YOU CAN'T OUTGIVE GOD
Notes
Transcript
Handout
What’s the biggest misconception Christians have about giving?
That when we give money away to a church or ministry, or to help the needy, it’s gone. they believe this is a one-sided benefit. Once it leaves their hands, they imagine, it has no connection to them, no future implications relevant to their lives.
Scripture calls you not to view giving as A DIVESTMENT of our money but to see it as an INVESTMENT in heaven.
THIS IS OUR OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE UP THAT WHICH WE CANNOT KEEP TO GAIN THAT WHICH WE CAN NEVER LOOSE.
He wants us to invest his money in his kingdom.
And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.”
For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward.
tells us he’s keeping track of every cup of cold water we give the needy in his name.
WHY GIVING IS BETTER THAN RECEIVING?
Jesus said,
In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”
It sounds counterintuitive, doesn’t it? But when you give, you plug into God’s law of rewards. You experience dramatic and lasting returns for the investments you’ve made.
When you give, you receive far more than when you keep.
When you give, IT BRINGS GLORY TO GOD, GOOD TO OTHERS AND OURSELVES.
In my dealings with those who are givers there are a handful of words that describe their common experience; “joy,” “fun,” “exciting,” and “wonderful.” There were lots of smiles and laughter, even tears of joy.
The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
Some Christians are determine to do their part but sigh deeply before giving. Why? They give strictly out of a sense of duty and obligation. Better to give out of duty than not give at all, but how sad to miss out on the joy. Joy comes when you understand God’s law of rewards.
What’s the difference between reluctant and joyful givers?
Reluctant givers give as if they were spending and getting nothing in return. Joyful givers give as if they were investing, anticipating a great deal in return.
Those who “get it” understand the law of rewards and are infused with purpose. Investors don’t say to themselves, “I’ll never see this again; I’ll never benefit from it.” The reason they invest is because they not only believe in what they’re doing but are also anticipating eventual benefits that will come back to them: rewards.
THE REWARD CONNECTION
Eternal rewards are factual not figurative.
They are mentioned 25 times in the new testament. crowns are used to describe their tangibility. and this is just not appealing like A chalet in the mountains, a new boat, golfing on the finest courses or going to the Bahamas. Now that’s a reward that motivates!
Who wants to sacrifice for something that doesn’t sound so great? This is our problem. We forget earth is not our home, so we waste our lives pouring ourselves and our money into what will go up in smoke. Meanwhile, God offers us the opportunity to experience a down payment of joy— the delight that comes today in doing what you know God wants, and anticipating hearing him say to you tomorrow, “Well done.”
His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’
Giving isn’t about trying harder to do the right thing while quietly resenting our sacrifices. It’s about understanding how God made us and responding joyfully to the way he motivates us. It’s about seeing what God is doing and eagerly buying up shares. Who wants to be left out of the world’s greatest investment opportunity? Let’s discover together the life-changing, eternity-impacting paradigm shift offered us in the law of rewards.
THE STORY MONEY TELLS?
Jesus Christ said more about money than about any other single thing because, when it comes to a man’s real nature, money is of first importance. Money is an exact index to a man’s true character. All through Scripture there is an intimate correlation between the development of a man’s character and how he handles his money. RICHARD HALVERSON
A POOR WOMAN AND A RICH MAN
Imagine you’re a financial counselor. Today you have two appointments, first with an elderly woman and then a middle-aged man. The woman’s husband died six years ago. She says, “I have no more money. The cupboards are bare. These two dollars are all I have to live on, yet I feel as if God wants me to put them in the offering. What do you think?” What would you tell her? Likely you’d say, “That’s very generous of you, but God gave you common sense. He knows your heart. He knows that you want to give. However he intends you to take care of yourself. I’m sure God would have you keep those two dollars and buy food for tomorrow. You can’t expect him just to send down food from heaven, can you? God wants us to be sensible.”
