Give Till It Feels Good

Big Idea: Generosity is not about doing what we SHOULD DO…it’s about doing ALL we CAN

(S1)

A man’s covenant with a former pastor, to tithe 10%.

Young, not much money. Things changed - as his abundance increased, so did his giving. He tithed $1,000 the year he earned $10.000 - $10,000 the year he earned $100.000 - $100,000 the year he earned one million.

The year he earned six million dollars he just could not bring himself to write out that check for $600,000 to the Church. He telephoned the minister - moved to another church, and asked to see him. Walking into the pastor’s office the man begged to be let out of the covenant, saying, "This tithing business has to stop.” It was fine when my tithe was one thousand dollars, but I just cannot afford six hundred thousand dollars.

You’ve got to do something, Reverend!" The pastor knelt on the floor and prayed silently for a long time. Eventually the man said, "What are you doing? Are you praying that God will let me out of the covenant to tithe?" "No," said the minister. "I am praying for God to reduce your income back to the level where one thousand dollars will be your tithe!"  Story (Joel Vicente)

The man had forgotten why he made the commitment to give; how good it felt to honor God with his tithe...

Tithe (tenth) — Mosaic Law (gift to God)— first fruits...as a thank offering

— Priests and Levites received no land inheritance...had no financial means—Malachi…challenged the people in there commitment to supporting God’s house with their tithe's

Malachi 3:10 “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough...If you do, I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!”

For the prophet, offering the tithe was the external sign of internal reverence; symbolic of a change of heart—one who truly trusted in the gift of God’s blessings in their life.

(S2) — {Mat. 6:21}

Jesus rebuked religious leaders for failing to offer tithes sincerely while neglecting weightier matters. He encouraged giving that went beyond merely counting a tenth to generous surrender.

For the first church...it was common practice—an expectation for all who were committed to Christ

Acts 2:42-47“all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity

The tithe is Biblical—Committing to financial supporting God’s work through the church...is a responsibility of all who profess Jesus as savior and Lord

(S3)

...but, I have to admit...it was much easier when...

...we didn’t have much…but my parents loved Jesus and it showed in their giving to the church. Their commitment showed me that GIVING FELT GOOD…it made sense…added up...

The story of the poor widow...Jesus’ math however, DOES NOT

3 ““I tell you the truth,” Jesus said, “this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them.”

THE ONE WHO GAVE THE LEAST in Jesus eyes, WAS THE MOST GENEROUS—How did those who heard Jesus make sense of it? How do we respond to Jesus’ statement…

Commitment to financially give to the church is…LESS about the SIZE of the gift and MORE about the HEART of the giver.

(S4)

Household budget? What goes in-out? Spending within our means

Revive church has a budget...our budget supports our mission…if we don’t meet those needs then we aren’t fulfilling our mission.

…what I have learned…is that PEOPLE DON’T GIVE TO BUDGETS they give to missions, to needs, to what moves their hearts!

Today we are going to be challenged to examine our willingness to commit every part of our life to Jesus - including our commitment to give...

— Guests...Members...differing abilities to give...where ever you are…are you ready to take a step-up in commitment to the churches mission…HELPING PEOPLE FIND AND FOLLOW JESUS

This is not a pressure campaign; not about doing what we should do…but about doing all we can do

(S5)...giving till it feels good

...the man not only wanted out of his covenant...he forgot what giving felt like!

Biblical generosity can’t begin with us; our bank account, circumstances, place in life, job, how many kids we have… The foundation of generosity begins in a committed to relationship with Jesus

— The question is, are we willing, like the widow, to give all WE CAN for the one who gave us his all?

The answer lies in the very heart of the widow and her gift; and in Jesus’ crazy math!

— 3 truths...that I hope will encourage us to take a step up... what it means, to give till it feels good?

PRAYER

(S6) — {Luke 21:1}

1 “While Jesus was in the Temple, he watched...

