The Right Attitude Of Giving

Sermon Text

Exodus 25:1-8

Date

September 13, 2024

Speaker

Ps Paul Cheng

Reading Time

~14 min read

Video Editing

SERMON OUTLINE

I. Giving To God
II. Giving Is A Privilege
III. Giving From The Heart
IV. Giving Our Best
V. Giving To God’s Holy Work

💭 Consider this: How would you describe your current attitude towards giving? How has your giving gone beyond paying your tithes?

TRANSCRIPT

hidden page for editing transcript

Our text for tonight's message is taken from Exodus 25:1-8. God had called the children of Israel to come for worship. They heard the word of God and responded with a promise to obey. They had their sins atoned through the blood of the covenant. Basically, it was a complete worship service. However, there was one thing they did not do, and that was to take an offering.

Remember, Moses went up the mountain to meet God, where he waited for six days before God told him what to do next. Then, on the seventh day, he entered into the cloud of glory, and God spoke to him. The first thing God told Moses was to collect the offering for the tabernacle. Giving is an important indication of our relationship and commitment to our God. Everything we have comes from Him, and our willingness to give a portion of the bountiful blessings we have received from Him not only shows our gratitude toward Him but also reveals the spiritual condition of our hearts.

Today, there are two extremes regarding this matter of giving. On one extreme are the charismatic evangelists who fill every message with a desperate plea for people to give. The health, wealth, and prosperity gospel preachers will say things like, ‘Open your wallets and give, and see how God will bless you with good health, great wealth, and amazing prosperity.’ On the other extreme, there some pastors feel that giving is a private matter, and they do not want to be seen as begging the people for money, even to the point of feeling shy to speak about offerings.

Many years ago, a pastor friend of mine invited me to preach at his church, and he gave me a sermon topic that was about giving to God. I was happy to preach that message, but the problem was what he said as he gave me the topic. He said, ‘You know, it is not easy for a resident pastor to preach on a topic like giving. I will be seen as canvassing for funds, so it is better for a visiting preacher to do that.’ That should not be the case. We should not fall on either extreme. The Bible does talk about giving. Tonight, we want to learn from this passage: The Right Attitude of Giving, which is the title of our message.

I. Giving To God

The first thing we need to understand is that we are giving to God. Let us begin with verse one and the first part of verse two. Exodus 25:1-2 says, "And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering." The people were not giving to Moses or Aaron, the priests, or the elders of Israel. The offering was for God—"bring me an offering." Whatever the people brought, it was for the glory of God; it was an act of worship.

Sometimes, we speak of giving only as giving to the church. By that I mean, when we write a cheque, we address it to the name of the church. When we remit the money, we make it out to the church's bank account number. Indeed, we are giving to the church, but the church does not belong to the pastor, elder, deacon, or any individual—it belongs to God. We are really giving to God. It is our responsibility to give, and it is the responsibility of the church leaders to give, as well as to administer the offerings as faithful stewards. All of us are accountable to God.

II. Giving Is A Privilege

The second thing we need to understand is that giving is a privilege. The offerings collected from the children of Israel were used for the construction of the tabernacle. If God wanted to, He could have performed a miracle and sent His people the whole tabernacle already built. Instead, He gave them the opportunity to contribute to the construction. He gave them the opportunity to participate.

Notice from verses 3 to 7 all the things the Israelites brought were things they had received from God. They brought the gold, silver, brass, and precious stones that they had gotten from the Egyptians, whom God had defeated. They brought garments—blue, purple, and scarlet fine linens—and goats' hair from the animals that God had created. They brought shittim wood from the trees that God had planted on the earth. They brought mineral - like oil, spices, and incense from His creation. To begin with, there was nothing they could bring that did not come from God. They were a nation of slaves, a people with no money or resources, and unless God gave them something to bring, they would have absolutely nothing to offer. Out of the riches of His grace, He provided something for them to give.

Dear friend, we must bear in mind that God is the one who gave us jobs and opportunities, the strength and good health to go to work every day, and the wisdom and ability to accomplish the work. Everything we have belongs to Him. What is remarkable is that God is willing to receive what He has given to us as an act of worship. It is like a father who gives his children money to buy him a birthday gift. When the father opens the gift, he is delighted, even though he knows it was bought with his money. Why would the father do that? It is not about the gift; it is about the relationship. The wise father gives his children the opportunity to show their love for him in a tangible way.

God has blessed us with many good things, and He wants us to give a portion of what we have received from Him - not because He needs our giving to be sustained or for His church to be sustained. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills and the gold in every mine. He is the creator of the heavens and the earth. He is a self-sufficient God. Giving is a privilege that God has given to us to show our love for Him in a tangible way.

