Greg Laurie - What Jesus Taught about Money, Possessions, and Giving (11/03/2017)
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Pastor Greg Laurie shares what Jesus taught about money, possessions, and giving, drawing from Matthew 6 and 2 Corinthians 9. He stresses that real life isn't measured by what we own but by our relationship with God, urging cheerful, secret giving that honors the Lord and stores up eternal treasure.
Opening Prayer and Gratitude
Father, we are thankful to be here in this place today to worship You, led by such a fantastic worship team. Now we come to hear Your Word because we want to live like Jesus. We want to walk like Jesus. We want to think like Jesus about everything that Scripture addresses. So would You speak to us now as we open Your Word, let us hear Your voice, and let us respond. We ask all of this in Jesus' name. Amen.
All right. You can be seated.
Announcements and Church Updates
Hey, a couple of things I wanted to mention. We got Pastor Josh Thompson's church launch last Sunday. And it was a great launch. In fact, there were around 600 to 700 people there, which was a fantastic first Sunday, I have to tell you. And man, they were an energetic bunch. In fact, I thought they were all Harvest people for a moment. And so I took a quick poll. I said, how many of you folks are from the city that we're in, Studio City? And a surprisingly large amount raised their hand. Then I said, well, how many of you are from Los Angeles in general? And a very large group raised their hand. Then I said, how many of you are from Harvest, Riverside, or Orange County? And a very vocal minority started screaming. So they were there to boost Josh and to help out and help the new ushers get trained. We kind of go in there and we get people equipped to do this kind of thing. And you ask, well, how has this worked? It works very well. We launched Pastor Steve Wilburn a few years ago. He just opened his brand new church this Sunday, today. And tons of people are there. He is around, I don't know, 2,000 people in his church. It's fantastic. So we're investing in the future of the lives of young people that God has called, in addition to our satellites. And in Harvest, Orange County, we're getting ready to move into a new building in the future. So we appreciate your prayers about that as well.
Exciting News About Harvest America
But one very big thing that's happening next Sunday is, of course, Harvest America. Have you heard about that? Yeah. It's kind of a big deal. So we have all these host sites that pick it up, ranging from large churches, medium churches, small churches, front rooms, theaters, all kinds of people get involved. And basically, they just go to our Harvest website, harvestamerica.com is the website. They find out about how to secure the live feed. But another cool thing is Harvest America is going to be live on God TV, on the moment it happens. And so, if you can get God TV on your carrier, you can just tune in and watch it live. And so, this is going to be a big outreach.
Now, people ask, well, do people really respond to the gospel? Well, let me lay a stat on you. In the last two years that we've done Harvest America, wait for it, 30,000 people have made a profession of faith. 30,000. That's staggering. That's staggering. So, we're going to participate here at Harvest Riverside and Harvest Orange County as well. We're going to take the live feed. Well, it won't be live. It'll be a little bit after it happens there in Dallas. But we'll get the live feed here. We'll have it also at Harvest Orange County. We're going to have music in both campuses from Leland, great band. And then you'll be able to see this event as it happens. It's going to be wonderful.
So, start praying now about someone you know that does not yet know the Lord. Bring them to Harvest Riverside. Our service here is at 7. Or to Harvest Orange County. Their service is at 5. Or get it in your front room and invite your friends and neighbors or whatever you want to do. But of all people, we've got to be on this because this is our church putting this event on. Okay? So, how many of you are going to get involved in some way, shape, or form? Raise your hand. Come on. Do you want a sermon today? I want to see all of you involved. And I'm dead serious. This is the gospel, people. And we've got to take this seriously and get involved.
The Overpacking of Life and Possessions
Now, how many of you are thinking about getting involved? Now, raise your hand. Okay, I have a little influence. Not as much as I'd like. But I'm going to pray by the end of the service. You're all going to think about how you can get Harvest America out. Okay. Well, let's grab our Bibles and let's turn to two passages, actually. Matthew chapter 6 and 2 Corinthians chapter 9. Matthew 6. Then if you have one of those Bibles with ribbons, turn also to 2 Corinthians 9 and we'll pop over there in a moment.
