9.00am and 10.30am Sunday 15 June 2003
Rev Des Botting
Readings: Luke 19:11-27; 2 Corinthians 9:6-15
What would you have done if you had been one of those ten servants in the story Jesus told? How would you have tackled the challenge they had been given?
When sermons are preached on this story, the focus is most often put on the worthless servant and how we need to make sure we dont do the same. But what about the first servant. It is clear that this servant who earned ten times as much as he had been given had gone about his responsibility very seriously. That kind of increase doesnt come from sitting round and twiddling ones thumbs, wistfully hoping for some miraculous windfall. He obviously relished the challenge and wanted to do the best he possibly could with what he had been given. He must have had an eye for the right kind of investment, and he may well have taken some risks, but whatever he did, he put his heart and soul into it to do so well. He showed initiative, drive, resourcefulness, thoroughness, energy and enterprise. Its no wonder the king gave him ten cities to rule. Here was a loyal and trustworthy servant who had potential for much greater things. And this was good reason for the king to give him what the worthless servant had. Wouldnt we have done the same if we wanted the best return on our wealth? We would want to entrust it into the hands of someone who had a good track record and had proved themselves as this servant had done.
Jesus wants us to be just as diligent about the concerns of His kingdom as this servant was about his masters money. Only our very best is worthy of our Lord. As we think of what God would have us do for His kingdom, our desire must be to do the very best we can to ensure that we get the optimum return on what He has entrusted us with. This is the theme that I want us to consider at the beginning of our Missions Programme for 2003. How can we as a congregation be good stewards in mission?
One of the Core Values that we have adopted as part of our Churchs Strategic Plan is that We believe EXCELLENCE honours God and commends the Gospel. It was said of Jesus, Everything he does is good![1] Everything we do as individuals and as a church we should do well. As we start our Missions programme, how can we at St Davids in the Fields seek for excellence in our mission initiatives? How can we be an example for the whole Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand as to what a congregation of this size can do? The Key Question is, How can we bring praise and glory to God through the ministry of this church locally and globally? We want to be able to look forward to coming before God as a congregation, as this servant did to his king, and being able to say, this is what we have done with what you have given us?
To do this we must know what is Gods PRIORITY for His Church -, what is on his heart first and foremost. What comes through so clearly in the ministry of Jesus is his concern for THE HARVEST. This was uppermost in Jesus mind as he went about his ministry here on earth. He was constantly burdened for those in need about him, and longed for more helpers to get the work done. So many of the stories he told have this emphasis. Like the owner of the vineyard who went out into the marketplace throughout the day hiring more and more labourers because he wanted his harvest gathered in.[2] Or when he felt compassion for the crowds and said, A large crop is in the fields, but there are only a few workers. Ask the Lord in charge of the harvest to send out workers to bring it in.[3] Or how it was that even although he was tired and hungry as he sat by the well in Samaria waiting for his disciples to buy food from the local town, he had time to talk to the woman who came to draw water. He was more concerned about seeing Gods eternal harvest gathered in than eating. On that occasion he said to his disciples, My food is to do what God wants! He is the one who sent me, and I must finish the work he gave me to do. You may say that there are still four months until harvest time. But I tell you to look and you will see that the fields are ripe and ready to harvest.[4] Again we see his concern for people to come to God in his stories about the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son. It is also there in his encounter with Zacchaeus, when he said, The Son of Man came to look for and to save people who are lost.[5] These stories and incidents from his life reveal an urgency about every aspect of our Lords work, a divine necessity laid upon him to complete what he had been given to do. This is why the servant in Jesus story was commended for his diligence in looking after the affairs of his king.
There is always a sense of urgency when it is harvest time. The second church I ministered in was in a rural community. Many of the farmers grew wheat and barley. Harvest time was crucial for them especially weather-wise. It was vital they get their crop harvested when conditions were right. If left too long, a strong nor wester could blow and they would end up losing most of it. It was a tense, and anxious time. A years work hung in the balance. When the conditions came right no time was lost. The hours were long, and they worked hard. There would be time to relax and for enjoyment later when the harvest was safely gathered in, but until then the harvest took priority over everything else.
