Take God At His Word
Take God At His Word • Sermon • Submitted
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Giving
A little girl was given two dollars by her father. He told her that she could do anything she wanted with one and that the other was to be given to God on Sunday at church. The girl nodded in agreement and asked if she could go to the candy store. With visions of all that she could buy with her dollar, she happily skipped toward the store, holding tightly to the two dollars in her hand. As she was skipping along, she tripped and fell and the wind blew one of the dollars into a storm drain at the curb. Picking herself up, the little girl looked at the dollar still in her hand and then at the storm drain and said, “Well, Lord, there goes your dollar.”
Sadly, many of us Christians have the same attitude toward giving. First me, then God.
We live in a world where there is a complete misunderstanding to the concept of giving. We come to worship and we can see God’s part in singing, in praying, in communion, and in the presentation of His word but we miss where he is in giving. I believe that we do not see Him in our giving and tend not to take it as important. But I want you all to not make the same mistake of the little girl and neglect to give to God properly. God tells us exactly what he will do for us through our giving in His word. God has told us that He will multiply the harvest when we give. He will take our monetary gifts, multiply what they produce, and turn them into praise so that others may see Him!
Do you believe God?
Do you believe that the Bible is the word of God?
Will you take God at His word?
In today’s text of we catch up with the writer Paul who writes to a congregation who is enamored with “Super Apostles”, so called godly men who speak well and look good on the outside but are in reality demons. But in our pericope we find that Paul reminds the Corinth church of what giving should look like. He lets them know that he will soon come to collect money for the church at Jerusalem who are suffering through a famine. Some of the Christians in Jerusalem have nothing because they have remained since the day of Pentecost and have no family support. Some have lost familial support because they have become Christians. And not to mention the widows who need help as well. Paul commends them on how they have been giving and reminds them that he will come soon to collect and proceeds to enlighten them on how God works through giving.
27 At that time prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 One of them named Agabus stood up and predicted by the Spirit that there would be a severe famine over all the world; and this took place during the reign of Claudius. 29 The disciples determined that according to their ability, each would send relief to the believers living in Judea; 30 this they did, sending it to the elders by Barnabas and Saul.
Please turn your Bibles with me to
Your Part In Giving
Your Part In Giving
6 The point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
Paul paints the picture of someone who works in agriculture. One who sows seed.
Paul says if you spread a little bit of seeds, then you will not get a lot of plants/fruits. Also he states If you spread more seeds, then you will get a lot of plants fruits.
But here’s what is interesting in what he states.
To Sow- Spreading seed on tilled ground.
To till the ground is to break up the rough exterior in order for growth to be possible. The bad things that are growing will be broken up and turn into compost. Those bad things that are broken up turn into the fuel which will promote growth! God does not ask Christians to break up the ground. He does not ask us to prepare the soil. Paul is telling us to invest in things in which God has already prepared. God knows that someone is going to be low on money and miss their house payment, He knows that there is going to be a child who has worked hard but still not able to pay their way to Lads to Leaders, He knows that ministers are more effective when they don’t have to work multiple jobs. So God works the soil, breaking up tough conditions in peoples lives, bringing it to the attention of the church, daring us to sow into the soil that He has produced and the question that comes is this...
How much will you put into what God has prepared?
What’s so interesting about what Paul says is this. He says that when you give YOU will reap bountifully. You will get something back!
7 Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
“…made up your mind”: You must give thought to what you give. When you give it should not be a time where your reaching into your wallets or purses and giving whatever comes out. It should be thought about ahead of time. Given much consideration. Giving should not be divorced from THOUGHT.
“reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”: Giving is also about attitude. If you are not happy when you are giving what you are giving then there is a problem. You are not a TRUE participant in what God is doing.
ἱλαρός (hilaros): sounds like hilarious!
Give because you WANT to give.
Put thought ahead of time of what you will give.
Be happy about what you give. God LOVES that!
2
8 And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work.
God is able to provide you freely with anything and everything that you can imagine and then some!
If God loves how you give He will show you how it’s really done and give to you!
This is NOT prosperity Gospel!
Now this is not some prosperity Gospel, where we tell you to give more so that you can have more money for yourself!
Prosperity theology (sometimes referred to as the prosperity gospel, the health and wealth gospel, the gospel of success or seed faith) is a religious belief among some Christians, who hold that financial blessing and physical well-being are always the will of God for them, and that faith, positive speech, and donations to religious causes will increase one's material wealth. Prosperity theology views the Bible as a contract between God and humans: if humans have faith in God, he will deliver security and prosperity.
8 And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work.
“…so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work.”
God will make sure that you have ENOUGH of everything so that you can GIVE MORE.
You will always have more than enough food, clothes, shelter, etc so that you can in turn SHARE what you have!
