THE GRACE OF GIVING: UNDERSTANDING OURSELVES
2 Corinthians 9:6-15 {NIV}
Part 3 of the series: The Grace of Giving: God-Given Principles for Understanding Your Money (2 Corinthians 8-9)
Sermon Objective: Giving is not something we do it is something we are. It is a way of life for the Christian that understands God’s grace. It is the heart of the saint that makes his giving pleasing and beneficial.
6Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8And 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. 9As it is written: "He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever." 10Now 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. 11You 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.
12This 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. 13Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. 14And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. 15Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!
OPENING:
We are ending our three part series this morning on stewardship called “The Grace of Giving” from 2 Corinthians 8 & 9. We have looked at the passage from a perspective of discovery:
• Week #1: Gave us an understanding of God (2 Corinthians 8:1-9)
• Week #2: Gave us an understanding of Community (2 Corinthians 8:10 – 9:5)
• Week #3: Gives us an understanding of Ourselves (2 Corinthians 9:6-15).
So let’s play a game … let’s play “Sermon Jeopardy”. I will give you an answer (from the last two week’s sermons) and you give the question. Are you ready?
Answer #1: “It’s not really about money. It’s really about character, community, and Christlikeness.”
Question #1: What’s the underlying spiritual truth we’ve been discovering this month.
Answer #2: “And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God’s will.” (2 Corinthians 8:5)
Question #2: What is the Bible verse we have used as the key for the sermon series?
Answer #3: God is a giver too. And a lot can be told about God by what and how He gives.
Question #3: What is our model for sacrificial and faithful giving?
Answer #4: Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
Question #4: What is the core issue most Christians struggle with?
This was written to the Corinthians at an earlier time but they still struggled with this core issue.
So how’d you do? Did you make it to the final “Sermon Jeopardy” round? I hope so. But more than that I hope you have surrendered and settled the Lordship issues in your own life and lifestyle.
Today we will attempt to bring this home … to make the applications of Lordship and stewardship even more personal.
Just as much can be understood about God by what and how he gives, so much can be understood about you by what and how you give.
A woman gave her son Billy 2 dollars. One was for his Sunday School offering. The other was for an ice cream cone on the way home from church. Billy was playing with one of the dollars when a gust of wind snatched it from his hands and took it away. He could not retrieve it.
Billy looked skyward and began his prayer with, "Sorry, God. I lost your money."...
Much can be told about you by what and how you give.
So what does faithful giving really tell us about ourselves? Paul makes it pretty clear:
1. YOUR GIVING SHOWS YOUR DESIRE TO BRING IN A SPIRITUAL HARVEST (9:6-11)
6Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8And 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. 9As it is written: "He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever." 10Now 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. 11You 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.
In today’s Bible passage, the Bible has moved beyond plea to purpose.
The Bible says that our giving shows our desire to see a spiritual harvest. Reaping a harvest has two purposes:
First, nourishment. We grow a garden to feed ourselves and others. The concept of spiritual fruit is important here. People are spiritually nourished (or remain spiritually malnourished) by our willingness to acknowledge Christ’s Lordship and offer our time, talent, and other treasures (9:9-11)
Second, harvests are gleaned for further sowing (9:8, 11). In God’s harvest field the seeds bring forth great fruit we, in turn, are then empowered to give an even greater harvest.
Have you ever watched a missionary agency grow? I will use the Church of the Nazarene since I am most familiar with it. Our missionary agency is now 100 years old and the explosion of the spread of the Gospel is easily seen in her efforts. From the beginning the denomination was a missionary agency albeit a small one.
But God’s people continued to support it and God blessed the harvest.
We entered one field and saw a few become Christians. They won others, another church was planted, then another. Then the second church matured and it birthed a church of its own.
Here’s the upshot as of now … those small little starts are now strong churches which are themselves producing fruit and sending missionaries. We have many many missionaries from places like Europe and South America. They are not all from the United States any more. In fact, in some cases, they are sending missionaries to the United States.
