Think about how much stress, anxiety, and even relational discord in “Out of this World Giving” // your life is attached to money…! ● As you’re falling asleep at night, how often is your last waking Matthew 6:19–34 // FIRST 1.5 #2 thought, “I wonder what I’m going to do with all the money in my bank account tomorrow. Can’t figure out how to spend it Matthew 6: Here’s a radical thought to start today with: Generosity is all… ” No, it’s more likely, “How in the world am I going to not something God wants from you; it’s something he wants for you. make it to the end of this month?” Or, “Do I pay my electricity ● It’s not something he wants from you because he has no needs. bill or my hospital bill? Which one is going to be a bigger ● It’s something he wants for you because money has a way of problem to ignore for a month?” captivating our hearts, tearing us away from God, and subjugating ● If you’re married, just think of the last 3–4 fights you had. (Or, us to all kinds of heartache. as many of you call them, “passionate discussions.”) My guess is at least one, if not all, involved money. talked about money all the time--as I pointed out last week, ○ You want a new television, but your wife wants to re- every third message he preached was on money; he preached on it do the downstairs bathroom. And no matter how more than he did and faith combined. And that’s not because many times you remind her that a room for going #2 he needed money. There’s no illustration in the of him ever doesn’t need to look that great, she won’t go for it. taking an offering or even asking for money. ● If you’re a parent, how many times do you utter the phrase, ● He could take 5 loaves and 2 fish and turn an outdoor crowd of “We can’t afford that right now.” Before I had kids, I thought, 5000 into a Golden Corral all-you-can-eat buffet; “I never want my kids to hear that. I want them to feel like ● Once when needing to pay a tax bill he sent Peter out to pull they are well cared for. But last week, one of them told me money out of a fish’s mouth. (BTW, I just got the tax bill for my car she needed—not wanted, needed—the new iPhone because last week and tried this fishing trick. Apparently that was a one- Brittany at school has one. And since phones now cost more time deal.) than my first car, I found myself saying, “Honey, we can’t afford that right now.” Judging by her heartbroken response, No, Jesus talked about money all the time because he knew that you would have thought I killed her favorite pet. what we do with money and how we relate to it is the best indicator ● If you’re dating, paying for meals and movies is actually way of our hearts. more complicated than when I was growing up. My generation ● What we do with money reveals what we most love, what we got a lot wrong, but I think we got it right when it came to trust in, and what kingdom we are serving. men picking up the check on a date. But I heard the other day of a girl who went out with a guy to a really nice restaurant— Again: Generosity is not something God wants from you; it’s and she was pleasantly surprised that he just picked up the something he wants for you. So--rather than dreading or resenting check, no questions asked. … Until later that night, when she his teachings on this, what if you welcomed them? Because wouldn’t got a Venmo request from him for her half of the meal. it be great to be free of the shackles of one of the worst tyrants on earth--money? Today, I’m actually going to give you an opportunity to take a tangible step in freeing yourself of the tyranny of depending on money for significance or security...just as your campus teams mentioned ● Hold the card (if w/ spouse, hold it together) and we’re going to earlier, today we are going to end with a time of commitment in pray… which we renew ourselves to Jesus being first in our lives in the area ● Hey listen, if you’re new with us—this is your 1st week—you’ve of finances. picked a really exciting moment to join us. This is what we are ● For some, this will be a renewal; for others, this is the first time about and maybe God brought you here to join us! you’ve done something like this. Take your card, hold it up in the air, and let’s pray: I’ve told before how making a commitment can be a scary moment. Faith always is. It’s going to feel like that story I have told you about PRAYER (MUSIC) the first time a friend took me rappelling: I went with a group of 4 guys. None of us had been before and I got volunteered to go first... ● Thank God for baptisms; ask for faith I’m standing up there on the edge and my friend told me, “You are all strapped in, now lean your weight back.” MATTHEW 6: We’re looking at a core teaching of Jesus on money:

● Mentally, I knew what I was supposed to do, but I just couldn’t “No one can serve two masters, since either he will hate one and love make my body do it. the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You ● I’d been rock-climbing before. But this was a new kind of faith. As cannot serve both God and money. (Luke 16:13; Matthew 6:24) if you are just falling off the cliff. ● I must have stood there for 5 minutes. Eventually, I realized that I say “core” because this particular statement gets repeated my friends would never let me live it down if I didn’t do it, so I verbatim in Luke 16 and Matthew 6 as part of 2 different . prayed to ask Jesus into my heart one more time. (Evidently, Jesus had points he repeated again and again! So, ● Well, my friend... he was not really trusting the rope. He was still when I do it, don’t hate, I’m just being like Jesus. #WWJD). mainly depending on his arms and legs to hold him up; he was just using the rope as a safety net. In the sermon Jesus preached in Luke, that we looked at last week, ● I’ve told you before that this is a picture of the Christian life for Jesus uses this concept to explain why some people are just never many people: You are going along fine until you come to a able to leverage their resources for eternity--even though common moment of obedience that requires a new level of faith—and sense demands they do so. you realize that what’s gotten you here won’t take you there and ● Even though they know life is short, they love and depend on you’re going to have to trust Jesus in a new way if you want to money so much that telling them to renounce it or give it away keep going. would be like telling them to stop breathing or to pour out their lifeblood! I am praying that today you will be able to make that step of faith. ● So, they listen politely to Jesus’ teachings on giving and they Because it will release a joy and confidence in you that you’ve never respond meagerly and marginally--but they never get to the known. It’s going to mark a huge milestone in your walk with Christ. radical kind of other-worldly giving Jesus demands of his followers. ● So, do me a favor: Grab the card... our primary goal is that 100% of us… In Matthew, Jesus is really going to go after this idea of bondage to around Christmas? They had one of those contests on TV money and show us how to be free of it. The question last week was, where they would give you a number to to call and if you were “What Kingdom are you living for?” The question this week is, “What like the 10th caller you got it. And if you were smart, you’d use do you trust in?” your rotary phone and dial all the way up to the last digit and wait. 5 minutes to get as much as you could get out of the Jesus starts his sermon on money by saying: 19 “Don’t store up for store and up to the front. Imagine if that were you, seeing yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and something you like and sitting down in the floor and playing where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves with it. No--you can keep it, but that means foregoing some of treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and the enjoyment of it temporarily. Well, that’s what people who where thieves don’t break in and steal. use their resources to maximize their enjoyment in life do-- they are enjoying for few wasted moments what could be He begins in the same place he started in his sermon in Luke: If you invested eternally. know eternity is coming, and that compared to eternity this life is like ● Or, here’s another analogy: Imagine you’re a Northerner the blink of an eye, like the vapor your breath makes on a cold living in the South doing business toward the end of the Civil morning that appears for a minute and this gone, then why invest all War. In your business, you’ve accumulated a lot of your resources here on that mist? Confederate money. You can see the South is going to lose ● Why spend all your resources on things that won’t last and that and that means all the Confederate money you’ve compiled is you can’t hold onto? about to be worthless. So, what should you do with it? You ● I’m sure you’ve heard it said: You’ve never see a hearse pulling a should immediately cash out your Confederate $ for US U-Haul! You can’t take it with you! A lot of these ancient Kings currency. Or buy stuff with it