Your next appointment is with a successful, hardworking, middle-aged farmer whose crop production has been excellent. He tells you, “I’m planning to tear down my old barns to build bigger ones so I can store up more crops and goods and have plenty saved up for the future. Then I can take it easy, retire early, and do some traveling and golfing. What do you think?” How would you answer? Perhaps like this: “Sounds good to me! You’ve worked hard. God has blessed you with good crops. It’s your business, your crops, your money. If you can save up enough to take care of yourself the rest of your life, by all means go for it. I hope one day I’ll be in a position to do the same!”
Wouldn’t such advice to this poor widow and rich man appear reasonable? What would God have to say about it? We needn’t speculate— Scripture tells us exactly what he says. In Mark 12
And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums.
And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny.
And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box.
For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”
She put two tiny copper coins in the temple offering box. This was all she possessed. Jesus pointed her out to his disciples to teach them a lesson. Did he question the woman’s wisdom? Did he say she should have been more sensible than to surrender her only remaining resources? No. He gave her unqualified commendation:
And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box.
For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”
Jesus regarded the woman as wise, not foolish. He set her up as a model for his disciples to follow. He enshrined her example in the Word of God so that future generations might emulate her faith and sacrificial generosity. And yet, if she’d come to us for advice, we would have tried to talk her out of doing the very thing that Jesus commended her for!
In Luke 12 we meet a rich man.
Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?”
And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully,
and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’
And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.
And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” ’
But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’
So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”
We’re not told that he gained his wealth dishonestly or that he didn’t attend synagogue, tithe, or pray, as most Jews did. He worked diligently to build his business. He was like any good businessman, he wanted to expand by building bigger barns. His purpose was to accumulate enough wealth to retire early and have a good time. Sounds like the American dream, doesn’t it? So what did God have to say to this man?
But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’
So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”
By our standards, the widow’s actions seem unwise and the rich man’s seem wise. But God, who knows the hearts of both and sees from the vantage point of eternity, regards the poor woman as eternally wise and the rich man as eternally foolish. This proves that our beliefs about money are radically different from God’s. In fact, they’re diametrically opposed. We must ask some probing questions.
Who is featured more frequently in Christian magazines and on talk shows— poor widows or rich fools? Who receives the most respect and attention in many Christian organizations? Who is more highly esteemed in most churches? Who typically serves on our boards and determines the direction of our ministries?
Let’s be honest— don’t we have a scarcity of poor widows and a surplus of rich fools? And doesn’t our way of operating encourage people to think and act like the rich fool, and discourage them from thinking and acting like the poor widow?
Jesus did not and does not call all his disciples to give away their last pennies. But he also knows that none of us can enthrone the true God unless in the process we dethrone our other gods.
If Christ is not Lord over our money and possessions, then he is not our Lord. The principle is timeless: There is a powerful relationship between our true spiritual condition and our attitude and actions concerning money and possessions.
The early church exemplifies this connection. The depth of transformation in the early Christians was clearly evident in their willingness to surrender their money and possessions to meet each other’s’ needs
And all who believed were together and had all things in common.
And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.
Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common.
And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.
There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold
and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.
It was no more natural for these Christians to cheerfully liquidate and disburse assets they had spent their lives accumulating than it would be for us. And that’s the whole point.
Conversion and the filling of the Holy Spirit are supernatural experiences that produce supernatural responses— whether in the first century or the twenty-first.
A study of the early church, the poor widow, the rich fool, Zacchaeus, the rich young ruler, and many other Bible characters shows that our handling of money is a litmus test of our true character. It’s an index of our spiritual life.
Our stewardship of our money and possessions becomes the story of our lives.
If this is true of all people in all ages, doesn’t it have a special application to us who live in a time and place of unparalleled affluence? Who live in a country where the “poverty level” exceeds the average standard of living of nearly every other society in human history, past or present?
If you have sufficient food, decent clothes, live in a home that shields you from the weather, and own some kind of reliable transportation, you’re in the top 15 percent of the worlds wealthy.
Add some savings, two cars (in any condition), a variety of clothes, and your own house, and you have reached the top 5 percent. You may not feel wealthy, but that’s only because you’re comparing yourself to the mega-wealthy.
Consider someone who works from age twenty-five to sixty-five and makes only $25,000 a year. Forget the huge value of benefits provided, interest earned, pay raises, and other income sources, including inheritance or Social Security. Even without these extras, in his lifetime this person of modest income will be paid a million dollars.
