Introduction:
A. The story is told of a pig farmer down south who called a local church and asked to speak to the Head Hog at the Trough.
1. The church secretary said, “If you are referring to our minister, you are welcome to call him Brother, or Reverend if you are so inclined, but it would be improper to refer to him as the Head Hog.”
2. The farmer replied, “I’m sorry. I’m just an old pig farmer and I just sold some pigs and wanted to give $10,000 to your building fund.”
3. The secretary, quite surprised, quickly responded, “Oh, just a minute, I think I hear the Big Pig coming down the hall.”
B. I realize that many people get very uncomfortable when churches and ministers begin to talk about money, but it really shouldn’t be that way.
1. I know that some people approach the subject using a lot of guilt and manipulation, or by giving false promises, but that is not only wrong but unnecessary.
2. God has a lot to say in his Word about the subject of money and the proper handling of it.
3. It is estimated that there are 2,350 passages in the Bible dealing with money and material possessions – that’s more passages than on any other single subject.
4. During Jesus’ ministry he addressed the subject of money more than any other subject.
5. Why is that the case? Because God knows how powerful and damaging the love of money can be and he wants to protect us.
6. Therefore, I would say we should not take lightly what Jesus took very seriously.
C. Over the centuries people have come up with a lot of different ideas about Christian stewardship and giving.
1. There’s a story told about a couple of guys who were discussing their approaches to giving.
a. One man said, “Here’s how I decide how much to give. I cash my paycheck in small bills, then I go home a draw circle on the floor. I throw the money into the air and whatever falls into the circle is God’s.”
b. The other guy said, “I think my way is even better. On payday, I cash my check in small bills. When I get home, I toss the money in the air, and whatever God catches he can keep.”
2. Our methods and principles for handling money and giving may not be as far out as that, but we still may need to grow in our understanding of the Biblical principles that are given about this subject.
3. So, let’s spend some time today talking about some of the basics of giving.
4. Let’s ask and answer some basic questions.
I. Why Should We Give?
A. This perhaps the most important of all the questions we will answer today.
1. There are many answers that can be given to this question.
2. Let me offer just a few of them.
B. First, and foremost, we should give because God has commanded that we give.
1. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 16:2, “On the first day of every week, each one should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.”
2. In Luke 6:38, Jesus said, “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
3. We could go to many other passages in both the OT and the NT that teach this principle, but I don’t think that is necessary.
4. God has made it clear that he expects that his followers will be givers, and to fail to do so would be to live in disobedience.
5. Certainly we all want to live lives of obedience and please God in this way, right?
6. That having been said, let me give us another reason why we should give…
C. Second, we should give because of the great blessings that come through giving.
1. Jesus said that it is more blessed to give than to receive, and he knew what he was talking about! (Acts 20:35)
2. In our Scripture reading from 2 Cor. 9, the apostle Paul points out several of the spiritual blessings that come through faithful giving.
3. What are some of them?
4. First, there is the assurance that God will meet all your needs.
a. Verse 8 reads, “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”
b. God promises something here, that we might struggle to believe, and that is that God will make sure that our needs are taken care of.
c. This is certainly where faith needs to be exercised.
d. And I can testify to the fact that we have faithfully given to the Lord over the years, and we have always had what we have needed.
e. God is faithful, and he can be trusted, and when we faithfully give we experience the blessing of the assurance that God will meet all our needs.
5. A Second blessing is blessing of our personal spiritual growth.
a. Look at verse 10, “Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.”
b. Faithful giving leads to a growth in our righteousness.
c. Most of us are here this morning because we want to experience spiritual growth. We want to feel closer to God, we want to know him better, and we want to see him at work in our lives. And all that is great!
d. But have we considered that faithful giving is one of the paths to spiritual growth?
e. I can’t explain to you how all that works, but God knows how to make it work.
f. We know that when we dedicate and give our money to God, then he has our hearts. For where our treasure is, there is our heart as well.
g. As we give, we will abound in every good work, and the harvest of our righteousness will be enlarged.
h. Many of us like the song Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus. The words of that song speak to this truth. “Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of his glory and grace.”
i. As we give, we become less and less attached to the things of earth and we grow spiritually.
j. Our perspective becomes more and more like God’s.
6. Allow me to share one more blessing of giving, it is the joy of seeing God’s work progress and seeing others praise God.
a. If it is our heart’s desire to see God’s work progress and to see God receive the glory, then giving is one of the best ways to do so.
b. Look at verses 11 and 12, “You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.”
c. Our goal in giving should never be to receive praise for ourselves, but only to have God be praised. Amen!
D. Certainly we could give further reasons to give, but surely these are enough to encourage and motivate us.
1. We should want to give because we have been commanded to do so, and because of the great blessings associated with giving.
2. Let’s address another question…
II. Who Should Give?
A. What do you think the answer to that question is? The answer is everyone, right?
1. We might be inclined to think that only the rich should give.
2. Or only those who make $30,000 or more.
3. We must realize that God expects everyone to give.
4. Anyone who receives income is expected to give. Rich, poor, young and old.
5. Back to the passage from 1 Cor. 16:2, we notice that Paul says that “each one (that’s everybody, right?) of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income…”
6. Do you remember the occasion when Jesus saw the poor widow making an offering of everything she had, and held her up as an example of generous giving? (Lk. 21:1-4)
B. We wanted to instill this principle in the hearts of our children, so we started them on an allowance at age five and helped them understand the principle of giving as they have prospered.
