Part I
Purpose: To lay out God's parameters for giving.
Aim: I want the listener to examine how they give to God and make any changes that are contrary to God's design for giving.
INTRODUCTION: Joey Mimbs and Ralph Travis of Ellenton, Florida wrote this following song to be sung to the tune of "Ol' Mac Donald had a farm." This song pokes fun at using the guilt method to get people to give money to the church. I substituted the name of our church where they had the name for their church:
Bethel Chapel has a fund;
So give us all your dough.
We'll take your check, your credit cards,
Your cash, CD's and gold.
There's a missionary here,
Carpet fund there,
Here a roof; there a van--
Give us all your money man.
Bethel Chapel has a fund;
So give us all your dough!
Bethel Chapel has a fund,
So we can pay our bills.
So when your money has run out,
Please write us in your wills.
There's a budget need here,
A building fund there--
Sewer, water, lights, and all;
Don't forget the fellowship hall.
Bethel Chapel has a fund;
So give and give it all!
Using guilt to encourage people to give money to the Lord's work is wrong, but it is a temptation because [according to a survey by "Empty Tomb" 2003-2004] 37% of regular church attenders give nothing to the church, 33% of them engage in at least some form of gambling like buying lottery tickets.
Another hindrance to giving is the way most Americans spend money. According to an MSN article by Kim Khan:
* About 43% of American families spend more than they earn each year.
* Average households carry some $8,000 in credit card debt.
* Personal bankruptcies have doubled in the past decade.
All of this helps explain why "Just 6% of born again households tithed to their church in 2002.... Among the groups most likely to tithe are people over 55, college graduates, evangelicals, Republicans, conservatives, and residents of the South - but there was no segment among which at least 10% tithed." (Barna Research 5/19/03)
The solution is to go to Scripture and learn how God looks at giving.
By the way, most Bible believing pastors rarely preach about giving (and I am no exception, it has been five years since I devoted a whole sermon to the topic of giving) but this is probably not the best policy. The Bible commands preachers to declare "...the whole purpose of God" (Acts 20:27, NAS) and there are 30 verses in the Bible about baptism, 225 verses about prayer, and 2,300 verses about money.
Before we get into today's text, I want you to notice that Paul had just finished congratulating the church members for extending forgiveness to a member of the church who had repented of his sin. It almost like Paul was saying, "OK, now that this sin problem in the church has been solved let's talk about money."
Paul was in the midst of his third missionary journey and as he travelled he was collecting an offering for the poor Christians living in Judea. Earlier he had collected an offering for the poor Jews who were in Jerusalem. So, Paul dealt with money a lot during his ministry. It is interesting that Paul is the one who remembered a beatitude of Christ's that was not recorded in any of the gospels: "In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive' " (Acts 20:35, NAS).
In the 8th chapter of 2 Corinthians I see eight principles that should guide our giving. Today we will look at the first four.
Vs.1-3 I. Give Freely even When it's Hard to Give "in a great ordeal...great poverty"
Paul talks about giving as a gift (or grace) from God. Notice this theme in verses: 1, 4,5,6,7,9,19, & 20. So the ability to give is a gift FROM God before it is a gift TO God.
Paul begins his appeal by pointing out how the Christians in Macedonia were giving.
"Macedonia was the northern Roman province of Greece. Paul's reference was to the churches at Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea (cf. Acts 17:11). This was basically an impoverished province that had been ravaged by many wars and even then was being plundered by Roman authority and commerce." [1]
"They were in deep poverty, which means 'rock-bottom destitution.' The word describes a beggar who has absolutely nothing and has no hope of getting anything. Their difficult situation may have been caused in part by their Christian faith, for they may have lost their jobs or been excluded from the trade guilds because they refused to have anything to do with idolatry." [2]
In other words, they gave in spite of their circumstances. It is possible to give a lot without giving joyfully, but God has no interest in grudging givers.
God's formula for giving: Great affliction + deep poverty + God's grace = abundant joy & generosity
This same formula also worked when David asked for contributions for the building of the Temple. "Then the rulers of the fathers' households, and the princes of the tribes of Israel, and the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, with the overseers over the king's work, offered willingly; and for the service for the house of God they gave 5,000 talents and 10,000 darics of gold, and 10,000 talents of silver, and 18,000 talents of brass, and 100,000 talents of iron. Whoever possessed precious stones gave them to the treasury of the house of the LORD, in care of Jehiel the Gershonite. Then the people rejoiced because they had offered so willingly, for they made their offering to the LORD with a whole heart, and King David also rejoiced greatly. " (1 Chronicles 29:6--9, NAS)
Verse 3 gives us three important Guidelines for Giving.
