I’m On Board: I Will Give Generously                                       K17d06

Mark 12:41-44; II Corinthians 8:1-15

Since coming to PVCC several folk have mentioned to me how appreciative they are of the great programs we have for children and teens. The reason our kids have such great programs is because of the wonderful support you give. This beautiful facility we sit in was made possible through the generosity of many. PVCC is financed through the generosity of her members who believe in her work.  Today we come to the second expectation of members of PVCC is that they will give generously. But just as you excel in everything; in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us see that you also excel in this grace of giving. II Corinthians 8:7 NIV

I.         there are two reasons why we discuss this.

A.      God’s Word speaks often on the subject of stewardship.

There are 40 verses on baptism, 275 on prayer, 350 on faith, 650 on love and 2,350 on finances/material possessions and wealth in the Bible.

1.           Paul: I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. Acts 20:27 NIV

2.           I can’t teach the whole counsel of God unless I share what God’s word says about financial stewardship.

3.           Jesus talked more about handling your money than He did about heaven, hell, or even loving your neighbor.

4.           He knew where your treasure is, there you heart will be also. Matthew 6:21 NASV

B.      Generosity brings change.

1.           Generous giving transforms the lives of both the giver and those who benefit.

There is a technique they use in Africa to capture monkeys. They put a banana in a small-mouthed jar chained to a tree. The monkey will reach in to get the banana, and get his hand stuck in the jar. Because he refuses to let go of the banana, he is captured. He could have easily set himself free if he had just been willing to let go of his prized possession.

2.           When people release their grip on the things of this world, they become liberated from all kinds of bondage and snares.

II.       how do we define generosity?

A.      Some define generosity by the amount given.

In 2006 Warren Buffett made headlines when he gave billions to charity. He has been known as  brilliant at investing money. Now he is known as being brilliant at giving it away. Buffett, who runs the Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate, has committed to donate Berkshire stock currently valued at about $30 billion to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and about $6 billion more to four Buffett family foundations. That's about 85 percent of his Berkshire stake, and is the biggest single dollar amount ever announced by anyone. (Newsweek 6/26/06)

1.           Wow! Obviously we think, “I could never give that much”. We might even be jealous. But others have been more generous than Mr. Buffett.

B.      Who was the most generous person in the Bible? 

1.           Well of course we think about Jesus, who, being in the form of God, emptied himself and became a servant. (Phil 2:6-8).  We know that His was the gift that none can measure.  But besides him, who was most generous? 

2.           Abraham was willing to give his son of promise, Isaac. 

3.           Solomon was the richest man, but apart from his donations for the temple we don’t read a lot about His generosity. 

4.           The widow who shared her last sack of meal and oil with God’s prophet, qualifies.

C.     Jesus clarified generosity for us. Mark 12:41-44 

1.           He watched people place offerings for use of God’s Temple in the designated place. Many well-to-do put in large sums. Possibly some even wanted others to know.  Then a poor widow quietly put in 2 copper coins, worth 2/3 of a cent.

2.           Jesus said she gave more than any others. 

·           The amount wasn’t more, but the proportion was.  She gave all she owned!

·           She trusted God, relying upon him utterly to supply her need.

3.           Jesus made his evaluation of giving in light of what men possessed, and not merely in respect of the amount given.

4.           A gift, to be valuable in the sight of God, is not solely determined by the amount.  Motive, attitude, and financial condition of the giver are taken into consideration.

5.         Jesus always knows the amount given and the amount retained, and evaluates accordingly.

By my figuring Warren Buffet only has $6.35 billion worth of stock left! How can he live on that? What Mr. Buffett gave wasn’t nearly as much as the widow. She gave all she had!

III.    Changed attitudes are needed. II Corinthians 8:1-15

A.      Begin to view giving as a privilege not a punishment. vv.1-4

1.           It is a privilege to have God work through us – “grace”. (v.1)

2.           God was moving powerfully among the Macedonian churches. (v.2)

·           There was affliction, & abundant joy, severe poverty & a wealth of generosity.

·           When you are put to the test (ordeal) of affliction, how you respond is who you really are. The Macedonian believers passed with flying colors.

3.           It is a privilege to help meet needs. (vv.3-4)

·           The Macedonians begged to be a part of the collection and went above and beyond their ability and considered it a favor to have the opportunity to help.

B.      Begin to see giving as an opportunity not an obstacle. vv.5-9

1.           It is an opportunity for worship. (vv.5-6) It’s another way to give yourself to Jesus.

2.           It is an opportunity for growth. (v.7)

·           The Corinthian church was known as the church with everything: lively worship services, gifted believers, miracles and wonders.

·           Yet they needed to grow in their giving! They lacked generosity.

·           Generosity in giving material blessings says a lot about our spirituality.

