Dear Christian friends:

Now we are beginning the second week of our Building Fund Canvass. In our church paper today you can read the three goals of our canvass. If you study these three goals carefully you see that Christian Giving is joined with each one. Christian Giving is very important. Without that we cannot have our new building. Christian Giving is also important and necessary for our own faith. By giving we exercise our faith and by such exercise our faith becomes stronger. Also by giving we learn to understand better God's wonderful love and sacrifice for us in Jesus Christ.

So Christian Giving is necessary for our new building for our faith and love to grow stronger. So this morning from our text and with God's Holy Spirit I will talk to you about

Our text says, "Give unto the Lord." So Christians when they give to God, not to man. Often church members misunderstand about that. They think they are giving to the minister or to the church, or to a certain man. So they give with complaint and a little bit. But our text tells us to consider that when we bring an offering into His Courts (House) we give unto the Lord God. In Proverbs 3:9 Solomon says, "Honor the Lord with thy substance (money).

Surely this ought to interest us and encourage us to give more eagerly and larger. Every Thanksgiving Day the Turkey Growers Association send a turkey to the president. Do they send the president of the U.S. a sick, thin, blind turkey? No! They search and find the most healthy and best turkey they have and send it to him. But often church members bring to God little offering. That's like giving God a sick, thin turkey. Remember when you give in church you give to someone greater than President Kennedy. You give to the Lord your God and King.

Why does God want us to give Him and remember that our giving is to Him? Well one reason is to support His work "Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature Go ye and teach all nations" as you can see we can't teach and preach without money. Our new building will cost $160,000. This church cost $100,000. Pastor's salaries, fuel, upkeep, books, papers and many many things. You can easily understand that.

But there is another reason why God wants us to give to Him. By giving to Him we confess that He is Lord and owner of all the earth and all things on the earth. When King David thanked God because many people eagerly gave gold and silver and precious stones for the new temple in Jerusalem he said to God: "All things come from Thee, and from thine own have we given Thee." "What have you that you did not receive (from God)? (1 Corinthians 4:7)

So by giving to God we confess that He is our Lord and that we are only His stewards (managers). He expects us to honor and serve Him with our whole life and confess this by giving again to Him in worship a good right share of all our income. Those who refuse to honor and worship God with a right share of their income are very ignorant about their relationship with God, and sin either in ignorance or stubbornly. God is maker and owner of all, so we owe Him that honor and worship.

But there is a better reason why God wants us to give to Him: To show our love and thanks to Him who first loved us and gave His Son to die for our sins. John says: "Here is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to pay for our sins." Often people think they themselves first love God and find Him. That is turned around. John says, "Not that we love God." We didn't love Him or find Him. He loved us and found us. Here is a story to help you understand this: A ten year old boy was lost in the forest. All night the father and many friends searched for him. Finally at sunrise the father found his son sleeping by a log. The father shook the boy and he slowly woke up. Rubbing his eyes he cried:"Father I found you." Who found who? You know the son was wrong. So often you are wrong. You think you can love God and find Him and go to Him by yourself. No, God first loved us and found us through Jesus Christ:

Chief of Sinners Though I Be, Hymn

2 Oh, the height of Jesus' love,
higher than the heav'ns above,
deeper than the depths of sea,
lasting as eternity,
love that found me— wondrous thought—
found me when I sought him not

While we didn't want Him, and hated Him, although we were unworthy He loved us and died for us and came to us and found us. So with Paul and all Christians we now should bring our offerings eagerly and cheerfully and sing: "Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

How much should we give to God? Should we pass a law and say every member must give $2.00 a week - $1.00 for current and $1.00 for building fund? I see and hear a few of you talking like that. You say we have a 150 members if each one gives $2.00 a week that will be $300. a week or $1200. a month. $600. for current $600 for building in three years that will be $21,000 for the building and $21,000 for current. But we make a big mistake to try that plan because that is not God's way. If all our members earned the same, then it will be okay. But some earn much more than others.

God's Word teaches us that those who earn the largest should give the largest. Deuteronomy 16:17, "Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessings of the Lord they God which He hath given thee." A man who earns $200 a week can give much more that another who earns $75 a week. Paul says give "as God has prospered you." (1 Corinthians 16:2)

This is God's Word, if you follow that and each one give as God has blessed Him we will always have plenty of money both for current and building and missions.

We have not always followed God's Word in the past. Let us today confess our sins and ask God to forgive us for Jesus sake, and then ask Him to take away our stubborn spirit and give us a new eager, free and obedient spirit that cheerfully loves to do God's will. God loves a cheerful giver!

Amen

Verses Regarding Giving:

1, CHRISTIAN GIVING is UNTO GOD: a) To the honor, glory and worship of God: Psalm 96:8: “Give unto the Lord the glory due His name: bring an offering, and come into His Courts." Prov. 3:9: "Honor the Lord with thy substance, and with all thine increase."

b) In acknowledgement of the sole ownership of God: 1 Chronicles 29: 14b: “All things come of Thee, and of Thine own have we given Thee." 1 Cor. 4:7: "What hast thou that thou didst not receive?"

2. CHRISTIAN GIVING IS MOTIVATED: a) By the love of God and gratitude for our salvation: 1 Cor. 15:57 "Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." 2 Corinthians 8:9 "For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich."

b) By love to our neighbor: 1 Cor. 13:3 "And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing."

3. CHRISTIAN GIVING IS PERFORMED: a) According to ability: Deut. 16; 17: "Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessings of the Lord, Thy God, which He hath given thee." I Cor. 16: 2: ‘Let every one of you lay by him in store as God hath prospered him,"

b) In sacrificial amounts: 2 Sam. 24:24: "Neither will I offer unto the Lord, my God of that which doth cost me nothing.”

c) Carrying with it a promise of undeserved reward: Luke 6:38: "Give and it shall be given unto you.” Malachi 3:10: "Prove (try) me now herewith, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing...."

4, CHRISTIAN GIVING IS: a) Liberal and generous: Prov. ll:24: "There is that scattereth and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet but it tendeth to poverty."

b) Cheerful: 2 Cor, 9; 7: "God loveth a cheerful giver,"

c) Willing: 2 Cor, 8; 12: "For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted."

d) Personal and individual: 1 Cor. 16:2: "Let every one of you lay by him in store.”

e) Frequent and regular: 1 Cor. 16:2: "Upon the first day of the week..."

5. CHRISTIAN GIVING HAS FOR ITS PURPOSE: The preaching of the Gospel, by which the Christian Church is built and maintained: Matt. 29:19: ""Go ye therefore, and teach all nations...."