you can keep with you after the would be buried with all their treasures so they could enjoy them war is over. Keep only enough Confederate $ for short-term in the afterlife. But then Indiana Jones and Sean Connery come needs because soon it is about to be worthless. Randy Alcorn: and take it all because that’s not true. “For us to accumulate vast earthly treasures in the face of the ● You came into the world with nothing, you go out with nothing. inevitable future is equivalent to stockpiling Confederate ● But--while you can’t take it with you, Randy Alcorn says, you can money. It’s not just wrong. It’s stupid.1 send it on ahead! ● Why store up treasures on earth you can’t keep when you ● What you invest in eternal purposes is “stored” for you in can store them in heaven where you can enjoy them forever? heaven. You can’t take any of your earthly resources with you to ● That’s what Jesus is saying: store up for yourselves treasures heaven, but you can send them on ahead. in heaven, ● Financial advisors tell you when you are thinking about your ● If you really believe what Jesus says about eternity, isn’t this just resources, don’t just think 30 days ahead, but also 30 years common sense? ahead. We might add, you should think 30 million years ahead ● Anybody here around my age (that means in your late 20’s) most of all! remember the Toys-R-Us 5-minute spending spree that Toys- R-Us used to give away to one lucky contestant every year 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

1 Randy Alcorn, The Law of Rewards, 30 Will that describe your life? Would anyone write that as the epithet IOW: Where you put most of your treasure is where your heart will on your tombstone? belong. ● If the majority of your treasure is here, that’s where your heart Most Americans give just less than 2% of their income away. For will be. If it’s there, that’s where your heart will be. Christians it is about 2.5%. Does that scream “we live for a different ● C.S. Lewis: Wealth has a way of knitting a man’s heart to this kingdom?” Only 18% of people here tithe. What does that say? world! Your giving should scream: I believe in eternity and I’m living for that What you do with your money infallibly reveals 3 things: what you kingdom. “Apart from faith in Christ, there is no explanation for such most love, what you most trust in, and what kingdom you are living a life.” It would be a waste! for. ● You can talk a big game of faith out here, but what you do with Look at what he says next: 22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your money tells the truth. your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. So if the light Christians are supposed to be eye-poppingly generous. How we give within you is darkness, how deep is that darkness! is supposed to amaze the world. It’s not just that we’re a little bit more generous, a little bit kinder, a little bit nicer. But we have a Now, that might be a confusing metaphor for some of you—and at whole different kingdom! first glance, it doesn’t seem to have anything to do with money. But it does. Think about it this way: We are supposed to live lives that don’t make sense if eternity is not ● Imagine you get up at night and turn the light on. If your eye real. works, you will be able to move your body safely throughout the ● I’ve told you before about the life of William Borden, a young room. You won’t stumble; you can find what you need. Your man who was the heir to the Borden milk company who walked whole body gets the benefit of the light. But if your eye isn’t away from it all to go be a missionary in Egypt. He was only there working, your feet won’t know where to go; your hands won’t a few months when he contracted meningitis and died. Just a few know what to pick up. Even though there’s a lot of light all around hours before he died someone asked him if he saw this whole the rest of your body, your whole body, in a sense, is in the “coming to Egypt” thing as a mistake. He was so weak he couldn’t darkness.2 talk, and he grabbed a piece of paper and wrote “no regret.” He ● In the same way, when how you see money is distorted, it is buried in a very out of the way place in Cairo, and his very plain messes up every part of your life. looking tombstone simply has his name, the dates of his short life, and the phrase, “Apart from faith in Christ, there is no The darkness of materialism will taint everything you do. explanation for such a life.” ● Because you see money as your security and your happiness, you make lots of bad decisions.

