Giving With a Pure Heart First Corinthians 16:1-4

Transcription

1 Giving With a Pure Heart First Corinthians 16:1-4 We have come to the last chapter in First Corinthians, in which Paul will be closing up his letter by giving some short exhortations. We won t finish it all today; we will only look at the first exhortation he gives here in verse 1-4. It s here that Paul will challenge them in the area of giving. Notice, Vs. 1 Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also The word concerning tells us that Paul was replying to a question that had been brought up. In this case, it must have been about the collection, or the monetary gift that was being given for the believers in Jerusalem. Collection: comes from the Greek word logia, which means extra gift. With this definition of collection, it probably referred to a type of gift that was above and beyond their regular giving. It was a special offering for the church in Jerusalem. Now you might be asking, Why would Paul be taking up an offering for the church in Jerusalem? There are a few reasons. 1. To meet a monetary need. We read about a famine that God allowed to hit the land. And in these days prophets came from Jerusalem to Antioch. Then one of them, named Agabus, stood up and showed by the Spirit that there was going to be a great famine throughout all the world, which also happened in the days of Claudius Caesar. Then the disciples, each according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brethren dwelling in Judea. This they also did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul Acts 11:27-30 (NKJV).

2 There was a famine that hit the land, and so the church determined in their heart that they would help; it would give them an opportunity to bless the brethren, to support their brothers and sisters. 2. It builds unity and community. Remember that the church of Jerusalem was made up of mostly Jewish believers. There were Jews from all over the world celebrating at Pentecost, and it was there that the Holy Spirit fell upon those in the upper room, Peter spoke the gospel, and 3,000 Jews put their faith in the Messiah. And now that the spirit of God is reaching gentiles, Paul sees an opportunity to build a bridge and overcome so many of the spiritual and cultural hang-ups that existed between the two groups. Paul saw the struggling church in Jerusalem as an opportunity to build a bridge. For it pleased those from Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor among the saints who are in Jerusalem. It pleased them indeed, and they are their debtors. For if the Gentiles have been partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister to them in material things Romans 15:26-27 (NKJV). There is no better way to build bridges than to help someone when there in a financial need. When we were looking to buy the church property 7-8 years ago, the bank said they would loan us 80% of what we needed for the purchase. That left us responsible for 20%, which was about $400,000. We didn t have it in the bank, but I knew the Lord was going to work it out and the last month that we were in escrow, the board of directors at Calvary Redlands voted to loan us that amount. It was a bridge that was built with our sister church in Redlands. They partnered with us and when we sold the 3 acres and paid off the land, we paid them back. God could have done it without them, but instead they saw an opportunity to partner with us, to meet a need that they had the ability to meet, and it built a great bridge for the future.

3 Redlands reached out to the rednecks here in Yucaipa, thus building a greater unity and community in the body of Christ. Notice, Paul gives the church of Corinth some practical ways to go about this, Vs. 2 On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come. Let me give you a few points that we can pull from this passage on giving. 1. Give faithfully. Notice Paul said that on the first day of the week they were to lay something aside. The early church had made it a habit of meeting on the first day of the week because that was the day that Jesus had raised from the dead. Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb Luke 24:1-2 (NKJV). It was on the first day of the week that the disciples were gathered in fear of the Jews, and Jesus showed up and spoke peace. Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, Peace be with you John 20:19 (NKJV). It wasn t that the early church was against worshiping on the Sabbath, they just knew that all days were alike; everyday was a day to worship and serve the Lord. All the days were alike with the Lord.

4 So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ Colossians 2:16-17 (NKJV). So when they came together for worship like we do today, they would take up an extra collection beyond their regular giving for the needy; it was to be taken as a part of their worship. We don t take up an extra collection for the needy. We actually include it in our budget; when you give, a portion of that giving goes to our benevolence budget. Paul wanted to provide a systematic way for them to give. It was not unclear when the offering was to take place. It was not haphazardly; it was planned out as a part of their worship service. It s why we include giving in our worship services. And every part of worship is interactive. We may stand or sit, the spirit may prompt us to raise our hands or bend our knees, sometimes we sing loudly, and there are even times we might not be able to sing at all because we are so moved to tears. The band is not entertaining us; the band is leading us in worship. That s why we have words on the screen so that you can participate. And a part of that expression of worship is giving. We pray for the offering and give you an opportunity to give as a way to bless the Lord. And it you feel uncomfortable with the plate coming around, you can give in the offering box in the foyer. And in the same way, we give as an expression of our worship. The Lord has been so good to us and therefore we want to give back, faithfully and consistently in the church. This brings about the next principle that we see, 2. Give individually. Notice Paul points out who was to be a part of this expression of worship.

