Sermon Tone Analysis

“The LORD said to Moses, ‘Speak to the people of Israel, that they take for me a contribution.

From every man whose heart moves him you shall receive the contribution for me.

And this is the contribution that you shall receive from them: gold, silver, and bronze, blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, goats’ hair, tanned rams’ skins, goatskins, acacia wood, oil for the lamps, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense, onyx stones, and stones for setting, for the ephod and for the breast piece.

And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst.

Exactly as I show you concerning the pattern of the tabernacle, and of all its furniture, so you shall make it.’”

[1]

It is easy to imagine that our offerings are given to support the church; and to be sure, our gifts do underwrite the work of the congregation.

The needs of a congregation are admittedly great; at any given moment the membership will know that the congregation faces substantial needs.

The contributions of the people do underwrite the ministries of the church.

The congregation determines through the budget adopted how moneys entrusted to the congregation will be distributed; then, the leadership must administer those funds to carry out the ministries God has assigned.

For any congregation, a large portion of received moneys are used for pastoral support, ensuring that those who labour full-time in service to the congregation are free to fulfill the tasks that God has assigned.

The smaller the congregation, the greater the proportion that must be set aside for ministerial support.

Some moneys go to maintenance of the properties and a portion is used to ensure our ability to provide relief to the needy.

Some of the funds are transferred to various missionary causes to assist in the advance of the work of the Kingdom.

Therefore, the gifts are, in fact, supporting the church.

However, in the text before us you will note that when Moses was directed by God to receive the offerings of the People of God for the Sanctuary, God emphasised that the contributions were offered to Him.

Moreover, God emphasised the operation of His Spirit moving the heart of the people so that participation was voluntary and not coerced.

Additionally, it was vital that the people remember that what they gave was for a great purpose.

Giving, according to the Word of God, was to God and not in support of His work.

What was true in Moses’ day is equally true today.

This provides the outline of our message today.

The message is a challenge to review our worship through giving.

Why do we give?

What motivates us to give and what do we hope to see accomplished through the act of giving?

Far too often, we slip into the fallacy of taking offerings because we “need” money, and not because we seek to glorify God.

I want to change that.

I want us to find what pleases God and then courageously do that thing.

*CONTRIBUTIONS ARE MADE TO THE LORD.*

The wording of this divine command is revealing.

“Speak to the people of Israel, that they take for Me a contribution.”

God called the people to take a contribution for Him.

One Bible states, “You are to take My offering from everyone whose heart stirs him to give.” [2] Another translation reads, “Tell the Israelites to choose something to give Me as a special contribution.

You must accept whatever contribution each person freely gives.”

[3]

One point is so obvious that it is easily overlooked.

Throughout the Word of God the emphasis on giving is always that one’s giving is to be presented to the Lord.

We perhaps build a building, support the labourers or minister to the needy, but always we are giving to the Lord.

One hundred eighty-one times the Bible speaks of “an offering” presented to the LORD, and eleven times it stresses that “offerings” are to be presented to God.

To be certain, many of those offerings are sacrifices, but we must not forget that our gifts represent a sacrifice to honour God.

Once, the Bible speaks of a “contribution” made to God, and eleven times it refers to a “contribution” made to the LORD.

When the people presented their peace offerings before the LORD at the Tabernacle, even though the presentations were destined for the exclusive use of the priests and Levites, those same presentations were spoken of as “their contribution to the LORD” [see EXODUS 29:28].

Repeatedly, God treats these offerings as a “contribution to the LORD” [see LEVITICUS 22:15].

God plainly speaks of “the tithe” as “a contribution to the LORD” [NUMBERS 18:24-29].

I suspect that at the first, the concept that the people thought that contributing to the LORD rather than contributing to support the Tabernacle was novel.

The reason I say this concept was likely unusual was that Moses was so frequently compelled to remind the people that they were contributing to the Lord.

Though the patriarchs had deliberately presented offerings to honour God, the Israelites at the time of the Exodus had never in conscious history made a contribution to the LORD.

Evidence supporting this assertion is seen in the way in which Pharaoh and Moses interacted during the judgements of God.

Pharaoh is incredulous that the people would actually worship and increased the burden of the slaves following Moses’ initial requests.

After the plagues began, Pharaoh attempted to negotiate the manner in which the people would worship.

At each stage, it is apparent that worship as Moses anticipated was novel since Pharaoh was unfamiliar with the actions of the worshippers.

