“Generous Giving”
Stewardship; 10/26/08
1 Chronicles 29:10-18
Introduction: Last Sunday we celebrated Pastor's Appreciation Day. Tami and I want to say thank you for your generosity! Your cards, gift cards, and gifts really touched us, and we are grateful for your love and appreciation of us. I can imagine that those of you who organized putting this all together had a lot of fun gathering together the gifts. And knowing you, I'm sure you had as much fun giving them away. Tyler's birthday was last Monday, and Tami and I had a great time buying the gifts and giving them to him. There is a wonderful joy giving away gifts to those you love.
As we are entering into our Stewardship campaign, with the theme: “Multiplying Our Faith,” I want us to approach this theme with this same idea of fun and generosity. I want us to understand how being generous to God can be a joyous experience, and make a profound impact on not only those who receive it, but on us as well.
I. Giving to A Cause-
a. Denny Kukich- [from 'Renewed & Ready,' Written by
Beverly Brass, as told to her by Denny Kukich of Wood Dale ,Illinois.]
There is a wonderful story in a magazine called ‘Renewed and Ready,’ of a man named Denny Kukich, who had a profound experience of learning the joy of giving. He was on a plane, getting ready for the long flight he was to take, when he wondered to himself: 'I'm glad I have a good book to read. Perhaps I will get a short nap.' But before he did that he decided to look around to see if there might be an opportunity to share Jesus with someone. Just before take-off, a line of soldiers came down the aisle and filled all the vacant seats, totally surrounding him. He said to himself: 'This is more like it! OK, Lord, which one will it be? Who needs to hear about you?’ He started a conversation with the soldier seated nearest to him:. 'Where are you headed?' The soldier answered: 'Chicago --to Great Lakes Base. We'll be there for two weeks for special training, and then we're being deployed to Iraq.' After flying for about an hour, an announcement was made that sack lunches were available for five dollars. He thought about how it would be several hours before they reached Chicago, and decided a lunch would help pass the time. As he reached for his wallet, he overheard a soldier ask his buddy if he planned to buy lunch. The soldier responded: 'No, that seems like a lot of money for just a sack lunch. Probably wouldn't be worth five bucks. I'll wait till we get to Chicago.' They both agreed on this. As Denny looked around at the other soldiers he noticed that none were buying lunch. While he was hungry, he realized that he could not bring himself to eat in front of them. He then walked to the back of the plane and handed the flight attendant a fifty dollar bill and said….. 'Take a lunch to all those soldiers.'
The flight attendant grabbed his arms and squeezed tightly. Her eyes filled with tears as she thanked me, saying: 'My son was a soldier in Iraq. It's almost like you are doing it for him.' Picking up ten sacks, she headed up the aisle to where the soldiers were seated.
As he returned to his seat. She asked, 'Which do you like best--beef or chicken?' 'Chicken,' he replied, not sure why she asked. She turned and went to the front of plane, returning a minute later with a dinner plate from first class. 'This is your thanks.' He now felt guilty—because he had a dinner and the soldiers had only a sack lunch. But wanting to acknowledge her generosity, he took it and ate. After finishing eating, he went again to the back of the plane, to go to the rest room. A man stopped him and told him: 'I saw what you did. I want to be part of it. Here, take this.' He handed Denny twenty-five dollars.
Not long after this, he saw the Flight Captain coming down the aisle. When he got to Denny’s row he stopped, smiled, held out his hand, and said, 'I want to shake your hand.' Quickly unfastening his seatbelt he stood and took the Captain's hand. With a booming voice the captain said, 'I was a soldier and I was a pilot. Once, someone bought me a lunch. It was an act of kindness I never forgot.' At this point applause was heard from all of the passengers.
A little later he decided to walk to the front of the plane so he could stretch his legs. A man who was seated about six rows in front of him reached out his hand to shake Denny’s. Denny was given another twenty-five dollars by this man. When the plane landed in Chicago, he gathered his belongings and started to deplane. Waiting just inside the airplane door was a man who stopped him, and put something in his shirt pocket. When he looked at what it was he found another twenty-five dollars!
Upon entering the terminal, he saw the soldiers gathering for their trip to the base. He walked over to them and handed them seventy-five dollars, and then said: 'It will take you some time to reach the base. It will be about time for a sandwich. God Bless You.'
