Series: Mastering the Art of Re-Gifting (3/3)

Rev. Todd A. Linn, PhD

First Baptist Church Henderson KY

2-25-07 (AM)

 Take God’s word and open to 2 Corinthians, chapter 9.

Today’s message is our last message in our 3-part series on Christian giving. Our series is
entitled “Mastering the Art of Re-Gifting.” We’ve had a lot of fun talking about re-gifting
items we have received, re-packaging them and then giving them to others. And we’ve
been learning that whatever you and I may think about re-gifting in the usual sense of the
idea, there is a kind of re-gifting that God both enjoys and expects. We’re learning that
everything we have we have because God has “gifted” it to us. He expects us to take from
what He has gifted to us and “re-gift” it back to Him.

And so we’ve talked about two kinds of giving, “Storehouse Giving” from Malachi, chapter
3, where we read that God expects us to give back to Him the minimum of 10%. That’s
the tithe. But we’ve also learned that for the Christian tithing is just the place to begin in
our Christian giving. We turn over to the New Testament and we read about “Grace
Giving” in 1 Corinthians chapter 8. This morning’s message builds on the New Testament
theme of “Grace Giving” as we look today at the matter of “Cheerful Giving.”

 Please stand in honor of the reading of God’s holy Word.

6 But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows
bountifully will also reap bountifully.

7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God
loves a cheerful giver.

8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all
sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.

9 As it is written: “He has dispersed abroad, He has given to the poor; His righteousness
endures forever.”

10 Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply
the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness,

11 while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving
through us to God.

12 For the administration of this service not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also
is abounding through many thanksgivings to God,
13 while, through the proof of this ministry, they glorify God for the obedience of your
confession to the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal sharing with them and all men,

14 and by their prayer for you, who long for you because of the exceeding grace of God in
you.

15 Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

Introduction:

I heard about a little boy who was getting ready to put a coin into the offering plate. His
father was watching the boy and saw that his son had a penny and a quarter in his hand.
He watched the little boy to see which coin he was going to put into the offering plate.
When the offering plate came by the little boy hesitated for a moment and then he put the
penny into the plate. The father asked him about it later. He said, “I was watching you
and noticed you put the penny into the plate and kept the quarter. Why’d you do that?”
The little boy said, “Well, dad, the Bible says, ‘God loves a cheerful giver.’” His father
said, “Yes.” The little boy said, “And the Lord knows I’d be a lot more cheerful if I gave
the penny instead of the quarter!”

Well, we can forgive a child for reasoning that way and assume his father helped him
understand that that is not at all what this passage is teaching. Cheerful giving is the
Christian’s natural response to the grace of God. It really has little to do with giving a
specific percentage. Though we have seen that God expects the believer to at least begin
with the tithe, with 10%, cheerful giving is the Christian’s natural response to give
according to the grace he has received from God. This is re-gifting again. God has
showered His grace upon us, giving us things we do not deserve, namely the offer of
salvation through Jesus Christ, and we, having received these wonderful gifts, cheerfully
re-gift back to God through our giving.

So with that in mind let me say that this passage teaches us a few things we need to
understand about Christian giving. Number one, we must understand:

I. The Attitude Required in Christian Giving [6-7]

It all begins here. God wants us to have the right attitude when we give.

6 But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows
bountifully will also reap bountifully.

Often verse 6 is kind of pulled from the context to spur people on to give more so that
they’ll get more in return. As in gardening or farming, “If you only sow a little bit, you’ll
get a little harvest. So sow a lot and you’ll get a lot of return.” That’s true, but the
context stresses the attitude of the giver. To give “sparingly” is to give with “holding
back” in mind. The tendency is to focus on what you keep rather than what you’re giving
away. That’s sowing sparingly. So if in Christian giving you are more concerned about
what you keep then you will have difficulty growing in your giving. You will sow sparingly
and you will reap sparingly.

On the other hand, to sow bountifully is to give generously. It literally means, “with
blessings.” Think of it this way. To sow sparingly is to think of giving like the way you
use a vacuum cleaner. People who sow sparingly are more interested in what they can
suck up or keep for themselves. To sow bountifully, or generously however, is to think of
giving like the way you use a leaf blower. Rather than focusing on what you can suck up
or keep, you are more interested in directing blessings away from yourself, giving things
away to others. That’s the right attitude.