You know, being a preacher that has the opportunity to speak in different places, I do a lot of traveling. I got over the novelty of traveling a long time ago. You know, but because I spent a lot of time in airplanes, a lot of time waiting for airplanes, a lot of time waiting for delayed airplanes, and a lot of time waiting for my luggage to arrive. You know the routine. And when I'm going somewhere, I always try to find out what the weather is going to be. So I'll check the weather report, and I'll find, okay, it's very hot. That's a hot place, and this is a hot time of the year. So I pack light clothes. I arrive, and they always say to me, you know, we are having a cold snap. We don't know where it came from, so I have the wrong clothes. Then I'm going to a place that's very cold. And so I take warm clothes. They even take a coat along with me, and I arrive, and they said, a heat wave started last night. We don't know where this came from. You know, so as a result now, I take a little bit of everything. In other words, I overpack. How many of you overpack? Yeah, I do too. So I get there, and I wear just a few things I brought. My wife says, why do you bring all this junk? You wear like three things the whole time you're here. I know, but you never know what you're going to need.
The Parable of the Rich Fool
And we do that in life sometimes. We take along a lot of stuff we don't need. In fact, we can even become obsessed with stuff. The Bible tells a story, actually. Jesus told it about a guy who had a lot of stuff. In fact, he had so much that he built bigger buildings to house it, and then when he got some more things, he built more large buildings. And so he was acquiring all this wealth, and he actually said these words, "Soul, you've done well in life. You've got it made. Now you can retire. So take it easy, and have the time of your life." To me, it's interesting that he says, take it easy, because we still use that expression today. Hey, man, take it easy. So that's what this guy was saying. He was kicking back. He's chilling. I've reached all of my goals. I have more money than I could ever spend. And take it easy. Then Jesus goes on to say there in Luke 12, but God said to him, "You fool, you will die this very night. Then who will get it all? Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth and not have a rich relationship with God." Then Jesus sums it all up and makes this statement. Real life is not measured by how much we own. Real life is not measured by how much we own.
So you might ask, do you mean that bumper sticker, he who dies with the most toys wins isn't true? No, that's not true. Because Jesus said, real life is not measured by how much we own. Okay, so what is real life measured by? That's what I want to talk about. The title of my message is, what Jesus taught about money, possessions, and giving. And He had a lot to say on this topic. In fact, you might be surprised to know, Jesus, everything, or 15% of everything that He said relates to the topic of money and possessions more than all of His teachings on heaven and hell combined. Half of the parables Jesus told dealt with stuff, money, things. In fact, one out of every seven verses in the New Testament deals with this topic. And to give you an idea of how this compares with other topics, Scripture offers fewer than 500 verses on prayer, fewer than 500 on faith, but there are 2,000 verses in the Bible on the topic of money.
Everything Belongs to God
Now, the moment we hear that, it's like, disengage. I don't want to hear this. Why don't you want to hear it? Well, I, my money's mine. Is it? Wait a second. You belong to God. The very breath you're drawing in your lungs right now is from God. The very beat of your heart is from God. And everything that you have belongs to the Lord Himself. 1 Corinthians 6:19 says, "Don't you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit in you, whom you have from God? You're not your own. You were bought at a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's." Very important thing to know.
One day, the Pharisees came up with one of their traps for Jesus. They were coming up with them all the time. So they said, "Jesus, we have a question for you." He says, "Yeah, go ahead. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?" Now, they thought they had Him on the horns of a dilemma. Because if He said, pay the taxes, the people would revolt because the taxes are so high as they are now. And if He said, don't pay your taxes, that was a form of rebellion against the Roman government. So Jesus said, "Can someone give me a coin?" And someone produces a coin and He holds it. He says, "Whose image is on this coin?" They said, "Caesar's." By the way, in Israel, I went to an antiquity store and I asked the man if he had any of these coins. He had a lot of them. And there, it's plain as day, 2,000 years later, you can still see the image of Caesar on the coin like we would have George Washington. And then He said, "Okay, give to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and give to God the things that are God's." So what He's really saying is, let's not miss the point here. We need to give to God that which belongs to God. And what is that? That's me. That's my life. That's my time. That's my resources. That's everything. I give that to God.
God Gives the Power to Get Wealth
Now you might say, no, wait a second, Greg. I worked hard for what I have. I work hard for my money. So you better treat me right. If you laughed at that, you're old, because that's a lyric from an old song. And it's not sung by a person that had a real great job, but we won't go into that. But that's how you might feel. This is my money. I'll spend my money the way that I want. And that's the way it's going to be. But we think that we did that all on our own. Yet the Bible says, God is the one who gives us the ability to produce wealth. Deuteronomy 8:18 says, "Remember the Lord your God is the one who gave you the ability to produce that wealth." You say, yeah, but it was my clever plan. God gave you that clever plan. Well, it was my intelligence. God gave you that intelligence. Well, it was my beauty or my attractiveness. God gave that to you. And you probably could use a little humility to go along with that. But whatever you have, however successful you've been, you need to give the glory to God. Because God opened those doors for you. God gave you those opportunities.
