Word of Salvation – September 2024
Money Matters (5) – Generosity
Sermon by Rev. Peter Smit B.D. – 5 of 5 on Stewardship
Readings: 2Cor.8:1-9, 9:6-15
This is the last message in this series on Money Matters.
We’ve looked at:
Ownership – God owns it all including all our wealth.
He entrusts us to use it for good and for blessing.
When it comes to Worship – money can become an idol.
So reject attitudes of greed and prideful self-reliance.
Instead continually praise God and always be thankful for his provision
God calls us to Prudence with our money – be wise, considered and disciplined.
Be Honest, Diligent, Content with what you have, and Care for the needy
God also expects Faithfulness. Be faithful in all your God given financial responsibilities.
Provide for your family, church family, pay taxes to the government.
Remember the principle of the Tithe
and consider moving to this as your own starting point for giving.
Today we wrap up the series by looking at Generosity.
We turn to 2Corinthians 9. Paul’s instructions to the church when it came to generosity.
The context is… Paul was taking up a special offering
for Christians in Jerusalem who were poor due to famine.
Paul asked all the gentile churches to give generously and sacrificially to bless the poverty-stricken brothers and sisters in Jerusalem.
This was a special offering for a special need. Like an appeal for a crisis today.
Over the course of a year Paul had urged all the gentile churches to give, and they did.
The Macedonian churches had been extraordinarily generous when the opportunity to give was presented to them.
2Corinthians 8:1–5
1 And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. 2 In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. 3 For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, 4 they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people. 5 And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us.
These small under resourced churches in Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea were facing their own severe trial (down to the depths poverty and affliction). They were dirt poor, but they had understood God’s generosity in giving them Jesus.
Despite their extreme poverty the Spirit welled up in them an overwhelming heart of rich generosity. They gave beyond their ability.
Paul didn’t need to plead for funds from them,
Rather they pleaded with Paul for the opportunity to give.
For this offering…
They first gave themselves to God in prayer. Asked God for guidance.
And then gave their gift in keeping with what God had laid on their hearts.
In 2Cor 9 Paul wants to inspire the wealthy church in Corinth,
to give generously, just as the others gentile churches had done.
Paul urged them to be ready when his envoys arrived in Corinth
to have their offering prepared and set aside.
Paul didn’t want his boasting about the generosity of the church in Corinth to be in vain. (2Cor 9:3-4). He wanted the church in Corinth to rise to the same level of gracious, generous, and sacrificial giving that the Macedonian churches demonstrated.
Today we’ll take a brief look at the nature of generous giving –
and God’s promise to generous givers.
1. The nature of generous giving.
a) Deep gratitude
Macedonian churches – were motivated by deep gratitude to God for his grace to them.
They understood the gospel, that they had been saved by God’s grace alone.
They were transformed by grace into generous givers.
When you truly understand the gospel of grace it impacts every area of your life,
including your giving.
Colossians 1:6
the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace.
True church growth is gospel growth. Growth in understanding the gospel.
growth thanks for all Jesus has done for you.
Is the gospel bearing fruit in your life?
Is your gratitude for Jesus’ grace growing daily?
The early church understood the gift of God’s grace.
2Corinthians 8:9
9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.
Jesus left the glory of heaven.
As the creator, he took on your humanity.
The King of creation humbled himself became a servant.
He was rejected by the people and crucified.
He carried your sins in his body, suffered the wrath of God for your wrongdoing.
In this way he became poor,
so that you through his poverty would be made rich.
Now by faith in Jesus – all Christ’s riches are yours.
You are adopted, clothed with his righteousness
Freed from condemnation and heir of eternal life.
When you understand this grace
The only fitting response is deep gratitude.
That’s the nature of generous giving – deep gratitude.
b) Bountiful sowing.
Paul used a well-known image of agriculture to demonstrate a spiritual truth.
Illustration of sowing.
2Corinthians 9:6
6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.
If farmers are stingy in sowing seed, their harvest will be lean and meagre.
A law of agriculture – sow little, reap only a little. (Proverbs 11:24-25)
If we long to see a huge harvest in God’s kingdom work – we must be ready to sow bountifully.
Apply the OT principle of generosity.
Deuteronomy 15:10
10 Give generously to them (poor) and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.
Great generosity gives rise to great blessing from God. So be bountiful with what you sow.
c) Cheerful willingness
When it comes to giving (esp for special offerings for those in need) Paul teaches us how.
- Give yourself to God (2Cor 8:6) – Ask God to guide you.
- Decide in your heart (2Cor 9:7)
- Don’t be motivated by compulsion but give cheerfully and joyfully. (2 Cor 9:8)
Rejoice in God’s abundant grace to you. Let that be the nature of your giving.
That’s the nature of generous giving.
Deep gratitude, bountiful sowing, cheerful willingness
2. God’s promise to generous givers.
When you give with…
Deep gratitude, Bountiful sowing and cheerful willingness.
God promises two things…
a) Adequate provision.
2 Corinthians 9:8
8 And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
His blessings will be abundant.
- In all things
- At all times
- You will possess all you need
That covers it all. All things, all times, all that’s needed.
That’s God’s promise of adequate provision. You can’t “out give” God.
God will supply all you need
so that you can go on being generous.
2Corinthians 9:11
11 You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
God gives to you, in order that you can continue to give to others, and not hoard for yourself.
God promises adequate provision. Also promises …
b) Overflowing thanks.
When you understand God’s generous gift of grace to you thru Jesus Christ.
When you give generously with overflowing thanks.
Then those who receive your gifts will also overflow with thanks.
2Corinthians 9:12
12 This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.
When the church in Jerusalem received the generous gifts from the gentile churches, they rejoiced over them.
When you sow generously and give to those in need, thanksgiving is multiplied.
Both those who give and those who receive
give thanks to God
for his indescribable gift of grace in Jesus our Lord.
Application:
As we’ve looked at this series on Money Matters, I have been challenged to grow in the grace giving and I hope and pray that you have been challenged and encouraged too.
As we move toward the Lord’s vision for our future, it will involve our finances.
The Lord will call us to faith, and he will call us to give generously.
As we seek to reach the lost and fulfil God’s plan and purpose, the Lord will call us to lift our giving. To step out in faith, to give generously and sacrificially to accomplish his kingdom work.
But let the account of the Corinthians today remind you;
You cannot out give God. He will supply all you need.
Let us give our tithes and our offerings,
bountifully, cheerfully and with deep gratitude
overflowing with thanks to God
for his indescribable gift of grace in Jesus Christ our Lord.
John Wesley was one of the great evangelists of the 18th Century. At the age of 30 in 1731 he began to limit his expenses so that he would have more money to give to the poor.
In the first year his income was 30 pounds and he found he could live on 28 and so gave away two. In the second year his income doubled but he held his expenses even, and so he had 32 pounds to give away (a comfortable year’s income). In the third year his income jumped to 90 pounds and he gave away 62 pounds. In his long-life, Wesley’s income advanced to as high as 1,400 pounds in a year. But he rarely let his expenses rise above 30 pounds. He said that he seldom had more than 100 pounds in his possession at a time.
When he died in 1791 at the age of 87, the only money mentioned in his will was the coins to be found in his pockets and dresser. Most of the 30,000 pounds he had earned in his life had been given away.[https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/toward-the-tithe-and-beyond]
John Wesley learned the secret of contentment and gave generously to the needy.
May God fill us all with Christ’s Spirit to live and give generously.