Sermon Tone Analysis

“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.

Accordingly, we urged Titus that as he had started, so he should complete among you this act of grace.

But as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you—see that you excel in this act of grace also.”

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Giving is a grace—if we are on the receiving end of the giving; but, what about those who give? Do they recognise grace in their giving?

The manner in which the offering is received leads me to believe that much of the giving in churches is grudging and that worshippers resent the sense of duty imposed upon them.

Certainly, the world has made a caricature of preachers asking for money; and without question too many preachers appear motivated by the love of money.

Nevertheless, for all the flaws inherent in the act of giving, the Bible clearly states that giving is a grace.

The message today focuses attention on this grace of giving so that we may each participate in this act of worship in a manner pleasing to God.

The message requires digression allowing exploration of areas to be covered in future studies.

I seek to free you from compulsion in giving; giving is not mandated under the tenets of the New Testament, but it is encouraged.

Under the law the tithe was mandated of worshippers.

Moreover, the tithe was not ten percent of earned income as some have erroneously taught; tithing as required under the law was between twenty-two and twenty-three percent.

There was a first tithe required of worshippers which was designated for support of the priests and Levites.

In DEUTERONOMY 12:8-19 we read of a second tithe which was given by the worshippers as duty; this was given to support a national festival for the benefit of the whole community.

In DEUTERONOMY 14:28, 29 we read of a third tithe required every third year and designated as support for the poor of the land.

These three tithes were effectively divine taxation for support of the priests, the worshipping community and the needy among the people; the tithes provided for government, community service and welfare.

Underscore in your mind these were not giving to God—the tithes were not offerings; these tithes were required of every Jew to provide both divine and civil services.

If you insist on tithing, please ensure that you are giving at least twenty-three percent of your income, thus mandating what is prescribed under the Law.

Jews were not finished with giving when they had given their tithes.

God set up a sort of divine profit sharing plan in LEVITICUS 19:9, 10 as He made yearly provision for the needy within the nation.

Later, Nehemiah instituted a Temple tax to purchase needed supplies for temple worship [NEHEMIAH 10:32, 33], and Moses instituted a scheme in which the people forfeited a year’s income every seventh year as they gave the land a rest.

Conservatively speaking, under the law, which is where you place yourself if you choose to tithe, a minimum of twenty-five percent of your income is required, not as an act of studied choice, but as divine requirement.

Under the New Testament economy, giving is instituted, not as a replacement of the tithe but as a singular act of worship.

Giving reflects the joy and the love which fills the life of the believer.

Giving is not done out of a sense of obligation, but rather like the freewill offerings brought by worshippers under the Old Testament economy we give to God out of a sense of gratitude, out of a sense of love, out of a sense of joy.

When we thus give we discover that the act itself is a grace—a means by which we confess that God has blessed us and has enabled us to do what we might otherwise be incapable of doing.

It is my goal to instruct you in grace giving so that your joy may be complete and so that you may worship more freely than you have to this point in your Christian walk.

It is for this reason that I insist that unbelievers have no part in the act of giving since they cannot worship.

Likewise I believe the act of giving ought to remain a part of our service.

Giving is an act of worship!

While the specifics of grace giving are not the focus of the message today, those aspects are nevertheless important.

Therefore, it is for your benefit that I list the following components of grace giving as outlined in the New Testament.

I will address these particular aspects of New Testament grace giving in coming messages planned for delivery on a monthly basis.

You may find it beneficial to make a notation of the components of grace giving as outlined in the New Testament.

Though you may not yet be thoroughly equipped with full exposition of the various texts, you will at least be equipped with the basic knowledge to guide your giving.

Note that Paul speaks of what he is teaching as an “act of grace” [VV.

6, 7].

Grace giving is first of all worship.

Above all else, underscore in your mind that the act of giving is an act of worship.

This one feature transforms the act of giving from mere duty to a high act of divine worship which should be expected of any mere mortal.

Grace giving is the expected outflow of the heart which has been set free by the love of God in Christ and which recognises the loving sacrifice of Jesus our Lord.

Grace giving is voluntary giving, akin to providing a firstfruit offering.

Each Christian determines what will be given.

If it is done as an act before the Lord, we will prayerfully think of what we should give, rather than merely operating on autopilot.

The act of giving is a private issue between the giver and the Lord.

Each one bringing a gift is responsible to determine what the gift should be.

The size and the form of the gift are determined by the giver alone.

