"UNEXPECTED GIVING!"
Written and preached by David P. Nolte


2 CORINTHIANS 8:1-5, 9:7


A man had a birthday coming up. He had 3 children, the eldest of which was a boy about 15, the next was a boy about 12 and the youngest was a curly headed little girl about 5. They loved their Dad and wanted to do something special for his birthday. They wanted their gifts to be expressions of their deep love and affection for him. They put their heads together with mom to figure out the best gifts they could give. The oldest son decided to save the earnings from his paper route. When he had $50.00 saved, he went to the sporting goods store and purchased the fishing reel his father had been wanting. Dad was thrilled when he opened the package, but said,"this reel cost far too much." With a hug, his son ended the matter with, "not too much for you, Dad!" That kind of giving is right in step with the giving of the Macedonian Christians of whom we read now. Text. They had heard of the famine in Judea and, though poor themselves, wanted to give to help out. Their attitude was, "this is not too much for our brothers and sisters." Their giving was of such a kind that Paul called it "unexpected." Why was that?
  1. UNEXPECTEDLY, THEY GAVE GENEROUSLY: VV 2, 3:
    1. Paul said, "their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality." The word for "liberality" means simple, honest, straightforward generosity. No sham, no pretense, no hypocrisy.
    2. Their giving was liberal because:
      1. They gave out of their poverty though they, themselves, were suffering hardship.
      2. They gave according to, and beyond, their ability.
      3. They gave joyfully, as Paul instructed, saying, "let each one do just as he has purposed in his heart; not grudgingly or under compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver." 2 Corinthians 9:7 .
    3. Think about this: what is generous for one person, may be miserly, puny and plain old brand x stingy for another! A gift of $1,000 that is not sacrifice, is nothing compared to $5.00 that costs the giver.
    4. Liberality, or magnanimity, or generosity cannot be measured accurately in terms of what we give, but is more truly gauged in terms of what we keep.
The oldest son gave a generous gift and his Dad was pleased with the fishing reel. Now, the second son, the 12 year old, had no job, and the odd jobs he tried to do were few and far between. He decided, however, upon a meaningful and loving gift. He printed out a book of gift certificates, 12 in all, which entitled his father to various benefits: there was a certificate for a back-rub; another for a car wash. All the tasks were to be done when requested and without complaint. Dad was moved by the boys creativity and thoughtfulness. He knew this gift represented love. Like the Macedonians, this son knew how to give in a right attitude. Their giving was unexpected; why was that?
  1. UNEXPECTEDLY, THEY GAVE WILLINGLY: VV3, 4:
    1. Paul put it this way. "They gave of their own accord, begging us with much entreaty for the favor of participation in the support of the saints, 2 Corinthians 8:4 .
      1. This was not grudgingly or under compulsion.
      2. This was not to salve their conscience.
    2. Notice that they even counted giving a privilege! The word "favor" means "pleasure." They delighted in sharing out of their poverty!
      1. They begged earnestly to be allowed to give.
      2. The arm-twisting wasn't from Paul to the macedonians; it wasn't "all right you guys, cut loose with the bucks!"
      3. The arm-twisting was from the macedonians to Paul, "pleeeeaassse, let us give!"
    3. There is a principle we should not miss. Paul said, "but now finish doing it also; that just as there was the readiness to desire it, so there may be also the completion of it by your ability. For if the readiness is present, it is acceptable according to what a man has, not according to what he does not have. 2 Corinthians 8:11-12 .
      1. It is not enough to decide, we must also do. The road to disaster is paved with good intentions.
      2. Our doing must be based on the reality of what we have and not on the dreams of what we don't have.
    4. The little jingle says, "it's not what you do with millions if riches should be your lot. It's what your doing right now, with the dime and the dollar you've got!" 
The first son's generous gift and the second boy's willing gift blessed Dad. His little girl saved her present for last. She, of course, had no real money. And there weren't too many actual jobs she could do for Dad. But she did what she could. She took her crayons, glue and glitter and fashioned a picture. She pictured sunshine, flowers and a loving family gathered around Dad. Then she gave him the crowning present; she hopped up on his lap, put her pudgy arms around his neck and said, "Daddy, I love you clear up to Jesus!" She kissed his cheek and nestled her head onto his shoulder and gave her heart to him. She, too, was like the macedonians in giving. They gave generously, they gave willingly, and they gave in another unexpected way. What was that?
  1. UNEXPECTEDLY, THEY GAVE THEMSELVES: V5:
    1. Listen to Paul's statement, "and this, not as we had expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God.." 2 Corinthians 8:5 .
      1. They gave themselves first to the Lord:
        1. they recognized and lived out the truth: "the earth is the Lord 's, and all it contains, the world, and those who dwell in it." Psalms 24:1 .
        2. they were living demonstrations of loving the Lord God with all their hearts, minds, souls and strength.
        3. their theme song was, "I'm yours, Lord, everything I've God, everything I am, everything I'm not. I'm yours, Lord, try me now and see, see if I can be completely yours."
      2. Then they gave themselves to others:
        1. unlike Cain, they would not ask, "am I my brother's keeper?"
        2. they weren't concerned with the cost, only the benefit to others.
        3. they lived out the implications of being one body in christ.
    2. Whatever else we may give, however large the gift, if we don't include ourselves in the gift, the offering is hollow. The gift without the giver is vain.
      1. We don't give our hearts until we have given Him our treasure.
      2. We haven't given any meaningful treasure until we have given our heart.
      3. Jesus teaches that where our treasure is, our hearts are, too. If we want to give Him your heart, give Him your treasure; the two are inseparably bonded.
    3. To give Him our selves, our hearts, means:
      1. To set our affection on Him and to love Him with all our being.
      2. To let Him rule our emotions, our attitudes, our values.
      3. To dedicate to Him, freely, our most precious and cherished things.
      4. To devote all we have and are to His use and purpose.
    4. How much of you does God have? He seeks not so much what you have but you. But if there is some part of your life withheld from Him, then part of you is withheld at the same time. But if what you have, what you call your own is His, you are His, too.
I want you to go back to calvary with me. Let's remember that the cross was an implement of execution. There, in nakedness and rejection, in pain and suffering, the Son of God gave. Unexpectedly, I might add. The good in place of the evil; the obedient in place of the rebel; the pure in place of the corrupt; the innocent in place of the guilty. Him in place of you and in place of me. He gave generously, he gave willingly, he gave Himself. That's were we encounter real giving. In light of that, every time you stand at the foot of His treasury, let yourself stand at the foot of the cross. Ask yourself the question, "is what I am giving commensurate with what I think about what he gave?" Setting the dollar amount aside, does your giving reflect generosity? Willingness? The gift of self? All real giving begins and ends with surrender. What have you, what will you surrender to Him? Make that decision as we sing our hymn, "I surrender all."
 
Story from unknown source
Return To Stewardship Sermons

Return To Archive

Return To Home Page