January is typically the beloved stewardship month for all churches. It’s the month where all the building projects and dreams are laid out on the table, and drooled over. This is also the month where tithing sermons are preached on the most. I can prove this because I see a spike in my statistics letting me know that more people are searching for stewardship or tithing sermons on google.
The majority of all tithing sermons are given during this month alone. I can understand the influence that greed has on everyone’s life, but considering stewardship goes far past the aspect of giving, let’s get into something a little more appropriate during our economy. Here are four sermon topics besides giving, that you can preach on each Sunday during Stewardship month.
Sermons on Saving
I think there are some out there that are against saving for the long term like retirement. That’s simply because they feel that Christ could return at any moment, and that whole time you have had money sitting in an account somewhere. I’m not gonna get into that because I think it’s just foolish thinking.
Saving is so important today more than ever. You can’t rely on your job tomorrow, and you can’t rely on social security and your pension when you retire. You may never get a pension, and social security in some way will be revised or broke by that time. The Bible says that the parents are in charge of laying up for their children. This is an earthly task with spiritual authority. Your children need you to be wise with your money. It gets tougher and tougher in this world to make it, and our children need our help.
Sermons on Debt
I don’t think that i need to explain why this is an important topic. Really what can I say here? We all know how crucial debt has been in destroying our homes and economy. During this month start a stewardship class. Dave Ramsey, and Crown Financial have some very good materials and courses that will jump start your church into financial freedom. After all, the less debt they have the more they can offer God.
If you are a pastor in unsecured debt and you would struggle with preaching this topic to your congregation, well, admit your struggles, don’t pretend that you have no vices, and preach on debt anyways. If your church is in major debt, then this would be a perfect opportunity for you to take serious looks at your church budget, and find out how you can cut back.
Sermons on Budgeting
This is usually the root of the problem of the above two points. I’m sure you’ve heard the statement: “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail”. I have to admit, I hate budgeting. I am not a numbers guy. They do not excite me. I received a “D” in accounting when I took it way back in highschool. I have to admit also that I know budgeting gets even worse when you are in debt, or have no money because it is depressing to open up your books and see your situation over and over and over. No one wants to remind themselves about the pennies that they have left in their account. We just want to close our eyes and hope that we make it from paycheck to paycheck. Become disciplined with this challenge, and force yourself to do it.
Sermons on Faith and Trust
To me this is the most important of all the topics. We need to trust God. We need to ask him to help us. We need help if we have an abundance, and we need help if we have a lack. I know many of us are “living on a prayer”. We don’t know how we are going to make it, and yet we look back, and here we are. I sincerely don’t know how my family has made it this far. I tell you what, if I could explain how I’ve made it this far, then that means God had nothing to do with it. It is important to build your faith and your trust in God in regards to finances.
I guarantee that if you preach on these four topics and God’s people righteously act upon them; you won’t have to preach on giving. Giving will automatically flow – not that money in the Church bank account is the motivation to preach on these sermons. As a church, be wise with your money. Be free to give, and share. God blessed your church to bless others. I just wrote a post about some giving statistics the other day that reveals how ungenerous churches really are. Don’t be a selfish church that spends 85% of their resources on themselves.
Does anyone have any other topics that they think would be good sermons? If not, what are your thoughts on the points above?
While Crown Financial does offer good advice on getting out of debt, they do promote the tithe and and quote the verses in Malachi that talk about the curses for not tithing as if this curse pertains to the church.
God was talking to His children, the children of Israel. Just as in II Chronicles 7:14 God said, If my people, which are called by my name, etc.” We are still God’s people today. In Malachi 3:6 the Word says, “For I am the Lord, I change not…” He doesn’t change…His law does not change…He still requires His children to tithe into the storehouse (the church) for its operation. Verse 9 still stands today; “Ye are cursed with a curse; for ye have robbed me…”
So, according to that logic, you must go to the temple in Jerusalem once a year to have the high priest kill a lamb to make atonement for your sins. The tithe was part of the temple system. That is how the Levitical priests and their families ate. Tithes were food given to them. That was the law in the land of Israel at that time. I am a Gentile who believes in the Messiah. That was never part of the requirement for being grafted in. Even Jews today do not tithe, there is no temple; there is no Levitical priesthood.
You cannot pass judgement on another person’s giving to God. Just because someone does not believe the tithe is for the Christian church, does not mean they are stingy or robbing God. It just means they are attuned to what the Holy Spirit is telling them to give. It may actually be way more than 10 percent!
If you do not keep one aspect of the law, you have broken the whole law. If you put yourself back under the law, you have put yourself under the curse of the law
Christ fulfilled the law and redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us. I am blessed because of Christ fulfilling the law. Why in the world would I want to place myself back under the law?
When you try to curse someone whom God has blessed, you are going the way of Balaam.
Please read the book of Galatians.
My pastor has been preaching about money for one month. We need money so the megachurch can pay for our new giant building. I am not happy with it , but otherwise love my church. He lives in a nice , big home and is a best selling author, while most of us are middle class
I once went to a church where the pastor actually talked down to the people, expressing anger through his teeth and berated them for not giving enough. A lot of those people were poor and on subsidized housing. Then I visited him in his home. While he was not rich; he had a nicer home in comparison to some of the people in the congregation. I lost a lot of respect for him. I no longer go to that church.