A Cheerful Giver
Today we’re continuing our 4 week teaching series called The Generosity Tree. It’s a series about how to be generous in a world of greed, and in our 1st week we talked about being generous in three ways. We talked about being generous with our time, talent, and treasures. In our 2nd week we talked about having a content heart. We talked about being content with what we have, so we can be generous with what we have. Well this week we’re talking about being a cheerful giver. We’re talking about being a generous cheerful giver, instead of a greedy reluctant giver.
Now like I said in the beginning of this series, our society would be far better off if we had more generous cheerful givers, than greedy reluctant givers. I think both skeptics and believers would agree our families, friendships, and society would be far better off if we had more generous cheerful givers, than greedy reluctant givers. Which one are you?...Are you more a generous cheerful giver, or a greedy reluctant giver?...How’s your attitude when it comes to giving?...In today’s text we’ll learn that the Lord cares more about the attitude of the giver, than the amount of the giving. We’ll learn that the Lord loves a generous cheerful giver. So let’s turn to 2nd Corinthians 9 and get into it. If you’re new to the bible you’ll find 2nd Corinthians in the last quarter of the bible. We’ll be in 2nd Corinthians 9:6-15, and the title of the message is A Cheerful Giver. The big idea of the message is God cares more about the attitude of the giver, than the amount of the giving...God cares more about the attitude of the giver, than the amount of the giving...
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 the Corinthian Christians isn’t a lack of wealth, it’s a lack of generosity with their wealth. He’s encouraging them to help the Jerusalem church that’s suffering from a famine, and he’s about to teach them the attitude of giving is more important than the amount of giving. Let’s check it out.
2nd Corinthians 9:6-15 states, “The person who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the person who sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each person should do what he decided in his heart...” What Paul’s talking about is financially giving to the church. He’s saying 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 your heart to give. Many of you have been taught to give 10% of your income, but that 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 actually had three tithes. They had a 10% Levitical tithe, a 10% Festival tithe, and a 10% Charity tithe that was given twice every 7 yrs. The 10% Charity tithe that was given twice every 7 years, breaks down to roughly 3% a year. So all three tithes equal not 10% like many Christians are taught, but roughly 23%. The Jews were giving not 10% of their income, but roughly 23% of their income to the Lord.
Now what Paul’s teaching us here is that it’s always been about the heart of the giver, not the percentage of the giving. It’s always been about the attitude of the giver, not the amount of the giving. Paul mentions the heart, not a percentage. He says we’re to generously give from the heart, because giving is always tied to the heart. Years ago you’d see some people with a physical chain attached from their wallet to their pants, but the reality is everyone has a spiritual chain attached from their wallet to their heart. We studied something similar to this last week in Luke 12. 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 wealth, our wallets, with our hearts. He says where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Martin Luther once said, “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 a heart issue. Paul says each person should give whatever Jesus places on their hearts to give. It’s about the heart and attitude of the giver, not the amount of the giving.
Again vs. 7, “Each person should do what he decided in his heart—not reluctantly or out of compulsion, since God loves a cheerful giver.” Notice once again the focus is on the attitude of the giver, not the amount of the giving. The focus is on how you give, not the amount 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%, or any other percent, do it cheerfully because God loves a cheerful giver. What Paul’s saying is 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’s your heart and attitude when you give?...See some people when they give their wealth to help the church or even to help others, they do it reluctantly. Some people treat their giving 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! It’s like going to Vegas. I crunch the numbers, pull the lever, and hope to win the jackpot, hope to get some money back.” 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 or even their giving to others. They treat it reluctantly, like it’s tax season. Paul says we shouldn’t give reluctantly or under compulsion, instead we should give generously and cheerfully from the heart. Christians shouldn’t ever have to be guilted or arm-barred into giving, instead we should have an external delight in giving that flows from our internal delight in what Jesus has given. We should treasure Jesus so much, that giving becomes a delight, not a duty. The more we delight in what Jesus has given, the more our hearts will be transformed into becoming a cheerful giver who delights in giving.
