Transcription
Turn in your Bibles to the book of Hebrews, chapter 11, verse 4.
One of the places that Lisa and I visited in Washington was the Smithsonian Institute, which includes several museums. One of these is the American History Museum. There was a plaque in the museum that caught my eye; it was about the history of money. The plaque read, "Money Talks," and that resonated with me because I knew I was going to preach from this passage.
This is a real truth: Money Talks. The scripture we are about to read speaks about examples of faith, and the very first example given is about an offering. One of the things it says in the verse we are about to read is that the impact of our giving goes on. Abel's offering still speaks. In other words, God knew this principle: Money Talks. That's what I want to preach about—Money Talks from Hebrews chapter 11.
If you want to read with me, I will be reading from the New Century Version. It says, "By faith, Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. God said he was pleased with the gifts Abel offered and called Abel a good man because of his faith. Abel died, but through his faith, he is still speaking." Money Talks.
Let's begin. The first thought I want to look at is that money talks to God. One of the earliest examples of obedience is the one we just read, and it had to do with finances. In those days, there was no such thing as cash; your flocks and herds were your wealth. God had given instructions about what was an acceptable offering according to Him.
In Genesis 3:21, it says, "And to Adam and his wife, the Lord God made coats of skins and clothed them." This is the first animal sacrifice we see in the Bible. God is saying, "This is what I want." We understand it's symbolic, looking ahead to Jesus Christ, but the point is that God set the terms. He didn't say, "Bring me anything you want." He made it clear what was acceptable.
So, it had a higher purpose than simply meeting a need. By what God tells us to give, it shows whether or not we agree that He is God. We call this lordship. Do you believe that God is God and you are not? God built into this system of offerings a very simple way to tell. It had to do with the giving of an offering because money is connected to our hearts.
God has planned from the beginning of time that money is the way we show whether we agree with His lordship. As I said, in those days, God told them what to give; He didn't leave it up to them. This is true for you and me today. God's plan for lordship is called tithing—giving the first 10 percent of our income.
Exodus 23:19 says, "The first of the firstfruits of your land you shall bring into the house of the Lord your God." This scripture references what you can read in Genesis chapter 4. We see that there is something in the heart of people that makes them feel it is okay to alter God's instructions.
Cain and Abel's parents, Adam and Eve, had a pattern set from the beginning: "Do not touch my tree." God didn't explain why; He just said, "You can eat from every other tree, but don't touch that one." That was the way they were going to show Him whether they agreed that He was God and they were not.
We understand they took from the tree; they modified God's commands. Cain is Abel's brother. When they come to offer an offering, Abel does what God said—he brings an animal. But Cain was a farmer; he brings vegetables. It's a lot easier to replace vegetables than it is to replace a lamb. So, Cain thought, "I see no problem lowering the cost."
What he didn't understand is that money talks. Money speaks. When he brings vegetables instead of what God said, he is actually telling God something. He is telling God, "You're not God in my life; I am the god of my life. I know what's better for me."
Genesis 4:5 says, "But God did not accept Cain and his gift." In the year 2000, the average non-churchgoer gave 1.3 percent of their income to charity. That's people who are not Christians. The problem is that the average churchgoer gave 2.3 percent. So, that spirit of Cain is still going on to this day. People feel the right to modify: "No, I can't afford that," or "No, I don't like that amount," and so they don't feel like obeying God, which is tithing—the first 10 percent of our income.
But in the scripture we just read, Abel believed God, so he obeyed. Genesis 4:4 says, "Abel brought the best parts from some of the firstborn of his flock." Money Talks.
It's a practical way of showing God what you think of Him. I have a picture here. Goodwill is asking people not to donate junk. This is a picture of some of the junk that people leave outside of Goodwill. Goodwill spokesperson Heather Steves held up a stained, disgusting lampshade that was literally falling apart. Another was a small table missing a leg. Someone donated purple food storage containers and a used sponge. Very useful to have a used sponge!
They said, "Here's the rule: If you wouldn't give it to your judgmental mother-in-law, don't donate it to Goodwill." Here I want to donate; I want to help people in need, but this is what I think. You see, Money Talks. That is exactly what happens in every offering. Money talks to God and shows us what we think of God.
Our text connects giving to God with faith. Verse 4 says, "By faith, Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain." Whether or not you obey God in finances will tell God whether you believe Him or not. Tithing is a practical test of trust. It is trusting God that I will do better on 90 percent of my income than I would if I kept 100 percent for myself.
I want to say that if you can't believe God for tithing, you're not going to be able to believe God for anything else. There are people who would love to have a powerful miracle ministry; they would love to see God do incredible things and save thousands of people at the same time. But the starting point is the tithe because it's faith. If you cannot believe in the area of tithe, you will not believe God for anything else.
