Sermon Tone Analysis

Before you begin your Bible study, as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, be sure you have named your sins privately to God the Father.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

(Known, Unknown and Forgotten sins) (1Jn 1:9)

 

 

You will then be in fellowship with God, Filled with the Holy Spirit and ready to learn Truth from the Word of God.

 

"God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in Spirit and Truth," (John 4:24)

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*GIVING*

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       Giving is an important function of the MATURE Spiritual life.

You may have given little consideration to this subject, but it is much more than simply giving money.

Giving is related to so many other Biblical Doctrines, that two chapters in Second Corinthians are necessary to adequately cover its relationship to the Spiritual life.

Giving, as a specialized function of the royal priesthood of the believer, depends basically on the utilization of the “grace apparatus for perception” (Operation Z); and on the construction of the “edification complex” in the soul.

(The completed Divine Nature in us; 2Pe 1:4) http:~/~/thinkingtruth.wordpress.com~/2008~/02~/05~/top-and-bottom-circles~/

Giving includes your mental attitude, your free will, the condition of your soul, the giving of yourself, and of your capacity to give of ALL your possessions.

(Matt 19:21; Luk 14:33)

 

        The function of giving has been attacked in the local church, religion and in the secular world.

Many people give because they think that God is a “genie” who will give them what they want because they “ante in” a certain amount in the collection plate.

Many people give to assuage a guilt complex.

They have become financially successful, perhaps by some unethical business practices.

Giving some portion of this money to charity and the underprivileged eases the conscience!

There is a very fine line between true Biblical giving, and giving with false motivation.

(Acts 5:1-11)

 

       CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CHURCH AGE

 

       In order to appreciate the full scope of giving and to relate our topic to the other functions of the Spiritual life, certain underlying technical Principles must be understood.

To begin, we will review briefly several characteristics which are unique to the Church Age --- the dispensation in which we live.

First, at salvation the baptism of the Holy Spirit identifies us with Christ and enters us into union with Him.

This positional sanctification is in two categories: (1) Retroactive positional Truth; (Identification with Christ in His Spiritual death, physical death and burial) expresses rejection of, and separation from the power and authority of the old sin nature as the sovereign of human life.

(2) Current positional Truth; (Identification with Christ in His resurrection, ascension and session) indicates our royalty and permanent relationship with the Lord as members of the Body of Christ.

(Rom 6:3-11; (1Co 12:13; Col 2:12)

       Second, in the Church Age the Holy Spirit indwells the body of every believer as a temple, (1Co 6:19-20) and as the Principle of victory over the old sin nature.

(Gal 5:16-18) Certain Old Testament believers were temporarily empowered by the Holy Spirit for specific purposes.

But the Spirit, who guides the believer and glorifies Jesus Christ, (John 14:26; John 16:13-14) never permanently resided in any believer prior to Pentecost because Christ’s glorification at the right hand of the Father had not yet occurred.

(John 7:39) Third, whereas in the Age of the Jews Jesus Christ indwelled the Tabernacle and later the Temple, in the present dispensation our Lord indwells the body of every believer.

(John 14:20; Gal 2:20) This is a sign of our royalty and is the basis for fellowship with Christ.

Fourth, for the first time in history, the believer’s instructions do not come through dreams, visions, or angelic teaching, but through the completed canon of Scripture.

Everything God wants us to know is in Writing.

(1Co 2:16) Fifth, every believer is in full-time Christian service.

We are all God’s personal representatives --- priests and ambassadors, whatever our occupation in life may be.

(2Co 5:20)

       Sixth, the Church Age believer does not live under the Mosaic Law, but under the New Covenant, which abolishes and supersedes the Law.

(Rom 8:2-4) We have clearly defined the grace way of life which demands a supernatural means of execution: the filling of the Holy Spirit; (Eph 5:18) plus, maximum Truth resident in the soul.

(2Ti 3:16-17)

       Last in our review, and especially pertinent to our subject, is the universal priesthood of the believer.

In the Church Age, every believer is a royal priest; (1Pe 2:5-9) whose objective is to grow to Spiritual maturity.

(Matt 5:48; Eph 3:17-21; Eph 4:11-16) As one of the sacrifices or priestly functions of the royal priesthood, (1Ti 6:17-19; Heb 13:15-16) doing Divine good --- Virtue, is the privilege of Spiritual believers only; unbelievers are excluded; because they do not have a living human spirit!

(Jas 2:26) Carnal believers are excluded; because they are not using the power of God's Spiritual life!

(Rom 8:7-8) While worship is primarily the function of being in fellowship and learning Truth as taught by the pastor-teacher, (John 15:7) it also includes praying, offering ourselves to God, singing, praise, giving-thanks, sharing, and observing the Lord’s Table --- giving is also among its authorized expressions.

FOUR BASIC PRINCIPLES OF GIVING

 

       (1) The Old Testament Principle of Giving: Some people think that the basis for giving in the Old Testament was tithing.

