The Heart Motivates
Today we’re taking a little break from our Broken Saviors series, to start a new 3 week teaching series we’re calling Grace-Fueled Giving. It’s a short 3 week teaching series about how a grace-filled heart leads to grace-fueled giving. As a church we do a series on generosity once a year, and one of the reasons we do this is because Jesus often talked about it. If Jesus believed this was a topic worth talking about, then we believe it’s worth talking about too, and in the last week of this series we’ll get to study a teaching Jesus gave on this topic.
But we also do a series like this because we know the positive impact it can have on our lives, our relationships, and our city. I mean what if our marriages and families experienced more generosity?...What if our schools and workplaces experienced more generosity?...What if our city and neighborhoods experienced more generosity?...I think both skeptics and believers would agree that our lives, our relationships, and our city would be better off with more generosity than greed. If we believe our lives, relationships, and city would be better off with more generosity than greed, then we should want to grow in generosity instead of greed. Well today’s text teaches us a critical piece for growing in generosity, and it’s that our growth in generosity starts with the heart, not the wallet. So let’s turn to 2nd Corinthians 9 and get into it. You’ll find 2nd Corinthians in the last quarter of the bible, and we’ll be in 2nd Corinthians 9:6-15. Title of today’s message is The Heart Motivates, and the big idea is generosity starts with the heart, not the wallet. It’s motivated by grace, not guilt...Generosity starts with the heart, not the wallet. It’s motivated by grace, not guilt.
Here’s your context. The Apostle Paul wrote this letter to a church in Corinth Greece, which archaeologists discovered was a very wealthy urbanized city. So the issue Paul’s addressing with these Corinthian Christians isn’t a lack of wealth, it’s a lack of generosity with their wealth. He wants them to help the Jerusalem church that’s suffering from a famine. So he teaches them that generosity is a heart issue, not a wallet issue. It’s motivated by grace, not guilt. Let’s check it out.
2nd Corinthians 9:6-15 states, “The point is this: The person who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the person who sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each person should do as they decided in their heart...” As I mentioned before, Paul’s talking about financially giving to the church, specifically the Jerusalem church. He says each person should give what they decided in their heart to give. This is important because some Christians wonder how much they should give, and Paul’s answer is to give whatever the Lord places on our hearts to give. Whenever we talk about giving I always need to address the 10% tithe, because many of you were taught to give 10% of your income, which isn’t what the Bible teaches. People who believe that get it from the Old Testament Hebrew word tithe, which means a tenth or 10% of your income. But in the Old Testament the Jews had three tithes. They had a 10% Levitical tithe, a 10% Festival tithe, and a 10% Charity tithe given twice every 7 yrs. The 10% Charity tithe given twice every 7 years, breaks down to roughly 3% a year. This means all three tithes combined totaled not 10% like many Christians are taught, but 23%. So the Jews were giving away not 10%, but 23% of their income.
Now this is important because some of you feel guilty for not being able to give away 10% like you were taught, and some of you feel comfortable with giving away 10% when you can actually give more. But Paul’s teaching us that God cares more about the heart of the giver, than the percentage of the giving. Paul mentions the heart, not a percentage. He says we’re to give from the heart, because giving always starts with the heart, not the wallet. It’s a heart issue, not a wallet issue. Jesus says in Luke 12:34, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Like Paul, Jesus is connecting our treasures, our wallets, with our hearts. He says where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. What does your giving reveal about your heart?...What does your giving reveal you’re treasuring most in your heart?...In the words of Martin Luther, “There are three conversions a person must experience: the conversion of the head, the conversion of the heart, and the conversion of the pocketbook.” Paul, Jesus, and Luther are all saying it’s a heart issue. When it comes to our financial giving to the church, it’s always a heart issue. The 10% tithe can be a goal, but it isn’t meant to be the standard or the ceiling. Some of you can give less, some of you can give more, but Paul’s saying all of us can give what Jesus places on our hearts to give.
Again vs. 7, “Each person should do as they decided in their heart—not reluctantly or out of compulsion, since God loves a cheerful giver.” Notice once again the focus is on the heart and attitude of the giver, not the amount of the giving. The focus is on how you give, not how much you give. The focus is on being a cheerful giver, not a reluctant giver. So if you give 1%, do it cheerfully. If you give 5%, do it cheerfully. If you give 10%, 23%, any percent, do it cheerfully, because God loves a cheerful giver. Paul’s saying there are two kinds of givers, those who are cheerful givers and those who are reluctant givers. Which one are you?...Are you a cheerful giver, or a reluctant giver?...How do you think your family, your friends, your coworkers, your neighbors view you? Do you they view you as a cheerful giver, or a reluctant giver?...How’s your heart and attitude when you give?...Are you a cheerful giver, or a reluctant giver?...The reality is some people treat their giving to the church reluctantly like it’s tax season. I mean how many of you get excited over tax season?...How many of you are like, “Yes! It’s tax season! I just love tax season!” Nobody gets excited over tax season, unless you’re an accountant or getting money back. Yet this is exactly how some people treat their giving to the church. They treat it reluctantly like it’s tax season, instead of cheerfully like they’re investing in people’s lives for eternity. Paul says we shouldn’t give reluctantly, we should give generously and cheerfully from the heart. We should treasure Jesus so much in our heart, that giving to sustain and grow his church is a delight, not a duty.
