Stewardship and Giving
Stewardship in the Corinthians • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 17 viewsStewardship and Giving; Parable of the Talents
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Transcript
Are you a generous person?
If you count yourself generous, have you ever given to a charity or someone in need with the wrong motivation? It seems that most fast food restaurants now have some kind of charitable organization that they want you to support. There’s nothing wrong with this, but it is true that I don’t know much about the inner workings of these organizations and when I donate to a cause, I want to know where the money is going. However, my family one evening went through the drive-thru of a local fast-food restaurant and as we were asked for our order I pretty quickly recognized that the voice was a student of mine. Then when we were done providing our order, she asked if we wanted to donate to their charity and I have to admit I was not ready, I mean it was a student of mine asking and so I just said that she could round up the total for the charity. My wife gave me a bit of a look and I didn’t know why. I quickly admitted to her that it was one of my students taking our order and I wanted to look good. I didn’t want to look like I wouldn’t give to this charity and so I gave in. Then I realized why she gave me a funny look, it was because our order was like $15.95. I gave $.05 to the charity. She said that now I didn’t look cheap or that I lacked compassion, it appeared as though I was mocking the cause they were committed to. So, my motivations were wildly off and in my attempt to make myself look good, I couldn’t have possibly made myself look worse.
So, it appears as though I still have something to learn about being generous. Of course your propensity to give to organization a or b is not the measure of a generous person. What is a generous person? What does it mean to be generous?
Over the last few weeks we’ve been looking into 1 and 2 Corinthians in an examination of our call to be stewards of that which God has given to us.
Pastor Daniel discussed how we are called to be stewards of our bodies.
Last week Pastor Brent shared about how we are called to be stewards of our work.
And this week we are going to examine how we should be good stewards of our finances. And what we’ll discover as we look into God’s word this morning is that God calls each and everyone of us to live a generous life. If you call yourself a follower of Jesus, you are called to be generous.
We don’t like talking about money, but in fact Jesus talks about money and wealth arguably more than any other topic. We don’t have time to cover it all. What I hope to provide you with this morning, are principles concerning giving and generosity that we see throughout scripture, and principles that you will be able to take with you as you determine how God has called you to worship through giving.
Pray
Turn with me to 2 Corinthians 8:1-5
We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints— and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us.
In our examination of the church in Corinth we discover that one of the deep challenges for the believers in Corinth was worldliness and financial gain. Paul had many personal challenges with the Corinthian church related to his authority within this group of believers and we know that Paul wrote a letter to this church laying out his love for them and rebuking them for their failures in hopes of seeing some repentance. 2 Corinthians reveals that there was a change in Corinth and believers here received Paul’s rebuke of them with soft hearts and they began to get back on track.
In 2 Corinthians 8, where we’ll be looking this morning, Paul begins by telling the Corinthians about another group of churches. A group of churches in Macedonia. These churches were Thessaloniki, Philippi, and Beria.He’s bragging about these churches and wants to tell the Corinthians about their generosity.
There was a famine in Judea and the believers were putting together funds for relief. We do this today.
This famine had been predicted beforehand by the spirit in Acts 11 by a man names Agabus.
This appears quite ordinary. We recently took up some money for the people in Ukraine, last week we came together to support our youth group in their fundraising efforts for their mission to Costa Rica, you can even give in the fast food drive thru.
A deeper look reveals that what is happening here is actually quite extraordinary.
We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.
“In the midst of their pain and suffering.” This is what makes what he’s describing a work of God's grace because he’s describing something that goes beyond human ability and only exists in the realm of god.
The words Paul uses here, don’t usually go together: affliction and joy; poverty and generosity. This was the obvious work of the spirit in the lives of these believers.
That’s what made this event extraordinary.
In this context Paul sets up some important principles concerning giving. He is commending the Macedonian churches to the church in Corinth - he’s setting them up as an example of living generously, and he does this by pointing out three principles in v. 3.
For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord,
According to their Means
They gave according to their means. We should give according to our ability or means. This is a concept we should all be quite familiar with. This is essentially what our tax system is based on, right? Don’t get me started on the tax system, but this is how it works - the more you have the more you give.
But we want to know, what does that mean for me? How much should I give, right? Give me a number!
The Tithe
When we think about giving a financial gift, we first think about the tithe. When we think about how much we should be giving, we think first about tithing and providing offerings and commonly this is understood as giving that goes above and beyond the tithe.
