A CHEERFUL GIVER. Our theme verse for this series is 2 CORINTHIANS 9:7 which says that God loves [delights in and is honored by] a cheerful giver. Therefore this series is not only to learn what God’s Word teaches us about what to give but in how to give as well. My prayer is that as God’s people we passionately desire to live lives that God is honored and glorified by and that includes how we honor and worship God with our wealth.
GOD SEES WHERE MAN CANNOT SEE. While we as your pastors and leaders can plan and lead all these various opportunities for worship, genuine worship is determined by your heart. Believe it or not, we can gather in this place, pray, sing, listen to a sermon, give, gather with a small group, fellowship and all the while God not be worshipped through it all. Truth is that thousands if not millions will fill churches on any given Sunday and go through the motions of a service and never actually worship God. They will have performed all sorts of religious rituals but not genuinely worship God. We can fool others with our actions but we cannot fool God because He sees where man cannot see—He sees our hearts. So today, as we consider together what it means to be a CHEERFUL GIVER IN WHOM GOD DELIGHTS AND LOVES we are going to see that cheerful giving flows from a THANKFUL, HONEST AND TRUSTING HEART PURPOSED TO GLORIFY HIM IN ALL THINGS AND AT ALL TIMES.
PSALM 50:7-15
CONTEXT. Many of the psalms are songs of worship directed to God from His people. This, however, is a prophetic psalm whereby God is instructing His people regarding their worship. As we read this passage it is important that we realize that God is particularly addressing the sacrifices His people are offering up to Him. The sacrifices they were offering were in line, for the most part, with what had been prescribed in accordance to the Law but they were being offered with the wrong heart and motives. Those who were offering up their sacrifices to God were doing so thinking that GOD SOMEHOW NEEDS THEIR SACRIFICES AND THAT THEIR SACRIFICES COULD BE USED AS A BRIBE TO MANIPULATE HIM TO WORK IN THEIR FAVOR.
GOD OWNS IT ALL! 50:8-13
To those who thought that their sacrifices were needed by God and could satisfy Him as a bribe, God reminds His people that He NEEDS NOTHING from them for HE OWNS IT ALL. Unlike the false gods of the day who needed to be fed, and this was done through the sacrifices of their worshippers, the ONE, TRUE LIVING GOD needs nothing from His people. He owns it all and is perfectly self-sufficient in and of Himself. When God’s people bring to Him their offerings and sacrifices, as well as tithes and offerings for the sake of this series, we do not do so because He needs anything. So when we think about worshipping God through the giving of tithes and offerings remember this: GOD NEEDS NOTHING FROM US. However, when we worship God through the giving of tithes and offerings GOD WANTS SOMETHING FOR US. He wants for us a heart properly motivated as we worship Him. This is where He instructs us.
THE HEART OF A CHEERFUL GIVER 50:14-15
A THANKFUL HEART. This mindset of satisfying and manipulating a god through sacrifices and offerings has deep roots in paganism whereby false gods are thought to be appeased and manipulated by the frequency of their sacrifices. The One, True and Living God is not appeased or manipulated by the sacrifices and offerings of His people. THE FACT THAT GOD HAS PRESCRIBED A WAY FOR MAN TO COME BEFORE HIM IN WORSHIP IS ONLY BY HIS GRACE, MERCY AND LOVE BECAUSE SINFUL MAN DOES NOT DESERVE TO BE INVITED INTO HIS PRESENCE TO WORSHIP HIM. While we do not participate in the sacrificial system as the people of Old did, when we give of our tithes and offerings we are worshipping Him in our giving. God does not want our sacrifices and offerings given with this type of motive. HE WANTS FROM US A THANKFUL HEART. We should be thankful that we can bring something to Him and we should be thankful that we have something to bring.
• WE, OF ALL PEOPLE, HAVE THE MOST TO BE THANKFUL FOR. The Christian who has been freely forgiven and adopted into the family of God through the person and work of Jesus Christ should be infected with a heart of thanksgiving to God. The Scriptures are chocked full with instruction for God’s people to offer Him the thanksgiving that He is rightly due. PSALM 136:1-3 and 1 THESSALONIANS 5:16-18 and REVELATION 11:16-17. When we think about our obedience to God in the giving of our wealth back to Him we have all the reason to be thankful because the only reason we have that which we have is because of His goodness and grace.