3.           It is an opportunity to be like Jesus. (vv.8-9) 1 John 3:16-18 He laid down His life for us.

·           What a wonderful example…if I could be like anybody, I want to be like Jesus!

·           I want my children and grandchildren to be like Jesus.

·           If you ask me what I want our church to be like, I want us to be like Jesus!

·           We are being like Jesus when we give what we have to further His work.

C.     Come to realize giving is a blessing not a burden. vv.8-15

1.           It is a blessing to be like Jesus. (vv.8-9)

2.           It is a blessing to give of what you have. (vv.10-12)

3.           It is a blessing to bring about equality. (vv.13-15).

·           Jesus said  "It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35).

·           Because of believers who took the Good News into all the world the Corinthians, who were spiritually bankrupt, received eternal life. Now it was time for them to return the favor.

IV.   will you Accept the challenge to be generous?

During testimony time at church a wealthy member rose to tell about his faith. “I’m a millionaire,” he said, “and I attribute my wealth to the blessings of God.” He recalled the turning point when as a young man he has just earned his 1st dollar and went to a church meeting that night. A missionary told about his mission work. Before the offering was received, the preacher said that everything that collected that night would be given to the missionary for his work.  The wealthy man wanted to help. He knew he couldn’t make change from the offering plate so he either had to give it all or nothing at all. So he decided to give all he had to God. Looking back, he said he know that God had blessed that decision and made him wealthy.  When he finished, there was silence. As he sat down, an elderly woman seated behind him leaned forward and said, “I dare you to do it again.”  - Studies show that on average, the more people have, the less generous they are.  Of course there are exceptions and one way to assure that is to be a percentage giver.

A.      We have four wishes for you.

1.           We wish you might reorder your finances so you could give, then save, then live.

2.           We wish you might be so financially free that when God calls on you to go somewhere, do something, or give something, you wouldn’t have to hesitate.

·           Our wish isn’t because we want you to give more $ to PVCC, but because Jesus said your money is the key to your heart.

·           You can never be a fully devoted follower of Christ and have your finances out of kilter.  If your treasure is all caught up in owing a lot of $ to a lot of people, you will never focus your heart on things that really matter.

·            Some would love to be more generous givers, but your lifestyle has you enslaved.

3.           We wish you would be willing to do what ever it takes to get to the point where with every dollar that comes into your life, first you give, then you save, then you live.

·            It means we will not allow the culture to dictate our lifestyle & financial situation.

4.           We wish for PVCC to become a beacon to other churches, demonstrating how stewardship ought to be done. 

·           I know we aren’t giving to our full potential. It’s not that we aren’t meeting our needs. It’s rather a heart issue with some folk that needs to be addressed.

·           Even if this is the last time you ever come to PVCC and you never give a dollar. I would still say what I’m saying: Do whatever it takes to get to the place where you can give 1st, save 2nd and live on the rest – instead of living 1st, saving 2nd, and then wishing you had something left over to give to God’s work.

B.      Become a percentage giver.

1.           The Bible encourages 10%. If you feel you can’t do 10%, you can be a percentage giver.  Start somewhere and then grow.

C.     Determine to become a priority giver.

1.           A priority giver is someone who gives first.

2.           When you get a dollar, God gets the first dime. When you get $100, God gets the first $10, or whatever the percentage is. Priority givers give the first part to God.

 

D.     Grow as a progressive giver.

1.           A progressive giver increases his giving percentage over time as God grows him and blesses him.

2.           Some of you have been giving a dime out of every dollar since you were 6 years old. Do you do anything else the same way you did when you were six?  No. Everything changes but our giving.

3.           God wants our giving to grow as we grow.  As God blesses you more, your giving percentage needs to go up.

Conclusion:  God wants to transform all of us from attitudes of greed to attitudes of generosity, from attitudes that give grudgingly to an attitude of giving liberally, from an attitude of stinginess to an attitude of sharing.  

 

Do you believe Jesus?  Here is what He said  -  If you give, you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full measure, pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, and running over. Whatever measure you use in giving—large or small—it will be used to measure what is given back to you. Luke 6:38 NLT

 

I want to challenge you to trust God.  Give to the Lord through the local church and do it with a thankful heart and you will find blessing.

 

Remember, God loves a cheerful giver and the key is to first give our self to Him. Is there any area of your life you are with holding from the Lord?  Give Him your all, without reservation. 

 

 

                                                                (Some insights for this message came from Michael Luke, Andy Stanley, and C. Forrester)

 

The following material is provided to assist you in application of the sermon. You may go over this individually, share it with a small group or your family.

OPEN - Share your “story” with some others.  

