Title: The Power Of Giving
Scripture Reading: 2 Corinthians 9:10-11; Philippians 4:19
9 (As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever.
10 Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;)
‘And my God will supply all of your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.’
Our key text is 2 Corinthians 9:10:
‘He who gives the seed to the sower and turns that seed into bread to eat, will give you the seed of generosity to sow, and, for harvest, the satisfying bread of good deeds well done. The more you are enriched by God the more scope there will be for generous giving, and your gifts, administered through us, will mean that many will thank God.’
The theme of this key text is believer will receive a blessing when they share.
The purpose of this text is to show the power of giving.
It means that God will give you (the sower) the seed to turn that into bread to eat (for yourself) but also to use it to sow. And as a result of your generous sowing, you will experience a harvest, good deeds well done and as you are enriched, there is more scope for generous giving. Finally, after observing all that you have experienced, you will give glory to God.
There are reasons for sensitivity when it comes to giving:
Firstly, sermons about giving rarely comes at a time when we are giving sufficiently.
Secondly, sermons on giving may remind us that we do not agree on how the money is being spent sometimes.
Thirdly, we may feel guilty for having indulged ourselves maybe a little too much in worldly pleasure at the expense of our offering, and that makes us feel a little guilty.
Lastly, we are afraid of the future. We are afraid that if we give too much away, we will not be able to make ends meet.
However, in God’s economy, there is always enough for everyone’s needs.
In the Kingdom of God, there is no need to worry. Truly the LORD owns everything. Truly the LORD is not stingy. He’s not possessive about everything. The LORD wants to bless His children. All He asks is that we trust Him.
I want to share three promises that God makes to those who give to Him.
- God will make you rich
2 Corinthians 9:10-11 says, ‘Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness; 11you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God.’ 2 Corinthians 9:10 seems to be a quote from Isaiah 55:10 and the second part seems to be quoted from Hosea 10:12 These two verses assert:
A. God’s ownership and provision of all things
B. Believers’ stewardship requirement to share
God’s ownership is communicated through the Greek word ‘supplies’ which comes into the English word ‘chorus.’ The term in Greek was used of a benefactor lavishly supplying for a local choir.
But the emphasis of these two verses is God is the source, but believers receive a blessing when they share.
So, when it comes to God’s provisions for us, we must learn to differentiate between source and means.
The means are our jobs and the bank, and our skills and the companies we work for.
The source, however, is where the blessings, the money, the necessary things we require each day are created, where these things begin and who controls them. And for us that source is God.
And God being the source, He has this to say to you: ‘And my God will supply all of your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.’ (Philippians 4:19).
Tapping into the source by giving generously out of love will produce two specific riches for us:
A. We will be made richer in our giving. This is not the ‘give to get’ theory of religion. This is the ‘you give, so that you can give again’ type of theory. No one ever went broke giving to the LORD.
B. Another blessing of giving generously is that you will receive more than you give. In other words, you cannot outgive God. God promises us that whatever we give, we will receive back a hundredfold.
- God will reward you
Malachi 3:10 says, ‘Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that they may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,’ says the LORD of hosts, ‘if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows.’
I have shared thus far about the power of giving. I was not referring to tithing. Tithing is a commandment from God. Tithing belongs to God. So, you pay, not give, what belongs to God. Every truly born-again Christian pays their tithes. Tithing broke the curse of poverty in my life.
Malachi uses the word ‘rob’ when you did not pay tithes. One of the problems with the Jews, and now even the Christians, that Malachi refers to, is that they did not fulfill their financial commitments to the LORD.
Matthew 23:23 Jesus referred to tithing as something that should not be neglected. He said, ‘Woe unto you, scribes, and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye pay tithes of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done (law, judgment, mercy, faith) and not leave the other undone (tithing).’
Paul says so clearly, in 1 Corinthians 16:2 ‘On the first day of every week, each one of you is to put aside and save, as he may prosper, so that no collections be made when I come.’
You asked why did God put such commandment on us. The tithing is to cause you to acknowledge God is the source of all our blessings.
- God will surprise you
Ephesians 3:20 says, ‘Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us.’
The phrase ‘abundantly beyond all that we ask,’ a surprise.
A surprise means you are not expecting what will happen, you do not know the outcome. The Lord promises those who commit themselves to regular, generous giving, that He will not only bless us, He will surprise us.
In conclusion, it is true that it is a very sensitive topic to talk about giving. It is true that we feel guilty especially when we do not pay our tithes. It is true that we are afraid that if we give too much away, we will not be able to make ends meet. It is true that we are afraid that we will not have enough for ourselves. Why do we have such negative mentality. Because the harsh reality of this world have made us that way. But why are we in such disposition. Because, we do not trust God and we do not have faith in God in what He says. The problem is that we have unbelief. And unbelief is a sin. God set the example by giving his only Begotten Son. God did not become poorer as a result of giving His only begotten son. Jesus has never worried about money and he gave his time, his teaching, his healing. He helps to feed the poor and yet He never became poor as a result. Finally, he gave his life for us so that we can be generous like him, a giver like him. He has given you the answer concerning your unbelief when you said, in Philippians 4:10 ‘‘And my God will supply all of your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.’
And he said, ‘Prove me (test me) now in this, if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows.’ The phrase ‘test Me now in this,’ refers to the testing of metal. It is obvious that attitude is the key in our relationship to God. God doesn’t want you to have unbelief. He wants you to exercise faith. ‘Test me now’ could also mean, ‘try me now.’ It is hard to find another passage of scripture where the LORD commanded His people to test Him, But here in regard to giving and His blessing of it, He told His people to try Me now in this. It was as if God said, ‘See if you can give to me and be the poorer for it. See if you can out give me.’ The main message here is that God is faithful. God here promised to bless us both with provision and protection. The reference to the ‘windows of heaven’ reminds of us the glorious account of provision when God provided in a completely unexpected way. God has resources that we know nothing about, and it is often of no help to try and predict or worry about how God will provide.