AN HONEST HEART. The sacrifices that God prescribed were specific and defined. If oil was required an exact measure was prescribed. If grain was required an exact measure was prescribed. If an animal was required the exact condition was prescribed. Out of His grace and mercy, God made a way for those who genuinely could not afford to offer the prescribed sacrifice to still worship Him through the giving of a “lesser” sacrifice—LEVITICUS 5:6-8. What had grown among God’s people was a heart of dishonesty before Him as they would often bring the “lesser” sacrifice stating that they genuinely could not afford the “more costly” sacrifice and all they while they were lying to themselves, to their families, to the priests and ultimately to God. In covenant, they had made a vow to God as King and Lord over their lives and they were not keeping their vow before Him in living according to His instruction, leading and guiding.
• THE CHRISTIAN VOW. The Christian “vow” is a vow of obedience and submission to Him as Lord of our lives; to live as He leads and guides for our good and His glory. JESUS IS SAVIOR AND LORD NOT SAVIOR OR LORD. Now, as we consider how this applies to our series, this means that Jesus is Lord over our wealth. He has revealed to us through His Word how we are to honor and glorify Him with wealth.
• ARE WE HONEST WITH GOD? If we are honest with ourselves, many times we hear His leading in this area and begin making all kinds of excuses for our lack of obedience to Him. We say, “Well I will do this but really I cannot obey you fully because of this, that or the other.” I can bring the “lesser” offering AT BEST but definitely not the “greater” offering because if I was to do that then I would have to deny myself and really submit to you. God desires for us to have honest hearts before Him—2 CHRONICLES 16:9.
A TRUSTING HEART. This characteristic flows from the previous. In the context of our passage and what we are looking at in this series, when we are not honest before the Lord to keep the vow of submission and obedience we have made to Him, it is really a matter of trust. MAKING EXCUSES FOR DISOBEDIENCE, IS OUR WAY OF SAYING, “LORD, I JUST DO NOT TRUST YOU IN THIS MATTER.” When people were offering the “lesser” sacrifice because they were afraid of the future if they offered the “greater” sacrifice that was required. THEY WERE MORE CONCERNED ABOUT LIVING FOR THEMSELVES OR SAVING FOR THEIR FUTURE THAN TRUSTING IN THEIR LORD. Consider 2 CORINTHIANS 9:6-8. Is it not the same when we choose disobedience in this area of our lives? When we say to ourselves, “I simply just do not see how this can work so I won’t…” is really saying “I don’t trust the Lord to be my provider nor do I trust that He will honor an obedient, thankful and trusting heart.” When we worship the Lord with our wealth God desires from us a thankful, honest and trusting heart as we do. He does not NEED our money for it is all His but He WANTS for us a thankful, honest and trusting heart.
A GLORIFYING PURPOSE. 50:12b
Why does God want us to be thankful, honest and trusting before Him when we worship Him with our wealth? So that He might be glorified through us. There is great joy in worshipping the Lord with wealth. There is great blessing in obedience. There is peace and comfort when our hearts are honest before the Lord and fully trusting in Him. God delights in the child who is thankful for His goodness and grace and the one who is thankful, honest and trusting in his/her Lord fully and completely will purpose in His and her life to honor and glorify Him. For instance, how many of you can attest to God’s love and care in providing for your needs when you worshipped Him with your wealth through the tithe and offering not knowing how “ends were going to meet” and He provided what you needed? When that happens we glorify Him. God wants us to be cheerful givers who have thankful, honest and trusting hearts so that He may be glorified by and among us.
HOW IS YOUR HEART?
HOW IS YOUR HEART, CHRISTIAN? As we end our time together this morning I ask, “How is your heart?” If you are worshipping God with your wealth are you doing so thankfully, honestly and trusting in Him to be your strong provider?
DO YOU NEED A NEW HEART? Some here do not even need to concern themselves with worshipping God with their wealth in this way yet for they have never been given a new heart that can beat such a way. In a sense, however, even those who are far from God in their sin have much to be thankful for because God has made a way for us to be brought near to Him now and forever more.
