GIVING YOUR MONEY GENEROUSLY
LUKE 16:19-31
INTRODUCTION: Drama: The Offering
Ah, the offering. It can some to make some smile and some squirm... and some to be just downright angry. In fact, in a survey taken by the Church Growth Institute, the #1 reason for people not going to church is that “church is boring.” The #2 reason is that “church is irrelevant.” (It says nothing to my life!) But the #3 reason for people not coming to church is they believe that “all the church wants is my money.” This can be a very tricky sermon to preach. I don’t want to mislead you and tell you that God cares nothing about how or why you give. Yet, on the other hand I don’t want you to come away thinking that all we care about is how much you give. Neither is true! My prayer for this message is that you will see giving in much the same way our last person in the drama saw it. As a matter of love between you and God.
But let’s be honest. Generosity doesn’t come easily for most of us. In fact Jesus said that it was as hard for a rich man to get into heaven as it was for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. Notice He didn’t say it was impossible but very difficult. But just because it is troublesome doesn’t change the fact that the Bible emphasizes generosity. The word believe is used 272x in the Bible. The word pray 371x, love 714x.. but the word give is used 2,162x. That gives us an indication of the importance of what we discuss today. And the Bible makes it clear that God intrusts resources to His people so that we can share with others. 2 Cor. 9:11- "God will give you enough so you can be generous at all times." (TEV)
That’s why, if you read our core values, #5 says “Acceptance through loving relationships should permeate the church by each of us purposely noticing and caring for those around us." You see, we’re not to be cisterns hoarding up what God has intrusted to us but we are to be channels distributing what He has given to us to others. So, let’s talk about 3 ways that we can give generously.
I. GIVE GENEROUSLY TO THE NEEDY AROUND US:
The Bible has always made provision for the poor. The O.T. farmers, for example were told that when they harvested their crop to leave some grain standing in the field so that the poor would come and have something to eat. Duet. 15:7-ff reads- "When you happen on someone who’s in trouble or needs help among you... don’t look the other way pretending you don’t see him. Don’t keep a tight grip on your purse. No. Look at him, open your purse, lend whatever he needs." (MSG) Pro. 22:9- “Blessed are those who are generous, because they feed the poor.”Again in Prov. 28:27- “Whoever gives to the poor will have everything he needs.”(NCV) The O.T. taught sharing with those who were poor.
This concept was certainly carried over into the N.T. Jesus taught his earliest followers compassion to the poor. In Matt. 25 he told His disciples that on the day of judgement, part of the how He was going to determine the sign of the saved was in the way they took care & provided for the less fortunate. And the early church carried that out! They even had their own welfare system that worked! Acts 4:34- "Those who owned fields or houses sold them and brought the price of the sale to the apostles and made an offering of it. The apostles then distributed it according to each person’s need." (MSG) All through the NT letters we are taught to care for the needy among us. 1 Jn 3:17- "Now, suppose a person has enough to live on and notices another in need. How can God’s love be in that person if he doesn’t bother to help the other person?"(GW) The Bible is clear... God honors the sensitive and generous.
Now the Bible also gives some qualifiers in giving to the needy. (1) We are to help those who are not able to work. 2 Thess. 3:10 gives this principle for NT welfare. "Whoever doesn’t want to work should not eat."(GW) One of the problems we have with our welfare is that we are subsidizing a number of people who have the capability to work but refuse to. Those that have the opportunity to work and the ability to work, but will not work should not be given anything. Richard Dehaun tells of a farmer whose farm was located near a large highway and transients from time to time would come and ask for food. Rather than just giving a hand out, he would say, "There’s a woodpile on the west side of my shed, would you move it to the east side?" If they refused to move it then he wouldn’t help them but if they did, he not only gave them food but some money too. And there were several times during the summer that that woodpile would be moved back and forth. He gave the dignity of work as well as helping their need.
Another qualifier is (2) that we must use discernment. I’m sure you are like me and I receive a lot of appeals for the needy. "Feed the Children," "Special Olympics," "March of Dimes," "Salvation Army." Which ones do we support? Well, the Bible says, be discerning. 1 Jn. 4:1 says "every spirit is not from God." And every cry for help is not legitimate. I think we need to ask some tough questions of those that we give too. "Are they really in need or in want?" "Will the money be used for those in need or for administration costs?" "Is this cause worthy of support or are the funds or even a portion of the funds used to support anti-Christian causes?" I really think the best way that we can give to the needy is to find a family / individual and give to them through the church (that’s what the early church did) or give it to them personally. That way you can know their need. It’s clear God expects us to give to the poor.
II. GIVE GENEROUSLY TO OUR FAMILY:
Next, we are commanded to give to our family. In fact our first priority is to our immediate family. 1 Tim. 5:8- "If anyone doesn’t provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever."(NIV) Did you catch that? Paul is saying, “You want to prove your spirituality? Then let me see that you are providing adequately for your immediate family.
