Pastor Slaughter
Pentecost 10
July 28, 2024
What motivates a Christian to give generously?
Text: 2 Corinthians 9:8-11
Christian giving. Sometimes it gets a bad rap, doesn’t it? Jesus himself talked a lot about it. One site says nearly 15% of what Jesus said was about money and possessions. There are over 2000 verses in the Bible concerning money and yet there is a reluctancy to talk about money. Why is that? Maybe it is because there is this prosperity gospel out there in churches. That God will make you rich if you just give. And we see it. Almost guilting people into giving money. And so there is almost a reluctancy to talk about Christian giving so that we are not associated with that kind of church.
We may have a reluctancy to let go. We worked so hard for this money, and we don’t want let it go. It makes us feel safe. Maybe we don’t like to talk about Christian giving because our priority is somewhere else. In the things we have or the activities we enjoy, so we use our wealth for our enjoyment.
But the Bible doesn’t shy away from the topic nor should we. The apostle Paul was writing to the Corinthians. In the begging of Chapter, 9 he talks about their enthusiasm in Christian giving to support the church in Jerusalem. He encourages them by explaining how their zeal for this gift encouraged other believers in Greece. At the point of Paul’s letter, it seems like their enthusiasm began to wane. Now Paul prepares to visit them to gather their contributions and speaks at length about proper motivation for generous Christian giving. The lesson for today summarizes what motivates a Christian to give generously.
What is at the heart and soul of Christian giving? Let me give you a hint. It isn’t some get rich scheme. Like if you give God $5, he will bless you with $10. It isn’t found in a threat. You better give or else you are going to hell. It isn’t found in self-righteousness, I give more than others, therefore I am a better Christian. In fact it has very little to do with a numbers and everything to do with God’s grace.
I am going to read verse 8 and make note of the inclusive words, (all and every), that Paul uses. “God is able to make all grace overflow to you, so that that in all things, at all times, having all that you need, you will overflow in every good work.” What is motivation for Christian giving? It is God’s grace poured out on you. It is God’s grace giving you everything you need both spiritually and physically. What does seeing God’s grace overflowing in our lives produce in us? It led us to overflow in every good work. (Like in the Children’s message)
Just pause for a moment and think about how generous our God is. God gave what was most valuable and precious to him, His Son! Jesus gave his very life. Paying the debt, a debt that we could never pay back, a debt that we owe for our sins. But God’s grace continues. He made us righteous in his sight by giving to us saving faith. He gave to a heart that can genuinely and selflessly give to others. A heart that overflows in every good work.
Now if God was willing to be generous enough to give us his Son, If Jesus was generous enough to pay the debt we could not, giving his life, his forgiveness, heaven, giving us his righteousness, if God was willing to show us his grace in those greater things, don’t you think he will show us his grace by providing for what we need? Yes! God’s grace overflows on us, “so that in all things, at all times having all that you need,” it produces a result. “you will overflow in every good work.” It’s like Gods grace is a hose filling up our cups and the water keeps overflowing.
What does God’s overflowing grace in our lives have to do with Christian giving? Everything. Paul then quotes Psalm 112 which isn’t talking about God but about believers, “He scattered; he gave to the poor.” Those acts of faith that are result from God’s grace overflowing in our lives, last forever, “His righteousness remains forever.” Psalm 112 speaks of the believer’s generous response to the generosity of God. The believer overflowing with God’s generosity distributes freely to the poor. His righteousness, given generously by God, endures forever.
What stops us from giving generously? God promises in our lesson to provide us with the seed to sow and food we need so that we can sow, and he will multiply it. The farmer is generous with the seed he sows. And you can watch that harvest grow. And Paul makes a promise, “You will be made rich in every way so that you may be generous in every way, which produces thanksgiving to God through us.”
God who promises me every grace for every situation that I could ever need his grace. Why do I hold back? For my anniversary, Cait and I got a cutlery set, with a variety of meat and cheeses. We were excited for it. And we put it away in the fridge and were saving it for a special occasion. But it has been over a month that it has sat there. We are holding onto it but if we wait too long it will go bad.
Ok what does meat and cheese have to do with giving? Do we hold on to gifts that God has given to us that we miss the opportunity to use it for the benefit of someone else. It’s like the opportunity to give gets wasted.
We do this for a variety of reasons. I think there can be a reluctancy to giving because fear, or worry, or selfishness. I never known what it is to be in want. I have what I need. But your story maybe different. And you have a worry or a fear that you will have what you need. This worry and fear lead us to doubt God’s promise that he will provide for you. We might not give because we think that it good for someone else to do it. Just not me. Or that we simply want to focus on purchasing the things for ourselves, for our enjoyment, that we miss the opportunity to help someone in need.
Like holding on the meat and cheese, waiting to enjoy it and before we know it goes bad. Likewise, if we simply hold on to it, we miss out on something wonderful. We miss out on the opportunity to be a part of the ministry. Verse 11 again says, “You will be made rich in every way so that you may be generous in every way, which produces thanksgiving to God through us.” You miss the opportunity to be generous.
Paul never mentions how much to give. He doesn’t limit our giving by putting a percent or number. It’s not so much about the number but rather the attitude of our giving. The EHV and NIV translate a Greek word as “generous” which can be understood correctly. But the word really means “single-mindedness” The idea is that giving comes from the heart. Not in order to get, or to be recognized. But out of thanks for riches that God has given to us.
Paul mentions something awesome that happens with our gifts. He says, “which produces thanksgiving to God through us.” Follow the line of thought here. God gives to us grace which overflows in our lives both spiritually and physically. God’s grace not only gives us the assurance that he will provide for our needs but will also provide for us in a way that we can provide for someone else in need. What is the result? People are thanking and praising God. I bet the brothers in sisters in Jerusalem who received this gift praised God. But Paul did as well. It is amazing that God provides for us and uses us to help provide for others and it results in God being praised.
I came back from vacation and looked at the parking lot fun and where it is at. Pessimistically when we started, I wondered how in all the world would we be able cover this. And now it is 113,000. And I praise God that you have it in your hearts for the maintenance and upkeep of God’s house.
If you were not at the last voter’s meeting, we adopted a budget that had some major cost increases. Insurance last year went up 11%. And it is projected to go up another 12% which is $22,000 dollar increase. And our building insurance is going up 32% which is over $8,000. We definitely have a need here, don’t we? I am not saying this to scare you but to inform you.
What motivates a Christian to give generously? It is looking at how God’s grace has overflown into our lives and the promise he makes to provide what we need and to provide what we can give. Maybe it is time to think and evaluate what we give. Do my offerings reflect a trust that God will provide? Do my offerings reflect a desire to help support the ministry (could be here or elsewhere)? Do my offerings reflect an attitude of thanks for what God has given to me? When we contribute and give from what God has provided for us, God is glorified. People give thanks to God. For example, some of your offerings go to help support operating a school. I heard from a few families last year how blessed they feel sending their children here. They were giving thanks to God for the ministry you support. And God is glorified. Amen.