GRATITUDE TO GIVING

Introduction

{Exodus 35 & 36}

-There is a story about a young woman who struggled through her life to make ends meet. One day, out of the blue, she learned that she received a large inheritance from a family member with whom she had not had contact in quite some time. In her amazement, she began to reflect on her life: how God had helped her and sustained her; how God had put the right people in her path at the right time to help her along the way. Fueled by gratitude for what she had received all her life, she chose to set up a scholarship fund for underprivileged students. Gratitude for God’s goodness led to her generously giving to others.

-We could say that this is what the characteristic and the holiday of thanksgiving is about. Thanks leads to giving. Consider the early church that we read about in the beginning of the book of Acts. Out of gratitude for what they received in Christ it says that they sold their possessions so that they could give to anyone in the church who had a need.

-Our thanks for what God has done in our lives leads to our giving from an abundant heart. We see this illustrated in our passage in the book of Exodus, where we find the principle that in light of the blessings of God, our gratitude leads to generous giving for God’s glory. I want us leaving here today allowing the gratitude for God’s blessings to lead to generosity for the sake of God’s Kingdom.

Exodus 35:4–5 LSB

4 And Moses spoke to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, saying, “This is the thing which Yahweh has commanded, saying, 5 ‘Take from among you a contribution to Yahweh; whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it as a contribution to Yahweh: gold, silver, and bronze,

Exodus 36:1–7 LSB

1 “Now Bezalel and Oholiab and every person wise at heart, to whom Yahweh has given wisdom and discernment to know how to do all the work of the service of constructing the sanctuary, shall do in accordance with all that Yahweh has commanded.” 2 Then Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab and every person wise at heart to whom Yahweh had given wisdom, everyone whose heart stirred him, to come to the work to do it. 3 And they received from Moses the entire contribution which the sons of Israel had brought to do the work in the service of the sanctuary. And they still continued bringing to him freewill offerings every morning. 4 And all the wise men who were doing all the work of the sanctuary came, each from the work which he was doing, 5 and they said to Moses, “The people are bringing much more than enough for the service of the work which Yahweh commanded us to do.” 6 So Moses commanded and a proclamation was passed throughout the camp, saying, “Let no man or woman any longer do the work for the contributions of the sanctuary.” Thus the people were restrained from bringing any more. 7 Indeed, the material they had was sufficient and more than enough for all the work, to do it.

-{pray}

-To give a little bit of context, the people of Israel are in the wilderness by Mt. Sinai receiving the law and instructions from the Lord as they are being prepared by God to enter into the Promised Land. Part of the preparation is the construction of the tabernacle (or tent of meeting) where God would be present, where worship would occur, where sacrifices would be given, where the people would serve the Lord. But they needed supplies in order to construct all the different parts. God had given specific instructions on how it was to be built, now they needed the raw materials to get it done.

-So, Moses, per the command of the Lord, gives the call out to the people for the needed supplies. We find in this story several lessons how our gratitude for what God has done can lead us to give generously. Our first lesson is that we are to:

1) Be motivated by God’s blessings

-The people have been asked to give toward this project, but why should they? What moves and motivates them? Yes, it is a command of the Lord, and I guess that should be enough. But God is commanding them to do it with a certain motivation in mind—because God has blessed them immensely. The book of Genesis and the first part of Exodus have led to this point of promises of God finally being fulfilled. But the narratives are filled with God’s grace and goodness upon this people for which they should be ever grateful, and that gratefulness should move them to contribute to this work.

-The Israelites just have to consider their history and the recent miraculous acts of God that have brought them this far. They are descendants from the one man, Abraham, whom God called to create a special nation to represent Him in this world. God had promised them a land of their very own—a good land, filled with abundance. Although they became slaves, in might and power God moved to release them, safely leading them through the wilderness, through a sea, destroying their enemies, to bring them here. While in the wilderness, God provided manna from heaven, water from rocks, and supplied their every need. They heard God speak in strength from the mountain, and covenant with them to make them His people. God had blessed them tremendously. That ought to move them to generosity.

-But now consider all these thousands of years later. God’s work did not stop there at Sinai. Through this nation came the Messiah who would be Abraham’s and Israel’s blessing to the entire world. Jesus Christ who died on a cross to satisfy God’s justice so that through Him we could be extended mercy and forgiveness of sins. And Paul says in Ephesians that for those who are in Jesus Christ we are given every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.

-Because of Jesus Christ, we are loved by God. We have been adopted as His children. We have the riches of grace lavished upon us. We have been redeemed (bought back by God) through Jesus’ blood. We are forgiven for every trespass. We receive all spiritual wisdom and revelation. We are given insight to know God’s will. And on and on it goes.

