Motivated to Give
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This is what missionary Jim Elliot was talking about when he wrote, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” - Jim Elliot
Alcorn, Randy. The Treasure Principle, Revised and Updated: Unlocking the Secret of Joyful Giving (p. 53). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
There are things in life that we love to give to and to give for. Giving can be a tremendously touchy subject as it relates to the church; but the question I want to ask of myself tonight is not, “Why should I give?” but rather “Why should I want to give?”
We see things in life that we want to do but we really don’t want to do them. We see people motivated to athletic feats; but what is it that motivates them? What could possibly motivate me to such a degree that I am willing to give beyond what is expected?
Transition: When we think about giving, we need to go ahead and be clear about two things:
The tithe is pre-law
We don’t often actually practice what we say we believe
The legal code of tithing:
Maybe you believe exclusively in “grace giving” and disagree with the church fathers and others who taught that the tithe was the minimum giving requirement for Christians. But it seems fair to ask, “God, do You really expect less of me—who has Your Holy Spirit within and lives in the wealthiest society in human history—than You expected of the poorest Israelite?” - Alcorn, Randy. The Treasure Principle, Revised and Updated: Unlocking the Secret of Joyful Giving (p. 64). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
What we say we believe is not always accurate to practice (see February 5th - AM service Video - Tithing & the New Testament Believer:
What we say we believe is not always accurate to practice (see February 5th - AM service Video - Tithing & the New Testament Believer:
A 2013 study found that those who do tithe compose “only 10 to 25 percent of the families in the church, but they often provide 50 to 80 percent of the funding.”
There’s often a wide disparity between what churchgoers think they give and what they actually give. “A quarter of respondents in a new national study said they tithed 10 percent of their income to charity. But when their donations were checked against income figures, only 3 percent of the group gave more than 5 percent to charity.”23
Isn’t it troubling that in this wealthy society, what’s inaccurately called “grace giving” amounts to only a fraction of the First Covenant standard? - Alcorn, Randy.
cont...Tithing is God’s historical method to get His people on the path of giving. In that sense, it can serve as a gateway to the joy of true grace giving.
Tithing is God’s historical method to get His people on the path of giving. In that sense, it can serve as a gateway to the joy of true grace giving. It’s unhealthy to view tithing as a place to stop, but it can certainly be a good place to start. Tithing isn’t the ceiling of giving; it’s the floor. It’s not the finish line of giving; it’s the starting blocks. Tithes can launch us into the mind-set, skills, and habits of grace giving. - Alcorn, Randy. The Treasure Principle, Revised and Updated: Unlocking the Secret of Joyful Giving (pp. 65-66). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
Alcorn, Randy. The Treasure Principle, Revised and Updated: Unlocking the Secret of Joyful Giving (p. 65). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
It’s unhealthy to view tithing as a place to stop, but it can certainly be a good place to start. Tithing isn’t the ceiling of giving; it’s the floor. It’s not the finish line of giving; it’s the starting blocks. Tithes can launch us into the mind-set, skills, and habits of grace giving. - Alcorn, Randy.
Alcorn, Randy. The Treasure Principle, Revised and Updated: Unlocking the Secret of Joyful Giving (pp. 65-66). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
I want to be the kind of giver who delights in giving beyond what is humanly possible.
Proposition:
Proposition:
We should all desire to be delightful, motivated givers to and for Jesus Christ!
the question I want to ask of myself tonight is not, “Why should I give?” but rather “Why should I want to give?”
What could possibly motivate this kind of giving?
(1) The fact that Jesus was seeking the lost (poor or rich) who all people agreed should be helped -
(1) The fact that Jesus was seeking the lost (poor or rich) who all people agreed should be helped -
Economic State
(i). One was poor the other rich
(i). One was poor the other rich
(ii). Both were in need of healing
(ii). Both were in need of healing
(iii). Both wanted to see Jesus
(iii). Both wanted to see Jesus
(iv). Jesus stopped to save both of them
(iv). Jesus stopped to save both of them
This is not about the greatness of the men; but about the mercy of the Son of Man.
(v). Both were perceived in different ways regarding their worthiness
(v). Both were perceived in different ways regarding their worthiness
There seems to be a certain worthiness that men associate with economic status.
The Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Gospel according to Luke A Rich Tax Collector in Jericho Becomes a True “Son of Abraham” (19:1–10)
Grace is forever scandalous because it is forever undeserved. It is doubly scandalous for Zacchaeus, a rich oppressor, who seems so much less deserving of grace than Lazarus, a wretched outcast (16:19–31). Grace is a scandal because it insists on including those whom we wish to exclude. The story of Zacchaeus illustrates such grace. It ends not with Zacchaeus seeking Jesus but in Jesus seeking him, not in Zacchaeus’s moral perfection, but with his recovery and restoration as a “son of Abraham.”
