5 Questions on Giving

Sermon from CCM Ladybarn

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LISTEN

This sermon was preached by Andy Brownlee at the Ladybarn site of Christ Church Manchester on Sunday 4th February 2018.

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SERIES

This message was part of the ‘SERIES NAME’ series, preached at Christ Church Manchester’s church in Withington in EARLY/MID/LATE YEAR. The full series included the following sermons:

BIBLE VERSES

This sermon was based on Romans 1: 18-32.

God’s Wrath on Unrighteousness

18For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

24Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

26For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.

28And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

KEY POINTS

What is tithing?

  • Tithes were given by God to the Israelites as a part of the Old Testament law.
  • It constitutes 10% to give to the Levites, 10% to be saved to celebrate the festivals, and 10% every three years to give to the poor.

Do we have to tithe?

  • No, we don’t. Tithes are from the law, a law that we no longer live under thanks to Jesus Christ. But that does not mean we should not give, though we shouldn’t give out of guilt.
  • 2 Corinthians: 9: 7: “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

How can you expect me to give when I don’t have much?

  • It is not about the amount that you give, but rather the attitude that you give with.
  • The story of Jesus and the widow is an example of this: ‘For they all contributed out of their
    abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.’

What sort of things should I give to?

  • We should not feel wholly obliged to give to the Church and the Church only. 
  • We can give to local charities, organisations, and other causes that we feel are worth supporting.
  • But we should be giving regularly to the Church. This is the vessel that God has chosen to spread His message to the world.

What does CCM do with my money?

  • The money is used in a variety of ways, from running our Sunday meetings to training and developing leaders. 
  • We run Alpha Meetings, we manage a School of Theology where we delve into the Word, we reach many of the poorer communities in Manchester, and work to see God’s Kingdom move in this city. 
  • We are also extremely transparent with our money, so if you have any questions, please email tim@ccm.org.uk

 

MORE SERMONS

To see more sermons from Christ Church Manchester, you can visit our sermons page, or why not consider subscribing on iTunes.