Cheerful Giver

Cheerful Giver

Over the last few weeks we have we have talked about giving and tithing and offering

We learned that we are to give

James 1:22 NASB95

22 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.

That we are to give to support the work of the church

We give to grow our personal relationship with Christ

We are to because it is Gods first

Then we learned that we are to be generous in our giving

That it is not about the amount tired to the giving that makes you and I generous but it is a matter of the heart

If your heart generous in giving, it is not about the amount, stop focusing so much on the physical when God has said that it is a matter of the heart

Then last week we learned that we are to be prayerful in our giving

We know it seems backward to be prayerful after you are generous but being generous is a matter of the heart

Know we pray about what to give and where to give and then church

We are to nike it

We are to be obedient

We are to do what we have determined in our hearts through prayer through seeking the Lord and then do it

That is where the rubber meets through

And when we are obedient it grows our personal relationship with Jesus

That bring us to today

2 Corinthians 9:7 NASB95

7 Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

After you have purposed in your heart, have you have determined in your heart and sought the Lord

Last week we said to be obedient

What is your heart like when you are obedient

It must not be sorrowful, or done with grief

After you have sought the Lord its on to be obedient but the obedience must not be forced

Does that make sense, it must not be done begrudgingly or sweet talked into doing

It is a matter of the heart and it should be done willingly and cheerfully

That is what Paul is talking about

If you give because we have been talking about it, or give you give because of how much and how much passion we have shown you and talked about in the last few weeks

You have missed the point

We are not asking for money for the church to go and play with

We are showing you truth in Scripture of God direction to us about giving

And church God loves a cheerful giver

God loves those who give not because it is forced or not because it is coerced, or not because it is done our of guilt, or done with sorrow

But church God loves those who are obedient, loves those who give willingly, He loves those who give cheerfully

“According to John McCarthur Cheerful is the word from which we get hilarious, which suggests that God loves a heart that is enthusiastically thrilled about giving”

John 1:22 NASB95

22 Then they said to him, “Who are you, so that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?”

To be a doer of the word is to be obedient not just physically but someone who’s heart is in it as well

It is to give but with a heart that is a cheerful giver

It is to give sacrificial my

It is to give because God said so

We don’t give to earn his favor but to give out of love for my God

James 1:27 NASB95

27 Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

This is what our job is

We are as a church to be caring for others

The church is to care for those who are less fortunate

I am convinced if the people in churches would give as they are supposed or rather as God has called them to we wouldn’t need so much government to take of the people we are called to care for

If the church was obedient in giving to care for the orphans and the widows then we wouldn’t need the government to do the churches job

But might I remind you again that is not about the physical giving it is about the heart behind that giving

Our hearts need to be cheerful in our giving and for that to happen our hearts need to be right with God

The other thing the church is to do is to send people out

Matthew 28:19–20 NASB95

19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

We are to send people out to the nations

That cost money and again if the church gave as God as called each and everyone of you to give

Money would not be an issue about reaching the nations

But rather it would come down to not having enough people instead of not having enough money

Again though church it is not about the physical giving it is about heart behind the giver

We could give all the money we could give and that would meet goals and such

But that is not being obedient to God

That is not being a doer of the word that is simply dressing things up on the outside to make it look like things are going the way they should

Church it is a matter of the heart in your giving

So church let me ask you this

Where is your heart

If you heart is anywhere other than seeking the things of God your heart is in the wrong

1 Samuel 13:14 NASB95

14 “But now your kingdom shall not endure. The Lord has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”

The reason why Saul was removed as king was because he had stopped doing the will of God

The reason why David was picked as king is because he was willing to do and was doing the heart of God

He was doing the will of God

David was willing to be obedient

2 Corinthians 9:7 NASB95

7 Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

Are you willing to be obedient

Are you willing to give sacrificially

Are you enthusiastic about giving what God has called you to give

So church where is your heart

As we move into the time of invitation this morning

As the band comes up

You will notice the offering box is up front

To change our giving for today but we are calling you to enthusiastically to give your tithe your offering to God this morning

TO cheerfully give what God has called you to give

Or maybe you are here and do not have a personal relationship

I would invite you to the front and we can show you through scripture how you can repent of your sin and trust Jesus and become new this morning

Or maybe you already have a personal relationship with Jesus and your heart is not right with God

I would invite you to the front and repent and get right with Jesus

Church the altar is open