God Loves a Cheerful Giver
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Greeting:
Greeting:
Good morning everyone
Welcome visitors
Come back tonight
Don't forget Tuesday night bible class
Wanna thank everyone for the help with the family
Lesson Text:
Lesson Text:
2 Corinthians 9:6-8
Opening:
Opening:
This time of the year we seem to focus on a few concepts maybe more than we do other times of the year.
We talked back around Thanksgiving about the idea of being thankful...
How this time of year we seem to do a good job at that but its something we really should do in all seasons of out life...
God wants u to be a thankful people, God loves a thankful Christian...
As we keep that same thought in mind and transition closer to this time of the year around Christmas what do we maybe seem to focus on?
Everyone got their shopping done?
Everyone got this Christmas Gifts...
We focus on this idea of giving through gifts or maybe acts of kindness or service, but we love the idea this time of the year of giving presents out...
We all have heard and maybe use this time of year, the famous saying, “Its better to give than to receive.”
Do we realize this morning that idea or specifically that saying is scriptural?
Its biblical…
The idea of giving.
I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”
Remember the words of Jesus, “It’s more blessed to give than to receive.”
Let’s remember those words this morning..
This is a topic we probably don’t speak on or focus on enough today...
When the preacher starts talking about giving maybe we get uncomfortable...
Maybe its sort of like when we start talking about fasting, or the Holy Spirit, whoa now preacher better be careful...
Do we start grabbing onto that wallet of ours when we think about this idea?
Do we get uncomfortable talking about it?
Do we get mad at the preacher for talking about it?
Money is one of those things you just don’t talk about Daniel…
If there is a preacher that refuses to preach on giving or any other command we see in Gods word, he doesn’t need to be preaching.
And if there are Christians out there who make a preacher feel bad or uncomfortable or get mad when a preacher preaches on something directly from Gods word, they need to repent.
Just getting that out of the way…
So, this morning...
Do we realize Gods word has a lot to say about giving?
We love to talk about in earthly terms, we all love talking about buying gifts and doing this or that for Christmas, but what about when it comes to our giving towards God?
What about our giving in terms of our spiritual life, in terms of our faith?
This morning we are going to see from scripture that God loves a cheerful giver...
As Christians this should be a behavior we not only adopt but a behavior that becomes second nature to us..
As God’s people, we should be a giving people...
Lesson:
Lesson:
But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap 4bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.
Paul gives us a lot to think about here concerning giving, a lot of ideas we will discuss this morning…
God loves a cheerful giver…
Thats the title of our lesson this morning and I think its important first off we understand what this means for us…
Paul tells us God loves a cheerful giver…
But doesn’t God love everyone?
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Here we read though in 1 Corinthians that God loves a cheerful giver…
So what does that mean for us?
When we cheerfully obey the word of God he delights in our obedience…
And even more so than that he delights in our cheerful obedience of His word…
God delights when we give cheerfully…
Let us understand that as we begin this morning
God’s word has a lot to say concerning this topic of giving.
If we open Gods word and read the New Testament commands for us today, we will see it filled with passages concerning giving…
Some we have already read this morning…
But others we read of and will study this morning like:
Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also: On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.
Matthew 6 Jesus tells us to be cheerful in our charitable deeds…
Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.
When we think of this concept this morning we already know what cheerful giving looks like.
Think about what we have been doing for the last however long in this season…
Think about how much time you have spent looking and searching for those gifts for others…
Do they need most of those things we are getting for them?
No, probably not.
So why do we do it then?
We do it for the joy it gives them, for the happiness we can see on their faces when they open up that gift…
It’s the same reason we are so generous in what we do in other parts of our life as Christians…
Giving to those in need, assisting those of our number with help physically, financially, spiritually, whatever it is…
We do it to give them joy…
We as Christian know what cheerful giving feels like and looks like, we know what its like to give to fill that need…
I think we understand this and have a good understanding of it when it comes to giving between us and fellow Christian’s…
Or in terms of meeting that physical need…
But what about when it when we give back to God?
How do we feel when its time for us to give back to God?
While we certainly could preach on and focus on our giving when it comes to other people, instead I want to focus on our giving to God this morning…
How we give back to him both monetarily as commanded and just through our every day life as well…
Go to 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 with me…
Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also: On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.
Paul tells us concerning the collection of the saints…
That’s the collection, the offering, treasury, whatever we choose to call it…
It’s what we take up as a church each week…
Just as Paul commanded all the churches of Galatia to do, this is what we do today…
He tells us and shows by example that this is something the church should do.
When should we do it?
He tells us that too…
He tells us on the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside…
So every single Sunday when we come together to worship God this is something we are shown that must take place…
Christians when assembling need to give back to God, to His church through this collection…
Now here comes the more tricky part of it all…
How much do I give?
Why doesn’t Gods word just come out and tell us what to give?
We may think I don't want to think for myself, I just want Him to tell me an amount…
We’d rather just be told an amount and be done with it…
How do I know if its enough?