Again vs. 7, “Each person should do as they decided in their heart—not reluctantly or out of compulsion, since God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make every grace overflow to you, so that in every way, always having everything you need, you may excel in every good work.” Notice Paul says God’s grace will provide what we need. He doesn’t say God’s grace will provide what we want, he says God’s grace will provide what we need. The truth is our needs are being met daily, but we sometimes forget this. We sometimes forget God’s been providing and meeting our needs for years. It’s easy to forget or overlook God’s daily provisions, because we’re so immersed in consumerism and buying more than we need. I mean we don’t just buy a cell phone, we buy the best Iphone...We don’t just buy a tiny home with a few rooms, we buy a bigger home with bigger rooms and extra rooms...We don’t just buy one pair of shoes, we buy multiple pairs of shoes for working, running, dining, and because Shoe Carnival had a BOGO with 50% off the second pair...My point isn’t that we can’t buy these things, it’s that we often forget or overlook God’s daily provisions, because we’re so immersed in consumerism and buying more than we need. We often forget or overlook the many years God’s been providing and meeting our needs, and then we get angry if he doesn’t provide us with what we want. But Paul never says God will provide what we want, he says God will provide what we need, and God’s been doing it for years.
Now some people are hesitant to give because they worry about not having enough money left over to meet their needs. But in vs. 8 Paul says God has an overflowing amount of grace to meet our needs. I love that because it means God’s provision is so abundant, that we don’t ever have to worry about our needs not being met. This means you can loosen up your grip on your wealth, because God’s love has a grip on your life. You can loosen up your grip on your wealth, because God’s overflowing grace will always provide what you need, like he’s been doing for years and like he did when he died for your sins on the cross. If Jesus was willing to give you grace on the cross to meet your eternal needs, then he’ll certainly meet your daily needs. If Jesus was willing to give you the most expensive gift possible, which is the gift of his life, then why would he suddenly let his check bounce when meeting your daily needs? If you can trust God with your eternity, then you should also trust God with your paycheck. Your financial generosity isn’t just a heart issue, it’s also a faith issue. The question isn’t do you have enough, it’s do you believe God is enough?...The question isn’t do you have enough to give, it’s do you believe God will still provide for your needs when you give?...Generosity isn’t just a heart issue, it’s also a faith issue. The degree to which you trust God will provide for your needs, is the degree to which you’ll be financially generous. You’ll be able to give generously and cheerfully if you trust he’ll always provide. The more you grow in trusting in his daily provision, the more generous you’ll become because you realize everything you have is a generous gift from him. I mean you couldn’t even earn the income you have if he didn’t create you with the talents and abilities you have. Everything you have is a gift from him, including your talents, abilities, and the very air you’re breathing. The more you realize that and trust he’ll always provide what you need, the more generous you’ll be.
Again vs. 8, “And God is able to make every grace overflow to you, so that in every way, always having everything you need, you may excel in every good work...10 Now the one who provides seed for the sower and bread for food, will also provide and multiply your seed and increase the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way for all generosity, which produces thanksgiving to God through us. 12 For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.” Paul mentions two benefits to being generous, and the 1st is that it helps increase our righteousness. He’s saying when we put our faith in Jesus, we’re considered righteous in God’s eyes because Jesus atoned for our unrighteous sins on the cross. But we still need to grow in learning how to live out our righteousness, especially when it comes to generosity. We still need to grow in being more generous like Jesus was generous with us. In Ch. 8:7 Paul says we need to excel in this act of grace, we need to grow in being more generous like Jesus. So the 1st benefit is the more we give, the more we’ll excel and grow in righteousness, in being more generous like Jesus. The 2nd benefit to being generous is that it doesn’t just benefit us, it also benefits those around us. Paul says it helps meet people’s needs, which leads to many expressions of thanks to Jesus. The implication is God uses our generosity as an instrument of grace for the provision and salvation of others. In fact one of our codes, one of our core values at City Awakening is to live contently, give generously, to reach more missionally. When we live this code out people can see the generosity of Jesus flowing through us, which can lead them to Jesus or lead them to give many expressions of thanks to Jesus.
