First Quarter 2018 - Stewardship - Motives of the Heart

Here is the link to this quarter's study:

http://www.ssnet.org/lessons/18a/

This weeks lesson has a very interesting title:

"I See, I Want, I TAKE"

Sadly that sequence is very much evident in the carnal nature and the lesson moves on to point to a supposed "gospel" that seems to suggest the above sequence is part of the gospel!

SUNDAY
The Prosperity Gospel

Some Christians teach those who have real faith will be rewarded with health and wealth.

The lesson then points us to the Christians described in 2 Corinthians 8:1-7.



These Christians were facing a lot of problems and were in deep poverty. It was a time of great affliction with them, as Christians in these parts met with ill treatment, which had reduced them to poverty. Yet,they had found the Lord and had abundance of joy in the midst of tribulation!
They weren't complaining about their lot, nor were they wondering why God didn't come through for them and give them wealth. Instead they abounded in their liberality; they gave out of their little, for the benefit of others.



MONDAY
Blurred Spiritual Eyesight

The "I see, I want, I take, mentality causes spiritual cataracts to grow over our spiritual eyesight!



Unlike the seeds before, the seeds falling on thorny ground took root and grew. These people saw the truth, they received the truth, they do not cast off their profession of truth, but something happened. Their desire for worldly possessions destroys the plant of truth in their lives.

Cataracts in the eyes block light, making it difficult to see clearly. Over an extended period of time, cataracts can cause blindness. The same is true when the mind fills with the cares of things, and the deceitfulness of riches, obstructing the light of truth and making it difficult to see spiritual things clearly. Over an extended period of time, this can cause spiritual blindness.

TUESDAY
Steps of Covetousness

Eve treads the "I See, I want, I TAKE" path".



She saw.
She should have turned away her eyes from beholding that which she was not to have; but she enters into temptation, by looking with pleasure, with delight, on the forbidden fruit.
A great deal of sin comes in at the eyes. Satan is a master at creating "alluring things" for the eyes and plant the seeds of covetousness.

It was desirable.
If only she could have it her life would become better, she would be wise! Or so she thought.

She took.

WEDNESDAY
Greed -- Having Things My Way


Like sheep dogs who are supposed to care for the sheep but instead are more interested in eating (the sheep). So leaders, both spiritual and political, fleece the "sheep" instead of caring for them.
Greed, the desire for power, fame, wealth, and pleasure with little regard for others.
"I see, I want, I take"
Greed has done inconceivable damage and produced unbearable misery throughout earth's history.



Greed --
Greedy enough to betray the Savior of the world for the price of a slave.


THURSDAY
Self Control

God's counsel on how we can find protection from covetousness and greed.



"Paul held up before Felix and Drusilla the character of God--His righteousness, justice, and equity, and the nature of His law. He clearly showed that it is man's duty to live a life of sobriety and self control, keeping the passions under the control of reason, in conformity to God's law, and preserving the physical and mental powers in a healthy condition.
He declared that there would surely come a day of judgment ... when it would be plainly revealed that wealth, position, or titles are powerless to gain for man the favor of God or to deliver him from the results of sin....
Paul endeavored to direct the minds of his hearers to the one great Sacrifice for sin. AA 424



"Why not sow seeds of kindness, of love, of faith, of patience, of self-denial, and true benevolence, and keep all your passions under control? Such sowing will produce a harvest after its kind. Let every word and deed be a seed that will result in good fruit.
If you seek the help and grace of God, the Holy Spirit will take possession of mind and character, and work in you that which you can work out with all safety to yourself, and with all benefit to others. You will show that you love God supremely, and your neighbor as yourself.{YI, September 26, 1895 par. 1}

This weeks lesson is entitled

God or Mammon.

Do we need to make a choice?
What does that choice look like?

Here are some thoughts based on this weeks lesson.


SABBATH INTRODUCTION

The lesson takes us back to the parable of the successful farmer who decided to build bigger barns.

“Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God” (Luke 12:20-21, NKJV).

Is it foolish to build bigger barns to store our things?

What is the problem here?

He did not think of God, from whom all his mercies had come. He did not realize that God had made him a steward of His goods that he might help the needy. He had a blessed opportunity of being God's almoner, but he thought only of ministering to his own comfort. {COL 256.1}

The problem was not in the abundant harvest, or even in bigger barns, the problem concerned his stewardship! He did not give God the glory, nor see His abundance as coming from God to help others.

Abundant provision for the wants of many had been made in the blessings bestowed upon the rich man. But he closed his heart to the cry of the needy, and said to his servants, "This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry." {COL 256.2}


SUNDAY
GOD THE CREATOR

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Psalms 33:6-9 By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth. He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap; He lays up the deep in storehouses.
Let all the earth fear the Lord; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. For He spoke, and it was done;
He commanded, and it stood fast.

Jer. 51:15 He has made the earth by His power; He has established the world by His wisdom, And stretched out the heaven by His understanding.

John 1:3 All things were made by Him and without Him nothing was made.

All things were created by Jesus, He is the Word, the active member of the Godhead that spoke things into existence.
"In the beginning God...." Before there was time-- there was God
"In the beginning was the Word..." Before there was time---there was the Word.

John 1:1-4,14
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.
All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us,

God created and then an incredible thing took place!
After making a beautiful, perfect world, God placed it all in the hands of Adam and Eve, and gave them "dominion" over it!

That is stewardship!
Our God making everything we need and then giving it into our care to take care of and enjoy. This stewardship also comes with responsibility!

MONDAY
SON OF GOD AND SON OF MAN

This is a concept that is hard for the finite human mind to understand: How can Someone be fully human and fully divine, two separate natures, in one person? Battles have been fought over different views on how this could be.

Yet we can have the assurance that Christ, in His humanity has encircled the human race, while with His divinity He is seated on the right hand of the Father on the throne of God.

To each of us it means that heaven is open before us. The bridge is in place. Christ is the way. It means that the gates are ajar. The Son of God is also the Son of Man, and all who believe in His name are adopted as sons and daughters of God, citizens of the heavenly kingdom.

Scripture illustration from Matthew 19:16-22
A man came and said to Jesus, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?”
So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
The man replied and said to Him, “Which ones?”
Jesus said, ‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and,‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ”
The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?”
Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

This young man seemed to be caught up in the prosperity gospel. "I've kept all the commandments all my life" and I've been hugely blessed." But in his heart he knew something was missing.

First -- "there is no one good but God"
This young man needed the righteousness of Christ, his own righteousness nor the righteousness of the most pious teachers in Israel was good enough for eternal life.

Second -- "but I've kept all the commandments"
Jesus shows him -- "did you really?" How about the tenth commandment? The commandment that has a lot to do with choosing Mammon rather than God.

The love of the world and of material things so blinded him that even though he was sad as he walked away from Christ, that sadness wasn’t enough for Him to make Christ first in his life.
His decision didn't make him happy -- he was sad even while hanging on to all his possessions. He was sad because he was losing his soul over those things.

TUESDAY
CHRIST OUR REDEEMER


This is a good study to follow through on --

The lesson asks us to --
Read each text and list what Christ has saved us from: Col. 1:13; 1 Thess. 1:10; 1 Pet. 1:18; Heb. 2:14-15; Gal. 3:13; Rev. 1:5.

Col. 1:13 "He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love.

1 Thess 1:10 "Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

1 Peter 1:18 "redeemed ... from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers

Heb. 2:14-16 That through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

1 Cor 6:11 "you are washed, you are sanctified,you are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

Gal. 3:13
Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”),

Rev. 1:5 "To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood

Lesson 4 is titled, "Escape From the World’s Ways" at the following link:

http://www.ssnet.org/lessons/18a/less04.html

The Sabbath Afternoon section said the following:

Though Satan failed with Jesus, he has succeeded with everyone else. He will continue to do so unless we fight in the armor and power of God, who alone offers us the freedom from the lure of the world.

