In his book Run with the Horses, Eugene Peterson tells how he saw some birds teaching their young to fly.Three young swallows were perched on a dead branch that stretched out over a lake. “One adult swallow got alongside the chicks and started shoving them out toward the end of the branch – pushing, pushing, pushing. The end one fell off. Somewhere between the branch and the water below, the wings started working and the fledgling was off on his own. Then the second one.The third one, however, was not to be bullied. At the last possible moment his grip on the branch loosened just enough so that he swung downward, then tightened again, bulldog tenacious. The parent pecked at the desperately clinging talons until it was more painful for the chick to hang on than risk the insecurities of flying.The grip was released and the wings began pumping. The mature swallow knew what
the chick did not - that it would fly - that there was no danger in making it do what it was designed to do.”
Peterson writes, “Birds have feet and can walk.
Birds have talons and can grasp a branch securely.
They can walk; they can cling. But flying is their characteristic action and not until they fly are they
living at their best, gracefully and beautifully. Giving is what we do best. It is the air into which we were born.It is the action that was designed into us
before our birth.Some people try desperately to hold on to themselves, to live for self. They look so bedraggled and pathetic doing it, hanging on to the dead branch of selfishness and self-centeredness, afraid to risk themselves on the untried wings of giving. Yet many people don’t think they can live generously because they have never tried.” We were created to live generously by giving generously of our time,talents and finances. We were meant to soar.
We were created to give. In giving we are able to soar, to reach new heights in living. Luke 6:30 says, “GIVE AND IT SHALL BE GIVEN UNTO YOU….” Ecclesiastes 11:1 commands us to “CAST YOUR BREAD UPON THE WATER…” We were created to reach out to others.
We are repeatedly commanded throughout Scripture to give generously of our time, talents and finances in ministry. We were created in such a way that we can experience fulfillment, contentment, and meaning in life only as we look beyond ourselves and soar on the wings of giving. Selfish, stingy, self-centered people miss out on life’s best blessings.
We were created in such a way that we experience richness and fullness of life only as we know the joy that comes from giving. We truly were created to soar on the wings of giving. That is the way God made us.
Dr. Gordon Allport says that “to be truly alive and growing, an individual must move beyond self-fulfillment.” Self-centeredness, selfishness and stinginess ruin life. Howard Hughes certainly illustrates this biblical truth. In his youthful days, he was a typical playboy, with a passion for pleasure seeking and “an aversion for giving. As he grew older and turned an inheritance into a vast fortune, he became more and more closed-fisted. He was stingy, selfish and self-centered. He let his wealth create an
ever-increasing barrier between himself and other people.” Needless to say, he died a hopeless, miserable recluse. Without question, we were created to soar on the wings of giving.
“In sharp contrast to Hughes was George Mueller who, like Hughes, inherited wealth, but established a lifelong pattern of generous sharing. His life was characterized by serving the needs of others. He was not stingy, selfish or self-centered. He poured out his life and wealth caring for thousands of orphans in
London during the war. His life was marked by joy, fulfillment, meaning, purpose and contentment. Giving leads to life itself. That is why someone has aptly said, “We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.”Accumulating wealth, acquiring positions and hoarding possessions does not result in a meaningful, fulfilling, satisfying life. It is only in giving of ourselves, our time and our finances that we experience the intangibles of life that make life worthwhile. No wonder God commands us to give generously of our time, talents and finances.It is for
our own good!
Touched by God’s grace we cannot help but support the Lord’s work by giving of our time, talents and finances.Graced by God we cannot help but give. Our study of grace brings us quite naturally to the subject of finances.It is a subject that I have avoided and, perhaps, been remiss or negligent in my duties. I have not preached on the subject in years out of fear that you would get the wrong impression thinking that we, as a church, are primarily interested in your money. Nothing could be further from the truth. In the process of avoiding the subject I have kept some of you from discovering the way God blesses us as we financially support His work.I will make up for that neglect by preaching the next ten sermons on giving!! No, I’m just kidding!
CPA Howard Dayton says, “Jesus talked much about money.
