Well here we are, for some of you it is your favorite month
of the year at Cornerstone, for others, not so much. If you are new to Cornerstone or a guest
today a little background, each year at Cornerstone during the month of April
Denn preaches on Money. Well to be exact
I preach on Stewardship, how we treat what God has given us.
of the year at Cornerstone, for others, not so much. If you are new to Cornerstone or a guest
today a little background, each year at Cornerstone during the month of April
Denn preaches on Money. Well to be exact
I preach on Stewardship, how we treat what God has given us.
But for most people they just see it as Money Month, when
Denn preaches on money.
Denn preaches on money.
And it wasn’t just an arbitrary or random decision on my
behalf, you know one day I was in my office wondering what I could possibly
preach on each April, and I suddenly thought “I know, I’ll preach on money each
April, that will draw a crowd.”
behalf, you know one day I was in my office wondering what I could possibly
preach on each April, and I suddenly thought “I know, I’ll preach on money each
April, that will draw a crowd.”
That wasn’t it at all.
12 years ago we decided to take a different approach to dealing with
finances at Cornerstone. Instead of
dealing with the crisis of finances, that is harping at you every time things
got tight financially in the church that instead we would teach the theology of
stewardship one month each year.
12 years ago we decided to take a different approach to dealing with
finances at Cornerstone. Instead of
dealing with the crisis of finances, that is harping at you every time things
got tight financially in the church that instead we would teach the theology of
stewardship one month each year.
Because our church year ends in April we decided that would
be a good month and so here we are. And
so if you can handle four messages on stewardship then you get a free pass on
the preacher harping at you about money for the rest of the year. As part of that process we adopted what we
call “Step-up Cornerstone”. Each year,
at the end of April, we ask those who make Cornerstone their church home to
step out in faith and fill out an “estimate of giving” card. And just like the name implies, we ask you to
estimate what you hope to give for the upcoming year. We collect those cards at the end of that
service and we use that figure to plan our budget for the new church year.
be a good month and so here we are. And
so if you can handle four messages on stewardship then you get a free pass on
the preacher harping at you about money for the rest of the year. As part of that process we adopted what we
call “Step-up Cornerstone”. Each year,
at the end of April, we ask those who make Cornerstone their church home to
step out in faith and fill out an “estimate of giving” card. And just like the name implies, we ask you to
estimate what you hope to give for the upcoming year. We collect those cards at the end of that
service and we use that figure to plan our budget for the new church year.
And there are benefits to that, both for the church and for
you. For the church it gives us a responsible
way to plan our budget for the upcoming year.
For the first twenty years of my ministry the churches that I led did
what most churches do. Each year the
leadership would pull a budget out of the air.
It was may have been based on the previous year’s budget with a small
increase for additional expenses, or perhaps department heads had submitted
their wish list for the upcoming year.
you. For the church it gives us a responsible
way to plan our budget for the upcoming year.
For the first twenty years of my ministry the churches that I led did
what most churches do. Each year the
leadership would pull a budget out of the air.
It was may have been based on the previous year’s budget with a small
increase for additional expenses, or perhaps department heads had submitted
their wish list for the upcoming year.
Often it was done by committee but realistically it wasn’t
based on any knowledge of what the church income would be for that year. Often time’s churches would talk about how
they were stepping out in faith. But the
result was that the preacher would end up talking about money all the time
challenging people to step up and pay a budget that was not rooted in reality.
based on any knowledge of what the church income would be for that year. Often time’s churches would talk about how
they were stepping out in faith. But the
result was that the preacher would end up talking about money all the time
challenging people to step up and pay a budget that was not rooted in reality.
In 2002 the leadership at
Cornerstone decided to take a different tact.
I would speak on the biblical role of stewardship for a month each
year. And it’s an important topic, and
it’s an important part of our spiritual lives.
Cornerstone decided to take a different tact.
I would speak on the biblical role of stewardship for a month each
year. And it’s an important topic, and
it’s an important part of our spiritual lives.
And at the end of the month we
allow the folks who call Cornerstone home to respond and provide an estimate of
what they believe they will be able to give in the upcoming year. In affect you get to have a say in the budget
and say “This is the type of church I would like to have this year.”
allow the folks who call Cornerstone home to respond and provide an estimate of
what they believe they will be able to give in the upcoming year. In affect you get to have a say in the budget
and say “This is the type of church I would like to have this year.”
