The Rewards of Giving

during a sermon, the country preacher said to his congregation, "Now let the church walk"

Deacon Jones said, "Amen, let it walk"

"Let the church run," said the preacher

"Let it run," echoed Deacon Jones

"Let it fly," said the preacher

"Amen, brother, let the church fly," said Deacon Jones

"Now it’s going to take money to let it fly, brother," said the preacher

"Let it walk," said Deacon Jones, "let it walk"

this morning we’re going to talk about the rewards of giving sacrificially

in two previous Sundays, I’ve talked about the subject of stewardship

you’re probably wondering why I’m doing this

is the church in financial trouble?

does the pastor have some agenda?

what is the reason for even talking about the subject of money?

well, the simple answer is that the whole area of stewardship of money is not automatic

hardly anyone, left to themselves, becomes a great steward of God’s money

a lot of people begin to follow Christ in the different areas of life, but guess what happens when it comes to money?

nothing

unless some teaching is done, and unless proper stewardship is modeled, it’s simply not going to happen

I’ll tell you the two ways that I learned to give

first, I was taught on the subject from an early age, by my mother actually

second, it was modeled for me by, once again, my mother, who could afford to give very little, and yet gave sacrificially far beyond what could be reasonably expected

but the other reason we’re talking about the subject of money is this

it’s because you’re missing out on the rewards of giving if you’re not giving properly

let me put it quite simply: if you’re not practicing proper stewardship, you’re missing the boat

you haven’t experienced all the blessings that come from being a faithful giver

there are certain blessings reserved for those who give faithfully and sacrificially

there are certain promises that will only be received by those who know what it means to sacrifice

and this morning we’re going to look at the rewards of giving

but first let me ask you: why are you hesitant to give?

and don’t look at me in that funny way: "Who says that I’m hesitant to give?"

listen: I know

there’s not a person here who hasn’t struggled in this area

unless you have the spiritual gift of giving – defined as the "divine enablement to contribute money and resources to the work of the Lord with cheerfulness and liberality" – unless you have this spiritual gift, you are probably on occasion a reluctant giver

we’re sometimes hesitant givers because the motivation for giving is external

in other words, we’re forced to give

the motivation is external, rather than internal

the story is told of a pastor who was about to preach on stewardship

he took the drastic action of calling in an electrician and wiring the pews

the next day, when the offering time came, the pastor announced, "From now on all pledges will be made publicly in the worship service"

then he added, "All those who will pledge $10 per week, stand"

at that moment, the switch was thrown that sent the juice through the wires in the pews

the response was immediate – one half of the congregation jumped to their feet

then the pastor said, "All those who will pledge $20 please stand"

the electrician raised the voltage and a second, stronger shock wave caused more people to rise

the whole process was repeated several more times

each time the amount was raised and so was the voltage

the ushers had to work frantically to get all the names and the pledges written down

later, in the counting room, the pastor and his staff were busy adding up the totals and congratulating themselves on the great success of the campaign

until an usher came in and announced that four parishioners had stubbornly remained glued to their seats and were electrocuted

you might not have been shocked into giving, but if the reason for giving is an external one – an emotional appeal or manipulation – then you’re a reluctant giver

you might also be a reluctant giver if your motivation for giving is legalistic

you might be aware that the standard of giving in the Old Testament was a tithe

under Mosaic law, Israel was commanded to give a tenth of its crops, herds, flocks, and the fruit of its trees to support the Levites

some say that the tithe is also a principle for the church to follow, but there’s one problem

besides the time that Jesus acknowledges that he Pharisees tithed while neglecting the weightier matters of the law, Jesus nowhere commands his disciples that this is to be the practice of the church

nowhere in the New Testament is the principle of tithing taught

there is no indication that an Old Testament command based on a theocratic form of government and based an agrarian economy should be applicable to the church

in fact, the New Testament holds us to a higher standard than the traditional tithe

instead of prescribing an exact amount to give, the New Testament makes giving a matter of the heart

if you’re giving legalistically – against a prescribed standard and not out of an overflowing heart – then no wonder your giving is reluctant

the problem with tithing is that when we give according to an external standard, the heart is cut out of the gift

there’s a better way, that we’ll discover next week

but there’s another reason that many of us can be reluctant givers

we’re sometimes reluctant givers because we’re worried about the cost

on a fixed income, or with only so much money left in the bank account, we’re concerned that the more we give, the less we’ll have

and to you, God says this morning:

(Malachi 3:10) Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.

God says, "Test me, because there are specific benefits that come to those who give"

"Just try giving to me, and see if your blessings don’t increase to the point that you have no more room to receive them"

"Give it a try. Give all you want, but you’ll never outgive God"

let’s look at four bold promises that God makes to those who give

these are four things that God promises to do

he drives a stake in the ground and says, "Test me on this. Just give it a try. See if I don’t do these four things to you in abundance"

these are the four rewards of giving

FIRST, GOD WILL MEET YOUR NEEDS

(2 Corinthians 9:8) And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

the New Living Translation says:

(2 Corinthians 9:8 NLT) And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.

he will in all things and at all times meet our needs when we faithfully give to him

he is able – continually able – to make all grace abound to us; to generously provide all that we need

(Psalms 34:10) The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.

God knows everything you need

God is able to provide for his children

over and over again, Scripture tells us that it’s God’s inclination to meet the needs of his children

(Matthew 7:9) "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?

