The Cheerful Giver; 捐得樂意的人

Let’s begin today’s sermon reading what Paul writes in 2 Cor. 9:6-9

“My point is this: The person who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the person who sows generously will also reap generously. Each one of you should give just as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, because God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace overflow to you so that because you have enough of everything in every way at all times, you will overflow in every good work. Just as it is written, “He has scattered widely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness remains forever.”

The Lord has blessed our lives with many things we value. We value our family and friends. We value our time, hard work, and what we earn. We value nature, fun times, and laughter. We value our opportunity to help others and value help we receive. Above all we value our relationship with our Savior, Jesus Christ. We value the very life we have been given to enjoy this earth and praise the Name of our Savior. In all we do to the glory of the Lord we find joy and peace. The Lord has given us many things to cherish. He blesses our lives abundantly. He blesses us so much in our lives and it is His expectation that we give to His kingdom a portion of what He has given us in the from of a tithe.

The Lord expects from us a tithe or an offering to support His Kingdom and to build on the ministry Christ began on earth. The tithe we give is our contribution to His Kingdom. But what exactly is a tithe? How much are we supposed to give? While researching for this sermon I was looking first at definitions for the word tithe. As I read definitions I was disheartened to see how many prominent dictionaries defined tithe. The word tithe is defined in many places as a “tax” taken by the church. When I think of taxes I think of the money we give to the government for its operation. The money is put in the hands of people to determine where it is allocated. Now, I am not against taxes or government of course. Jesus tells us in Matthew 22:17-21, “Tell us then, what do you think? Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” But Jesus realized their evil intentions and said, “Hypocrites! Why are you testing me? Show me the coin used for the tax.” So they brought him a denarius. Jesus said to them, “Whose image is this, and whose inscription?” They replied, “Caesar’s.” He said to them, “Then give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” Jesus tells us to pay taxes to government, but a government tax is not our tithe. A government tax is for earthly operation that will fade away. Our tithe is for the Kingdom. It is for work that will not fade away. After all, any work we do in the Name of Jesus is for eternity. It is to point people to salvation in Him. Our tithe is meant to be a contribution to support the members of the church and to help build ministries that help bring people to Salvation.

Biblically, a tithe is considered a tenth of our earnings. Now, when I was reading Scripture I looked for where it specifically states that a tithe is ten percent of earnings, but I couldn’t find such a specific Scripture. Digging further I found the answer. The word tithe itself is an Old English word meaning tenth. When the Greek and Hebrew were translated the word tithe was used instead of saying give ten percent. So essentially when Scripture talks about tithing it is in essentially talking about “tenthing” our earnings. That is how given ten percent was derived.

God wants us to tithe ten percent of our earnings to His glory to spread the mission of Jesus Christ, but the blessing from tithing is not only for the spread of the Gospel. Tithing is also important to our spiritual development. When we tithe joyfully from our hearts we build our faith in God abundantly. Tithing is an opportunity for God to demonstrate not only how He will bless the church with our offering, but also will bless our lives.

I’ve outlined that a tithe in the Bible was considered ten percent of someone’s earningsWhen we tithe we are demonstrating faith that God is our Provider. When we step out in faith the Lord will care for us and bless us. The other key is to give cheerfully and abundantly. We needed to remember the 2 Corinthians 9:6, “My point is this: The person who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the person who sows generously will also reap generously.” No where does Paul specify a particular amount of money or goods to be given. Instead he writes people are to give generously. We give generously above and beyond our normal tithe. This may be when a missionary is seeking support or a youth is going on a mission trip. As you can see the money you give is equally important to spirit in which you give it. Yes, the Bible does say to tithe ten percent, but if that ten percent is given with a hardened or bitter heart then the Lord will not bless it. But a tithe from a cheerful heart will be blessed as we read earlier in the passage God loves a cheerful giver

In Old Testament times tithe often came in the form of produce and livestock. Money was of course important, but produce and livestock were really the source of survival. During those times you couldn’t go to supermarket to purchase your food. Produce was not grown in greenhouses safe from the elements and watered with hoses. The people relied on consistent rain and other optimal weather to grow healthy amounts of food. They worried about drought and famine that could lead to starvation if food was not properly rationed and stored. To tithe from produce and livestock meant they were giving up a portion of what was keeping them alive. When the Lord asked them to tithe He was making no small request. He was asking them to step out in faith and glorify Him through their offering. By trusting the Lord the people believed He would carry them through the lean times when food was scarce.

The earliest example we have of an offering in Scripture is Cain and Abel.

Genesis 4:3-5 states, “At the designated time Cain brought some of the fruit of the ground for an offering to the LORD. But Abel brought some of the firstborn of his flock–even the fattest of them. And the LORD was pleased with Abel and his offering, but with Cain and his offering he was not pleased. So Cain became very angry, and his expression was downcast.