The principles of natural harvest are the same for the spiritual harvest. There is always a sense of urgency about this work. Time is quickly running out and it will take a concerted effort by all Gods people to see his harvest gathered in. There will come a time for rest, but in the meantime, as the old hymn puts it, Let us labour for the Master from the dawn till setting sun. Friends, it is harvest time!
How can we do our part in this vital work? The passage we read from Second Corinthians can help us. It tells us four things.
I. The LAW of the Harvest. In Chapters 8 and 9 of 2 Corinthians Paul is speaking specifically about giving, but its application is much wider than just that. He cites the outstanding example of generous giving by the churches in Macedonia. They were not wealthy churches by any manner of means. Paul says that although they were going through hard times and were very poor, they were glad to give generously. They gave as much as they could afford and even more, simply because they wanted to. And then Paul says something that is really amazing about these churches. He tells the Corinthians, They even asked and begged us to let them have the joy of giving their money for Gods people.[6] The secret to this sacrificial giving is found in the next verse: They gave themselves first to the Lord, and then to Paul and his friends. All giving begins here. Consecration to God and his purposes comes first.
In chapter 9, Paul goes on to teach about the harvest. He speaks of
The fundamental principle of harvest: YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW.[7] Paul expresses it here in this way: A few seeds make a small harvest, but a lot of seeds make a big harvest.[8] The NRSV says: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. It is the law of the harvest you reap what you sow. The question is, what would be a God-honouring harvest for us as a congregation? I believe if we are to be like the good servant in the story Jesus told, we will need to work very hard, be very focused, and be prepared to take risks that involve exercising faith. Remember The Bible defines faith in this way: Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.[9] It also says, But without faith no one can please God.[10] Faith is activated when God comes into the equation. It is not what we do in our own strength with our own resources, but what is done in Gods strength and His resources. In other words, it is undertaking something that unless God comes into the picture, it will not happen. The subject of the Fieckerts sharing next Sunday says it all, faith is about ordinary people doing extraordinary things for God. This is true of every hero of faith in the Bible. They were just ordinary human beings like you and I, but God did amazing things through them because they trusted Him. This morning let us think of that in terms of us as a congregation. We can do so much more together than the combined total of all our individual efforts. So then, what is
II. OUR Part. Paul lists five things about how we are to give to Gods harvest.
a. We must decide INDIVIDUALLY. He says, Each of you must make up your own mind about how much to give.[11] This means that your giving to Gods work is to be a personal decision on your part. You have to make up your own mind about it in the light of your understanding of Gods Word. I cannot direct you as to what you should give. Nor can anyone else. Notice it is not a question of giving or not, but how much to give. The Scriptures also tell us that our giving to Gods work should be planned. Notice what Paul says at the beginning of this chapter in 2 Corinthians. I dont need to write to you about the money you plan to give for Gods people. I know how eager you are to give.[12] Giving to God should never be a haphazard practice. Paul talks about this at the end of his first letter where he says, each Sunday each of you must put aside part of what youve earned.[13] This is why we encourage you to join the envelope system of giving. It helps us to do what Paul here was counseling the Corinthians to do. First, then, our giving to the work of Gods harvest involves a personal decision.
Secondly,
b. We are not to give RELUCTANTLY. He says, But dont feel sorry that you must give.[14] This morning I want to emphasis the positive side of giving. God wants us to be generous just as he is generous to us. Listen to what Jesus said. If you give to others, you will be given a full amount in return. It will be packed down, shaken together, and spilling over into your lap.[15] God is exceedingly good to us. And after all, we dont own anything of what we have anyway. It is all His to begin with, and we are only giving back what is rightfully His in the first place. Furthermore, it is a privilege to give to the work of the harvest, and we need to see it in the light of the end picture, that there will be people in heaven because you and I have contributed towards Gods harvest. When we have the right attitude, the offering is a part of the service that we really look forward to, a time when we give out of hearts that are overflowing with gratitude to God for all His blessings to us. And it is exactly the same of other forms of giving, that of our time and talents, our energy and creativity. Giving should never be done grudgingly.
And further,
c. We are not to give DUTIFULLY. Paul says, dont feel that you are forced to give.[16] That is, giving under compulsion, out of a sense of necessity, as though you have no choice in the matter. I remember one speaker on this subject saying how some people go around as thought their pockets are zipped closed with a padlock at the top. However, as they experience the richness of Gods abundant, extravagant grace through receiving the fullness of the Holy Spirit, they are set free in this area of their Christian life, and giving becomes a delight, not a duty.