What the Bible Says to Those Who Have Resources
So with that established, you might say, well, wait, now, hold on. This does not apply to me because I don't have that much money. You say, really? I mean, isn't that somewhat relative? Yeah, but I, you know, these people in Beverly Hills, you know, swimming pools, movie stars. I mean, I don't have that kind of money. Okay, fine. There's always someone wealthier than you. And that person that is wealthy, there's someone wealthier than them. And there's always someone poorer than you. But I think we need to understand this in perspective. Did you know that the American on the lowest rung of the economic ladder would be considered rich in comparison to a good portion of humanity and the rest of the world, especially the third world? One man wrote these words, and I quote, "If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish somewhere, you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy."
So now we think about that. Okay, what does the Bible say to a person who has resources? 1 Timothy 6:17 says, "Tell those who are rich not to be proud and not to trust their money, which will soon be gone, but their pride and trust should be in the living God who gives us richly all we need for our enjoyment. Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and give happily to those in need, always being ready to share with others whatever God has given them."
So what do we learn from this? Three things. Number one, don't be arrogant or put your ultimate hope in wealth. Tell those who are rich not to be proud nor to trust in their money. As I've said before, you can't take it with you. You've never seen a hearse pulling a U-Haul trailer. Some guy emailed me a while ago and said, I actually saw a hearse pulling a U-Haul trailer, so you're wrong. Okay, but you get the idea. You can't take anything into the next life.
Enjoying God's Blessings Without Arrogance
One of the wealthiest men that ever lived, Malcolm Forbes, said shortly before his death, "The thing I dread most about death is I know I will not be as comfortable in the next life as I was in this one." That's the understatement of the century. I don't know where Mr. Forbes was at spiritually, but if he had not put his faith in Christ, it's really not a good thing at all.
I heard a story of a very wealthy man that was near death and he worked very hard for his money and so he said to God, "Now God, I know you can't take anything to heaven, but I'm asking you to make an exception. In my case, I want you to let me take one suitcase to heaven." And God said, "Well, what do you want to put in it?" "I want to put gold bars in it." God said, "Okay, go for it." This is a true story. Not. So he arrives in heaven with a suitcase and word had passed around in heaven about this guy and so it's Peter who meets him at the gate. Doesn't Peter meet everyone at the gate? Peter checks out what he has in the suitcase and then closes it, gives it back to the guy. So another angel comes along and says to Peter, "So what was in that guy's suitcase?" Peter said it was the weirdest thing. He came to heaven with a suitcase full of asphalt, right? Streets of heaven are paved with gold. Everything's different on the other side.
Now the second thing about the person who has resources may be surprising there from what I just read to you in 1 Timothy, we should enjoy what God has given. Because verse 17 says, God who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. It's okay to enjoy what God has given you. Listen, there's no virtue in poverty. The Bible does not teach that poverty is a virtue. God can and will bless a person in every area of their life, including money. If you work hard and save and invest, you may have acquired some wealth over the passing of time. Abraham had wealth. David had it. Joseph of Arimathea. Barnabas and Mary all had resources. Jesus did not extol poverty as some great virtue.
The Rich Young Ruler and True Priorities
People will say, yeah, what about the story of the rich young ruler? He told him to sell everything and follow Him. That's what everyone should do. Really? You know, Jesus never said that to any other man. See, the rich young ruler, man, this guy had it all. And he cruises up to Jesus in his fancy chariot. And he's probably holding the latte, you know. And good thing he didn't have to salute with it. That would have been awkward. But... So, he's talking to Jesus. And he says, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus looks at this guy. He sizes him up. He says, "I'll tell you what, buddy, you need to keep the commandments." And He lists a few of the commandments. The guy says, "I've kept all of those commandments ever since I've been a boy." Jesus could have slapped him for saying that. What are you talking about? No one has kept them. Well, except Me, of course. But He didn't say that. And instead, we read, Jesus looked at him and loved him. You know, just a brash young guy, full of himself. Jesus thinks this guy's so out of touch with reality. Jesus says, "Okay, you want eternal life? Here's what you do. Sell all that you have. Take the money, give it to the poor, and follow Me." And the guy went away sorrowful.
