Sermon Luke 21:5-19 “An Opportunity to Testify”

Rev.  Jeffrey T. Howard
Pittsgrove Presbyterian Church
Sermon Luke 21:5-19  “An Opportunity to Testify”
November 17, 2019

The scripture I have for you today is from Luke 21:5-19.   Listen to the word of God.

Luke 21:5 When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, he said, 6 “As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.”

7 They asked him, “Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?” 8 And he said, “Beware that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time is near!’ Do not go after them.

9 “When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately.” 10 Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; 11 there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven.

12 “But before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name. 13 This will give you an opportunity to testify. 14 So make up your minds not to prepare your defense in advance; 15 for I will give you words[c] and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict. 16 You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. 17 You will be hated by all because of my name. 18 But not a hair of your head will perish. 19 By your endurance, you will gain your souls.

Jesus seems to have gotten out of the wrong side of the bed.   For some reason, Jesus wants to talk about persecution, betrayal, and hatred.  You are probably wondering why we have to deal with this today.   But Jesus has a pearl of great wisdom in the midst of all this.   And we will get to this.  But first, let’s pray.

“Grant unto us, O Lord, to be occupied in the mysteries of thy heavenly wisdom, with true progress in piety, to thy glory and our own edification. Amen.” (Calvin)

Jesus’s ministry on earth was coming to an end and he wanted to prepare his followers for what was coming.   Jesus knew that hatred for the Roman occupiers was growing among the Jewish population.   Jews believed that the Messiah would come leading a great army to overthrow the Romans and restore the Davidic kingdom of Israel.  Many people expected Jesus to be this kind of messiah.

    But Jesus was not on earth to lead a Jewish army against Rome.  Rather, he came to start a movement of peaceful resistance.   But he knew that violence was coming and that the Romans would respond by destroying Jerusalem and the beautiful temple they were in.  Jesus wanted to prepare them for the temple’s destruction and what would follow.   Jesus knew that just 35 years later the temple would be destroyed by the Romans and this would unleash a period of violence against both Christians and Jews.

So Jesus warned them to watch out for war as the world’s great powers collide.  He also warned them about earthquakes, famines, and plagues.  And Jesus told them that many of these things will come as surprises.   They won’t know when disaster will fall.   So they have to be ready for it to happen at any time. 

When the disciples heard all this they must have wondered what we are wondering right now.   Why must all these terrible things occur?  If Jesus can still a storm and raise people from the dead, then certainly he can prevent war and natural disasters.  Right?  Well, yes, unless, of course, Jesus has a really good reason for letting these terrible things occur.   So what might this really good reason be?  Jesus told us this in verse 13.

13 This will give you an opportunity to testify.

So according to Jesus, there will be war, persecution and natural disasters so that we will have the opportunity to tell others about what Jesus has done for us.

The world we live in is fallen.   It was created by God to be good.   But sin has destroyed it.   And so we now have war, persecution and natural disasters.   The world’s only hope is that it will be redeemed by the grace of God.  And the only way the world will know about the grace of God is if we tell them about the grace we have received.  So according to Jesus, the reason we have war, persecution and natural disasters is that these give us the opportunity to share our faith with others.

When nations engage in war, we can talk about our God who desires peace.   When Christian are persecuted around the world we can tell people about our prayers for their safety.   When people suffer from natural disasters we can talk about our God whose followers mobilize to help those who are suffering. 

So all we have to do is tell others about our experience with our gracious God.  But all of this is difficult.   We have a hard time talking about our faith.  We just can’t go up to people and talk about our faith.   We can’t bear witness to the grace of God in our lives to people we don’t know.   We can’t tell people about Jesus.  We do not have the ability to testify.

I have been working with a small group in our Sunday morning Bible study.   And we have been looking at this problem of being unable to testify about our faith in Christ.   So can any of you, from that class, remember the solution we found to this problem? … That’s right, we must first be empowered by the Holy Spirit before we can testify to others about our faith.  Jesus put it this way.

15 … I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict.

So Jesus promises to empower us by giving us the words we will need to talk about our faith with others.   Whenever we are in conversations about war in the Middle East, impeachment in Washington, or fires in California, Jesus will help us through his Spirit to respond by testifying to the grace of God in our lives. 
In a couple of weeks, you are going to be gathering around tables with your family for Thanksgiving.   And no doubt the conversation will turn to war, politics, and natural disaster.   If we are willing, Jesus will give us the words we will speak about God’s grace in our lives. 

How will our family and friends respond to our testimony about Jesus?  Jesus knew exactly what will happen.

