GIVING THAT FEELS GOOD
(Based on Dr. Kregg Hood’s book: "Take Got At His Word")
A. I was given a FREE BOOK written by Dr. Kregg Hood three years ago entitled: Take God At His Word.
1. I opened it up and read the FORWARD and quickly realized that it was about "GIVING."
a. I did what probably most people would DO, I quickly CLOSED the BOOK and threw it up on my BOOK SHELF.
COMMENT:
Deep down in my heart, I knew that I didn’t GIVE to God as much as I should. The vast majority of my MONEY went to PAY BILLS, and still does today. I lived from PAY CHECK to PAY CHECK. Just a year before, I had my daughter to move in with us from Texas, and then shortly AFTERWARDS she gave BIRTH to our precious granddaughter. And, as you can IMAGINE, that just COMPOUNDED our FINANCIAL PROBLEMS.
So, when I received a book on GIVING I refused to READ it because, quite frankly, I didn’t need the GUILT. But then my ELDERS came to me and asked if I would present a LESSON or two on GIVING. So I reluctantly got out that BOOK and started READING it and STUDYING the SCRIPTURES provided, and I realized that God doesn¡¦t ask people to GIVE GENEROUSLY to PUNISH them or to KEEP them POOR, but to BLESS them.
2. God’s Word makes some RADICAL STATEMENTS regarding the importance of GIVING.
COMMENT:
God promises to abundantly BLESS those who GIVE GENEROUSLY. Often when we talk about God BLESSING those who GIVE, we think He’s talking about SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS. Undoubtedly SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS are part of it, but God clearly promises FINANCIAL BLESSINGS for those who GIVE GENEROUSLY.
When Paul reminded the Corinthian church that "Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously"- II Corinthians 9:6, he’s not talking about CORN but about MONEY! The Bible says that God will FINANCIALLY take care of those who TRUST Him with their GIVING. (The question is: Do we believe it? Or is God’s Word
really a FANTASY, as some believe?)
B. It all boils down to TRUSTING God to keep His PROMISE!
1. If like me, you find it easy to TRUST God in many areas of your life but not in the area of FINANCES.
COMMENT:
My measly OFFERING at that time REFLECTED my LACK of TRUST. My reasoning was, if I GIVE more to the CHURCH I won’t be able to PAY the BILLS and take care of my NECESSITIES. But guess what? Instead of having more MONEY to get out of DEBT, I got DEEPER and DEEPER in a FINANCIAL MESS.
2. Since moving here, I promised God that I would give at least 10% of my INCOME to Him no matter what happens--and I’ve kept that PROMISE.
COMMENT:
Since that time, God has provided me with an avenue "Financial Peace University" by Dave Ramsey to teach me how to HANDLE MONEY His way. I still face tough times, but I now see a LIGHT at the END of the FINANCIAL TUNNEL.
3. God told the children of Israel to "TEST Him in the area of GIVING" (Malachi 3:10), and I’m going to continue doing it because I KNOW that God doesn’t LIE! He will BLESS us ABUNDANTLY if we only continue STANDING ON HIS PROMISES.
MESSAGE:
ILLUSTRATION:
A preacher in a small town in Oklahoma said that early one Monday morning, the only BANK in town called all three churches with the same request, "Could you bring in Sunday’s collection right away? We’re out of one-dollar bills."
COMMENT:
Obviously my lesson this morning is about GIVING. I believe there are very few people in this congregation who don’t at least give SOMETHING every time the collection plate is passed. GIVING doesn’t have to be something that we DREAD. GIVING can indeed FEEL GOOD if we GIVE for the right REASON. What is the MOTIVATION behind yours and my GIVING? What
MOTIVATION does God want us to have?
I. GUILT ("HAVE TO" GIVING)
A. This is the MOTIVATION that has often driven me to GIVE!
ILLUSTRATION:
After all, I’m the PREACHER. People are WATCHING. They’re going to know if I don’t drop something in the OFFERING PLATE. So I will write my measly CHECK, fold it just right so no one can see the AMOUNT, and RELUCTANTLY drop it into the OFFERING PLATE thinking, "I sure could PAY some BILLS with that!" (HAVE YOU BEEN THERE?)
