The Attitude of Giving
Sermon Notes
Today we’re continuing our 4 wk teaching series called Generous, which is about learning to give, in a world of greed. Like I said at the beginning of this series, both skeptics and believers would agree that our relationships, our families, our society would be far better off if people grew in generosity instead of greed. Several years ago notorious film maker Stephen King realized the pointless pursuit of being greedy, of holding onto your money instead of being generous. King said, “A couple of years ago I was lying in a ditch at the side of a country road. I was covered in mud and blood with the tibia of my right leg poking out of the side of my jeans, like a branch of a tree taken down in a thunderstorm…During that time I got a painful, but extremely valuable look at life’s simple backstage truths. We come in naked and broke, and we might be dressed when we go out, but we’re still just as broke. Warren Buffet? Going out broke. Bill gates? Going out broke. Tom Hanks? Going out broke. Steve King? Broke. Not a crying dime…So I want you to consider making your life one long gift to others. And why not? All you have is on loan anyways…So begin giving, and continue as you began.” I love the irony of one of the greatest horror filmmakers, talking about being generous. I mean there’s nothing generous about Cujo and Children of the Corn...I still hate cornfields because of that movie...But it took horror filmmaker Stephen King facing a horrific situation, to finally realize the pointless pursuit of greed. It took him lying in a ditch to finally wake up to a truth the bible taught thousands of years ago, which is that it’s pointless to be greedy since you can’t take it with you anyways.
Both skeptics and believers agree our relationships, families, and society would be far better off if we grew in generosity instead of greed. How to grow in generosity is the question we’re addressing in this series. In week 1 we discussed the motivation for giving, week 2 the benefits of giving, and today we’re discussing the attitude of giving. What’s your attitude when it comes to giving? If your attitude is reluctant it’s a sign of greed, if it’s joyful it’s a sign of generosity. How’s your attitude when it comes to giving? Let’s turn to 2 Corinthians 9 and get into it. You’ll find 2 Corinthians in the last quarter of your bible, and we’ll be in 2 Corinthians 9:6-15. Title of today’s message is The Attitude of Giving, and here’s the big idea...The heart is more important than the amount...The heart of the giver, is more important than the amount of the giving...
Context:
Here’s your context. The Apostle Paul wrote this letter to a church in Corinth Greece, which archaeologists learned was a 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.
The Word:
2 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 he has decided in his heart...” Paul’s talking about financial giving to the church. He says each person should give what they’ve decided in their heart to give. This is important because a lot Christians wonder how much they should give. Paul’s answer is to give what the Lord places on your heart to give. A lot of you were taught it’s 10% of your income, but that isn’t what the bible teaches. In fact if you go by the Old Testament tithe you need to give 23% not 10%, because there were actually three Old Testament tithes. There was a 10% Levitical tithe, a 10% Festival tithe, and a 10% Charity tithe given twice every 7 yrs for a total of 23%. Those were the Old Testament tithes, but it’s always been about the heart of the giver not the percentage of the giving. It’s about the attitude, not the amount. Paul never mentions a percentage, he mentions the heart. He says we’re to give generously from the heart. It’s because giving is always tied to the heart. Some people have a chain attached from their wallet to their pants, but everybody has a chain attached from their wallet to their heart. Jesus mentions this in Matthew 6.
Matthew 6:19-34 states, “Don’t store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Jesus is saying what Paul said, which is that our wallets are attached to our hearts. Our wallets, our wealth, our treasures, our greed, our generosity, is all attached to our hearts. Jesus said “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Martin Lutheronce 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.” It’s because a lot of people have a hard time letting go of their pocketbook, letting go of their money god in their heart. But in vs 24 Jesus says there isn’t room for both gods in your heart.