As they walked away he realized that these ten young men left that flight feeling the love and respect of their fellow travelers. As Denny walked to his car, he whispered a prayer for their safe return, and then thought to himself: ‘These soldiers were giving their all for our country. I could only give them a couple of meals. It seemed so little.’
b. Motivation- Denny Kukich found that in giving a little, it became a
lot. Not just the lunches; but that initial giving turned into 75 more dollars. And isn’t it true that when there is a good cause, people give generously. For example, people believe that who becomes the next president of the United States is important. And because of this millions and millions of dollars have been given to Obama and McCain!!
There are many causes in the world: World Vision, Compassion International, the Red Cross. In our own backyard is the Presbyterian Disaster Fund, as well as One Great Hour of Sharing (that goes to hunger needs), and the Pentecost Offering (which helps with children at risk). I could go on and on, because there are so many causes to give to. With limited funds, how are we to decide what to give our money to, and what causes to say no to?
For some it is easy, they don’t give to any cause. But I don’t think that is the answer. I do believe that God wants us to be generous givers. In fact, if you were to analyze the New Testament, you would see that Jesus talks often about giving generously. And in regards to the little amount of money we have, that isn’t really a problem with God either, because like we saw with the money of Denny Kukich turning into more, so God will multiply the money we give.
As I said before, our Stewardship theme for 2009 is: Multiplying Our Faith. And what this theme is about is for us to understand that we are not called to try and take care of all of the needs on our own, we are called to generously give what we can, and then watch as God multiplies our giving to fulfill His purposes!
It is normal for us to give to those things that we are passionate about. It is natural, and fun to give in a way that we know makes a difference. So, in this second part of the sermon I want us to understand God’s cause, so that as we have an under-standing, we will then be more passionate, and more motivated to give generously.
II. Understanding God’s Cause- (1 Chronicles 29:10-18; Mark 6:30-44)
a. David’s understanding- To gain a sense of understanding, let us
turn to our scripture passage for the morning, 1 Chronicles 29, and learn from David’s example. In this passage David reflects on some important truths that until we take to heart, we will struggle with our finances, and our giving. And because of this, we will allow our money to control us.
1. All is God’s- In 1 Chronicles 29, David gains a strong sense that everything that he has, and everything that Israel has, has come from God. David starts in verses 10 & 11 by praising the Lord before all of the people: "Praise be to you, O LORD, God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. 11 Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor…” And then we get into why David is praising God, as he continues in verse 11, “for everything in heaven and earth is yours.” Here David makes a general statement that everything in heaven AND on earth is God’s. Why? Because God is the creator of all things. Without God creating it, it wouldn’t exist, and without God giving it to us we wouldn’t have it. Then we see David start to list some specifics:
“Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom…Wealth and honor come from you…you are the ruler of all things…” David acknowledges that any wealth we have is from God, and any honor that comes from this wealth is from God. This understanding is important, because when we think that what we have is ours, we seek to control it and use it for our gain and honor. But when we understand that it is God’s, and God has given us care of it, then we realize God has a purpose for this wealth.
God’s purpose, His cause, is to display His greatness and His splendor, and this cannot be done by our being selfish with what we have.
2. Offering to God freely- We then see David acknowledge that what he has, what Israel has, should be given generously. In fact, he states this in a way that shows it is an honor for the giver. 1 Chronicles 29:14-18, 14 "But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand. 15 We are aliens and strangers in your sight, as were all our forefathers. Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope. 16 O LORD our God, as for all this abundance that we have provided for building you a temple for your Holy Name, it comes from your hand, and all of it belongs to you. 17 I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity. All these things have I given willingly and with honest intent. And now I have seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you. 18 O LORD, God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac and Israel, keep this desire in the hearts of your people forever, and keep their hearts loyal to you.”
There are some important and telling statements in these verses: “We have given only what comes from your hand.” “All this abundance that we have provided for building you a temple.” “You test the heart and are pleased with integrity.” “All these things have I given willingly.” “Keep their hearts loyal to You.” These statements from David show an understanding that it is a great honor to give to God, and through giving, we will have integrity and stay loyal to God.
b. How understanding changes us- And so as we begin to understand
that through giving generously we have a different understanding of what our money and possessions mean, and what God can do with them. We understand that they are not just for our personal gain or enjoyment, but for the work of the Lord, for the building of the Kingdom, for bringing glory to God!
But we are changed in another way when we see what God does with what we give: In the gospel of Mark, we read: 6:30-44, “The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. 31Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest." 32So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. 33But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. 34When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things. 35By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. "This is a remote place," they said, "and it's already very late. 36Send the people away so they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat." 37But he answered, "You give them something to eat." They said to him, "That would take eight months of a man's wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?" 38"How many loaves do you have?" he asked. "Go and see." When they found out, they said, "Five—and two fish." 39Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. 40So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. 41Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to set before the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. 42They all ate and were satisfied, 43and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. 44The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand.”
