"Giving Yourself To God"

Giving Yourself To God

(2 Cor. 8:1-15)

Introduction:

A.  I was told that Butterball has a hotline and answers questions.  A few years ago, one of the workers received a phone call early in November.  The customer wanted to know if a turkey that had been frozen for over 15 years would harm you.  After some searching the Butterball employee responded, that is appears that the meat of the turkey that had been kept deeply frozen for 15 years probably would not hurt you, but the flavor would be decreased.  To that the caller said, “That’s what we were thinking also.  That being the case we will just donate it to our church.”

B.  For some people, the idea of giving to a local congregation is one that causes them to cringe.  People begin to ask, “Okay, how much do you want?”  Personally, I am glad that the collection is taken before the sermon.  I would hate for people to rate my preaching with their pocketbook.  But the truth of the matter is stewardship is a topic many non-denominational churches don’t like to talk about.  We don’t want to come across as money hungry churches that care more about the finances than the faithful.  In fact, the Bible teaches very clearly that God is in need of nothing from human hands.  God would not cease to exist because the group of Christians would not give; this congregation might cease, but God would still be God.

C.  I want us to be challenged by God’s word today.  Not just in thinking about our financial stewardship, but in the very way we view our relationship with God.

I.  Hard Times Come

A.  I would like you to create a personal illustration.  Consider a time in your life that was very difficult.  It might be a time when there was family problems, or you were unemployed or had financial problems, or difficultly with personal relationships.  Pick some point in time that was a low point for you.  Now with that point in mind, I want you to consider your relationship with God.  What was your prayer life like?  What was your attendance in worship like?  What was your financial giving and volunteering like?

B.  As we reflect upon our text, we read that had met with Christians in Macedonia.  He tells the Corinthians that these Christians were dealing with a time of severe trial and personal extreme poverty.  Here were the poorest of the poor being ministered to by Paul.  Paul may have told them that like them, there were Christians in Judea that were suffering and their condition was even worse than the Macedonians.  What we know is that the poor saints in Macedonia not only identified with their fellow Christians in Judea, but wanted to help them in their time of need.  They very way they went about it affected Paul so much that he used them as example of what it means to “give yourself first to God.”

C.  You see, for many people, when we are going through a time of severe trial and personal extreme poverty, we turn away from God, maybe even blaming God for our circumstances.  Many people at the low points in their life pray less, worship less and give very little if anything.  The reason why is that many people focus inward.  They focus on their own trials and poverty and fail to understand that others are also suffering and sometime even worse than they are.

D.  Giving is not about how much I have.  It isn’t about tithing or missions or helping the hurting in Haiti.  It isn’t about paying my salary or the secretary’s or the cleaning lady’s or the person who cuts the grass.  It is not about this building or a new bathroom, classroom and expanded foyer.  Giving isn’t about any of those things.  Giving is about an expression of thanks to God.  It is about viewing my finances they same way I view every other aspect of my spiritual life.  When I am not in worship, does that mean I get a Sunday off of giving or do I make up my giving the next time I am in worship?   That question is asked because of spiritual immaturity.

E.  Who do you think said the following, “There are three conversions necessary: the conversion of the heart, the mind and the purse. Of these three, it may well be that we moderns find the conversion of the purse the most difficult.”  Martin Luther went on to say, “A religion that gives nothing, costs nothing, and suffers nothing is worth nothing.”

II.  Giving Yourself To God

A.  Look at verse 1.  What was the grace that God gave Macedonians? It was God’s action in their lives.

B.  When we read that they were under great trial and extreme poverty and I am not sure that most of us would classify that as “God’s grace being extended” to anyone.  God allowed these people to learn from their trials.  In that learning they desired to share what little they had because they knew that God’s gift of salvation was worth far more that small amount of money they possessed.  Wow!  How many of us even being to ask ourselves how much of a price tag we might place upon our salvation.

C.  There is a second point that we learn from the Macedonians and that is they desired to give.  Verses 3-4 reminds of how much they wanted to do something.  We see this in several places in the OT where at the building of the original tabernacle and the Temple of Solomon that people gave beyond what was needed and had to be told to stop.  You don’t hear that in churches today.

D.  A third point is they did not let personal circumstances stop them from doing something.  They may not have given the largest financial gift in this ministry, but they were not going to sit back and do nothing.  A poor widow is mention for giving two mites and the Son of God himself says that she gave more than all the rich who gave only out of the excess.

E.  The conclusion was this is found in verse 5.  Let God challenge you today – are you giving FIRST God and then to this congregation in keeping with God’s will?

III.  Passing The Test

A.  As we look at verses 8-15 we see a test.  Paul wanted to test the sincerity of the Corinthians by comparing it with the earnestness of others.  Paul’s example – Jesus Christ (verse 9).

B.  God doesn’t care if you $10 per week or $10,000; he cares if you give yourself to him and to others.  It will be seen in the giving of our money, our time, our talents, and our compassion for others.  It will be seen in our support to good works that spread the good news of Jesus Christ around the globe.  It will be seen in treating our enemies with respect and kindness.  It will be seen in giving of clothing to naked, food to the hungry and visiting the sick.  The test of giving myself first to God is not seen in dollars alone.

C.  Verse 12 says that we are to give according to what we have, not according to what don’t have.  I can give something.

Conclusion:

A.  In the next couple of lessons I want us to consider the good that need to be done with the money collect and then conclude with the idea that giving should be fun.

B.  But today the challenge has been to give myself first to God.  There are many things I have had to learn to give over to the Lord.  I started with my sinful self and accepted his grace the day I was baptized into Jesus Christ.  But I learned that was only the beginning.  I needed to give everything to the Lord first.  That has been very difficult for me.  Learning to give God my food was something I never thought about before coming to Whitehall.  Yet, I realized that at times I turned to food instead of God.  I am still learning to give my family to God.  Yet, my wife and children deserve much more than me.  I can’t do everything for them, but I need to learn to give them to God and serve them spiritually.  But I also need to learn what it means to give my finances to God.  That has been a difficult lesson for me.

C.  Jesus said it was harder for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven than for a donkey to go through the eye of a needle.  Why?  Because men trust in riches.  When blessed they serve themselves and build bigger barns only to die and face God.  I plead with you today to give yourself first to God.

D.  When you see TV ads about things you “don’t want to miss” they almost always center around money.  Let me tell you about something you don’t want to miss – salvation.  Give yourself first God and allow him to be the Lord of your life.  If we can help you draw closer to God, then come as we stand and sing.