He will manage a fortune and he will eventually give an account of his life to God
So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.
One day everyone must answer these questions:
Where did it all go?
What did I spend it on?
What, if anything, did I support with it?
What has been accomplished for eternity through my use of all this wealth?
If we are generous with our possessions and faithful in our service, God will reward us beyond our imagination! If we live only for ourselves, hoarding our money and focusing on our earthly comfort, we will lose the eternal rewards God had planned for us. As Christians, we are saved by God’s grace, but what we do in this life will matter for eternity.
Heavenly rewards are connected to our earthly actions.
In fact, they are tangible dividends we can gain by the things we do and say on earth. As we’ll make clear in future sermons, this isn’t salvation by works; faith in Jesus is our one and only basis for entering heaven. Scripture shows that while our faith determines our eternal destination, our behavior— including what we do with our money— determines our eternal rewards.
THIS IS THE LAW OF REWARDS: WHILE OUR FAITH DETERMINES OUR ETERNAL DESTINATION, OUR BEHAVIOR DETERMINES OUR ETERNAL REWARDS.
In the account of the poor widow, Mark writes,
And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums.
Notice that it doesn’t say, “Jesus happened to see . . .” No, he deliberately watched to observe what people were giving.
How close was Jesus to the offering box? Close enough to see that some people put in large amounts. Close enough even to see two tiny coins in a shriveled old hand and to identify them as copper. Jesus was interested enough in what people were giving to make an object lesson for his disciples. This passage should make all of us who suppose that what we do with our money is our own business feel terribly uncomfortable. It’s painfully apparent that God considers it his business. He does not apologize for watching with intense interest what we do with the money he’s entrusted to us.
PATHWAY TO SPIRITUAL GROWTH
When I become aware of a need and God leads me to give, suddenly I’m infused with energy, purpose, and joy. Go back to what Jesus said: “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20: 35). When we give it blesses three parties— God, the recipient, and us. It is this giving that protects God blessing of finances from becoming a cruse of having too much. Ironically, the blessing on us when we give money is always greater than if we had kept it.
Non or sporadic givers can claim nothing more than a belief in God. Those such as the widow, Zacchaeus, and the early church show us that authentic faith is believing God.
Taking God at his word, living in obedience to his revelation whatever the cost because you know down deep in your bones that God will always do what he says. They believe it is better to give than to receive. They believe that even if they gave their last two pennies it would not endanger them one iota because you can never out give God.
By not giving, we rob God and others. We rob ourselves of the rewards God wants to give us. How many blessings have we kept from ourselves in the last year by failing to give as we could have? How much spiritual growth and joy have we missed out on by not living by God’s law of rewards?
When we look at money only as money, and not in light of its potential impact on eternity, we walk away with a shortsighted vision that results in shortsighted financial decisions and lifestyles.
When you grasp the concept of delayed gratification in light of eternal rewards, your attitude toward giving will never be the same. My hope is that even if you are a spectator in the arena of generosity you will finish it as a participant. I pray you will join a multitude of God’s people, past and present, in not just talking about God’s grace but also experiencing it at your heart’s deepest level.
Are you a rich fool disguised as disciples? You believe in God but you don't believe God. Repent and believe God. True disciples, pray for a heart like that of the poor widow, one that lives out the truth that you can't out give God.
On the wall of President Lyndon Johnson’s White House office hung a framed letter written by General Sam Houston to Johnson’s great-grandfather Baines more than a hundred years earlier. Baines had led Sam Houston to Christ. Houston was a changed man, no longer coarse and belligerent but peaceful and content. The day came for Houston to be baptized— an incredible event for those who knew him. After his baptism Houston offered to pay half the local minister’s salary. When someone asked him why, he said, “My pocketbook was baptized too.” Sam Houston demonstrated the reality of God’s grace to him by reciprocating that grace through giving. As Sam Houston did, may we learn together the truth that Martin Luther recognized when he said that for each of us there must be not only the conversion of the heart and mind but also the conversion of the purse.