7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God
loves a cheerful giver.

“Let each one give as he purposes in his heart” has to do with the matter of planning. We
think about giving and plan for giving before we actually give. To apply this to the
worship context in church, we don’t wait until the offering plate comes our way to decide
what we’re going to give. We have planned ahead of time, deciding in advance what we
will re-gift back to God. So we have an attitude of readiness in our giving.

“Not grudgingly.” To give “grudgingly” is to give with the wrong attitude. It literally
connotes the idea of pain and sorrow, as though it hurts people, pains people, to give. In
the average church if you were to look out at the average giver during the offering you
would see looks of pain and sorrow!

“Or of necessity.” This is giving because someone is putting the squeeze on you. The
Greek scholar A.T. Robertson says giving “as if it were like pulling . . . teeth.”

I heard about a pastor who got up one Sunday and announced to his congregation: “I have
good news and bad news. The good news is, we have enough money to pay for our new
building program. The bad news is, it’s still out there in your pockets.”

“For God loves a cheerful giver.” The word translated “cheerful” is the Greek word,
hilarion, from which we get “hilarious.” Now it would be wrong for us to import the
current meaning of the English word hilarious back into the Greek and suggest that we’re
to give like laughing, crazy people. That’s not the idea. But the word gets our attention,
nonetheless. In context it means that the disposition of our heart in giving is a heart that
takes great pleasure in giving. It is giving not with a look of pain, but with a look
of pleasure. We delight in giving to God. Cheerful giving. It’s like the Matt Redman song
we sing, “Every blessing you pour out I’ll turn back to praise.” Re-gifting for God’s glory.

So we understand the attitude required in Christian giving. Number two, we must

The results of Christian giving. Now before we read on, let’s remember that we do not
give strictly for the purpose of getting more for ourselves. That is not Christian giving.
That is selfish giving. It doesn’t work that way.

R.G. LaTourneau said, “If you give because it pays, it won’t pay.” He’s right. We’re not to
give with ourselves in mind. Cheerful giving means that we re-gift with gratitude to God
in mind. But if we’ll do that, just as we’ve seen in previous lessons, God will honor our
giving. First:

(1) See what God does for You (8-11a)

8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all
sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.

9 As it is written: “He has dispersed abroad, He has given to the poor; His righteousness
endures forever.”

Paul is saying that if you and I will give cheerfully God will take care of our needs. That’s
what he means when he says that God will “make all grace abound toward you, that you,
always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.”
Then he quotes from the Psalmist to illustrate the point: “He (God) has dispersed abroad,
He has given to the poor: his righteousness endures forever.” God supplies your need.

That’s the same idea in Malachi 3 where God says, “Try me in this.” That is, return to Me
the tithe, “and see if I won’t open up the windows of heaven and pour out such blessing
that you will not be able to contain it.” And He’s talking about supplying need, opening
the windows of heaven with rain to water the crops to reap a harvest to provide for all our
needs.

See, sometimes a Christian will struggle with this teaching. “Should I tithe? I want to
tithe, but I just don’t know. I’m afraid I won’t have what I need.” Paul says, “You just
give cheerfully and watch what happens. God will honor your commitment. God will
make all grace abound toward you, that you, having all sufficiency in all things, may have
an abundance for every good work.”

Paul goes back to this sowing and reaping metaphor in verse 10:
10 Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply
the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness,

11 while you are enriched in everything for all liberality,

In my translation, verses 10-11 read like a prayer of Paul, but the words are actually
better translated as a fact which is the way most English translations have it: He who
supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supplies and multiplies the seed you have
sown and increases the fruit of your righteousness while you are enriched in everything
for all liberality.” Again, the idea is that God will supply your every need if you will but
trust Him in your giving.

That’s what God does for you when you trust Him with your finances. He will meet your
every need. If you are listening to this message and wondering whether or not God is
going to see to it that the bills get paid and that there will be food on the table and
whether you’ll be able to make it all happen then these words are for you. God will supply
your every need.

The abounding results of Christian giving! But not only do we see what God can
do for you:

(2) See What God does through you (11b-14)

Watch what God does through your Christian giving.

