Giving Begins With the Heart, Not the Pocketbook!

A family sat down at the dinner table following church one Sunday.

“The sermon was boring today,” said the teenage son.

“Yeah, could you believe how the pastor stumbled over the reading of the Scripture?” his sister chimed in.

“I’ve got to admit it was an uninspiring day,” said Mother. “The choir was terrible.”

Finally, father, showing his leadership, said, “Hush, you guys. Quit complaining. What did you expect for a quarter?”

I wonder how many conversations like that will occur today across our country?

(Explain reasoning for this message)

now, let’s just take a minute and have an authentic chat before we launch into all of this…

There are at least some reasons why pastors don’t really like to talk about this topic, and why parishioners don’t really like to hear about it…so let’s just tackle them head on, shall we?...

why don’t pastors like to discuss this subject?...

There’s the possibility of being lumped together with people or groups who seem to be talking about this constantly…if you are new here, our expositional approach to preaching means we typically only talk about this about this topic when the book we are studying speaks to it…if this is your first Sunday, then...

there’s also the possibility of people believing that the subject of stewardship is really all about money, when it’s not...it just one aspect of the discussion...stewardship is a lot bigger than money...

There’s the possibility of people thinking that our church is really only interested in people for their money...which is patently untrue and certainly contrary to the facts...

These are just some of the reasons why some pastors might be tempted to avoid this topic altogether…

Why don’t people like to hear messages about this...I’m sure there are a variety of reasons there too...

perhaps they have been exposed to teaching on this subject in other places that was less about the Bible and more about man’s opinion...and they found that troublesome or distasteful…

and here’s my commitment to you this morning...my goal is simply to help all of us evaluate ourselves in light of the Word of God...nothing more, nothing less

If I’m going to be honest with you, another reason I think some folks might be uncomfortable around this topic is because there is such a thing as the precision of math...

here’s what I mean...many topics in the Christian life are fairly subjective…hard to quantify

do you love the Lord?...how do you quantify that?...and many of us would probably rate ourselves higher than we ought because it is subjective...

giving to God is much more precise...open the checkbook...or in this day and age, look at the electronic deposit register...it is what it is...

so this topic has a way of turning on the lights in the spiritual room rather brightly, some folks like that…some folks don’t…

I want to take just a brief moment and mention the biblical principles of stewardship…this is a whole series in itself…but simply put...

Biblical stewardship is a God given responsibility with accountability.

Four Principles of Stewardship

God owns everything, you own nothing.

God entrusts you with everything you have.

You can either increase or diminish what God has given; He wants you to increase it.

God can call you into account at any time, and it may be today.

we need to keep those principles in mind because they apply to all areas of life, not just our money...

But as we consider this text this morning…here is what we need to know...

Main Point: How We Give Reflects Our Heart Towards God.

Read 2 Cor 8:1-15 & 2 Cor 9:1-15.

here’s what’s going on at this point in biblical history...this was written by the apostle Paul about 51 AD to the church in Corinth...

a famine was occurring, especially back at the church in Jerusalem which of course was comprised primarily of Jewish people who had placed their faith and trust in Christ...

and so some of the other churches [and please keep in mind that the church is only about 20 years old at this point]..were comprised of predominantly Gentiles who had trusted Christ, and they were in the process of taking a love offering to send back to their Jewish brothers and sisters in Christ...

so Paul is going to talk to the Corinthians about what had been occurring in the churches of Macedonia...that would include Philippi, and Thessalonica, and Berea...

and Paul was thanking God for what the Macedonian churches had done, and was encouraging the Corinthians to live in a similar way...

all of this gives us tremendous insight into what God thinks about giving.

in the time we have remaining, I’d like us to work through these verses and find Five characteristics of giving that honors God.

Biblical Giving is a Matter of Grace.

What we learn from this passage is that when we talk about giving the first thoughts should be it is about “grace giving”

these verses, from beginning to end, place a heavy amount of emphasis on grace...

for example...

A. God’s grace is the source.

2 Corinthians 8:1 “Now, brethren, we wish to make known to you the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia,”

this is one of those places in the Bible where the order of the words is important...

what is the focal point of this verse?

it is not on what the people did, but on what the grace of God allowed the people to do...

As believers, we should not be interested in receiving credit or public applause...

When we talk about the ministry of Open Door we ought never talk about how good we are, but rather always to point to the fact that the Lord has been very good to us...The Lord has been very gracious...we are very thankful for what God is doing…we don’t have to be a mega church for us to see the goodness of the Lord… He is leading, guiding, supplying, helping, directing us...

because we all understand that to whatever degree we are doing anything right, it is only because of God’s grace...

B. Grace is the defining characteristic.

you may have noticed that several times giving financially to God was referred to as a gracious work or an act of grace...