2 Tim Keller, “Treasure vs. Money,” sermon on Matthew 6:19-34, preached at Redeemer Presbyterian Church; May 2, 1999. ● For example, you choose a job or career--not that you love, not that blesses your family, not one that helps people, not even one I’ve told you in God’s providence these two kinds of people always you’re necessarily good at, just one that just makes you money. get married to each other, and they think the other has a problem And for 5 to 10 years, the adrenaline can keep you going, and with money. But both serve money: they look to money to provide then after a while, you just find yourself empty inside. Why did something absolutely essential for life. you choose the job? Your eye was dark. ● Loving and depending on money is what causes people to cheat, The last one is: Steward: This is the person who looks to God as their to compromise their integrity in ways they never would primary source of happiness/fulfillment/satisfaction and God as their otherwise--even do things they would never dream they would security. They hold their money loosely, with all of it surrendered to do. It’s all in the service of money. God, because they don’t see money as the primary key to their ● It’s why in Luke’s account, Jesus follows up this eye metaphor by happiness or security! God is in charge of those things. saying, “Be on guard against greed.” As I told you, Jesus doesn’t say that about anything else. He doesn’t say, “Be on guard against Jesus then says, 26 Consider the birds of the sky: They don’t sow or adultery.” Or, “be on guard against dishonesty.” Why not? reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Because when you’re committing adultery, you know it. You Aren’t you worth more than they? 28 And why do you worry about don’t suddenly look up and say, “Oh, hey, you’re not my wife.” clothes? Observe how the wildflowers of the field grow: They don’t ● But greed hides itself. It blinds you in a way that adultery doesn’t. labor or spin thread. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his ● You saw money as so necessary to life that you justified your splendor was adorned like one of these. disobedience with it. ● I’ve pointed out these two analogies correspond to the two different personality types of money-worshippers: 24 “No one can serve two masters, since either he will hate one and ● The birds analogy is directed at savers, those who see money love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. as security. :If we don’t have enough in the bank, we won’t You cannot serve both God and money. have enough for a rainy day; we won’t have enough to leave ● “Serve” means you depend on it for provision, security. our kids.” Jesus says to them, “Look at the birds! They don’t ● You belong to it. It takes care of you. save and yet God supplies all they need. ● So, you obey what it demands. ● For spenders, Jesus says, “look at the wildflowers!” They don’t ● Because if you don’t do what it demands, it won’t take care of worry about not having enough money to have the latest you. clothes or drive the nicest cars and live in the lushest houses and look at how beautifully God has endowed them! I’ve given you 3 categories people fall in with regards to money: ● Spender: For these people, money is the key to happiness. So Jesus ends that discussion by saying: “But seek first the kingdom of they spend it, maximizing enjoyment in the moment. God and his , and all these things will be added to you. ● Saver: A saver is someone, by contrast, who thinks that money’s greatest value is providing security for tomorrow. They limit Put God first, and he’ll supply you with both security and happiness! spending, focusing instead on increased wealth accumulation over time. BTW, this whole passage points to a major theme of the : the abundance of God’s creation. God is not a stingy God. He loves to Look at the last verse in the sermon: Therefore do not be anxious multiply and bless. about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matthew 6:34) There are two ways to approach life: scarcity: “There’s not enough to ● Don’t worry about tomorrow. “Why, Jesus?” Because tomorrow go around. I’ve got to hang on tightly to what I’ve got!” has a lot of problems. But that’s exactly what I was worried about with tomorrow! The other way is abundance. God is a God of generosity and ● Tomorrow has a lot of problems, but tomorrow also has the abundance so I can freely give away what I have because God is an presence of the God of abundance. And you can trust that he will endless supply of more! supply you abundantly tomorrow! So put him first today.