For example, last year I was passing through St. Louis on a family vacation, so we of course had to stay the night to enjoy some BBQ. I can’t pass through St. Louis without getting some burnt ends. But while we were walking downtown to a BBQ place, we met a homeless guy who asked us for some food. He didn’t ask for money, he asked for food. So we invited him to eat lunch with us inside the restaurant, and while we were eating we started sharing Jesus with him. At one point he started tearing up, and he said we were an answer to his prayer. He started thanking Jesus for the food and for our time together. He started giving many expressions of thanks to Jesus, just like Paul said can happen when we as Christ followers are living generous lives like Jesus. Now we obviously can’t help every homeless person we see, but we can help some. We can’t meet every need we see, but we can meet some. My point is Paul said God has an overflowing amount of grace for us, but it’s also supposed to overflow through us. It’s similar to what God said to Abraham in Genesis 12:2, “I will bless you...and you will be a blessing.” The Lord blessed Abraham to be a blessing to others. The Lord has blessed you and me to be a blessing to others. Imagine if every follower of Jesus truly lived like that—if we viewed our paychecks as tools for blessing others to lead them to Jesus, instead of as tools for helping us build a comfortable life filled with excessive wants. All of this aligns with our yearly focus on joy, and our desire to be a church that brings much joy into our lives, our relationships, and our city. Paul’s teaching us to bring much joy into the lives of others with our generosity, so it can lead to many expressions of thanks to Jesus.
Vs. 13, “Because of the proof provided by this ministry, they will glorify God for your obedient confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone. 14 And as they pray on your behalf, they will have deep affection for you because of the surpassing grace of God in you. 15 Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” Paul’s talking about Jesus here, meaning Jesus is the indescribable gift. In vs. 7 Paul teaches that generosity is a heart issue, but here he’s teaching that a critical piece for motivating our hearts is the grace of Jesus. It’s the indescribable gift of Jesus, and the grace he poured out for us when he died for our sins on the cross. He’s saying that generous gift of grace is indescribable! Jesus is the indescribable gift that keeps on giving. He gives us forgiveness, a new birth, a new life. He gives us eternal life, love, hope, and joy. He’s our greatest gift, our greatest example, our greatest motivation for giving. When you receive the grace of Jesus, your attitude towards giving starts changing from being a reluctant giver to being a cheerful giver. You start realizing you’ve been blessed, to be a blessing. Generosity for the Christian starts with the heart, not the wallet. It’s fueled by grace, not guilt. It’s joyfully motivated and fueled by the grace of Jesus, not the guilt of people, pastors, or churches.
Now this is one of the reasons why we pass the offering baskets after the message, not before the message. It’s because giving is meant to be a response to the indescribable gift of Jesus. Some of you might give online like my family, so the offering baskets aren’t the only way to give, and they also aren’t meant to guilt you into giving. They’re meant to be a response to the generous grace of Jesus, and they’re an invitation to participate in helping grow our local church family so we can lead more people to Jesus. So we can have many more expressions of thanks to Jesus. The reality is we’re often giving to different things we love. If you love Starbucks, Foxtail, or Dunkin Donuts coffee, you’ll give financially to get their coffee. If you love sports, you’ll give financially to places that allow you to watch or participate in sports. If you love gaming, reading books, eating out, you’ll give financially to those things. It’s because we give to things we love, and if we love Jesus, we’ll give to help lead others to Jesus. In fact something we say often here at City Awakening is you can give without loving, but you can’t love without giving...You can give without loving, but you can’t love without giving...So if you love Jesus and this local church family, then give financially and generously so we can keep growing and reaching more people for Jesus. Give cheerfully whatever Jesus places on your heart to give, in response to the indescribable gift of Jesus. In a few weeks I’ll share some of the things we’ve accomplished this year as a church through the generous giving in our church. But for this week we wanted to remind you that our generosity is fueled by grace, not guilt. It’s fueled by the indescribable gift of Jesus on the cross.
The big idea of the message is that Generosity starts with the heart, not the wallet. It’s motivated by grace, not guilt...Like I said before both skeptics and believers would agree that our lives, our relationships, and our city would be better off with more generosity than greed, and that growth in generosity starts with the heart, not the wallet. If you’re a skeptic, start with your heart, not your wallet. Start with putting your faith in Jesus and receiving his grace for your life today. Jesus gave up his life for your life on the cross, because he loves you. If he didn’t love you he wouldn’t have given up his life for you, but he gave up his life for you because he loves you. If you put your faith in him today, his grace will grow you into becoming more generous like him, and his grace will guarantee that you’ll get to enjoy eternal life in heaven with him.
If you’re a believer, examine your heart and reflect on the grace Jesus has given you. Reflect on the talents, daily provisions, eternal salvation he’s given you, and let gratitude for his grace be the fuel that drives your generosity. Let gratitude for his grace be the fuel that drives your generosity in life, in your relationships, in our city, and in our church. Reflect on the indescribable gift of his grace, then let your grace-filled heart lead to grace-fueled giving...Let your grace-filled heart lead to grace-fueled giving in your life, relationships, city, and church...Let’s pray...