2 Corinthians 8:6 (NASB95)

So we urged Titus that as he had previously made a beginning, so he would also complete in you this gracious work as well.

2 Corinthians 8:7 (NASB95)

But just as you abound in everything, in faith and utterance and knowledge and in all earnestness and in the love we inspired in you, see that you abound in this gracious work also.

Can we look at the way we handle the issue of giving financially to God and honestly use words like “gracious” to describe it?

not because of arm twisting, not grudgingly, not by compulsion...

but by God’s grace...and done in a way that is gracious...that’s why Paul would say a few verses later of our giving that is to be done...

2 Corinthians 9:7 (NASB95)

Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

where grace is the defining characteristic...a gracious work...an act of grace...

now, of course for men and women apart from Christ, none of this would make a whole lot of sense...that is why it is so important to think about how...

C. Grace is the model.

2 Corinthians 8:9 “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.”

there are people here at Open Door who have developed patterns of generosity where they give in a way that is faithful and sacrificial...how did they get to that place?...

one of the fundamental answers is that they decided long ago that their model was Jesus Christ...He’s the standard...He’s the example...

and if the grace of Christ would motivate Him to become poorer so that someone else could become spiritually rich...then they want to let that same characteristic of grace impact them in a similar way...

one of my concerns as a pastor is how many people who would call themselves followers of Jesus Christ, or even in some cases members of our church, have never really let grace impact the way they use their finances

and maybe therefore don’t “know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ” the way Paul is explaining in this text...

that’s why I said a moment ago that some people don’t like this topic because of the precision of mathematics...you can say you know about the grace of Jesus Christ all you want...but one of the questions today would be...does your checkbook suggest that you know the grace of Jesus Christ?

Biblical Giving is a Matter of Faith.

the only way the men and women in these Macedonian churches would have behaved this way is if they really believed that God could be trusted...

that He was who He said He was in His Word...

that is why we are using the phrase “biblical giving”...

faith isn’t an ethereal feeling conjured up out of mid-air... faith is choosing to take God at His Word...

A. They showed a faith that transcended their circumstances.

the words in verse 2 are incredibly counter-intuitive...

2 Corinthians 8:2 (NASB95)

that in a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality.

there’s a great socio-economic condition for the church to launch its first capital campaign...

but that is what God allowed them to do...and that was used as the prescribed model for the Corinthian church, and by implication to people like you and me...

and I think we have to ask ourselves...what was going on in their hearts/minds that would allow them to do this?...what were they thinking?...

1. A belief that God would be true to His name – cf. Genesis 22:14 “Abraham called the name of that place The Lord Will Provide, as it is said to this day, “In the mount of the Lord it will be provided.””

one of the names for God in Scripture is Jehovah Jireh – God will provide…does your faith demonstrate you believe that...

it is possible to become so insulated and so cautious that God could stop keeping His promises and we wouldn’t even be in a position to know...

and we’re not talking about taking a risk or being recklessness---you know that...

but we are talking about handling our money in a way that requires taking God at His Word...

2. A belief that God would supply their need…Ps 37:25, Phil 4:19.

Psalm 37:25 “I have been young and now I am old, Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken Or his descendants begging bread.”

Philippians 4:19 “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

there’s no way they would have given like this unless they really believed this...

3. A belief that Jesus’ teaching was true.

do you remember the story the Lord told about sitting down in the temple and observing the way people gave...and a woman came in and gave just a couple of small coins...Mark 12:43-44

Mark 12:43–44 (NASB95)

Calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury; for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.”

and her story was passed down to the church...and some men and women took Christ’s words to heart...

Giving is a matter of faith. The faithfulness of your giving demonstrates the depth of your faith!

B. They showed faith that demonstrated they really were redeemed.

now, we have to be very careful here, but the Scripture would teach us that the way a person handles money is often a test of whether they genuinely know the Lord.

2 Corinthians 8:5 (NASB95)

and this, not as we had expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God.

now, I hope we all understand that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone...

Please don’t walk away from here thinking money has something to do with coming to Christ, I would be sick to my stomach to think that is what you heard...

but the other side of that is, if anybody walked away from here thinking that you can genuinely come to Christ and it won’t affect the way you give, I would be equally sick...

I would encourage all of us to think back over this past year...or maybe even go back home and examine the way you have given over the last year...and ask...does this represent biblical giving?

...has it been a matter of grace, and has it been a matter of faith?

Biblical Giving is a Matter of Mission

there’s an important historical detail that explains why all of this was so significant in the development of the church...

our Lord made it abundantly clear that He wanted His church to be multi-ethnic...

Matthew 28:19 (NASB95)

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,

Acts 1:8 (NASB95)

but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”

imagine the task of bringing Jews and Gentiles together in one body called the church...

that is a significant emphasis in the NT...

well, how do you do that?...provide an opportunity where one group is in need, (Jews) and the other group gives (Gentiles) [not because they are that much better shape themselves]...but because of their commitment to the mission...if that is the heartbeat of Jesus---that is exactly where I want my money to be...

and did you notice...

