Tabor Baptist Church

Introduction

• Looking at giving - particularly financial giving
  • Not to think of this as optional
• Financial giving is never an add on to Christian life
  • It is part of our response to God's amazing love to us
  • The costly gift of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit
  • Our response should be giving ourselves completely to God
• Looking at the teachings of the passage
• Looking at what governs our Christian life
  • 8:9
  • This is our motivation for giving as Christians

Principles in the Passage

1. Desire is important but it must lead to practice

• Not hoping to give
  • Not a plan that is not put into action
• The Corinthians were a wealthy church
  • Paul instructed them to store up a gift each week
  • Paul is keen they fulfil this promise (8:6,10-11,12)
  • It is good to build up this gift and not to stop at the end (9:5)
• Have you thought about giving but never went through with it?
  • Maybe it is time to rethink about this
• 11 principles

2. Inspired and challenging by the giving of others

• Paul is exhorting the Corinthians to be inspired and challenged by the Macedonias
  • The gave out of poverty
    • Yet they gave joyfully
    • 8:1-4
    • They give both according and beyond their ability
    • Example of the liberality of poor countries in giving
  • 8:8
    • A test
    • If you really love God and His people - prove it

3. Giving is never an end in itself

• 8:5
  • Not just raising money and giving it over
  • Serving God
  • Serving the churches
  • Part of their obedience to God
  • Not a competition

4. Liberal giving is to be encouraged

• 8:7
  • Paul is encouraging liberal giving
  • God can bless the church with the grace of abounding giving
• 9:6
  • Bountiful giving
  • Multiple benefits
    • Bountiful sowing, bountiful harvest

5. The pattern of giving is the giving of the Lord Jesus

• 8:9
  • God does not give a specific command about giving
    • Instead God reminds us of the amazing gift of the Lord Jesus Christ
  • Jesus emptied Himself
    • He decided not to use many of His divine attributes
    • He went to the cross
    • That we might have peace with God and every spiritual blessing and an abundance of grace
  • Paul is encouraging them by the pattern of the Lord Jesus Christ

6. Giving is always voluntary and not by compulsion

• You must give in response to the love of God
  • Not to be pressed into giving
  • Each person must decide before the Lord
    • 8:8,10; 9:7
  • Each must make their own wise decisions before God in their heart
  • The way in which we give is important
    • Not because we must but because we desire it

7. Giving must not be a burden or impoverish the giver

• 8:12-13
  • Not to give that you would struggle
  • Example

8. Make sure that no-one suffers

• Wealthier churches should support poorer churches
  • 8:14-15
  • There should be equality
  • God wants all the needs of the saints to be supplied
  • We must ask in the local/wider Church - is there anyone lacking?

9. Organising strategic giving

• There are many verses
• Titus was sent to organise giving
  • 9:3
  • Planned giving is often better than spontaneous giving

10. God's grace enables us to give

• God is able to make us sufficient to give
  • If we need, we must pray 'Lord provide it'
    • Example
• 9:8
  • God will supply (in different ways)
  • Trust in God
  • You will never lack

11. There are multiple blessings to giving

• 9:9
  • Example of George Muller
  • 9:10-11

Quick Recap

• Of the 11 points above

The Bigger Picture in Giving

• We are given conscience - but it can be seared
• There are wonderful truths in the Old Testament that help us in giving
  • The Ten Commandments - Love God and love your neighbour as yourself
    • Especially in relation to giving
  • The principle of a tithe
    • Before it was ever recorded in Scripture - Abraham gave a tithe
      • It would be foolish to ignore this principle
      • It is a helpful marker
    • Not legalistic giving like the pharisees
      • Jesus spoke out against this
      • Jesus also showed the heart of the law
        • Examples
        • Jesus wants us to give ourselves to Him - and to give a tithe out of this
• How do we make decisions about giving - we look at the Lord Jesus
  • Examples
  • We give because Jesus give
  • We forgive because Jesus has forgiven us
    • Eph 4:32 - we follow Jesus's example
    • Col 2:13
  • 1 Cor 6:18-20 – what governs our sexual behaviour?
• What directs our Christian life?
  • The gospel
  • Not to sin against the law and not against the Lord Jesus Christ
• Live before Him and honour Him