See, this man's problem was not that he was wealthy. This man's problem was he trusted in his wealth. His money had him more than he had his money. And Jesus never repeated that to any other person. That was that guy. So this is the thing we need to understand. God can bless you. But that doesn't mean if you're not wealthy or if you're not even well-off that you're not blessed by God because Jesus told a story of a rich man and a poor man who died. One went to a place of torment. The other went to a place of comfort. The man who went to torment was the rich man who did not believe. And the man who went to comfort was the poor man, the beggar, who did believe. Everything changed in the afterlife.
Contentment in Christ Regardless of Wealth
So here's what you need to understand. Wherever you're at in life, you should give God thanks for it. Paul said, "I've learned in Philippians 4:11 how to get along happily whether I have much or little. I know how to live on almost nothing and with everything. I've learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it's with a full stomach or an empty one, with plenty or for little, because I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." So we need to get to that place where, hey, whatever, we just give God thanks.
Now some will say, well, you know, money is the root of all evil. It's in the Bible. Where? I have no idea, but it's in there. Right next to the verse that says, God helps those who help themselves. And cleanliness is next to godliness. None of those statements are in the Bible. None of them. And you might say, no, Greg, I think you're wrong on this one. The Bible does say money is the root of all evil. No, it doesn't. Here's what the Bible says. "The love of money is the root of all evil, which while some have coveted after, they have erred from the faith and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." See, money is not good and money is not bad. Money is not moral. Money is not immoral. Money is amoral. Money is neutral. It can be used for good, for the glory of God, and it can be used for bad if spent in the wrong way.
The Principle of Cheerful Giving
And so this brings us to another point that Paul makes to those folks he was writing to in 1 Timothy 6. He says, tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and give happily to those in need. Listen to this. You can tell a lot about a person's spirituality by their giving. A person says they're a Christian, and here's one way to determine it. Take a tour of their checkbook. That will reveal their real value system. As Jesus said, "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."
Sometimes it's said we should give until it hurts. But Jesus says it should hurt when we cease to give, because it's really a test of faithfulness. And that brings us to our text, Matthew 6. That was the introduction, by the way. Kind of a long intro. Go to Matthew 6. Jesus says, I'm reading from the New Living Translation. "Take care. Don't do your good deeds publicly to be admired, because then you will lose your reward from your Father in heaven. When you give a gift to someone in need, don't shout it as the hypocrites do, blowing trumpets in the synagogue and streets to call attention to their acts of charity. I assure you, assure you, they have received all the reward they will ever get. But when you give to someone, don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Give your gifts in secret, and your Father who knows all secrets will reward you."
Giving in Secret for God's Reward
Now remember, we're looking at the life of Christ in its chronological order. So we've come here to the Sermon on the Mount, and we're looking at what Jesus says about things. Effectively, in the Sermon on the Mount, we are discovering together the worldview of Jesus Christ. What He thinks, thus, how we too should think. And Jesus has been busting the religious leaders, the Pharisees, because they majored on externals and missed the point. They would pride themselves on the fact that they didn't commit adultery. But Jesus said, man, you guys are hard. Your hearts are filled with lust. They would pride themselves on the fact that they didn't murder people, but their hearts were filled with hatred. So He called them out on that. And now effectively, He's doing the same thing with giving. He says, the problem with you guys is you give to impress people. You put on a big parade. I mean, imagine this. These guys would go into the temple or out on the street, and when they would give a gift to someone, a trumpet would be blown. You wonder if they walked around with their own trumpet. Here, let me help you out, poor person. You know. But they drew attention to themselves. So people would say, oh my, what a generous person. Oh, what a wonderful person.
Here's an interesting thing. Jesus says in verse one, "Take care. Don't do your good deeds publicly to be admired because you'll lose your reward from your Father in heaven." The phrase "to be admired" is related to the term from which we get theater. It means to put on a show or a performance. So Jesus says, stop performing. Stop putting on a show. Do it for the glory of God. And don't give in a way to impress others. Because if you do, you've been rewarded. And by the way, the term reward means paid in full and receipted. In other words, if you give of your time or financially or do something in such a way to draw attention to yourself, you've already received your reward. So don't pronounce it. Don't announce it. Don't talk about it. Just do it for God's glory.
