Cheerful Giving

Signs of Stewardship that Honors God and worth boasting about.

1. Zeal

2. Prepared

3. Gracious

4. Generous

1000 Illustrations for Preaching & Teaching The Big Kick

The Big Kick

William Allen White, the great journalist and philanthropist of Emporia, Kansas, demonstrated Christian insight when he gave Peter Pan Park to the city in memory of his daughter, Mary, who was killed in a horseback riding accident. When he presented the deed of the property to the mayor, he said:

This is the last kick in a fistful of dollars I am getting rid of today. I have always tried to teach you that there are three kicks in every dollar—one when you make it … the second kick is when you have it … the third kick comes when you give it away.… The big kick is the last one.1

5. Cheerfulness

2 Corinthians 9:7 NASB95

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

cheerful - we get our english word hilarious from this greek word.

2 Corinthians: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary Likeness to God

Subsequent history reveals how the Corinthians responded to Paul’s plea in chapters 8 and 9 regarding the offering. Sometime after writing 2 Corinthians, Paul visited Corinth as he had planned (2 Cor. 12:14; 13:1–2). He remained there about three months (Acts 20:1–3),

Warren Wiersbe - Not sad givers or mad givers, but glad givers.

Results of God Honoring Stewardship.

1. Abundance

2 Corinthians 9:8 NASB95

8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed;

sufficient = adequate resources within.

Malachi 3:10 NASB95

10 “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.

Tithe is not required any more. Tithe was a tax. If we are required to keep part of the law then we must keep all of the law. but the principle stands.

Steve owned a small business and had an annual salary of $50,000. He went to a conference where Dr. Bill Bright challenged people to give a million dollars to the LORD’s work. Steve told Dr. Bright it would be impossible for his family to give a million dollars. Dr. Bright asked, “How much money did you make last year, and how much did you give?” Steve said, “My salary is $50,000 and we gave $15,000.” Dr. Bright said, “Next year, trust God to help you give $50,000.” But Steve said, “That’s my entire salary!” Dr. Bright said, “Trust God and see how He provides.” With God’s help, Steve’s business did well and his family joyfully gave $50,000. The following year, God helped them give $100,000. Each year, his family lived on his $50,000 salary and gave all their extra income to the LORD’s work. Within several years, they gave over a million dollars!

Will this always happen? No. But, If you truly have a desire to give to the Lord’s work, Paul emphatically says that God is able and willing to provide for you to give generously. He doesn’t give amount or percentages, but if your motives are pure and you are following the principles of grace giving that we mentioned earlier, He will supply.

A poor gardener joyfully gave to his king the largest carrot he had ever grown. The king was impressed and gave him a larger plot of land so that he could plant more.

A horse breeder in that same kingdom saw what happened and gave his strongest horse to the king. The king thanked him. The breeder protested and reminded the king of what he did for the farmer.

The king responded, “Yes, but he gave his carrot for his king, you gave your horse for yourself.”

2 Corinthians 9:9 NASB95

9 as it is written, “He scattered abroad, he gave to the poor, His righteousness endures forever.”

Quoted from:

Psalm 112:9 NASB95

9 He has given freely to the poor, His righteousness endures forever; His horn will be exalted in honor.

2. Increase

2 Corinthians 9:10 NASB95

10 Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness;

Some seed is for seed other seed is ground down to make bread. If a farmer has a bad crop, he has to choose how much he will use to feed his family and how much he will save to plant next year. God promises to multiply the seed so that righteousness (which is doing right things for the Lord) will be abound.

Not health and wealth gospel because of the motive. One is to serve Christ and one is to be rich for yourself.

A poor gardener joyfully gave to his king the largest carrot he had ever grown. The king was impressed and gave him a large plot of land so that he could plant more.

A horse breeder of that same kingdom saw what happened and gave his strongest horse to the king. The king thanked him and started to walk away. The breeder protested and reminded the king of what he did for the farmer.

The king responded, “Yes, but he gave his carrot for his king, you gave your horse for yourself.”

Quote from:

Isaiah 55:10 NASB95

10 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater;

Our Lord Jesus is the source of abundance.