God wants for you to be a participant in what He is doing! Be a part of His work!
God will GIVE you MORE when you GIVE so that you can SHARE MORE! Take God at His Word!
9 As it is written, “He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.”
Paul quotes from which is a Psalm that speaks about righteous and wicked people. How the righteous will prevail and how the wicked will perish.
9 They have distributed freely, they have given to the poor; their righteousness endures forever; their horn is exalted in honor.
In this Psalm the righteous person is described as one who gives freely. Not giving money for show so that they look good, but giving to those who are lacking. Those people who give in this way are exalted and honored.
Paul calls the Corinth Church to do what is right in the eyes of God. He explains to them how to give and what giving produces. If you give more, more will be produced for you and the recipient. If you give little the same will apply. Paul urges us to be give plentiful with thought and good attitudes.
What Giving Produces
What Giving Produces
10 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.
Paul wants them to understand that the seed they posses was given to them by God. And God gives us what we need and want.
God gives us what we give. He owns it and gives us more always . There is no one here who gives 100% of what God has given us.
The money you receive from jobs, retirement, disability, etc. came from God.
Paul tells them that God will multiply what you have!
IF what you have is for sowing!
“…will supply and multiply your seed for sowing ...”
If your goal is to give more to get more, then don’t expect God to multiply your “seed”.
If your goal is to give more to GIVE more, then watch God multiply what you have to give!
“…increase the harvest of your righteousness.”
God will increase what is produced by your giving!
If a person is fed through your giving, God will feed more!
If a congregation is able to fellowship through your giving, God will increase the love and fellowship!
If a minister is able to make a living through your giving, God will increase that ability and bless more people!
God will cause what you give to yield more than expected!
11 You will be enriched in every way for your great generosity, which will produce thanksgiving to God through us;
Paul states that God will make you rich in every way based on your generosity.
If you have an open hand God will fill it with ore than you can hold!
If you have a hand that is open to give, God will give you more than you can hold!
Who really benefits from an open hand?
“…which will produce thanksgiving to God through us...”
εὐχαριστία (Thanksgiving)- To express gratitude for benefits or blessing.
When we give to those who LACK it turns their attention from what they lack towards a God who will give them what is really important, salvation! They will focus on a God that will give them needs and then some!
When we give to those who LACK it turns their attention from what they lack towards a God who will give them what is really important, salvation!
When a baby has a wet diaper or is hungry nothing else in the world matters. They cannot see the loving parents. They cannot see the safe environment provided for them. They cannot see that there is another meal or dry diaper coming. The only thing a baby in need can focus on is the NEED that needs to be met. But when that NEED is met, what is important can again be focused on! When we give we provide a way for needs to be met so that people can SEE God!
We play a part in the work of God when we give. Giving causes those in need to see God! When we have the ability to focus less on this world we can see what God has to offer beyond it!
12 for the rendering of this ministry not only supplies the needs of the saints but also overflows with many thanksgivings to God.
Paul tells them that more than just money is involved in giving. God is identified and given thanks through giving!
13 Through the testing of this ministry you glorify God by your obedience to the confession of the gospel of Christ and by the generosity of your sharing with them and with all others,
Through this ministry you are proven to be what you really are.
You find out exactly who you are based on how you give.
You speak to how good God is based on how you give.
Your contribution reveals how Good God truly is.
You show how truly committed to Christ and the Gospel.
You made a confession that you were committed to Christ and what he did. Your giving shows if that was true.
Through the ministry of giving you are proven to be who you really are. (Real diamond test)
Through giving you speak to how good God is based on how (attitude,thought) you give.
Through giving you show how truly committed to you are to Christ and the Gospel.
How you give proves/reveals who you are.
14 while they long for you and pray for you because of the surpassing grace of God that he has given you.
Paul explains that those whose needs are being met will in turn pray for you based on what He has given you.
They will pray that God keeps blessing you in abundance!
Giving produces an endless loop of needs being met among the people of God.
15 Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!
Paul ends this by describing Giving as a gift from God!
In giving God has setup a way for everyone involved (those with plenty/those lacking) to get exactly what they need and then some! When God gives He gives in a way that cannot be matched!
Conclusion
Conclusion
Illustrations for Biblical Preaching Giving, Humorous
A family sat down at the dinner table following church one Sunday.
“The sermon was boring today,” said the teenage son.
“Yeah, could you believe how the pastor stumbled over the reading of the Scripture?” his sister chimed in.
“I’ve got to admit it was an uninspiring day,” said Mother. “The choir was terrible.”
Finally, father, showing his leadership, said, “Hush, you guys. Quit complaining. What did you expect for a quarter?”
When it comes to giving, God has stated that you get by how you give. Do you believe Him?
