Sermon Tone Analysis

“The point is this: 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.

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.

As it is written,

‘He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor;

his righteousness endures forever.’

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.

You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.”

Disgruntled Donor Sues Church.

That headline appeared some years back in the Houston Post.

A member of a large Pentecostal congregation in the city had drawn the conclusion, based upon a sermon about or an interpretation of LUKE 6:38, that God had pledged to reward those who give to support the church.

You remember the verse: “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.”

The disgruntled former congregant complained that she had donated over eight hundred dollars in a year to her church and had not received any benefit.

Viewing giving as an investment, she expected at least a thirty-fold increase, and I would presume she hoped for a hundred-fold return [see MATTHEW 13:1-9, 18-23].

Therefore, she sued for the moneys she had given, plus lost income, plus unspecified pecuniary assessment by the courts.

The case was ultimately settled out of court when the church returned the eight hundred dollars to the disappointed investor.

Does a Christian have a right to ask, “What’s in it for me if I give to support my church?”

Though we may view the motives behind such a question as suspect, I would remind you that God has pledged to reveal Himself as generous toward those who are generous toward His work.

Saying that, I do not want to lead you into false assumptions concerning God’s obligation toward us—God is not obligated to anyone.

It is, however, an axiom of the Faith that the blessings of God are in proportion to the generosity which an individual demonstrates.

*THE PRINCIPLE STATED* — “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.”

In a previous message, we discovered that there is a law of sowing and reaping which applies to the issue of giving.

This law is not a law of material promise; rather it is a law of spiritual proportions.

No court can compel God to meet material expectations.

Neither can any human parliament reduce the promise of God to mere formulae.

Nevertheless, God is pledged to review the heart of His child, taking note of the spirit which motivates giving, and when that spirit reflects the heart of the Master, God will return in abundance His love and care for that soul.

We discovered in an earlier message that the principle of blessing based upon our own participation in the work of God is stated throughout the Word.

For the purpose of refreshing our memories through review, recall some of those passages, especially from the Old Testament.

You will remember no doubt the pointed passages from the PSALMS and PROVERBS:

“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 well with the man who deals generously and lends;

who conducts his affairs with justice.”

[PSALM 112:5].

I have often stated (and the truth is confirmed in this proverb applied to human action)—attitudes precede action.

In other words, attitudes are of greater importance then are actions.

God reviews the intent of the heart—the desire which underlies deed, the purpose hidden in the mind of every person—to discover why one does what is done.

It is never comfortable to attempt to deceive God, for in the effort one succeeds only in deceiving one’s own heart.

Consequently, each time the Word of God is read and applied that heart is exposed to itself as deceitful and corrupt.

Consequently, the deceiver grows increasingly uncomfortable in the presence of the Lord and until the heart repents the individual resents God and His Word.

This is the insight of the author of the Hebrew letter when that unknown saint writes, ”The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account” [HEBREWS 4:12-13].

It is the thoughts and the attitudes of the heart which are judged because actions follow attitude.

In this same SECOND CORINTHIAN LETTER which we are exploring to discover truths related to our giving, Paul issues a plea for correct thinking.

Listen to his words in this letter.

“I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when I am away!—I beg of you that when I am present I may not have to show boldness with such confidence as I count on showing against some who suspect us of walking according to the flesh.

For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh.

For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.

We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete” [2 CORINTHIANS 10:1-6].

Christian thinking leads to warfare with the mind as the child of God struggles to make every thought obedient to Christ.

The thinking of this world is associated with that which is destined for dust and is thus unworthy of the mind of the Master.

Perhaps we cannot help but be effected by the thinking of this world.

In greater or lesser measure I suppose that each of us carries the mindset of this present world into every facet of life.

Are we attempting to deceive God? Are we attempting to coerce God? Are we attempting to manipulate God? Are we trading in divine grace?

My dear people, we must be ruthless in examining our motives to discover why we do what we do and remove every motive unworthy of Christ.

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

I am traversing again ground which is undoubtedly familiar for most of you by now.

Because information may be familiar does not necessarily mean that it is incorporated into our lives, however.

Let’s think through application of the principle the Apostle has enunciated.

Giving is an intimate act.

Our moneys represent something far more personal than mere possessions.

The request to give of one’s wealth generates an emotional response out of proportion to the request.

Our moneys represent our labours, being the expression of the skill with which we have exercised our particular abilities, whether physical or mental.

The funds we hold speak in great measure of personal aspirations and represent the fulfilment of past dreams.

Consequently, our personal interest in the moneys we donate does not cease when we have given our gifts, whether those gifts are given to the church or whether those gifts are donated to a secular charity or whether those gifts have been given to individuals.

We want to know what impact we have had in the world through our investments.

Paul recognises this, acknowledging that “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart.”

Hopefully, you are convinced that Christian giving that is pleasing to God originates in the heart.

One of the great needs of our own congregation is a closer tie to how our gifts are used.

We would benefit in a far greater measure then we can anticipate from an active, vigorous programme designed to insure accountability.

A missionary union composed of men and women with spiritual insight to direct us in disbursement of our gifts to insure maximum impact in our giving would bless the entire congregation.

A women’s missionary circle willing to involve our women in missionary support and participation in mission activities, or a men’s mission group willing to take leadership in participatory missionary labours would be a blessing for us.

We need a body within the structure of the congregation to regularly instruct us where our giving will have the greatest impact, to assess the effect our investments have had in the advance of the Kingdom, and to advise us how we may insure greater effectiveness in Christian investment.

I make the effort to inform our people of needs, permitting each member opportunity to share in meeting those needs.

Unfortunately, because we meet but once each week it is far too easy to lose contact with the gifts we bring after they have been given.

We would undoubtedly benefit from greater involvement through groups such as those just mentioned.

We would benefit from closer interaction with those missionary endeavours we choose to support.

If there is a weakness in our present practise, it is the lack of regular accountability to our missionaries through participation in the life of the congregation.

Paul calls for nothing less than active participation in worship through giving; he seeks to insure that believers do more than merely make a donation.

Christians are called to invest their hearts and their love in those in whom they are blessing with their earthly goods.

The evidence for the investment of our hearts in those projects which we support and in those servants whom we underwrite will be our active participation in the work offered up to the glory of God.

My fellow elder, Brother Jason, is currently promoting teen and youth ministries within the church.

Brother Kurt has begun a ministry to young boys within our congregation.

They’ve had their first outing, sharing in the joys of camping in the Sukunka.

If we simply give a gift and cease concern at that point, our giving will have been an utter failure.

The gifts we bring should lead us to pray for the success of every outreach, to ask the Master eagerly to insure that we will benefit through expansion of the Kingdom through bringing young men and women to the knowledge of Christ and to enter His service.

Our gifts should lead us to seek out our own youth, asking that they make a commitment to Christ and that they consider whether God has called them into Christian service.

When God calls them to His service—and He will call some—we should have obtained such confidence in the institutions we have underwritten that we confidently encourage our own youth to prepare there!

Someone with exceptional insight into human character opined that there must exist a sensitive nerve that is connected to our pocketbook.

For the average person, the existence of such a nerve explains the experience of discomfort and pain at the request to donate—whatever the origin of the request.

Christians, until they are taught in the principles of giving, may likewise experience pain at the thought of giving, however worthy the cause may be!

Therefore, the Apostle admonished that “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion” [2 CORINTHIANS 9:7].

The church that will be pleasing to God is a church that sets the people free to give—or to refrain from giving!