GIVING ACCORDING TO GOD'S PLAN - PART 3 (Various Scriptures)
INTRODUCTION:
Three weeks ago, we looked at loving one another, and one of the ways which we do this is by providing for the needs of our brothers and sisters in Christ. At that time, I introduced a new opportunity for you to help in providing for needs within our church family first, but also outside our church family, for needs in our community. Then we began to look at giving according to God’s plan and we spent two weeks in the Old Testament looking at giving during two periods of history, giving from Creation to Moses and giving from Moses to Jesus. This morning we are going to look at the third time period of giving in history which is from Jesus to the present. I wanted to spend enough time on this subject to teach you what the Word of God says about giving and then to leave it to the Spirit of God to prompt and guide your response.
Remember I said that within each of the three time periods of giving there were two types of giving. First was required giving and we learned that required giving is always connected to taxation. Anytime there is a stipulated percentage it has to do with taxation. The tithes were to fund the national government and its programs. In both cases in the two periods of giving in the Old Testament, exacted giving, or taxation, which was commanded, was required giving. The second type of giving was freewill giving. Freewill giving is always spontaneous, voluntary, no amount was ever stipulated, no frequency was required, little was said other than to say that generosity and liberality would be rewarded with blessing. The only motive for freewill giving was a thankful and loving heart.
Now this morning we move into the New Testament, and we are going to see what it says about giving, and just so you know, it says exactly what the Old Testament says. New Testament giving is more clearly defined but it is the same. As with the Old Testament, there are two types of giving addressed in the New Testament. One, pay your taxes; and two give to God whatever you want, there is no amount specified. Let’s Pray then get into God’s Word.
--PRAY--
SCRIPTURE:
Again, I do not have a specific passage of Scripture this morning so I will read our Scripture reading again to set the context for speaking about New Testament giving. Turn to Galatians 6:6-10 and please stand if you are able, in honor of the reading of God’s Word.
Galatians 6:6-10,
“The one who is taught the word is to share all good things with the one who teaches him. Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.” (Galatians 6:6–10, NASB95)[1]
REQUIRED GIVING IN THE GOSPELS
What was required giving in the New Testament? Matthew 17 introduces us to this subject. Remember that during the lifetime of Jesus the three tithes instituted by the Mosaic Law were still in effect in Israel, plus the other payments that we spoke about last week. All of this was taxation. In addition to the taxes under the Mosaic Law, the Romans were also taxing the people. All these taxes had to be paid and Jesus remarks about paying taxes repeatedly in the Gospels.
Look at Matthew 17:24, “When they came to Capernaum, those who collected the two-drachma tax came to Peter and said, ‘Does your teacher not pay the two-drachma tax?’ ” (Matthew 17:24, NASB95)[2] How does Peter respond to them? He says, “Yes” in verse 25. This is interesting because Matthew is presenting Jesus, the Messiah, as King, and even though He is King, in fact the King of kings, He still does what is right in terms of paying the required legal taxes. Let’s read on and see how He pays them; too bad we cannot pay them this way today. Verse 25-27, “And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, ‘What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth collect customs or poll-tax, from their sons or from strangers?’ When Peter said, ‘From strangers,’ Jesus said to him, ‘Then the sons are exempt. However, so that we do not offend them, go to the sea and throw in a hook, and take the first fish that comes up; and when you open its mouth, you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for you and Me.’ ” (Matthew 17:25–27, NASB95)[3] Jesus is making a point here that He does not need to pay taxes because He is the Son of God. But so as not to offend those collecting the half shekel tax Jesus tells Peter to go fishing, and the first fish he catches will have a shekel in its mouth take it and pay both his own and Jesus’ tax. Too bad we cannot get our tax money this way today. The point is Jesus paid His taxes. Jesus is advocating what the Father had commanded in the Old Testament, in the Law, pay your taxes. This is required giving.