The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Eight: The Grace of Giving—Part 2 (2 Corinthians 9)

The giving of money is just as spiritual an act as the singing of a hymn or the handing out of a Gospel tract. Money is seed. If we give it according to the principles of grace, it will multiply to the glory of God and meet many needs. If we use it in ways other than God desires, the harvest will be poor.

Matthew 25:29 NASB95

29 “For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away.

Old Saying, “You Can’t Out Give God” is true.

So What should we do?

1000 Illustrations for Preaching & Teaching Comments

Make all you can, save all you can, give all you can.

—John Wesley

3. Enrichment

2 Corinthians 9:11 NASB95

11 you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God.

2 Corinthians 9:12 NASB95

12 For the ministry of this service is not only fully supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing through many thanksgivings to God.

ministry - priestly service. This elevates grace giving to the level of priestly sacrificing. Some churches put the offering plates in the back of the meeting house. Why do we have giving as a part of the worship service? Because it is worship, just as much as singing, or praying, or listening to biblical preaching, or sharing a praise. Grace Giving is a spiritual act of sacrifice to God.

This also elevates your work to a spiritual act of worship. If you work a manual labor job 40 hours per week, you may think that your cashing out customers, fixing cars, running an excavator, or office work is not spiritual at all. But the pay you receive represents the labor that you do and when you generously give some of that money to the Lord. That act of giving transforms your labor into service for Jesus Christ.

Since that is true, think about this, how you spend your money (God’s money) can also be a spiritual act of idolatry. Think of the entertainment that you spend your money on. Does that entertainment honor God and His word? Does it have witchcraft, purposeless violence, unwholesome language, or glorify lust and sex? Does the price you pay go to support an organization that honors God? If not, that is a form of idolatry and we are called to put away idolatry from our hearts. Think of other things that you may purchase. When you purchase marijuana, alcohol, pornography, cigarettes, or sensually enticing clothing. It is also an act of idolatry because you are transforming your labor into service for Satan.

4. Evidence of Salvation

2 Corinthians 9:13 NASB95

13 Because of the proof given by this ministry, they will glorify God for your obedience to your confession of the gospel of Christ and for the liberality of your contribution to them and to all,

The Jewish believers were very sceptical of gentile Christians early in the church. Are they really saved like we are? This gift was a demonstration that these gentiles from the wicked city of Corinth were genuinely saved.

1 John 3:17–18 NASB95

17 But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.

5. Prayer

2 Corinthians 9:14 NASB95

14 while they also, by prayer on your behalf, yearn for you because of the surpassing grace of God in you.

Jon Courson’s Application Commentary Chapter 9

Not only would the Jerusalem believers praise the Lord because of the generosity of the Corinthian believers—but they would pray for the Corinthian believers as well. After all, don’t you find yourself automatically praying blessing for those who bless you? Want to get prayed for? Give!

The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Eight: The Grace of Giving—Part 2 (2 Corinthians 9)

I have had the experience of visiting several mission fields and hearing believers there say, “We are praying for you.” I recall chatting with a fine Christian from eastern Europe, who said, “We are praying for you in the United States, because in some ways, you have a more difficult time being spiritual Christians than we do.” When I asked him to explain, he smiled and said, “You have relatively easy lives, and comfort is an enemy of the spiritual life. In eastern Europe, we know who our enemies are, and we know who our friends are. Where you live, it is easy to be fooled. Yes, we are praying for you!”

2 Corinthians 9:15 NASB95

15 Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

Paul is speechless when it comes to the giving nature of our God.

1 John 4:9–10 NASB95

9 By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

2 Corinthians: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary Likeness to God

God’s gift of the Lord Jesus Christ is the basis for Christian giving. Jesus was the “grain of wheat [that] falls into the earth and dies, … but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (John 12:24). God, as it were, planted Him as a seed and reaped a harvest of redeemed people. Believers are called to “be imitators of God, as beloved children” (Eph. 5:1), and they are never more like Him than when they give.

How did the Corinthians respond?

Clement, a bishop of Rome, in the year 95, writes a letter from the church in Rome to the church in Corinth. And in this particular letter, he refers to the Corinthians as “more gladly giving than receiving”.

The appeal to us is to give like Our Father gave. He the very best and most precious gift that He had. He gave His one and only unique Son. Will you give in the same way and be known as one who is more gladly giving than receiving?