5 Vs. 2 On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come. Every one of the believers was to get in on the blessing. It s what believers do because it s what our Lord did; He gave. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life John 3:16 (NKJV). just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many Matthew 20:28 (NKJV). The bottom line here is that the Father is a giver He gave His Son. And the Son is also a giver He gave his life, demonstrating His great love for us. And now that He lives in us, giving is no longer a burden, it s a passion. It s no longer a chore, it s a blessing. My dad told me a story about when he first started tithing. He was a paperboy in Riverside; he sold the Press Enterprise back in the 40s. One of his Sunday school teachers overheard him boasting of the money that he was making as a paper boy. She leaned over and said to him, Are you going to tithe some of that money? He had never heard about a tithe. He asked her what a tithe was and she explained that it was 10% of what you make. He then replied, I like this. This gives you insight into my father s life even as a little boy. He said, Is it in the Bible? She told him it was and from that day on, he started tithing. If it was in the Bible, then he was going to do it. Even as a young boy, my father had a high regard for God s word. I grew up seeing the fruit of honoring God s word, and giving was a part of that. And today my kids are seeing that same fruit in our lives in their home. Paul reminds the church that each person is supposed to give. He wanted everyone to be in on it. Now you might say, What should we give?

6 3. Give prayerfully. Vs. 2 let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come. The idea here is that one should pray about what that is, that he should purpose in his heart to do this prior to coming to worship. That would give them the time to pray about what they were to give, something that should be done in the privacy of your own home. Paul will even add that there be no collections when I come. Paul did not want anyone feeling guilted into giving. This was not some high pressured, emotional fundraiser with a thermometer in the foyer or a weekly newsletter update. I often get colorful brochures in the mail marketing new way to raise funds. Today you can hire a consultant to come in and teach about giving. They do it for 3-4 weeks and at the end, they get people to sign up to invest monthly by filling out a commitment card and then they can build their buildings with the faith card that people sign. You won t find that here at Wildwood. Personally, I don t believe it represents the Lord; if anything, it misrepresents the Lord. It s a worldly method that does not come from the heart of the Lord. When you put your faith in man, you re going to be let down. As a church, we must put our faith in the Lord. He will supply all of our needs according to His riches in glory. He uses us and we get to be involved in the furthering of His kingdom. But what you give is between you and the Lord; it will not be coerced here. So Paul says to pray about what to give while at home, store it up, and then take the collection before he comes so that it s done properly, so that s it s done from a pure heart. Listen to what scriptures speak to us about who we are to seek, If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God Colossians 3:1 (NKJV). But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you Luke 12:31 (NKJV).

7 Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you Matthew 7:7 (NKJV). We are always encouraged to go vertical and to let the Lord take care of the horizontal. Notice the word gift here in verse 3, Vs. 3 And when I come, whomever you approve by your letters I will send to bear your gift to Jerusalem. It s the word karis, which means grace. The gift was to be a love gift, which is the heart of the Lord. He gave out of love and He expects us to do the same. 4. Give generously. Now notice he uses the word prosper. Paul s point is that we should be generous in our giving. Don t let fear motivate your giving; everything we do should be out of faith. For we walk by faith, not by sight Second Corinthians 5:7 (NKJV). Not out of guilt and pressure, not out of fear and obligation. Not out of fear that your bills won t be paid if you give. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver Second Corinthians 9:7 (NKJV). In Second Corinthians, Paul reminds them that it was to be a generous gift, not a grudging obligation. Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren to go to you ahead of time, and prepare your generous gift beforehand, which you had previously promised, that it may be ready as a matter of generosity and not as a grudging obligation Second Corinthians 9:5 (NKJV). And then in verse 6, he reminds them of the law of the harvest,

8 But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully Second Corinthians 9:6 (NKJV). Whatever you sew into the kingdom, is what you re going to reap. When I spread grass seed down for my new lawn, I don t throw it sparingly. I don t count the seeds and make sure that there is a seed for every inch of my lawn. I throw it generously; I grab handfuls and throw it everywhere. Giving is all about stewardship. If you re faithful with what He has given you, if He can trust you with what He has given you, then He will always make sure there is more for you to give. 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, while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God Second Corinthians 9:10-11 (NKJV). He is the one who supplies the seed, the resources. We are to be faithful and generous with the resources He gives us. Let s finish up with verses 3-4, Vs. And when I come, whomever you approve by your letters I will send to bear your gift to Jerusalem. But if it is fitting that I go also, they will go with me. Paul wanted them to put someone in charge of traveling with him to carry the gift to Jerusalem. It was not going into his pocket. Here at Wildwood, it s important that you know that I don t see what you give. I don t want dollar signs to come up when I shake your hand. We have a board that prays through the financial decisions here. They seek the Lord and are led by the Lord to set budgets every year. They pray about payroll. They pray about how much should be allotted towards ministry,

9 missions, and outreach. We squeeze everything we can out of every penny that is given. It s a work of faith for all of us. You give by faith and we set budgets by faith, and at the end of the year, we always look back and are blessed by the work of faith. Wildwood, do you remember the sign that we put up years ago when the Lord so graciously purchased this property? It was taken from Psalms 126, The Lord has done great things for us, And we are glad Psalms 126:3 (NKJV). Let s remember how good the Lord has been to us. And I guarantee you, when you take the time to remember His blessings, you will not have any trouble giving.