Jesus in the temple—church, prayer, worship, Torah…time for the offering

JESUS saw…he was paying attention to everyone who came to worship—Not only was he watching...Jesus knew the hearts of the people

Psalm 44:21 God would surely have known it, for he knows the secrets of every heart.

Marks Gospel - he looked up…an indication that he was praying with one eye open. I wonder is Jesus watching us as we worship? Seeing our hearts… not only what we give, but how we give

Commitment to financially giving to the church Is…LESS about the SIZE of the gift and MORE about the HEART of the giver.

Matthew 6:21 “Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”

Our commitment can be seen not just in our giving, but in what we hold back; what has our hearts?

(S7)

...he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury.

…those with more means, who gave in great amounts. Religious leaders…well off – temple provisions/unscrupulous practices

Jesus had a lot to say to the rich…the greater temptations that come when we have more…

The Temptation of Self-Sufficiency and Forgetting God

In Mark 10:17-27, a wealthy young man asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. When Jesus told him to sell his possessions and follow Him, the man went away sad because he had great wealth.

2. The Illusion of Security in earthly resources

Luke 12:21 ““Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.””

3. The Shift in Devotion: Loving Money Over God

Matthew 6:24 ““No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.”

Those who had more, were dropping their gifts into the collection box (treasury)…making sure everybody heard it!

The phrase – toot your own horn?

(S8)

Collection box (13) – Shofar chests – trumpet shaped and labeled for a different type of offering – meant to support the poor.

{Matthew 6:1–4 ““Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity!

Our piety is not measured by the sound of our gift, but by the way in which we give it… not by size of the gift but by the size of ones heart

Proverb—“Good Things Come in Small Packages”

This saying reminds us not to underestimate the potential of small things. Just because something is small doesn’t mean it lacks worth or significance.

Box of chocolate covered cherries for mom

(S9)

2 Then a poor widow came by and dropped in two small coins.

Notice- No direct condemnation of the amounts they gave…he only contrasts their giving to that of the poor widow

— Jesus’ care of the poor was prominent in his teaching. A discipline the disciples would continue, as a necessary practice in the first church…and still for us today

The widow’s gift is…two lepta (pennies), 128 lepta – days wage…was basically worthless, inconsequential by ordinary standard

— Such a gift would not pay for anything substantial…in the needs of the church and its mission

Notice also, that the amount of the gits of the rich is not measured – only that they have lesser value in Jesus’ eyes—the widow with her tiny in sequential gift is cast in a positive light

(S10)

3 ““I tell you the truth,” Jesus said, “this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them.”

Her generosity is greater than all the others put together!

Seems at first to be a ridiculous statement. Jesus’ math isn’t common core or even simple math! You just can’t get there, no matter how you figure it.

Here is what Jesus wanted his disciples to notice…

— some were giving from their surplus—their gifts may have been large in amount, but they represented only a small portion of what they possessed. Their offering was tiny in comparison to the resources they still retained.

— The widow's gift, though her two small copper coins were insignificant in monetary value, they represented 100% of what she had. Jesus was not impressed by the size of the gift but by the size of the sacrifice and the depth of her trust.

Commitment to financially giving to the church Is…LESS about the SIZE of the gift and MORE about the HEART of the giver.

Jesus’ rational…

(S11)

4“For they have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has.””

The fact that they gave is not the problem, it definitely benefited the treasury...its what they held back...that caught Jesus’ eye

—Biblical giving is a response to what have received from God who supplies all our needs; seen in the poor widows gift.

What does her gift tell us about generosity in Jesus’ eyes...

(S12)

I. …its giving thatsSACRIFICIAL not superficial

The wealthy gave from their abundance without feeling the loss; the widow gave from her need and felt every coin leave her hand—Its giving till it hurts...

This kind of generosity costs us something meaningful. It moves beyond giving what is convenient or left over and requires surrendering something we would otherwise keep for ourselves.

Superficial Giving is letting go of what we won't miss.

Sacrificial giving is letting go of what you will miss.