16 You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. 17 You will be hated by all because of my name.

So Jesus wants us to do something that will generate conflict around the Thanksgiving table.  Jesus wants us to testify to our faith knowing that some of our family and friends will be offended by what we say, may hate us and may even respond violently.  I don’t know about you, but I certainly don’t want to do this around the Thanksgiving table.  But Jesus responded to our objections this way.

18 But not a hair of your head will perish. 19 By your endurance, you will gain your souls.

Jesus’ promise is that if we testify about our faith to others he will protect us.  We are to remain persistent in our testimony as if our own souls depend on us sharing our faith.

Let me tell you a story about someone’s testimony of faith in the midst of suffering.    Thomas Dorsey was a songwriter and pianist.   To make ends meet he would perform in clubs at night and at church on Sunday mornings.   In August of 1932, Thomas left his pregnant wife in Chicago and traveled to St. Louis to perform at a large revival.   While in St. Louis he learned that his wife had died in childbirth.   His son died the next day.  While suffering intense grief Dorsey wrote and recorded his testimony about his gracious God.

“Precious Lord, take my hand.  Lead me on. Let me stand.  I am tired.  I am weak.  I am worn.   Through the storm, through the night, lead me on to the light.  Take my hand, precious Lord, lead me home.”

As Christians, we live in a fallen world.   We suffer from war, persecution and natural disasters.   In our suffering, we are called to give our testimonies about the gracious God who loves us.  Jesus will empower us to give testimony by giving us the words to speak.  Jesus will protect us if the people we talk to feel offended and angry.   We are to be persistent and share our faith with others.   The testimony of our experience of a gracious God is what a fallen world really needs. Let’s pray.

Father in heaven, keep us ever faithful.   Protect us from war, persecution and natural disasters.   Help us to speak a word of grace into this fallen world.  Empower us and give us the words to speak that will bring others to faith.   This we pray in your son’s name.  Amen.

Sermon – Malachi 3:6-12 – "The Tithe"

Rev.  Jeffrey T. Howard
Pittsgrove Presbyterian Church
Sermon – Malachi 3:6-12 – "The Tithe"
November 10, 2019

This morning we will be talking about money.  I won’t be talking about the budget of the church or what you need to give to keep all of this going.   That is important and the session of the church wants you to at least think about these issues, but what I will be doing this morning is talking about our relationship with God and how God wants us to use our money.  This is a very different topic, but somewhat related to the church budget.  So I will ask you to be generous when you give to the church, but I will ask this out of the larger question of how God wants you to use your resources.  Before we get to this please pray with me.

“Grant unto us, O Lord, to be occupied in the mysteries of thy heavenly wisdom, with true progress in piety, to thy glory and our own edification. Amen.” (Calvin)

Today we will be looking at Malachi 3:6-12.

Malachi 3:6-12 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
6 For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, have not perished. 7 Ever since the days of your ancestors you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. But you say, “How shall we return?”

8 Will anyone rob God? Yet you are robbing me! But you say, “How are we robbing you?” In your tithes and offerings! 9 You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me—the whole nation of you! 10 Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in my house, and thus put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts; see if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you an overflowing blessing. 11 I will rebuke the locust[a] for you, so that it will not destroy the produce of your soil; and your vine in the field shall not be barren, says the Lord of hosts. 12 Then all nations will count you happy, for you will be a land of delight, says the Lord of hosts.

It’s the fifth century before Christ.  The people of God were living in a province of the Persian Empire named Yehud.  A governor was appointed by the imperial government, and taxes were very high.  The empire needed high taxes to fund building projects and military expeditions. The people of Yehud were not prosperous and not content.  It looked to them like the only way to get ahead was by lying and cheating.  God seemed to be missing.

The Temple of God had been rebuilt in Jerusalem.  This was to inaugurate a new age of glory and peace.  The Empire had permitted the reconstruction of the temple as a token of autonomy and so the people could maintain their identity as followers of Yahweh.  But the new age of glory and peace had yet to arrive.  The people found themselves just trying to maintain their religious traditions while living difficult lives.

In this context, the prophet Malachi delivered a difficult message from God.  He told the people that by their actions they had turned away from God.  Justice demanded that they be punished for their disobedience.  But the prophet assured them that God is faithful, and will return to Jerusalem if the people repent, turn from their evil ways and turn toward God.

Malachi’s words confused the people and they asked him: “How are we to return to God?”

The prophet’s response was that the people were robbing God.  God’s covenant with the people was clear.  God provided land to the farmers.  They had everything they needed from God, sun, rain, good soil and seed, to grow plentiful crops.  And the farmers were to bring ten percent of the harvest to the storehouses so that those with no land could eat.  The church workers, the widows, the orphans, the poor, the needy, the aliens in the land all needed to eat.  And the only way they could eat was, if the ten percent, the tithe, was delivered to the storehouses.  But given the economic conditions of the times, the high imperial taxes, and the poverty of the farmers, who could spare another ten percent?  So the farmers delivered what they could. 

