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Introduction: Real Faith

A. W. Tozer offers this insight about real faith as expressed by our trust in God.

The man of pseudo faith will fight for his verbal creed but refuse flatly to allow himself to get into a predicament where his future must depend upon that creed being true. He always provides himself with secondary ways of escape so he will have a way out if the roof caves in. What we need very badly these days is a company of Christians who are prepared to trust God as completely now as they know they must do at that last day.

During this first month of 2008 we have been focusing on trust as the key to successful living. Trust is indispensible in any relationship—including our relationship with God. Last week we completed the first part of The Trust Test that is based on an acronym for the word.

Take An Inventory

Recognize God As Your Source

Understand God’s Principles (We’ll return in just a moment)

Surrender Everything To God

Test God Promises

We finished last week looking at the first five of ten principles.

1^st Principle: The Who’s In Charge Principle—God’s The Owner; I’m The Manager

God is the owner; I’m the manager. Every blessing is a gift from God.

2^nd Principle: The Give & Grow Principle—Practicing Stewardship Produces Growth

Practicing faithful stewardship produces growth in all areas of life.

3^rd Principle: The Do It Now Principle—Stewardship Deals With Our Present Resources

Stewardship deals with what we have now. It’s not concerned with what we had or what we will have. God asks, “What are you doing right now with your gifts and abilities?”

4^th Principle: The I’m In Debt Principle – The Moment We’re Born; We’re In Debt

 We are born with many blessings. Because we enjoy those blessings we are responsible to return as many of those blessings as we can.

5^th Principle: The Fountain Of Youth Principle – We Live Forever Through Our Giving

Those gifts that we give of talents, time and tithes are the only things that last forever.

With our review completed it’s time to start taking notes.

6^th Principle: The Who’s # 1? Principle – God Deserves The First Of Everything

Instead of giving our best to God we have a tendency to give Him our leftovers. When Jesus was questioned about the most important commandment,

Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.”           Matthew 22:37-38 NLT 

Check two other notations of biblical evidence.

Honor the Lord with your wealth and the firstfruits from all your crops.

                                                                                                                                Proverbs 3:9 NCV

On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.

                                                                                                                                1 Corinthians 16:2 NIV

God clearly instructs that we are to give Him the first and not the last of everything, but our tendency is to wait to see if anything is leftover. Setting aside your gift first is a lesson more easily earned early in life.

Because I grew up on a farm where we grew produce to sell at our market I started earning money at age 6 by picking strawberries. By the time I was in high school I was making several hundred dollars during the strawberry season. I calculated last summer that I have picked somewhere in the range of 20,000 – 25,000 quarts of strawberries in my life. When the cash was placed in my hand on Saturday afternoons it was very easy to listen to the powerful voice of greed. “Art, do you know what you could with this money? You could buy that shortwave radio you’ve been wanting.” Looking at the money in my hand it would have been very easy to convince myself, “Art, you can’t afford to tithe. Why don’t you wait to see what’s left over after you buy that radio?”

I had been taught well by both words and example. I understood there was a test taking place to determine what place I was willing to give God in my life. Would He be first, second or twentieth? It all started right there for me as I wrestled with Jesus’ words, “Where you treasure is, that’s where your heart is.” Because I was paid with cash each week on Saturday, it was important for me to give at least 10% the next day at church to honor God with the best and first of what I had earned.

7^th Principle: The Cheerful Attitude Principle – Stewardship Begins With Loving & Not Giving

You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.”     2 Corinthians 9:7 NLT     

Make sure you get this down: We can give without loving, but we cannot love without giving. Love has to be the foundation. If love isn’t the foundation of my relationship with God I’m going to always have a problem. Here is the problem.

Love asks: How much can I give?

Legalism asks: How little can I give?

The basis of my stewardship and management of the resources God trusts to me has to be based on the fact that I love Him with all my heart, soul, mind and strength. The eminent psychiatrist Karl Menninger observed that generous people rarely suffered from mental illness. Isn’t that amazing? When we live beyond ourselves, it changes our outlook and makes us more fit spiritually, physically and emotionally.

8^th Principle: The Big Shovel Principle – You Can’t Outgive God

God’s shovel is bigger than your shovel. Listen to what Jesus said. Better yet, read it with me.

Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

                                                                                                                                Luke 6:38 NIV

This is powerful. Jesus says the measure I use in giving is the same measure that will be used for what I receive. I call this the Big Shovel Principle because God is saying, “If you do your part, I’ll do more because my shovel is bigger than your shovel.”

Many centuries ago word began to spread in a remote village of India that something was about to happen that no one had ever seen—the prince was coming to visit their forgotten little village. Everybody was excited but nobody was more excited than the village beggar. Every day he sat by the road with his cup hoping to get enough money to buy just a little rice. He had two cups—one for the money he collected and one to hold the rice. But now the Prince was coming!

