November 23, 2008
Morning Worship
Text: 2 Corinthians 9:1-15
Subject: Missions Giving
Title: Giving Above and Beyond
Two weeks ago I talked to you about witnessing and how as a church it is our responsibility to make sure that the gospel is taken out into the world. If you remember from Isaiah 6, the prophet said, “Here am I, send me!” I want to carry on with that theme today with the idea that the church, being the instrument of God for evangelization of the world, has the responsibility to all who are perishing to make every effort to get the gospel to them. Now obviously we cannot all go to Africa or China or South America to spread the gospel but we can provide for those who are called to do that.
I want to look at some scriptures today that will help us to understand that we have a responsibility to God to answer the call for the evangelization of the world and how we can expect to be blessed because of our response.
J.L. Kraft, head of the Kraft Cheese Corporation, who had given approximately 25% of his enormous income to Christian causes for many years, said, "The only investment I ever made which has paid consistently increasing dividends is the money I have given to the Lord."
W. A. Criswell, A Guidebook for Pastors, p. 154.
Before we get started in 2 Corinthians let’s look at one verse. Malachi 3:10, 10Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.
The result of giving your tithe to the Lord is that He will pour out so many blessings that you won’t be able to contain them all. Here is the difference between what we’re talking about today and the tithe. The tithe is for the operation of the local church. It is what God expects from you – and He blesses it. But what we’re talking about today is an offering to meet needs above and beyond the tithe. If you think that God blesses the tithe – and we know He does by the many testimonies we have heard – what do you think He will do with your offerings?
Let’s look today to see what plans God has for us in supporting our missionaries. I want to begin by reading a verse from Philippians 4:19 and then we will look at 2 Corinthians 9 as we go through the scriptures.
19And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
Lord, open my eyes to see and my ears to hear what the spirit is saying to the church.
I. A WILLINGNESS TO HELP (1-5) 1There is no need for me to write to you about this service to the saints. 2For I know your eagerness to help, and I have been boasting about it to the Macedonians, telling them that since last year you in Achaia were ready to give; and your enthusiasm has stirred most of them to action. 3But I am sending the brothers in order that our boasting about you in this matter should not prove hollow, but that you may be ready, as I said you would be. 4For if any Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we—not to say anything about you—would be ashamed of having been so confident. Here is what was going on. Paul was taking an offering for the church in Jerusalem. He had spoken to the church in Corinth about the Macedonian church’s willingness to give. As a matter of fact the church in Philippi had been the one constant source of support for Paul’s missionary activity. In 2 Corinthians 8, 1And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. 2Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. 3For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own… Paul commended the church in Philippi for their generosity. But did you notice that he said that the church was giving out of extreme poverty? Even though they could not afford to give they gave anyhow. Philippians 1, 3I thank my God every time I remember you. 4In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. The church didn’t just talk about helping – they did something about it. Paul says that the church is involved in a partnership with missionaries in spreading the gospel around the world.
II. AN ACT OF FAITH (6-11) How many of you would say that you think that you have a heart for missions? Turn over to Philippians 4. Paul addresses the fact that the churches were more than just willing to help – they did something about it. 10I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. 11I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13I can do everything through him who gives me strength. 14Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. 15Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; 16for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid again and again when I was in need. 17Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your account. Now, go back to verse 6 in 2 Corinthians. 6Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. This is one of the great spiritual laws found in the Bible – the Law of the harvest. You will always reap what you have sown. It doesn’t matter whether it is your time, your talents or your treasure. God will give you a greater return on whatever you sow than you could ever imagine. I have heard story after story about people giving when it appeared that they didn’t have enough, only to have God’s blessing poured out on them for their faithfulness. Paul was a great example of that in his own life. For nearly all his ministry he worked as a tentmaker to support himself as he preached. Now I imagine that much of the money he needed for ministry came out of his own pocket and God blessed him for that. Back in Philippians 4 Paul wrote, 18I have received full payment and even more; I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. Paul could say in faith, because he experienced it personally, that God blesses our giving. 19And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. Jump back to 2 Corinthians 9. 7Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. How do you think that one becomes a cheerful giver? Is it something that you have to work at? Listen, if you give to God because you feel like you have to, and your heart isn’t really behind the giving, you might as well keep your money. Giving like this is a spiritual act. It comes from within. If your natural man is involved in the process you will probably be constantly thinking about what you could have done with the money you gave. I remember when we first started tithing. I was driving a 1990 Ford F-150 pickup. I would have liked to have had a better truck, but the one I had was good enough. I began to notice that Charlotte’s brothers were driving new trucks and none of them were tithers. It made perfect sense that if we stopped tithing that I could have a new truck too. We didn’t give in to that temptation. We kept on giving and I always had a good truck to drive and more than that, a good job to drive it to. Verse 8, 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. God’s grace is a spiritual work. When your spirit man comes to agree with what the word of God says about giving and your natural man agrees with the spiritual, then grace will abound to you in everything. The more you give the more He will give back to you so you can give more. I’m not talking about playing the spiritual stock market. We don’t give and then just hope we can get back more. We give because we love the Lord and then He gives us more so we can bless others more. 9As it is written “He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.” Now, 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. It is the seed you sow into the kingdom of God that will determine how much of a harvest you will reap. Verse 11 tells us that we are not to sow out of greed, wanting God to give us more for our own benefit. 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. I find it ironic that the one thing that Americans have more than any other country in the world is the one thing that they are least likely to want to give up – their money. So many are willing to give their time, even though time is what they have least. They give their talents even though they may be limited in that area. But they hang on to their money as if somehow they can take it with them after this life is over. Jesus addressed that very thing in Luke chapter 12, 16And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. 17He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ 18“Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’ 20“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ 21“This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.”
III. AN ACT OF WORSHIP (12-15) Just let me read this to you and let the words soak in would you? 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! 1) Your giving opens the door for a testimony to His goodness and His word. (Verse 12) 2) Your giving itself testifies that you are what you say you are – a church that is concerned with souls being saved. (Verse 13). 3) Your giving will cause others to pray for you and in doing so bring them closer to God. (Verse 14) 15Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! Your giving is worship!
In the latter part of the 17th century, German preacher August H. Francke founded an orphanage to care for the homeless children of Halle. One day when Francke desperately needed funds to carry on his work, a destitute Christian widow came to his door begging for a ducat--a gold coin. Because of his financial situation, he politely but regretfully told her he couldn’t help her. Disheartened, the woman began to weep. Moved by her tears, Francke asked her to wait while he went to his room to pray. After seeking God’s guidance, he felt that the Holy Spirit wanted him to change his mind. So, trusting the Lord to meet his own needs, he gave her the money. Two mornings later, he received a letter of thanks from the widow. She explained that because of his generosity she had asked the Lord to shower the orphanage with gifts. That same day Francke received 12 ducats from a wealthy lady and 2 more from a friend in Sweden. He thought he had been amply rewarded for helping the widow, but he was soon informed that the orphanage was to receive 500 gold pieces from the estate of Prince Lodewyk Van Wurtenburg. When he heard this, Francke wept in gratitude. In sacrificially providing for that needy widow, he had been enriched, not impoverished.
I have a philosophy of giving that is shared by many other pastors. Just as Israel brought their tithes to the temple to be shared with the Levites and priests, according to Nehemiah 11:37-39 the Levites in turn are to pay their tithe on what they receive. I believe that is a pattern for the church. Our goal is to give one-tenth of the total church income back out in missions support. At the end of the year we get a giving report back from General Council that always shows that we have done that, but that giving includes our support to the district and individual giving from some of you that is credited the church, so the numbers are a little deceiving.
I asked you two weeks ago to begin praying about what kind of faith promise the Lord would have you make for missions. You have your faith promise cards. I want you to take them and hold them up as a wave offering to the Lord and one final time ask the Holy Spirit what kind of a faith promise He would have you make. Remember, a faith promise simply says that I believe that the Lord will provide for me to give this amount. Let the Spirit speak to you today. Even if you have been faithfully giving to missions please fill out a card. It will enable us to prepare a missions budget for next year and hopefully provide an increase for our current missionaries and open the door for new missionaries.
It doesn’t matter how much or how little. If the Lord has spoken to you write it down. Young people, if you gave up a two sodas a week and put that money towards missions maybe you could give five dollars a month.
Would you allow the Lord to pour out His blessings on your life?
