Building for God - Total Commitment

Once upon a time there was a chicken and a pig who were great friends. They did lots of things together, and they were even members of the same church—the First Church of the Barnyard.

Well it so happens that their church began a building project and the chicken and the pig found themselves serving together on the Finance Committee. They were given the responsibility of coming up with some ways that they could raise money for the project.

Well, they thought and they thought until one day, the chicken had a brainstorm. “I know what we can do!” she exclaimed. “We could have a special breakfast and invite all the other animals to it. They would be so grateful that they would give a good offering, and then we’d have more money for the building project.”

“Sounds like a great idea!” said the pig. “But what would we serve at the breakfast?”

“That’s simple” replied the chicken “We could serve bacon and eggs.”

The pig thought about that for a moment and said “Well, I’m not so sure I like the idea anymore. A bacon and eggs breakfast for you means a contribution. For me, it means total commitment.”

There was a man in the Bible who understood something about total commitment. His name was David. We find him in 1 Chronicles 29 in the middle of a building project. He wanted to build a temple for God in Jerusalem—a permanent place to house the Ark of the Covenant, which up to that time had been kept in a tent. He had even drawn up plans as to how this Temple would look. He had caught the vision!

But back in ch. 17, God told David that he was not going to be the one to build the Temple. He had been a warrior, and he had blood on his hands. God wanted the Temple to be built by a man of peace—David’s son Solomon.

How did David respond to this setback? Was he disappointed? Probably. Was he defeated? No way! He accepted God’s will. And he continued to do all in his power to make preparations for the day when Solomon would take over the throne of Israel and start to build the Temple—knowing full well that he himself wouldn’t be around to see the final product. That’s faithfulness!

How do you respond when God puts a roadblock in your way? When God says “No” in answer to your prayers? Do you pout. Do you sulk. Do you say “Well, I’m not going to serve him so wholeheartedly anymore”? David didn’t do that. His zeal for God was undiminished.

And so we find him in 1 Chronicles 29, at the end of his life, summing up the preparations he has made for turning the project over to his son. And there are four great principles that we learn here from David’s life that are illustrated elsewhere in Scripture about what it takes to be a builder for God.

1 Chronicles 29:2 With all my resources I have provided for the temple of my God—gold for the gold work, silver for the silver, bronze for the bronze, iron for the iron and wood for the wood, as well as onyx for the settings, turquoise, stones of various colors, and all kinds of fine stone and marble—all of these in large quantities.

The key phrase there is “With all my resources…” You see David was a man who served God with all he had. And he served God with all he had because he recognized that all he had really belonged to God. Look at what he says down in verse 14…

But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.

David knew that all he had—all his material wealth, all his resources—had come from God. And he determined that he was going to honor God with those resources. He was going to give of his resources for the building of the Temple. Because he understood the principle that when you honor God, he will honor you.

There were some people in the book of Haggai who did not understand this principle. They were afflicted with what I call “the Haggai Syndrome”. Let’s look at them for a moment. You can find their story in Haggai 1, on page 937 of your pew Bible.

The year was 520 BC. The people of Israel had returned from exile in Babylon. They returned to a city of Jerusalem that was in ruins. The walls were broken down and the Temple of God had been destroyed.

They started to rebuild the Temple, but the work slowly came to a halt. Other priorities intervened. The economy was uncertain. There were hostile neighbors to deal with. Times were tough.

Meanwhile, they got preoccupied with building their own houses. Pursuing their own careers. Tending to their own affairs. And so the Temple just sat there, not much more than a foundation. And that is when God spoke to them…

Haggai 1:3 Then the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai: “Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?”

Now this is what the LORD Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.”

This is what the LORD Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored,” says the LORD.

“You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?” declares the LORD Almighty. “Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house.

These people had ignored a fundamental principle: That if you honor God, he will honor you. They were searching for prosperity, they were searching for satisfaction, they were searching for fulfillment in life, but they weren’t finding it, because they had forgotten to honor God.

They were planting but not harvesting; they were eating more and enjoying it less. As fast as they earned their money, it disappeared because their pockets had holes in them. And that’s what happens when you deliberately choose to ignore God.