Sixteen of the thirty-eight parables were concerned with how to handle money and possessions. In the Gospels, an amazing one out of ten verses (288 in all) deal directly with the subject of money. The Bible offers 500 verses on prayer, less than 500 verses on faith, but more than 2,000 verses on money and possessions.” How we use our money says much about us and our relationship with the Lord God.Having experienced God’s grace in our lives through Christ we are desirous of giving not only our time and talents to the Lord but also our finances. Having experienced God’s forgiveness, acceptance and love we desire to do what we can so others can come to experience new life in Christ. Those who know God’s grace give financially to the work of the Lord because grace gives. Such is the clear message of our morning text.
TEXT
The apostle Paul had appealed to the churches in Macedonia to help some believers near Judea that had an especially great need.In response to his request, the Macedonian churches gave generously.Verse 2 of our text informs us that they gave out of much affliction and poverty.The Roman government had plundered most of their money and possessions. Yet they freely gave to the work of the Lord. In verse 1 Paul writes: “AND NOW, BROTHERS, WE WANT YOU TO KNOW ABOUT THE GRACE THAT GOD HAS GIVEN THE MACEDONIAN CHURCHES.” "The grace Paul is talking about is the grace of giving. God’s grace had been poured into them and they responded in kind by giving.That is what this section of Scripture is all about. It is about the grace of
giving from beginning to end.In fact, the Greek word for grace occurs five times in these nine verses.
It is inescapable; graced by God we cheerfully give to the Lord’s work.”
“The Macedonians were poor. The Greek word that’s used here for poor is an interesting word. It is the word bathos, which means deep. It is the word from which we get bathysphere, a ship that goes down to explore the bottom of the sea. The Macedonians were at the bottom.
They were dirt poor.They were also in the most ‘severe trial.’ The literal idea is they were crushed
by life." The were persecuted by their culture because of their devotion to Christ. Yet verse 2 says, “THEIR OVERFLOWING JOY AND THEIR EXTREME POVERTY WELLED UP IN RICH GENEROSITY.”Their is no other explanation for their generosity other than the grace of God. Those
who have experienced God’s amazing grace, His love, forgiveness, acceptance, presence and hope respond by giving back.
The apostle Paul shared these truths with the Corinthian believers because they had a long
way to go in the grace of giving. In contrast to the Macedonian Church, the church at Corinth was not poor and it had, from a worldly perspective, a lot more going for it. But it was stingy and anything but generous. The church at Corinth needed to grow in the grace of giving. So Paul mentioned the Macedonians to them in the hope of motivating them to be more faithful in their giving.This brings us to the major implication of this text.Dr. Kent Hughes says, “There is no way to grow to spiritual maturity without committing your finances to the Lord. Jesus can have our money and not have our hearts, but he cannot have our hearts without our money."(Matthew 6:21) For “WHERE YOUR TREASURE IS THERE IS YOUR HEART ALSO.”
Graced by God we cannot help but respond by giving back to Him. Grace gives.
WIDOW’S OFFERING
God’s primary concern is not with the amount we give.
He’s much more concerned with how much we have left.
No where is this more evident than in Mark 12: 41-44.
Sitting near the temple, Jesus watched as worshippers deposited their monetary offerings. Many rich people threw in large amounts.A poor widow came along and “…PUT IN TWO COPPER COINS, WORTH ONLY A FRACTION OF A PENNY….” Jesus told His disciples that this widow
“…HAS PUT IN MORE THAN ALL THE OTHERS…..” For “…THEY GAVE OUT OF THEIR WEALTH BUT SHE, OUT OF HER POVERTY.”
She, it turns out, gave all that she had to live on; she had nothing left. Grace gives.
GOD OWNS IT ALL
What we give to God is actually His own to begin with.
Psalm 24:1 says, “THE EARTH IS THE LORD’S AND EVERYTHING IN IT.” In Job 41:1 God told Job, “EVERYTHING UNDER HEAVEN BELONGS TO ME.”
In Haggai 2:8 God declares that “THE SILVER AND THE GOLD ARE MINE….” Whatever we have is just given to us on loan. We are only stewards. God expects us to use a portion of what He has given us for Kingdom work.
And someday God will hold each one of us accountable.