There was a man who was having trouble with the concept of tithing. He didn't think he could afford it, so he went to the pastor. He said, "I'm struggling. You're saying 10 percent of my income, but I just don't think I can afford it." The pastor said, "What if I said, 'Why don't you try to tithe for two months, and at the end of two months, if you wind up being short, I will personally make up the difference?'"
The man said, "Well, based on that, I guess I could try tithing." The pastor said, "Isn't that amazing? You are more willing to trust the word of a man than Almighty God." Because that is what tithing is: Money Talks to God.
Now let's look at the second point: Money Talks to others. In our text, an offering is connected to salvation and redemption. Verse 4 says, "By faith, Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice." I quoted before Adam and Eve; the first sacrifice in the Bible was a sacrifice to cover Adam and Eve for their sin.
So, Abel, understanding that when he gives, he is giving for salvation, connects himself to God's pattern of salvation to connect with God so that he can be forgiven. The point for you and me is not that we pay for our salvation; the actual point is that our giving enables salvation to be brought to other people.
One of the things we do, if you're visiting with us this morning, is that we are a church-planting church. From our congregation, we have planted hundreds of churches all over the world. Everything from our fellowship started here. We started the first church in Wickenburg, Arizona, then Tucson, Arizona, and then we began to spread out. Those churches began to plant, and now we have about 3,300 churches around the world.
But I want to say that planting new churches takes money. You have to understand that Romans 10:15 says, "And how shall they preach except they be sent?" We train couples in this congregation and then launch them into cities where we do not have churches. It takes money. We don't just clap them on the back and say, "Let us know how you go." We pay their moving expenses, we pay ongoing personal support depending on their situation, we pay for their buildings so that they have a place to meet, and we pay for special outreaches and events. When they go to conference, we pay their way so they can attend.
But what I want you to understand is that our giving changes lives. It's not just paying bills; we are reaching people's lives and making an impact.
Let's go through some of the churches that are under support. All the churches you're going to see here, we either support partially or fully.
In Sarasota, Florida, these are some movie outreaches. Everything you see here enabled that outreach, and we paid for it from our congregation. In these outreaches, they had almost 200 visitors and 35 people saved.
Here's a young man who got saved in Sarasota, Dario Martinez. He was addicted to meth, got saved here, and is now getting baptized. You see him on the streets telling other people how they can be set free by Jesus Christ.
In Saint Lucia in the Caribbean, Heath and Renee Flickcroft are doing great work. Here's a lady named Linda. She was literally asking God, "How can I find you?" Renee invited her out on a Saturday outreach, and she came to the next service. She hasn't missed anything since. It doesn't matter what's going on; she's fruitful and bringing friends.
In Tampa, Florida, the Roses recently did an outreach at the local Walmart. A lady got a flyer, came, and got saved. Later on, her husband came and got saved. Jose and Sherry and their family are now saved in Tampa, Florida.
In Aliolor, India, this is a lady named Gioti. She is a Hindu lady who came because she was having problems with her sons, who were addicted to alcohol. Another lady told her about how God was moving in her family, so she came. She had severe pain in her knee and deafness in both ears. After prayer, this lady received a miracle of healing.
In Lalitpur, Nepal, this is part of Kathmandu. Gordon and Mary Porter started this congregation, and now Sanjay Tripathi and his wife are pastoring it. Here they are at an outreach. I was in India, and these are all people from that church in Lalitpur.
In Camp Verde, Arizona, just over the hill, the Johns did a Johnny Cash outreach in a local hall. They had more than 60 people out, 40 visitors came, and they had four people saved and four people healed at that outreach.
This man, Tony, is a tribal elder of the Yavapai Apache tribe. He got saved in a revival that we sponsored with John Valtierra. He's been bringing friends and family. Last Wednesday, they were about to close the service on a Wednesday night, and Tony had invited four people. They showed up, so they started the service again, and all four of them got saved. Thank God!
In Taichung, Taiwan, the Schwartzes are laboring there. This lady, Rebecca, and her son, Ziv, were invited to an English class while on outreach. They started coming to church. She had heart disease and was told she needed surgery. They prayed for her, and when I received the report, a specialist said she does not need surgery; everything looks normal.
In Ansera Bay, Madagascar, the boy you see in the front was healed of leprosy. They prayed for him, and God did a miracle. Ansera Bay used to be a leper colony. The young man you see, Citraka, was an orphan. There are almost one million orphans in Madagascar. He was living on the streets, and most people have to turn to crime and immorality to survive. He came, got saved, and has never missed a church service or outreach. He now has a job and lives in a home for the first time. He said that for the first time in his life, at church, he now has a church family.