Thus, we must focus our attention on our heavenly Provider. David realized true value in this life when he wrote, “The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing” (Ps. 34:10, NIV). Solomon recognized that wisdom and understanding were more valuable than silver and gold (Prov. 3:13, 14). True happiness and right living come from turning our eyes from the possessions we own and looking to the living Christ, who owns us.

Our only hope to escape the allure of the world is a vital and successful relationship with Jesus. This week, we will study the elements of that relationship, and how crucial it is for our own spiritual success to recognize the power behind the mask of the world and see the importance of Christ as the real reason for living.

From Sunday:

The only cure for worldliness, in whatever form it comes, is a continual devotion to Christ (Ps. 34:1) through the ups and downs of life. Moses “regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt” (Heb. 11:26, NIV). Before any other relationship, Christ must be our first priority. Christ is looking for a commitment based on conviction, not on preference; that is, we must be devoted to Christ because of who He is and what He has done for us, not because of any immediate advantages our faith and commitment to Him might bring.

Our lives are to be hidden in Jesus, and His plans are to be our plans. True commitment is putting our hand to the plow without “looking back” (Luke 9:62, NKJV). When we make that kind of commitment, Jesus elevates us to our full potential. When we surrender to Him, He will break the world’s hold upon our souls. We must become Christ-centered instead of stuff-centered; that alone will fill the void in our lives.

From Monday:

More than six billion Bibles have been distributed worldwide, but how many are viewed as the Word of the living God? How many are read with a sincere heart open to know truth?

Proper Bible study directs our spiritual compass and enables us to navigate a world of falsehood and confusion. The Bible is a living document of divine origin (Heb. 4:12), and as such it points us to truths that we cannot get anywhere else. The Bible is Christ’s road map for daily living, and it educates us by expanding our intellect and refining our characters.

My comment: If I hadn't been open to truth, I never would have become a member of the SDA Church.

Lesson 5 is titled, "Stewards After Eden."

http://www.ssnet.org/lessons/18a/less05.html

Interesting title.

Lesson 7 - Honesty With God

Luke 16:10 If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. NLT

Can we "fool" God?

We might fool ourselves and we tend to do so much of the time; because it arises from our "deceitful hearts".
We may even fool others, but we can never fool God.

The lesson asks "what is an honest heart?"

Is it someone who has good intentions? No, of ourselves we just have a carnal heart, which scripture says is "deceitful above all things".

There is only one way to obtain a truly honest heart and that is a heart fully given to Christ, for Him to cleanse and to ingrain His law and righteousness within it.


One of our biggest problems with "dishonesty" is that we have a deceitful heart, and are very good at deceiving ourselves, and rationalizing away truth. Until Christ gets hold of us and exposes the deceptions in our hearts and opens our eyes to His righteousness and truth and the huge contrast between our "honesty" and His honesty, we will not be completely honest.

But Christ leads us into the paths of righteousness for His name sake. He can make us like the 144,000 in whom was found no guile (deceitfulness) because they follow the Lamb everywhere He leads.

God, though, knows just how easily we can be dishonest, especially when it comes to the things that we possess. Hence, He has given us a powerful antidote to dishonesty and selfishness, at least when it comes to material possessions.

Malachi 3:8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.

Malachi 3:10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

Statistics show that many SDAs do not pay an honest tithe.

Seems like an absolute objective thing.
I wonder how one determines that?

'Please turn in a copy of your tax forms with your offerings'

That is actually a good question!

How does one determine that???

Need to try and do some research regarding that.

TITHE?

Ten percent of increase?

Or ten percent of total earnings?

Most of the time we hear it is the second.
Probably because the first is harder to calculate and easier to rationalize and deceive ourselves into paying very little tithe.