So how are we to give? Paul mentions two more things here.
d. We are to give CHEERFULLY. Paul says, God loves people who love to give.[17] The Greek word for cheerfully is hilaron, from which we get the word hilarious. That means we are to give joyously. We can never outgive God. Try it and see. God is a giver. He delights to give to His children. As we will see from the following verses.
Also,
e. We are to give OBEDIENTLY. A little further on Paul says, You believed the message about Christ, and you obeyed it by sharing generously with Gods people and with everyone else.[18] Giving is very much part of our response to the Gospel message. It is one of the commands of Jesus. In the Old Testament, Gods people always brought an offering when they came to the temple. It is an integral part of our worship. It is not a question of if to give, but what to give. When we look at those things that Jesus has commanded us to do, giving is one of them, as we read a few moments ago in Luke.
Next Paul talks about
III.GODS Part. There are some amazing promises here.
a. God will PROVIDE for your needs. Paul says, God can bless you with everything you need.[19] It is as David found out. You, Lord, are my Shepherd. I will never be in need.[20] Later in life he was able to say, As long as I can remember, good people have never been left helpless, and their children have never gone begging for bread.[21] Note the words everything, and never in these verses. Our needs will be totally provided for.
b. God will enable you to HELP OTHERS. Paul says, youll always have more than enough to do all kinds of good things for others. And a little further on, you will be able to keep on being generous.[22] One of the marks of a follower of Christ is the desire to share. God wants us to be mindful of those in need about us, and blesses us so that we can be a blessing to others, always having more than enough. Do you want to come to a place of abundance? Start giving and see God begin to pour out his blessings in return until your cup runs over. Listen again to that verse and note all the superlatives in it. God can bless you with everything you need, and youll always have more than enough to do all kinds of good things for others. And not only will he do that, but
c. God will MULTIPLY what you have. He will increase what you have, so that you can give even more to those in need.[23] God doesnt want us to be only thinking of ourselves. The law of the harvest is: If we sow sparingly we shall reap sparingly. If we sow abundantly, we will reap abundantly. God will always make sure that we have all we will ever need, with some to spare to pass on to others. God wants his children to be generous. He wants us to trust Him.
This is one of the reasons why we encourage participation in Faith Missions Giving. It provides us with an opportunity to grow in our faith as we prove Gods faithfulness. Grace and I have proved it year after year as we have believed that God would provide the mount He has asked us to give, even when we wondered where would we get that much money from. This year God did it with over a month to spare.
Finally,
IV. The OUTCOME. Note all the blessings that flow from giving generously, joyfully, and obediently.
a. You will be blessed in every way
b. You will be able to keep on being generous.
c. Many people will thank God.
d. This service will bring honour and praise to God. God will glorified through our giving.
e. People will pray for us. Paul writes, Now they are praying for you and want to see you, because God used you to bless them so very much.[24]
This year as you ask God to guide you in your Faith Missions Giving response, let it be done in the light of this Scripture passage. Most of all remember to Thank God for his gift that is too wonderful for words[25], in that You know that our Lord Jesus Christ was kind enough to give up all his riches and become poor, so that you could become rich.[26]
[1] Mark 7:37 (All Bible references are from the Contemporary English Version unless otherwise stated.)
[2] Cf Matthew 20:1ff
[3] Matthew 9:38
[4] John 4:34-35
[5] Luke 19:10
[6] 2 Corinthians 8:2-4
[7] cf Galatians 6:7
[8] 2 Corinthians 9:6
[9] Hebrews 11:1 NRSV
[10] Hebrews 11:6
[11] 2 Corinthians 9:7a
[12] 2 Corinthians 9:1-2a
[13] 1 Corinthians 16:2a
[14] 2 Corinthians 9:7b
[15] Luke 6:38
[16] 2 Corinthians 9:7b
[17] 2 Corinthians 9:7c
[18] 2 Corinthians 9:13b
[19] 2 Corinthians 9:8a
[20] Psalm 23:1
[21] Psalm 37:25
[22] 2 Corinthians 9:8b, 11a
[23] 2 Corinthians 9:10b
[24] 2 Corinthians 9:11-15
[25] 2 Corinthians 9:15
[26] 2 Corinthians 8:9