-If you are in Jesus Christ, you are eternally blessed. Just as God’s blessings motivated the Israelites to be generous to the work, so too our blessings in Jesus Christ move us to be generous toward God and others. Then we find a second lesson in our passage, which is to:

2) Use your blessings to be a blessing

-In v. 5 Moses says TAKE FROM AMONG YOU A CONTRIBUTION. Moses didn’t say for them to somehow scratch up the needed supplies. He didn’t say to go conquer a kingdom and steal loot from the victory to get what they needed. Moses told them to look at what God already blessed them with, and from that blessing they in turn bless the work of God.

-Now, it is very interesting how the Israelites had that which was needed. You wouldn’t think that a nation of refugees would have the needed supplies, like the gold, silver, or bronze. They were slaves who fled a country, how did they come up with these valuables? This happened way back in chapter 11. God had shown Himself mighty and powerful in the eyes of the people through the plagues that He sent upon the Egyptians. Before God judged them with the final plague, He told the Israelites to prepare for their flight. This included going to their Egyptian neighbors and asking them for articles of silver and gold among other things.

-Because of the plagues, God put the fear of God and the fear of the Israelites into the hearts of the Egyptians. The Egyptian people suffered greatly, but their leadership was too hard hearted to give into God’s demands. The people were ready for these foreigners to go and they can take their God with them. So, when they were confronted with the demand for all these supplies, they were more than willing to give it if it meant the Israelites would leave and peace would return to the land. So, in essence, God blessed the Israelite people with the plunder and valuables of the Egyptians.

-God blessed the Israelites. Now, it was from that blessing they were to take and bless the work of the Lord with the needed supplies. They weren’t given that plunder to just spend on their own desires, although I am sure they still had much left over after the offering. But ultimately they were blessed to then bless the work of God.

-Yes, we ought to be thankful for every blessing we receive from God. But we ought to remember that God didn’t bless us for us to hoard those blessings. God didn’t bless us to feed our desires. Yes He blesses us for our good because He is a merciful God. But God also blessed us so then those blessings can pass through us and onto others. We have been blessed so we can be a conduit of God’s blessings—giving those blessings away and being a source of blessings to others. But it takes a certain disposition within us for that to happen, so this leads to the third lesson which is to:

3) Develop a heart of generosity

-In v. 5 of chapter 35 Moses says that those who are of a willing heart, they are to bring their contribution to Yahweh. Even though this offering was commanded, it wasn’t coerced. Yes, God wanted the people to contribute the needed supplies, but He was not forcing anyone to actually give. The generosity of the people was to be a completely free choice from those who have a willing heart. God did not want someone to give to the work begrudgingly. He didn’t want people to have a bad attitude about giving from what they received. Those who would give willingly and cheerfully, they were to bless the work with their blessings.

-This is a heart issue. Giving and generosity ought not to be looked at as some sort of chore or necessary evil. It wasn’t to be approached as if someone doesn’t have a choice. It is to come from a willing heart. I think of what Paul told the Corinthian church when he was looking for them to contribute to the needs of Christians in Jerusalem. He told them:

2 Corinthians 9:7 LSB

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

-God is pleased with the person who gives cheerfully to others from the blessings that they have received—not to gain God’s favor, but because God HAS SHOWN favor. And that has to come from a willing heart.

-I think of the story of Ebeneezer Scrooge. He was the most tight-fisted miser there ever was. He’d rather go cold than spend money on coal for the fire. He’d rather his workers suffer than give them a raise. But then he went through all of his experiences and his heart was changed and he became the most generous giver there ever was.

-But the giving came from a changed heart. And our heart has been changed in Christ, and we have been blessed beyond measure. We have freely received, and from a willing heart we freely give. And when we give, we must think of this fourth lesson, where we are to:

4) Consider all giving as a Kingdom work

-In v. 5 of chapter 35 they were told that they weren’t giving the supplies to Moses or to the priests, but they were giving a contribution to Yahweh—to God. In v. 1 of chapter 36 they were reminded that this is for the work of the service of constructing the sanctuary. They weren’t giving to some pet project that Moses came up with. They weren’t padding the pockets of the priests. What they were giving was for the work of the Lord—that His Kingdom would expand on earth.

-And when we give out of the blessings with which God has blessed us, it is Kingdom work—we are doing something for God’s Kingdom. Now, when we contribute to the work of the church, we can definitely see where that is true. Through our giving to the church we are taking care of our church family, we are making possible to have staff that can teach us the word, we are maintaining a place to meet, we are blessing the community in many different ways. We contribute money to the International Mission Board so that the gospel goes out and churches are planted throughout the world. But it is not only in giving to the church that we do His Kingdom work.

-When we contribute to para-church operations such as House of the Harvest or Downtown Rescue Mission we are blessing people through them in the name of the Kingdom. When there is a family down the street and they don’t have enough money to buy groceries, so we drop food off at their doorstep—we represent Christ’s Kingdom. When a single mom doesn’t have enough money to get her kids presents for Christmas, so we buy and wrap gifts for them to have under the tree, we do so in the name of Christ and His Kingdom. When we make and send Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes, Samaritan’s Purse puts a gospel tract in there, so the child on the other side of the globe not only receives blessings they would never have had, but they also receive the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ and can be saved, that is a mighty Kingdom work.