But God said that was not enough.  Ten percent was the deal.  God had blessed the farmers with land, sunshine, and rain so that the crops would grow and the farmers should bless those without land with food to eat.  Ten percent of the farm output was needed in the storehouse to do this.  So Malachi told them to go back to their farms and bring the full tithe.

The people told Malachi, “We can’t do this.  After we pay our taxes we barely have enough to feed our own families.  How can we bring even more?  You can’t squeeze blood out of a turnip.”  And Malachi told them.  “Do it anyway.  Bring your tithe.  Test God.  See what happens.”

God’s promise was that if they returned to him, by obeying his command of the tithe, then the blessings of heaven would pour down upon them.  The windows of heaven would be opened, not with a devastating flood, but with a gentle rain to water the crops.  The brown stink bugs wouldn’t mess with their soybeans and wheat.  The dear wouldn’t eat their corn.  The chickens would be free from disease. And all would prosper in the land that God has given them.

For many years I didn’t give ten percent to the church.  I figured that I needed to invest in my business to make it grow.  And I rationalized that there were many people in my church who made a lot more than me. “They had plenty of resources to support the church, I thought.  For many years I gave just a token.

But as my relationship with God became closer I realized that I had to give ten percent.  It was the least I should do.  So for many years now, I have been giving 10% of my income to the church.  Every month I send 10% of my pay to Pittsgrove church.  Every month I have to pay for rent, food, utilities, gas, insurance, car repairs, and medical bills.  So our monthly budget is very tight.  We would live more comfortably if I did not tithe to the church.  But we keep our expenses down and live frugally because I fully expect that God will bless us more than we could ever imagine.

It is difficult to tithe to the church, especially today in modern America because we have forgotten the virtue of thrift. We once believed in living below our means.  John Wesley told us to “Make all you can; save all you can; give all you can.”  Benjamin Franklin said, “If you would be wealthy, think of saving as well as getting.”  Thrift is the virtue of spending less than your income and saving what’s leftover.  Today, “thrift” is confused with the word “cheap” and low quality as in “thrift stores.”  But that is a misuse of the word.  God wants us to be thrifty and live within our means.

Our culture tries to make the accumulation of wealth synonymous with greed.  Making money and showing a profit is somehow evil and a sign of corruption.  It’s true that the virtue of thrift can be twisted into the sin of greed by hoarding what we have.  But if we use what we have accumulated to care for others, if we obey the law of the tithe, then thrift never becomes greed.

A few years ago I read a biography of Andrew Carnegie.  My grandfather worked for a Frick coal mine which was owned by Carnegie.  Carnegie was thrifty and always kept his costs below his revenue.  By doing this he became one of the wealthiest people in the world.  And before he died he gave away 90% of his fortune.  He built 1,700 libraries across America, sponsor programs for peace, and funded schools all over the country.

The principle is that thriftiness allows us to be generous.  So if we are careful not to accumulate too much debt, if we always live within our means, and if we save for the future we will have the resources we need to be generous. 

Dr. John Templeton said in his book Thrift and Generosity: The Joy of Giving, “Thrift is not so much a matter of what we have, but of how we appreciate, value and use what we have.  Everyone, regardless of income level, has opportunities to exercise the virtue of thrift.  We practice thrift by monitoring how we spend our time and money and then by making better decisions.” This is good advice for America today.  Thirty years ago our savings rate was between ten and twelve percent.  Since 2005 the savings rate in America is below zero.  We are consuming our wealth and losing our financial freedom. 

The late Senator, Everett Dirksen once said, “Let God give me strength, that I might help  to get America back on the beam and elevate thrift to the pedestal it rightly deserves because thrift and opportunity have been the great horsemen of progress in America.”  So resist the allure of advertising that tells you to spend more than you have.  Resist the call of government to spend our way out of economic problems.  And remember that debt is toxic to your economic health.

So put your economic house in order.  Live within your means.  Get out of debt.  Increase your savings. And tithe 10% to prevent your thrift from turning into greed.  And the promise of scripture is that God will bless you with abundance, more than you could ever imagine.

Frank von Christierson was an international student from Finland who graduated from San Francisco Theological Seminary in 1930.  In 1960 he was serving two small Presbyterian Churches in Southern California.  They had small membership and great financial needs.  He wanted the members to understand the meaning of stewardship.  So he wrote a poem, which we sang earlier today.  Here is what Pastor Christierson wrote:

"As those of old their first fruits brought
Of vineyard flock and field
To God the giver all of good
The source of bounteous yield
So we today our first fruits bring
The wealth of this good land
Of farm and market, shop and home,
Of mind and heart and hand."
Amen.