Excel in the Grace of Giving II Cor. 8:1-15, 9:6-15 Pastor John Van Schepen Jesus spent a lot of time talking about money. Fully one sixth, one out of six verses of Jesus’ teachings in the Gospels is devoted to money and its use by his followers. Wow! That’s more than any other single topic. That’s rather remarkable isn’t it? So I got to thinking since I was preaching a short series on some areas that are vital to having a flourishing faith surely giving belongs in that category. Nevertheless giving is one of those subjects that we don’t like to talk about very much, unless we are talking about someone else. Last week I heard that Micro Soft had contributed a huge amount for some philanthropic purpose. I am glad they did. But I also read an article that reported the following findings by the Journal of Philanthropy: Americans with incomes below $10,000 donated 4.3% of their household incomes. However those with incomes between the $75,000 - $99,000 bracket gave only 1.8% or less than half of those who we often call “poor people.” Fortunately God doesn’t call them poor. II Cor. 9:7 says, “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give.” I suspect that most of us are quite familiar with some version of that verse, and, based on that vast amount of knowledge, we have concluded that what we give or don’t give is between me, myself and I, and it’s no one else’s affair. However, what we fail to take note of is that this verse is couched in two chapters that deal exclusively with the matter of giving, and, according to these two chapters, giving is not a private affair, rather it effects the whole church, the body of Christ. Therefore the Apostle Paul calls us to grow up in giving with these words in 8:7 “see to it that you excel in this grace of giving.”  Excellence in giving is vital to a flourishing faith. “See to it that you excel in giving!” Why? How? And what are the results – those are areas we need to explore as we study God’s Word this morning. I. Why give? Over and over as we have explored such matters as pleasing God, respecting one another as image bearers of God, and prayer we have come to see that our model for the Christian life is the Lord Jesus. From first to last in every area of my life Christ and Christ alone is my model. So then who do you suppose is our model for giving? Jesus. And that is exactly what the Bible says in Chpt. 8:8, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.” Clearly the Bible is speaking here about the gospel of the cross. Jesus Christ emptied himself of his glory by becoming a baby in a manger for us, by living for us and dying for us. That is giving, that is grace. The gift of God’s grace to us is given in Jesus Christ his Son. What is true for Jesus, says Paul, is also true for us. In our lives as Christians, grace and giving are inseparable. Paul begins Chpt. 8 by saying, “I want you to know about God’s grace.” He ends chapter 9 speaking about God’s grace, his indescribable gift, in Jesus Christ. In fact in these two chapters that speak so bluntly about money matters the word grace appears no less than 10 times. So why Give? First, because giving is inextricably bound up with the grace of Christ in our lives. Do you want to experience God’s grace in your life? Then experience His gift, salvation in Jesus Christ. Do you want others to be touched by His grace? Then touch them with your giving. Give them of your time, talents, and money, but give them the greatest gift as well, yourself. Excel in your giving! Why? Because God’s Gift in His Son Jesus is the supreme example of grace and we are called to be imitators of Christ! II. Excel in your giving! How? How can my giving become more excellent? Notice, I didn’t say, “How can you double or triple your giving?” That may be the result. But the question is this, “How can my giving more and more reflect the giving of Christ?” Admittedly here’s where it gets a little tricky because here’s where the rubber meets the road. However, let us look to the principles of God’s word and allow them to speak to our hearts today. A. The First Principle we find in 8:10, we need to have an eager desire to give. Jesus said, “Out of the heart are the issues of life.” Therefore the place to begin is with your desire, your heart. Look again at 8:12, “For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable…” Later, in chapter 9:7, the Bible says, “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart.” That desire must be cultivated. You can cultivate that desire by reflecting upon God’s gifts to you. (1) First of all God has given you his only begotten Son as your Savior.  But in case that is too idealistic for you, (2) you can also cultivate an eager willingness to give by reminding yourselves of God’s gracious promise. The Bible reminds us in 9:10, “He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed.” And in 9:6, we read. “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” Jesus said it a little differently in Luke 6, “Give and it will be given to you...for with the measure you use it will be measured to you.” Are you ready to take up God’s challenge to you? It’s like the old song says, “Count your blessings name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.  