Here's a rally they just did on the weekend. We have planted numerous churches, and they have planted churches. These are all pastors, and that is the rally that went on just last weekend in Madagascar.
In Grassy Park, South Africa, the Pepiches, Brandon and Andrea, did an outreach recently. This is a disciples' healing crusade that he did outdoors. There were Heaven's Gates and Hell's Flames, and 150 people got saved. People are still getting saved. They did a baptism last Sunday for two ex-Muslims. Grassy Park is a Muslim area, and two ex-Muslims are getting baptized right there.
In Kathmandu, Nepal, this lady, Sergio, was raised as a Hindu. She said, "I used to go to the temple every Saturday and wondered why I didn't feel peace. I said, 'If God is here, I surely would find peace,' but you weren't allowed to ask those questions at the temple." She felt the urge to go to church one day, passed by The Potter's House in Kathmandu, came in, and got saved. She says, "After coming to church, now I found my peace."
In Kimberly, South Africa, Naaman and Don Struck are pastoring there. Here are outreaches they do in the neighborhoods—various outreaches of all kinds. They recently did a seven-year anniversary service and had 34 people saved. You see in schools, very open in schools, and you're able to preach.
In Vientiane, Laos, here is the pastor doing a great work there. In the Philippines, last week, he went out into the countryside, and a family said, "Can you come pray for this man?" When he looked down, he realized this man was out of his mind. They had him chained to try to control him. He kept saying to Pastor Philippi, "I need medicine to help me." Tom told him, "The best medicine is to know you're right with God and that He loves you." He prayed for him, and when he finished, the man said in perfect English, "Thank you very much." When everybody saw the change in the man, everyone in the village started clapping because God had done a miracle there.
In Mazatlan, Mexico, here are Roberto and Carmen Rojo laboring there. This is a revival with Pastor Diego Galvan. When he went there, a lady came into the revival, and the lady at the bottom got saved. She was completely healed. She was living with a man and said, "I want to do it right." She separated, and they are now going to get married in church and make their relationship right.
This family at the top, Carmen Rojo, the pastor's wife, witnessed to this lady at her daughter's school and told her how God had done a miracle in Roberto and Carmen's marriage. This lady began to weep and said, "Today was the day I was going to leave my husband," and now you're telling me about restoration. She came and got saved; her husband got saved the following week, and now the entire family is saved and living for God.
In Bucaramanga, Colombia, there was an outreach where 19 people were saved. The lady at the bottom, her son had been murdered. She wanted to kill herself because of grief, but she and her daughter got saved while he was preaching at a local park. The man on the right, David, was an alcoholic who attempted suicide because of depression, and now all of them are saved.
In Fort Myers, Florida, here are Matt and Chrissy Sanger laboring there. They've finally been able to come back to their building that was destroyed after the hurricane. Here's a revival at the top with Mike Major, and they are laboring for God, seeing people get saved.
In the Solomon Islands, Adrian and Emily Martinez are laboring there. This is actually one of their baby churches in an area called White River. They did an outdoor healing crusade, and many people got saved and healed there.
In Siem Reap, Cambodia, Tom and Chrissy Kenyon are laboring there. The man you see on the left, De Mao, got saved before the church even opened. He walked into the yard, and Tom witnessed to him. He got saved and spoke enough English that Tom asked him if he would be willing to be a translator. He reluctantly agreed. A few weeks later, his wife, Say On, came and got saved. Then his best friend, Vyasna, who was an alcoholic, got saved and delivered from alcohol.
Vyasna said, "My wife will never serve Jesus because her parents live across the street, and they will never let her leave Buddhism." But he said, "Just love your wife and serve Jesus." His wife came and got saved, then their three teenagers all got saved. Vyasna's drinking buddy, Firon, could not believe what happened to him. He said, "Why would you leave drinking? I like drinking; I will never stop drinking." But then Firon came with his children to see what his friends got involved in, and Firon got converted and delivered from alcohol.
Then his wife got saved. There was an altar call and a regular service baptism in Siem Reap, Cambodia.
In Juba, South Sudan, this is a building where there was nothing—an empty lot. This is a desperately poor nation; there are no buildings to rent, so we had to build a building. You see there the grass thatch roof and that kind of wall. This is where they're laboring, and God is doing miracles in Juba, South Sudan.
Those are just a few of the places where our giving, when we give, takes pledges and offerings, is sending it, and people's lives are being changed. Not only are people's lives being changed, but what we do literally determines whether people wind up in heaven or in hell.
In El Dorado Park, South Africa, where the Bennetts were, Lisa and I pioneered there. The Bennetts pastored, and now the Heinbergs are there. This lady, Lisa, got saved on an outreach led by a disciple. She got prayed for when JW did a revival. She came to church for one and a half months faithfully, and then she had a stroke and died. That lady is in heaven today because we gave.