How would you have felt if you were the boy who gave the 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish to the disciples? What would you think when you saw how giving everything you had, even though it seemed so small, took care of such a great need? I think it would make you want to give all the more! How exciting to know that by giving even a little, you can be a part of something as great as building the Kingdom of God!
EX. In the book “Wild Goose Chase,” author Mark Batterson, the author of “Chase the Lion,” talks about how his wife and he, when they got married, committed to each other that they would never NOT tithe. At this time he was working for a parachurch ministry that was just making it financially. One day he felt God prompting him to make a gift to another parachurch ministry. It was more than he felt like he had to give; it would have to come from his money he needed to pay some of his bills. But he decided to be faithful to God, and he wrote a $550 check. He describes the writing of this check to be both painful and joyful at the same time. He then sealed the envelope and walked to the post office to mail it. After mailing the check, he walked inside to get his mail. Inside his post office box he found a check for $10,000!!!
Not Mark Batterson states that on the one hand, he believes this check to be an answer to his faithfulness. But he also acknowledges that God doesn’t always answer so quickly. But God will bless us when we give generously, even though it might seem like we don’t have anything to give. And God will multiply what we give, and will multiply our faith in the giving.
Conclusion: If you were to analyze what percentage you give to the church and to God’s work, what percentage would that be? Without any pride involved, my wife and I give roughly 10.7% of our money to the church and to God’s ministries. It is interesting how in just the last month, I have had several people ask me how we live on my salary; insinuating that they don’t understand how it can be done. Not only do we live on my salary, we are able to live with our salary minus 10.7%! This is because God multiplies our giving. He multiplies it on the side of how far it goes to do His work. And He multiplies what we have left, so that our family has all that we need. It is so much fun to give generously for God, because I know that by our giving we get to see the advancement of God’s Kingdom, and we get to bless people in the process. I encourage you, as we enter our Stewardship campaign, to see how you might be able to give beyond what you are giving now; to give generously to God’s work here at Community Presbyterian Church. I fully believe that if we accept this challenge, God will give us enough to make our budget and more! Let us receive the honor of being generous givers for God, this day and every day. Amen.
Stewardship; 10/26/08
1 Chronicles 29:10-18
Introduction: Last Sunday we celebrated Pastor's Appreciation Day. Tami and I want to say thank you for your generosity! Your cards, gift cards, and gifts really touched us, and we are grateful for your love and appreciation of us. I can imagine that those of you who organized putting this all together had a lot of fun gathering together the gifts. And knowing you, I'm sure you had as much fun giving them away. Tyler's birthday was last Monday, and Tami and I had a great time buying the gifts and giving them to him. There is a wonderful joy giving away gifts to those you love.
As we are entering into our Stewardship campaign, with the theme: “Multiplying Our Faith,” I want us to approach this theme with this same idea of fun and generosity. I want us to understand how being generous to God can be a joyous experience, and make a profound impact on not only those who receive it, but on us as well.
I. Giving to A Cause-
a. Denny Kukich- [from 'Renewed & Ready,' Written by
Beverly Brass, as told to her by Denny Kukich of Wood Dale ,Illinois.]
There is a wonderful story in a magazine called ‘Renewed and Ready,’ of a man named Denny Kukich, who had a profound experience of learning the joy of giving. He was on a plane, getting ready for the long flight he was to take, when he wondered to himself: 'I'm glad I have a good book to read. Perhaps I will get a short nap.' But before he did that he decided to look around to see if there might be an opportunity to share Jesus with someone. Just before take-off, a line of soldiers came down the aisle and filled all the vacant seats, totally surrounding him. He said to himself: 'This is more like it! OK, Lord, which one will it be? Who needs to hear about you?’ He started a conversation with the soldier seated nearest to him:. 'Where are you headed?' The soldier answered: 'Chicago --to Great Lakes Base. We'll be there for two weeks for special training, and then we're being deployed to Iraq.' After flying for about an hour, an announcement was made that sack lunches were available for five dollars. He thought about how it would be several hours before they reached Chicago, and decided a lunch would help pass the time. As he reached for his wallet, he overheard a soldier ask his buddy if he planned to buy lunch. The soldier responded: 'No, that seems like a lot of money for just a sack lunch. Probably wouldn't be worth five bucks. I'll wait till we get to Chicago.' They both agreed on this. As Denny looked around at the other soldiers he noticed that none were buying lunch. While he was hungry, he realized that he could not bring himself to eat in front of them. He then walked to the back of the plane and handed the flight attendant a fifty dollar bill and said….. 'Take a lunch to all those soldiers.'