There are many Christians in the same boat today. They are giving God the left overs. Rather than giving God the firstfruits of their resources, they are saying “God, I’m going to take care of all my needs first, and if there’s anything left over then maybe I’ll throw a little bit of it your way.” And then they wonder why they are not getting ahead financially, why there always seems to be more month left at the end of the money, why the paycheck just doesn’t seem to go far enough.

It’s simple—If you honor God; God will honor you.

Charles Spurgeon, the great English preacher, was once invited by a wealthy man to come and preach in a little country church of which that man was a member. The church was having a special fund-raising drive to pay off a building debt, and they thought that having Spurgeon come and preach would help to draw a crowd.

The wealthy man wrote to Spurgeon and told him that, when he came, he would be happy to have him stay at his country house, his town house, or his villa by the seaside—the choice was up to him. Spurgeon immediately wrote back and said “Why don’t you just sell one of your houses and pay the church’s debt off yourself?”

Brothers and sisters, could God be asking us the same question today? We are facing a significant financial challenge with our building project. Might God be asking us to liquidate some of our luxuries in order to honor him? I believe that with a congregation this size, if we each gave biblically, a tenth of our income, we would have no problem underwriting this building project as well as carrying on and expanding the ministry of the church in the meantime.

If you honor God with your personal resources, he will honor you. But it doesn’t end there. Look at 1 Chronicles 29:3. David says…

Besides, in my devotion to the temple of my God I now give my personal treasures of gold and silver for the temple of my God, over and above everything I have provided for this holy temple

We’re talking here about sacrificial giving. David has already given generously to the Lord’s work. Now he digs even deeper. He gives over and above, and he gives from his personal treasures. From his personal storehouse of prized possessions. Because he understood the second principle: Sacrificial giving brings special blessing.

Paul talks about some people in the NT who understood that principle in 2 Corinthians 8. Let’s turn there for a moment. It’s found on page 1146 of your pew Bible.

2 Corinthians 8:1 And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints.

How rich were the Macedonians? They were not rich. They were poor. Extremely poor. And yet they gave joyfully, generously, and super-abundantly. What made the difference in their life? Grace. Paul says “I want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches.”

The Haggai Syndrome was about greed. The Macedonian Syndrome is about grace. About giving sacrificially. Because grace helps us to understand that we can never out-give God. There will never be a situation where you will give sacrificially to the Lord’s work and then regret it. You’ll never find yourself saying “I shouldn’t have given so much to God. I gave too much. I really got the raw end of that deal.”

John Bunyan, in Pilgrim’s Progress, wrote “A man there was, and they called him mad; the more he gave, the more he had.” And of course, he was talking about a Christian who had come to understand that you can’t outgive God. The more you give to God, the more He gives back to you.

Jesus taught his disciples that lesson when he sat by the treasury of the Temple, watching what the various people put in. A rich man came along and threw in a couple of bags of money. But he had a lot more left. Jesus wasn’t impressed.

Then a poor widow came along and put in just a couple of copper coins worth a fraction of a cent. But it was all she had. And Jesus said “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”

Who do you think God is going to bless more? The person who gives with a lot of safety margin left over, or the person who risks everything to give to God?

Sacrificial giving brings special blessing.

Look at verse 5. David says…

Now, who is willing to consecrate himself today to the Lord?

You know what determines whether or not you’ll be willing to give God your money? Whether you’re willing to give God yourself. David asked “who is willing to consecrate himself today to the Lord?”

Principle #3 says “You will either serve God and use money, or you will use God and serve money.” It’s just another way of saying “No man can serve two masters.” If you are not wholeheartedly sold out to God, then you are wholeheartedly sold out to yourself, and getting your own needs met, and looking out for #1.

Barnabas was a man who was sold out to God. And so we read in Acts 4:37 that he sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet. His personal commitment to God led to personal sacrifice for God. He saw his possessions in terms of God’s priorities.

The very next verse, Acts 5:1, says

Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property.

Isn’t that nice? Another gift to the Lord’s work. But then the Scripture goes on to say…

With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet.

Who was Ananias really serving? Was he serving God or was he serving himself? You say “Ahh, but he DID give some money to the church. He did make a fairly substantial contribution.” But where was his heart?

You will either serve God and use money, or you will use God and serve money. The way you give is a very accurate barometer of your heart commitment to the Lord.