III. Giving From The Heart

So, it is a privilege for us to show our love for Him, and it must come from the heart, which is our third point. Look at the second part of verse two: "Of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering." God does not impose a tax on the Israelites, something they had to pay whether they liked it or not. This was a freewill offering; that is why it is called an offering. Their contributions were voluntary, something they freely gave from the heart.

In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul spoke to the Corinthians about such freewill offerings in 2 Corinthians 9:7: "Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver." Paul was saying the same thing that Moses said - giving comes from the heart. They should never give grudgingly but cheerfully. How much they give should not be based on a requirement imposed by others but from the overflow of their hearts.

What is important to God is not so much the amount they give but the attitude of the heart in giving it. There are times when God did specify the amount His people should give; this is known as tithing, which literally means one-tenth. For example, when the Israelites entered the Promised Land, they were required to give their tithe, or one-tenth, of their produce back to God. Leviticus 27:30 says, "And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s: it is holy unto the Lord." The tithing was used to support the Levites, who did not have any land of their own but were scattered around the country to be engaged in the Lord’s worship and work. God wanted His people to give regularly and faithfully to support His worship and work.

Beyond their tithes, the Israelites were told to bring their freewill offerings, which in this case were to build the tabernacle. That is why today we also have tithes and offerings. Tithes are offerings we give on a regular basis as we receive our salaries. Freewill offerings are offerings we give as the Lord moves our hearts. Basically, tithes are used to maintain the regular expenses of the church, like staff salaries, maintenance, utilities, administration, and so forth. Offerings are used for special purposes, like certain events, the church building fund, helping the needy, and so forth as the need arises.

The word ‘willingly’ means ‘compelled’ or ‘moved to give’. Moses was to collect the freewill offerings from every man whose heart was moved to give. In other words, something had happened in their hearts which caused them to give. Obviously, what had happened began when they were first saved by grace. God had delivered them from slavery. He had led them through the wilderness. He had provided them with water from the rock and manna from heaven. He had protected them through the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night. He had given them His law and shown them His glory. He had atoned for their sins through the blood of the covenant. God had done everything necessary for their salvation. So when they reflected on what God had done for them, their hearts were moved with gratitude to give willingly.

This is how you and I should respond whenever we have the opportunity to give. Every time there is a need in the ministry, we have a choice to make: should we give or not? Oftentimes, our decision is based on how important the ministry is or how committed we are to the ministry. But we should always consider our experience of God’s grace. We should always consider what our God has done for us. God has saved you and me. He has met all our needs for food and shelter. He has given us His Word, and most importantly, He has given us His only begotten son, Jesus Christ, to be our Saviour. If God has done all this for us, what can we do for Him? Our hearts are moved to give, and if we do this in our hearts, willingly, the heart is the centre of our being, we are really giving our whole selves to God. And God knows, He sees into the innermost parts of our hearts, and He knows whether we are giving willingly or not.

IV. Giving Our Best

And He wants us to give our best, which is our fourth point. Whenever we give to God, we should bring Him the best we have to offer. This is what ‘giving from the heart’ means. When we put our heart into something, we give our best. The items listed in verses 3–7 were used for the tabernacle. The tabernacle was a portable structure, a huge tent. It represented God’s presence with His people. At that time, the people were still in the wilderness, living in tents. So in the midst of all the tents, there was this huge tent—the tabernacle of God.

Whenever the people moved from place to place in the wilderness, the tabernacle would follow them. It would be constructed and dismantled, and then constructed and dismantled again. The animal skins were used for the tent, the wood for the poles, the fabrics for the curtains, the precious stones for the priestly garments, and the precious metals for the holy objects of worship. Many of the items were expensive, like gold, silver, and precious stones. Even the dye that was used to colour the garments was costly. Historians tell us that it took thousands of shells to produce enough dye only for one single garment, and the process was extremely tedious. But the other items were less expensive, like wood and animal skins.

So, the rich who had gold, silver, and precious stones. When their hearts were moved, they would bring gold, silver, and precious stones. The poor who had none of those things, when their hearts were moved - what should they do - would cut down one of the trees to bring wood, or they could slaughter their animals for the skin. In other words, everyone in Israel was invited to give. Everyone had the opportunity to give their best to God, whether it was gold, silver, wood, or animal skins. God accepted it because it was the best they had to offer.

What does that teach us? God has also given us the opportunity to give. Every time we come to church, we have the opportunity to give our best to God. For some of us, our offering may only be sufficient to support the logistical expenses, perhaps. For others, their offerings may be enough to contribute to foreign missions or the extensive cost of building the church. But whatever is collected, in the eyes of our Almighty God, it is accepted because it is our best, and it comes from the heart willingly. So you and I must make sure that it is our best, and it is truly from our hearts, willingly.