The flight attendant grabbed his arms and squeezed tightly. Her eyes filled with tears as she thanked me, saying: 'My son was a soldier in Iraq. It's almost like you are doing it for him.' Picking up ten sacks, she headed up the aisle to where the soldiers were seated.
As he returned to his seat. She asked, 'Which do you like best--beef or chicken?' 'Chicken,' he replied, not sure why she asked. She turned and went to the front of plane, returning a minute later with a dinner plate from first class. 'This is your thanks.' He now felt guilty—because he had a dinner and the soldiers had only a sack lunch. But wanting to acknowledge her generosity, he took it and ate. After finishing eating, he went again to the back of the plane, to go to the rest room. A man stopped him and told him: 'I saw what you did. I want to be part of it. Here, take this.' He handed Denny twenty-five dollars.
Not long after this, he saw the Flight Captain coming down the aisle. When he got to Denny’s row he stopped, smiled, held out his hand, and said, 'I want to shake your hand.' Quickly unfastening his seatbelt he stood and took the Captain's hand. With a booming voice the captain said, 'I was a soldier and I was a pilot. Once, someone bought me a lunch. It was an act of kindness I never forgot.' At this point applause was heard from all of the passengers.
A little later he decided to walk to the front of the plane so he could stretch his legs. A man who was seated about six rows in front of him reached out his hand to shake Denny’s. Denny was given another twenty-five dollars by this man. When the plane landed in Chicago, he gathered his belongings and started to deplane. Waiting just inside the airplane door was a man who stopped him, and put something in his shirt pocket. When he looked at what it was he found another twenty-five dollars!
Upon entering the terminal, he saw the soldiers gathering for their trip to the base. He walked over to them and handed them seventy-five dollars, and then said: 'It will take you some time to reach the base. It will be about time for a sandwich. God Bless You.'
As they walked away he realized that these ten young men left that flight feeling the love and respect of their fellow travelers. As Denny walked to his car, he whispered a prayer for their safe return, and then thought to himself: ‘These soldiers were giving their all for our country. I could only give them a couple of meals. It seemed so little.’
b. Motivation- Denny Kukich found that in giving a little, it became a
lot. Not just the lunches; but that initial giving turned into 75 more dollars. And isn’t it true that when there is a good cause, people give generously. For example, people believe that who becomes the next president of the United States is important. And because of this millions and millions of dollars have been given to Obama and McCain!!
There are many causes in the world: World Vision, Compassion International, the Red Cross. In our own backyard is the Presbyterian Disaster Fund, as well as One Great Hour of Sharing (that goes to hunger needs), and the Pentecost Offering (which helps with children at risk). I could go on and on, because there are so many causes to give to. With limited funds, how are we to decide what to give our money to, and what causes to say no to?
For some it is easy, they don’t give to any cause. But I don’t think that is the answer. I do believe that God wants us to be generous givers. In fact, if you were to analyze the New Testament, you would see that Jesus talks often about giving generously. And in regards to the little amount of money we have, that isn’t really a problem with God either, because like we saw with the money of Denny Kukich turning into more, so God will multiply the money we give.
As I said before, our Stewardship theme for 2009 is: Multiplying Our Faith. And what this theme is about is for us to understand that we are not called to try and take care of all of the needs on our own, we are called to generously give what we can, and then watch as God multiplies our giving to fulfill His purposes!
It is normal for us to give to those things that we are passionate about. It is natural, and fun to give in a way that we know makes a difference. So, in this second part of the sermon I want us to understand God’s cause, so that as we have an under-standing, we will then be more passionate, and more motivated to give generously.
II. Understanding God’s Cause- (1 Chronicles 29:10-18; Mark 6:30-44)
a. David’s understanding- To gain a sense of understanding, let us
turn to our scripture passage for the morning, 1 Chronicles 29, and learn from David’s example. In this passage David reflects on some important truths that until we take to heart, we will struggle with our finances, and our giving. And because of this, we will allow our money to control us.