11 . . . which causes thanksgiving through us to God.

Has it ever occurred to you that just by virtue of your generous, cheerful giving that
others may be led to praise God? That’s what these verses teach. Cheerful giving “causes
thanksgiving through us to God.” Our giving causes others to look up to God and praise
Him.

12 For the administration of this service not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also
is abounding through many thanksgivings to God,

Paul tells the Corinthians that their generous, cheerful giving will do far more than meet a
practical, physical need. Their generous, cheerful giving will also feed a spiritual need.
The abounding results of cheerful includes praise and thanksgiving to God on the part of
those who receive the gift! Paul continues:
13 while, through the proof of this ministry, they glorify God for the obedience of your
confession to the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal sharing with them and all men,

14 and by their prayer for you, who long for you because of the exceeding grace of God in
you.

So generous cheerful giving causes receivers of the gift to glorify God and to pray for the
giver.

I remember when I had been called into the ministry just a little over 10 years ago now. I
quit my job as a parole officer in north Georgia and prepared to move to Louisville to
attend seminary. We had a lot of financial needs. The church back home was helping in a
big way with tuition, but I would also need books, would need to pay rent, and of course
food and clothing for a family of four. One of the greatest surprises to me in those days
was how God moved upon the heart of a co-worker of mine named Mike Sims. Mike and I
worked together and got along fine, but we weren’t particularly close. But Mike felt God
prompting him to help us in seminary like no one else had helped us. I never asked Mike
—or anyone—for any financial help, but Mike was the most generous, cheerful giver of
anyone I knew. He sowed bountifully. I don’t remember the amounts. They were huge
coming from someone who certainly wasn’t wealthy and had a family of his own.

Do you know what Mike’s giving resulted in? These verses tell you. Because Mike was
supplying my needs, I found myself abounding not only in the supply of my needs but I
found myself abounding through many thanksgivings to God. I saw the hand of God in
this and was assured that God would meet every single one of our needs. It also caused
me to pray specifically for Mike and it was during this time in Mike’s life that God was
growing him spiritually in ways about which I would later learn.

That’s what Paul is talking about here. The abounding results of Christian giving are two-
dimensional. God gives to us and God works through us. So we understand the attitude
required in Christian giving, the abounding results of Christian giving and, number three:

III. The Awesome Reason for Christian Giving [15]

15 Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

All this talking about giving causes the Apostle Paul to break forth in praise to God. He
says, “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” Exclamation mark! Thanks be to God
for His indescribable gift.

Paul has just been talking about what God does through our giving. The Corinthians’
generosity causes others to give thanks and to praise God. He says in the last part of
verse 14 that this is praise comes “because of the exceeding grace of God in you.” And
with that grace still fresh on his mind, Paul is moved to praise God for the very greatest
work of God’s grace, the free gift of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Thanks be to God for
His indescribable gift! The Christian is saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in
Christ alone.

So the most awesome reason for Christian giving is found in our receiving the free gift of
God’s Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Nothing motivates us to give more than looking at the
cross. You’ll remember from last time we said that when it comes to trying to figure out
what we should give all we need do is to get on our knees, look at the cross at what Jesus
did for us, and give based on that. Jesus Christ is the reason for Christian giving.

Jesus Christ is the indescribable gift. The word “indescribable” comes from a Greek word
used only here in the entire New Testament. Paul may have made up this word himself.
It connotes the idea of “wonder beyond description.” That’s Jesus!

I remember when I was small in elementary school in California that a man came to visit
us one day. He was blind since birth. He told us that he had been placed in an incubator
for too long and it resulted in his blindness. And one of the things he said really made an
impression on me. He said, “Colors mean nothing to me.” I thought about that a lot.
How would you explain color to a man who was blind from birth. You couldn’t. It is
indescribable. It is a wonder beyond description that you have to experience personally.

The gift of Jesus Christ is like color to a man who knows only black and white. Our best
efforts to describe the gift of Christ fall short of perfection. Jesus Christ is indescribable.
The only way to know Him is to know Him experientially, personally, savingly. Turn to
Christ. Receive Him as your Lord and Savior. Receive the indescribable gift of God!