The Lord expected an offering from Cain and Abel. However, there was a difference set between the offering presented by Cain and the offering presented by Abel. Scripture says Cain brought some of the fruit of the ground for the offering. However, Abel brought some of the firstborn of his flock – even the fattest of them. What is being pointed out here is Cain brought just some of his fruit, but not the best of his fruit. He brought what he was willing to get rid of in the offering. Abel, however, brought the firstborn and even the fattest of them. Abel was willing to sacrifice the choicest meat to the Lord believing the Lord would bless him abundantly with even more. Cain withheld from the Lord demonstrating lack of faith, but Abel demonstrated great faith in the Lord. This is why the Lord was not pleased with Cain’s offering. Cain did not trust the Lord would bless Him and sustain him.

Offering the Lord the first fruit of what we earn, such as Abel did, is a demonstration of faith that the Lord will sustain us. In Genesis 22 Abraham demonstrated faith in the Lord when he too was called to give his first fruit. In Abraham’s case the first fruit was not produce, livestock, or money. It was his son Isaac.

Gen. 22:1 Some time after these things God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am!” Abraham replied. God said, “Take your son–your only son, whom you love, Isaac–and go to the land of Moriah! Offer him up there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains which I will indicate to you.”

Abraham had been so joyful he had a son. Isaac was his heir and would carry the lineage of Abraham to grow and expand the Nation of Israel. So when God asked Abraham to offer Isaac as a sacrifice you can imagine the anxiety Abraham felt. He waited so long for a son. Isaac was a miracle since both Abraham and Sarah were beyond child bearing years. How could God ask Abraham to sacrifice his only son? Despite this question Abraham does what he is told to do. He prepares for a journey that would last three painstaking days. The destination was the place Abraham would sacrifice Isaac. Three days is plenty of time to turn around and abandon what the Lord asked. But Abraham does not. Abraham knows this is what the Lord commanded and as a result the Lord would bless Abraham through the sacrifice. The Lord would bless Abraham for his faith. As we know, Isaac was not sacrificed. Just before Abraham killed Isaac for the offering and angel of the Lord appears to Abraham, tells him to stop, and shows him a ram for the offering instead of Isaac. It was a test of Abraham’s faith and Abraham passed. As a result of his faith the blessing to Abraham is reiterated by God.

Genesis. 22:15-18 reads, “The LORD’s angel called to Abraham a second time from heaven and said, “‘I solemnly swear by my own name,’ decrees the LORD, ‘that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will indeed bless you, and I will greatly multiply your descendants so that they will be as countless as the stars in the sky or the grains of sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the strongholds of their enemies. Because you have obeyed me, all the nations of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another using the name of your descendants.’”

In the end we see how the Lord blessed Abraham for his willingness to do whatever the Lord asked of him. Even if it meant sacrificing Isaac, Abraham’s only full blood son.

The story of Abraham demonstrates how tithing is such an important part of our faith in the Lord. We can trust and believe that if we give the Lord tithe then He will protect and provide for us. When we give our first fruits to the Lord we will surely be blessed. This may sound very “health and wealth” meaning to tithing. Some misunderstand tithing to mean that if you give a lot you will gain a lot. This is not necessarily the case. Just because someone gives a lot of money it does not mean they will receive a lot of money in return. The same if we give a lot of time to serve others. This does not mean that others will necessarily return the service. We must keep in mind the Lord expects us to give to Him part of the blessing He has given us. We are not to give expecting return, we’re not to give only what we are comfortable giving, and we are not to give with a bitter spirit. We are to give joyfully! This is why 2 Corinthians tells us, “Each one of you should give just as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, because God loves a cheerful giver.” The woman who gave the last of her money to the work of the Kingdom did not give reluctantly. She knew it was the last of her money and she gave it joyfully. She knew God would provide for her! Jesus would not have said she is blessed if she gave it only to receive praise or because she did it out of some duty. He called her blessed because of her faith that God is our Jehovah Raffa – the One Who Provides. When giving money to church collection or make a donation to a charity we are not to give it out of obligation, but we are to give out of a cheerful faith. The Lord wants us to be happy that we are serving Him

Again, tithing is part of our faith. It is part of the work we do for the Lord. The Lord did not command people to tithe for no reason. He meant it as a way to obey Him in all things, to support the ministry of the Kingdom, and as a way to build faith. Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son to the Lord in faith. In doing so he was greatly blessed! We to are meant to step out in faith to support the work of the Lord in the world. I have heard too many stories about people who give money even when they are on hard times, and the Lord blesses them beyond what they can imagine. If you are unsure what you should tithe then pray about it. Pray the Holy Spirit leads you to what you are supposed to tithe. Give expecting to support the Kingdom of God. What better reason is there to give to the Lord? Give with a joyful heart! The Lord does not abandon those who support His Kingdom!