Rules for Giving
John 12:1-8
Introduction: In Deuteronomy 16:17 we read, “Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD thy God which he hath given thee.” God has given to everyone of us more blessings than we can begin to count – blessings of time – talent and treasure. As we look at Mary’s anointing of Christ we have a demonstration of three rules for giving to the Lord –Giving with the right attitude; Giving the best you have; and Giving your all.
I. Give with the Right Attitude
A. It is important to have the right attitude in giving – whether it be the giving of your time, talent, or treasure.
B. In the Old Testament, giving was to be an act of gratitude for what God had done.
C. "Tithing under the Mosaic law was mandatory, giving under grace is voluntary." – Dr. M.R. DeHaan
D. Deuteronomy 12:10-11 “But when you cross over the Jordan and dwell in the land which the LORD your God is giving you to inherit, and He gives you rest from all your enemies round about, so that you dwell in safety, 11 then there will be the place where the LORD your God chooses to make His name abide. There you shall bring all that I command you: your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the heave offerings of your hand, and all your choice offerings which you vow to the LORD.”
E. 2 Corinthians 9:7-9 “Every man according as he purposes in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work: (As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remains forever.”
F. Cheerful = Hilaron from which we get hilarious. God loves a hilarious giver, a happy, joyful giver. God wants a heart that is thrilled with the pleasure of giving. - copied
G. Giving should be seen as a great privilege, not a heavy burden or joyless duty.
H. John 12:3 “Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odor of the ointment.”
I. Mary took an alabaster flask pouring the contents of it on the head of the Lord Jesus. The flask was filled with a red-tinted ointment that was used as a perfume in embalming. It was so expensive that only the very wealthy could afford to purchase it. At today’s prices, Mary’s gift was worth more than $20,000.000.
J. Mary’s gift was not one of obligation but one that truly fits what Paul is talking about in 2 Corinthians 9. It was an act of love for Christ.
K. Giving isn’t hard if we love the object of our gift. But if we don’t love the recipient of the gift, giving is extremely difficult. (Kent Crockett, Making Today Count for Eternity, Sisters, OR: Multnomah Publishers, 2001, p. 71)
L. First-century believers gave not because they were commanded, but because they chose. The workings of the Holy Spirit inside their hearts caused them to give out of a willing heart to serve the Lord.
M. The quintessential ingredient in stewardship is possessing a proper motive.
N. 1 John 4:19 “We love Him because He first loved us.”
O. Grace teaches us that our giving is not a legal obligation, but is a blessed privilege and becomes a measure of our love for God. - copied
II. Giving the Best You Have
A. I was told that Butterball has a hotline and answers questions. A few years ago, one of the workers received a phone call early in November. The customer wanted to know if a turkey that had been frozen for over 15 years would harm you. After some searching the Butterball employee responded, that is appears that the meat of the turkey that had been kept deeply frozen for 15 years probably would not hurt you, but the flavor would be decreased. To that the caller said, “That’s what we were thinking also. That being the case we will just donate it to our church.” - copied
B. God expected and demanded the best to be offered to Him.
C. Numbers 18:29-30 “Out of all your gifts ye shall offer every heave offering of the LORD, of all the best thereof, even the hallowed part thereof out of it. Therefore thou shalt say unto them, When ye have heaved the best thereof from it, then it shall be counted unto the Levites as the increase of the threshing-floor, and as the increase of the winepress.”
D. In Malachi 1, we find that the Jews tried to cut corners by offering the diseased, deformed, and lame as sacrifices. God said such offerings were unacceptable. He wants and deserves our best.
E. Mary gave the very best she had. When she broke that alabaster container open there was no containing of any reserve. She gave 100% to the Lord.