B. 2nd, cultivate an eager willingness to give sacrificially. Paul speaks of the willingness of the Macedonian Christians to give in 8:2 when he says out of the most severe trial and extreme poverty they overflowed with joy and rich generosity. In verse 3 he emphatically says that their desire to give was “entirely on their own.” They were not only willing to give but also willing to give sacrificially. I’m reminded of the difference every time I have included bacon and eggs for breakfast. The chicken when it lays an egg gives of its excess but the pig whose bacon I ate made a real sacrifice, his life. You see, it’s not the size of the offering, but the size of the sacrifice that makes the difference C. 3rd, get rid of reluctance. Paul says in 8:8, “Test the sincerity of your love.” and in 9:7 he says we should not give reluctantly or under compulsion. What we have here is really the flip side of what we have been talking about. If you are going to have an eager willingness you have to get rid of reluctance. I believe what the Bible is speaking of here is that we need to examine our own hearts, sort of cleanup the environment in our hearts as far as giving is concerned. Ultimately each of us must do this for ourselves. You’ve got to pry open the inner door of your attitudes and ask yourself some hard questions. If you are really daring, find someone to hold you accountable and talk it over with them. Paul actually speaks of this in 8:8 when he says test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the eagerness of others.”  Here are a few questions that you might use in the course of such an examination.  -Do I see giving as a response to God’s grace in my life or as a way to bargain with God? Remember the 100% rule? 100% belongs to God. That’s what Paul is driving at in 9:10 when he says, “Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food, will also supply and increase your store of seed….”  -Have I prayed about my giving?  -If someone were to know the real level of my giving to the Kingdom of God would it serve as an inspiration or an encouragement to them? On Nov 18, 1994 just a few miles south of Los Angeles the largest offering in America to be received on one day was given. The offering was 23.5 million dollars. It took four armored trucks to take the offering to the bank. There was a man who sold his TV set, a boy who pledged $1 a week for three years, an unemployed woman who committed herself to $7/week and a couple who were so moved by the sacrificial giving of others that they gave $I million. -Is my giving proportionate to my income? Look at what Paul says again in 8:12, “For if willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.” Remember that the story of the widow’s mite not only commended her sacrificial giving but also was a harsh indictment of the showy giving of the rich Pharisees. -Do I understand my giving as an act of service expressing my Thanksgiving to God? Paul starts out that way in 8:5 when he says, “: They gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God’s will,” and towards the end in 9:12, he says, “This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God’s people but is also overflowing in…thanks to God.” Remember you are not giving to me, or to the church, or to a particular cause but first of all you are giving to the Lord God! That is why we may never treat our giving as a bargaining chip or a way to voice our disapproval. All is of Him and all goes to Him. May God grant that our hearts sing with the psalmist who asked, “What shall I give to the Lord for all his benefits to me? I will take the cup of Thanksgiving and call upon the name of the Lord.” III. How then shall we give? After you have kindled anew the desire in your heart, and cultivated a willing spirit, and gotten rid of all reluctance, then says the Bible, give cheerfully! ”God loves a cheerful giver.” I think the translation is a little weak here and maybe that’s why we pass by it so easily. Or maybe we are just used to those words. Paul really says, “Give hilariously.” That means uproariously, or in a riotous manner.  I rather believe that if when the offering plate came by you could get up and do a little high step and say, “Yes!” Whoopee! This is my chance to pass on the grace of God! Hallelujah!” then there would be a budget surplus every week! In 8:2 Paul said of the Macedonians that in spite of their poverty and trials they overflowed with joy because they had the opportunity to give! If ever our hearts should skip a beat and our faces light up with delight it should be when the offering plate comes by and you have the opportunity to say “Thanks Lord, for all your grace to me, and thank you, Lord, for the opportunity to pass it on to others.”  Brothers and sisters, may you always excel in the grace of giving! Give hilariously! In Jesus name, Amen!   Outline   Excel in the Grace of Giving II Corinthians 8:1-15, 9:6-15 INTRODUCTION 1. Why give? 2. How to excel in your giving. - Have an eager desire to give. - Cultivate a willingness to give sacrificially. - Get rid of reluctance. 3. How shall we give? Conclusion