"THE GIFT OF GIVING" MIRACLE OFFERING MESSAGE - 1/2

*Welcome

*Miracle Offering Sunday is next sunday - The very initial seed towards our new church home we are building on the property - In two weeks from now. This is what i want you to do - pray, and ask God - What would you have us give...... ? “Our church is built on the sacrifice of many, not the gifts and talents of a few”

start praying - get excited.! get ready.

Mark 14:1–9 ESV

1 It was now two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to arrest him by stealth and kill him, 2 for they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar from the people.” 3 And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head. 4 There were some who said to themselves indignantly, “Why was the ointment wasted like that? 5 For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they scolded her. 6 But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 7 For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you will not always have me. 8 She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial. 9 And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.”

“the Gift of GIVING”

Why is giving important?

why is this such a big part of the GOD STORY.?

Giving In JESUS name is for us today, is the same as sacrifrice was in biblical times.

Its the same thing whether we give our money, our time, our property, our possessions there is a feature to all giving that i will explain in a moment

But there are two ways we approach offerings as believers:

1.WE BRING THE TITHE.

TITHING IS NOT GIVING. TITHING IS ACTUALLY RETURNING

Malachi 3:10–12 ESV

10 Bring the full tithe 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. 11 I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the Lord of hosts. 12 Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the Lord of hosts.

A TITHE is 10%

Its the FIRST 10% which is the hardest part to bring BTW - Because its FIRST

and it REPRESENTS the FirstBorn consecration in Exodus 13:

Exodus 13 (ESV)

1 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Consecrate to me all the firstborn. Whatever is the first to open the womb among the people of Israel, both of man and of beast, is mine.”

3 Then Moses said to the people, “Remember this day in which you came out from Egypt, out of the house of slavery, for by a strong hand the Lord brought you out from this place. No leavened bread shall be eaten.

This is ephatic language - Its hard to mess up here - Which is WHY GOD makes it SO CLEAR

so thats why its the first 10% -

But have you ever wondered why its 10% and not some other number?

Its because all of ISRAEL wuld give the same.

Whether you had a large farm or a small farm. 50 head of cattle or 5

Its a test of the HEART. If you dont TITHE, if you dont HONOR God in this way in yoru finances - there is usually a HEART ISSUE AT PLAY / WILL GOD ACTUALLY TAKE CARE OF ME?

Well - TEST HIM.

did you know this is the ONLY PLACE in the bible where we are invited to TEST GOD OUT.

Malachi 3:10 “10 Bring the full tithe 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.”

2.WE GIVE THE GIFT.

anything thats brought over the tithe - Biblically speaking is a GIFT - this passage opens up SO MUCH HERE SO WE ARE GOING TO DIG IN

But here is what you must understand.....

TRUE GIVING IS FREE WILL IN NATURE!

“and a woman came...... she wasn’t forced, she wasn’t harassed… She came.

TRUE GIVING TO JESUS IS FREEWILL IN NATURE

Psalm 54:6 (ESV)

6 With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you;

I will give thanks to your name, O Lord, for it is good.

She came… to anoint JESUS. She wasnt forced,

Mark 14:3 (ESV)

3 And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head.

GIVING IS GIVING BECAUSE IT COSTS YOU SOMETHING.

Ever had someone “give you something” and then ask you for it back 3 months later?

Ever had someone “give you something” and then kind of IMPLY later on it would be nice if you DID something for them? Thats not Giving either - thats paying for something?

if you expect something back, you haven’t give - you have paid for something you expect in return. it was an investment, not a gift. It was a an expense not a gift.

Thats why GRACE is so incredible.... Because its underserved but you get it ANYWAY.

We offer it ....We release it.... we give it

Something BREAKS when its GIVEN in FREEWILL:

Sacrificial Giving is COSTLY: It would have taken this woman her whole life you accumilate what she had

Costly Giving doesn’t make sense: is often misunderstood: it was by the

The New Bible Commentary 14:1–52 Dawning of the Kingdom of God

The eleven were indignant at the waste. All that money could have been used to feed and clothe the poor, which was of course perfectly true. Jesus, however, though he fully recognized the claims of the poor (7), saw a greater priority even than the poor at this moment.

Costly Giving supplies (need)

God uses the costly giving to supply sometimes the greatest of needs.

Costly Giving attracts (more giving, Generosity begets generosity). The law o attraction is GODS LAW> you reap what you so. you give and more is given to you. You use your FAITH and you get more FAITH. Gnerosity attracts. If you like the idea of being a generous person,but you are waiting for the lottery moment or the time to come when you have it all - it may not come. But you can start to attract that whicy you see by GIVING now. Give what you have - thats why she did!

Costly Giving Connects us to God (and away from the devil)

The New Bible Commentary 14:1–52 Dawning of the Kingdom of God

But all this was senseless rubbish to Judas. He went at once to the chief priests to find out how much money he could make out of betraying Jesus before it was too late. In the Bible, Judas has no high or patriotic motives; sheer love of money was his downfall, as it has been of many church leaders since, whether in rich or poor countries. That is why Jesus warns so often against the love of money. If Judas could not understand the woman’s action, then he would not understand the cross either. We cannot serve God and Money at the same time (Mt. 6:24).

3.JESUS IS THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING

CLOSE:

What broke when this woman GAVE? the purposes of GOD.

The New Bible Commentary 14:1–52 Dawning of the Kingdom of God

All that money could have been used to feed and clothe the poor, which was of course perfectly true. Jesus, however, though he fully recognized the claims of the poor (7), saw a greater priority even than the poor at this moment. Every king in Judah was anointed before his coronation, and this was to be his anointing, not by a prophet but by a woman. But it was more, for it was a symbolic preparation of his body for burial. This woman knew that her king must die; she had understood the gospel. That was why, wherever the gospel was preached in the whole world (another point to delight Mark), her loving sacrifice would be remembered (9).