As we heard last month, these other countries are ministering in the 10-40 window and the Gospel seed we have spread via the Jesus Film has seen over 1000 churches birthed in 12 months across the Horn of Africa!
That is amazing fruit!
That is what happens when we give … God takes that seed and produces more harvesters and more seed and ... it results in expediential growth ... compounded growth!
This is not a Nazarene thing … this is a God thing. This happens for every missionary agency that follows God’s principles and leading. It happens every time God’s people faithfully, through thick and thin, support God’s work. It doesn’t happen over night, it is a result of living a life characterized by ongoing faith and good works (9:8).
You see, giving is not something we do it is something we are. It is a way of life for the Christian that understands God’s grace. It is the heart of the saint that makes his giving pleasing and beneficial.
2. YOUR GIVING SHOWS THE DEVELOPMENT OF YOUR FAITH (9:6-11, 13)
13Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else.
We are not designed be sad givers who give grudgingly, or mad givers who give because we feel pressured, but glad givers who give because we have experienced the grace of God.
Have you ever watched children squabble over ownership rights? It begins at an early age. Little Suzie has her dolls and is playing house. Little Kimie wants to play too. Little Suzie refuses to give Kimmie any dolls or allow her to play house too.
Mommy tells Suzie to share. Suzie clutches the dolls to herself and gets the sad or mad or defiant look. Eventually she obeys mommy but it is with great consternation.
The challenge of parenting is to teach little Suzie to share and to share from a posture of blessing not grudgingly.
We adults play the same game we’re just more sophisticated at it. But God sees the heart and knows the real us. When we are giving to God’s causes with a spirit of resistance it grieves the Spirit within us. It says much about us.
When we hoard or give grudgingly, it shows our faith is stunted or immature. It shows we have yet to understand God’s plan and will. It shows we are yet to embrace His values.
In God’s economy, both the giver and the gift are blessings. If the giver’s heart is not right then the blessing’s potential good is hindered significantly. You are more important to the process than what you give!
Besides, giving is not something we do it is something we are. It is a way of life for the Christian that understands God’s grace. It is the heart of the saint that makes his giving pleasing and beneficial.
3. YOUR GIVING SHOWS YOUR DESIRE TO HONOR GOD (9:11-15)
11You 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.
12This 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. 13Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. 14And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. 15Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!
Grace giving does not bring credit to us (or our spiritual account) it brings praise to God. Four times in the concluding paragraph of these two chapters, Paul states his confidence that the ultimate result of their offering will be to increase thanksgiving and praise to God. This is at the heart of all spiritual giving.
Let me ask you. When I told you the missionary story of how harvesting produces more seed and more seed is spread thus producing more seed, etc. did it not strike a chord of celebration within you?
You were able to get a glimpse of His faithfulness and of people’s lives being reclaimed. In fact, the chapter ends on this high note … it brings us full-circle back to the original giver … the “model giver” God Himself.
It also shows us the source of all that happens … Jesus Christ’s sacrificial death.
Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!
Maybe you’d like to say that with me today.
Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!
Maybe you’d like to shout that with me today!
THANKS BE TO GOD FOR HIS INDESCRIBABLE GIFT!!!!!!!!!!!!
WRAP-UP
Okay, its time for “Final Jeopardy.” There will be one answer and one question. Are you ready?
Final Answer: 2 Corinthains 9:11-13
11You 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. 12This 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. 13Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. 14And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. 15Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift
Final Question: When you stand before the Eternal One and give account, what will your choices in life say about you?
Giving is not something we do it is something we are. It is a way of life for the Christian that understands God’s grace. It is the heart of the saint that makes his giving pleasing and beneficial.
Your giving is not a substitute for your living. And your living is not a substitute for your giving. They are one and the same.
YOU SEE, IT REALLY ISN’T ABOUT MONEY. IT REALLY ISN’T ABOUT US GETTING YOURS.
IT’S REALLY IS ABOUT CHARACTER, COMMUNITY, AND CHRISTLIKENESS.
He who has ears to hear,
Let Him hear.