V. Giving To God’s Holy Work

Our final point is giving to God’s holy work. Verse 8 says, "And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them." So the children of Israel contributed to the holy work of building God’s tabernacle. Let us consider the two words ‘sanctuary’ and ‘dwell.’ The word ‘dwell’ means tabernacle. In other words, it can be translated as ‘that I may tabernacle among them.’

A moment ago, we mentioned that in the midst of all the tents, there was this huge tent - the tabernacle of God. It was to show how close God was. God was with His people. It does not mean that God lived within the four walls of the great tent as if He had physical limitations. God is infinite in His omnipresence, and nothing in this entire universe can ever contain Him. Isaiah the prophet said in Isaiah 66:1, "Thus saith the Lord, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? And where is the place of my rest?"

The word ‘sanctuary’ means ‘holy place’. Literally, it means a separated place, a place set apart for sacred use. This means God’s tabernacle was set apart from the community to show that He was holy - the infinite Almighty God, in whose presence the entire universe cannot contain - yet He chose to dwell among His people in a special way, not for His own benefit, but for their benefit.

He wanted to make His presence known to them; therefore, He told them to build Him a tabernacle. Today, God has given to us the church. Again, God does not live within the four walls of this church building - He is omnipresent. We are always in His presence. We are to worship Him in spirit and in truth. However, a church is set apart as God's house in the sense that it is the place where God meets His people. It is the place where we gather to hear His word. It is the place where we fellowship with other believers. It is the place where we serve Him. It is the place where the gospel is preached, and from there, it will be preached wherever God will lead us. If the church is used for God's holy work, then you and I should bring our offerings to support it. We are supporting God's holy work.

When we use our resources for something, we are investing in that thing. For example, when we pay for our housing, we are investing in a roof over our heads. When we pay for our groceries, we are investing in food to sustain us. We invest in clothes to keep us warm, education for our future jobs, and retirement for our future security, etc. But those investments are only for this physical world, and for as long as we live on this Earth. Naked we come, naked we go. None of those things will last forever. Our offering to God is different. It is the best investment that will last for all eternity. Our Lord Jesus said in Matthew 6:20, "But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal."

Dear friend, every day of our lives, we are faced with this challenge: to use our money on ourselves or on the things of God - or temporal investments or for eternal investments. There are so many things in life that are fighting for our attention, like the ones we have just mentioned - our houses, food, clothes, education, retirement, and so forth. You and I have to make a commitment and decision to invest in things eternal, and let us not waver from it.

A true testimony of a Christian woman who unexpectedly received a large sum of money from her family's inheritance, and she decided to give an offering from her inheritance. But her decision did not come easy. After her death, her children found the following entry in her diary, next to the day she gave her offering. She wrote: ‘Quick, quick, before it is too late! Before my heart gets hard.’

Isn't it true? How often do we want to give? We decide to give, but we procrastinate. And as the days go by, there are so many things that creep into our hearts to steal away our attention. Before we know it, the heart becomes hard, and in the end, we do not give. God does not want us to live such a life. He wants us to understand what giving is all about. So, He has led us to this passage, that we may understand the right attitude of giving.

We are giving to God, and giving is a privilege because He has given us this opportunity to show Him our love in a tangible way. Giving is from the heart, and He wants us to give willingly, to be compelled and moved to give as we consider what our almighty God has done for us. And as we consider what He has done for us, we cannot help but give Him our best.

And we give to the church. Why? Because that is the place God has set apart for His holy work. May the Lord help us, that you and I will understand these right attitudes of giving, and may we live our lives to the glory of His precious name. Let us pray.

Our Father in heaven, indeed it is not by chance nor coincidence that Thou hast led us to such a topic as this. How we can learn and draw spiritual principles from the children of Israel, as they were called to take an offering to build Thy tabernacle. Indeed, we have learned all these valuable lessons - that giving is to Thee and Thee alone. And Thou hast also taught us that it is a privilege, that Thou hast given to us the bountiful blessings that we have received from Thee. Thou art willing to receive it from us as an act of worship, to demonstrate our love for Thee in a tangible way.

And giving is from the heart. It is not just the gift; it is the attitude of our heart. Forgive us if there are times when we murmur and complain, when we give grudgingly, because we do not understand the right attitude of giving. May Thou move in our hearts in a most special way, that as we give, we consider what Thou hast done for us, and we want to give Thee our best - the best we have to offer, because everything we have belongs to Thee. Naked we come, and naked we will leave this world. And we want to give to Thy Church, because this is the place where Thou hast set apart as Thy house, where Thy holy work will be done. Teach us, O Lord, and help us to apply this truth into our lives. We pray all this in Jesus' name. Amen.

THE BOOK OF EXODUS

God’s Prophecy and Promise Had Come To Pass