It was not!

Giving then was grace giving, just as it is in the New Testament.

The Principle for giving in the Old Testament is found in, (Prov 11:24-25).

There is one who scatters, [Gives generously] and yet increases all the more; [Spiritually and materially] and there is one that withholds what is justly due, [Truth, time, energy, effort, and money] but he results in want!

(Spiritual poverty, and no capacity for anything in life; including money) The generous man shall will be prosperous, [Spiritually and materially] and he who waters (Gives to God ALL OF OUR THOUGHTS; Psa 32:2; Psa 51:6; Psa 51:10; Luk 14:33) and to others: Truth, time, energy, effort, and money) will himself be watered.

(Receive from God: Truth, time, energy, effort, and money) We do not save for the future; we give and spend for the future!

(1Ti 6:17-19)

 

      As it is Written, "HE SCATTERED ABROAD, HE GAVE TO THE POOR, HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS ENDURES FOREVER."

(2Co 9:9) Quoted form, (Psa 112:9).

Please read the whole psalm.

(Psa 112:1-10)

    

      THIS IS A SUPERNATURAL LIFE; AND THIS LIFE, DEMANDS A SUPERNATURAL MEANS TO EXECUTE IT! (GOD; GOD'S THOUGHTS; AND GOD'S POWER; ONLY!)

The Old Testament believers were Commanded to bring burnt offerings, tithes, sacrifices, votive offerings, freewill offerings, the firstborn of the herd and of the flock.

(Deut 12:6) Tithing was taxation; the different offerings were grace giving; to teach Salvation and The Thinking of the Spiritual life.

(2) The New Testament Principle of Giving.

This Principle is found in, (2Co 9:7).

The believer today gives “...as he purposed in his heart not grudgingly, or of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

(A Spiritually mature believer; who shares God's HAPPINESS; 2Co 6:10; (2Co 8:2; 2Co 8:9; Jas 2:5; Heb 12:2)

 

        And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having ALL sufficiency in EVERYTHING, you may have an ABUNDANCE for every [Divine] good deed!

(2Co 9:8) cf.

(Matt 13:12; Matt 25:29)

 

       (3) Tithing.

The word “tithe” means “ten percent.”

Old Testament tithing was a form of taxation and was imposed upon Jewish believers and unbelievers alike.

This amounted to a percentage of what one owned or received for his labors.

There were several tithes.

One was an income tax for the maintenance of the Levites.

(Num 18:21-24) There was also a tax for the national feasts and sacrifices, mentioned in, (Deut 14:22-25).

Thirdly, there was a tax every third year used for the poor of the land, (Deut 14:28-29).

THREE TAXES or THREE TITHES!

The fact that tithing has nothing to do with giving can be seen from the Hebrew of, (Mal 3:8-10).

Tithes were brought into the treasury (Literally) — not the “storehouse,” and NOT the church!

Tithing was taxation; giving was OVER AND ABOVE TITHING!

 

       (4) The Time and Norm for Giving and Receiving for the Needy Saints.

In, (1Co 16:1-2) we find the time for giving to be the first day of the week at assembly worship.

The norm: “As God has prospered!”

A GRACE GIFT FROM MACEDONIA

 

       Chapters 8 and 9 of Second Corinthians give us fifteen Principles of giving.

(2Co 7:14-16) states that Paul had confidence in the Corinthian believers that they would continue to respond to Truth.

But the first word of the Greek text in, (2Co 8:1) indicates a change in subject to show that Paul did NOT have confidence in the Corinthians’ ability to give as unto the Lord.

Therefore, he proceeded to set forth the fifteen Principles in order to teach the Doctrine of giving.

This is the most extensive passage in Scripture on giving and one which, when understood properly, will provide answers to all questions on the subject.

One of the reasons for Paul’s lack of confidence in Corinthian giving, is that they were very rich, and too often the very rich are the least informed on the true Biblical Concepts and Principles in giving as unto the Lord.

Paul began his dissertation on giving by establishing an example for the Corinthians — the fantastic giving of the poor, impoverished and persecuted Macedonians.

/       Now, brethren, we wish to make known to you the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia.

/(2Co 8:1)

 

       According to the historian Livy, the Romans at this time had devastated all of Macedonia.

Yet, despite their poverty and great affliction at the hands of the Romans, the Macedonians gave generously to the needy saints at Jerusalem and had set an example from which the Corinthians could well profit.

The starving saints in Jerusalem needed assistance in order to survive, and this letter from Paul concerns a collection to relieve the pressure of the Jerusalem believers.

Since there was a traditional racial prejudice between the Jews and the Gentiles; Paul had to dispel the natural antagonism existing between the two peoples.

Thus he related the Macedonian example for the Corinthians.

The Macedonians gave first of themselves; they had the right mental attitude for giving; they were in fellowship.

They had no mental attitude sins connected with their giving.