Giving to the Needy
Notes
Transcript
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Introduction: A pair of Nordstrom jeans is leaving the Internet wondering if someone's playing a (literally) dirty joke.
Head to Nordstrom's website and you can find a pair of mud-stained, "heavily distressed" jeans available for purchase. The retailer says these jeans "embody rugged, Americana workwear that's seen some hard-working action with a crackled, caked-on muddy coating that shows you're not afraid to get down and dirty." The price? Just $425.
According to CNN Money, "The filthy fashion statement isn't actually new—the jeans have been for sale at Nordstrom as well as at Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue for quite some time. But for some reason, the listing on Nordstrom's website caught the Internet's attention…and the inevitable Twitter firestorm ensued."
If you're considering buying a pair for yourself, don't worry about ruining that rugged look: "Despite the prefab dirt, the jeans can apparently be washed, at least according to the care instructions, which recommend machine washing cold and line dry[ing]."
What makes these jeans seem so ridiculous? Customers (with a certain shopping budget) can use these jeans to try and look a certain part. It’s all about image. But how convincing is it, really? We may need to ask ourselves similar questions concerning the way we go about our lives—are we just playing a part, hoping we'll look "authentic" as we do so?
As we continue in our Greatest Sermon Ever series, we are looking at giving to the needy. But not just asking the question, “should we give?” But asking, “why?” We know that we should give to the needy, but what do we need to be aware of? Let’s read...
Read: Matthew 6:1-4
Explanation: This is the beginning of Jesus addressing three common Jewish practices. These practices are Giving to the Needy, Prayer, and Fasting. The point Jesus is making by hitting on these three practices is to warn against calling attention to yourself for the sake of earning human praise and recognition. Jesus says to be careful not to practice your righteousness before others in order to be seen by them. Then he says to sound no trumpet as you give to the needy. Trumpet is used as a way of denoting flaunting. He says not to let your left hand know what your right is doing. This is a metaphor about self-glorification. It’s about not calling attention to yourself as you give or you help. But what all of this really comes down to is that you should always...
Application:
Check Your Motive
Check Your Motive
Why do you give? Whether to church or to the needy. Christian devotion should not resemble you, it should resemble Christ. Your devotion is marked by your sincerity as you live in the presence of God. The truth is that God requires genuine faith not a faith that is fed by the accolades of others.
Sometimes we need reminded that as Ephesians 2:8-9 says
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
No Bible verse about it is by your popularity, or your giving, that you are saved. In fact we are warned that the praise of men is temporary, 1 Peter 1:24 tells us,
for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls,
Church, should we not be more concerned with how God sees us? But, leave it to our sin nature to sneak in and ruin something good like giving. It was the Pharisees that liked to call attention to themselves. They enjoyed the praise of the people. If it is our goal to get the praise of people to feel good then we are no different than the Pharisees. If you have a desire to be liked then maybe you should go sell ice cream.
Our motive to give to the poor and needy should be to love and please God and to make him famous. When we can do this, it shows growth towards maturity in faith. If our motive is to draw attention to ourselves then we rob ourselves of blessing and reward from God. So check your motives!
This all does not mean that we can’t give openly. All giving is not required to be anonymous. In the Book of Acts, everyone knew that Barnabas sold a field and gave the money to the Apostles. In fact in Acts 4 we see that this was a regular practice. The difference was motive and heart. You see the contrast of this in Acts 5 with Ananias and Sapphira. They tried to use their gift to seem more spiritual than they really were.
When you give do so with a heart after God and his approval. Give with a desire that God would use the gift to bring glory to himself. Give as a response to what God has given you! Give and pray that the recipient would see Jesus.
Conclusion: Why do you give? Check your motives. God has given you too much to go squander it on seeking the praises of man! The praises of man are temporary, but the blessings and rewards of God are eternal. I call you to be generous and give with no conditions. I challenge you to give God the glory as you help people. I pray that as you do, they will see the love of Jesus in you and come to know the living savior!
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