F. Worship is giving God the best that He has given you. Be careful what you do with the best you have. Whenever you get a blessing from God, give it back to Him as a love gift. Take time to meditate before God and offer the blessing back to Him in a deliberate act of worship. If you hoard a thing for yourself, it will turn into spiritual dry rot, as the manna did when it was hoarded. God will never let you hold a spiritual thing for yourself; it has to be given back to Him that He may make it a blessing to others. – Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest
G. John 12:3 “Mary therefore took a pound] of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.”
H. Mary’s gift of her best became a blessing to others – “The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume’.
I. Ed Spencer was attending Northwestern University at Evanston, Illinois. Ed was a rather well known athlete of his day, for he was one of the first to win a gold medal for the United States in the Olympics. The campus of Northwestern is bordered on one side by Lake Michigan. One evening, as Ed was doing his studies in the library, outside a storm was raging. All of a sudden some fellows came running in shouting, "The Lady Elgin has just been thrown in the rocks and is sinking." Ed ran from the Library out to the lake and saw the situation was indeed serious. Without a moment's hesitation, he rid himself of any extra clothing that might hinder him and be dived in the rolling, chopping waves. He was able to reach the wreck and, fighting his way back, he brought the first person to safety. He had repeated this heroic effort several more times when those on shore said, "Ed, you've done all you can. You'll surely kill yourself if you try it anymore." Ed's reply was, "I've got to go my best." He plunged again and brought another one to safety, and another and another until he had rescued 17 people. He could go no further and fell unconscious on shore. All through the night, as he lay in the infirmary, he kept repeating, "Have I done my best, fellows? Fellows, have I done my best?" He had done his best but the experience cost him his health. Years later, inspired by the story, Ensign Edwin Young wrote the song, Have I Done My Best For Jesus? I wonder, have I done my best for Jesus,
Who died upon the cruel tree?
To think of His great sacrifice at Calvary!
I know my Lord expects the best from me.
It was common in those days to put a few drops of perfume on the head of an honored guest when they arrived at your home. Mary broke the flask and poured out every drop on Jesus because she loved Him! - copied
III. Giving Your All
A. John 12:4-6 “Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, which should betray him, Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor? This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein.”
B. How often people criticize those who have become too involved, too religious, too committed, too holy.
C. Most assume that the Old Testament tithe was 10% but under the law the total tithes paid by the Israelites were 23.3% of their total income. In the New Testament we have a whole new basis of giving and living – extravagant grace.
D. Examples of New Testament generosity and giving:
1. Luke 3:11 “He answered and said unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise.”
2. Luke 19:8 “And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken anything from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.”
3. Matthew 19:21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.”
4. Acts 2:44 “And all that believed were together, and had all things common”
5. 2 Corinthians 8:5 And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.
E. John Piper says, “The best way that I know how to capture the spirit of the New Testament generosity is simply to say: the issue is not, ‘How much must I give?’ But ‘How much dare I keep?’” - copied
F. Mary gave her best because she first gave herself. To Mary, nothing in the world was as valuable to her as Jesus. She loved Him with an extravagant love and everything she possessed was His.
G. Lorne Sanny of the Navigators said, “God’s best has been given to you. Is your best His? Your best begins with committing yourself totally to Him. Then God will have your feet to take you where He wants you to go. He’ll have your ears to listen to those who need listening to. He’ll have your mouth to speak what he wants spoken. He’ll also have your time, your career, your money.” - copied
H. Far too many are like the fellow who called his girlfriend up one day and said, “Darling, I love you! I would climb the highest mountain for you! I would swim the deepest river for you! I would fight a jungle full of lions for you! I love you! And, if it doesn’t rain tonight, I will be over to see you.” Too often, we love the Lord when it is convenient. We love Him between 11:00 and 12:00 on Sunday. We love Him when loving Him fits within our schedule! We love Him when loving Him doesn’t get in the way of what we want to do, where we want to go and what we want to accomplish in life. – Alan Carr, Extravagant Love
I. Someone has said God is a giver, and there is no worthier goal in life than to give like God gives. He has given you His all; have you given Him your all?
