Information about this sermon:
Preacher: Pastor Jim McCaslin
Scripture: Matthew 25:31-46
Just as Jesus gave His all, the basic principle for our Christian giving of tithes and offerings and indeed for all our financial decisions is that God owns it all. The principle that God owns it all underlies all of Scripture. Once we come to terms with the basic principle that God owns it all, we’ll be open to handling our finances God’s way.
Transcript
Well good morning morning I pray you’re having a blessed uh Thanksgiving weekend praising God for being with you for providing for you even if you’re dealing with some tribulations in your life right now as many of us are Jesus said remember that we would have tribulations in this world but be of good cheer since he has overcome those tribulations already well speaking of tribulations I know that some of you have heard the story about the old country preacher who was preaching about the last judgment from today’s Gospel in Matthew 25 Heaven or Hell Eternal punishment and fire or eternal life sheep to the right goats to the left with his emotions and his voice Rising he spoke about the goats languishing in Eternal Hellfire and Damnation while the good Shepherd’s sheep enjoyed the Eternal Bliss and the joys awaiting each one of his rights to his children on the other side and the preacher was on a roll he paused for effect and he said now how many of you here want to go to heaven and everybody raised their hand except for one young boy in the front row and the preacher said what’s a matter son don’t you want to go to heaven he said well yes yes I do but I was afraid you were making up a load to go right
now we’re all a bit uneasy about the last judgment and yet this morning we’re GA gathered to celebrate the second coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and one unique aspect of our Christian faith is that we believe that life on this Earth had a beginning and it will have an end and that it all has a purpose history is going somewhere because God is acting in our daily lives to accomplish his divine plan today is the last Sunday of the church year and we call it Christ the King Sunday and next Sunday that church year will will’ll begin again with the season of Advent teaching us about the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ his life and his ministry today we celebrate the climax of The church here by looking at the climax of history when Christ will come again we say it together with enthusiasm in our celebration of the Lord’s Supper every Sunday Christ will come again this is a treasured and a trusted promise we have from God today’s lesson from First Corinthians 15 a glorious chapter in the Bible by the way teaches us in verse 22 that we are all dead in sin like Adam but that we can all be made alive in Jesus Christ and when he comes again he’ll restore all things with a new Heaven A New Earth and we’ll receive our resurrected bodies now we’re also told in today’s Gospel Matthew 25: 31 and 32 that he will judge the earth and the gospel describes the last judgment this way when the son of man comes in his glory and all the angels with him he will sit on his glorious throne before him will be gathered all the nations and he will separate people one from another as a Shepherd separates the sheep from the goats and don’t we all want to be counted as his righteous sheep the ones who will be called to his right hand one day we will see Jesus face to face and we rejoice in thinking of him as our saor but the sad fact is that many who call themselves Christians don’t make mature to the point of following Jesus as Lord as Christ the King I have visited parishioners in nursing homes who weren’t sure about their
salvation they didn’t know if they were going to heaven they thought What mattered was how good a life they’ LED and in today’s Gospel Jesus seems to be saying that those who did Good Deeds are the Righteous sheep that will earn their way into the kingdom the scriptures assure us however that salvation is a free gift from God that we can’t earn Jesus purchased our entrance to Heaven by his sacrifice on the cross and notice how Jesus refers to his the sheep that will inherit the Kingdom as the righteous how did they get that way was it those good deeds that made them righteous no God’s sheep are made righteous only by the shed blood of Jesus his atoning death on the cross and his resurrection from the dead are at the core of our Christian faith and as the Lord’s supper at the Lord’s Supper we acknowledge that it is the body and and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ that preserves our bodies and souls for everlasting life we could never ever do enough Good Deeds to inherit heaven we simply trust Jesus for our Salvation that’s why John 3:16 is the most famous verse in the Bible for God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him would not perish but would have eternal life confessing our belief in God’s promise is the key to our Salvation and scripture is clear about that in several places all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved therefore we can live as Heirs of heaven and as citizens of the kingdom of God we live as those who are on a journey home where our father is waiting for us when we arrive so even in all our troubles our worship of God is joyful our life is hopeful and our future is secure nothing can rob us of God’s Eternal Treasures that’s why we call Jesus Savior but what does it mean to call him Lord well let me tell you the story of a successful newsman who seemed to have everything the world could offer and one bright Sunday morning while he and his wife were vacationing they slipped into a little white clapboard Church in Koke Creek Cove Creek Arizona and the sight of the Dozen people sitting on wooden folding chairs stirred Boyhood Memories John 3:16 had been planted early in his mind and he knew Jesus as Savior the minister began preaching on baptism the newsman yawned but he became attentive as the pastor talked of giving one’s life to serve Christ and the newsman wondered if he’d ever really offered to serve Jesus as Lord and he began to realize how much he had been holding back and the that morning the issue became clear and Paul Harvey one of America’s Best Loved broadcasters Sur rendered control of his life to Jesus Christ he turned to Jesus not only as his savior but as his Lord and you may not know the rest of his story Paul Harvey said later though I had learned John 3:16 early in life it took me some time to learn John 14 and 15 as well if you love me keep my Commandments in many ways I was I was like Paul Harvey I’d been a Christian most of my life I’d gone to Sunday school in church and said my prayers I’d even done a little church work but after my first marriage fell apart in the early 1980s I realized I’d made a mess of things and the Holy Spirit also known as The Hound of