1. And I trust that as they move into adulthood that this principle of giving will stay with them.
C. The only time we are exempt from giving some of our money to God is when we have no money to give.
1. And I don’t mean when we have no money because we are spending it all on ourselves.
2. I talking about when we don’t have any money coming to us prior to our spending it.
3. So, who should give? Each and every one of us.
III. What Should We Give?
A. This is often the question that makes us the most nervous, right?
1. Unfortunately, the question often isn’t how much can I give or do I get to give, but how much do I have to give?
2. Immediately we wonder about the OT tithe, which is the practice of giving 10 percent to the Lord.
3. So we wonder, “Are Christians under the tithing law of the OT?”
4. One preacher’s sarcastic answer to that question, “Certainly most Christians are under the tithe, they give around 2 or 3 percent, that’s certainly under the 10 percent!”
5. Other’s ask, “If I don’t tithe, will I go to hell?”
6. Another preacher’s answer to that question is, “No, you won’t go to hell for not giving the tithe, but maybe somebody else will be lost because you didn’t give.”
B. As far as I can tell, Jesus never abolished or wiped out the tithing rule.
1. Although he did fulfill and set aside the Old Covenant when he established the New Covenant.
2. And He did criticize the legalistic Jews for tithing even the tiny herbs from their garden while neglecting the major issues of justice and mercy.
3. And that’s where this discussion of tithing always ends up, right in the middle of legalistic disputes.
4. If God does expect us to tithe, then should we give 10 percent of our gross or net income.
5. What about any gifts we might receive, do we have to tithe out of those as well?
C. As I read the NT, I notice that the NT shuns any percentages rather it points us toward principles.
1. Our Scripture reading in 2 Cor. 9 included verse 7, “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
2. And the passage from 1 Cor. 16 that I have referred to several times already, “each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income…” (16:2)
3. Rather than thinking that freedom from the Law of Moses permits us to cut the 10 percent down to 4 percent, why shouldn’t we be shooting for 15 or 20 or 30 percent?
4. Selfishness and greed tend to make us think in terms of minimums for giving.
5. Generosity takes us in the opposite direction.
6. Percentage formulas won’t produce larger gifts; only a generous heart can do that.
7. Generosity is not an amount, but a spirit.
D. So, what should we give? How much should we give?
1. First, we should give ourselves to God (2 Cor. 8:5).
2. Then, second, we should give as much as our spiritual, loving, believing, generous heart would prompt us to give.
3. Let’s answer one more question.
IV. How Should We Give?
A. First, we should give eagerly.
1. In the chapter that precedes our Scripture reading, Paul wrote, “Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have.” (2 Cor. 8:10-12)
2. God is pleased when our giving is truly a “want to,” not a “have to.”
B. Second, we should give consistently.
1. If our income is consistent, then our giving should be consistent.
2. I receive my income on a weekly basis, and so I give on a weekly basis.
3. If I received my income monthly, I probably would still give weekly, because I would want to participate in the contribution every Sunday, but that is not mandatory.
4. The principle we should be following is to decide how much of our income will be dedicated to the Lord, and then to give that percentage consistently.
5. As we think about managing our money, it is important that we put God first, and make a decision about how much we will give before we make any other budgetary decisions.
6. And when we miss the worship services because of illness or traveling, the percentage of our income that we have dedicated to the Lord is still His, and must not be withheld and used for ourselves, but should be given after we return.
C. Third, we should give expectantly.
1. Paul speaks of this principle of sowing and reaping in our Scripture reading, “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” (9:6)
2. This is God’s principle. He wants us to trust him and to give with faith and expectancy.
3. Expecting that God will bless our gifts and our lives.
4. The returns we receive from God will not always be immediate, nor obvious, and they may be more spiritual than physical.
D. Finally, we should give cheerfully.
1. We must not be “sad” givers, who give grudgingly, or “mad” givers who give because they have to, but we should be “glad” givers who cheerfully share what we have because we have experienced the love and grace of God and want to please Him.
Conclusion:
A. Let me end with an inspiring story of what God can do through someone who is humble and faithful in giving.
B. Miss Oseola McCarty was born March 7, 1908, and she died September 26, 1999. (91 years old)
1. She dropped out of school at 12 to take care of her sick aunt.
2. She never went back to school but began a lifelong career of washing and ironing clothes — preferring a washboard to modern washing machines.
3. She retired at age 86.
4. She tithed to her church in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, paid her bills, and made monthly payments on her insurance and burial plot.
5. Everything left over went into the bank.
6. "The Lord portioned out the good things in life to me just fine," she said. "Who needs any more?"
7. Miss McCarty proved Soren Kierkegaard correct: "It is more blessed to give than to receive, but then it is also more blessed to be able to do without than to have to have."
8. About five years before her death, Oseola McCarty became a national celebrity by giving $150,000 — sixth-tenths of her life savings — to found a scholarship for poor children wanting to attend the University of Southern Mississippi.
C. People with generous spirits are delivered from the tyranny of everyday worry and aggravation over money.
1. They model humility.
2. They are able to live healthy spiritual lives that are secure and deeply contented.
3. They are able to receive the approval and blessing of their Lord.
D. Many of us have been generous givers for a very long time, and you know the blessings that I have been discussing in this sermon. Keep up the good work!
1. Some of the rest of us may still be struggling with these issues.
2. The pull of money and materialism is strong, but God is even greater and His blessings are far better.
3. I hope and pray that every one of us will find the faith to give in ways that please God.
4. God is and continues to be the greatest giver of all.
1. Let’s appreciate all His gifts and show it by the way we live and the way we give! Amen!