I think I handle the mechanics
of it well; we try not to embarrass anyone or put anyone on the spot. If you
don’t want to participate that is fine, although we encourage everyone to take
part. And we don’t come knocking on
your door if you aren’t able to give what you thought you’d be able to, we hope
you will after all we have based our budget on those figures. And we provide you with updates throughout
the year about where we are in relation to what was committed and where you are
personally in relation to your commitment.
of it well; we try not to embarrass anyone or put anyone on the spot. If you
don’t want to participate that is fine, although we encourage everyone to take
part. And we don’t come knocking on
your door if you aren’t able to give what you thought you’d be able to, we hope
you will after all we have based our budget on those figures. And we provide you with updates throughout
the year about where we are in relation to what was committed and where you are
personally in relation to your commitment.
Last year our theme was “A
Blessed Life” and we spoke about Who Gets Blessed, the Blessing of the First
Things, The Blessing of Faithfulness and the Blessing of the tenth. And I don’t know how you felt about the series
but I really enjoyed it.
Blessed Life” and we spoke about Who Gets Blessed, the Blessing of the First
Things, The Blessing of Faithfulness and the Blessing of the tenth. And I don’t know how you felt about the series
but I really enjoyed it.
This year our theme is “Over
the Top” and that was my thought when I read a portion of the scripture that
was read for us this morning.
the Top” and that was my thought when I read a portion of the scripture that
was read for us this morning.
Buried in Jesus’ teaching about
judging one another and forgiveness we find this statement Luke
6:38 Give, and you will receive. Your gift
will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more,
running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the
amount you get back.”
judging one another and forgiveness we find this statement Luke
6:38 Give, and you will receive. Your gift
will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more,
running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the
amount you get back.”
That’s pretty cool. I heard someone refer to it as “The Law of
Self-Administered Returns.” Or “What you
give is what you get.”
Self-Administered Returns.” Or “What you
give is what you get.”
It is found in the book of Luke
toward the end of a long section of Jesus’ teaching. This is Luke’s telling of the Sermon on the
Mount, and while we are probably more familiar with Matthew’s account it is
only in Luke’s account that we find this verse.
toward the end of a long section of Jesus’ teaching. This is Luke’s telling of the Sermon on the
Mount, and while we are probably more familiar with Matthew’s account it is
only in Luke’s account that we find this verse.
And there are some who make a
big deal about the differences that we find in different accounts of Jesus’
teachings, but seriously. Every person
will leave here today with different impressions and memories of what I said,
some will remember one point in particular, others will remember something else
and others won’t remember a thing. In
some cases it would be hard to believe that we were all listening to the same
message, but that doesn’t change the reality that they were.
big deal about the differences that we find in different accounts of Jesus’
teachings, but seriously. Every person
will leave here today with different impressions and memories of what I said,
some will remember one point in particular, others will remember something else
and others won’t remember a thing. In
some cases it would be hard to believe that we were all listening to the same
message, but that doesn’t change the reality that they were.
And so it was Luke who remembered and recorded this
particular snippet of Jesus’ message.
And the temptation here is to pull it out of its context and examine it
in isolation. Especially during “Money
Month”, let’s hear it again. Luke
6:38 Give, and you will receive. Your gift
will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more,
running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the
amount you get back.”
particular snippet of Jesus’ message.
And the temptation here is to pull it out of its context and examine it
in isolation. Especially during “Money
Month”, let’s hear it again. Luke
6:38 Give, and you will receive. Your gift
will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more,
running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the
amount you get back.”
Dr. H.C. Wilson, our District Superintendent, spent a number
of years down south and he’d say. “That
dog will hunt.” And while it may server
our benefits to see this as only a financial statement it is so much more than
that. Because Jesus never intended it
to be taken in isolation, there are other times in the Gospels that Jesus will
make a statement that stand’s by itself.
But Luke 6:38 was part of a much larger discussion, and it needs to be
taken that way. Because as one of my
College professors was fond of saying “A text out of context is a
pretext.”
of years down south and he’d say. “That
dog will hunt.” And while it may server
our benefits to see this as only a financial statement it is so much more than
that. Because Jesus never intended it
to be taken in isolation, there are other times in the Gospels that Jesus will
make a statement that stand’s by itself.
But Luke 6:38 was part of a much larger discussion, and it needs to be
taken that way. Because as one of my
College professors was fond of saying “A text out of context is a
pretext.”