The whole Bible screams abundance! He created the Garden with So, the question is, “What comes FIRST in your life?” abundance. When Israel wandered in the wilderness, every morning ● Does spending for the good life get your first? You are probably he covered the ground with manna so much that everybody had as in debt or not much in saving. much as they wanted! He said, literally, “Eat all you want! And don’t ● Does saving for security get your first? Then you probably have a worry about tomorrow. I’ll cover the ground again tomorrow!” solid 401-K, but your giving is probably rather meager. ● Or does God come first? There’s nothing wrong with spending or Sinful man always responds with fear of scarcity! So we hoard. In saving, but does investing in God and his kingdom come first? Israel, they tried to stockpile manna. God gave us all this abundance today but there’s no telling what will happen tomorrow. I better As we saw last year, God wants your first and best or he doesn’t want hoard!” your offering at all! ● Last year: Cain and Abel Here in this passage Jesus is pointing us back toward abundance! ● Everybody gives their first and their best to something. What ● That’s what he is trying to communicate with these bird and does yours go to? Your lifestyle? Your savings? Your kids? Give flower analogies. Confession: The cynical part of me would your first and your best to God. always read that say, “Well, I saw a dead bird--that’s one that God didn’t take care of. That will be me, too.” His point is the God Last week, I walked some of you through a quiz I had taken you has created a world of such abundance that birds have more than through last year to help you see what comes first in your life. enough and lilies are exceptionally beautiful. That’s the kind of ● I say “some” because I only did it in Sat services and then I cut it God we serve--a God of abundance and extravagance, so trust out for the sake of time. (I meet with a group of people after the him! Put him first -- and make generosity the biggest part of your service…) life--and trust him! ● But, it’s really important and I want you to get it, so I’m going to ● BTW, most secular philanthropists would actually agree with this go back over it for the sake of all those who missed it. Plus, last way of thinking. There is enough abundance in this world for weekend was a holiday weekend and a bunch of people were out. everyone to thrive. What messes up the world and causes poverty So, for those of you hearing this twice in 2 weeks, I apologize. is selfishness. Hopefully you find some help in thinking through it again. (For you Saturday folks, I changed one of these questions just for you. See b. Retiring at 50. if you can tell which it is.) c. Extending payoff of your mortgage and forgoing some luxuries in order to sponsor a missionary family. Remember: 3 categories: 5. Your annual bonus is twice as much as you thought it would ● Spender--those who think money’s main purpose is to provide be. What do you first think? happiness now through nice stuff. a. I’m headed out shopping/on a vacation. ● Saver--those who think money’s main purpose is to provide b. I’m putting this on the mortgage! security in the future. c. Thank God for this provision. I can’t wait to give a chunk of ● Steward--those who see God as the primary source of both of this away. those things and they see 100% of their resources as belonging to 6. The spending in my life is: God, and limit both their spending and their saving so they can a. Effortless—I love it. invest large amounts in the Kingdom of God. b. Bothersome—I wish I could spend less. c. Controlled—I feel good about the way it’s managed. 1. Which of these excites you most? 7. The saving in my life is: a. A four-star vacation across Europe. a. Bothersome—It’s an inconvenience that gets in the way of b. Maxing out all retirement accounts for the year. having fun. c. Dinner with your pastor, who expresses heartfelt thanks b. Effortless—I love building wealth. for your sacrificial support of a successfully launched, new c. Purposeful—I have healthy and reasonable goals toward ministry. which I’m carefully working. Beyond that, I plan to give all 2. Your phone is in need of an upgrade. Your response? excess away. a. I’ve got a half hour this afternoon. No better time to visit 8. The giving in my life is: the Apple store. . a. Obligatory. b. I’ll see if I can wait another six or twelve months. By then, b. Formulaic. maybe there will be a sale. c. Joyfully overflowing. c. If I get this new phone, what other giving opportunities am I giving up?. Mostly A: spender 3. You hear about a man who, at 70, has managed his middle- Mostly B: saver class income through meager living and careful savings, with a Mostly C: steward current net worth of $8 million. Your first thought is: a. What a waste! Spending it would have been more fun! Put God first and you can be free of the tyranny of depending on b. Wow, he really did well. I hope I can do that, too. money for significance or security. And you can finally start doing c. He may have missed some key opportunities to experience with your money what God wants. the joy of generosity. 4. Success looks like: This 2-year journey we’re on as a church isn’t about getting money a. Experiencing great food and travel, living comfortably, and out of your pockets, it’s about getting idols out of your hearts. Our driving a luxury car. goal--our prayer--is that 100% of you would become faithful stewards of what God has entrusted to you. Stored Resources ● I’ve explained this exercise before, but if I asked you to lay out 5 FIRST specifics of the most valuable things in your life and put them at Jesus’s feet, and ask him, “Is there one of these you want me to transfer I can’t emphasize that enough: Our primary goal is not a financial into your kingdom?” Or something else? Maybe just a gift from number. That’s secondary. Our PRIMARY goal is that 100% of you savings. would commit to putting Jesus first in the area of your finances. ● One guy: I was saving to live lavishly on our retirement. But now I ● Last fall 100% of our pastoral/staff team and many of our realize that “lavish retirement” is called “heaven.” I will live simply volunteers and leaders made a First faith commitment, with over in retirement and give away the lavish part as my FIRST gift. 2,300 families making a First Faith Commitment, accounting for ● One guy a few years ago put in tickets to Duke Carolina at about 10,000 people, involved. Cameron Indoor (I had a difficult time figuring out what to do with ● This weekend we are challenging all of our church to ask God those... we could sell them for a lot of $$... but I could also really what sacrificial gift would represent him having first place in our enjoy them and I’m sure I’d see some people at the game could finances and memorialize it by making a First faith commitment. pray for them... we sold them).