God Loves a Cheerful Giver
You know, sometimes we like to brag as Christians. Well, even in prayer, amazingly. You know, we'll pray and we'll say, oh, Father, how I love You so much. And I remember as I was praying for three hours earlier today, after my time of intense Bible study, which was another three hours. As I was coming to this meeting and I led four people to Christ, what are you doing? Who is that prayer about? That's all about you. So Jesus says, don't pray that way. Don't give that way. Don't live that way. Give your gifts in secret, verse four, and your Father who knows all secrets will reward you. It comes down to this. Listen, if we remember, God will forget. But if we forget, God will remember. See, if we remember, God will forget. If we're talking about it, parading it before everyone, tweeting it, you know, look what I did for God, God will forget. You've received your reward. You have your applause. But if you do it and forget about it, God will remember. Every little thing. Every little thing. Sometimes maybe you do something for the Lord and no one notices and you feel unappreciated. But I did this and no one even saw it. No one even patted me on the back and said, attaboy, don't worry about it. Because one day your Father, who knows all things and sees all things, will do better than attaboy. He'll say, "Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter the joy of your Lord."
Okay, let's go to that second verse now. 2 Corinthians 9. This is Paul speaking on the same subject. You know, sometimes people say, I only read the red letters. That means that they read the words of Christ, which in some Bibles are in red. Excuse me. That's a ridiculous statement to make. Newsflash. The Bible from Genesis to Revelation, it's all red letters. Because the Bible says, all Scripture is given by inspiration of God. When Jesus spoke and when Jesus quoted Scripture, guess what He was quoting? The Old Testament. So everything we read in the Bible from Jesus to Paul to Peter to Isaiah, it's all from God.
So here's the Word of God through Paul about the same subject in 2 Corinthians 9. "Remember this: A farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop, but the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. You must each make up your own mind as to how you should give. Don't give reluctantly or in response to pressure, for God loves a cheerful giver. You might want to underline that. God will always generously provide all you need so you'll have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. As the Scripture says, godly people give generously to the poor. Their good deeds will never be forgotten. For God is the one who gives seed to the farmer and bread to eat. In the same way, He will give you many opportunities to do good and will produce a great harvest of generosity in you. Yes, you will be enriched so you can give even more generously. And when we take your gifts to those in need, they will break out in thanksgiving to God."
Discovering the Joy of Giving
I love that. First of all, God says He loves a cheerful giver. Now that's very important. Because there are things in the Bible that God says He hates. And there are things that God says He loves. So what does God hate? Well, we know from Proverbs 6, God hates evil, slander, sowing discord, lying, and some other things. So I don't want to do what God hates. If I read, God hates this. Am I going to do that? Hopefully not. But then God says, hey, but there's some things I love. Oh, really? What do you love, Lord? I love a cheerful giver. This is really the secret of giving, is that you do it cheerfully. Jesus said it's more blessed to give than it is to receive. Now, have you discovered that yet?
Now Christmas is coming. Did you know that? I hope you know. It's coming fast. And so kids are dreaming about what they're going to get. Because for them, it's more blessed to receive than it is to give. But for us adults, hopefully we discover the joy of getting gifts for our loved ones, gifts for our friends, that acknowledgement. And we're also sacrificing because it's going to cost us something. But that's the way Christmas works. But for many, it's all about receiving. And they have not learned to give joyfully.
I heard about a mom that took her little girl to church. And she wanted to teach her how wonderful it was to give. She said, "Now, honey, I'm going to give you a dollar and a quarter. And you can give whichever one you want in the offering. Okay?" So take it in. So the little girl said, okay, mom. So they went to church, attended the service and came out. And the mom said, "Well, sweetheart, what did you give to the Lord?" She said, "Well, mom, I was going to give the dollar. But when I heard the preacher say, God loves a cheerful giver, I was much more cheerful about giving the quarter." Hey, are we any different?
From "Mine" to God's Ownership
What's one of the first words a child learns? Mine. Mine. Did you ever sit down with your children and teach them to say mine? No, but they got it fast. I have five grandchildren, as you know. And of course, two sons. And when I watch these grandchildren, it just amazes me. It's very entertaining. I have endless entertainment from them. And, you know, so here are toys laying on the floor. And our house is stocked with toys. By the way, if you're a grandparent, have lots of toys. Make it a welcome place for your grandkids. If you have fragile things, put them on higher shelves or just store them somewhere and enjoy your grandkids. And we have a place where the kids love to go. We want to go to Papa's house. Good. Come on. By the way, you got some more toys. Here you go. So there'll be a toy just sitting there. No one cares about it. One grandchild picks it up. Now the other one wants it. And in moments, they're pulling on it. Both sides of it. Mine. Mine. Boom. Hitting. You know, it's just like craziness.