This attitude transforms the act from the pedestrian to a holy act of worship.

Similarly, grace giving is anticipatory giving.

Before the harvest is complete—before the result of the harvest is known—in faith the one making the offering gives the first portion of the harvest to God as an act of faith.

Before we make any payments or before we make any purchase, our giving ought to be set aside for presentation before the Lord.

In this manner, we confess that our first responsibility is to respond in love to God who is good and generous.

Grace giving is sacrificial giving revealing a heart which is not overly attached to possessions.

Our gifts should reveal what is most precious to us.

If we value things, then we will possess things; if we esteem God, then we will seek to honour Him through our giving.

Our gifts expose what is esteemed in our life and in our family.

Grace giving is always generous.

Grace giving reveals a heart in love with Christ because that one bringing his or her gift has received the gracious gift of life.

How can one in love with Christ be anything other than generous?

Candidly, the elders should set the example of generosity in giving.

If we love God, our gifts should set the standard for generosity in others.

Without a word, the people will know whether we are generous or whether we are stinting.

Grace giving is giving that is thoughtful and responsive.

Christians are to think about the amount to be given, determining how it will be given.

We cannot dodge responsibility for the administration of our gifts by those who receive the gift through saying that we give and what is done afterwards is not our business.

We are responsible to know that those receiving the money administer the funds wisely and in accordance with the will of God.

This is the reason I encourage members to study the budget of the church and to voice their desires and their concerns.

The budget is a spiritual document which provides guidance for the direction the congregation shall go in the future.

We are also responsible to respond to needs as they develop.

It is vital that we not lapse into a haphazard form of church service, but rather than we both anticipate needs and permit the Spirit to direct us as new challenges arise.

Grace giving is to be systematic, proportionate and faithful.

Christian giving is to be systematic—we are to give regularly and consistently as often as we receive income and in such a manner that those dependent upon the gifts can know that their needs will be cared for.

Furthermore, we are to realise that the more we possess, the greater our responsibility to give; thus, giving is to be proportionate.

As God blesses, we are able to respond with greater generosity.

I do not expect an individual on a fixed income to give the same percentage as an individual with a growing income.

I do not expect an individual with income barely sufficient for daily survival to give the same percentage of one who has more than sufficient income.

Assuredly, I do expect all who know Christ and who seek His glory to give!

Our giving is to be faithful in that we see this as reflecting our understanding of God who is faithful.

Grace giving reflects spiritual maturation.

The spiritually mature understand that the manner in which they handle money speaks volumes about their relationships.

We are stewards, administrators over all that God has entrusted into our care and we are responsible to answer to Him for how we administer all that we hold.

If we worship the Living God, who is Giver of every good and perfect gift, instead of worshipping the gifts which He gives, we will ensure that our possessions are seen as opportunity to serve God.

Let’s review what has been presented to this point.

Grace giving is an act of worship.

Grace giving is to be voluntary, anticipatory, sacrificial and generous.

Grace giving is designed to be thoughtful, responsive, systematic, proportionate and faithful.

Finally, grace giving reflects spiritual maturity.

In future messages we will explore these aspects of grace giving and the associated facets so that each of us will be thoroughly instructed in the grace of giving.

For the remainder of this message I want to encourage you through instruction focused on the impact of grace giving for us as individual Christians and for us as a congregation.

The message is, therefore, an exposition of the first seven verses of the chapter before us.

GRACE GIVING REJECTS SURRENDER TO CARES — “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.”

These opening verses teach us that grace giving is giving which transcends the moment to refocus our gaze on eternity.

The individual giving out of grace refuses to live for the moment, however dark and dreary that moment may appear, in order to cling to the promise that life is so much more than this dark vale we call “now.”

Imagine that!

The Macedonians were more concerned about God’s glory than their own situation!

I have serious reservations about the counselling movement which has attained such popularity in modern religious life.

There is a place for godly counsel; I do not discount the value of wise counsellors nor do I depreciate the assistance rendered to those with genuine needs.

However, much of contemporary counselling is unnecessary at best and a disgrace at the worst; since the ones being counselled need to refocus their gaze on eternity, turning away from the transience of this life.

Instead of working hard to feel good about themselves, they need to discover that God’s love transcends the fleeting, ephemeral emotion of self-esteem which is sin dressed up in contemporary language to hide its awful features from exposure.

When I focus on the cares of this life I can guarantee that I will soon be depressed.