Sermon Tone Analysis

“Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.

Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

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“Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.”

Every language has proverbs peculiar to that particular language.

English is an expressive and marvellously powerful language in part because it is so dynamic, adapting to the changing world including the adoption of sayings, proverbs and adages found in other languages.

The proverb Paul quotes is obviously ancient; and though we cannot speak with authority of the origin of the proverb it was certainly current among those conversant with the lingua franca of the New Testament world—the language we now know as Koine Greek.

I suspect that the proverb quoted is as ancient, in one form or another, as agrarian society.

Clearly, the proverb has its roots in the soil.

So long as man has tilled the soil, I would suppose that similar proverbs have been quoted.

At the outset of the message, I need to be very clear concerning my horticultural abilities.

I make no claim to being a horticulturist; my thumb is not green; plants surrender to the inevitable when entrusted to my care.

Therefore, I offer no advice concerning your efforts to plant or to grow plants in your yards.

However, Paul is not speaking of plants in this proverb.

He is applying the universal truth underlying the proverb to instruct his readers in a biblical principle concerning giving.

The greater your gift, the greater the return you may anticipate.

Though there may be caveats applied to the proverb, the truth remains that generosity begets blessing.

Join me in a study of this ancient proverb to discover how the truth may be applied in contemporary life.

THE BIBLICAL BASIS FOR GENEROSITY IN GIVING — “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully” [2 CORINTHIANS 9:6].

Paul writes with broad strokes at this point.

This is not, as many holding to charismatic concepts imagine, a blank cheque with which to enrich oneself.

This is not, as one prominent religious huckster was wont to say, a statement concerning “seed money.”

This is a general, spiritual precept given to the people of God.

It is worthy of study if for no other reason than to instruct us in actions that are pleasing to God.

The proverb speaks of truth that is witnessed elsewhere in Scripture, especially from the Proverbs.

Consider several Proverbs that speak of the blessing attending generosity.

“Honour the LORD with your wealth

and with the firstfruits of all your produce;

then your barns will be filled with plenty,

and your vats will be bursting with wine.”

[PROVERBS 3:9, 10]

The principle enunciates a general precept that the individual who sees wealth as entrusted by God will seek to honour God; in turn, that one will be entrusted with even greater wealth.

Here is another of the Proverbs that is worthy of our careful consideration.

“One gives freely, yet grows all the richer;

another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.

Whoever brings blessing will be enriched,

and one who waters will himself be watered.

The people curse him who holds back grain,

but a blessing is on the head of him who sells it.”

[PROVERBS 11:24-26]

It is obvious that this presents a general truth rather than a specific promise.

Nevertheless, it holds true that those who are generous will be blessed by those who benefit from their generosity.

In fact, the statement in the 25th verse sounds as if it could have been appropriated by the Apostle for our text and still communicate the same truth.

Let me point out two further Proverbs that surely apply in this instance.

“Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the LORD,

and he will repay him for his deed.”

[PROVERBS 19:17]

“Whoever gives to the poor will not want,

but he who hides his eyes will get many a curse.”

[PROVERBS 28:27]

Assuredly, God promises blessing to the one who is generous.

Generosity should mark the child of God; especially is that true of one who is mature in the Faith.

Consequently, churches should be denoted for generosity, though not for naiveté.

In this context, you will perhaps recall the words Jesus spoke to His disciples.

“Give, and it will be given to you.

Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap.

For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you” [LUKE 6:38].

Though some have distorted this statement, focusing on material wealth, it is obvious that the Master spoke of the richest of blessings—fellowship and power with God.

The point of all these passages, and the point of our text, is that God takes note of the generous individual.

That person reflects the character of the Father.

The wiser one is in administering the grace of God, the greater the goods entrusted by the Father.

It is but a concise statement of the parable of the talents that Jesus told on one occasion.

You will undoubtedly remember that parable, related in LUKE 19:11-27.

Jesus told of a man who would be gone for an extended time.

He entrusted to three servants considerable wealth.

One invested the goods and earned a return of one hundred present.

A second, likewise, invested the goods in some manner; he also earned a return of one hundred percent.

The third servant hid the wealth entrusted to his oversight, excusing his action because he feared his master, knowing him to be shrewd and sharp.

Of course, upon his return, the master sought his funds.

The first servant had prospered, receiving the master’s commendation, “Well done, good servant!

Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities” [LUKE 19:17].

Likewise, the second servant received the master’s commendation, “And you are to be over five cities” [LUKE 19:19].

However, the third servant was stunned to hear his censure, “‘I will condemn you with your own words, you wicked servant!

You knew that I was a severe man, taking what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow?

Why then did you not put my money in the bank, and at my coming I might have collected it with interest?’

And he said to those who stood by, ‘Take the mina from him, and give it to the one who has the ten minas’” [LUKE 19:22-24].

Just as God notes the generous individual, noting that they see themselves as administrators of the grace of God, so He notes the stinting individual who seems to focus on her own ability, on her own strength or on her own good fortune.

Therefore, the Master concluded, “I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away” [LUKE 19:26].

It would be easy enough to say that the accounting takes place at the return of the Master, and that seems obvious; however, in light of the verses cited from PROVERBS 11, I caution each one listening to recognise that there is an accounting even in this present life.

Surely, the blessing of encouraging others, of participating in advancing their welfare and honouring the Lord Christ, has immediate benefits to each of us.

There lived during the early years of the last century, a wonderfully gifted man who was richly blessed by God in his business.

The name of this gifted man was R. G. LeTourneau.

LeTourneau was a designer and builder of the great earth moving equipment which was instrumental in permitting North American governments to design and construct the vast network of roads and urban infrastructure which has built the modern nations.

In the process of building infrastructure of the nations, LeTourneau earned a vast fortune.

LeTourneau, a Christian, was determined that he would honour God through generosity.

At the first, he committed to giving a tenth of his income, which he soon increased to twenty percent.

As he kept on earning money he continued increasing the amount he gave to God and the advancement of the Faith until he was donating an astonishing ninety percent of his earnings to the work of the Lord.

Near the end of his life, LeTourneau confessed that he had enjoyed life immensely, and especially had he enjoyed contributing to the work of the Lord.

His testimony was that as he used a spoon to scoop money out the backdoor of his life, God was shovelling money into his life with a scoop shovel.

His testimony was that no one could out give God.

God will be debtor to no one.

No mere mortal can so live, can so give, that God becomes indebted to that individual.

Job, pondering the deep questions of the divine mind, asks rhetorically of God:

“Behold, he snatches away; who can turn him back?

Who will say to him, ‘What are you doing?’”

[JOB 9:12]

The obvious answer to the question is, “No one!”

The Living God is generous beyond all human comprehension.

Throughout the Word of God are multiplied statements that speak of His compassion and generosity given to stimulate His people to emulate His noble character.

I suppose that each Canadian is familiar with the statement that underscores our Faith and which is recorded in JOHN 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son.” God’s love prompted Him to give; and that which He gave was the most precious gift imaginable—His One and Only Son.

Weigh that thought in light of Paul’s testimony provided in the Letter to Roman saints.