Near the conclusion of the negotiations, Pharaoh is displeased that the people would need their goods in order to worship.

However, it was not merely that the people would need the animals to make sacrifice, but they were giving of their wealth to God.

Similarly, I suspect that we do not always understand the distinction between contributing to the Lord and supporting the church.

There is, however, a significant difference in the two concepts.

Moses was careful in the choice of his words and he was careful to emphasise that the people’s contributions were to the LORD.

I am not suggesting that Moses was neglecting the need for a Tabernacle or the need for the various accoutrements required to carry out the service God commanded.

He simply realised that it was not possible to separate building the Tabernacle from serving God.

Just so, though it is possible for one to worship, and even to serve God, without a church building and without supporting those whom God appoints to serve Him full-time, providing buildings and supporting preachers cannot ultimately be separated from giving in order to honour God.

This connection is clearly witnessed in Paul’s instructions to Timothy.

“You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” and, “The labourer deserves his wages” [1 TIMOTHY 5:18].

Words matter.

What is said reveals what lies hidden in the heart.

Nouns and verbs are important as we define and describe what is being performed in the work of our Lord.

Precision in speech is not merely an issue of importance to an English teacher, but it is also vital to fulfilling the work of Christ in a manner pleasing to the Lord.

I do not want to overstress this issue, but neither do I wish to neglect the point.

Gifts do benefit the congregation; however, our gifts are offered to the Lord.

This is a constant theme throughout the Word of God.

“Vow offerings and freewill offerings” were to be offered to the LORD [e.g.

LEVITICUS 23:38].

“Firstfruits,” when offered, were contributed to the LORD [e.g.

NUMBERS 18:12].

COLOSSIANS 3:17 should guide Christians in this matter.

“Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

When a plea is made for support of various ministries, do you focus solely on the need; or is your giving an act of worship of the Son of God?

If all you hear is a request for money, you deprive yourself of an opportunity to honour God.

When we began services, Dal Brown, a godly member of the assembly, urged us to broadcast the services by radio so that the messages presented could be heard in nearby communities.

He believed so strongly in this mission that he was prepared to invest his own wealth to see this happen.

We could not have known how that suggestion would grow.

What began as a broadcast to local communities has grown to cover the two westernmost provinces, even being beamed into the United States.

Soon after beginning these broadcasts, a local television station generously provided time to televise the messages presented from this pulpit.

Now, we receive affirmation and expressions of gratitude from those watching the broadcasts in the Atlantic Provinces, in Ontario and throughout the western provinces.

These television broadcasts now touch lives throughout the nation.

The time is near when we must consider whether it is time to provide a daily radio broadcast on some of these stations?

Perhaps it is time for us to consider providing the message of life on satellite radio!

The challenge before us is great.

As such possibilities are presented, I see Paul’s words in a new and scintillating light, “A wide door for effective work has opened to [us], and there are many adversaries” [1 CORINTHIANS 16:9]

At various times, conscientious individuals have asked, “How much does this outreach cost?”

However, I wonder whether this is the wrong question?

Perhaps it is more appropriate for us to ask, “Who will this service reach?” or even, “How will God be glorified through this outreach?”

Surely, the primary determinate for us is whether God is leading in this means of outreach.

Through these various media efforts we are expanding the outreach of the congregation, ministering to a larger community, comforting the shut-ins, strengthening fellow believers, winning lost people to faith in Christ and extending the Kingdom of God.

Our media ministries have been an opportunity permitting us to honour God, expanding the work of the Kingdom in a manner that is for us unprecedented.

The messages preached from this pulpit are available for download in both written and in audio formats.

These messages are read and heard by hundreds each week.

[4] I am humbled to note that the messages are studied and used by Christian ministries far removed from our own country.

[5] God has permitted us as a congregation to invest in the outreach to other nations and in multiple languages.

This knowledge humbles us and causes us to rejoice in Christ our Saviour.

In years past I took note of the locations of those accessing the teaching we are providing by tracking the locations of those listening to the sermons or reaching the messages.

I no longer do this, but the indication is that we are serving a far greater community of faith than we could have ever dreamed.

Surely this is a mark of God’s goodness to permit us to serve Him and His people in this way.

God continues to bless us as a congregation.

Ours is not a massive congregation; but we have received opportunity to serve a large community of God’s choice saints.