The Grace of Giving

2 Corinthians 8:1-7

The Grace of Giving

And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches.  Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.  For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability.  Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints.  And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God’s will.  So we urged Titus, since he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part.  But just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.

iving is recognised as a grace … if we are on the receiving end of the giving.  What about the donor, however?  Do those who give recognise grace present in their giving?  The reactions witnessed in many churches as the offering is received would lead me to believe that much of the giving to churches is grudging and that worshippers resent the sense of duty imposed upon them.  Certainly, the world about us has made a caricature of preachers asking for money, and without question too many preachers appear motivated by the love of money.  However, for all the flaws in the act of giving, the Bible is insistent that giving is a grace.  The message today focuses attention on this grace of giving so that we may each participate in this act of worship in a manner pleasing to God.

In order to properly present the message I must make a brief digression into areas to be covered in future studies.  I want you to be free from compulsion in giving.  Giving is not mandated under the tenets of the New Testament, but it is permitted.  Under the law giving was required of the worshipper and the tithe was mandated.  If you insist upon tithing, remember that you are speaking of a sum considerably greater then ten percent.  The tithe was not ten percent of income as some have erroneously taught, but tithing as required under the law was between twenty-two and twenty-three percent.  There was a first tithe required of worshippers which was designated for support of the priests and Levites.  In Deuteronomy 12:8-19 we read of a second tithe which was given by the worshippers as an act of worship.  This was given to support a national festival for the benefit of the whole community.  In Deuteronomy 14:28, 29 we read of a third tithe required every third year and designated as support of the poor of the land.  These three tithes were in effect divine taxation for support of the priests, the worshipping community and the needy among the people.  The tithes provided for government, community service and welfare.  Underscore in your mind that this was not giving to God, these were not offerings, these tithes were required of every Jew to provide for services both divine and civil.  If you say you tithe, please insure that you are giving at least twenty-three percent of your income.

Jews were not finished with giving when they gave their tithes.  God set up a sort of divine profit sharing plan in Leviticus 19:9, 10 as he made provision yearly for the needy within the nation.  Later, Nehemiah instituted a Temple tax to purchase needed supplies for temple worship [Nehemiah 10:32, 33] and Moses instituted a scheme in which the people forfeited a years income every seventh year as they gave the land a rest.  Conservatively speaking, under the law, which is where you place yourself if you choose to tithe, at least twenty-five percent of your income is required, not as an act of studied choice, but as divine requirement.

Under the New Testament economy, giving is instituted not as a replacement of the tithe but as an act of worship.  Giving reflects the joy and the love which fills the life of the believer.  Giving is not out of a sense of obligation, but rather like the freewill offerings brought by worshippers under the Old Testament economy we give to God out of a sense of gratitude … out of a sense of love … out of a sense of joy.  When we thus give we discover that the act itself is a grace—a means by which we confess that God has blessed us and has enabled us to do what we might otherwise be incapable of doing.  It is my goal to instruct you in grace giving so that your joy may be complete and so that you may worship even more freely than you have to this point in your Christian walk.  It is for this reason that I insist that unbelievers have no part in the act of giving since they cannot worship.  Likewise I believe the act of giving ought to remain a part of our service.  Giving is an act of worship!

While the specifics of grace giving are not the focus of the message today, those aspects are nevertheless important.  Therefore, it is for your benefit that I list the following components of grace giving as outlined in the New Testament.  I am compelled to note that I will be speaking of these particular aspects of New Testament grace giving in coming messages planned for delivery throughout the winter months.  You may find it beneficial to make a brief list of the components of grace giving as outlined in the New Testament.  Though you may not yet be thoroughly equipped with full exposition of the various texts, you will at least be equipped with the basic knowledge to guide your giving.

Grace giving is first of all worship.  Above all else underscore in your mind that the act of giving is an act of worship.  This one feature transforms the act of giving from mere duty to a high act of divine worship which should be expected of any mere mortal.  Grace giving is the expected outflow of the heart which has been set free by the love of God in Christ and which recognises the loving sacrifice of Jesus our Lord.