It many mean...delaying a purchase...giving up a luxury or convenience...reordering your budget...

Its choosing devotion to God over personal comfort...trusting God with resources that make us feel secure.

When King David was offered free animals for a sacrifice, he refused and said, "I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing" (2 Samuel 24:24). David understood that a sacrifice isn't measured by its price tag but by its cost to the giver.

Sacrificial giving creates a space where our dependence on God grows because our dependence on wordly possessions shrinks

Second, what does her gift tell us about generosity in Jesus’ eyes...

(S13) —

II. ...its giving thats meant to go UNNOTICED

Jesus wasn't saying that all giving must be hidden...he was addressing the motive behind the gift. Their giving publicly was meant to gain admiration.

Matthew 6:4 “Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.”

Give till it till it feels good goes unnoticed, because its primary goal is not recognition from people but to honor God and to extend His love to others.

Jesus said that when applause is the goal, the applause becomes the reward. Her gift was her acceptable sacrifice to God.

"When generosity becomes a performance, people notice the giver. When generosity becomes worship, God receives the glory.

A tree—no one applauds a tree for producing fruit. It simply does what it was created to do. In the same way, a generous Christian doesn't give to be seen; generosity becomes a natural expression of a heart transformed by God's grace.

Taking a step-up isn’t grandstanding...its a

Philippians 4:18 “a sweet-smelling sacrifice that is acceptable and pleasing to God.”

What does the widows gift tell us about generosity in Jesus’ eyes...

(S14) —

III. ... its giving WITHOUT CONDITION

There are no strings attached…you give because it feels to God and the giver!

Illustration: The Anonymous Winter Coat

One bitterly cold winter, a school counselor noticed that a young student was coming to school every day wearing a thin sweatshirt. The child's family was struggling financially, and a proper winter coat was simply out of reach.

A local businessman heard about the need. He quietly purchased a warm coat, gloves, boots, and a hat and dropped them off at the school. He left no name, no note, and no instructions. He didn't ask the family to attend his church, buy from his business, or do anything in return.

A few days later, the counselor saw the child playing outside, warm and smiling for the first time that winter.

Years later, the businessman was asked why he had remained anonymous. He replied, "The child needed a coat, not a debt. A gift isn't really a gift if it comes with strings attached."

Jesus; sacrifice…the greatest gift, reminds us God gave before we could give anything back.

Romans 5:8 “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”

If our giving is meant to be sacrificial in nature, then it is to be offered without fanfare—Given without condition—So much so, it feels good..to God and the giver!

(S15)

Jesus noticed all those who took a step up that day to give…

Those with means who...

20:47 (NLT) shamelessly cheat widows out of their property (not us), and then pretend to be pious by making long prayers in public.

Only ONE took a STEP-UP...giving sacrificially, giving without the need to be noticed and giving without condition – out of love for God and for Jesus who watched...

The poor widows giving was not what was expected; it was not about doing what she SHOULD DO…it was about doing ALL she COULD DO

Her gift is measured greater by heavens standards!

Like the man, Its easy to forgot what this kind of giving feels like—The commitment he made with God (and the pastor) was no longer enough—

Biblical generosity is giving because Jesus gave it all...

(S16) — {2 Corinthians 8:9}

…his place in heaven…the comforts of this world…his life…to show us

Its not about doing what we SHOULD DO…it’s about doing ALL we CAN DO

This Jesus said is the greater of all the others

“Earn all you can, Save all you can, and Give away all you can! J.W.

Commitment cards—

(S17) — Giving chart

Commitment to financially giving to the church Is…LESS about the SIZE of the gift and MORE about the HEART of the giver. Its not about doing what we SHOULD DO…it’s about doing ALL we CAN DO

Malachi 3:10 (MSG) Bring your full tithe to the Temple treasury so there will be ample provisions...Test me in this and see if I don't open up heaven itself to you and pour out blessings beyond your wildest dreams.

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Benediction

CELEBRATION SUNDAY

Ephesians 3:20–21 NLT

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.