For example --
A farmer sells his crop at the end of the season and receives XXXX number of dollars.
Does he pay tithe on the total amount then received, or has he kept record of the expenses it took to produce the crop -- (money spent on seed, fertilizer, hauling expenses, equipment expenses, etc. etc. and deducts that from the total amount received for the crop, then pays his tithe on the "increase"?

Then the question arises == what about the working mother. If she earns $2000 a month but has to pay 600 of that to the child care -- can she deduct that expense from her "increase" before paying tithe on the "increase"?
But then it can go further -- what about the gas to drive to work? Or what about the car itself?

So even though there seems to be a place for legitimate calculation to determine "increase", yet there is also great danger in subtracting expenses, for as soon as one starts "deducting" expenses it becomes very easy to rationalize all kinds of expenses that were really part of the "increase" and thus pay a very dishonest tithe.

On the other side --
Think of all the increase we have in our lives that is not specifically rendered in a paycheck!

Consider the produce in our fields and gardens and fruit trees. The Pharisees tithed the mint and anise and cumin -- do we tithe even our herb gardens ?


Lev. 27:30 And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD'S: it is holy unto the LORD.
Deut 14:22 Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field brings forth year by year.

Our Sabbath School Class had an interesting discussion this morning regarding gross income and net income and also used the phrase tithing our increase.

We also discussed tithing on the value of a received gift. For example, how do we return tithe on a $30,000 valued gift, which would result in a $3,000 tithe on that gift. The question was, should we be tithing our garden increase, on a gift increase, etc.

This made for a most interesting discussion.

What do you think?

I think you are stretching things a little bit.

From what I understood "gross" and "net" to refer to is before or after taxes.

Suppose a farmer puts $4K of fertilizer on his field and makes $2K off of selling. What do you suggest?

As far as the mother and babysitting, uhmmmm....
I think the IRS does allow some things, but as far as if running a business, only business expenses are allowed.

Too many people are accepting utility companies deceitful and devious practices. They charge extra fees, environmental fees, federal recovery fees (which aren't taxes), lighting fees, everything which should be part of their main charges, but add them extra. So now, people are of the opinion that we can subtract babysitting costs, fuel costs, insurance costs, housing costs, all from our paycheck and then say we don't need to give tithe.

Back to the farmer. Or other business owner. Suppose someone sells widgets for $100. But it costs $90 for the raw materials and labor to produce it. What does he give tithe on?

I say the increase.

Num 18:28 Thus ye also shall offer an heave offering unto the Lord of all your tithes, which ye receive of the children of Israel; and ye shall give thereof the Lord’s heave offering to Aaron the priest. Num 18:29 Out of all your gifts ye shall offer every heave offering of the Lord, of all the best thereof, even the hallowed part thereof out of it. * Num 18:30 Therefore thou shalt say unto them, When ye have heaved the best thereof from it, then it shall be counted unto the Levites as the increase of the threshingfloor, and as the increase of the winepress.


Do they give tithe on the seed they planted?

Deut 14:22 Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year.


What does it mean to you?

Tuesday: God’s tithing system is His chosen means for supporting the ministry, and it has been in use throughout salvation history. Supporting such laborers with tithe, then, is foundational and fundamental to God’s work.

Tithe is to be used for a particular purpose and must remain so. “The tithe is set apart for a special use. It is not to be regarded as a poor fund. It is to be especially devoted to the support of those who are bearing God’s message to the world; and it should not be diverted from this purpose.” - Ellen G. White, Counsels on Stewardship, p. 103.



https://www.adventist.org/en/information/official-statements/guidelines/article/go/-/use-of-tithe/
4) The support of functions which are considered essential to the evangelistic outreach and nurturing ministries of the church.
a. Elementary Schools
b. Academies
c. Colleges/Universities


Agree or disagree that there's a match or mismatch?