How do we provide for our family? Well, certainly we make sure they have the daily needs met.. Food, shelter, etc. But the Bible also teaches us to leave our children and grandchildren an inheritance. Prov.13:22- "When a good man dies, he leaves an inheritance to his children and children’s children..”(TLB) Now, the Bible first says to make sure you leave them your spiritual inheritance. The most important thing to leave your children is your faith. But secondly, we are to give our children a monetary inheritance. I think most parents plan to leave their children all their earthly goods, be they little or great, when they die. We accumulate an estate of some kind and then we think at age 80 or whenever, both parents will be dead, and an executor will divvy up the estate according to the will. That often times though can provide tense moments producing hard feelings. I’d like you to consider an alternative. Consider leaving your children their inheritance, as it is possible for you to do so, while you are living. If you die at 80-85 your children are going to be in their 50’s or 60’s. They probably will not need it as much then as they when they’re younger. But if you do that, you can see them enjoy it and they’ll probably benefit from it more. Now, it has to be given wisely, not to manipulate them, and it has to be given so you don’t encourage sloth. But children need money when they are first married or when their children are growing up. One banker said that 96% of first home buyers need financial assistance from their parents to complete the transaction. Now, that doesn’t mean you don’t allow them to struggle or learn wise stewardship but consider giving a bulk of what you would leave as inheritance to your children when they are young. Somebody said, "Do your giving while your livin, then you’re knowin where its goin."
Most importantly, leave your children an inheritance of stewardship. You see the best gift to give is your faith, but a second greatest gift that you can give them is to train them early to be good managers or stewards of the money they will have. Parents, let me ask you. Where will they learn to stay out of debt, to understand their money Biblically, earn it honestly, spend it wisely and give it generously if not from us? We can teach them stewardship by giving them progressive amounts of money and holding them accountable for it. That includes having them give. Our children gave from their allowance, even if that was only a quarter. But I believe with all my heart that is why they now don’t think twice to give out of their earnings.
As God’s managers of His children we must find some way to teach our children to be faithful stewards of what God has given them. But let me reiterate- the most important gift to leave your children is faith. If you can’t leave them a farm but do leave them your faith in Jesus Christ you’ve given them riches for eternity.
III. GIVE GENEROUSLY TO THE CHURCH:
Now the 3rd way we are to give generously is to the church. The OT standard for giving was a tithe =10%. I want you to listen carefully to a very interesting passage. Lev. 27:30- "A tithe (10%) of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the tree’s belongs to the Lord."(NIV) Did you hear that? The tithe was not a gift to God, but a return, something that already belonged to God. In fact, for the Jew not to pay the tithe was considered robbing or cheating God. Mal.3:8- "Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated me! “But you ask, ‘What do you mean? When did we ever cheat you?’ You have cheated me of the tithes (10%) and offerings due to me.”
Now, after Jesus died on the cross to provide us forgiveness and was raised from the dead, providing us eternal life, God did not legalistically repeat the tithe as the standard. The standard given us in the N.T. is generosity. Jesus said in Matt. 10:8- "Freely you have received, freely give."(NIV) One of the best passages in the NT on giving is in 2 Cor. 9:6-8. I hope you’ll look at that on your insert because I want you to see 3 factors that God is looking for in our giving that comes from this passage. “Remember this: The farmer who plants a few seeds will have a very small harvest. But the farmer who plants because he has received God’s blessings will receive a harvest of God’s blessings in return. Each of you should give whatever you have decided. You shouldn’t be sorry that you gave or feel forced to give, since God loves a cheerful giver. Besides, God will give you his constantly overflowing kindness. Then, when you always have everything you need, you can do more and more good things.” (GW)
Here’s the first thing God is looking for. He expects us to give generously. He basically says, “Don’t sow just a few seeds.. sow generously.” Don’t give to the church to brag like the one guy did in our drama, or decide how much you’ll give by how much you like the service. The story is told of a boy whose Dad took him to a play one Saturday night and spent a lot for the tickets. Afterwards the Dad talked about how good the play was an how it was worth every penny. The next morning coming home from Church the mother asked the Father what he thought of church. And the boy interrupted and said, "Oh, I can tell you. It must not have been a good show cause Dad only threw in 2 bucks." Giving generously isn’t to be compared to what you feel about the service.
Now, where should we begin if we are going to be generous? Let me ask you a question. If the O.T. Jews who didn’t have Jesus Christ, the promise of the Holy Spirit, the assurance that their sins completely washed away by the blood of Jesus, the Bible, or the Church and they were asked to give 10%, what is generous for a N.T. Christian?
Maybe this illustration will help. Let’s say you go out to eat at a nice restaurant. What is the standard tip for a waiter/waitress assuming that they do an adequate job? - 15% Let’s say you get a waitress who just knocks herself out for you. I mean she is there promptly with fresh water, she keeps your coffee cup filled, she is amazingly efficient without bugging you, she cleans up a spill from the kids and then when they are done, she takes them for a walk so you can eat in peace. This waitress is the best. And you say to your wife, "You know, that waitress was terrific! I’m going to give her a really generous tip, I’m going to give her 15%!" And your wife looks at you in amazement and says, "Honey, 15% is not generous, that’s the standard, if you’re going to be generous you need to give her 17%, 20 or 25%, that’s generous." So, I ask you. What should be generous? I would encourage you to think about the O.T. standard as a starting point of generosity: 10%
2ndly, we are to give cheerfully. God doesn’t need your money but He makes the point that your attitude is important. The passage says, “God loves a pressured giver..” No. “God loves an obligatory giver” - one that feels like he has to give. No. God loves a what? A cheerful giver. You know, my birthday comes before my wife’s. Let’s say I take her out to eat.. McDonald’s for her birthday and I give Deb her present and say, "Well, you gave me one and I knew that you’d be ticked off if I didn’t give you one so here it is but it cost too much." I doubt we’d be having a happy meal. In giving, attitude is as important as the amount. We’re to give cheerfully. Actually that word means hilariously. We’re to be so filled with joy. Like the last person in the drama.. so thrilled to be able to give back to the Lord.