But when we grow up, we're not that way anymore, are we? Yeah, we are. You ever gone into a store and you see something? You're thinking about buying that? Yeah, I might buy that. It's a good deal. It's on sale. I don't know. I'll go over here. And then someone comes and grabs it. What do you do? I wanted that. Mine.
When they were breaking up in 1970, the Beatles were at odds with each other. And they were in litigation as well. So they were recording a record called Let It Be. And they decided to film it. And what it became was a feature film of what happens when people have a falling out with each other. You saw arguments in the film and so forth between the members of the Beatles. And George Harrison wrote a song sort of summing up what it was like at that time. The song was called I, Me, Mine. I'm not going to sing it to you. Would you like me to sing it to you? No, I can't. I can't. No, I won't. He's saying all through the day, I, Me, Mine. I, Me, Mine. All through the night, I, Me, Mine. I, Me, Mine. Now they're frightened of leaving it. Everyone's weaving it. Coming on strong all the time. All through the day, I, Me, Mine. No one's frightened of playing it. Everyone's saying it. Flowing more freely than wine, all through your life, I, me, mine. That's pretty true, isn't it? For a lot of people, all through their life, it's I, me, mine. And they hold on to everything, and they feel it belongs to them, and they're unwilling to even offer it to the Lord or to help anybody else in need.
The Need for Wallet Conversion
See, people get uptight when you even raise this subject. Heard about a preacher down south that was preaching, and his audience would talk back to him. They would affirm him. I've been in churches like this, where you'll be preaching. They'll say, yes, yes, bring it on. Come on, come on. And then if you're not doing well, they'll say, help him, Lord, help him. This is true, actually. So this preacher was speaking to his congregation, and he said to them, you know what? Before we can walk, we need to learn to crawl. The congregation said back, let us crawl, preacher. Let us crawl. Hey, before we can walk, we need to learn to jog. Oh, and then they said, let us walk, preacher. Let us walk. But before we can run, we need to learn to jog. He said, let us run, preacher. We want to run. But before we can run, we need to learn how to give. Silence fell on the audience. One person said, let us crawl, preacher. Let us crawl.
Why is that? Why would we do that? Why would we compartmentalize our relationship with God? Oh, I believe what the Bible says about marriage. I believe what the Bible says about the last days. I believe what the Bible says about all these things. But then when it comes to the subject of money, well, I don't know if I really completely agree with that. Forgetting that I'm not the owner. I am the steward of what I have. It was Martin Luther who said, quote, there are three conversions necessary. The conversion of the heart, the mind, and the purse or the wallet. And that's true. Has your purse or wallet been converted? Or if you're a guy that carries one of those little bags, has your little man bag been converted?
I've tried carrying those, by the way. Because in Europe, every guy carries them. So I got one. I got the most masculine bag I could find. It's really tough looking. Because I've got my wallet and my cell phones and the keys. That's a lot of stuff to carry in your pockets. Now we just found out the new iPhone bends in your pocket. They said, though, it's a particular problem with hipsters and their skinny jeans. So, you know, this is something to be concerned about. It's big. The iPhone 6 Plus, have you seen it? It's the size of a door, actually. It's maybe not that big. I've completely lost my way. Where was I? Ah, yes. I remember. Speaking of the conversion of your wallet. Oh, coming back to my man bag. You want to hear the end of that? So I had the man bag. Had my phone. Had my keys. Then I found more stuff to put in. Oh, I'll put other things in it. Because I overpack, right? So I have it in my cart. I'm in a market shopping. Some guy comes in. Hey, Greg. How's it going? Why are you carrying a purse, Greg? I dumped it. Say that to a guy. Party's over.
The story is told of General Sam Houston, a hero of the history of Texas. And he came to Christ toward the end of his life. And so the preacher was getting ready to baptize him in a little river there. And he told General Houston to take out his valuables. So he took off his glasses and removed some papers from his vest pocket and handed over his watch. The pastor noticed that Sam Houston still had his wallet in his pocket. And he said, "General Houston, you want to take that wallet out?" And Houston responded, "Yeah, that's one thing in Texas they don't replond." I don't know if you've heard that. General Houston responded, "If anything needs baptizing, it's my wallet." And I think that's true for a lot of us. We need our wallet baptized.