First -- I was just putting out thoughts that other people have argued. I wasn't talking about "gross" or "net", the bible doesn't speak of that, but rather the Bible does speak of "increase".

What is "the increase" ?

I'm neither a farmer, nor do I have baby sitting expenses. Tithing is really very simple when one works as an employee at a business just five minutes away from home.

Yet it is another situation for farmers and business owners.

Your example -- if a person's income depends on his manufacturing widgets (whatever that is) and he sells them for $100, but it costs him $90 to produce them, then he can only pay tithe on the $10 increase -- because that's all the money he made.
He probably had already paid tithe on the $90, since he must of had that money on hand in order to make the widgets.
He invested the $90,
In the end he has only $100 (that's $10 increase)

I agree that it is wrong for a person to deduct LIVING expenses from their "increase", it is only that which was invested in the actual production of the "increase" that may qualify.

https://ssnet.org/lessons/18a/less11.html
Agree or disagree that we need to borrow money to buy a car? How could buying a car be considered differently than buying a house?
What about a church? How far should one go into debt for buying a church? One went 4 million. Hmmm... Wise?

Implying that going into debt involves a certain degree of 'unwiseness'?

Why does he (Goldstein, no doubt) use such constructs? What if he had said,
But it must be done wisely, with the intent of getting out of the debt as soon as possible.

But by using "as wisely as possible" requires it to mean something differently.
The recent construct, "Honest" tithe, is brought to mind...

The Memory Text shows that debt involves more than just money:

Memory Text:

“Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor. Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law” (Romans 13:7, 8, NIV).

From a few lessons back Friday's February 23:

Did anyone else stumble over trying to understand the lesson's version and so looked it up? That is, what could, "cannot be given without merit" mean? Can be given with merit?
Why did he change the words?
Is he trying to say we earn merit by giving money to the church? Ellen White is contrasting opposites, but he is making it into parallel comparisons.

Tuesday's

Who doesn't live from paycheck to paycheck - other than those who die?

If it means that some spend up all their income, people can make 300K a year and be dead broke. The amount of income does not reflect whether someone lives within their means.

"Let us not refuse Him that which, though it cannot be given without merit.

Give the benefit of the doubt.
I think the author got confused and thus ended up with double negatives.
Seems he probably had the right meaning in his head that our giving is without merit.
Not realizing he accidentally put in double negatives which end up as a positive.

----Take out the double negative either way and it is correct.
though it is given without merit.
though it cannot be given with merit.

Graphically, from the positive angle:

Time is rapidly passing into eternity. Let us give to God that which is His own. Let us give Him:

1. our whole heart
2. our intellect
3. our money

They are His by creation and redemption. All we have are His.

Therefore, we cannot them to Him in order to receive a merit badge "in recognition of our charity"; but if we withhold them from Him, we will only ruin ourselves for all eternity.

So then, though we give without thought of reward, yet our reward for giving is sure.

It's a paradox. They cannot be given with merit, though they are never given without merit.

///

Good point, James.

Perhaps you're right. Perhaps he doesn't know about copying and pasting.

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind."
"For in Him we move and live, and have our being, as also some of you on poets have said, we are also His offspring.
"Therefore, be not unwise, but understand what the will of God is.
"And whatever you do, do it heartily as unto the Lord, not to men.

To paraphrase and personalize a quote from Desire of Ages page 103.

When we take the time to look upon the King of the universe in His beauty, self is forgotten.
When we behold the majesty of holiness, our self righteous pride is laid low and we feel inefficient and unworthy. Now, depending upon the One we have been in close communion with, we are prepared to go forth as Heaven's messenger, unawed by the human, because we have looked upon the Divine. We could stand erect and fearless in the presence of influential people, because we had bowed low before the King of kings.

The main idea centers on who do we love the most -- God or self?

The way for love for God to grow in hearts and minds is by fellowshipping with HIM, daily, by reading His letters and talking with Him through prayer.