[Image of Commitment Card on Screen] Commitment Amount ● This represents the sum of all of the above, including your So let me walk you through this card beginning with where it says regular giving, your expanded giving, and for many of you, your “My FIRST Commitment.” “gifts from stored resources.”

Here’s how you should think about your faith commitment: So that’s the formula.

Current Giving (1) NEW: “I Want to Make a First Faith Commitment” ● What you’re currently giving… ● Those of you who are new here--or for whatever reason you ● If it’s zero, that’s okay... didn’t make a commitment last time. We want to invite you to join us. Expanded Generosity for First ● I’m not talking to guests--but if you feel like God has called ● Ask: Does this represent him getting our first and best? / What you to make this church your home, you should join in. makes a statement that says that he is my primary satisfaction ● Maybe you’ve never given to the Kingdom of God before. That’s and security? OK. This is a great time to start and take that next step of faith. ● Does this number represent a commitment that will change In fact, we’ve already had 2,343 people that have started to give everything in my life? for the first time to the Summit since First started last December. ● Does this commitment say that God is important to me or ● The question to ask: What represents FIRST? that everything I have is actually God’s and he comes FIRST? ● IMPORTANT: Is this what I think the HOLY SPIRIT has led me to? (2) OR “I’ve [Already] Made a First Faith Commitment” ● For those of you who made a commitment last year start by writing out the amount of your initial 2-year commitment. Instructions for the Commitment Moment… ● You should have received a letter from us this week with that ● Before we bring these forward, I want you to look at it—FORGET number. what you think this gift will mean to the bottom line of the ● That’s OK if you don’t recall what it is. If that’s you, write church. Put that out of your mind. Forget how your number down what you think that is in this box. compares to others ● Next, I want to encourage you to finish strong. Show the same ● Does your gift represent YOUR first and best, a number that will faith in the middle that you did at the beginning. Don’t doubt in change everything else in your life? the dark what you saw in the light! ● THAT’S WHAT GOD WANTS! ● However, for some of us, maybe God has financially blessed you or grown your heart for the kingdom of God and he might be Here’s what we’re going to do now: we’re going to worship and calling you to increase your commitment. commit together. When you’re ready you come forward and drop ● Me and V: 6 months salary. Our stored asset your commitment card in one of these buckets. Then head back to ○ The question to ask: What represents FIRST? your seat and keep worshipping! ● TITHING, for example, is a great place to start your giving journey, but for many, it doesn’t represent FIRST ● I think of the LENKERS, our CP over at BCC: the way we want God to be first is that he is literally the biggest bill that we way. Their biggest bill was their mortgage so they set as their goal making their gift greater than that.

One last thing: Even though this is between you and God, please don’t be that guy who forgets to put his name on this. It makes our accounting team cry, and it’s never a good thing to have a weepy accounting team. So write you name down and make it legible. As our band plays... we’re going to give you a few moments to think, pray, and write. ● If you’re married, of course, I want you to lean in and talk with your spouse. ● In a minute, I’ll come back up and give you more instructions. But just stay seated and take this time to think, write, and pray. ● Remember our goal is that 100% of us will make a first- generation commitment of faith.

[Band plays instrumentally while people think, pray, and write... approx 3 mins.]