The tithe is first discussed in Genesis 14, where Abraham gives a tenth, tithe means literally “a tenth’, to Melchizedek, who is described as the King of Salem and a priest of the Most High God. Again in Genesis 28, Jacob, after dreaming about the ladder that reached to heaven, says that he will give to God a tenth as a show of gratitude for what God has given to him.
We see as the Law is established for the people of Israel that the tithe becomes an important part of the Law.
So, should we tithe? Well, when it comes to the Law we do not refer to the tithe, but rather the tithe(s). Plural. In fact, an examination of the Old Testament law reveals that the Israelites paid the tithes, which in total would not have been 10% of their income but more likely somewhere between 20-30%. And when you read the account of the Israelites you see that much of this was a form of tax. Yes, much of it went to the Levites, the religious leaders, so that they could earn a living and keep up the temple, etc. but essentially we can think of this much like a tax.
Nowhere in the NT is the tithe affirmed. Jesus talks about the tithe briefly but he’s talking specifically to those under the law - that is the Israelites.
Though we are not commanded to bring the tithe specifically the principles laid out in the Law are certainly reinforced and echoed in the New Covenant under Christ. For while Christ brought us a new covenant, the old has not disappeared.
The idea of giving according to your ability is an important one. The tithe was a percentage. The more you have, the more you should give.
But again, you’re asking, how much?
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 decided in his heart, 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.
Sow sparingly and reap sparingly:
R.G. LeTourneau, arguably one of the most successful businessmen of the 20th century made millions in his lifetime as an inventor and business owner, but he gladly gave 90% of his income back to God. R.G. once said, “I shovel out the money, and God shovels it back — but God has a bigger shovel.”
I know that many of you have been out seeding this week and many more the coming week, this principle is pretty easy to understand. If you sow generously, you will reap generously. Now, let’s be clear, this is not a harvest of financial gain. In the case of the quote I shared God chose to burden LeTourneau with more which was returned to the work of the Lord. No where in Scripture are we told to give so that we may have a more comfortable life. The goal is described in verse 8 - “So that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may about in every good work.”
That’s the goal, that’s the harvest. It’s a spiritual harvest. As you give generously, called by the Spirit to do so, you become more like Christ, we call this the process of sanctification.
You should give what God has called you to give, cheerfully, knowing that God will supply all of your needs.
If you have a relationship with God you will naturally feel compelled to give, and to give out of joy with thanksgiving. If you feel like the spirit is calling you to give more, give more. And if you give more and the spirit keeps compelling you to give more, then give more.
What if you don’t feel compelled to give? The answer to that questions is the same as the question: “What if I don’t feel any conviction for my sin.” If the Spirit is in you, your sin will grieve the Spirit and you will feel the weight of that sin. If the Spirit is in you, you will give.” So, if you feel no need to give, you need to examine if you’ve truly surrendered yourself to Christ. If you feel convicted because you are not giving or giving too little - listen to the spirit and seek spiritual maturity that only comes from obedience.
Now, the principles laid down at the beginning of the Scriptures in Genesis and then in the later books of Moses in the description of the laying down of the Law still provide us with important principles about giving and being generous.
We should give proportionally, that’s what the tithe was? How much? Whatever God has called you to give. We in the church and even in this church often describe the giving of tithes and offerings. I believe this is still appropriate. If you’re like me, I like a reference point and because of the guidelines established in the Old Testament, I would argue that 10% is a good starting point. We are not called specifically to give 10%, we are called to be generous and I would argue that the example laid down to us in both the Old and New Testaments should lead us to give more than 10%. The tithe is a good starting point. Something rooted in our history.
Our attitude toward giving ought to be shaped by the Old Testament but defined by the teachings and example of Jesus and the New Testament teachings surrounding the early church.
This means that as good stewards of what God has given to us, everyone who calls themselves a believer must give generously. Your generosity should be proportionate to what God has given to you. Give what you’ve been called to give and do it generously.
Let’s look again at 2 Corinthians 8:3
2 Corinthians 8:3 (ESV)
For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means
Beyond Their Means
Not only should we give according to our means, but even beyond our means. We should feel our giving. Our giving should affect us. There should be a sacrificial element to your giving. Giving should be sacrificial.
We get the impression that Paul is reluctant to raise the financial needs of the believers in Judea with the Macedonian church because they too may be in need of aid, but like the woman with the copper coin in the Gospel of Mark, they were undeterred by their own needs and were eager to give selflessly trusting in God’s provision for them.
