pick it, and it goes to God!

There is a discipline, and dedication of giving to God the first fruit! The very first that you get, it belongs to God!
I will not spend money until my tithe check is made out! God get’s the first dibs on what comes in!
God doesn’t get the left overs, HE is PRIORITIZED to the head of the line where He belongs!

B. Principle #

We have seen throughout Scripture, there is a principle of Giving to God! Giving our best to God!
God told the widow woman that didn’t have enough food for herself, to take care of Elijah (the man of God) first… Then he provided!

C. Offering #

1. Tithes and then offerings. #

V. Distributed back to you! (Pro 3:10) #

A. Does not say by who! #

This verse doesn’t say that God will give back to you. God can use any means He wants to return to you what is needful!

An elderly lady was having a tough time, and didn’t have money for food. Every day, she would bow and pray out loud. Being summer, she had her windows open. I mean old school boy heard her, and decided to play a trick on her. He went and purchased groceries, left them on her door step, knocked and hid behind the bush. She opened the doors, and praised the Lord for the groceries! He jumped out and said, “That wasn’t God, I put that food there!” She retorted, "It was God, I don’t care if He used the devil to deliver them!"

God provides through mysterious means! - Lu 6:38 “Give and it shall be given unto you… shall men give into your bosom."

B. Plenty does not mean rich, sufficient. #

A barn is not full of wealth, but rather useful materials! You store your grain to feed your livestock!
You grapes will give extra juice! What you touch, what you do will be profitable, not wasted! Contrast this will Haggai 2:1

(Hag 1:4–7) “Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie waste? (5) Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways. (6) Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes. (7) Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.”