GOD’S WORK
When God’s people, motivated by His amazing grace, give of their time, talents and finances, God’s work gets done. The church is able to carry out its God-given mandate.The Gospel is proclaimed.People learn about Jesus. They turn to Him for forgiveness and eternal life. They experience new life in Christ and discover the purpose of their existence. The homeless, hungry and hurting become objects of our concern.
When God’s people give as they should, the needs of the poor are met. They discover that God does care about them and that he comes to them through the generosity of His people.
WE ARE BLESSED
When it comes to giving, Max Lucado is absolutely correct when he says, “You don’t give for God’s sake. You give for your sake.” Giving is for our own good. Luke 6:30 says, “GIVE AND IT SHAL BE GIVEN UNTO YOU…”
This is a fundamental truth of life and a constant refrain in the Scriptures. We were, indeed, created to soar on the wings of giving.Through the prophet Malachi (3:10) God says, “BRING THE WHOLE TITHE INTO MY
STOREHOUSE ….TEST ME IN THIS … 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.” As we faithfully give, God blesses us by meeting
our needs abundantly. Proverbs 3:9 says “HONOR THE LORD
BY GIVING HIM THE FIRST PART OF ALL YOUR INCOME AND HE WILL FILL YOUR BARNS….” What a promise. If you will put God first in your finances He promises to see that all your needs are met. You will not have to worry about the future.
Real giving for the Macedonian believers began after they gave themselves to the Lord. Verse 5 of our text says, “…THEY GAVE THEMSELVES TO THE LORD….” Having first given themselves to the Lord, they couldn’t help but generously give of their resources.“The grace of God had come into their lives. They gave their lives back to God, and then they gave themselves” to
the ministry of the Kingdom by giving financially as best they could. Giving ourselves to the Lord is crucial. “Jesus can have our money and not have our hearts, but he cannot have our hearts without out money.” When we truly give ourselves to the Lord,
we cheerfully give to support his work in this sin-marred world. For, as Scripture declares, “WHERE YOUR TREASURE IS THERE YOUR HEART WILL BE ALSO” (Matthew 6:21).
In 1 Corinthians 16:2 we are commanded , “ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK, EACH OF YOU SHOULD SET ASIDE A SUM OF MONEY IN KEEPING WITH HIS INCOME.” The best way to start is to weekly se apart a portion of your income.
If this is a new discipline for you or if you are deeply in debt, you can begin by starting with a small percentage, say 2% or 5%. Then as God blesses you and you get your finances in order, you can increase the percentage. As you learn to trust God to meet your needs, you discover that your needs are met. You are then able, as time goes on, to increase your giving to His work.This is one area where Scripture invites us to
test God. If we put Him first in our finances, He
will as Malachi says, “…OPEN THE FLOODGATES OF HEAVEN AND POUR OUT SO MANY BLESSINGS..”
“In 1815 Napoleon was defeated in the battle of Waterloo, and the hero of that battle was the
Duke of Wellington. The duke’s most recent biographer claims to have an advantage over all the other previous
biographers. His advantage was that he had found an old account ledger that showed how the duke spent his money. That, says the biographer, was a far better clue to what the duke thought was really important than reading his letters or his speeches. Can you imagine that? If someone wrote your biography on the basis of your checkbook what might it say about you, your loyalties, your focus, and about whom you serve?”
What would it say about your relationship with the Lord?
Even the early church was generous beyond measure.
After describing their legendary generosity, Acts 4:33 tells us why they were so giving. It says, “ABUNDANT GRACE WAS UPON THEM ALL.” That’s it: grace! “That is the motivation for giving. Christ gave himself for us.
We receive his grace. We give ourselves back to him.
We give ourselves to helping others." We cheerfully give of our talents, time and finances for the work of the Kingdom. And He blesses us more and more for you cannot out give God. Giving is for our good more than God’s!
CONCLUSION
Every week I marvel at the generosity of you folk. Like the believers at the church in Macedonia, you too, give very generously and it is because of grace.
Touched and moved and changed by God’s amazing grace you cannot help but give. Week after week you give so generously so that God’s work can be effectively carried on and others can know that God loves them and has a wonderful plan for their lives. All I can say is,
“Thank you and God bless you.”.