Again vs. 7, “Each person should do what he decided in his 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, so you may excel in every good work.” Notice Paul says God’s grace will provide what the cheerful giver needs. He doesn’t say God’s grace will provide what we want, he says God’s grace will provide what we need. What we need to survive is food, water, clothing, and shelter. Have you ever had to worry about those things before?...Have you ever had to worry about those things from a place of desperation?...Have you ever had to worry about not having enough food, water, clothing, or shelter to survive?...Some of you might have worried about those things before, but most of us haven’t. Living in America most of us haven’t worried about those things from a place of survival. I mean we’re a lot richer than we think, especially compared to the cultural context Jesus is talking to. If anybody in that context were to live in our context today, they’d think we’re blue-blood-rich. They’d come over your house and be like, “What’s that cold box?” It’s a fridge. It keeps our food fresh, and you can get fresh filtered water from it. “And what’s that over there?” It’s a toilet. “What’s a toilet?” It’s where you go after you eat. “You mean you don’t have to dig a hole outside?” Nope. We have pipes underground that take it away, and we have poo-pourri with citrus eucalyptus smells...Hey let’s order a pizza? “What’s a pizza?” It’s what middle and high school students eat. “Great! I’ll get the knife for the slaughter.” No, you don’t have to do that anymore. We can get our food delivered right to our house...We also have things like cars, airplanes, medical care, insurance just in case we need care, and the list goes on. We’re a lot richer than we think, especially compared to people in other centuries and countries. Our needs are being met in far greater ways than we realize.
But we sometimes forget this don’t we? We sometimes forget God’s been providing for us, he’s been meeting our needs for years. It’s easy to forget or overlook God’s daily provisions, because we’re so immersed in consumerism buying more than we need. We don’t just buy a cell phone, we buy the best Iphone...We don’t just buy a smaller house with a few rooms, we buy a bigger house 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 there’s a Black Friday sale...My point isn’t that we can’t buy these things or enjoy Black Friday sales. It’s that we often forget or overlook God’s daily provisions, because we’re so immersed in consumerism. We often forget or overlook the many years God’s provided what we need, and get angry if he doesn’t provide us what we want. But Paul doesn’t say God will give us what we want, he says God will give us what we need, and God’s been doing it for years. In vs 8 Paul says God has an overflowing amount of grace, and I love that because it means God’s provision is so abundant, that we don’t ever have to worry about our needs being met. We can loosen up the grip on our wealth, knowing God’s love has a grip on our lives. We can loosen up the grip on our wealth, knowing God’s overflowing grace will always provide, like he’s been doing for years. Jesus isn’t an Ebenezer Scrooge God, he’s a generously giving God who was willing to give his grace, give his very own life for us on the cross. If he was willing to generously give his grace to meet our eternal needs, then he’ll generously give his grace to meet our daily needs. His death on the cross proves he isn’t an Ebenezer Scrooge God; he’s a cheerful giving God who’s always willing to provide for his cheerful giving family. The degree to which you trust his daily provisions for your life, is the degree to which you’ll be a generous cheerful giver in life. You’ll be able to give freely, knowing he’ll keep providing daily.
Again vs. 8, “And God is able to make every grace overflow to you, so that in every way, always having everything you need, so you may excel in every good work. 9 As it is written: ‘He distributed freely; he gave to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.’ 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.” Okay so now Paul’s teaching us there are two major benefits to giving. The 1st benefit is that it helps increase our righteousness. Paul doesn’t say when we give God increases our harvest in wealth; he says God increases our harvest in righteousness. Now we’re already considered righteous through faith in Jesus. We’re considered righteous in God’s eyes since Jesus atoned for our unrighteous sins on the cross. But we still need to grow in learning to live out our righteousness, especially when it comes to generosity. We still need to grow in being generous like Jesus. In chapter 8:7 Paul says we need to excel in this act of grace, we need to grow in being generous like Jesus. So what Paul’s saying is the more we give, the more we’ll grow in being generous like Jesus. The more we give, the more we’ll grow in righteousness, and excel in this act of grace. That’s the 1st benefit to giving, and here comes the 2nd benefit.
