Pastor Mark
\nAugust 6, 2006<\/p>\n
“WHO’S RUNNING THE SHOW?”<\/p>\n
Church Under Construction – Behavioral Phase #2<\/p>\n
Intro … Last Sunday we transitioned into phase two of our spiritual
\nconstruction project – the one being handled by Trinity Construction –
\nthe one intended to produce a gloriously beautiful body of people right
\nhere at Sonlife Community Church.<\/p>\n
Phase One was the doctrinal phase and we spent some twelve weeks
\nexamining and hopefully understanding and embracing the major doctrines
\nof the Christian Faith – Doctrine is the Foundation upon with we
\nstand. Phase Two which we entered just last week is the behavioral
\nphase and we will be examining and discussing the standards of behavior
\nlaid out in our Sonlife Covenant – Our Covenant defines the Framework
\nwithin which we live our lives.<\/p>\n
Last week we saw that we are to live our lives as genuine worshippers
\nof God immersed in the study of God’s Word. Today we come to the second
\nset of dual commitments expressed in our Sonlife Covenant. Here’s how
\nthey read …<\/p>\n
Our Sonlife Covenant …<\/p>\n
Believing in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior and desiring to live in
\na manner that will bring glory to Him, and having associated myself
\nwith this local body of believers called Sonlife Community Church, I do
\nnow covenant together with them that …<\/p>\n
I will make my time, energy, and personal resources available for God’s
\nuse knowing that all I am and have is simply a trust from Him and<\/p>\n
I will invest my finances cheerfully and sacrificially in the work of
\nthe Lord, taking the Biblical “tithe” as my guideline for giving.<\/p>\n
(Psalm 24:1; Matthew 25:14-18; 1 Corinthians 4:1; Malachi 3:10; Matthew
\n6:19-20; 1 Corinthians 4:7)<\/p>\n
Those are some incredibly important statements – statements that (once
\nwe embrace them knowingly and intentionally) will absolutely transform
\nour lives.<\/p>\n
From those two statements arise Two Key Concepts that I would share
\nwith you briefly in this Communion Mediation.<\/p>\n
Key Concept #1 … EVERY BELIEVER IS A STEWARD – Handling
\nRESOURCES that have been ENTRUSTED.<\/p>\n
Psalm 24:1 – 1 Corinthians 4:1 – 1 Corinthians 4:7 – Matthew 25:14-15<\/p>\n
Let’s just let the Scripture speak for itself …<\/p>\n
The earth is the LORD’s and everything in it – the world, and all who
\nlive in it. (Psalm 24:1)<\/p>\n
So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those
\nentrusted with the secret things of God. (1 Corinthians 4:1)<\/p>\n
For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you
\ndid not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though
\nyou did not?<\/p>\n
(1 Corinthians 4:7)<\/p>\n
Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his
\nservants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five
\ntalents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent,
\neach according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. (Matthew
\n25:14-15)<\/p>\n
It’s pretty hard to miss what the Scripture is saying here …
\nEverything ultimately belongs to the Lord and thus everything we have
\nin our possession we hold as stewards or trustees. That’s the position
\nfervently denied by the unbeliever but passionately accepted by all
\ngenuine followers of Christ. My house, my car, my bank account, my
\ntalents, my education, my life experiences, my perspectives on life …
\nthey’re all His. As Rush Limbaugh says nearly every day on his radio
\nshow … he possesses “talent on loan from God”.<\/p>\n
Recognizing that truth should, of course, make us humble and grateful.
\nGod Himself has designed this world in such a way that human beings are
\nsuited for it … He has given to every human being certain necessary
\nthings for existence in this fallen world … to some human beings it
\nwould seem He has given more than others but all living creatures owe
\nwhat little or much they have to Him.<\/p>\n
Now “redeemed human beings” have received so much more – we have
\nreceived the knowledge and the gift of eternal life – we have become
\naware of the glorious plan of God to express His Love to the world
\nthrough the sacrifice of His One and Only Son. We have been made sons
\nand daughters of God through our expressed faith in Jesus Christ – we
\nhave been included in God’s Covenant People – we are heir to all the
\nblessings of Christ – we have been given the Holy Spirit to live in our
\nhearts and to guide us into a fuller and fuller understanding of the
\nTruth of God and to equip us for greater and greater service for God.<\/p>\n
As John the Apostle would say … “How great is the love the Father
\nhas lavished upon us that we should be called Children of God!” (1 Jn.