So if it’s not just about money then what’s it about? It’s about the totality of Jesus’ teaching
here, and by extension it is about Jesus teaching as a whole. Jesus it telling us that how we behave in all
areas of our lives are interconnected.
here, and by extension it is about Jesus teaching as a whole. Jesus it telling us that how we behave in all
areas of our lives are interconnected.
So in one sense it is a very practical teaching. The way you treat others is the way they you
should expect to be treated. In some
Eastern religions they use the term “karma” to describe this. Do good things and good things will happen to
you, do bad things and bad things will happen to you. But practically that is life. Act like a jerk and in most cases people will
treat you like a jerk. Be pleasant and
in most cases, not always but in most cases, people will respond in kind.
should expect to be treated. In some
Eastern religions they use the term “karma” to describe this. Do good things and good things will happen to
you, do bad things and bad things will happen to you. But practically that is life. Act like a jerk and in most cases people will
treat you like a jerk. Be pleasant and
in most cases, not always but in most cases, people will respond in kind.
I’ve talked about this before, a smile is contagious. And it will often open many doors, being
pleasant to people very often pays dividends.
pleasant to people very often pays dividends.
That’s the practical side of
this. We often speak of it in terms of
the Golden Rule, which is not contrary to popular belief “He who has the gold
makes the rules.” Luke
6:31 Do to others as you would like them to do
to you. A little caution here,
sometimes we think that this means that we should treat people the way we would
like to be treated. For example, there
are times when there will be someone in
one of our services who probably could be recognized from the platform. Another preacher perhaps, or someone who
attended Cornerstone in the past and has moved away and is now back for a visit. If I don’t acknowledge them, there inevitably
will be an extrovert who after the service ask me why I didn’t acknowledge
them. Because as an extrovert they would
want to be acknowledged.
this. We often speak of it in terms of
the Golden Rule, which is not contrary to popular belief “He who has the gold
makes the rules.” Luke
6:31 Do to others as you would like them to do
to you. A little caution here,
sometimes we think that this means that we should treat people the way we would
like to be treated. For example, there
are times when there will be someone in
one of our services who probably could be recognized from the platform. Another preacher perhaps, or someone who
attended Cornerstone in the past and has moved away and is now back for a visit. If I don’t acknowledge them, there inevitably
will be an extrovert who after the service ask me why I didn’t acknowledge
them. Because as an extrovert they would
want to be acknowledged.
On the other hand if I did
acknowledge them there is an introvert, who won’t say anything but will be
thinking, “I can’t believe that Denn singled that person out and put them on
the spot like that.” Because as an
introvert they would never want to be pointed out in a crowd. So really, what the golden rule is saying is
treat someone they way they want to be treated.
acknowledge them there is an introvert, who won’t say anything but will be
thinking, “I can’t believe that Denn singled that person out and put them on
the spot like that.” Because as an
introvert they would never want to be pointed out in a crowd. So really, what the golden rule is saying is
treat someone they way they want to be treated.
But that was a tangent, let’s
go back to our scripture, Luke 6:38 Give,
and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken
together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The
amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” Actually let’s back up another verse to
Luke 6:37 “Do not judge others, and you will not be
judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive
others, and you will be forgiven.
go back to our scripture, Luke 6:38 Give,
and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken
together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The
amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” Actually let’s back up another verse to
Luke 6:37 “Do not judge others, and you will not be
judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive
others, and you will be forgiven.
First of all It Relates to Judging. This is the favourite verse of people
whose behaviour is being questioned. If
you happen to point out behaviour which doesn’t like up with the teachings fo
the New Testament you often hear, “Don’t judge me, the bible tells us not to
judge, you have no right to judge me!”
The problem with that rationale is that it’s only a few verses away that
Jesus tells his followers how to tell whether a tree is a good tree or a bad
tree. You judge them by the fruit they
produce. And then he goes on to say the
same applies to people, that you can tell what type of person they are by their
behaviour. Correcting a person’s behaviour is often seen as being
judgmental. But is it?
whose behaviour is being questioned. If
you happen to point out behaviour which doesn’t like up with the teachings fo
the New Testament you often hear, “Don’t judge me, the bible tells us not to
judge, you have no right to judge me!”
The problem with that rationale is that it’s only a few verses away that
Jesus tells his followers how to tell whether a tree is a good tree or a bad
tree. You judge them by the fruit they
produce. And then he goes on to say the
same applies to people, that you can tell what type of person they are by their
behaviour. Correcting a person’s behaviour is often seen as being
judgmental. But is it?