The day came and the Prince stopped before the beggar whose heart was pounding with anticipation. The Prince said, “Give me your cup of rice.” The beggar slumped down in disbelief. Here was the wealthy prince asking for his measly little cup of rice. The beggar was about to refuse but instead he reached into his cup of rice and placed three grains of rice in the Prince’s hand. The Prince then said to his servant, “Bring me my bag of gold.” The beggar could hardly contain his excitement as he reached out his empty collection cup. The prince reached into his bag and then dropped three rice-grained-size pieces of gold—one, two, three—in the beggar’s cup. Then the prince went on, leaving the beggar to wonder for the rest of his life, “What would have happened if I had trusted the Prince enough to give him my whole cup of rice?”

9^th Principle: The River Principle – Life Is Like A River, Not A Reservoir

God’s plan is for us to be a conduit through which His blessings flow to others. In his book Quiet Talks On Prayer S. D. Gordon points out there is one inlet of power in the life of the believer—The Holy Spirit. There are, however, five outlets of power through which the Holy Spirit who lives in us reveals God’s power. Here is how God flows through us.

Through our lives – What we are

Through our lips – What we say

Through our ministry – What we do

Through our money – What we give

Through our prayer – What we claim in Jesus’ Name

We need to allow God’s blessings to flow through us. The alternative is stagnation which only leads to a stinking mess. There is great wisdom in the saying:

We make a living by what we get.

We make a life by what we give.

10^th Principle: The Who Has Whom Principle – Until God Is In Control Of My Life, I’m Out Of Control

Author James Lawless wrote,

Stewardship is more than the management of things; it’s the refusal to let things manage us.

This brings us to the next letter in The Trust Test because the only way to keep things from managing us is to…

Surrender Everything To God

How many of us have ever said, “If I only had more, I would give more.” We faced this fallacy when we were challenged two weeks ago by the question, “Can God trust me?” Remember what Jesus told His disciples:

Whoever can be trusted with a little can also be trusted with a lot, and whoever is dishonest with a little is dishonest with a lot.                                                         Luke 16:10 NCV

Jesus’ point is that if we aren’t giving sacrificially with what we have now, we aren’t going to start giving sacrificially just because we have more. There is a spiritual principle at work that has been proved time and time again.

It’s not how much we have of the world that dictates our generosity towards God, but how much God has of us.

Here’s the problem. The issue for the Christian is very simple. Am I going to live like everyone around me by being independent, doing my own thing and trusting in myself? Or am I going to be a trusting, obedient, and dependent servant of God? We can make God the source of life or follow the American ideal of making my own way in the world.

The issue this morning isn’t your talent, time, or treasure. The issue is: Who do I trust in? Jeremiah describes both an independent person and the person who depends upon (trusts) in God. Here is what he says about the independent person.

This is what the Lord says: "A curse is placed on those who trust other people, who depend on humans for strength, who have stopped trusting the Lord. They are like a bush in a desert that grows in a land where no one lives, a hot and dry land with bad soil. They don't know about the good things God can give.”                                                                      Jeremiah 17:5-6 NCV

Trusting in yourself is compared to being a bush in the parched, barren desert struggling to survive.

Jeremiah then provides the comparison of the person who trusts in God.

"But the person who trusts in the Lord will be blessed. The Lord will show him that he can be trusted. He will be strong, like a tree planted near water that sends its roots by a stream. It is not afraid when the days are hot; its leaves are always green. It does not worry in a year when no rain comes; it always produces fruit.                                Jeremiah 17:7-8 NCV

The circumstances are the same for both people, but for the person who doesn’t trust God there is famine while the one who depends upon God prospers. Trusting God sinks healthy roots into the source of life—God.

Test God’s Promises

The last step in the trust test is to talk about testing God’s promises. Mother Teresa said,

I know God will not give me anything I can’t handle. I just wish He didn’t trust me so much.

I’m sure you agree with her. Why did God trust Mother Teresa so much? She had proved herself worthy of trust.

If you are lacking in an area of need (needs are the basics to sustain life) the Bible says,

 And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

                                                                                                                                Philippians 4:19 NIV

If you’re lacking, I can almost guarantee it goes back to the point of trust.

Do you realize that almost every great Bible personality had to go through the Trust Test. Off the top of my head four quickly come to mind.

Noah’s Test: Building The Ark

When God told Noah to build an ark because it was going to rain, it had never rained before. So, Noah, who hasn’t seen rain, is told to build a boat because there is going to be so much rain that it will flood. Try to explain that to your neighbor. But Noah did just that as he built the ark. He obeyed and trusted God. In fact,

Noah did everything the Lord commanded him.                                Genesis 7:5 NCV

Abraham’s Test: Offering Isaac As A Sacrifice

Abraham and Sarah’s years of waiting for God to fulfill His promise of a son had finally been realized in Isaac. Humanly speaking it makes no sense for God to ask Abraham to offer Isaac as a sacrifice. How did Abraham pass the test? The writer of Hebrews observes,

Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead.                           Hebrews 11:19 NIV

God provided a replacement sacrifice but the comment on Abraham’s test says,

Now I can see that you trust God and that you have not kept your son, your only son, from me.