Grace giving is voluntary giving, akin to providing a firstfruit offering.  We determine what we will give.  This is a private issue between the giver and the Lord.  Each one bringing a gift is responsible to determine what the gift should be.  The size and the form of the gift are determined by the giver alone.  Similarly, grace giving is anticipatory giving.  Before the harvest is complete—before the result of the harvest is known—in faith the one making the offering gives the first portion of the harvest to God as an act of faith.  Before we make any payments or before we make any purchase, our giving ought to be set aside for presentation before the Lord.

Grace giving is sacrificial giving revealing a heart which is not overly attached to possessions.  Grace giving is always generous.  Grace giving reveals a heart in love with Christ because that individual has received the gracious gift of life.  How can one in love with Christ be anything other than generous?  Grace giving is giving which is thoughtful and responsive.  In grace giving we are to think about the amount we will give and determine how we will give.  We cannot dodge responsibility for the administration of our gifts by the recipients through saying that we give and what is done afterwards is not our business.  We are responsible to know that those receiving the money administer the funds wisely and in accordance with the will of God.  This is the reason I encourage members to study the budget of the church and to voice their desires.  The budget is a spiritual document which provides guidance for the direction of the congregation.  We are also responsible to respond to needs as they develop.

Grace giving is to be systematic, proportionate and faithful.  We are to give regularly and consistently as often as we receive income and in such a manner that those dependent upon the gifts can know that needs will be cared for.  Furthermore we are to realise that the more we have the greater our responsibility to give.  I do not expect an individual on a fixed income to give the same percentage of an individual with a growing income.  I do not expect an individual with income barely sufficient for daily survival to give the same percentage of one who has more than sufficient income.  I do expect all who know Christ and who seek His glory to give! 

Grace giving reflects spiritual maturation.  The spiritually mature understand that the manner in which we handle money speaks volumes about our relationships.  We are stewards over all that God has entrusted into our care and we are responsible to answer to Him for our administration of those goods.  If we worship the Living God who is Giver of every good and perfect gift instead of worshipping the gifts which He gives, we will ensure that our possessions are kept in a godly perspective.

Grace giving is an act of worship.  Grace giving is voluntary, anticipatory, sacrificial and generous.  Grace giving is thoughtful, responsive, systematic, proportionate and faithful.  Grace giving reflects spiritual maturity.  In future messages we will explore these aspects of grace giving and associated facets so that we will be thoroughly instructed in the grace of giving.  For the remainder of this message I want to encourage you through instruction focused on the impact of grace giving for us as individual Christians and for us as a congregation.  The message is, therefore, an exposition of the first seven verses of the chapter before us.

Grace Giving Rejects Surrender to Cares — We want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches.  Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.  I invested considerable time in a previous message providing careful exposition of these same verses.  In that message you will recall that I spoke of this particular matter at length and have no need to expatiate at length at this time.  Grace giving is giving which transcends the moment to refocus our gaze on eternity.  The individual giving out of grace refuses to live for the moment, however dark and dreary that moment may appear, in order to cling to the promise that life is so much more than this dark vale we call “now.”

I have reservations about the counselling movement which has attained such popularity in modern religious life.  There is a place for godly counsel.  I do not discount the value of wise counsellors nor do I depreciate the assistance they render those who have severe needs.  However, much of contemporary counselling is unnecessary at best and a disgrace at the worst since the ones being counselled need to refocus their gaze on eternity, turning away from the transience of this life.  Instead of working hard to feel good about themselves, they need to discover that God’s love transcends the fleeting, ephemeral emotion of self-esteem which is sin dressed up in contemporary language to hide its awful features from exposure.

When I focus on the cares of this life I can guarantee that I will soon be depressed.  Consequently, I will never feel good about myself if I am walking with the Lord.  In fact I can assure you that the closer I draw to God the more I realise that I am sinful.  Like Peter when confronted with the power of the Son of God I cry out: Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man [Luke 5:8]!

If feeling good about myself (self-esteem) is necessary for effective service, why did every individual in the whole of the Word of God when confronted with the holiness of God abhor himself and ask for mercy?  What does feeling have to do with relationship to Christ?  What does feeling have to do with His love?  What does feeling have to do with my service?  We should encourage one another to draw from the inexhaustible supply of grace which is the heritage of every blood bought child of God.  My dear people whom I love and for whom I labour, let us learn the importance of the divine accounting system found in Romans 8:18: I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.