1. Who is the most generous person you know?  How do they demonstrate their generosity?
2. With what are you generous: Your Money? Time? Talents? Toys? With what are you stingy?

 

DIG – Look into the Bible’s “story” to discover insights that will help your understanding.

1. From the story in Mark 12:41-44 what do we learn about generosity?
2. What is Jesus’ point in contrasting the lifestyle of the teachers of the Law (vv 38-40) with that of the poor widow?
3. When is “more” actually “less”?  When is a “little” a “lot”

Read II Corinthians 8:1-15 to answer the following.

4. From I Corinthians 16:1-4, written about a year earlier, and Romans 15:25-27, what is this collection all about?
5. What do you learn about the Macedonians from their giving? What would this test of generosity reveal about the Corinthians?
6. What principles about giving do you observe here?

 

REFLECT -- Here you apply the "story" of the scripture to your own life; to take personal inventory and share with others what you will do about it.

1. Why do you give to God’s work? What do you give besides money?
2. If you were to evaluate your zeal for God in light of your checkbook, what grade would you give yourself?
3. What from Jesus’ example (II Corinthians 8:9) prompts you to be generous with your money, time and energy? What inhibits you?
4. Rate the six commitments of an PVCC member from easiest (1) to hardest (6) for you.

I will…   _____worship weekly. ___give generously. ___ find my place of service.            ____ reach out to my world.  ___study God’s word in community.  ___build meaningful relationships.

5. When you look at how you handle your financial resources would you consider yourself financially free to the point that when God would call you to go somewhere, do something or give something, you wouldn’t have to hesitate?

6.  Are you a percentage giver?  Are you a priority giver, one who gives first?  Are you a progressive giver, increasing you giving percentage as God grows and blesses you?

7.  What steps do you need to take, if any, to be generous?  How do you think things would change for you if you gave first, saved and then lived on the rest?  If you already do this, what testimony can you share to encourage others?

 

Special Assignment: Read II Corinthians 9:6-8.  Answer the following questions: What can a person give gladly according to these verses?  Do you believe the promises in this passage? If you do, you will not only give, but you will give like a gambler with a sure thing. You will open your wallet widely, joyfully, even excitedly.

 

Additional Insight:      Be a Generous Person

GOD KNOWS BEST

The world’s advice is :”save, invest, and indulge.”  God’s instruction is to give it away. Admittedly, worldly advisors suggest that it’s good to give. The difference is that the world tells you to earn, and then to give out of your abundance. The Bible instructs you to give first and then live out of your abundance

In the Old Testament, this principle is called the principle of the “first fruits.”  The first of the harvest belonged to God. The first of the spoils of battle belonged to God. The people gave to God first, then trusted God to provide the rest.

The difference between the Biblical teaching and the worldly teaching is faith. When we give away the first fruits, we demonstrate that we’re trusting God to provide. It doesn’t take any faith to give God the leftovers.  Some people give the appearance of generosity when they’re not generous at all.  God wants us to give Him our first fruits and He wants us to give in a way that demonstrates our faith.

 

SYMPTOMS OF FINANCIAL BONDAGE

• You have difficulty reading the Bible or listening to a sermon because of your money worries.
• You make minimum payments on your credit cards and loans.
• You constantly think and worry about money.
• You make impulsive purchases and later regret them.
• You regularly pay monthly bills with credit cards.
• You don’t faithfully give to the Lord because you think you can’t afford it.
• You argue about money.
• You are angry, envious or jealous of others who have enough to pay their bills or are debt free.
• You have borrowed money to make investments.
• You have no written spending play to guide your financial giving, saving and spending.
• You are tempted by rich quick schemes.
• You think getting more money is the answer to your problems.
• You have borrowed from family or friends and aren’t actively repaying the loan.
• You have maxed out some credit cards.
• You have no realistic written plan to pay off all your debts.
• You have never been in a class, Bible study or group where you’ve learned God’s principles for handling your finances.

 

FAITHFUL GIVERS HAVE SEVERAL SURPRISES.  

When you return 10% or more of all your income to the Lord’s work you will be surprised at:

• The generous amount of money you will be able to give.
• The deepening of your spiritual life through the godly discipline of honoring and trusting the Lord through tithing.
• The increased ease in which you meet other financial obligations with the 9/10ths  you have left.
• The way tithing leads to more generous giving then you dreamed possible.
• The effect tithing has in making you a wiser manager of the rest of your money and possessions.
• The unexpected provisions and advancements you receive.
• The surprise you have when you wish you had started tithing sooner.

 

REMEMBER, THE LORD IS AWARE OF OUR GIVING.  Mark 12:41-44 – Jesus watched people giving. He saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. And He noted that a poor widow was more generous than them all.  Paul noted in II Corinthians 8:12, that the percentage is more important than the amount, for if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.