This is a caution about
judging, telling us that we will be judged by the same standards that we judge
others. Remember Jesus asks “How you tell
a person that they have a speck of sawdust in their eye if you have a beam in
your eye?” But he doesn’t tell us to not
tell the person about the speck in his eye, he just tells us to remove the beam
from our eye first.
judging, telling us that we will be judged by the same standards that we judge
others. Remember Jesus asks “How you tell
a person that they have a speck of sawdust in their eye if you have a beam in
your eye?” But he doesn’t tell us to not
tell the person about the speck in his eye, he just tells us to remove the beam
from our eye first.
It’s not the correcting someone
that is wrong, it is the attitude that we do it in. Let’s go back there again Luke
6:37 “Do not judge others, and you will not be
judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Do you judge with a spirit of
correction or a spirit of condemnation?
What’s the difference? Well when
you judge to correct, that simply means you are pointing out their behaviour
for their own good. You understand that
the bible says Proverbs 14:12 There
is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death. If you knew that a person was walking
along a path that had a dangerous end wouldn’t you feel a responsibility to
warn them?
that is wrong, it is the attitude that we do it in. Let’s go back there again Luke
6:37 “Do not judge others, and you will not be
judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Do you judge with a spirit of
correction or a spirit of condemnation?
What’s the difference? Well when
you judge to correct, that simply means you are pointing out their behaviour
for their own good. You understand that
the bible says Proverbs 14:12 There
is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death. If you knew that a person was walking
along a path that had a dangerous end wouldn’t you feel a responsibility to
warn them?
We should have the same moral
responsibility to warn people about eternal danger as we do of earthly dangers.
So, when we judge with a spirit of correction it happens with a certain sadness
over what happens if they continue their behaviour.
responsibility to warn people about eternal danger as we do of earthly dangers.
So, when we judge with a spirit of correction it happens with a certain sadness
over what happens if they continue their behaviour.
When we judge someone with a
spirit of condemnation there is almost a sense of glee at their fate. We are glad they got caught and pleased that
they will be punished. And Jesus is
telling us that the way we judge others, will be the way we ourselves will be
judged by others. Remember it was Wayne Dyer who wrote,
“When you judge another, you do not define
them, you define yourself.”
spirit of condemnation there is almost a sense of glee at their fate. We are glad they got caught and pleased that
they will be punished. And Jesus is
telling us that the way we judge others, will be the way we ourselves will be
judged by others. Remember it was Wayne Dyer who wrote,
“When you judge another, you do not define
them, you define yourself.”
A good idea it to never judge
someone until you have walked a mile in their shoes. Because then you are a mile a way and you have
their shoes. Just kidding.
someone until you have walked a mile in their shoes. Because then you are a mile a way and you have
their shoes. Just kidding.
We are told by Jesus brother in
James 5:19-20 My dear brothers and
sisters, if someone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back,
you can be sure that whoever brings the sinner back will save that person from
death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins. Which leads us to
our next point, you see that verse 38 not only relates to Judgement It
Relates to Forgiveness So we are told that if we judge then we will be
judged, and the flip side of that is that if we forgive then we will be
forgiven.
James 5:19-20 My dear brothers and
sisters, if someone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back,
you can be sure that whoever brings the sinner back will save that person from
death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins. Which leads us to
our next point, you see that verse 38 not only relates to Judgement It
Relates to Forgiveness So we are told that if we judge then we will be
judged, and the flip side of that is that if we forgive then we will be
forgiven.
And not just
a little bit forgiven, we will be granted forgiveness that is pressed down,
shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. But if we don’t forgive, Jesus gives us all
kinds of warnings. Over and over again
he ties our forgiveness into the forgiveness that we receive from God.
a little bit forgiven, we will be granted forgiveness that is pressed down,
shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. But if we don’t forgive, Jesus gives us all
kinds of warnings. Over and over again
he ties our forgiveness into the forgiveness that we receive from God.
When Jesus teaches us to pray,
in the Lord’s prayer you remember that we pray saying: Matthew 6:12 and
forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. And
in case we miss this, Jesus reminds us of what that means at the end of the Lord’s
prayer when he says Matthew 6:14-15 “If
you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you.
But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.
in the Lord’s prayer you remember that we pray saying: Matthew 6:12 and
forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. And
in case we miss this, Jesus reminds us of what that means at the end of the Lord’s
prayer when he says Matthew 6:14-15 “If
you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you.