Vs. 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.” Notice that their giving isn’t just benefiting them, it’s also benefiting those around them. So the 1st benefit to giving is it increases our righteousness, it grows us in being more generous like Jesus. But the 2ndbenefit to giving is it helps to benefit others. Paul says it leads to many expressions of thanks to God. The implication is God uses our giving as an instrument of grace for the provision and salvation of others. In fact one of our codes, one of our core values here at City Awakening is to live contently, give generously, to reach more missionally. When we live this code out it helps others see the generosity of Jesus flowing in us and through us, and can help lead them to give thanks and praise to Jesus too. It can help lead to many expressions of thanks to God. In vs. 8 Paul says God has an overflowingamount of grace for us, and here he’s saying it’s intended to overflow through us to help lead others to God. It’s similar to what the Lord said to Abraham back in Genesis 12:2, “I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you, I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.” The Lord blessed Abraham, to be a blessing to others. The Lord has blessed me and you, to be a blessing to others. When we give it 1st helps to grow us in being more generous like Jesus, and it 2nd helps to benefit others leading to many expressions of thanks to God. We’re blessed, to be a blessing. It’s what we’re doing for Residing Hope with collecting comforters for children. We’re blessed with having a comforter to sleep with at night, but there are children in Florida who don’t have a comforter. Maybe you’ve been blessed, to be a blessing to them. We’ll share more about Residing Hope at the end of the service, but the point is the Lord has blessed us, to be a blessing.
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. He’s saying the generous gift of grace we receive from Jesus on the cross is indescribable! Jesus is the generous indescribable gift of grace 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. Just like breathing is evidence that you’re alive, giving is evidence that you’ve received the grace of Jesus for your life. It’s because when you receive the grace of Jesus for your life, when you receive the indescribable gift of Jesus, your attitude towards giving starts changing from being reluctant to being joyful. 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.
This is actually one of the reasons why we pass the offering baskets after the message, instead of 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 visible response to the generous grace of Jesus, and an invitation to participate in helping grow the local church family so we can lead more people to Jesus. So we can have many more expressions of thanks to Jesus. The reason I mention giving to the local church is because that’s what Paul’s talking about in this text. He’s talking about giving to support the local church in Jerusalem. But I also mention it because we give to things we love, and if we love this local church family we’ll give to support this local church family. We’ll give not out of duty or reluctance, but out of joy and love for Jesus and our local church family. In fact one of our codes, one of our core values 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 to support the ministry of Jesus in this local church family. Give in response to the indescribable gift of Jesus. Give cheerfully whatever Jesus places on your heart to give, so we can keep spreading the name of Jesus in ways that’ll lead to many expressions of thanks to Jesus. Next week I’ll share some of the things we’ve accomplished this year because of the generous giving in our church, and I’ll also cast some vision for what we’re looking to accomplish in 2025.
But the big idea of today’s message, is that God cares more about the attitude of the giver, than the amount of the giving...God cares more about the attitude of the giver, than the amount of the giving...He cares more about what you’re treasuring in your heart, than the amount of treasure you’re giving from your pockets. If Jesus is truly your greatest treasure, then let him work on transforming your heart into becoming more generous like him. Let him work on transforming your heart and attitude towards giving, so you can be more generous and giving like him.
Look if you treasure your family, you’ll make sacrifices for your family. If you treasure your family, you’ll give up your time, talents, and treasures for your family. It’s because you make sacrifices for the things you treasure most in life, and since Jesus sacrificed his life for you, what’s that say about how he views you?...Since Jesus lived, died, and rose again for you, what’s that say about how he views you?...It means he treasures you...Jesus treasures you...If he didn’t treasure you he wouldn’t have sacrificed his entire life for you, but he sacrificed his entire life for you because he treasures you. So the question isn’t does Jesus treasure you, it’s do you treasure him? Do you treasure Jesus, and will you give up some of your treasures for him, in ways that’ll lead to many expressions of thanks being given to him? Will you be a generous cheerful giver both in and outside the church, just like Jesus was a generous cheerful giver to you?