Spiritual Disciplines: Giving

Bible Passage: Luke 6:27–38

Focus God has given to us everything we need for life and salvation through Christ

Function (life goal) That my hearers be formed by the biblical teaching of giving so that they may live lives in relationship with God in Christ.

Structure Metaphoric Domain Model

Summary: In this passage, Jesus teaches about love for enemies, doing good to those who hate us, and the principles of giving and receiving, highlighting true stewardship not just as managing resources, but as living in relationship with God in love and also generosity toward others.

Application: This sermon encourages Christians to embrace radical generosity, challenging them to love beyond comfort zones, thereby fostering deeper community ties and reflecting Christ’s love in their actions. It can guide individuals to give of their time, resources, and love, even to those who may not reciprocate. This is only possible because God has given all that we need for life and salvation through Jesus Christ. Giving is about relationship not about material goods. It all began with our relationship with our generous God.

Teaching: The passage teaches that stewardship is fundamentally about the relationship—being loved, giving in response that love, and respond to others needs so that they can meet Jesus and be in relationship with God through Him. It emphasizes that true stewardship reflects our understanding of God’s grace and its role in the life of a child of God.

How this passage could point to Christ: This passage points to Christ's ultimate sacrifice and love for humanity. It shows how Jesus embodies the principles He teaches – giving unconditionally and sacrificially, and through that building a relationship through Him that we can have with God our Heavenly Father.

Big Idea: Giving is about relationship.

“Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

Now here is a teaching of Jesus I can get behind. Am I right? All that other stuff He said seems real nice BUT THIS ONE, well let’s just say this is a teaching of Jesus I can really get into. You know, it’s real practical. I can actually do it.

Or can I? Like so many false prosperity teachers we often fall into a trap with this teaching of Jesus. We think of what wecan get from following this teaching rather than what giving actually means.

Yes, today we are going to talk about it. What does givinglook like in the Christian life. It is one of those disciplines that causes you to grow spiritually. I know this is an uncomfortable subject. But the truth of the matter is, what makes it uncomfortable is what you are bringing to it, not what Jesus is bringing to it.

People reduce giving to money, and people don’t like to talk about money unless they are flexing. Giving is the subject that makes the church look like a panhandler or worse an untrustworthy, shady, secretly motivated charlatan. But if you are willing for a moment to set all of that aside I would like to talk to you about Plastic Pink Donuts.

You know what I’m talking about. You remember those “Little Tikes Kitchen” sets that you bought for your kids. The molded reinforced plastic ones. Maybe you still have one or maybe you have donated it. But you know what I’m talking about. This little kitchen comes with a panoply of plastic food stuffs. But everyone of them comes with the plastic pink donut, the one with those plastic sprinkles on it. You know the one.

You bought this for your child, and you gave it to them so they can have fun. So they might play pretend. So that you could delight in their delight of childhood fun. That’s what a good parent does. They provide, safety, identity, values, faith, and also fun for their children.

Now I want you to imagine this scene. A father is working at home. Some office or make shift remote work site. He is meeting deadlines, he is putting in the extra effort to standout, he is just trying to stay above water for the grind. He’s cooking. Then walks over his little child. His little child transformed into a chef. The child comes over and offers their father a plastic pink donut on a plate.

Now what does a good father do? Well of course he dismisses the child and says he’s got more important things to do. NO! NOT AT ALL. No, he takes that plastic pink donut and as the child looks on in curious wonder and excitement, he takes the biggest bite of that donut and makes the most obvious sounds of enjoyment. Once the child sees that their culinary skills are met with great satisfaction the feast is on! Now there is course-after-course of plastic pizza slices, half of an eggplant put together with a shiny red apple. You get a teacup and another course of half of a pineapple with the Velcro still attached. Yes, you might as well stop all work as you are involved in the finest delicatessen dance of childhood fun. You are playing with your child. Interacting with your child. You stop what you are doing, and you are in relationship with your child and that moment will leave the deep impressions of memory that will define what kind of parent you were. Later on, in the wintery years of life they will always remember the generosity of your relationship with them. It all started with a plastic pink donut that you gave them. But it was never about the plastic pink donut. It was about relationship.

This image, this metaphor, for me really helps us understand what Christian stewardship, what Christian generosity, what the Spiritual Discipline of Giving is.

God, like the good heavenly Father that He is has given us so many gifts. Think right now of all the things that God has given you. He gave those to you so that He could delight in your enjoyment of these gifts. He is a good and gracious heavenly Father. He has provided you with all that you need for life and salvation. He provides you with identity, security, meaning, faith and even fun. You are His child.

When you bring your gifts to church as your spiritual act of worship God does not need it anymore than that parent needed the plastic pink donut. You are not giving something to God that improves His deity. Just as that plastic pink donut does not have any nutritional value whatsoever for for the parent who plays at eating it. But it does have relational value. God provided you with these good gifts and when you give them back to Him it starts this divine dance where God accepts your gifts, and He does something with them that your childlike faith delights in. God doesn’t dismiss your gifts no matter what size or form them come in. God is not some disinterested Deity too busy for little ol you. No! NOT AT ALL. He is the God of relationship. He is the God of the feast of victory. Each week there is opportunity to offer up course after course of faith filled offerings and it is this dance of faith that builds and strengthens your relationship with God. God loves interacting with you. Especially by grace through faith.

The only hard part about giving in a relationship is trust. If you have a hard time with giving it may be connected to trust. So which do you trust more… whatever it is you are holding on to… or your loving heavenly Father. Jesus wants you to know that you can trust Him. He is good. When you give Jesus says your heavenly Father will give to you. He will accept it and keep the relationship going. God is the good measure of that giving. He was pressed down on the cross, the stone on the empty tomb was shaken and loosed to resurrection life. Now His giving is running over the edge of the world as the Holy Spirit moves the gospel into the hearts of all God’s children. When you give it is because it was given to you. Remember the infant Jesus on the lap of Mary, picture Mary picking up that child and putting Him in the lap of the church. To look after and to steward the responsibility of giving that generous gospel to the world. When you trust in Christ you will see His trustworthiness come back to you.

Think about it. The moments that you give will leave a deep impression of memory that will define what kind of Christian you were. So many years after you are gone the Christians who came after you will always remember the generosity of your relationship with them because of your relationship with God through the generosity of Christ. It all started with a plastic pink donut that God gave you. Then you gave that to someone else and they gave that to someone else and that relationship will show the generosity of God in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Because it was never about the plastic pink donut or money or anything else. It was about relationship. Relationship through the ultimate giving of God in the gift of Jesus Christ, crucified and risen again for you.