Vs. 24, “No one can serve two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” Jesus says you can’t serve both masters, you can’t serve both God and money. There isn’t room for both in your heart. Now to be clear Jesus isn’t against you making money, he’s against you making an idol out of your money. He isn’t against you being wealthy, he’s against you being greedy and treating wealth as your greater master. So who’s your master?...Who’s your master? Who’s your God?...Is Jesus your God, or is money your god?...Jesus said you can’t serve both, there isn’t room for both in your heart. Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also...In Corinthians Paul’s saying you’ll give generously from the heart, if Jesus is the treasure of your heart. You’ll give generously whatever amount or percentage, Jesus places on your heart to give.
Vs. 7 states, “Each person should do as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or out of compulsion, since God loves a cheerful giver.” Again we’re seeing the focus is on the attitude of the giver. It isn’t on the amount of the giving, it isn’t about how much you give, it’s about how you give it. If you give 1% do it cheerfully. If you give 5% do it cheerfully. If you give 10 or 20% do it cheerfully, because it isn’t about how much you give, it’s about how you give it.Paul’s saying there’s 2 kinds of givers, those who give reluctantly or under compulsion, and those who give cheerfully. Which one are you?...Which one are you?...Are you a reluctant giver, or a cheerful giver?...How’s your attitude when you give? How’s your heart when you give?...
Okay so 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. You pull the lever, crunch the numbers hoping to hit the jackpot, and get some money back.” Nobody gets excited over tax season, unless you’re getting money back. Yet some people treat the church offering like it’s tax season. When the offering baskets are passed they give reluctantly like it’s tax season. Paul says we shouldn’t give reluctantly or under compulsion, we should give generously and cheerfully from the heart. Christians shouldn’t have to be arm barred into giving, they shouldn’t have to be triangle chocked until they tap out and give. We should have an external delight in giving that flows from an internal delight in Jesus. City Awakening may we treasure Jesus so much, that we become generous people who delight in giving. May we treasure Jesus so much, that it kills the money idol in our hearts, and changes our attitudes from tax season giving, to cheerful giving.
Again vs. 7, “Each person should do as he has 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, you may excel in every good work.” Notice Paul says God’s grace will provide what the cheerful giver needs, not what they want. Some of your translations might say God will provide what they need so they’ll be content. As we grow in generosity God’s grace will grow our hearts into being more content. He’ll help our worried anxious hearts to rest, realizing He’ll always provide exactly what we need. But we sometimes forget this don’t we? We sometimes forget God’s been providing for our needs for years. When we forget this our hearts become worried, they become anxious, and some of you are there. Some of you’ve been praying, you’ve been asking God for something, and He hasn’t given it to you. Your heart’s worried, anxious, possibly even filled with anger shaking your fist at God. But if God’s been meeting your needs for years, what makes you think He isn’t meeting your needs now?...If God’s been meeting your needs for years, what makes you think He won’t meet your needs in the future?...He’s met your needs in the past, and He’ll meet your needs in the present. He’ll meet your needs in the future too. He won’t necessarily give you exactly what you want, but He will give you exactly what you need like Paul said.
Look it’s so easy to overlook God’s daily provisions, because we’re so consumer driven. In our consumer driven society we don’t just buy what we need, we buy more than we need. We don’t just buy a cell phone, we buy the best Android or 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 for working, walking, running, dining, and because Shoe Carnival had a BOGO...My point isn’t that we can’t buy these things or enjoy Black Friday. It’s that we often overlook God’s daily provisions because we’re so immersed in consumerism. We often overlook the many years God’s provided what we need, because we’re used to buying more than we need. It leads to having worried, anxious, discontent hearts, shaking our fists at God when we face financial hardship or don’t get what we want. Paul says the key to our attitude in giving being cheerful, is being content in knowing God will always provide what we need. In vs 8 Paul says God has an overflowing amount of grace. His provision is so abundant, we don’t ever have to fear our needs won’t be met. Jesus teaches this back in the Matthew 6 text.
Matthew 6:25-30, “Therefore I tell you: Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear...26 Consider the birds of the sky: They don’t sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they? 27 Can any of you add one moment to his life span by worrying? 28 And why do you worry about clothes? Observe how the wildflowers of the field grow: They don’t labor or spin thread...30 If that’s how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, won’t he do much more for you, oh you of little faith?” Jesus repeatedly says ‘don’t worry,’ which can also be translated as ‘don’t be anxious.’ He’s saying, “Don’t worry I’ve got you!...I’ve got you. I’ll provide for you...If I care for the birds and the lilies, then I’ll care for you too. So don’t be worried, don’t be anxious.”
