Series Subject: Commitment to the Church
Theme: Serving God Through Giving Pt.2
Text: 2 Corinthians 8: 1-15
Introduction
A. The word of God has reminded us of the truth that each believer is called, needed, gifted, equipped, and plays a significant role to help build up the body of Jesus. That’s why it is my desire to always remind you that each person in this church family is ordained by God to help build up His church. Each of us here is needed. Every contribution we extend for the building of the body of Christ is very important. How can we help?
B. Last Sunday I started preaching on the subject of giving. Giving to the church is one important way that a believer can help in building up the church. As I said in our previous message, the church needs generous hearts and magnanimous hands. However, giving is something that makes church people uncomfortable. Many pastors were being misunderstood and criticized by the people when they preached on giving. But what does the Bible say about serving God through giving? God’s people must know, understand and give to the church based only on what the Word of God teaches.
Paul laid out the reason of church giving. If this is understood well, every believer would be led to give with a joyful heart. Last Sunday I gave the first two reasons from our text.
I. GIVING IS SHARING THE GRACE OF GOD (VS.1-7)
The believers in Macedonia were said to have given even “beyond their means” because they were overflowing with joy over the grace they received from God –the grace of salvation. And they didn’t forget that they owe their experience of God’s grace to the church in Jerusalem because of its missionary work. They received the grace of God through them, now they were more than willing to share it back in the form of sacrificial help.
In this passage Paul used the word “grace” to describe the offering given by these churches in Macedonia for the church in Jerusalem. I believe Paul intentionally constructed his statement that way to emphasize the principle of sharing God’s grace through giving. When we give, we are sharing the grace of God.
First, your giving to the church is your kind of affirmation and response to the grace of God. It gives a testimony of your understanding, reception, and faith in the grace of God for your salvation. Christian giving testifies the truth of salvation by grace.
Second, your giving will help the church to fund its needs for it to be doing effectively with its primary task to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus. When you give to the church, you help it out to become a channel through which God extends His grace of salvation to people who are yet in darkness of sin. Christian giving is an opportunity to be part in the program of God to save sinners through His grace.
II. GIVING IS SHOWING ONE’S SUMBISSION TO GOD (v.5)
Verse 5 tells us the secret why the Macedonian churches were so eager to give in spite of their own problems and poverty. They were so zealous that they even begged Paul to help out. What’s the secret? They first gave themselves over to the Lord. The primary direction of their devotion was to God. They gave out of their great devotion and total submission to God. Their giving comes from a surrendered heart.
Christian giving confirms the reality of your submission to God; it translates your devotion into something tangible and visible. Christian giving gives us the opportunity to prove the truthfulness of our love and devotion to God.
III. GIVING IS ABOUT THE ATTITUDE OF THE HEART (v.4)
Paul used the Macedonian giving to teach the Corinthian church about Christian giving. The Macedonian area was afflicted by high taxes and plunder by the Roman government. The people were not wealthy. Paul could have made light of their gift because of their poverty. But what impressed Paul was not so much the size of the gift, but the size of the sacrifice that had to be made in order for the gift to be offered.
The Macedonians were themselves poor and impoverished. But they begged to help. They begged to give. They’re not forced to give; they gave on their own accord, they gave because they wanted to. For them to give is an opportunity. They gave because they thought the blessing they had in Jesus was bigger than their poverty. Indeed their heart was in the right place.
You see, giving is not about the size of the gift, how big it is, or how expensive it is. Giving is about the attitude of the heart and the sacrifice behind the gift. When you give you let your heart speaks messages more meaningful than your mouth can do. When you give you’re saying that you care, that you’re part, that you belong, that you’re concerned.
One day a preacher saw was a little girl near his small church sobbing. He asked the girl why she’s crying. "I can’t go to Sunday School because the room is already too crowded." So the preacher took her by the hand and took her inside and found a place for her in the Sunday School class.
The child was so touched that she went to bed that night thinking of the children who have no place to worship Jesus. About two years later, this child lay dead in one of the poor tenement buildings and the parents called for that preacher, to handle her final arrangements. They told him that just as her poor little body was being moved, a worn and crumpled purse was found which seemed to have been rummaged from some trash dump. Inside was found 57 cents and a note scribbled in childish handwriting which read, "This is to help build the little church bigger so more children can go to Sunday school." For two years she had saved for this offering special offering.
The 57 cents offering of the little girl spoke so much about her heart, and God greatly honored it. God used it to do something wonderful and even unbelievable!
When the preacher read that note he was in tears… and he knew instantly what he wanted to do. Carrying this note and the cracked, red pocketbook to the pulpit, he told the story of the little girl’s unselfish love and devotion. He challenged his church leaders to get busy and raise enough money for the larger building. And they did! But the story didn’t end there! A newspaper learned of the story and published it. It was read by a Realtor who offered them a parcel of land worth many thousands. And when he was told that the church could not pay so much, he offered it for a 57 cents.
Church members made large subscriptions. Checks came from far and wide. Within five years the little girl’s gift had increased to $250,000.00 – a huge sum for that time. Her unselfish love had paid large dividends. From that amount a big temple with a seating capacity of 3,300 of worshippers, and where hundreds of students are trained was built. From that amount were built a big Hospital, and a Sunday School building which houses hundreds of Sunday scholars, so that no child in the area will ever need to be left outside during Sunday school time.
IV. GIVING IS FOLLOWING THE EXAMPLE OF JESUS (v.9)
Now Paul reminded the Corinthian believers that the Lord Jesus Christ Himself is the example of what it means to give. In verse 9 Paul says, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that although he was rich, he became poor for your sakes, so that you by his poverty could become rich.” His further elaboration on this is found in Philippians 2. He said that our Lord Jesus gave up all His glory to come to earth, to suffer and to die for our sins. He gave up what He had, and because of the sacrifice He made, He gained much more. We see a good motto here: no giving, no gain. Without Jesus sacrificing His life for us at the cross, we would have no chance to know and experience eternal life. We have greatly and eternally benefited from the giving of Jesus. And even now, we are seeing and experiencing the results of His sacrifice in our lives. Salvation is not just about going to heaven; it is about being blessed NOW! Wow!
Now, what kind of example does Jesus Christ our Lord gives us on giving? Did He give Himself half-heartedly? Did He give an 80% effort? No! He was 100% committed to what He was called to do. He was 100% committed in providing the way of our salvation. He could have ended all of His suffering with one word, but He did not. He saved us by losing His own life. He gave us eternal life by dying.
Looking at the example of our Lord, there are things that excite me here about giving. First, the prospect that other people would benefit eternally from my giving is really very exciting and is indeed worth giving. I could imagine how great will be my joy when I see people in heaven, and realize that they were there because I gave something which led them to know and accept the Savior. That would be an eternal honor and joy. So when we give to the work of the Lord, we are doing an investment that gains eternal harvest in other people’s lives.
Second, giving gives us the opportunity to be like our Lord by doing what He loves to do, and to be identified with Him in His commitment and work. I believe, or do I need to say that every believer’s utmost desire is to be like Jesus? Then every Christian must have the joy to give because Jesus gave Himself with joy.
We still have many things to learn about Christian giving, about serving God through giving. God willing, we will continue on in this subject next Sunday. Finally, let me say this to you: “Giving to the church is something between you and God. I don’t want to know what you give. I don’t want to tell you or demand what you must give. But I do want you to experience the joy and blessings that comes with giving.”