Grace Giving Reflects Christian Joy — We want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches.  Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.  You may notice that as I conduct the service at the time of worship through giving I frequently state that those who cannot give with joy in their hearts ought to refrain from participating.  How can one worship when that one is angry toward God?  How can one worship when he or she begrudges the very act in which they are participating?  On the other hand, if we truly recognise the goodness of God and truly bask in His grace, can we not rejoice?

You no doubt discovered when you were children that the best time to ask your father for a gift or for permission to participate in some activity which was special to you was when he was in a good mood?  You have perhaps noticed that your own children are more likely to approach you when you are in a joyful mood?  The reason for approaching your parent when he or she was in a joyful mood was simply that they were more likely to respond in a generous fashion.  Likewise, your children learn, and your spouse learns, that they are most likely to receive a favourable response when you are in a good mood!  Joy is infectious and when possessed of a joyful spirit we are generous.

Grace giving, because it is generous giving, reflects Christian joy—that settled sense of contentment and confidence which is untouched by the cares and woes of this world.  The burdened heart is a heart which has succumbed to the pressures of the moment.  Like Peter attempting to walk on the sea the burdened soul has turned its spiritual gaze toward the concerns of the moment so that it can no longer see the grace of God and the love of the Saviour.  I do not overstate the case when I state that a joyful church is a generous church, and a generous church is a joyful church.  Nor should we expect that the joyful church is a church without opposition and problems; it is simply that the church is so focused on the grace of God that it cannot be dissuaded from pursuing Him and His presence.

Grace Giving Reveals A Generous Spirit — We want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches.  Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.  I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability.  The point has been addressed under the previous heading, but it is worthy of its own consideration.  I said a moment ago that a joyful church is a generous church, and a generous church is a joyful church.  The two cannot be separated; they are like soul and spirit which requires the divine surgeon and the skilled scalpel of the Spirit to distinguish.  Where joy is encountered among the people of God a generous spirit prevails.

I think it important to remind you that the divine accounting is utterly foreign to our accounting methods.  In the final analysis, the size of the gift is of less importance to God than is the spirit with which a gift is given.  A gift given grudgingly is no gift at all.  This point is presented in some detail a few verses beyond our text.  If the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have [2 Corinthians 8:12].  There exists a principle of life which is of paramount importance to our life and service for Christ.  Attitude is of greater significance than action.  If the attitude is right with God the action will shortly align to His will.  Correct actions, on the other hand, are no guarantee of a righteous attitude.  We may act correctly out of fear of reprisal or out of some self-serving motive; but a proper attitude must of necessity in time result in righteous action.

Recall the time when Jesus instructed His disciples in this matter of generosity in giving.  Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury.  Many rich people threw in large amounts.  But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny.

 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others.  They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on” [Mark 12:41-44].

A Christian will always be infected with a high degree of generosity.  The greater one’s comprehension of grace received the greater the tendency toward generosity.  Why do Christ’s churches have the reputation for relieving human misery and suffering?  Why, if this were not true, do not street people first attend the local mosque to ask for relief?  If others are more generous or even equally generous as are Christians shouldn’t the local Sikh Temple be the first choice for seeking help?  Why not call on the atheists … the Canadian Humanist Association … when clothing or food is needed?  It is precisely because the heart which has experienced great grace can do nothing other than exhibit generosity!  Christians are generous people by divine nature and grace giving reveals the generous spirit.

Grace Giving Requests Opportunity To Serve — I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability.  Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints.  The Christian who has learned to give according to New Testament principles seeks opportunity to serve, having discovered the truth of the Saviour’s words in Mark 10:45: For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve.  At no time does the child of God more accurately reflect the divine parentage then when serving others.  Likewise, giving which fails to consider that we must first give ourselves is giving which is less than grace giving.

I have told of the elderly widow who longed to give a gift for missionary enterprise.  I considered her gift beyond her means.  I spoke with her concerning the size of her gift, suggesting that she might wish to reconsider and make the gift smaller.  She chided me, asking whether I would deprive her of the joy of serving her Master in this manner.  There was a world of truth in her statement for her gift was a donation of love which I knew to have been preceded by total surrender of her life to the use of the Master.  It is impossible for me to know how many people were swept into the Kingdom of God through the prayers and service of this one woman.