Now this doesn’t mean we should sit around waiting for manna or Totino Pizza rolls to fall from the sky. I mean Jesus put on work books, a carpenter belt, and worked as a carpenter for about 18 yrs. Jesus worked and teaches us to work, but he also teaches us to be generous with our wealth and to not worry about God’s daily provisions. He teaches we can loosen the grip on our wealth, knowing his love has a grip on our lives. We can loosen the grip on our wealth, trusting he’ll always provide not what we want, but exactly what we need. Both Jesus and Paul are saying Christians don’t have to fear their needs won’t be met. We can face a gas shortage, a micro-chip car shortage, a cooking oil shortage, a toilet paper shortage...But we’ll never face a shortage of Jesus’ grace, love, and daily provisions for our lives. He gives abundantly, loves abundantly, provides abundantly! He isn’t an Ebenezer Scrooge God, he’s a cheerfully giving God who enjoys providing for his cheerfully giving family. The degree to which you trust his daily provisions, is the degree to which you’ll be generous with your giving...Again Paul says...
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. 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.” Paul isn’t talking about God increasing the harvest of our financial wealth, he’s talking about God increasing our growth in righteousness. We’re already considered righteous through faith in Jesus, 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 that righteousness, especially when it comes to our generosity. We still need to grow in being more generous like Jesus. In chapter 8:7 Paul says we need to excel in this act of grace, we need to grow in being more generous like Jesus. The more we give, the more we’ll grow into being generous like Jesus. The more we give, the more we’ll excel in this act of grace.
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.” So their giving isn’t just benefiting them, it’s benefiting those around them like we talked about last week. God uses our giving as an instrument of grace for the provision and salvation of others. One of our codes here at City Awakening is to live contently, give generously, to reach more missionally. It comes from this text, and if we live this code out, it’ll lead others to give thanks and praise to Jesus too.
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!” Thanks be to God for his ‘indescribable’ gift, meaning Jesus. Jesus is the indescribable gift. It’s the gift of his salvation. Paul’s saying the grace of the cross is indescribable! Words can’t describe just how great of a gift Jesus is. He’s the gift that keeps on giving. He gives us forgiveness, a new birth, a new life, a new church family. He gives us eternal life, love, hope, joy in him. He’s our greatest gift, greatest example, greatest motivation for giving. Just like breathing is evidence you’re alive, giving is evidence you’ve experienced the grace of Jesus. Your attitude towards giving starts changing from greed to generosity, after receiving the indescribable gift of Jesus.
This is one of the reasons our elders decided we want to start passing the offering baskets again like we did pre-Covid. 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 nobody will judge you if you let the baskets pass by. The offering baskets aren’t the only way to give, and they 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 growing Jesus’ church. How much is God asking you to give? Each person should give what God places on their heart to give, not reluctantly or out of compulsion, but generously and cheerfully, in response to the indescribable gift and generosity of Jesus.
The Big Idea:
The big idea is that the heart is more important than the amount...The heart of the giver, the attitude of the giver, is more important than the amount of the giving...Like I said a few weeks ago, if a pastor talking about money is an issue for you, then give somewhere else. I say that not to give Christians an out on giving to the church. I say it because I want you to know we care more about the treasure in your heart than the treasure in your pockets. We care more about you treasuring Jesus in your heart and becoming more generous like Jesus, instead of becoming more greedy like our culture. So if this is that much of an issue for you, give somewhere else.
But if Jesus is your greatest treasure, then let him work on your heart...Let him work on your heart, on your attitude towards giving, especially your giving to the church...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’ll 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 was willing to sacrifice his life for you, because he treasures you...The question is do you treasure him?...Do you treasure him, and will you give up your treasures for him?...Will you give him your heart, and become a cheerful giver?