I think if we are being honest we have people on both sides of this…
First, you have maybe those that say, “Well I don’t want give too much…”
I don’t want give more than I have to Daniel…
So just tell me how much I have to give and that’s good enough…
Or maybe we have those who look at it and think…
“I don’t want to give less than is required of me, so tell me a number I got to give so I know I am doing enough.”
We are given the answer through Gods inspired word…
Paul tells us to lay aside as he has prospered…
Go back to our lesson text with me…
Look in verse 7…
So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.
The New Testament is so much different than the Old in terms of commands for us..
Some today try to hold to tithing as a scriptural means to give, and you just have to give 10%, that’s what commanded of you and that’s what you give…
This is a whole other lesson as well, but that’s not scriptural when we look at the New Testament…
The New Testament, the commands we are under today, are different.
It doesn’t just give us a fixed amount, but rather it points towards our hearts and makes us accountable of our hearts…
And maybe we don't like that because it puts the ball in our court so to say…
But He has told us exactly how much we are to give…
We are to give as we have prospered, as we have gained we are to give back some of that to God, and Paul also tells us we are to give as we have purposed in our heart…
The amount we give to God is something that we must set aside, choose, purpose in our hearts…
It’s a amount that we can give not grudgingly nor out of necessity, but an amount we can give cheerfully…
This means that if what we give back to God, if its an amount that we give and we wish we had it back…
As soon as we drop it in that plate we think man, that hurts, wish I had that back…
Or if we are only giving it because we know we have to…
“Well I know I am supposed to give, I don't wanna do it, but I know I gotta.”
If either of those are our attitudes concerning the amount we give, we are wrong.
I say this with all the love in the world but if that’s our attitude concerning what we give back to God, we are better off to just keep it in the first place.
It’s not helping you, God, nor the church if we give in the wrong way…
God loves a cheerful giver…
When we give like we should, when we are obedient to God and have not just given back, but done so cheerfully, it pleases God…
As we said earlier, we know what it means and feels like to be a cheerful giver…
We need to show that in our giving towards God…
We need to cultivate a giving heart, we need to become a cheerful giver Not just each week when’s e come back to give to God, but really every day in our Christian life…
This morning I want us to look deeper at a few ideas concerning this idea of giving back to God…
First off..
I have said this quote a lot, and its one I really try to live by in my life..
Comparison is the thief of joy…
When we think about that in terms of giving, maybe we compare what we are able to do to others and we feel worthless…
Well I don't have much to give, I don't have a lot I can give back to God like some other people can…
Scripture again gives us some insight to this…
And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites. So He said, “Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had.”
I love this story, I think its one of the absolute best when we talk about giving…
We have Jesus here watching these people put in to the treasury…
He has the rich who are putting all their gifts, probably large sums into the treasury…
And then here comes this woman, a widow woman, a poor woman…
She comes up and she puts in two mites…
Depending on who you ask this would’ve been no more than a few cents to at absolute most a few dollars in todays time…
In comparison, she virtually put in nothing when compared to what the rich was giving…
Yet look at what Jesus says about what she gave…
He said, ‘Truly this widow has put in more than all..”
How is that possible Jesus?
This lady put in virtually nothing compared to the large sums of the others?
How did she put in more than them?
Jesus tell us out of their abundance they gave, but out of her poverty she gave in all the livelihood she had…
She gave up everything she had, when she already had nothing to begin with…
How powerful is that?
How powerful is that when we think about what we give to God?
We hold onto, we pinch those dollars, we keep all that we can and give God whats left over don’t we?
After we have made sure we have enough money to do what I want this week, to satisfy my hobbies, my lifestyle, out of my abundance, Ill give back whats left to God…
Is that the right attitude this morning?
Is that the same cheerful giver scripture tells us God loves?
Let us never feel inferior in what we have to give..
Let’s not compare ourselves to others in terms of what we can give but rather let us give with a purpose, let us give with a cheerful heart.
Secondly, this morning concerning giving.
I want us to know that giving is worship…
We mentioned this earlier in 1 Corinthians 16 when Paul told the Christian to give on the first say of the week…
I think one of our problems when we think about giving back towards God, specifically in terms of our money, we want to know what is gonna happen with the money we give.
We want to know where our money is going when we give it…
Something we need to understand is that giving is worship…
What happens once that money is given and its spent is something different…
Thats stewardship, that’s being a good steward and spending the money correctly…
Thats the elders jobs, or the men’s jobs to decide what and where that money is spent on…
And both will be held accountable, those who give and those who spend, both will be accountable for what they do…
But people today I am afraid get these two mixed up, and therefor will sometimes say, “Well since the only ain’t being spent how I like it, then I just ain’t gonna give.”
And that’s ok, If you feel that way, Do you know who are you truly, really withholding from?
God…
Our giving is part of our worship to God…
What we give, what we put in that plate that is going to God, that isn't going to Corinth , its going to God…
Now as we said earlier we could have a whole other lesson on us being good towards and making sure the church is using the funds appropriately because after all one of the worst things I could think of would be to misuse Gods money…
Finally this morning, we need to understand that God blesses us in proportion to what we give to God…
But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap 4bountifully.