The story is told of how, when the Gospel came to the ancient tribes of northern Europe, whole armies were sometimes baptized at a single stroke. But many of the warriors would go into the waters of baptism holding their right hands high so that they didn’t get wet.

Then, later on, they could say “This hand has never been baptized” and they would swing their swords and their battle axes just as freely as ever.

Perhaps nowadays what happens is that many Christians are baptized, but they are holding their wallets, or their pocketbooks up high out of the water. They are unwilling to place their financial lives under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. And so giving becomes a very difficult thing for them to do because they have not first given themselves to the Lord.

Someone has said that there are three kinds of givers—the flint, the sponge, and the honeycomb. Some givers are like a piece of flint—to get anything at all out of them, you have to hammer them. And even then, you only get chips and sparks.

Other givers are like sponges. To get anything out of a sponge you have to squeeze it, and the harder you squeeze it, the more you get.

But other givers are like a honeycomb. They are just overflowing with sweetness, and with grace and with nourishment for others. That’s the kind of giver you will be if you give yourself first to the Lord.

Finally, let’s look back at 1 Chronicles 29:6…

Then the leaders of families, the officers of the tribes of Israel, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, and the officials in charge of the king’s work gave willingly… (and then it tells how much they gave)

1 Chronicles 29:9 The people rejoiced at the willing response of their leaders, for they had given freely and wholeheartedly to the Lord.

Giving to the Lord’s work is one of the most significant acts of spiritual leadership you can do. Because those who are watching you; those who are under you—your family, your spouse, your children—they know that you put your money where your heart is.

If your heart is in the Lord’s work; that’s where you’ll put your money. But if your heart is in something else; then that’s where you’ll put your money. And they can read the level of your commitment to the Lord by what you give.

And they will understand what you really think about God; and how important you think God really is. And they will draw their own lessons for life from what you are doing in this area.

What kind of legacy are you leaving for your children? For the generations that are coming along after you? The fourth principle says: A life of giving is a legacy of grace.

Hezekiah was an OT king who lived two hundred years after David. We read about him in the book of 2 Chronicles. He had a heart for God. He devoted himself to the Lord’s work. And he gave generously for the ministry of the Temple. Listen to what 2 Chronicles says about him—I’m reading from 2 Chron. 31:20ff…

This is what Hezekiah did throughout Judah, doing what was good and right and faithful before the Lord his God. In everything that he undertook in the service of God’s temple and in obedience to the law and the commands, he sought his God and worked wholeheartedly. And so he prospered.

And so he prospered. Your own prosperity as a human being, the prosperity and the well-being of your family, are directly determined by your level of commitment to God. If you are wholeheartedly committed to him, he will take care of you, he will provide for you, he will enable you.

And so here we stand at a crossroads. We are in the valley of decision.

I believe that God wants to use this building project to determine just how committed we are. Because if we’re going to get this thing done, it’s going to take sacrifice. It’s going to take the kind of risky, “over and above” type giving like David, and the Macedonians, and Barnabas, and Hezekiah, and the widow in the Temple did.

And I guess God wants to know just how much we trust him. Are we willing to give like that? Your giving reveals where your heart is.

So I’m going to ask you right now the question that David asked his people in 1 Chron. 29:5… “Who is willing to consecrate himself today to the Lord?”

I’m asking you men, who are leaders in your homes. Who are husbands and fathers and grandfathers, leaders whom your children look up to, and admire, and take their lessons from—“Which of you is willing to consecrate yourself today to the Lord?”

I’m asking you women, who are wives and mothers and grandmothers, women of influence, women who play such a strong role in shaping the attitudes and values of your children—“Which of you is willing to consecrate yourself today to the Lord?”

I’m asking you singles who are maybe just starting out on a career, and trying to find your own way in life, wondering about the future—“Which of you is willing to consecrate yourself today to the Lord?”

I’m asking you teens who are still in school and thinking about what kind of person you want to be—“Which of you is willing to consecrate yourself today to the Lord?”

If you want to consecrate yourself today to the Lord, I’m going to ask you right now to get up out of your seat and come on down to the front of the church and join me right here in the presence of God as we consecrate ourselves to Him.