The Promise of God's Provision
So we need to understand it's a joy to give. And if we haven't discovered it, we've missed out on a big thing. You know, when they were building the tabernacle, the people were so caught up in the excitement, they had to be restrained from giving, according to Exodus 36. Moses gave the command, and this message was sent to the camp. "Bring no more materials. You've given more than enough so that people stop bringing their offerings." So he was saying, enough already. They were begging to give. Man, I haven't seen that happen in many churches. And if we will give to the Lord, listen to his promise, he will give back to us. Verse 8, God is able to make it up to you by giving you everything you need and more, so there'll be plenty enough for you and more left over to give to others.
Comes down to this. Every farmer knows this. If you sow a little seed, you get a little crop. If you sow more seed, your crop will be larger. If you want to be cheap, if you want to hold on to it, you can. God will not force you to give. That's why Paul said, don't give because you're under pressure. Give joyfully. So you say, well, I can't give joyfully, so I won't give at all. Well, maybe you should ask God to change your heart instead of not giving at all. Because of what Scripture says, it's more blessed to give than it is to receive.
I mean, we all know people that are cheapskates. How many of you are cheapskates? Raise your hand. Okay. You're proud of that, sir? Okay. I'm never going to lunch with you. I'm just kidding. But we know people like this, and I don't mean you. Of course, you're the exception to the rule. But you go out to a meal with someone that is like this, that's tight with their money. And so everyone is going to pitch in to pay the bill. And these people always mysteriously disappear. Like, where do they go? Well, and it happens every time. Oh, sorry, I was in the bathroom. Did the check come? Yeah, it's all paid. Or when they see it, they have a side conversation. So they don't hear someone say, hey, everybody chip in now. It's like they get paralysis of the hand. Can't reach wallet. And then if that person ever loans you money, maybe you come up short and say, anybody could have borrowed a buck, I'll pay you back. No problem. Here you go, $1. Then they take a picture. Yeah, okay. With you holding it. And they come back the next day, I'm going to need that dollar back with interest.
Now let me ask you a question. If you want to do something nice for someone, is that the first person on your list? Because I know people that don't have that much, but they're so generous. They're the first to pitch in. They're the first to volunteer. They're the first to give when they don't even have the resources to give. They just get in there and do it. So if I want to help somebody, who am I more drawn to? The person who is generous or the person who is cheap? Now look at God. He says, you see that generous person over there? That's... I love that. I love that. So I'm going to bless them with more. Oh man, they're giving more. I'm going to bless them with more. But you see that cheapskate over there that will not even acknowledge what they have is from Me. They're not going to be blessed like that other person. So we have something to do with all of this and God will more than make it up to us when it's all said and done. So we need to be faithful.
Sending Treasures Ahead to Heaven
Now this is fine in theory. I heard about a pastor that was talking to one of his folks in his church and the guy was a farmer. He said, farmer, let me ask you a question. If you had $200, would you give a hundred to the Lord? The old guy says, yes, I would, pastor. Okay, let me ask you another question. If you had two cows, would you give one to the Lord? Absolutely, I'd give one to the Lord. Here's another question. If you had two pigs, would you give one to the Lord? The old farmer said, now pastor, that's not fair because you know I have two pigs. Right? Now that's getting real. And we're fine with this in theory. But we don't want to do it in real time. But we have to discover it's more blessed to give than it is to receive instead of living by I, me, mine.
Jesus reminds us not to store our treasures on earth. Why? Because they won't last. How accurate is the Scripture that says, Proverbs 23:5, "Cast a glance at riches, they are gone. They will surely sprout wings and fly up to the sky like an eagle." Is that not accurate? Especially when you travel? I think I lost my money. No, you just spent on this cab or this thing. So we just realized one day we'll leave this life and everything will be left behind us. So no, we can't take it with us. But listen, we can send it on ahead. How? How? By investing in the kingdom of God. It comes down to this. Do your giving while you're living, then you're knowing where it's going.
And all of us give to the Lord in some way, shape, or form. Every dollar you invested in spiritual things, every prayer you prayed, that will all result in treasure in heaven in that final day. Again, as Jesus said, real life is not measured by how much we own. Rather, it's measured by who we know. Corrie ten Boom once said, "Life is not measured by its duration. It's measured by its donation." What kind of donation is your life making? Because listen, one day life is going to end. Just like that guy in our story that we talked about had all that cool stuff. And then the Lord said, tonight your soul is required of you. And you know what you get to do there? You could do nothing. You don't have a choice in the matter. And this guy went into eternity. And apparently he didn't have a lot of room for God. So one day that day will come. We don't have any control over it. We just want to be ready. Investing in things that matter. Having our priorities in order. And most importantly, being right with God.