\n3:1)<\/p>\n
The only valid response to such generosity from our Heavenly Father is
\nthat expressed in our Sonlife Covenant …<\/p>\n
“I will make my time, energy, and personal resources available for
\nGod’s use knowing that all I am and have is simply a trust from Him.”<\/p>\n
Tell me … if Jesus came to the front door of your home this afternoon
\nand said, “I need to use your car this week” – what would you say?<\/p>\n
The quickness of your answer will indicate to what degree you recognize
\nthat all that you have is simply held in trust for the One to whom it
\nactually belongs.<\/p>\n
Now that first concept … that “every believer is a steward handling
\nresources that have been entrusted” leads to second …<\/p>\n
Key Concept #2 … EVERY BELIEVER IS AN INVESTOR
\n– Seeking a WORTHY RETURN.<\/p>\n
1 Corinthians 4:2 – Matt. 25:16-18 – Matt. 6:19-20 – Malachi 3:10<\/p>\n
Once again let’s hear what the Scripture says …<\/p>\n
Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove
\nfaithful. (1 Corinthians 4:2)<\/p>\n
Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his
\nservants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five
\ntalents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent,
\neach according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who
\nhad received the five talents went at once and put his money to work
\nand gained five more. So also, the one with the two talents gained two
\nmore. But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole
\nin the ground and hid his master’s money. (Matthew 25:14-18)<\/p>\n
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust
\ndestroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for
\nyourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and
\nwhere thieves do not break in and steal. (Matthew 6:19-20)<\/p>\n
Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my
\nhouse. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, and see if I will not
\nthrow open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that
\nyou will not have room enough for it. (Malachi 3:10)<\/p>\n
God expects his stewards to be actively engaged in seeking a worthy
\nreturn on the resources He has entrusted to them.<\/p>\n
“Invest in Kingdom Work … in worthwhile work … in work that will
\nplease the Father … in work that will bring a good return.”<\/p>\n
And in this “work”, it’s imperative that we follow the instructions
\nthat we have been given … Begin your investment with the “Tithe” …
\nit’s a directive from the Father Himself … “Use the first part of my
\nresources in this way” He says.<\/p>\n
And so our Sonlife Covenant includes this commitment statement …<\/p>\n
“I will invest my finances cheerfully and sacrificially in the work of
\nthe Lord, taking the Biblical “tithe” as my guideline for giving.”<\/p>\n
Actually, Biblically speaking, you cannot “give anything to God until
\nyou are tithing” … if you are not tithing, you are actually
\n“withholding” from God that which He requires.<\/p>\n
Now that might sound harsh but that’s what the Bible says and I would
\nbe less than faithful to you as your Pastor if I did not point that out
\nto you.<\/p>\n
“GIVING” … to the work of the Lord – to the needs of others is “above
\nthe tithe”.<\/p>\n
Now giving is a wonderful biblical option … in Old Testament Days the
\npeople gave what the Bible called “free-will offerings” at several key
\npoints – when Moses was assembling the materials for the Tabernacle –
\nwhen David was gathering resources for the Temple and even when the
\npeople gave gifts for the repair of the temple in the days of Joash.
\nFree Will Offerings have a long and wonderful history in the life of
\nthe People of God. It’s a wonderful use of the resources that God has
\nput at His People’s disposal.<\/p>\n
There is a wonderful older lady in this fellowship whose tithe is $80
\ndollars a month – she has faithfully given that tithe every firstfruits
\nSunday since she has been here. Imagine my surprise a few years ago
\nwhen she asked me to stop by her home after church one Sunday and
\npresented me with a free-will offering check for $100,000. That was
\nover and above her tithe – it was an action she felt led of the Lord to
\ntake and it has, of course, benefited our church tremendously. And the
\nnext month … there was her $80 tithe once again in the firstfruits
\noffering basket.<\/p>\n
There are others in our congregation who regularly give “beyond their
\ntithe” … it’s not required but it certainly noted not only by me but
\nby the Father Himself who I’m confident counts it a worthy investment.<\/p>\n
In New Testament Days, the early believers took up a great collection
\nto meet the needs of the saints in Jerusalem who were experiencing a
\ntime of great need. That’s called Benevolence Giving and is also above
\nthe tithe. This too is a wonderful use of the resources that God has
\nentrusted to us.<\/p>\n
Here at Sonlife for the past 11 years, I have taught and stressed
\ntithing … I have even gone so far as to say that …<\/p>\n
“If the tithes of our people are not adequate to accomplish the task,
\nthen it’s not a task that we are going to get involved with.”<\/p>\n
You see, God is blessed by a congregation that honors Him in the tithe.
\nWe are not a fully tithing church yet but we are closer than any church
\nthat I have ever been a part of … the evidence of God’s pleasure is
\nupon us … “There is food in His House”.<\/p>\n
The tithes of this church provide for a full time pastor when in many
\nchurches this size the pastor must be bi-vocational … The tithes of
\nthis church are building a building that few churches this size could
\neven dream of … and the tithes of this church have supported several
\nmissionary endeavors beyond our own congregation and the tithes of this
\nchurch have on numerous occasions over the years been used to help
\nmembers of our fellowship through difficult times.<\/p>\n
Stewardship … it’s the term that means somebody is handling somebody
\nelse’s stuff. It’s the term that means that the top dog has placed His
\nAffairs in someone else’s hands. It’s a scary thing to do and a weighty
\nthing to be given. May God find us faithful!<\/p>\n
Final Thot … God “runs the show” through those He left in
\nCHARGE and He allows Himself to be “JUDGED” by how well they manage
\nthings.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Pastor Mark August 6, 2006 “WHO’S RUNNING THE SHOW?” Church Under Construction – Behavioral Phase #2 Intro … Last Sunday we transitioned into phase two of our spiritual construction project – the one being handled by Trinity Construction – the one intended to produce a gloriously beautiful body of people right here at Sonlife Community […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"template":"","meta":[],"categories":[9,3],"archive_item":"http:\/\/archive.org\/details\/sonlifecommunitychurch.com--church-under-construction--church-under-construction-behavioral-phase-pa","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sonlifecommunitychurch.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sermons\/162"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sonlifecommunitychurch.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sermons"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sonlifecommunitychurch.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/sp_sermon"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sonlifecommunitychurch.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sonlifecommunitychurch.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=162"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sonlifecommunitychurch.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=162"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}