Morning Message Texts: Nehemiah 9: 38, 10: 32-33, 35-39
38 “In view of all this, we are making a binding agreement, putting it in writing, and our leaders, our Levites and our priests are affixing their seals to it.”
32 “We assume the responsibility for carrying out the commands to give a third of a shekel each year for the service of the house of our God:
33 for the bread set out on the table; for the regular grain offerings and burnt offerings; for the offerings on the Sabbaths, at the New Moon feasts and at the appointed festivals; for the holy offerings; for sin offerings to make atonement for Israel; and for all the duties of the house of our God.
35 “We also assume responsibility for bringing to the house of the LORD each year the firstfruits of our crops and of every fruit tree.
36 “As it is also written in the Law, we will bring the firstborn of our sons and of our cattle, of our herds and of our flocks to the house of our God, to the priests ministering there.
37 “Moreover, we will bring to the storerooms of the house of our God, to the priests, the first of our ground meal, of our grain offerings, of the fruit of all our trees and of our new wine and olive oil. And we will bring a tithe of our crops to the Levites, for it is the Levites who collect the tithes in all the towns where we work.
38 A priest descended from Aaron is to accompany the Levites when they receive the tithes, and the Levites are to bring a tenth of the tithes up to the house of our God, to the storerooms of the treasury.
39 The people of Israel, including the Levites, are to bring their contributions of grain, new wine and olive oil to the storerooms, where the articles for the sanctuary and for the ministering priests, the gatekeepers and the musicians are also kept. “We will not neglect the house of our God.”
Morning Message:
Steps 5 and 6 to spiritual renewal may make us a bit uncomfortable. Sometimes it is good for us to be taken out of our comfort zones in order for us to truly see where we need improvement. We get back to God’s Word in order to understand what is right in the sight of God. Then we must choose to obey what God has shown us. After that we must develop a Godly concern for the sin that is not only within us, but also the sin that is all around us. The first three steps are designed to drive us to our knees in worship realizing that only with God’s help can we overcome our sins and the sins of the world.
Step 5 is for us to become accountable for our conduct. How do we do this? To become accountable is to take responsibility, to be answerable. This seems like it has become the hardest thing on earth to do. Everyone seems to be so full of pride that they can’t take responsibility for ever being wrong. I truly believe that if our politicians tried to say they were wrong the word would literally get caught in their throats. It would sound like this: “I was wro wron wr.” I don’t think that they could get the whole word out of their mouths. Pride comes before a fall and all of us have trouble swallowing our pride. As Christian people we know that we are not perfect. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” So why is it so difficult for us to take responsibility, to be answerable for our actions. I think I know the answer. We care more about what other people think of us than we care about what God thinks. It takes practice. One of the first lessons I learned about being a happy husband is learning how to say “I was wrong,” even though most of the time I am not. See there it is, that pride. So, what happens as a result of our fear of accountability? To avoid possibly making a mistake and having to admit we were wrong people just stop volunteering to do things. I can’t mess up if I don’t do anything. That is not the answer, and that is not God’s will for his people. Part of spiritual renewal is getting rid of our pride and learning to be accountable. The people of Israel said, “We are making a binding agreement, putting it in writing, and our leaders are going to sign it.” Why? So they can be held accountable.
Step 6. Okay, are you ready? Everyone grab hold of your wallets, for the preacher is getting ready to preach about giving. You know some preachers are very good at preaching about giving. Some of those old-time preachers could preach some powerful sermons on giving, and make you feel so guilty you were lucky to get out of the church with the shirt on your back. I swear some preachers could make the whole building shake, make your wallet fall out of your pocket, and empty right into the offering plate. Most of you know that is not my approach. I truly believe that God not only loves a cheerful giver, he wants a willful giver that sacrifices from the heart. The gift is worthless if the attitude is wrong. I don’t believe in shaming people into giving because in my heart I know that the gift that will expand and grow is the one given from the heart of a dedicated servant of Jesus. If you listened to the scripture reading this morning you realize that the Israelites were making a commitment, pledging of their own free will to give sacrificially to the church the things that they knew pleased God. They did this willingly as a part of the spiritual renewal that was taking place in their nation and in each of their hearts. This is so important for all of us to understand. As church leaders we should make available to the congregation many different opportunities to give sacrificially so that when God moves people to give they can. As a Pastor I should teach about giving and sacrifice instead of trying to motivate people to give. I understand this. Apart from God’s inspiration I am not very convincing, and I am fine with that.
Now I want you to notice something here. Notice what they are giving and understand what kind of sacrifice this is. We talk about Firstfruits giving, but I don’t think we have ever spend much time explaining exactly what it is. Firstfruits giving is not just some concept that was magically pulled out of the air. It is very biblically based. Notice what the people gave. They didn’t have currency like we have today. They gave the things that God had provided for them to live. These same things that sustained their lives were things that were also needed in God’s house. Things for the upkeep of the church, oil for the lamps, materials for building and remodeling, food for the priests and the Levites to eat. This was their work; they had not been given property for themselves. Their inheritance was God. So they were to be taken care of by the people of God. The people brought them part of everything that God had blessed them with. And this is very important. They didn’t bring them what was left over. They didn’t take care of their own needs first. They didn’t make sure they had plenty and enough in the bank for a rainy day. At the harvest they gave their firstfruits from every crop and every tree. There was no guarantee that any more would grow; no guarantee that they would have enough; the only guarantee they had was God’s Word that if they gave sacrificially and trusted God, they would never be without. I am reminded of Elijah and the widow; her oil and flour never ran out because she was faithful.
You see Step 5 and Step 6 work together. When you are completely accountable and honest before God he creates in you a spirit of sacrifice, a willingness to give of yourself because your self is no longer the most important thing in your life. You have replaced self with God, your will with His will, and once you do that you will never be the same. It is possible to come to a place in your faith where giving no longer feels like a sacrifice. It becomes a joy, and you can’t wait for the next opportunity to please God with the things he has blessed you with.
In Christ’s Love and Peace,
Pastor Bob
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