NO LONGER A CONSERVATIVE
I Corinthians 16:1-4
S: Giving
C: Tithing, liberality, generosity
Pr: BY GIVING, WE ARE TO ABOUND IN GOD’S WORK.
?: How?
KW: Understandings
TS: We will find in I Corinthians 16:1-4 three understandings about giving that will enable us to abound in God’s work.
Type: Propositional
The ____ understanding about giving is that it is…
I. INSTRUCTED (1)
II. PLANNED (2)
III. MANAGED (3-4)
PA: How is the change to be observed?
• Don’t settle for the minimum.
• Give as a matter of worship.
• Express the priority of your faith.
Version: ESV
RMBC 22 May 05 AM
INTRODUCTION:
ILL Giving: Personal
I was walking by the bushes along the side of the church the other day, considering their condition, which is pretty sad.
The deer that live on the back end of our property have eaten them for supper too many times.
Have you ever tried to take bushes out of the ground by hand?
It is hard work.
You dig and you pull.
You dig and you chop, and you pull again.
You dig some more, you chop some more, and you pull some more.
And it occurred to me, the hard word of getting a bush out of the ground is what it is like to get money from a stingy person.
It is hard to get money from a stingy person.
It is hard work.
Have you ever struggled with giving?
Are you known as a generous person, or is stinginess a more accurate description?
ILL Giving: Giving the Worst to Church
Around Thanksgiving about 15 years ago, radio commentator Paul Harvey shared a true story of a woman and her frozen Thanksgiving turkey.
The Butterball Turkey Company set up a telephone hotline to answer consumer questions about preparing holiday turkeys. One woman called to inquire about cooking a turkey that had been in the bottom of her freezer for 23 years. That’s right — 23 years. The Butterball representative told her the turkey would probably be safe to eat if the freezer had been kept below zero for the entire 23 years. But the Butterball representative warned her that even if the turkey was safe to eat, the flavor would probably have deteriorated to such a degree that she would not recommend eating it.
The caller replied, "That’s what I thought. We’ll give the turkey to our church."
Sometimes, I wonder what we offer to the Lord doesn’t seem more like leftovers.
TRANSITION:
There is no doubt that giving is a serious topic.
But we don’t talk about it because God needs our money.
He is not poor.
But we give because God is the most generous giver.
Everything we have is a gift from God.
And so, in turn, God wants us to grow in grace, and this only happens if we learn to be generous.
You see…
1. When it comes to our faith, we are to go all out (15:58)
Do you remember how we ended last week’s study in I Corinthians 15?
Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
Paul tells us here that we are to be deeply and firmly rooted in the truth.
It is the idea of being settled and firmly situated.
As believers in the Lord Jesus, we are to know who we are, what we are about, why we are here, and where we are going.
We don’t settle for less, for we are to be fully engaged in God’s work.
The thought Paul has here is of exceeding the requirements.
We are not to be satisfied or content with doing the minimum.
There is no plateau that we reach and then stop.
That is not Christianity.
That is not true faith.
We are to work uncompromisingly as the Lord gifts us and leads us.
We are to use our time, energy, talents, gifts, bodies, minds…and our money so to be fully engaged in kingdom work.
You see…
2. BY GIVING, WE ARE TO ABOUND IN GOD’S WORK.
But how do we do that?
How do we get ourselves to the place that we are giving in such a way that is pleasing to God?
There is help for us.
For…
3. We will find in I Corinthians 16:1-4 three understandings about giving that will enable us to abound in God’s work.
(1) Now concerning the collection for the saints: as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do. (2) On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come. (3) And when I arrive, I will send those whom you accredit by letter to carry your gift to Jerusalem. (4) If it seems advisable that I should go also, they will accompany me.
OUR STUDY:
I. The first understanding about giving is that it is INSTRUCTED (1).
Paul had instructed the church in Corinth to do the same thing as the churches in Galatia were doing.
They were to have an offering ready for the church in Jerusalem.
As a result of a severe famine, the city was poor and overpopulated.