Now turn to Matthew 22:15-17, listen as I read, “Then the Pharisees went and plotted together how they might trap Him in what He said. And they sent their disciples to Him, along with the Herodians, saying, ‘Teacher, we know that You are truthful and teach the way of God in truth, and defer to no one; for You are not partial to any. Tell us then, what do You think? Is it lawful to give a poll-tax to Caesar, or not?’ ” (Matthew 22:15–17, NASB95)[4] If Jesus said, “pay your taxes,” the Jews are down on Him, He is pro-Roman. If He says, “Don’t pay your taxes,” the Romans are down on Him. So, they think they have trapped Him. Let’s read on, verses 18-22, “But Jesus perceived their malice, and said, ‘Why are you testing Me, you hypocrites? Show Me the coin used for the poll-tax.’ And they brought Him a denarius. And He said to them, ‘Whose likeness and inscription is this?’ They said to Him, ‘Caesar’s.’ Then He said to them, ‘Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and to God the things that are God’s.’ And hearing this, they were amazed, and leaving Him, they went away.” (Matthew 22:18–22, NASB95)[5] Taxation is necessary, and Jesus said, “Pay your taxes.” Do what is right. That’s required giving. Matthew 23:23 make reference to this. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.” (Matthew 23:23, NASB95)[6] Jesus does not condemn them for paying their tithes. It is right for them to pay them, and Jesus acknowledges that. This was their taxation system, He just points out that they have ignored the things that really matter, that is why he calls them hypocrites. Notice that the tithing here was in reference to required giving, the tenth of everything a man had, everything that grew, everything he possessed he gave a tenth. This continued in the New Testament time under the economy of Israel because this was taxation.
In Luke 18:12 there is another reference to tithing, and it is the only other mention of tithing in the Gospels. There is no exacting of the tithe on the church anywhere in the New Testament, it is never required of the church. It is always in reference to Israel’s economy in the gospels and once in the book of Hebrews it is mentioned only in reference to Melchizedek and Abraham and the event concerning them in Genesis. It has nothing to do with the church at all. In Luke 18:12 it is in connection with boasting and hypocrisy. It speaks of a Pharisee who came to the temple to pray, and he prayed to himself, and said, “I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.” (Luke 18:12, NASB95)[7] Here he is boasting about his tithing, in other words, he paid his taxes. Paying taxes isn’t something to boast about, you are required to pay them.
That is all the Gospels say about tithing, and all of those incidents are referring to Israel paying its taxes to the national government or to Rome, giving them what was due them. At no time does the New Testament ever suggest or even hint, and there are plenty of places where it might have, but it does not, that the tithe is exacted upon the Christian. Remember, we learned that the tithe in the Old Testament amounted to 23 percent, not the 10 percent we think, because it was actually three tithes.
REQUIRED GIVING IN THE EPISTLES
Turn to Romans 13 and let’s see what the New Testament epistles have to say to the church about required giving. We are no longer under the Jewish economy. We don’t have a religious theocracy here and there is no doubt about that, but it doesn’t matter. You still are required to pay taxes. Romans 13:1 says, “Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.” (Romans 13:1, NASB95)[8] Verse 2 goes onto say, “Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.” (Romans 13:2, NASB95)[9] Now go down to verse 6, it says, “For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing.” (Romans 13:6, NASB95)[10] Did you know that our governing authorities are God’s servants? For the most part they are not godly, but even so God designed human government as a force to keep society together, to punish the evil and support the good. And in that sense, they are servants of God in that they rule in the place of God through an institution of God called human government and they are His servants, whether they know it or not.
When you pay your taxes, you are in the truest sense supporting the work of God. It does not seem like it, but it is true. If you cheat on your taxes, then you will fall in the category of those in Malachi 3 who were robbing God. The government is to be funded by the people, especially those of us who are saved and understand that government is an institution of God. Don’t cheat the government, you just cheat yourself out of a blessing if you take for yourself what belongs to God. Look what verse 7 says, “Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.” (Romans 13:7, NASB95)[11] Right across the board we are called on to honor the government and God will bless you because you have been obedient to his principle, and you have supported His servants. That takes care of required giving in the New Testament, all that it says is pay your taxes. That is God’s design, and if you do it you will be blessed.
FREEWILL GIVING IN THE NEW TESTAMENT
Let’s go onto freewill giving in the New Testament and this is the type of giving that is truly giving to God. As I said there is not one passage in the New Testament that speaks of tithing when it speaks of giving. Jesus never required it or taught it, none of the apostles required it or taught it, none of the New Testament writers required it or taught it. Instead, what we have are ten principles of giving that define for us New Testament freewill giving. We are going to go through these rather quickly.