Invitation to Salvation
Let me ask you a question in closing. If death were to knock on your door tonight, would you be right with Him? Are you completely confident that you will go to heaven when you die? Or is there a little fear that you have deep inside that you may not be ready? Listen, I'm going to tell you how to be ready for sure. I'm going to tell you how to know with certainty you'll go to heaven when you die. God has dropped one lifeline from heaven. And it's Jesus Christ who died on the cross in our place and paid for our sins and rose again from the dead. And that same Jesus stands at the door of our lives and He knocks. And He says, if we'll hear His voice and open the door, He will come in.
And if you've never asked Jesus Christ to forgive you of your sin, if you're not confident that you will go to heaven when you die, I'd like to close with a prayer and give you an opportunity to get right with God. So let's all bow our heads and pray.
Father, thank You for loving us. Thank You for giving us life. And thank You, Lord, for the death of Jesus and His resurrection and the hope He offers if we will put our faith in Him. Help those that do not yet know You to come to You now, we pray.
Now while our heads are bowed and our eyes are closed and we're praying. How many of you would say today, Greg, I want my sin forgiven. I want to go to heaven when I die. I want to be right with God and I'm not. Pray for me. I want Jesus to come into my life. If that's your desire, wherever you're sitting, would you lift your hand up and let me pray for you. You want Christ to come into your life today. Lift your hand up. I'll pray for you. God bless you. God bless you. Lift it up here where I can see it. God bless you. God bless you. Wherever you are watching this screen, you raise your hand too. It doesn't matter if I see you or if I don't. God sees you. He sees all things. Raise your hand up. You want Christ to forgive you. God bless all of you.
Now I want all of you that have raised your hand, if you would please, to stand to your feet. Just stand up, and I'm going to lead you in a prayer. Just stand up. Right where you are. That's right. Even if you did not lift your hand, stand up. And we're going to pray together. Anybody else? Stand. Stand up. God bless you that are standing. Wherever you're watching this, stand up, and I'm going to lead you in a simple prayer. One final moment. Stand now. Anybody else? You want to be right with God? You want to go to heaven when you die? You want your sins forgiven? Stand to your feet. I'll pray for you. And with you. God bless you, sir. God bless you.
Alright, now you guys that are standing, pray this prayer out loud after me. This is where you're asking Christ to come into your life and forgive you and give you the hope of heaven. Again, as I pray, pray this out loud. Shout out loud right where you're standing. Okay, pray this now.
Lord Jesus, I know I'm a sinner, but I know You're a Savior. Forgive me of my sins and come into my life. I choose to follow You from this day forward. Thank You for loving me and accepting me and forgiving me. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
God bless all of you. God bless you. Listen, we have a Bible for you that just stood up and prayed. It's a New Testament, along with some notes that I wrote that will help you. It's called the Start Bible. We want to give you one now. And all of you that just prayed that prayer, I'm talking to Harvest Riverside for a moment. If you would, direct your attention to this room in the corner. You see that white arrow there? That's where you go. Go to that room, and we're going to give you your own copy of the Start Bible. We'll be here for just a few more moments, so we'll wait on you. Get up now out of your seat and go on over there and get your Start Bible. Yeah, right over there. God bless you guys. If you're in the balcony, come on down the stairs.
You at Harvest Orange County, you go to the room on your right. The room on your right. And we'll give you the same Bible. Praise the Lord. I think it's fantastic that a bunch of people got saved after a message on giving. Praise God. And tying the two together, when we give, we're a part of that, you see? Because a big part of our ministry here is evangelism, in case you haven't noticed. Our mission statement at Harvest is knowing Him and making Him known. So when we gather together, like we have today, and we have worship, and we have Bible study, and we're praying, that's knowing Him. That's us growing in our faith. But the other part of our mission statement is making Him known. That's evangelism. That's the Southern California Harvest Crusade. That's Harvest America.
Closing Prayer
So let's pray. Father, we've heard what Your Word says. Now it's time to put feet to our faith. Maybe some of us have never been givers. We've held back, not realizing that You've promised to bless us when we give. Help us to discover the joy of giving. Baptize our wallet or our purse. We give it to You. And use these gifts that are now given for Your glory. We think about Harvest America in one week that's going to go around the United States and even the world. Lord, bless that. Bless it with Your power. And may it bring glory to Your name. And we know, Lord, as we invest, we lay up for ourselves treasure in heaven. Thank You for this opportunity. We ask all of this in Jesus' name. Amen.