Now today we have a hard time understanding what this really means because so many today have twisted Gods word…
Man has taken this to say give me $1000 and God will bless you seven fold!
You’ll make all this money back, the more money you give the more you’re gonna make…
We don't find that in scripture…This isn't an investment account
But what we do find in scripture is exactly what we just read…
If you sow sparingly you are gonna reap sparingly and if you give bountifully you will reap bountifully…
He’s not saying if you give $1 you get $1 and if you give $100 you get $100
Think about what it takes to give correctly to God…
We must open out hearts..
And some may say, I ain’t gotta open my heart, I gotta open my wallet preacher…
Well maybe that’s where you heart is…
Scripture talks about that doesn’t it? Where your treasure is there you heart is also?
If we open up our hearts just a little bit, we only have a little bit to receive back Gods blessings don't we?
I heard a preacher say one time, “We bring God too small of a receptacle… to receive Gods blessings don’t bring him a t cup, back up the truck…”
When we open our hearts wide, we can receive all the blessings the God gives us…
Bring all the tithes into the storehouse,
That there may be food in My house,
And try 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 such blessing
That there will not be room enough to receive it.
God says try me…
Bring all you tithes, your offerings, bring all of this to me and try me…
See if I don't open for you the windows of heaven…
See if I don't pour out blessings on you…
He says there wont be enough room to receive it…
Remember back to our lesson text, in 2 Corinthians 9, read again there in beginning inverse 8 through 15…
And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. As it is written:
“He has dispersed abroad,
He has given to the poor;
His righteousness endures forever.”
Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness, while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God. For the administration of this service not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also is abounding through many thanksgivings to God, while, through the proof of this ministry, they glorify God for the obedience of your confession to the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal sharing with them and all men, and by their prayer for you, who long for you because of the exceeding grace of God in you. Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!
How beautiful is that to hear?
Sow sparingly we reap sparingly, we sow bountifully we reap bountifully…
We reap the bountiful blessings of God…
All of those blessings that are there for the cheerful giver…
It’s not a matter of how much we give, its not giving more to get more…
It’s not us buying the blessings of God, its not us buying our salvation…
remember what Peter told Simon the Sorcerer…
But Peter said to him, “Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money!
We don't give for those reasons…
It’s simply a matter of how much we open our hearts to God…
How willing and cheerful are we to give back to God?
This morning as we get ready to bring this lesson to a close, I want us to know that while yes giving monetarily is important and its commanded of us to give and be a cheerful giver as part of our worship…
We also need to be a cheerful giver each day of our life…
I want to challenge each of us this holiday season, and hopefully let it carry over into the new year and our every day life as well…
But I want to challenge us to be a cheerful giver in terms of our relationships with others…
We need to be a cheerful giver in our time to others…
Our time may be the only thing we are more stingy with than our money…
None of us ever have time we are willing to share with others, we are all to busy…
Be a cheerful giver with your time this week…
Visit with people, it and talk, or more importantly listen to people.
I challenge us to be a cheerful giver with Gods spiritual blessings…
Do we give to others through prayer?
Through Gods word?
Are we praying for people? Are we evangelizing and giving others the greatest gift we could ever give, the story of Jesus Christ?
Conclusion:
Conclusion:
In conclusion this morning…
I challenge us to truly live a life each day reflecting that of the greatest gift we ever have known…
Jesus Christ…
I challenge us to give as he has given and was given to us…
I want us all in the coming days and weeks to stop and we look around…
If we do, we will truly see how much God has blessed us.
Take some time and think about your life and all that you have simply because God has blessed you with it…
And think about that in relation to what we give back to God…
Think about all that he has given us, and what are we giving him in return?
I know we will never be able to truly repay him, theres now way we can…
But that’s shouldn’t keep us from trying…
He wants us to be a giving people in every aspect of our life…
God loves a cheerful giver…
As we wrap up this morning I want us all to take some time to think about, and appreciate the greatest gift that has ever been given…
Jesus Christ and his sacrifice for us on that cross.
Jesus came and lived a life here on this earth, endured pain we will never know, endured a death we cant imagine…
All for you and me…
All to pay that price for our sins…
This morning if you aren't a Christian become one.
God gave us the greatest gift that’s ever been given, can you imagine the joy he feels when we obey the gospel?
When we recognize the gift that’s been given, and we don't let it go to waste?
Become a Christian okay by following the plan God has laid out for us…
If you are a Christian already this morning have we failed to appreciate that great gift he has given us?
Ever had someone that you got them a gift and you could tell they didn’t like it?
That shirt they never wore, that gadget they never used…
How’d that make us feel? To see someone not appreciate something that we put some time effort money maybe into getting to give tot hem?
I often wonder if that’s similar to God and how he feels when us and how we are living our lives each day…
If we know we have sin in our life or we need to come back home, maybe its prayers or encouragement, whatever it may be lets come before its too late…