That is what money does. Money doesn't just talk to God; money tells people in the world there is hope. When we give, the scripture we read said, "By faith." You know what we do when we give? Sometimes you can see the people stand here on a Thursday night; sometimes you just see pictures on a screen. These are places most of you will never go yourself, but by faith, we believe. We send these couples; we finance them. We are giving by faith that people will be saved.
I've just shown you literal people that have been saved and churches that will be established. We've seen that disciples are made. The whole point of our fellowship is that we plant churches to reach sinners, get them saved, and then disciple them, train them, and send them out.
Remember before I showed you a picture of Ansera Bay, Madagascar? We invested there. This is a couple, Bruno and his wife, whose last name I won't try to pronounce. This couple was saved in the church, discipled, and I think it was at the last conference that this couple was sent out.
That is what we do when we're giving to places that we might never go ourselves, but by faith, we believe that God is going to touch people like that. These are the answers in Madagascar. In every nation, we plant churches to make disciples so that one day they can reach their own people.
Final thought: Let's talk about money. Not only does it talk to God and to people, but money talks for us. Our scripture says that when you have faith and demonstrate that by giving, God says your offerings speak.
What it says is that God speaks on our behalf. Verse 4 says, "By faith, Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain did. God said he was pleased with the gifts Abel offered and called Abel a good man because of his faith."
Listen to this: Abel died, but through his faith, he is still speaking. Most scholars believe that when he came and laid down his offering, fire came out of heaven. In other words, God was showing, "I accept your offering."
I like this: For you and me, there is a tangible dimension of blessing when we agree with God. God, you told us where to start in giving—that's tithing. I agree. When we respond by faith in offerings and pledges and world evangelism offerings to plant churches overseas, something supernatural happens.
That is the point. It is not just that we paid the bills. When he offered that sacrifice, something supernatural happened. Things changed. That is what happens when people obey God and, by faith, give to God.
Malachi 3:10 says, "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the Lord Almighty, "see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it."
Acts 10:4 says, "When he observed it, he said, 'What is it, Lord?' And he said to him, 'Your prayers and your giving have come up for a memorial before God.'"
You see, you will have needs. We normally take these pledges every six months. In the next six months, I can almost guarantee you're going to have needs. I could almost guarantee you will have problems. I'm not trying to be a downer; I just know life. You're going to have problems in your life in one way or another.
If you're smart, you will pray, "God, in this problem, I need help." But the Bible says God doesn't just listen to your prayers; He looks at your giving. Remember, your money talks. It talks to God, and a miracle dimension in prayer is connected to liberality in money.
In our scripture, it says our giving can speak beyond us. He died, our text said, and yet he is still speaking. This is what we want in life: to connect our lives to an eternal purpose so that the impact lives on.
Matthew 6:20 says, "Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven." You know what? We can be eternally remembered and eternally rewarded.
Lisa and I were just in Washington, D.C. It’s a fascinating place. We went to all kinds of different places: Ford's Theater, where Lincoln was assassinated; Mount Vernon, George Washington's home; and we saw different monuments to heroes of the founding of our nation.
But I want to speak to you about a different hero you might not have heard of. Put his picture up. This man's name is Robert Morris. He is probably not as well known as George Washington or Thomas Jefferson. He was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence and a senator from Pennsylvania.
But Robert Morris was a businessman, and he staked his future on the United States. When they said they were going to go to war, he knew they were going to need a Navy. They had no ships; America had no ships. He sold one of his ships, which became the first ship in the U.S. Navy.
This man, Robert Morris, became known as the most powerful man in America—the financier of the revolution. When Washington's troops had not been paid and there was no system of taxation to raise money, Robert Morris loaned ten thousand pounds to pay Washington's troops so they could keep fighting for independence. This kept them together just before the battles of Trenton and Princeton during the Revolutionary War.
Robert Morris lost 150 of his ships because of the consequences of the war. He never asked for reimbursement. He arranged supplies when states couldn't afford it. He paid for it and sent supplies when the government was bankrupt during the war. Robert Morris personally loaned 1.4 million dollars back in those days to fund the entire army.
I don't know what Robert Morris left to his family, but he did leave something important: the United States. We are the beneficiaries because Robert Morris, being dead, still speaks. He saw by faith what America could become, and he said amen with his finances. He invested, and so there is something that outlives him.
Our text says your money talks to God, your money talks to people who are not saved, and your money talks for you. So the question is, what does your money say about you? Does it say "cheapskate"? Or does it say you agree with God in His plan and that you are a man or a woman of faith? Because Money Talks.
Let's bow our heads.