-So, when we bless others from the blessings that God has given us, we aren’t doing it for our own name’s sake or to solidify our good reputation, we do so as ambassadors of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ so that His name is made known and people would flock to Him. There is then a fifth lesson we see in our passage, and that is to:

5) Give from all the resources you’re given

-As we talk about generous giving from what God has generously given us, our first thought goes to money. Somebody needs something, we give money to it. And that definitely is part of our generous giving, but money is not the only blessing that we have received from God. So, the only answer of giving out of our gratitude is not merely to throw money at the problem. We have been blessed in so many other ways that God wants for us to give out of those blessings as well.

-When you look at vv. 1-4 of chapter 36 it mentions that Bazalel and Oholiab were given wisdom and discernment to be able to lead the work. We might say that they were given the skill to allow them to be the foremen on the project—to oversee that it was done rightly. But then it talks about in those same verses others who were given wisdom in the heart, whom God also stirred in the heart, to do the actual work. Men to do the construction. Women to sew together the coverings. People who were able to shape and mold metal. Men with strength to be able to put the pieces together. There was more to this project than just money. These people were blessed with skills and they gave from those skills for the Kingdom work.

-So, when we consider our own generous giving to Kingdom work, it’s not just the money that you can give. It is the skill that God has blessed you with, it is the time that God gives you, it is the other resources God may give you. He didn’t just give them to you for you, but to bless others.

-So, there is a family in the church who needs electrical work done but they can’t afford an electrician. The pastor wouldn’t be any help to them because the pastor has no skill in that area. But there’s someone in the church who knows how to work with electrical stuff, so they use the skill that God has blessed them with to bless others. Or, someone is sick and unable to get out of the house to go to the grocery store, so those who are skilled in cooking makes a meal.

-Money is not the only resource we have been blessed with. We are blessed in time and talents and resources, so we in turn give to others from that time and talents and resources. And then there is one final quick lesson which is to:

6) Rejoice in how God uses your generosity

-In chapter 36 the people gave and gave, morning after morning, to the point where they had more than enough with an overflowing abundance. The people showed themselves to be so willing of heart that Moses had to tell the people to stop giving. Wouldn’t that be a amazing problem to have for a church or ministry or for missions work—people just kept giving so much we don’t need any more.

-But since more than enough was given, the work could begin, and it was a time of rejoicing to the people. They gave from their blessings, they were able to see the fruit from their generosity, and they were able to rejoice that God was able to use it for His glory.

-When we give, we don’t expect anything in return. We don’t give to the church thinking that God will bless us with an even greater abundance. This is unlike those TV preachers that tell you if you give them $1000 God will bless you with 100-fold more than what you gave. That is not how it works, and that is the wrong heart. That is giving in order to get. You don’t give to a family in need to think that they will somehow be indebted to you for you to manipulate them into practically being your slave. You give from the blessings given to you with a willing heart to advance God’s Kingdom, and you rejoice when the name of Jesus Christ is made great and God gets all the glory for everything.

-You know, when you’re a kid, Christmas is all about what you get. Your joy comes from opening presents and receiving. But when you get older, become a parent and grandparent, you can buy your own stuff. There’s not that same joy in opening presents. But you have great joy sitting back and watching your family open theirs—when they are blessed with what you gave them.

-Our joy isn’t in the getting, but in the giving because the One who gave to us gets glory and honor and majesty, and someone who has a need has been blessed by God using us as the tool to bless them. When we get to that point, I think we’ve finally understood some of our Christian faith—it is better to give than to receive.

Conclusion

-So, this Thanksgiving holiday when we thank God for the blessings He has bestowed on us, don’t just stop at giving thanks, but give generously to others—let your gratitude lead to giving.

-There was a study done by a researcher at the University of Oregon that found that the more gratitude we show, the more apt we are to be generous. This wasn’t from a psychological standpoint, but neurological—gratitude seems to prepare the brain for generosity. The study said, “Counting blessings is quite different than counting your cash, because gratitude, just as philosophers and psychologists predict, points us toward moral behaviors, reciprocity, and pay-it-forward motivations. Apparently, our brain literally makes us feel richer when others do well. Perhaps this is why researchers have observed that grateful people give more.”

~You could say that the study found that this is the way we have been wired. Of course, we know, that is the way that God made us, and the science is just catching up. But sin has skewed our wiring. That is why with a new heart in Christ, and a focus on gratefulness for God’s blessings, that wiring is renewed and we become generous again.

-Christian, come to the altar and thank God for His man blessings and ask Him how you can in turn generously give for others.

-But if you are not a Christian, God gave you the greatest blessing in Jesus Christ, who died to pay for your sins and give you eternal life if you believe in Him. So today, come forward and believe in Jesus Christ and be saved...