(Matthew 7:10) Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?

(Matthew 7:11) If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

(Romans 8:32) He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all – how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?

to use a modern analogy, if God paid off the national debt, don’t you think he has enough to buy you a candy bar?

God knows your needs, and he promises to meet them

as John Bunyan wrote, "A man there was and they called him mad; the more he gave, the more he had."

I’ve found this true over and over in my life

there have been times that I’ve been pretty sure I couldn’t afford to give anymore

my finances were tight; I didn’t know how I was going to make it

and yet I went ahead and continued to give to God sacrificially

do you know what?

God never failed to provide

I’ll never forget praying in school over my finances, saying, "Lord, I don’t know how I’m going to make it"

and just then, before resuming my studies, deciding to check the mail – anything but returning to the books – and finding in the mail a gift from an unexpected source to help pay my expenses

more recently, the time when one income stream dried up on Friday, and by Sunday night the Lord had replaced it in a most unexpected way

over and over I’ve seen God fulfill his promise: God will meet our needs

promise number two

GOD WILL NOT ONLY MEET YOUR NEEDS, HE WILL MORE THAN MEET YOUR NEEDS

it’s difficult to describe how richly Paul piles up the terms in verse 8 in the original language:

"God is able to make all grace abound…so that in all things at all times you have all that you need to abound in every good work"

the emphasis is all and every – God will always provide in every way possible

he will make us more than abound – he will make us overflow to the point where the word Paul uses in verse 8 – "having all that you need" – literally means that we’ll be self-sufficient

God promises not only to meet the bare minimum of our needs, God promises to go beyond that and meet more than our needs

remember what Paul just wrote:

(2 Corinthians 9:6) Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.

or what Jesus said:

(Luke 6:38) Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."

you might ask, "Are you saying that we should give in order to get?"

these passages aren’t talking about the motivation for giving – they’re talking about the results of giving

don’t give simply to get; but realize that God will incredibly bless you when you do give

verse 11 gives a little hint to us:

(2 Corinthians 9:11) You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

when God blesses you after you give, your job is to give to get to give again

you will become like a Teflon tube with no stick

the more God pours his blessings on you, the more you’ll be able to give to others

give to get to give again

God will not only meet your needs, he will more than meet your needs

third promise

WHEN YOU GIVE, GOD MEETS THE NEEDS OF OTHERS THROUGH YOU

when you give, not only will I more than meet your needs, but I will take your gifts and meet the needs of other people

(2 Corinthians 9:12) This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.

when the Corinthians gave to help the Judean Christians, who were living in poverty, the immediate result was the provision of need for those who were poor

when you give to God, not only will God provide for your needs, but God will take your gift and multiply its effects in the lives of other people

the money you contribute to God will have an eternal impact on the lives of other people: in the lives of the children who are being taught in Churchtime; through the missionaries we support from Toronto all the way to the other end of the world

in Luke 16 Jesus told us the parable of the shrewd manager, and concluded it with this point:

(Luke 16:9) I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.

and the point is this: invest your money in such a way that it has an eternal impact

give so that your money is invested in what will last into eternity

specifically, in reaching others for Jesus Christ for all time

I can’t tell you what it will be like to meet someone in heaven one day, and hear the words, "Thank you."

you might respond on that day, "Thank you for what? I don’t even think I know you"

and then to hear them say, "Because of your sacrificial gifts, a missionary was able to plant a church, and through that church I heard the gospel."

or to hear, ‘Thanks. Your gift helped to build Richview Baptist Church in 1999. Because of the ministry of that church – made possible by your gifts – I became a Christian"

use worldly wealth to make friends for eternity

God takes your gift and meets the needs of others

there’s another promise to those who give

not only will God meet your needs and the needs of others

WHEN YOU GIVE, GOD HIMSELF WILL BE GLORIFIED

God himself will be the beneficiary of your gift

(2 Corinthians 9:11) You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

(2 Corinthians 9:12) This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.

Paul says that when the gift is received, people will recognize your generosity for what it is: God’s grace at work in your life

when people see this, God will be glorified

so while the immediate aim of your gift will be what it does for others, the ultimate goal of your giving is to bring honor to God himself

that’s what God promises

so are you a reluctant giver?

are you in fact robbing God by withholding your resources from him?

are you stingy and legalistic – giving the bare minimum

enough to not feel guilty; not so much that it affects your lifestyle

if that’s you, you’re missing out on God’s blessings

you’re missing out on God meeting your needs

you’re missing out on God meeting more than your needs

you’re missing out on impacting the lives of others through your money

and you’re missing out on glorifying God

expand your faith

put God to the test

see if he doesn’t throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it

researchers have placed goldfish in tight little bowls

for months, they swim in small circles

when such fish have been released into a large pond of water, they continue to swim in tight little circles

they don’t know that the barrier is gone

we’re like that

we move in our own tight little circles of getting, keeping, stowing away, hoarding and clutching

in so doing, we miss out on what the blessings of giving

let’s pray

Father:

what we have received comes from you

we thank you that when we give, you are able to meet our needs, meet more than our needs

you are able to meet the needs of others, and bring glory to your name

so we surrender all and give it to you

in Jesus’ name, Amen.

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The Rewards of Giving (2 Corinthians 9:8-15)