The story of the little street urchin who attended a service in a great downtown church may be apocryphal, but it nevertheless illustrates this principle.  The little lad had never been in a church building before and perhaps it was overwhelming for him to attend the service in such a great and imposing building where so many illustrious people dressed in splendid finery were in attendance.  Finding a seat the child appeared overwhelmed by the structure and by the wealth evidenced in padded pews and carpeted floors.  The pastor was a powerful spokesman for Christ, however, and he presented a great message on the love of God, speaking powerfully of Christ’s sacrifice for sinful man.  The gifted orator urged his congregation to respond to this grace, giving generously of themselves.

It is doubtful that any of the parishioners present on that particular day understood the import of the preacher’s plea better than did that young lad.  The reason I can make this statement is what was observed as the tellers counted the offering.  When the offering plates had been passed and the gifts received there on the plate together with the multiplied gifts in numbered envelopes was a pew envelope with these words painfully printed in a childish scrawl: I don’t got nothing to give, so I give myself to Jesus.  That little boy, impoverished and incapable of any great financial gift, understood that he must first give himself.  He first gave himself to the Lord.

Could any gift be greater than this?  Could God ask more of any of us?  First give yourself and then your gift will have real meaning.  God is so gracious and He has promised His people: Give, and it will be given to you.  A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.  For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you [Luke 6:38].  You cannot outgive God and the more you give of yourself the more you receive of His Person.  The more richly you will be blessed the more you determine to serve Him.

In this same letter the Apostle wrote: God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work [2 Corinthians 9:8].  Underscore the importance of these multiplied promises.  Through the Apostle God has promised His child abounding grace—love and goodness beyond anything His child should ever imagine.  God has pledged sufficiency—that His child shall have all that may be required in daily life.  God has promised that the Christian will be equipped to abound in every good work.  Surely there is sufficient encouragement for even the most jaded believer to consider grace giving.  The issue before us is not a matter of our desires, but it is an issue of sufficiency.  In the midst of the deepest trial God will supply our every need.  In the day of greatest trauma God will stand with His child to supply strength.  In our greatest extremity God will meet the demand.

Perhaps God will bless us, we reason, but is that sufficient reason to serve through giving?  We wonder what sort of blessing will we get if we give and if we serve God in this way?  We can be so calculating and careful in our giving.  Too many of us are like Pharisees weighing what we will get against our giving.  “Ah,” we complain, “if I give like you suggest I may be blessed by God, my Sunday school class may grow and people may be saved and the church may prosper, but I can’t feed my family on spiritual blessings.  I will have to buy a Hyundai instead of a Dodge truck and I can’t pay my bills on spiritual blessings.”  May I say that it is precisely because we are so bereft of spiritual blessing that we despise such rich gifts?  It is because we have traded true riches for trinkets that we disdain true wealth.

As an aside of some considerable interest you should know that the word translated service in our text—they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints—is from the same root word from which we obtain our word deacon.  These Macedonians pleaded to be deacons, to be servants, that they might share in relief for the saints in Jerusalem.  When we understand the significance of giving ourselves to God and to His people we are taking the first step toward grace giving.  Until you have surrendered yourself to Him who loved you and gave Himself for you, and until you have surrendered control of your own life so that you may be a servant to the people of God, you cannot know grace giving and there will always be a hint of reluctance in your giving.  I pray that we will each begin to practise grace giving.

Grace Giving Represents God At Work In Us — They did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God's will.  So we urged Titus, since he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part.  But just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.  Those who practise grace giving seek above all else to honour Christ Jesus.  They desire above all else that the will of God be done in their lives.  We see God at work in the manner in which we view the possessions entrusted to us.

Generous individuals, having surrendered themselves to the Lord, seek out those gifted men whom He has designated to guide and direct the flock.  As they listen to the message of grace they carefully scrutinise the teaching presented so that they will not be deceived by charlatans.  When they discover that the message is true to the Master, when they discern the Master’s voice ringing through the message, they gladly embrace that teaching and rejoice in the opportunity to fulfil the will of God even in the grace of giving.

C. T. Studd was a world champion cricket player from England when he came to Christ in the 1800s.  At the death of his father, C. T. Studd inherited £29,000, a sizeable fortune in those days.  Studd said, “I do not want to clutter up my life.  I think the best way to use this inheritance is to invest it with God.”  He sent £5,000 each to Hudson Taylor, William Booth and D. L. Moody, and other gifts to various servants of God until he had but £3,400 left, which he gave to his wife on their wedding day.  She said, “The rich young ruler was asked to give all,” so they sent all remaining funds anonymously to General Booth.  All of it!  At that point C. T. Studd said, “Now we’re in the proud position to say, ‘Silver and gold have I none.’”