Heaven Ed me and convicted me of my sins and the father drew me I surrendered and I began following Jesus as Lord and with God’s help I’ve been trying to keep his Commandments and serve him ever since you know it’s not always easy to follow Jesus and to really let him be in control every day our our prideful egos resist we do some things for God but we want to remain in charge in control we don’t like the idea of anyone even God telling us what to do day in and day out isn’t that just the way it is with children as parents don’t we want the very best for our children we seek a close relationship with them we want them to talk to us to bring their Joys and their concerns to us and we want this because we love them and yet so often they can’t see this they they think we just want to tie them down and give them a lot of rules that don’t make sense anyway don’t we God’s children relate to our Heavenly Father the same way we ignore his Commandments as oldfashioned rules more and they they cramp our style but if we would do things his way all the time our lives would be a lot more joyful but the only way to really do that is to surrender control of all areas of Our Lives to him and let him be Lord of all it means giving him all our time our talents our treasure and trusting him to guide us in their use when when the Lord Jesus comes again he will complete his Judgment of the Nations and the perfect restoration of all things after that as we read in verse 24 of our epistle then comes the end when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every Rule and every Authority and power he will utterly defeat death and the devil and as it says in verse 28 when all things are subjected to him then the son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him that God may be all in all we’ll gather in our pledges today and as we do remember that The God Who is all in all also owns it all we’ll offer back to God a portion of our financial resources our time our spiritual gifts and our talents in grateful Thanksgiving for who he is and all he’s done for us but our offering is just a portion of what he’s already given us just as Jesus gave his all the basic principle for our Christian giving of tithes and offerings and indeed for all of our financial decisions is that God God owns it all the principle that God owns it all underlines all of scripture in job we read whatever is under the whole Heaven is mine in Exodus all the Earth is mine and in Psalm 24 the Earth is the Lord’s the world and those who dwell therein and in First Corinthians 6 Paul gets personal you’re not your own you were bought with a price Christian financial counselor Ron blue says the following if we follow the principle that God owns it owns it all to its natural conclusion there are three revolutionary implications number one God has the right to do whatever he wants whenever he wants it it is all his because an owner has rights and I only have responsibilities as a steward I know that if God wants me to give up something for some reason it is his to do with as he chooses the second implication of God’s owning at all is it not only is my giving decision a spiritual decision but every spiritual decision every giving and spending decision is a spiritual decision I am responsible to the owner for all of his property my home my cars my checking and savings accounts my TVs and the computers I call mine the third implication of God’s owning it all is that you can’t fake stewardship your checkbook and your calendar reveal all that you really believe about stewardship where do you spend your money and your time time and your talents even a new Christian can fake prayer Bible study and going to church but he can’t fake what his checkbook and calendar reveal once we come to terms with the basic principle that God owns it all will’ll be open to handling finances God’s way even though the basic principle for stewardship of time talents and treasure that God has given us is that God owns it all he doesn’t teach us to give all our resources directly to his work no the minimum standard of giving in the Bible is only a tenth a tithe now some people some people insist that they’ve worked hard to make their money and are reluctant to give it to God or as they see it to the church but in Deuteronomy 8:17 and 18 we read beware lest you say in your heart my power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth you shall remember the Lord your God for it is he who gives you power to get wealth without God’s gifts no one could produce wealth now some say wait wait a minute the tithe the tithe is too legalistic but people were tithing long before Moses gave the law in Genesis 1418 to20 we read about melchisedek king of Salem who brought out Bread and Wine we’re told that he was high priest of God most high and he blessed Abram and said Blessed Be Abram by God most high and Abram gave him a tenth of everything and then some 500 years later Moses gave the law about tithing a Levi 27 and 30 every tithe of the land whether of the seed of the land or the fruit of the trees is the Lord’s it is Holy to the Lord and in Deuteronomy 12:6 bring your burnt offerings and your sacrifices your tithes and the contribution that you present your vow offerings your free will offerings and the first born of your herd and of your flock special gifts and Free Will offerings pay for new buildings and other special needs however we don’t ask for your firstborn here at our savior now Jesus affirmed tithing in his statement to the Pharisees in Luke 11 but woe to you Pharisees for you tithe menth and Ru and every herb and neglect Justice and the love of God these you ought to have done without neglecting the others in other words tithing should be done not as just a religious habit but out of love for God so we can’t avoid tithing by claiming it’s legalistic instead we can say Abram commenced it