1. II Corinthians 9:7- Paul encourages us to be "CHEERFUL GIVERS."
a. The Greek word translated CHEERFUL is related to our English word, "HILARIOUS."
b. When is the last time you HILARIOUSLY put MONEY into the OFFERING PLATE?
2. Since we should not feel FORCED to GIVE ("not RELUCTANTLY or under COMPULSION") GUILT cannot be a Biblical MOTIVATOR, but it is used a lot!
ILLUSTRATION:
I remember a PREACHER delivering a SERMON where he asked everyone to take a sheet of PAPER and write down the AMOUNT they GAVE each week. He then asked everyone to put their THUMB over that amount and hold their PAPER in the AIR. "Okay everybody," he said,
"remove your THUMB! That’s how much you LOVE God!"
B. There are STRENGTHS and WEAKNESSES of this MOTIVATION.
1. STRENGTH: Guilt can be effective in bringing in some MONEY! The CONTRIBUTION will go up for awhile, but it won’t LAST.
2. WEAKNESS: It’s actually UNBIBLICAL. It brings no JOY and doesn’t help people OUTGROW MATERIALISM. (Remember, ATTITUDES matter to God.)
II. RESPONSIBILITY ("OUGHT TO" GIVING)
A. We are instructed in II Corinthians 8:7 to "EXCEL in GIVING, just as in FAITH, SPEECH, KNOWLEDGE, EARNESTNESS, and LOVE."
1. This passage implies a level of RESPONSIBILITY about GIVING!
COMMENT:
Obviously Paul wants us to GROW in this AREA. And as I used to write my WEEKLY CONTRIBUTION CHECK that equaled about 3% of my INCOME, I realized that this was an AREA where I needed to GROW.
2. Studies on congregational GIVING indicate 20 percent of the members give 80 percent of the FUNDS, 30 percent give 20 percent, and approximately 50 percent give NOTHING at all.
COMMENT:
I fell into that 30 percent category. I tried to EXCEL in the other areas Paul lists: FAITH, SPEECH, KNOWLEDGE, EARNESTNESS, and LOVE, but not in GIVING. In fact, I didn’t do so well in the FAITH part, because I had a lack of FAITH in God’s PROMISE that He will take care of GENEROUS GIVERS.
3. I knew that I had a RESPONSIBILITY to GIVE, but it became more of an OBLIGATION than an ACT of FAITH in God.
B. Again, there are STRENGTHS and WEAKNESSES of this MOTIVATION.
1. STRENGTH: Because MONEY is given for MINISTRY, this APPROACH feels better than the GUILT MOTIVATION, and people learn RESPONSIBILITY--a healthy character TRAIT.
2. WEAKNESS: Giving solely out of RESPONSIBILITY limits the JOY and the AMOUNT given considerably. (When people give out of a strictly LEGALISTIC approach, it’s easy to feel, "I’ve done my PART." This usually results in GIVING God the "LEFTOVERS.")
ILLUSTRATION:
A few years ago around Thanksgiving, the Butterball Turkey Company set up a HOTLINE to answer CONSUMER questions about preparing HOLIDAY TURKEYS. They have 45 trained ECONOMISTS and NUTRITIONISTS who give TURKEY ADVICE to over 100,000 callers each HOLIDAY SEASON.
Paul Harvey told of one woman who called to inquire about COOKING a TURKEY that had been in her FREEZER for 23 years. The operator told her it might be SAFE if the freezer had been kept below ZERO DEGREES the entire time. But the operator warned the woman that, even if it were SAFE, the FLAVOR had probably deteriorated, and she wouldn’t recommend EATING it. The caller replied, "That’s what we thought. We’ll just GIVE to the CHURCH!"