                                                                                                                                Genesis 22:12 NCV

Joshua’s Test: Crossing The Jordan River

When Moses led Israel through the Red Sea he stretched out his rod over the waters and they parted so the people could walk through on dry ground. 40 years later Joshua stands before a raging, flooded Jordan River as Israel if now ready to enter the land promised to them by God. I can imagine the people yelling, “Hey, Josh, you forgot your rod. You’d better go get it. All you have to do is hold the rod out over the water and Presto! We walk through.”

But God didn’t tell Joshua to use a rod like Moses did. Instead, the priests were to take the Ark of the Covenant and when the soles of their sandals tried to step into the floodwaters they would step on dry ground. God doesn’t want His people to trust in methods. He wants His people to trust in Him. Look at this testimony of what happened as a result.

Now when all the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings along the coast heard how the LORD had dried up the Jordan before the Israelites until we had crossed over, their hearts melted and they no longer had the courage to face the Israelites.

                                                                                                                                Joshua 5:1 NIV

David’s Test: Facing Goliath

Our final familiar account is about when David, the young shepherd, took on Goliath, the mighty giant soldier. David is instructed by Saul to put on the king’s armor. Picture this: Saul is 6’4” and weighs 230 pounds while David is 5’6” and tops the scale at 150 pounds when he is soaking wet. You know what happened. David took off the ill fitting armor and faced Goliath with his sling, five stones and unshakeable faith in Almighty God. Before the encounter David told Goliath the result.

All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give all of you into our hands."

                                                                                                                                1 Samuel 17:47 NIV

This is how it works.

Instead of trusting familiar patterns, Noah trusted God.

Instead of trusting personal feelings, Abraham trusted God.

Instead of trusting proven methods, Joshua trusted God.

Instead of trusting conventional tactics, David trusted God.

Conclusion: The Trust Test

Just like those before us, you and I have to take the trust test. Here it is.

When we trust God by tithing God promises…

He Will Provide For Us

Let’s review God’s words again.

Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and 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.

                                                                                                                                Malachi 3:10 NIV

I know your question: “Pastor, are you telling me that God will take care of me in every area of my life, including finances, if I put God first.” No, I’m not telling you that. God is. This isn’t my trust test for you. It’s God trust test for each and every one of us—including me. He says, “Make me first in your life.” Here is what I have found,

In the area I obey, God blesses.

In the area I disobey, God disciplines.

He Will Protect Us

Malachi continues,

Your crops will be abundant, for I will guard them from insects and disease. Your grapes will not fall from the vine before they are ripe,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

                                                                                                                                Malachi 3:11 NLT

God not only provides blessings when we obey. He protects us from disasters.

He Will Make Us Attractive To Others

"Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land," says the LORD Almighty.                                                                                                     Malachi 3:12 NIV

Obedience creates an irresistible attraction that people have to notice.

This morning I’m doing something I have never done before in this way. I think it ought to be an annual event. In reality it is. When we vote on our budget for 2008 this afternoon we are together expressing the results of our individual trust tests. What we do now is much more personal. On the cards being distributed right now there are two blanks that can be checked. One says, “I will begin tithing,” and the other says, “I already tithe.” Since I have tithed from childhood, I will be checking the second box. There is, however, more than just me. Judi is also part of this. She, too, was tithing before I met her. As a husband and wife this is done together because God says in marriage that the two become one. The prophet Amos testifies,

Two people will not walk together unless they have agreed to do so.

                                                                                                                                Amos 3:3 NCV

This is the only area in the Bible where God tells you to test Him. Any other area, He says no, but in this area that He knows is so difficult, He invites us, “Test me in this.” Don’t check any boxes yet. I know some of you are probably sweating this one thinking it was a very bad decision to come to church today. You may be thinking, “Hey, Pastor, I’ve never done this before. Don’t you know that I can’t meet my budget now?”

Listen to me: that’s the problem. You haven’t turned your finances over to God. When you give Him control He begins to do things we could never do on our own. Here’s my challenge today: Take God at His Word. Trust Him to take care of you. If God won’t take care of you in every area of your life—if His promise isn’t true—I’m going home right now. And, I won’t be back this afternoon for the Annual Meeting because I’m leaving the ministry. I’m not about to get up every Sunday and preach about a God who won’t—or even worse can’t—fulfill His promises.

It’s time now to fill in your card. May God bless you.

 The Trust Test

Tithing is not an issue of money; it’s an issue of trust. God knows that the most difficult area for us to turn over to Him is our finances. Therefore, He says to us:

Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and 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. (Malachi 3:10 NIV)

This is the only place in the entire Bible where God challenges us as His children to test Him. God invites you to trust Him to fulfill this promise and then waits to see if you can be trusted to obey Him.