Moses commanded it and Jesus himself commanded it so what is our motive for giving our motive for giving is thankfulness God wants us to give with joy in Psalm 116 we read what shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits to me and then in 2 Corinthians 9 the point is this whoever SWS sparingly will reap sparingly and whoever SWS bountifully will also reap bountifully each one of us must give as he has decided in his heart not reluctantly or under compulsion for God loves a cheerful gift I love that term cheerful in the Greek it’s hilarious hilarion God loves a hilarious Giver now you know there is a byproduct to cheerful giving when we tithe joyfully God pours out his blessings upon us the prophet Malachi tells us to 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 you will not have room enough for it and Jesus also is recorded in Luke 6 says give and it will be given to you good measure pressed down shaken together running over will be put into your lap for with the measure you use it will be measured back to you now this is not a Prosperity Gospel we don’t get rich because we tithe we don’t give in order to get but God will bless us in ways he thinks best when we follow him you know there there is a spiritual law in effect here God’s spiritual laws are not punishment laws like speeding tickets for violating the speed limit God’s spiritual laws are more like natural laws such as the law of gravity if you jump off your roof at home you will fall to the ground and you may well get hurt if you commit immoral sexual acts you will have problems if you gossip and create dissension you will lose your joy and hurt your church or your office or your family and if you tithe you will be blessed in surprising ways now be assured that every nickel you give here will be used to the glory of God in work that’s supports only faithful biblical Mission and Ministry and you can count on that God has a great future for us here at our savior our Bridge To The Future campaign is moving toward fruition as new construction has started here for us and as Pastor David said as we anticipate our buildings completion in 2024 we are being called to prepare the way of the lord we must prepare our hearts to be inwardly strong through the gospel of God’s grace and outwardly focused on reaching people who do not know the love and mercy of God in their lives and then one day one day God will lead us to build even more on our Big Empty lot right there next to Adventure Landing which will give way to apartments with new residents who need to hear the transforming love of God in Christ Jesus Jesus they’ll hear it from us and they’ll hear it from those who come after us one of my favorite cartoons shows uh Dennis the Menace leaving church with his parents his mother’s face has a look of shock and his dad’s face reflects profound embarrassment and the caption has Dennis speaking as his father shakes hands with the pastor what are you going to do with my dad’s dollar he gave gave
you denn Dennis thought that our money is our own and that we give to God like charity and we lose sight of the fact that it’s all his God owns it all everything is on loan to us and we could lose it all before the sun goes down today if Jesus returns or if God calls us home our health our cars our family our home our TVs our very lives God owns them all not only does he call us to give a portion of our time talent and treasure directly to his work but he also expects us to use the remainder according to his will as well unbelievable things happen when we use our time talents and treasure in God’s service when we get our priorities straight we find a new sense of joy and peace in our daily lives we also find that our talents and gifts are like our muscles the more we use them the more they grow when we give God’s love and his talents away to others we somehow seem to wind up with more than we started with Jenny and I began to tithe in 1986 some 37 years ago and God’s been pouring out his blessings ever since I retired from the Army at the end of 1988 and the following spring I was unemployed for over three months still we managed to honor our pledge send three boys to college pay our mortgage and put food on the table back then we had to pay big bucks for a broken water man and we had to buy a new refrigerator none of that was in our budget but somehow we didn’t have to go into debt and we continued our tithe and still today we have ongoing Financial trials and yet we trust in God’s provision to see us through remembering that the joy of the Lord is our strength stepping out in faith can be uncomfortable but God supports towards those who are obedient the first time I served the Chalice some 40 years ago my knees were literally knocking but he held me up I was so nervous and every time I’m privileged to preach or celebrate I’m a struck we’re not called to serve perfectly but just to serve as the spirit leads us and to leave the rest in God’s hands how we use our talents and treasure to minister to our fellow human beings is the measure of our love for Jesus God has prepared good works for each one of us to walk in and when Christ returns cries of Lord Lord won’t matter when Christ the King King comes his subjects will be those who surrendered to him served him and shared the good news of Salvation George Whitfield The Great English evangelist said I am daily waiting for the coming of the Son of God and he burned out his life in proclaiming the gospel of Christ and as God gives us opportunities to share our testimonies can we do less we’re all called to give testimony and to serve our savior has blessed us with an abundance of talents for service and we serve with the gifts we’ve been given no more no less and when Christ returns he will say to each one of us well done good and faithful servant you did what I asked you to you serve Faithfully every day and you testified about Jesus you reached out with your talents to a lost and hurting world you have therefore been Ministers of Joy so enter into my eternal joy we Rejoice with grateful hearts on this Thanksgiving weekend and trust in the Lord for the days to come and so I close in prayer gracious Lord Jesus give us the faith to love you and serve others as you guide us in the use of the resources you’ve entrusted to us for the work of your king om for it is in your Holy Name of Christ the King that we pray amen