III. NEEDS ("WANT TO" GIVING)
A. In II Corinthians 8 Paul is "encouraging the Corinthians to GIVE so that the NEEDS of the POOR
SAINTS in Judea can be taken care of."
1. Paul illustrates the importance of letting the church know about the FINANCIAL CONCERNS and
OPPORTUNITIES to GIVE to.
ILLUSTRATION:
I’ve been here since a little over three years and many of you that I am aware of have given to SPECIAL NEEDS. You DUG into your POCKETS and GAVE money ABOVE and BEYOND your regular CONTRIBUTION to Hanging Rock and Prairie States Christian Camp and for Scholarships to help some of our young people go to CAMP. Some of you GAVE money to help with the PARSONAGE in some way. There are those of you whom have GIVEN money to PURCHASE EQUIPMENT for the church that wasn’t
budgeted. Many of you DONATED not only MONEY but CLOTHING and other items to help the FAMILIES affected by the DOWNTOWN FIRE. You have given abundantly to buy food for needy families in the community. You have giving generously to our Christmas Angel Tree Ministry.
2. Knowing about NEEDS often kindles a DESIRE to provide the RESOURCES to HELP. After all, we would want someone to SHARE with us, too, if we were in NEED.
B. There are some STRENGTHS and WEAKNESSES of this MOTIVATION.
1. STRENGTH: Giving to SATISFY urgent NEEDS feels GOOD.
a. This kind of GIVING brings a CHEERFUL HEART and doesn’t rely on COMPULSION to force people to GIVE RELUCTANTLY.
b. This MOTIVATION touches the HEART STRINGS and ENCOURAGES people to learn the discipline of SACRIFICIAL GIVING.
c. It can raise LARGE sums of MONEY and INCREASE involvement because some people GIVE only when they see a NEED!
2. WEAKNESS: Some people don’t APPROVE OF or SEE the NEED.
ILLUSTRATION:
Many in the church where I preached in Bowie, Texas were wanting to HIRE a YOUTH MINISTER. The church had only so much money to help pay the Youth Minister’s salary, so it was decided that $10,000.00 more needed to be RAISED to guarantee his SALARY for ONE year.
So, we had a special CONTRIBUTION SUNDAY to raise the money, and a little under $11,000.00 was RAISED. The vast majority of the money raised, however, was GIVEN by younger families who saw a real NEED for their children to have a YOUTH MINISTER. Many took MONEY out of their SAVINGS, others SOLD some of their POSSESSIONS to raise the MONEY. Those who had no CHILDREN or GRANDCHILDREN in the program GAVE nothing at all, because they didn’t see a NEED! (The Youth Minister they HIRED served in that church for 7 productive years. God will BLESS those who step out on FAITH.)
IV. WORSHIP ("IT’S MY NATURE" GIVING)
A. In II Corinthians 8:5, Paul uses the "Christians in Macedonia as EXAMPLES to the church in Corinth by pointing out a unique QUALITY of their GIVING."
1. These Macedonian Christians "gave themselves FIRST to God." Their FINANCIAL decisions flowed out of their RELATIONSHIP to the Father.
2. When it’s yours and my NATURE to GIVE to God, GIVING becomes an ACT of WORSHIP.
a. GIVING is a "confession of the gospel"- II Corinthians 9:13 (READ and COMMENT)
COMMENT:
By OFFERING to God the BEST of what we have with HEARTS full of LOVE and GRATITUDE, we WORSHIP the One who provides for all our NEEDS. We PROCLAIM that
God is the CREATOR of all and GIVER of LIFE and that our very EXISTENCE depends on Him.
b. GIVING is an act of TRUST- I Timothy 6:17-19 (READ and COMMENT)
ILLUSTRATION:
I have a good friend who is a Chiropractor in Keller, Texas. His Dad was one of my ELDERS in Bowie, Texas. Max BORROWED a lot of MONEY to start his new PRACTICE in Keller. Several months had PASSED, and he still didn¡¦t have enough CLIENTELE to pay his BILLS. Of course, since he couldn’t pay his BILLS he wasn¡¦t giving any MONEY to the CHURCH.