Principle number one: giving is investing with God. In Luke 6:38 we read, “Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.” (Luke 6:38, NASB95)[12] If you give to God, it will be given to you. How will it be given, in a good measure, not one full of air like when we buy potato chips, and the bag is only half full when we open it. No, Luke says this good measure will be packed down, shaken down and so much that it is running over. In other words, God will move upon others to support your needs far beyond what you gave. That last line means that what you invest with God you will receive dividends on what you have invested. What you don’t invest with God, you won’t get dividends. That is the biblical principle in the New Testament, that is the heart of the whole of Christian giving. Giving is investing with God, and the return is an eternal yield, an eternal dividend. Listen to what Matthew 6:19-21 says, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19–21, NASB95)[13] In other words, be sure your priority is investing with God, because wherever you put your treasure, that is where you are going to put your heart. Jesus makes this point clear in verse 24 of this chapter, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” (Matthew 6:24, NASB95)[14] If we would learn to invest with God, we would know that our investment is secure. Until we are detached from our money we are separated from God, because we cannot serve both. This is the basic principle in freewill giving, invest with God and you will be laying up treasure in heaven, and your heart will be after God and His people.
Principle number two: giving is to be sacrificial. It isn’t the amount; it is just what it costs you to give it. Turn to Mark 12:41-42, Mark writes, “And He [Jesus] sat down opposite the treasury, and began observing how the people were putting money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amount to a cent.” (Mark 12:41–42, NASB95)[15] Jesus is watching as people are putting their money into the treasury in the temple. The rich came and put in a lot, but then this poor widow came, and she put in the two smallest coins there were in Israel, worth about a cent. This was not even enough to buy lunch for a priest, what good is this. Let’s read on and see what Jesus says because he was observing all this. Verses 43-44, “Calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, ‘Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury; for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.’” (Mark 12:43–44, NASB95)[16] Jesus shows us that it is not the amount that is significant, rather it is the sacrifice and that is the essence of giving. And the ultimate sacrifice would be to give everything. The least money was the greatest gift. This is not teaching us to tithe, it teaches us that we are to give sacrificially, and maybe that means everything we have, certainly more than I have been giving, how about you? In Philippians 4:18 Paul writes, “But I have received everything in full and have an abundance; I am amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God.” (Philippians 4:18, NASB95)[17] Paul had received a gift from the Philippians, and he said it was an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God, and then what does he say? In return, verse 19, “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19, NASB95)[18] He is saying, “you gave sacrificially, you invested with God; He will supply all your needs according to His riches.
Principle three: giving is not a matter of what you have. I have heard people say and I have said it myself, “If only I had more, I would give more.” You may give more in amount, but you may not give more in proportion, and it is proportion that God wants. Listen to Luke 16:10, “He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much.” (Luke 16:10, NASB95)[19] In other words, if you are not giving sacrificially with what you have, you wouldn’t give sacrificially if you had more. That is what Jesus is saying here. 2 Corinthians 8 illustrates this for us, the Macedonians gave an offering for the Christians in Jerusalem. 2 Corinthians 8:2 says of the Macedonian Christians “that in a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality.” (2 Corinthians 8:2, NASB95)[20] Paul says that they didn’t have much, they were poor, but they gave liberally out of their poverty. Giving is not a matter of what you have, it is a matter of the heart.
Principle four: giving affects spiritual riches. Luke 16:11 says, “Therefore if you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you?” (Luke 16:11, NASB95)[21] This is serious, if you cannot handle money, that is earthly riches, do you think God will entrust you with spiritual riches. In other words, if you do not handle money wisely, you will never be given spiritual responsibility.
Principle five: the amount you give is personally determined. Remember Zacchaeus, the short tax collector who climbed a tree to see Jesus? Jesus called him out of that tree and went to his house to eat and rest. Luke 19:8 says, “Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, ‘Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much.’” (Luke 19:8, NASB95)[22] Jesus could have told him he only had to give ten percent, but the Lord did not restrict him, to do so would have robbed Zacchaeus of blessing. You see the point made in this event, giving is done spontaneously out of love and gratitude, not out of law. No amount is stipulated, that is determined by you. Jesus gave us an example in giving Himself. 2 Corinthians 8:9, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.” (2 Corinthians 8:9, NASB95)[23]
Principle number six: giving is to be in response to need. In 2 Corinthians 8 the Macedonians were giving because of the need of the Christians in Jerusalem. We see this in the early days of the church in Acts 2 when believers were sharing and selling land and giving the money to the apostles to distribute to those in need.