1. All is God’s- In 1 Chronicles 29, David gains a strong sense that everything that he has, and everything that Israel has, has come from God. David starts in verses 10 & 11 by praising the Lord before all of the people: "Praise be to you, O LORD, God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. 11 Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor…” And then we get into why David is praising God, as he continues in verse 11, “for everything in heaven and earth is yours.” Here David makes a general statement that everything in heaven AND on earth is God’s. Why? Because God is the creator of all things. Without God creating it, it wouldn’t exist, and without God giving it to us we wouldn’t have it. Then we see David start to list some specifics:
“Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom…Wealth and honor come from you…you are the ruler of all things…” David acknowledges that any wealth we have is from God, and any honor that comes from this wealth is from God. This understanding is important, because when we think that what we have is ours, we seek to control it and use it for our gain and honor. But when we understand that it is God’s, and God has given us care of it, then we realize God has a purpose for this wealth.
God’s purpose, His cause, is to display His greatness and His splendor, and this cannot be done by our being selfish with what we have.
2. Offering to God freely- We then see David acknowledge that what he has, what Israel has, should be given generously. In fact, he states this in a way that shows it is an honor for the giver. 1 Chronicles 29:14-18, 14 "But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand. 15 We are aliens and strangers in your sight, as were all our forefathers. Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope. 16 O LORD our God, as for all this abundance that we have provided for building you a temple for your Holy Name, it comes from your hand, and all of it belongs to you. 17 I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity. All these things have I given willingly and with honest intent. And now I have seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you. 18 O LORD, God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac and Israel, keep this desire in the hearts of your people forever, and keep their hearts loyal to you.”
There are some important and telling statements in these verses: “We have given only what comes from your hand.” “All this abundance that we have provided for building you a temple.” “You test the heart and are pleased with integrity.” “All these things have I given willingly.” “Keep their hearts loyal to You.” These statements from David show an understanding that it is a great honor to give to God, and through giving, we will have integrity and stay loyal to God.
b. How understanding changes us- And so as we begin to understand
that through giving generously we have a different understanding of what our money and possessions mean, and what God can do with them. We understand that they are not just for our personal gain or enjoyment, but for the work of the Lord, for the building of the Kingdom, for bringing glory to God!
But we are changed in another way when we see what God does with what we give: In the gospel of Mark, we read: 6:30-44, “The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. 31Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest." 32So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. 33But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. 34When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things. 35By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. "This is a remote place," they said, "and it's already very late. 36Send the people away so they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat." 37But he answered, "You give them something to eat." They said to him, "That would take eight months of a man's wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?" 38"How many loaves do you have?" he asked. "Go and see." When they found out, they said, "Five—and two fish." 39Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. 40So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. 41Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to set before the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. 42They all ate and were satisfied, 43and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. 44The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand.”
How would you have felt if you were the boy who gave the 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish to the disciples? What would you think when you saw how giving everything you had, even though it seemed so small, took care of such a great need? I think it would make you want to give all the more! How exciting to know that by giving even a little, you can be a part of something as great as building the Kingdom of God!
EX. In the book “Wild Goose Chase,” author Mark Batterson, the author of “Chase the Lion,” talks about how his wife and he, when they got married, committed to each other that they would never NOT tithe. At this time he was working for a parachurch ministry that was just making it financially. One day he felt God prompting him to make a gift to another parachurch ministry. It was more than he felt like he had to give; it would have to come from his money he needed to pay some of his bills. But he decided to be faithful to God, and he wrote a $550 check. He describes the writing of this check to be both painful and joyful at the same time. He then sealed the envelope and walked to the post office to mail it. After mailing the check, he walked inside to get his mail. Inside his post office box he found a check for $10,000!!!
Not Mark Batterson states that on the one hand, he believes this check to be an answer to his faithfulness. But he also acknowledges that God doesn’t always answer so quickly. But God will bless us when we give generously, even though it might seem like we don’t have anything to give. And God will multiply what we give, and will multiply our faith in the giving.
Conclusion: If you were to analyze what percentage you give to the church and to God’s work, what percentage would that be? Without any pride involved, my wife and I give roughly 10.7% of our money to the church and to God’s ministries. It is interesting how in just the last month, I have had several people ask me how we live on my salary; insinuating that they don’t understand how it can be done. Not only do we live on my salary, we are able to live with our salary minus 10.7%! This is because God multiplies our giving. He multiplies it on the side of how far it goes to do His work. And He multiplies what we have left, so that our family has all that we need. It is so much fun to give generously for God, because I know that by our giving we get to see the advancement of God’s Kingdom, and we get to bless people in the process. I encourage you, as we enter our Stewardship campaign, to see how you might be able to give beyond what you are giving now; to give generously to God’s work here at Community Presbyterian Church. I fully believe that if we accept this challenge, God will give us enough to make our budget and more! Let us receive the honor of being generous givers for God, this day and every day. Amen.
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