Let’s turn to Mark 12:41-44
And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”
I have a coin here that would have been quite similar to the one the widow had. They call it a widow’s mite.
In this story, Jesus is contrasting those who made their giving known to all around as a mark of their worthiness with the poor widow, who is giving objectively far less, but because she’s giving out of her poverty, she is giving far more, Jesus says. She is giving beyond her ability trusting in God’s provision.
The story from the woman who gave her money should also be an encouragement to us. Give as God has blessed you and then give beyond your own ability so that we must not rest on our own ability but his ability to sustain us.
For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord,
Of their Own Accord
freely willing - Give with joy
I was watching a Blue Jays game last week and one of the players after he had scored a run ran back to the dug out and as he did he pointed at a young boy in the stands and tossed him his batting gloves. There is joy in giving.
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The spirit will compel you to give in joy and as an act of worship.
To be steward of something means it’s not yours. And when you recognize that it’s not yours and instead recognize what you have as something entrusted to you. You will recognize the blessing that comes with being entrusted with what God has given to you and the joy that comes with giving part of what he’s called you to have away to the service of his kingdom.
During the construction of the temple, when the Israelites were gathering funds and materials for this building project, we read:
Then the people rejoiced because they had given willingly, for with a whole heart they had offered freely to the Lord. David the king also rejoiced greatly.
There is joy in fulfilling the commission that God gives to us as a body of believers. There is joy in participating in giving together for a common purpose: in service to this church community and the sharing of the Gospel.
There is joy in giving.
For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints— and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us.
Gave themselves to the Lord and then to us.
After Paul commends the Macedonian church for their generosity - that they gave according to their ability, and then beyond their ability and with joy, he points out that in all of this what strikes him most is that they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to Paul and his ministry. What that means is that of first priority is that the Macedonians presented themselves first as sacrifices to God and then generous giving flowed from this sacrificial posture.
A relationship with Jesus, that is a sacrificial posture toward Him and his will will compel you to live generously just as it did in the Macedonian church.
Throughout this series you’ve seen this description of The Good Life. Well, how does this connect? Because for many of us I’m assuming that when you think about the good life it looks something like this:
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The Good Life, how does this connect to the Good Life. When we recognize that we are stewards of the good gifts of God - that nothing is ours - our bodies, our physical abilities, our physical blessing, our finances, we can have a right oriented relationship with God. For what is the goal? Is that the goal? For some of us it might be. That’s the wrong goal.
Turn with me to Mathew 25:14-30
Parable of the Talents
This is a parable likely familiar to most of us. If you don’t know it, I’ll summarize it briefly, but you should read it this week in the context of what we’ve been discussing.
In the parable a man gives to his three servants some money. To one he gave five talents, to another 2 talents, and to another, 1 talent. To each one he gave according to his ability.
Have any of you seen a talent before? Now I do have something here…many you probably thought I was going to juggle or something, ha, ha. Unfortunately I don’t have a talent.
Here is a shekel. In the little bit of research I did, a talent is about 3000 shekels. It was a lot.
The man went away and then when he returned he wanted to see how the servants had done with what he had entrusted to him.
When the man returned and met with his servants, what happened? Two were faithful and one was not. To the one that was unfaithful, Jesus says he was to be cast into utter darkness. To the two servants that were faithful, they are commended. This parable is about money, both literally and figuratively. It’s about money but it’s also about how God entrusts us with what is his. Whatever it is: our time, finances, talents and abilities. It all belongs to God. He’s called us to this purpose and in this parable he’s connecting this idea of stewardship to our ultimate purpose - our ultimate goal - the parable is about heaven. That’s what it says in verse 14 - it’s about the kingdom of heaven.
It is a picture of the goal. Why it it important for us to be good stewards of that which God has entrusted to us? Because we want to reach the goal - what’s the goal. It’s given to us in both verses 21 and verse 23.
His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’
Well done good and faithful servant. Can there be any greater joy than that. That’s the goal. To live the good life is to live a life that is properly oriented with the goal. So let’s fix our eyes on the goal. Let us understand that God has entrusted us to be stewards of our bodies, our time, our abilities, our finances. Like the faithful servants, let’s use that which he’s given to us in service to him so that when we come before Jesus and as he looks down on you, as you’re standing there awed by his glory and holiness, and he says of you: Well done good and faithful servant.