Not only that, the persecution of Christians there had become more intense.
They had been put out of their homes, stripped of their possessions, and some were even imprisoned for their faith
Paul wanted them to understand that they had a ministry to perform for their fellow believers that lived there.
That gives us the context of this particular situation that speaks to a much larger one, that is…
1. Giving is expected.
Paul points out that this is not an option.
This was a holy order.
They were to have a collection.
The word “collection” is an interesting word in the original text because its root meaning is the word “logos,” meaning word.
Therefore the collection is important because it communicates.
More specifically, it expresses the spiritual oneness of the church.
ILL Giving: living thief
There was once a man who said, "You know, I do not believe in giving. I think I can be as good a Christian without giving as I am with giving. After all, the dying thief never gave anything."
To which his friend replied, "Well, there is one difference between you and the dying thief: He was a dying thief; you are a living one."
We are not to miss the significance and the importance of giving.
For the failure to give is sin.
It is a sin that should be confessed and repented of.
I believe a problem that the church has today is that we are looking to do the least, and not the most.
2. We are to look beyond the minimum.
The Barna report has given us some interesting statistics for 2004.
Nationwide, the average amount of income that was given to charity (that being both religious and non-religious non-profit organizations) was a slim 2.9%.
Of the people who claim to have a personal relationship with Jesus, most give something to their churches, but only 7% tithe.
Tithing is a concept that is taught in Scripture which directs us to give 10% of our income.
Some believe that the tithe is no longer in effect because we are now in the age of grace – that is we give what we want to, not because we have to.
And I agree with the latter part of that.
We are to give because it is on our hearts to give.
But I must confess, that I have had a change of heart regarding my understanding of the tithe.
I have come to the conclusion that tithe is a principle that is very much still in effect.
ILL Giving – McManus quote
In Erwin McManus’ book, “An Unstoppable Force,” he writes:
“Isn’t it interesting how we think of grace as something less than the law? When Paul spoke of generosity and giving, he could have never imagined that a Christian would give less than a religionist. Paul was a Pharisee. Ten percent was the law. It would have been inconceivable to him that any Christian who gave less than a tithe would ever be considered generous.”
Interestingly, the concept of the tithe came before the institution of the Mosaic law.
Also, we do not read anywhere that the standard has changed.
Not only that, grace is even more demanding.
Jesus told the rich young ruler to sell all he had and follow Jesus.
Paul will tell us in Romans that we are to be living sacrifices that give our whole selves completely to Jesus, including our wallets.
Now we come to…
II. The second understanding about giving is that it is PLANNED (2).
1. Giving is to be regular.
We see in this text the evidence that Sunday had become the official meeting and worship time for the early church.
Not only that, the offering had become a regular part of that time.
This means that there is a consistent, ongoing, spiritual responsibility that each one of us has every week.
It is called the offering.
It is the giving of that portion of our income.
And it is an act of worship.
Giving is an act of worship, to be given at the place of worship, when you worship.
It is not something to be ignored.
It is not something that we just tolerate, like a necessary evil.
It is not something to be resented.
It is something we do because we love the Lord our God and we are thankful.
Paul is careful to note that…
2. Each person is responsible to participate.
No one is excepted or excused.
It does not matter how much or how little you have.
And it requires thought.
To do it well, we are, as the text says, to put it aside and save it for the time of meeting.
It is not designed to be hasty, thoughtless or impulsive.
And…
3. We are to give proportionately.
Our giving should reflect God’s blessings.
So as we make more, we are to give more.
It is that simple.
You see, we are to give generously.
We are to reflect the generosity of Jesus in how we live.
We are to give from the theological conviction – being steadfast and immovable – determined to live the truth of God in our lives – to live according to His grace.
Now we come to…
III. The third understanding about giving is that it is MANAGED (3-4).
In these two verses, Paul shows is that…
The responsible and the spiritual should handle finances.
Hear this clearly…
Money is a spiritual matter.
And in the church, it is to be in the hands of those who are godly and responsible.