But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.
Jesus tells a story in the
gospel of Matthew about a servant who owed his master more than he could ever
possibly pay and the master forgave him his entire debt. But on his way home the servant runs into
another man who owed him a paltry sum.
And he immediately demanded that he be paid in full, and when that
doesn’t happen he has the man arrested and thrown into debtors prison. When the
master heard this he withdrew his forgiveness and demanded payment in
full. When it didn’t happen the master
had the servant thrown into prison until he could pay off his debt, which we
have already been told would never happen.
gospel of Matthew about a servant who owed his master more than he could ever
possibly pay and the master forgave him his entire debt. But on his way home the servant runs into
another man who owed him a paltry sum.
And he immediately demanded that he be paid in full, and when that
doesn’t happen he has the man arrested and thrown into debtors prison. When the
master heard this he withdrew his forgiveness and demanded payment in
full. When it didn’t happen the master
had the servant thrown into prison until he could pay off his debt, which we
have already been told would never happen.
God offers us forgiveness for a
life of sinfulness, that is forgiveness that is over the top, and he asks us to
forgive those who have hurt us. He says
if you give forgiveness you will get forgiveness, forgiveness that is pressed
down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your
lap.
life of sinfulness, that is forgiveness that is over the top, and he asks us to
forgive those who have hurt us. He says
if you give forgiveness you will get forgiveness, forgiveness that is pressed
down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your
lap.
And you are thinking this is an
awesome money month sermon, he hasn’t talked about money yet.
awesome money month sermon, he hasn’t talked about money yet.
But we can’t ignore the fact
that when we read Luke 6:38 Give,
and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken
together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The
amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” It
Relates to our Finances.
that when we read Luke 6:38 Give,
and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken
together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The
amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” It
Relates to our Finances.
Last year we learned that God
blesses his people when they return what rightfully belongs to God. What is it that belongs to God? Everything we have. Why does God bless his people when they support
kingdom work? It’s easy, if God’s work
is supported when God’s people return a portion of what God gives them then it
only makes sense for God to bless those who are faithful with what he has given
them.
blesses his people when they return what rightfully belongs to God. What is it that belongs to God? Everything we have. Why does God bless his people when they support
kingdom work? It’s easy, if God’s work
is supported when God’s people return a portion of what God gives them then it
only makes sense for God to bless those who are faithful with what he has given
them.
Jesus tells us that in the
parable of the faithful servant when he says Matthew 25:23 “The
master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful
in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more
responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’”
parable of the faithful servant when he says Matthew 25:23 “The
master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful
in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more
responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’”
Solomon writes in Proverbs 3:9-10 Honour
the LORD with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce.
Then he will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with good
wine. Some have called that the law of resupply.
the LORD with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce.
Then he will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with good
wine. Some have called that the law of resupply.
There is a really neat story
told in the Gospels. You all remember
it, Jesus has been teaching all day and all of a sudden the day is gone and the
crowd is hungry. Do you remember he
story? The disciples go foraging for
food and all they can come up with is a kid who has five small loaves of bread,
really just rolls and 2 fish. Jesus
blesses the little bit of food and feeds five thousand people with it. But the really cool things is when he is done
we read in Mark 6:43 and
afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftover bread and fish. It
doesn’t say what they did with the left overs but it wouldn’t surprise me if he
gave them back to the kid. “Thank you
for trusting me with your fish and rolls, here is your reward.” But what would have happened if the boy had
of hid his tuna sandwiches and refused to share? He would have had just enough for one meal. Instead he had enough to feed his entire
family and more.
told in the Gospels. You all remember
it, Jesus has been teaching all day and all of a sudden the day is gone and the
crowd is hungry. Do you remember he
story? The disciples go foraging for
food and all they can come up with is a kid who has five small loaves of bread,
really just rolls and 2 fish. Jesus
blesses the little bit of food and feeds five thousand people with it. But the really cool things is when he is done
we read in Mark 6:43 and
afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftover bread and fish. It
doesn’t say what they did with the left overs but it wouldn’t surprise me if he
gave them back to the kid. “Thank you
for trusting me with your fish and rolls, here is your reward.” But what would have happened if the boy had
of hid his tuna sandwiches and refused to share? He would have had just enough for one meal. Instead he had enough to feed his entire
family and more.
And it appears that J. Paul Getty agreed with that principle because he said “Money is like manure. You have to spread it around or it
smells.”
smells.”