"A GIVING GUIDE"
Look Up: 2
Corinthians 9:6-15
Sermon preached by Dr. Wayne
Poplin, Senior Pastor of
Carmel Baptist Church, Matthews, NC
INTRODUCTION:
I have been giving money to the Lord
through the church as long as I can remember. This practice goes all the
way back to my childhood. The first memories I have of giving is giving
what my parents gave me to give [that is probably true for many of you].
When I didn’t have any money of my own, they gave me some money to put in my
envelope so I could personally give it [quarter or a dollar—I don’t remember
anything smaller than a quarter]. Back then you got 20 points out of a 100
for giving [If you showed up it was 10, 10 for being on time, 20 or giving, 20
for attending worship, 30 for studying your lesson]. I am not sure who was
keeping score but checking off the boxes was important to me.
Then, a little later, when I made some money [this is low level
earning]—helping someone with a task, making good grades—my parents taught
me to tithe the amount and give the tithe for my offering. I first learned
the principle of tithing from my parents. My church taught tithing, but as
a child I picked up that message first from my parents who taught me and modeled
it. It was my parents who got me giving and gave me my first instruction
about giving.
Parents, if you have little children, you are the ones who enable them to be
early givers, and you are the ones giving them their first lessons about giving.
What are you teaching them? As they grow, what you model and teach them
about giving will have tremendous effect on them You may not have
had that growing up, but it ought to be something you are providing for your
children
Later on when I got a job [a teenager and still living at home], I continued to
figure the tithe out my earnings for my offering. I continued to practice
what I had been taught. But at some point when I got on my own—got
married—the bills began to come--I had to make my own decisions about giving.
Was I going to continue to give? Was I going to continue to give as I had
been taught? Were my parents right about what they taught? What did
the Bible have to say about giving? After those questions are answered,
then you move on to questions like: How do I grow in my giving? Am I
a cheerful giver? Is my giving pleasing to God? Where is my heart?
Every follower of Christ needs to wrestle with these questions.
We need to understand and believe that money is a tool to be
used, not loved. And as a tool, it is to be used to fulfill God’s
purposes for our lives. Today, I want us to look at 4 purposes and how
money can be used as a tool to fulfill them. These purposes give us
direction for our giving and also help us to measure how well we are doing in
the area of giving.
Let’s consider this passage on giving.
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and
whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give
what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion,
for God loves a cheerful giver. 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. As it is written:
“He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor;
Now
He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and
increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.
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.
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. Because of
the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the
obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your
generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. And in their
prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace
God has given you. Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift [2
Corinthians 9:6-15].
I.
God Wants Our Giving to Express Worship
The
worship is expressed before we even get to church. Look at verses 7 and 8.
The decision about giving comes out of a heart that has experienced the grace of
God. The decision about giving comes out of a heart that acknowledges
God’s ownership of all that we have, His incredible love [indescribable
gift—vs. 15], and His goodness. It is that worshiping heart that decides
the gift. Our giving is tied to our personal worship and is the
expression of that worship. My giving indicates where my treasure is
[Matthew
But our worship also is tied to the church. The Bible teaches that I give
where I worship and when I worship.
On the first day of the week, each one of you should set aside a sum of
money in keeping with his income….[1 Cor. 16:2].
Our giving is to be regular, planned and proportional. Our giving at
church is an expression of our worship.
Our giving leads to the expression of worship in others. Look again at vv.
11, 12 and 13.
Because I worship Him, I do not sow sparingly [vs. 6]. That means that I
do not hold back. God did not spare His Son [Rom.
Is our giving an expression of worship to the Living and
Loving God? Does our giving testify to the fact that He is our treasure?
Does it testify to the fact that we are seeking the Kingdom first?
Our giving should be
accomplishing this purpose: to express worship.
II.
God Wants Our Giving to Encourage Fellowship
God wants
us to use our money to encourage fellowship, connection and caring in the body.
He wants us to give to meet the needs of this body, His people [vs. 12].
We see that in the early church in Acts. They used their money to care and
meet needs.
Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he
had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts
[Acts
We should be using our money to meet needs. You spend money to prepare
meals for those who have a need. You spend money to give gifts that meet a
need, help furnish a home, etc. The neat thing is that as we give to our
church [the budget] some of our money is being used for the same purposes.
Some of our money should be used for hospitality.
Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality
[Rom.
Spend some
of your money taking someone to lunch. Spend some money on having someone
over to eat. God wants our giving to encourage fellowship,
connecting within the body and caring for the body’s needs.
Our giving
should be expressing our growth, causing our growth and contributing to our
growth. Giving is tied to the development of my character. What my
hands do with money shows what my heart is doing with God. Or what I do
with my money shows what I believe God is doing with me. What money is to
me shows what God is to me. Jesus said:
A man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possession [Luke
No, it
consists in his relationship with God. What we do with our money shows
where we believe life—the joy, love, hope, security, meaning and freedom—is
found.
Seeing how my giving is used to meet other’s needs,
and seeing how my giving results in others praising God, and experiencing the
blessing of His abounding grace effects my growth.
We should be using some of our money to invest in our growth. We should be
investing in books and resources that help develop and stimulate our spiritual
lives. Take a course that will do the same. Go on a retreat.
Go on a mission trip. Invest in somebody else’s growth by enabling them
to do the same [your children with camps, etc., but also some who do not have
the means to do it themselves].
God wants our giving to effect our growth..
IV.
God Wants Our Giving to Expand Our Ministry
We give to
expand our ministry here and around the world [vs. 13. “sharing with them and
with everyone else”]. I am made in the image of God. He has a
kingdom and so do I. A kingdom is a sphere of personal power where what
you say goes. I expand my kingdom with my giving. We are doing that
in our giving to our budget that supports ministry and missions. But you
are also doing it in ways beyond our church budget.
As we do that, we “enlarge the harvest of our righteousness” [vs. 10].
As I give, I spread righteousness. My ministry goes world-wide. I am
helping to bring the
God wants us to give to expand our ministry.
These are
4 of God’s great purposes for our giving. These purposes give us
direction for our giving. These purposes give us a way to measure our
giving as it relates to the purposes of God. The best way to remember
these purposes is to note they are the same as our discipleship tract—WORSHIP,
CONNECT,
What would
happen if all of us practiced this kind of giving? What would it mean if
parents taught their children to do this? 2 Cor. 9:6ff. tells us.
There would be great joy in the Lord, abounding grace, an enlarging of the
harvest of righteousness, the meeting of needs, the expression of great
thanksgiving and praise to God as the