And give expectantly. This verse does not promise you will get rich but that you will have what you need. “Then when you always have everything you need, you can do more and more good things.” Giving to get is the wrong attitude. Giving and expecting God’s blessings is the right attitude. Because He says He’ll meet your needs and on top of that it says He’ll bless you with “..His constantly overflowing kindness.” Things like peace, purpose, forgiveness, eternal life.. Things that are really of value. But I’ll be honest with you, I’ve never known anyone who tithes that hasn’t been blessed in one fashion or the other. I have found that 9/10 seems somehow to go further than when I was spending 10/10ths. The F.C.C. of Owassa, OK. has made this offer to it’s people. "Try tithing for 90 days and if you are not blessed the church will refund your money." Now, I’ll make you the same guarantee, "if you try tithing for 90 days and you’re not blessed, contact the F.C.C. of Owassa, Ok. and see if they’ll refund your money." Seriously, I would challenge you to tithe for 90 days and see what happens. There are many people who once they have learned about giving out of a motive of love for God they discovered new meaning in giving. Here’s one of them. Eric Scott.
FAITH STORY - Eric Scott
We give generously, cheerfully and expectantly.
Now, I want to close this morning by answering what I have found to be some common questions on giving. I want to preface this by saying these are my opinions. And you can disagree with me and be wrong or.. No, it is okay if you disagree. I have based these opinions on what I see as Biblical principles so I hope they will help you with either an answer or in answering someone who might question you.
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(1) If I tithe will God give generously to me? Let me answer that question with a question. “Hasn’t He already given generously?” Now, if you’re expecting lots of physical blessings you may answer that “No.” But if you understand that God’s blessings are far more valuable than more “stuff” than you’ll answer yes. He’s give you forgiveness, purpose, peace, eternity.
(2) “Why do you say guests aren’t expected to give?” I had a man once asked me why I was apologizing for giving to God? I don’t believe we are doing that. We are just very sensitive to the fact that money is a very touchy subject for seekers.. Those who come in here wondering if this “God and Church thing” is for them. And to be honest a lot of churches have made people feel that what the person can give the church is more important then what the church can give to the person.. That’s backwards! The last thing I want to do is have someone leave feeling like I was more interested in their wallets and purses then their souls! They need to see God’s love first and then as that love grows they’ll love to give to God cheerfully.
(3)“If I don’t give 10%, like starting today, will I be looked down on in this church?” One word answer: No! The tithe or giving 10% is much like Eric talked about.. A growing process. Remember God asks you to be generous.. You need to decide what generous is. I can tell you, just as Eric has, that giving a tithe has blessed me immensely. But no-one is going to send you a bill from this church! No one is going to ask how much you give! Would I encourage you to begin to work toward 10%? Yes. Why? Because that was the standard in the O.T. and we have so much more with Jesus. But.. you have to grow to that. If we pressure you then we’re going to have cheerful givers!
(4) Should I tithe of my gross income or net? I once heard a preacher say, "That depends on whether you want a gross blessing or a net blessing." My personal opinion is that we ought to tithe from the first fruit, the total amount, before taxes, etc. God asked His people in Exodus 23 to give of their best.. Their first fruits, not the left overs. And in Rev. 14 we, His people, are called the first fruits because he gave the very best He had, in Jesus Christ, for us. Shouldn’t we do the same?
(5) Should all my giving go to the Church? I am of the belief that at least 10% should go to the church. If you choose to support some missions or other causes that ought to be your offering above the tithe. It is our personal practice to give above a tithe and it all goes to the church. Why? Well, in the early church in Acts 4:35 the people laid it at the Apostles feet and entrusted it to them to give where there was need. When you give your tithe to the church you are saying, "I don’t have the time to investigate all the causes out there and I trust the overseers of my church to distribute it and manage it as the Lord has directed them.” (P)
You know, the greatest giver was Jesus Christ. He made the ultimate sacrifice for you. How much would you give for the eternal life which Jesus has provided for you? I think our young Church has done fairly well in the area of giving but is there anyone here that would not be willing to try to do even better? Bernard Enniger said, "The world will never be won to Christ by what people can conveniently give." And we will not accomplish our vision that God has given us for Discovery by convenient giving. You know, you can give without loving but you can’t love without giving. Boy, did Jesus ever prove that.
PRAYER
{All Scripture taken from the New Living Translation unless otherwise noted}
