Sow Bountifully - Grace produces giving

This morning, I am going to talk about your money, and hopefully it isn’t me talking about your money, but it is scripture talking to us about our money.

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Retell the 8-9 story

Acknowledging the great gift of grace found in the gospel will cause us to give our money generously to the work of the Christ and the Church.

THesis: Acknowledging the great gift of grace found in the gospel will cause us to give our money and time generously to the work of the Christ and the Church.

We are wealthy

Wealthy in Grace 8:9

“Authentic salvation received by grace changes how we relate to our wealth”

Receive grace…give grace 8:9

“Such is the grace of giving. It is not dictated by ability. It has nothing to do with being well-off. It is willing. It views giving as a privilege. It is joyously enthusiastic.”

Receive love....give love

Receive blessing…give blessing

Receive wealth....give wealth 8:15

“Giving is a matter of grace from beginning to end. Christ gave himself for us. We receive his grace, and then we give ourselves to him and to others in his name. This response to grace includes giving what we have.” 1

Implications of this

“The quality of their giving, will match the quality of their changed hearts” 1

“There is no way to grow to spiritual maturity without committing your finances to the Lord. Jesus can have our money and not have our hearts, but he cannot have our hearts without our money.” 1

We don’t give to gain credit in heaven, we give because we have unending credit in heaven

If our orientation towards our wealth does not change, we should question if our heart has been changed by the gospel, or if we are believing a different one.

The lack of receiving grace can never be overcome by philanthropy - if you have not given yourself to God, don’t bother giving him your money, it won’t buy you anything.

Luke 18:24–26 ESV

Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” Those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?”

Luke 18:24–27 ESV

Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” Those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” But he said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”

Wealthy in place Corinth vs Macedonia

US…world If you the average wage of a school teacher, you are a world 1 percenter

Wealth is not just cash, it is infrastructure that we all benefit from, it is opportunity, it is values passed on from parents, it is health care and available food, it is a Justice system, wealth in amenities food, recreation, comfort

Wealthy in cash 9:5-6

If you can leave here and go down to a local restaurant and drop $75 on lunch for your family, and you don’t have to rearrange family finances to do so, you are wealthy

God asks us to match our financial plan with his eternal plan 8:1, 8:5

If you understand that everything you have is a gift of God, it changes the way you hold it. 1

God asks us to image Christ in our approach to the blessings we have

We spend ourselves, and our money gratefully and joyfully for the kingdom of God

While Jesus understood the cost Calvary would bring, he willingly absorbed it for his knowledge of the Father, and his knowledge of the plan of salvation required it.

We don’t ask ourselves....What will make me happy? We ask, what will bring me eternal and heavenly joy?

Neither do we with downturned face live a paupers life because we want the riches of eternity....this is not austere....this is not scrooge-ish. These ways actually cover the image of God. God was not tight with us.

“Live simply so other can simply live” vs “Sow bountifully so others can live bountifully”

To be sure, there is self-denial. But often that self-denial is not us denying good things, it is denying things that will ultimately cause us to plant our roots in the earth, instead of our heads in the heavens.

Joe Rigney tells his own story about denial, in college he denied himself the “luxury of a car”, he bought second hand clothes, and the older the better, and he ate Ramen” ...... wife.....candles...”Because she is worth it” he had the wrong value system. 2

“Wartime lifestyle”.......

Make the mistake of saying the only “front” is somewhere else, sometimes the “front” is our own household and we need to be spending there to grow the kingdom

“There is a way of denying yourself that brings forth your true self, your full self, your glad self.” 2

We deny ourselves

Kevin DeYoung - The P.L.A.N.

P – Pray for a generous heart.  Make people a priority over prosperity.  Don’t think: “How much do I have to give away in order to be obedient?”  Ask: “Give me opportunities to sow.”

L – Lifestyle cap.  As we earn more, we should give more. If you are wealthier than you used to be, have you done more to increase your standard of living or your standard of giving?

A – Accountability.  Set goals and find someone you can trust who won’t be threatened by talking frankly about finances. Sex and money–we don’t talk about them nearly as much as Jesus did.

N – No less than a tithe. Whether the Old Testament requirement is a binding prescription or not, I find it hard to imagine that Western Christians who have seen the glory of God in the face of Christ and enjoy great prosperity, would want to give less than was required of the poorest Israelite.  Statistics consistently show that Protestants give less than 3% of their income to their churches. A tithe, for most churchgoers, would be a huge step in the right direction.

“I fear there are some Christians among you to whom Christ cannot say ‘Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you.’  Your haughty dwelling arises in the midst of thousands who have scarce a fire to warm themselves at and have but little clothing to keep out the biting frost, and yet you never darkened their door.  You heave a sigh perhaps at a distance, but you do not visit them.  Ah my dear friends, I am concerned for the poor, but more for you.  I know not what Christ will say to you on the great day.  You seem to be Christians, and yet you care not for his poor.  Oh, what a change will pass upon you as you enter the gates of heaven!  You will be saved, but that will be all.  There will be no abundant entrance for you.  ‘He that soweth sparingly shall reap sparingly.’

And I fear that there may be many hearing me who may know well that they are not Christians, because they do not love to give.  To give largely and liberally, not grudging at all, requires a new heart.  An old heart would rather part with its life-blood than its money.  Oh my friends, enjoy your money.  Make the most of it.  Give none of it away.  Enjoy it quickly, for I can tell you, you will be beggars throughout eternity.” Robert Murray McCheyne

1 quotations from ESV Commentary Series “Preaching the Word” R Kent Hughes

Joe Rigney “Things of the Earth”

https://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/050615/are-you-top-one-percent-world.asp