Faithful People – 2

Faithful People – 2

Subject – Finding Joy in Faithful Giving

by Rick Welborne

2 Corinthians 9:6‑15 (NKJV) 

6 But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 

7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. 

8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. 

9 As it is written: "He has dispersed abroad, He has given to the poor; His righteousness endures forever." 

10 Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness, 

11 while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God. 

12 For the administration of this service not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also is abounding through many thanksgivings to God, 

13 while, through the proof of this ministry, they glorify God for the obedience of your confession to the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal sharing with them and all men, 

14 and by their prayer for you, who long for you because of the exceeding grace of God in you. 

15 Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! 

–The last few weeks we have been speaking about resilient people...We saw definitely that if you were resilient, you were also faithful. It comes with the territory.

--Last week we spoke about Gideon and how he was not afraid to ask God some honest questions:

Judges 6:13 (NKJV) 

13 Gideon said to Him, "O my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, 'Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?' But now the LORD has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites." 

–I want so much to encourage you to cry out to God in your particular situation and to reverently and humbly ask God why has this happened and where is your miracle!

--The sooner we are honest with God and the sooner we are not afraid to ask Him serious questions; the sooner we will begin to see the miracles we are asking for. We have seen:

1. A woman who had Leukemia received her answer last week...no Leukemia!

2. A family member who was away from God and church reconciled.

3. People who felt like they could not afford to be faithful to God in the area of giving have stepped out in faith to trust God!

–What my purpose is today is to continue to challenge you to be extremely faithful to God especially in the area of giving. Why faithful in giving?

--Many times it is revealed to us that if a person will trust God with their finances, they will trust Him with their lives and with their families. 

–Because of where our world is economically how great would the testimony be to the world if God came thru in a great way with your finances?

Malachi 3:18 (NIV) 

18 And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.  

–When our President, the House, and the Congress cannot agree to help or take care of the middle class wouldn’t it be great if Life Church became a model for people to know that God can make that distinction?

–What a testimony to the world when God breaks through with healing in His wings! What a testimony when God comes and scatters our enemies for us!

Malachi 4:2-3 (NKJV)
²  But to you who fear My name The Sun of Righteousness shall arise With healing in His wings; And you shall go out And grow fat like stall-fed calves.
³  You shall trample the wicked, For they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet On the day that I do this," Says the LORD of hosts. 

–What a testimony when God comes and reconciles families...Just in the last couple of weeks I have had that testimony also! God is at work!

–Today let us look at this concept of faithfulness and obedience in the area of giving and see what the Lord is saying to us.

1. God loves a cheerful giver!

–Cheerful givers will sow a lot of seeds because they are not doing it because of what they will get back but for the joy of giving and their love for God and people. It really makes you feel good.

–Having worked on a farm, having sat on a tractor for endless hours and having been raised with parents who always had a garden...the more you plant the more you grow.

–Kids have it so hard with all their hi-tech toys...we spent most of our summers in the garden planting, weeding, watering, dusting (bugs), and picking the produce.

–Yes, we were paid...$1 or $2 a day for sun up to sundown work...then right before school our money was taken to buy our school clothes that was picked out by our parents.

–Though I was not (at that time) impressed with the process we never lacked for food.

–If God loves a cheerful giver...how does He feel about those who don’t give or those who give begrudgingly?  I think Malachi is pretty clear about that. Calls them a cheat!

–If God loves a cheerful giver...how does he feel about your faithfulness or lack of it to Him?

–God knows all about your tithes and offerings...matter of a fact He watched how people gave (widow’s mite) it wasn’t the amount...it was the obedience and sacrifice.

2. God will multiply a cheerful giver’s seed (finances)!

2Cor.9:10-11(NKJV)

10 Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness, 

11 while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, 

–He will multiply the seed (or finances) as we give faithfully and cheerfully!

Luke 9:11‑17 (NKJV) 

11 But when the multitudes knew it, they followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing. 

12 When the day began to wear away, the twelve came and said to Him, "Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding towns and country, and lodge and get provisions; for we are in a deserted place here." 

13 But He said to them, "You give them something to eat." And they said, "We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we go and buy food for all these people." 

14 For there were about five thousand men. Then He said to His disciples, "Make them sit down in groups of fifty." 

15 And they did so, and made them all sit down. 

16 Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude. 

17 So they all ate and were filled, and twelve baskets of the leftover fragments were taken up by them. 

Video–Listen to the principle of multiplication...The Blessed Life - Robert Morris

3. God will receive a cheerful giver’s offering as worship!

–The program Life Church has to enhance our worship or used to have...the words to songs...my sermons...

is called “Easy Worship”

–I am convinced that “Easy Worship” is what many Christians want.

–It is so easy to sing...to lift our hands...to shout...to dance to the music...to do most of the things that we associate with worship.

–Do you just suppose God expects more from us than just the mechanics of worship...He expects us to give our total self to Him!

Romans 12:1 (NLT) 

1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. 

–Because of all He has done for you...give Him your bodies...your heart...your mind...Your past...your future...your careers...your finances!

2Cor.9:11-15 (NKJV)

11 while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God. 

12 For the administration of this service not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also is abounding through many thanksgivings to God, 

13 while, through the proof of this ministry, they glorify God for the obedience of your confession to the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal sharing with them and all men, 

14 and by their prayer for you, who long for you because of the exceeding grace of God in you. 

15 Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! 

–This whole chapter has to do with the blessing of giving to God...

* Giving causes thanksgiving to God thru us...giving is worship.

* Giving meets needs but cheerful giving abounds in thanksgiving to God!

* As people receive the sacrifices we give cheerfully...they glorify (worship) God.

* Paul gets cheerful...15 Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! 

–What was God’s indescribable gift?

John 3:16 (NLT) 

16 “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 

–What was Jesus’ indescribable gift?

Hebrews 12:2 (NIV) 

2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 

--What is our indescribable gift?  

Revelation 17:14 (NKJV)
¹⁴  These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful."

--We are called, chosen, and faithful!  We are faithful people!