Qualifications are not financial and commercial, but moral and spiritual.
Because of temptation, there is to be accountability, because the collective monies are for God and kingdom work.
APPLICATION:
So let me say again…
1. Don’t settle for the minimum.
This is the one area in life we are not to be conservative.
It is here that we are absolutely to be liberal in our thinking and in our activity.
ILL Giving: I GOT CARRIED AWAY (modified)
The late actor Danny Thomas went through his life savings of $600.00 at a time when he was out of work. He and his wife, Rosie, had a baby on the way, and they needed money. Danny worked at part-time jobs so Rosie could buy groceries. He also borrowed money from friends. It was a tough time in his life.
A week before the baby was born, Danny had the grand total of seven dollars and eighty-five cents to his name. What would he do? "My despair led me to my first exposure to the powers of faith," Danny would later recall.
On Sunday morning Danny went to church. When the offering plate was passed he put in his "usual one dollar." But something unexpected happened that day. A special missions offering was taken. When it was explained where the mission offering would go, Danny felt he had to give something. "I got carried away," Danny said, "and ended up giving my seven dollars."
He had given away all his money that Sunday. What in the world had he done? He walked up to the altar rail, got on his knees and prayed aloud. "Look, I’ve given my last seven bucks," he prayed. "I need it back tenfold because I’ve got a kid on the way, and I have to pay the hospital bill." He went home with a mere eighty-five cents in his pocket — all the money he had in the world.
"You won’t believe this," Danny Thomas later wrote, "but the next morning the phone rang in the rooming house hall." It was a job offer. He was offered a part in a commercial. The job wasn’t much but the pay was good – seventy-five dollars. "I literally dropped the telephone receiver," Danny remembered. "First I whooped with joy; then an eerie feeling came over me." He remembered what he had prayed at church the day before. "The seventy-five dollar fee," he said, "unheard of for me at that time was almost exactly ten times the amount of money I had donated to the church."
That is the testimony of Malachi 3:10…
Bring the full tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.
God is really into it when we give sacrificially.
It is the very type of thing He blesses.
But you will never know, until you trust God, and do it.
Do you trust God?
If you do…
2. Give as a matter of worship.
Thanks and giving go together.
They make thanksgiving.
Do you want to know how you can check what you really value?
Look at your calendar.
Look at your checkbook.
How you spend your time and how you spend your money will say it all.
So…
3. Express the priority of your faith.
Abound in God’s work!
RELATED SCRIPTURE:
Bring the full tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.
Malachi 3:10
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Matthew 6:21
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.”
Matthew 23:23
And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.
Acts 2:44-45
The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.
II Corinthians 9:6-8
Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer deserves his wages.”
I Timothy 5:17-18
BENEDICTION: [Counselors are ]
Abound in kingdom work – be steadfast, immovable – fully dedicated to the truth of God and the community of believers He has designed and created;
Abound in kingdom work – do not hold back your resources, because they are already God-given, continue the cycle of generosity, doing what the resurrection calls on us to do;
Abound in kingdom work – don’t ever settle for doing the minimum, but rather let your life demonstrate the priority of your faith and the trust you have in God.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
RESOURCES:
Blomberg, Craig, The NIV Application Commentary
MacArthur, John, I Corinthians
McManus, Erwin R., An Unstoppable Force
Warren, Rick, “Giving Back to God,” Rev., May/June 2005
“Americans Donate Billions to Charity, But Giving to Churches Has Declined,” The Barna Report, April 25, 2005
SermonCentral:
“Get Your Checkbook Out – It’s Sunday,” Bo Dunford
“Let’s be a ‘Liberal’ Church,” Mitchell Skelton
“Why on Earth Does the Church Exist?” Mike Turner
“Prodigality without Pressure,” Ray Stedman
“The Prevailing Power of the Church,” Rick Stacy
“An International Church,” Christ Appleby
“Paul’s Final Thoughts,” Bill Burnett
“Resurrection Living,” A. Todd Coget
“Giving, Greetings, and Goodbyes,” Steve Zeisler
