How To Give Joyfully

How to enjoy giving

By Pastor Fernando Cabrera

Philippians 4:10-23

1. Givers are passion driven (4:10-13)

a. “concerned” 2X

i. you give to what you love

1. you can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving

b. What makes a giver passion driven?

i. Worldly mentality and motive:

1. Myth #1: “the more I have the happier I’ll be”

2. Myth #2: “financial circumstances have to be right for me to be happier”

a. Worldly Philosophy: “I live to receive”

b. Root is covetousness – It is desiring something so much that you loose contentment with God

ii. Godly mentality and motive:

1. Christian Philosophy: I live to give

a. II Cor. 8:2 “that in a great ordeal of affliction their abudance of JOY and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality

2. Root is contentment:

a. I can live to give because I am content

i. Discontent people complain and criticize about giving because it goes against the grain of their worldly philosophy that says, “I live to receive”

ii. Content people don’t live in a worry mode

b. How do I get contentment?

i. Commitment to God (trust)

1. Commitment leads to contentment, and contentment leads to conquering

2. v.13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”

a. those who are content cannot be stop, because they are “infuse” with a power that is unstoppable.

c. GIVE UNTIL IT FEELS GOOD

i. Proverbs 11:25 “the generous (lit. “soul of blessing”) will be prosperous”

1. The phillippians gave above their ability

a. II Cor. 8:3 “For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord”

ii. Attitude of giving - A Test

1. Is giving to you a…

a. Priority or a Problem?

i. You know that it is a priority if

1. your giving is consistent (“more than once” (v. 16)

a. tithing is a should be as consistent as your paycheck

b. consistent giver don’t have to be reminded to give, because it is a priority in their lives

2. you give when others don’t (“no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you alone” (v. 15)

a. they are not standing around to see if the rest of church is giving toward the vision

b. As a matter of fact, their giving motivated the Corinthians, who were more prosperous, to give (II Cor. 8

b. matter of Willingness or Wealth?

i. It is not an issue of dollars, but of desire

1. we give to what we value

a. Matthew 6:21 “for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”

c. Matter of Opportunity and not Obligation

i. Opportunity to bless to be blessed

1. v. 17 “Not that I seek the gift itself, but I seek for the profit (lit. fruit) which increases to your account”

a. You giving is an investment in your future here on earth and in heaven

b. You don’t make any interest unless you make an investment

c. What you give is recorded and it is rewarded

i. God’s bank never goes bankrupt

ii. You will spend more time in that side of heaven than this one.

ii. It pays to give to God

1. you get to the proportion that you give

2. It is not what you collect but what you contribute that opens the doors to God’s blessings

3. God will give you tomorrow based on what you give today

2. Givers are purpose driven (4:14-17)

a. They gave with the vision in mind

b. What good is your giving?

i. Bigger, better and wider ministry

1. Become part of something bigger than you

2. Without the vision people perish, without the funding the vision perishes

ii. Makes us like Christ

1. You are most like God when you give

a. Micers are miserable, but givers become great

i. Who are the greatest admirable figures in history? Those who gave – Jesus

ii. Tithing is like giving our children money to buy you a present

1. there is nothing you have that God has not given you

3. Givers are praise driven (4:18)

a. “a fragrant aroma” (v. 18) – act of worship

i. The central issue in a sacrifice is giving of control

1. The rich young ruler had to face this decision

a. Levels of Control

i. Top level – God possess me

1. “What is yours is yours and I am going to give it”

ii. Middle level – I control my possession

1. “What is mine is mine and I am going to keep it”

iii. Bottom level – possession controls me

1. “What is mine is yours and I am going to give it”

2. Which level are you in?