This speaking of economic status is also not uncommon in Luke’s gospel. See ,
What could possibly motivate this kind of giving?
(2) The fact that Jesus was seeking the lost, who all the people did not deem worthy of being helped -
(2) The fact that Jesus was seeking the lost, who all the people did not deem worthy of being helped -
What did he seem to have learned that the other people did not understand?
(i). His political affiliations could not help him (v. 2)
(i). His political affiliations could not help him (v. 2)
(ii). His riches could not help him (v. 2)
(ii). His riches could not help him (v. 2)
(iii). His physique could not help him (v. 3 - 4)
(iii). His physique could not help him (v. 3 - 4)
(iv). That Christ stopped, looked his way, and spoke (v. 5 - 6)
(iv). That Christ stopped, looked his way, and spoke (v. 5 - 6)
The Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Gospel according to Luke A Rich Tax Collector in Jericho Becomes a True “Son of Abraham” (19:1–10)
Here it means “to lodge,” evidently recalling the noun form of the word, katalyma, which Luke used at Jesus’ birth (2:7; see also 22:11). The “guest room” denied to Jesus at his birth is now found in the home of a sinful tax collector.
This was a man who was in desperation. His joyful response shows the grace of Jesus.
Spiritual State
Application:
Application:
Why don’t we want to give? What keeps us from this kind of motivation?
You are like these people who consider some worthy of Christ & others not worthy of Christ OR
You are like many who have looked at this story and have missed the whole point: “the Son of Man”
the Son of Man is the one who makes the difference
the Son of Man is the one who is worthy of following (blind man healed)
the Son of Man is supremely worthy of our giving
Why don’t we? What keeps us from this?
We don’t want to give, like Zaccheaus, when we:
(1) We have wrongly understood the aim of Jesus (v. 7)
(1) We have wrongly understood the aim of Jesus (v. 7)
illustration: When Jesus first came to be with sinners, the angels sang to a bunch of shepherds in the field.
(2) We have wrongly understood our own lostness (v. 7, 10, 11-14, 27)
(2) We have wrongly understood our own lostness (v. 7, 10, 11-14, 27)
(3) We wrongly hoard our possessions (v. 8) See also ,
(3) We wrongly hoard our possessions (v. 8) See also ,
(4) We wrongly believe that the law is a limitation upon our giving (v. 8)
(4) We wrongly believe that the law is a limitation upon our giving (v. 8)
Depending on the infraction, an individual would have to restore (%). If it was an animal stolen and killed it was 5 oxen for an ox and 4 sheep for a sheep.
Conclusion:
Conclusion:
What is it that happened that made Zaccheaus want to give like this? See
What is it that happened that made Zaccheaus want to give like this? See
The Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Gospel according to Luke A Rich Tax Collector in Jericho Becomes a True “Son of Abraham” (19:1–10)
“Today” is eschatologically charged in v. 5 and especially in v. 9. The incarnation of the Word of God incorporates dimensions of both space and time: in Jesus, the Word is bodily present
Person #1 - You are as this man who has not been truly regenerated
Person #2 - You are like these people who consider some worthy of Christ & others not worthy of Christ OR
Person #3 - You are like many who have looked at this story and have missed the whole point: “the Son of Man”
the Son of Man is the one who makes the difference
the Son of Man is the one who is worthy of following (blind man healed)
the Son of Man is supremely worthy of our giving
Fruits worthy of repentance
Only one person can motivate and enable you to give like this: It is the Son of Man!
Questions:
Do you even have the desire to be this kind of giver?
Do you even have the desire to be this kind of giver?
We should begin here. Is there a compulsion of love within you or is it just something you have to do?
We should begin here. Is there a compulsion of love within you or is it just something you have to do?
If you do not, I would encourage you to examine:
#1) Are you truly born again?
#2) Do you really understand the depths of your unworthiness when the priceless Jesus Christ was given?
Having this desire, have you obeyed?
Having this desire, have you obeyed?
John Wesley said, “Money never stays with me. It would burn me if it did. I throw it out of my hands as soon as possible, lest it should find its way into my heart.”
What is your starting point?
When is your starting point?
People ask, “Should I give now, or should I hang on to it, hoping my investments will do well and I’ll have more to give in a year?”....Our lives may end before we’ve given what we intended. Zacchaeus said, “Here and now I give half of my possessions” (). Had he waited till “there and then” he might never have been so generous. - Alcorn, Randy.
Alcorn, Randy. The Treasure Principle, Revised and Updated: Unlocking the Secret of Joyful Giving (p. 72). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
illustration:
Playing Dutch Blitz; goal to get rid of the draw pile you have as quickly as possible. The more you have in the end the worse it is for scoring.
Alcorn, Randy. The Treasure Principle, Revised and Updated: Unlocking the Secret of Joyful Giving (p. 71). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
Our goal is not to have as much as possible in the end; but give as we have been given.