#1 Give based on what you have "according to their ability"
Our giving is proportional. God doesn't measure what you give compared to someone who has more money than you.
#2 Give sacrificially "beyond their ability"
Giving should be a sacrifice. In other words, our giving should require us to do without something.
#3 Give willingly "of their own accord"
This is also why Paul says in verse 8: "I am not speaking this as a command, but as proving through the earnestness of others the sincerity of your love also" (2 Corinthians 8:8, NAS)
Vs.4 II. See Giving as a Privilege "the favor of participation"
We tend to tolerate offerings more than we beg for offerings.
Three Levels of Giving
1. You have to (law)
2. You ought to (obligation)
3. You want to (grace)
- Waldo Weaning [3]
"Give according to your income, lest God make your income according to your giving." Peter Marshall [4] Do you want God to be as generous with you as you are with Him?
If we are convinced that God will supply all our "...needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19, NAS) then we will see giving as privilege. Remember, we can only give what has been given to us.
Vs.5-8 III. Give Every Part of Your Life to God "first gave themselves to the Lord"
"If we give ourselves to God, we will have little problem giving our substance to God." [5]
"Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship" (Romans 12:1, NAS) Once we have given our very bodies to Christ, it is easy to give our wallets.
[Vs.5] When we give ourselves completely to Jesus, then we will have no problem inconveniencing ourselves for other Christians. "Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. " (Philippians 2:3--8, NAS)
If we love Jesus Christ then we will love those He died for: "We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth. " (1 John 3:16--18, NAS)
These verses (especially verse 7) would have been a sharp rebuke to the Corinthians. They were so caught up with bragging about their talents and arguing about what preacher to follow that they neglected their giving. "I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus, that in everything you were enriched in Him, in all speech and all knowledge, " (1 Corinthians 1:4--5, NAS)
They were now one full year behind on putting together the offering that they had promised for the poor Christians in Judea.
Vs.9 IV. Give as Christ Gave to You "for your sake He became poor"
How generous has Jesus been toward us?
Jesus left the glories of heaven in order to live in this filthy sin cursed world. Jesus "emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. " (Philippians 2:7--8, NAS)
Jesus, the Creator, lived among His downtrodden creation, so that He could rescue those who would trust in Him. "Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, " (Galatians 1:3--4, NAS)
James Duff, in Flashes of Truth, told of a time when English preacher and theologian Andrew Fuller went back to his hometown to collect money for foreign missions. One of his contacts was an old friend. When presented with the need, the man said, "Well, Andrew, seeing it's you, I'll give you five dollars." "No," said Fuller, "I can't take your money for my cause, seeing it is for me," and he handed the money back. The man saw his point. "Andrew, you are right. Here's ten dollars, seeing it is for Jesus Christ." [6]
"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me." (Galatians 2:20, NAS)
"and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf. " (2 Corinthians 5:15, NAS)
"And if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him." (Romans 8:17, NAS) We may give up some material things, but we will gain God as our inheritance.
If you have Christ you have more wealth than Bill Gates the founder of Microsoft. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ," (Ephesians 1:3, NAS)
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you" (1 Peter 1:3--4, NAS)
CONCLUSION: Think about what your are giving to the Lord. Do you think of giving as a joy or a duty? If joy is not your response to an opportunity to give then search for the selfishness that is lurking in your heart.
How does God give to us? "But if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? You men of little faith! And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying. For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things. But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you. Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. " (Luke 12:28--34, NAS)
"The Christian's gifts to God should not be bribes to obtain His favor, but grateful responses to what He has done in our lives." [7]
[1]John Jr MacArthur, The MacArthur Study Bible, electronic ed., 2 Co 8:1 (Nashville: Word Pub., 1997).
[2]Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, 2 Co 8:1 (Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1996).
[3]Galaxie Software, 10,000 Sermon Illustrations (Biblical Studies Press, 2002; 2002).
[4]Galaxie Software, 10,000 Sermon Illustrations (Biblical Studies Press, 2002; 2002).
[5]Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, 2 Co 8:5 (Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1996).
[6]Our Daily Bread, August 15 Galaxie Software, 10,000 Sermon Illustrations (Biblical Studies Press, 2002; 2002).
[7]Ronald F. Youngblood, F. F. Bruce, R. K. Harrison and Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Dictionary (Nashville: T. Nelson, 1995).