One day he heard a radio preacher talking about the LAW of PROSPERITY how God BLESSES those MATERIALLY who TRUST Him in their GIVING. He got out his concordance and began studying passages dealing with GIVING. He found out that Jesus had a great deal to say about MONEY (in fact 17 of his 36 parables talks about money and stewardship). He decided to take God at His WORD and give 10% of his INCOME to the church.
His wife was FURIOUS because she knew they didn¡¦t have enough money to even take care of their everyday EXPENSES. But Max insisted that they GIVE 10% of his INCOME every week to the Lord. Three months later, Max called and EXCITEDLY told me that his CLIENTELE had TRIPLED. Not only did he have PLENTY of money to take care of his FAMILY and his BILLS, but had more money to GIVE to the CHURCH.
c. GIVING is an OFFERING to God- Philippians 4:18-19 (READ and COMMENT)
COMMENT:
Each week when we drop MONEY into the OFFERING PLATE, we are not GIVING to the ELDERS or MINISTERS but to God. I have seen people WITHHOLD their OFFERING because they were UPSET with the DIRECTION the ELDERS were LEADING the church or with what the PREACHER may have SAID. But by doing so, they are WITHHOLDING from God not these MEN.
We GIVE to God because we LOVE Him, and we’re GRATEFUL beyond BELIEF for all that He has done for us.
B. There are only STRENGTHS of this MOTIVATION.
1. WORSHIP is the highest possible MOTIVATION.
COMMENT:
It creates true COMMITMENT, PLEASES God, ALLOWS much WORK to be done to ADVANCE the cause of the Kingdom, and FEELS GOOD, too.
2. There are no WEAKNESSES to this MOTIVATION to GIVING! (The devil can’t STEAL your JOY in the Lord or stop your WORK in Christ.)
CONCLUSION:
ILLUSTRATION:
The Bible honors those who GAVE GENEROUSLY. Jesus EXALTED the "poor widow who PUT everything that she OWNED into the TEMPLE TREASURY"- Luke 21:1-4.
Let me tell you about a man named George who was one of my ELDERS. He worked for Ely Lilly, a huge PHARMACEUTICAL Company. He was offered a HUGE PROMOTION with the COMPANY and he and his wife moved to. His leaving left a big VOID in our church, not only because he was a GREAT ELDER but also because they literally GAVE close to one-fourth of the entire WEEKLY CONTRIBUTION that church took in.
Commenting on the big DROP in our CONTRIBUTION someone said, "If I made the kind MONEY that he made I could GIVE GENEROUSLY, too." But you see, I believe the reason that this brother has a GOOD INCOME is because he always GAVE GENEROUSLY even when he didn’t make "a lot of MONEY".
George was one of 11 children raised in a very POOR NEIGHBORHOOD. His Dad was a COOK in a RESTAURANT and his Mother cleaned houses for a LIVING. Being a BLACK FAMILY, they had to deal with all of the PREJUDICES and OBSTACLES that came with that¡Xespecially in the 1940’s, 50’s, and 60’s. George was always a HARD WORKER. He got married in his early 20s, and WORKED his way through COLLEGE.
His Mom, the sweetest lady you’d ever meet, told me that although George never had a lot of MONEY growing up, he’d always set aside 10% of his INCOME and GIVE it to the CHURCH without FAIL--although he was ridiculed by his Dad for doing so.
"He who SOWS GENEROUSLY will REAP GENEROUSLY." That is a Biblical PRINCIPLE proven TRUE once again by George and his wife. Now they didn’t GIVE to GET! They GAVE only because they LOVE God--and God knows our MOTIVE for GIVING!
Paul pointed out that "if we GIVE to God, He will give us the FINANCIAL capacity to GIVE GENEROUSLY"- II Cor. 9:10-11. It’s all a matter of TRUSTING God to KEEP His PROMISE.
DO YOU BELIEVE GOD KEEPS HIS WORD?
