Study# | When You Give

Scripture:

2Corinthians 9:6-8:

6: But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.

7: Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

8: And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:

Theme:

When you GIVE

Introduction:

The text is taken from Paul’s second letter to the church in Corinth. Paul incessantly impresses upon the church the need for order and structure within their young church…not based on divine commandment but instead on human permission, as he says in 1Corinthians 7:6, “But I speak this by permission, and not of commandment.”
- This is an example of the authority of the scripture being based upon divine inspiration and not divine commandment.
- As Christians, we inherently believe that the bible, in its entirety, is the divinely inspired Word of God.
One trait indicative of human beings is selfishness. We as people are naturally selfish in that we are dangerously addicted to our possessions.
Our society is couched in our selfish nature by structuring its law on “possession is 9/10s of the law”.
Our family founds its resources of development and learning for children on how one treats one’s OWN possessions and how one shares its OWN possessions with others…SELFISH
As individuals we are judged by what we own, possess, and claim; therefore, we are rather unwilling to give what we have to others for fear of losing our identity or status. The rich young ruler was a prime example in how, when asked to give all that he had to the poor, he “went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.” (Matthew 19:22)
“A gift isn’t yours until you give it away” is a principle that we have heard and grown up with over the generations. The only problem with this principle is that, just like the rich young ruler, we don’t truly want to give our gifts away. However, as Christians, we have to learn to give and give copiously. The most famous principle that we have known is in Acts 20:35 where it says “…to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

Body:

Resources to GIVE for the Christian (two categories):

Matthew 23:23, “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.”

Both are required and important
- Tithe >> to GOD’S HOUSE
- “weightier matters” >> to GOD
“Weightier matters” are more important than the tithe
Of the world (Tithe)
- Money (“things” of value) — Leviticus 27:30, “And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s: it is holy unto the Lord.” – A TENTH
Spiritual (Weightier Matters)
- Time — 1Peter 1:17, “And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:” — ALL (time spent in the fear of God)
- Self (Free Will) – Mark 8:34, “And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” — ALL
- Spiritual Gifts – Galations 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” — ALL

Methods of GIVING for the Christian

Tithes — Malachi 3:10, “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.”
- Money (“things” of value)
- Instituted by Abraham’s gift given to Melchizedec (Genesis 14:20) and Jacob’s vowing of tenth of all that he owned to God:
Genesis 28:20-22, “And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, so that I come again to my father’s house in peace; then shall the Lord be my God: And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God’s house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.”
- Stored/kept/used in the temple/church (Nehemiah 10:38-39)
Offering (i.e. sacrifice) – Psalm 51:16-17, “For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.”
Self – Matthew 22:37-39, “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”
- Time (Spiritual)
- Self (Free Will)
- Spiritual Gifts

Reasons for GIVING in Scripture and in Life

Spiritual Reasons

An act of submission – Psalm 68:29, “Because of thy temple at Jerusalem shall kings bring presents unto thee.”

An offering – Genesis 25:6, “But unto the sons of the concubines, which Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts, and sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived, eastward, unto the east country.”

A special enduement – Romans 1:11, “For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established;” – Gifts imparted with special Spiritual purpose

Worldly Reasons

Anything given – Luke 21:1, “And he looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury.”
As a reward – Psalm 72:10, “The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.”
A present – Matthew 7:11, “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?”
An offering to a superior – Judges 3:15, “…the Lord raised them up a deliverer, Ehud…by him the children of Israel sent a present unto Eglon the king of Moab.”
Given to gain a favor – As Shechem said in trying to win Jacob’s daughter in Genesis 34:12, “Ask me never so much dowry and gift, and I will give according as ye shall say unto me: but give me the damsel to wife.”
A bribe – Deuteronomy 16:19, “Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.”

Conclusion:

Characteristics of Christian Giving

The scripture text outlines the characteristics of Christian giving as a model by which Christians can gauge their ability to give and their attitude in giving:

“He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly” & “he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.” – This verse refers directly to the ultimate judgement of mankind, not daily understanding of this life’s giving.
It is often said that “you get what you give”, but by His grace we get much more than what we have given. If justice served equal reciprocity from God, we would all be in deep trouble
It is often said to “Give as God has given to you”, but this is impossible. With this mindset we will never have the joy and confidence of satisfying God’s expectations. It breeds a defeatist attitude.
“according as he purposeth in his heart” – It’s not about your gift or its amount. It is all about your intention. Your giving to God must be PURPOSED. The intention must stem from your HEART. Give it and mean it!!!
“not grudgingly” – Webster defines grudgingly as “to give with resentment”. Giving while having resentment is worse than not giving at all. At least in not giving you don’t LIE.
not “of necessity” – Although necessity is INHERENT in our giving, it must not be the MOTIVATION for our giving.
“God loveth a cheerful giver” – We must remember that the converse must also be true that God does not love a giver who is not cheerful in their giving. As Christians we give and are cheerful in our giving…aren’t we?
“God is able to make all grace abound toward you” – This begins the words of assurance that you can’t GIVE OUT when you are in God with your giving. As with the Hebrew boys at the fiery furnace, the power is that God is ABLE. His will determines what He does, but He is able. Then He is able “to make all grace abound toward you”. God will refill you before you run out. He WILL, and we know that He CAN!!
“always having all sufficiency in all things” – God makes sure that we have all that we need!
“may abound to every good work” – As Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.”

Through it all, ENDURE!!

We can all find ways in which we are guilty of the accusation in Malachi 3:8, “Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.” However, Paul taught us that God’s grace is sufficient even when we fall short of His commandments and His Word. His salvation is an unmerited Gift to us!

Recognize the fact that you are a sinner
Repent of your sins to God
Believe on and in Him to restore your joy with a new life in Him
Depend on Him to lead you and guide you
When you have knowledge, understanding, and wisdom…strengthen your brother or sister!

Jesus, the Christ, was born of the virgin Mary, lived a life without committing sin, was wrongly persecuted, was crucified, hung, bled, died, and rose again with all power in His hand in order that we might live and have a right to the Tree of Life. What greater gift could ever be given?

Since God gave us His best, we should give Him our best to meet His expectations, not His sacrifice…not for the accolades or applause of others, but, instead, for the confirmation of our Father in that judgement day when He says, “Well done!”

As the Gospel song says:

If when you give
the best of your service,
telling the world that the Savior is come,
Be not dismayed
when men don’t believe you;
He understands;

When you fell short
When you didn’t have it to give
When you had to pay that bill
When your children didn’t have food to eat
When your gifts weren’t used for good
The tears that stained your gift to Him
When your best isn’t another’s best

He understands;
He’ll say, “Well done.”

Through the years, Through the tears
Through the ups, Through the downs
Through the rights, Through the wrongs