Principle number 7: giving is to demonstrate love not law. This is seen in 2 Corinthians 8:8 where Paul writes, “I am not speaking this as a command, but as proving through the earnestness of others the sincerity of your love also.” (2 Corinthians 8:8, NASB95)[24] Notice that Paul says that this is not a command. He says I am telling you all the information about giving, which fills this chapter, not by way of command but simply as a test of your love. Giving is a test of your love. Prove your love, demonstrate your love by giving. In 2 Corinthians 9:7 Paul writes, “Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:7, NASB95)[25] Not grudgingly, not of necessity, not because it is required, but out of love.
Principle number 8: giving is to be planned. This is seen in 1 Corinthians 16:1-2, “Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I directed the churches of Galatia, so do you also. On the first day of every week each one of you is to put aside and save, as he may prosper, so that no collections be made when I come.” (1 Corinthians 16:1–2, NASB95)[26] Paul told the Corinthians to plan their giving ahead of time, he suggested the first day of the week, which is today, he said lay it aside, each one of you, that is every Christian. He is saying that you need to give to meet the needs of the church budget. The church needs to have money available to meet the needs of the church as they arise. Giving is to be planned, prayed about, prepared, and then given, not haphazardly and not in response to emotional appeals.
Principle number nine: giving is to be generous. We already looked at 2 Corinthians 8:2 where Paul speaks of the giving of the Macedonians and says even though they were poor, they gave generously. In 2 Corinthians 9:5-6 we see the word bounty and bountiful three times, it says, “So I thought it necessary to urge the brethren that they would go on ahead to you and arrange beforehand your previously promised bountiful gift, so that the same would be ready as a bountiful gift and not affected by covetousness. Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” (2 Corinthians 9:5–6, NASB95)[27] This word bountiful means liberally, the idea is generosity. Giving is to be generous, sacrificial. We have already looked at Philippians 4 this morning as well, and Paul is expressing his gratitude for the generosity of the Philippian church in supplying a gift for him. Paul is so thankful for their gift, and he says, in return for what you have given me, which leads to our last point, Paul says, “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19, NASB95)[28]
Principle number 10: giving generously results in blessing. Paul told the Philippians that because they had given generously to him, God will supply all your needs. All of them? Yes, all of them. Remember what we just read in 2 Corinthians 9:6, if you sow bountifully, then you will reap bountifully. Going down a few more verses in 2 Corinthians 9, verse 8 says, “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed;” (2 Corinthians 9:8, NASB95)[29] Then in verses 10-11 Paul writes, “Now 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 everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God.” (2 Corinthians 9:10–11, NASB95)[30] These are the principles of freewill giving for the church that are given to us in the Scripture and the blessing which can be experienced in the life of every faithful steward.
CONCLUSION:
As I wrap this up this morning, I want to give you some practical counsel when it comes to following these 10 principles of giving. As I said when I first started this series, the board asked me to preach on this subject. The purpose was to introduce a way for you to help meet the needs of those in the church first, but also to meet needs in the community. This new love offerings container will be in the back of the church. This is where the practical counsel comes in, this container is not to replace our offering box that is on the back table, it is in addition to it. Also, it is not intended for you to give to it and not to the church. My practical counsel is that you should give to the church first and this is because the local church is the primary source of teaching. It should be the primary recipient of your giving. Our Scripture reading this morning from Galatians 6:6 speaks of you sharing with the one who teaches the Word. 1 Corinthians 9:14 “So also the Lord directed those who proclaim the gospel to get their living from the gospel.” (1 Corinthians 9:14, NASB95)[31] The love offerings container is for when the Lord gives you a burden for needs in the church or community, or you have an extra few bucks that you would like to see go to a good cause, it is above your regular giving, it is a love offering. Then just building off the principles that we looked at, give regularly and deliberately, give sacrificially and generously with a cheerful heart. Finally, if you follow the principles set out in Scripture you will find the blessings of God far outweigh the sacrifices you make. No wonder the Lord Jesus said, as it is recorded in Acts 20:35, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”(Acts 20:35b, NASB95)[32]
[1]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[2]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[3]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[4]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[5]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[6]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[7]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[8]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[9]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[10]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[11]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[12]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[13]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[14]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[15]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[16]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[17]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[18]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[19]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[20]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[21]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[22]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[23]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[24]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[25]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[26]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[27]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[28]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[29]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[30]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[31]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[32]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.