A. They begged to be involved.

2 Corinthians 8:4 (NASB95)

begging us with much urging for the favor of participation in the support of the saints,

please…pretty please…pretty please with sugar on top…

B. They saw it as God doing them a favor.

2 Corinthians 8:4 (NASB95)

begging us with much urging for the favor of participation in the support of the saints,

Mission driven people are characterized by financial generosity...

last Sunday night, the elders presented our need for another full time pastor and answered questions…the elders had prayed over this for many months and came to the conclusion the Lord wanted us to move forward…so we asked you, do you want us to proceed...

In essence we asked you do you believe in the Mission...

Building Lives to Know and Live for Jesus Christ.

God has blessed us with a marvelous group of young people…and they are a great asset to our ministry…and we want to build into them how they can do just that…but we need full time help with that...

Our worship ministry is an integral part of our church as well…we have to face the truth that one of the factors people use to determine the validity of the church they want to attend is the quality of the worship.

God has blessed us with marvelous musicians and singers who have a heart of worship…and we want to invest in them, and build them up as well...

Remember that one of the principles of stewardship is that God expects us to increase what we have…that takes time, it takes talent, and it takes treasures!

We cannot increase what we have if we don’t do anything to increase it...

To God’s glory, it became evident that many of you believe in that mission..

You understand it is going to be a challenge financially, but your belief in the mission is greater than the fear of not doing anything to participate in God’s mission.

That is the antidote to greed…begging God for an opportunity to give…all of a sudden all the junk we are tempted to spend our money on doesn’t matter a whole lot

When we have a heart for the mission then we evaluate the cost of the mission is worth far more as an investment into eternity!

Which leads to the next point...

Biblical Giving is a Matter of Growing.

I am sure you saw this emphasis as well...but several times Paul told the Corinthians...

A. This is an area in which we should seek to excel.

2 Corinthians 8:7 (NASB95)

But just as you abound in everything, in faith and utterance and knowledge and in all earnestness and in the love we inspired in you, see that you abound in this gracious work also.

now, one of the questions that often comes up is...how much should I be giving?

The NT principle is grace giving…ultimately you will have to determine that between yourself and the Lord...

2 Corinthians 9:6–7 (NASB95)

Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

but there are certainly guidelines through the sweep of Scripture...the Bible says a lot about tithing…a tithe is 10% many of us see tithing as a starting point for our giving...

now, you might say, PK...I don’t see how we could do that...some folks have developed such a consumptive lifestyle...it might take a while to get there...but if the other issues we are seeing in this passage are in place...the rest will follow

B. We can be overflowing.

2 Corinthians 8:2 (NASB95)

that in a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality.

now we said at the beginning that we weren’t going to be bringing in any of man’s opinions...we just wanted to let the Word of God help us evaluate ourselves...but can I ask you – are you doing that?...

this is why the Bible even used the metaphor of thief to describe a person who would not let God’s Word and God’s grace impact the way he/she handled their money…

Malachi 3:9 NASB95

“You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, the whole nation of you!

Malachi 3:10 NASB95

“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows.

Malachi 3:11 NASB95

“Then I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of the ground; nor will your vine in the field cast its grapes,” says the Lord of hosts.

Malachi 3:12 NASB95

“All the nations will call you blessed, for you shall be a delightful land,” says the Lord of hosts.

Just think of the stories we can tell when we see God provide far more than we can ever ask or think in a time that in all human perspectives seems daunting!

Biblical Giving is a Matter of Finishing.

this offering the Corinthian church was taking had actually been a year long project...

and is the case even today...it is often easier to start something than it is to finish it...

the Christian life is a lot like a marathon...God isn’t interested in sprinters, in quarter milers...

2 Corinthians 8:6 (NASB95)

So we urged Titus that as he had previously made a beginning, so he would also complete in you this gracious work as well.

2 Corinthians 8:11 (NASB95)

But now finish doing it also, so that just as there was the readiness to desire it, so there may be also the completion of it by your ability.

It is easy to talk about our mission, it is another thing to complete it.

We don’t know how much time we have left in God’s economy to be actively involved in the mission.

Our end is ultimately determined by God…in light of that we can’t be idle…lets take the steps that are necessary to do all we can to complete the mission God has given us.

Specific Application to Open door

73 Giving Units give something

$412.75 x 73 units = $30,131 needed per month (2024 budget)

$14…day avg.

Increase of $70 per unit/per month increase.

$5.83 more — one less Starbucks...

2023 budget — $344/month

Life Lesson — What Steps Do You Need to Take to Honor God with Your Giving?

Thank you for giving even in a down turned economy.