The Studds invested every pence with God and went to Africa as missionaries.  The investment of this couple, their generosity of spirit, is still bearing dividends today.  This godly couple saw the truth of Matthew 6:19-21: Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

As we learn to hold the accoutrements of this life loosely we are releasing our grip on the tawdry baubles of the moment so that we might more firmly grasp the true wealth of the world to come.  Thus our treasures are displayed for all the world to see.  For the Studds, service to Christ was their treasure and the souls of the redeemed were valued above all else.

What I value most is where I invest the most time, what I most concern myself with and what I most think of when I am free to think as I wish is my treasure.  Any of us can determine what our treasure is by asking ourselves several probing questions.  What do I think of when I am free to think without restriction?  What would I most hate to surrender in this life?  What consumes the most of my time and occupies my thoughts?  The answer to these questions will shortly reveal to where our treasures lie.  Our treasures may be tangible but subject to corruption.  Our treasures may be noble but unworthy of eternal investment.  Do not tell me you value God and His work if your giving speaks of valuing the things of this life.  If your investments in an uncertain future exceed your investments in eternity you are speaking two divergent languages.  Grace giving speaks of God at work in us.

I’m not suggesting that you must give away every earthly possession, but I do suggest that you must be willing to surrender every claim to that which God has given you if you will discover the grace of giving.  The surrender of which I speak begins with surrender to every claim on your life.  Years ago when I first began to speak to people concerning their soul I would visit in homes with a man named Ben Dickey.  Ben would speak of Christ and should a person indicate that they were willing to receive Christ as Saviour, Ben would test that individual by asking: “If Jesus is Master you must be willing to do as He says.  Should Christ ask, would you give up everything and go to Africa as a missionary?”  Some would hesitate as they weighed the question.  Almost inevitably they would eventually nod their head gravely and say, “Yes, I give up everything for Him.  I will go to Africa if that is what He wants.”  God does not ask many of us to go to Africa, but He does ask all of us to be willing to do His bidding.  Are you willing?

A story from the American South clearly illustrates this issue.  During the days of slavery a man owned slaves and he noted that one of the slaves was always joyful in spite of his situation in life.  The master would ask that slave, “Mose, what do you have that I don’t have?” and Mose would answer, “Marse’, I got Jesus in my life.  Cain’t help but ‘joice wid’ Jesus.”

“I want what you have,” the master would say.  “How can I get it?”

“Come down to the pigpen wid’ me,” the old slave would say.

“Oh, no,” the white master would say, “I could never do that.”

And so the days passed, the master asking for the peace witnessed in the life of old Mose and the aged slave inviting his master to join him in the pigpen.  Finally the white man could stand it no longer and he again asked, “Mose, what do you have that I don’t have?”

“Marse’, done tol’ you I got Jesus in my life.”

“I want what you have,” pleaded the master.  “I must have your joy and the peace you have.  How can I get it?”

“Come down to the pigpen wid’ me and you’ll find it,” said the old slave.

“I’m coming with you,” said the dignified white man dressed in his finery.

The old slave, realising that the master was serious, said, “You don’ need to go wid’ me, Marse.  You can have what I have wid’out going down to the pigpen.”

“But,” protested the white man, “what has changed?”

“You don’ need to go down to the pigpen to fin’ Jesus.  You jest need to be willin’ to go down to the pigpen.”

Likewise, you don’t need to give away all you have to be a Christian, but you do need to be willing to give all away should the Master ask.  You don’t need to give all away in order to discover the grace of giving, but you must be willing to surrender every claim should the Master ask you to do so.

Above all else I am pleading with Christians to insure that their priorities set God first in their lives.  I am challenging each Christian to review his or her portfolio to insure that it demonstrates the presence of God prominently and first.  I am pleading with each outsider to receive the grace of God in Christ that they might discover that life which is true life and seize treasures which are true treasures.

Hear again the words of the Master as He offers us His richest gift of life eternal.  Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life [John 5:24].  This is the Word which you must hear and believe.  If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.  As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”  For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” [Romans 10:9-13].  Amen.