SBC Philippi am
9/19/04
The Reasons We Give
2 Corinthians 9:6-12
Primary Purpose: To emphasize why we give to the Lord and how we should give.
When I worked in the nursing home, there was a fellow there named Mr.Tull. I was amazed to learn that Mr.Tull was 90 years old. He had Alzheimer’s but could still walk and most of the time he seemed to make sense. They use to have me try to talk to him about shaving because he would go days and days without shaving. I’d see him in the hall and say, “Mr.Tull are you going to get a shave today?” He’d feel his chin and say, “I’m not going to get it before I need it am I.” Then we’d walk down to the barber shop and he’d get his shave. One day I asked him if he ever went to church. He replied he really liked church, but he didn’t like it when the preacher talked about money.
Much of what we do and don’t do centers around money or the lack of it. We manage it, worry about it and work for it. But, some people think that when the preacher talks about money, that he’s meddling.
In a church in the deep south where the preaching style was a “talk back” sort of style. The pastor was getting the congregation excited about their prospective future.
The preacher said, “this church is like a crippled man who needs to get up and wlak under the power of Jesus.”
The congregation replied, “Let it walk preacher, let it walk.”
Then the preacher said, “This church is like Elijah on Mount Carmel has got to run.”
The congregation replied, “let it run preacher, let it run.”
Then the preacher said, “This church has got to mount up on wings like eagles and fly.”
The congregation replied with enthusiasm, ‘let it fly preacher, let it fly.”
Then the preacher added, “Now if this church is going to fly it’s going to take money.”
The congregation replied with lack of enthusiasm, “let it walk preacher, let it walk.” (Illustration given by David Yarbrough)
You might be surprised to learn that the Bible says a lot about money and particularly giving. Someone has said that In Matthew, Mark and Luke 1 out of every 6 verses deals with money. Of the 29 parables Christ told, 16 deal with a person and his money.” (author or illustration anonymous) (Read Scripture)
The first thing I want you to notice is the attitude of our giving- we should give cheerfully, not grudgingly. It seems to me that your attitude about giving to God and His work is a reflection of your relationship to him. In the early church, we see people in Acts 2:44 giving generously and sacrificially to others. People sold their property even to give to those in need. Acts 2:45. They wanted to give to God.
A mother wanted to teach her daughter a moral lesson. She gave the little girl a quarter and a dollar for church “Put whichever one you want in the collection plate and keep the other for yourself,” she told the girl. When they were coming out of church, the mother asked the daughter which amount she had given. “Well,” said the little girl, “I was going to give the dollar, but just before the collection the man in the pulpppit said that we should all be cheerful givers. I knew I’d be a lot more cheerful if I gave the quarter, so I did.” (From Bits and Pieces, 2/4/93, pg.23)
They wanted to give to God because they realized how much God had already given them. He did not without his own Son from us. Romans 8:32 says this when he says, “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?” Once I realize how much God has given me and loves me and has done for me, then I would think you would want to give to Him.
Notice also that giving is about sharing in God’s work. In v.6 it indicates that the one who sows sparingly will reap sparingly. In other words, you get out of it what you give to it. Some people do this with their spiritual lives, they put a little effort into it, but not much. They spend a little time in prayer, Bible reading, church attendance. God gets the time left over, the energy not spent on other things, the left over finances instead of the tithe, then we wonder why our spiritual lives aren’t vibrant. Could it be that we are getting what we are giving? Could it be that we have as much of God as we are really seeking.
This past week we saw a massive hurricane hit parts of Alabama, Florida and blow people’s homes away. Nothing is left but a debris field. Isn’t it a pity when people spend all their lives laying up treasures here on earth and then see it washed away to sea in a moment. That isn’t the case when we invest ourselves in God’s kingdom though.
Martin Luther once said, “I have tried to keep things in my hands and lost them all, but what I have given into God’s hands I still possess.”
Giving is about making an investment in kingdom work. God is working today and he wants you to join him. He has given you many gifts that he expects you to share and give in order to advance his kingdom. We are to be careful though not to do these things in order to be seen by men according to Matthew 6:1-4. Some people will only give when the spotlight is on them. They will give if they can have the building named after then, or the wing of the hospital or have their name on something. We aren’t to give in order to get attention for ourselves. We give because we love God and want to honor Him with what we have.
So, Giving is an act of worship. Have you ever thought about why we pass the plate around during the worship service? Why not just have people mail in their checks or something like that. It is because it is an act of worship. In Exodus 35:21-29 we see how Moses gathered the material needed to make the Holy Place and all the utensils, ark of the covenant and other items. The Lord stirred the people’s hearts to give and contribute to the work. v.21. So, all the people came and gave what they had for the work. The women who were skilled at making fabrics spun on the wheel and brought different fabrics. Every person who had something did so as God led them. This is called a freewill offering to the Lord. A freewill offering is just what it sounds like: it wasn’t something that was required, but it was a love gift for the Lord. They wanted to give what they had. It was an expression of love for them.
Finally, giving is acknowledges our role as a steward. We really don’t own anything that we have. You may believe you own your car or your house, but when you leave this earth, someone else gets it. You can’t really take it with you. God made man in the garden a steward of this earth and everything in it. That means that these things belong to God. He owns all things. He allows you and me to enjoy the earth and all that is in it for the duration of our lives. Then he calls you to account for how you used it. Have you been a good steward with what God has given you? How have you used what you have for the glory of God. Are you sowning and reapingly sparingly? Remember, God loves a cheerful giver. Giving is about sharing in God’s work. Giving is an act of worship. It is an expression of our love for Him. Giving acknowledges our role as a steward.
