Different Types of Giving By Looking At 12

Different Types of Giving By Looking At 12 Different Givers

Giving Is a Big Part of Being a Christian Because Giving Is a Big Part of God • Gal 6: 9 -10 “And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary. So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all men, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith. ”

Giving Is a Big Part of Being a Christian Because Giving Is a Big Part of God • 2 Cor 9: 7 “Let each one do just as he has purposed in his heart; not grudgingly or under compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver. ”

Giver #1 – The Willing Giver • Abraham – What Was He Willing to Give? • Gen 22: 10 “And Abraham stretched out his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. ” • But We Have to Be Willing to Give Less Than That…Right? • Rom. 12: 1

Giver #2 – The Big Little Giver • The Widow’s Mite – She Gave Little, But She Gave It All. • Mark 12: 44 “For they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on. ” • Do We Emphasize the Mite or the Amount?

CONTRAST WITH THIS GIVER

Giver #3 – The Covetous Giver • Ananias and Sapphira– They Had the Right to be Covetous, But Didn’t Want Anyone to Know. • Acts 5: 1 -2 “But a certain man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, and kept back some of the price for himself. ”

Giver #4 – The Sacrificial Giver • David – Refused to Sacrifice That Which Cost Him Nothing • 2 Sam 24: 24 “However, the king said to Araunah, ‘No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price, for I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God which cost me nothing. ’ So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. ”

CONTRAST WITH THIS GIVER

Giver #5 – The Stingy Giver • The Apathetic Judge – Refused to Give Anything, Only Did Under Compulsion. • Luke 18: 4 -5 “And for a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection, lest by continually coming she wear me out. ’”

Giver #6 – The Consecrated Giver • The Macedonians – They Were Financially Poor, But Were Overwhelmingly Wealthy in Generosity. • 2 Cor 8: 5 “And this, not as we had expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God. ”

Illustration • The year my kids won the giagantic stocking

Giver #7 – The Ability Giver • Peter and John – They Gave the Lame Man What They Had. • Acts 3: 6 “But Peter said, ‘I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene — walk!’” • Give a Man a Fish/ Teach Him to Fish

Giver #8 – The Voluntary Giver • Zaccheus – He Was Willing to Give to the Poor Without Being Asked or Required. • Luke 19: 8 “And Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, ‘Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much, ’” • Contrast With the Rich Young Ruler

Giver #9 – The Reward Giver • Those Who Gave to Be Seen By Men – They Received Their Reward, But At What Cost? • Matt 6: 2 “When therefore you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. ”

CONTRAST WITH THIS GIVER

Giver #10 – The Unpretentious Giver • The Good Samaritan – He Made No Show of His Giving. • Luke 10: 35 -36 “He bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return, I will repay you. ’”

Giver #11 – The Perfumed Giver • The Philippians – Their Gift Was a Sweet Fragrant Aroma to God. • Phil. 4: 18 “But I have received everything in full, and have an abundance; I am amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God. ”

THIS GIVER GIVES US EVERY REASON TO BE A GREAT GIVER

Giver #12 – The Greatest Giver • GOD – He Gave His Only Begotten Son • John 3: 16 -17 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him. ”

What We Have Learned Our Giving Is Not Based On What We Have to Give, But What Want to Give. The Amount Can Be Small, But It Can Also Be All. Our Giving Is a Sacrifice. It’s Not Supposed to Be Easy. Our Giving Is Connected With Our Fear for God. Our Giving Is Helped When We Give Ourselves to the Lord First. Our Giving Is In Private, Not to Be Seen of Men. Our Giving Is a Gift to Us.

Sermon Intro: Different Types of Givings, 12 Biblical Givers Ten-year-old Riley Christensen and her mother, Lynn, were huddled in front of the family computer, checking out models and prices of bikes. “Let’s pick one out for Dad’s birthday, ” Christensen suggested to her daughter. As Christensen scrolled down the home page of the Bike Rack, a shop in their town of St. Charles, Illinois, a video link for Project Mobility caught her eye. She clicked on it out of curiosity. The clip told how Bike Rack co-owner Hal Honeyman had created an organization to provide specially engineered bicycles to people with disabilities. It showed the happy faces of those who were now riding them—accident victims, injured veterans, and children with disabilities, including Hal’s own son, who had been born with cerebral palsy. “I’m going to buy a bike for one of those kids, ” Riley told her mother. Two days later, she showed Christensen a letter she had written asking for donations: “I think it’s amazing for a guy to make bikes for kids who can’t walk, ” the letter said. “I saw how happy a boy was when he got one … I’m writing to ask for your help. ” Christensen was blown away by her daughter’s effort, but doubts quickly emerged. The cost of just one of those special bikes could be as high as $4, 000. Riley could never raise the money. Nonetheless, her letter went out to 75 relatives and friends. Within three days, checks and cash began arriving. Then word got around about Riley’s campaign, and as Christmas neared, more and more donations rolled in. The teen ultimately raised more than $12, 000, enough to pay for seven bikes. Last Christmas Eve, Riley pulled on a Santa hat and delivered the bicycles to three of the lucky kids: Ava, a 13 -yearold girl with spina bifida; Jenny, a 15 -year-old girl with cerebral palsy; and Rose, a 4 -year-old girl with a rare genetic disorder. “This is the best Christmas I ever had, ” said Riley. She and Ava have since ridden together. “When I ride, I like to go fast, get sweaty, and feel the breeze, ” Riley says. “So does Ava. She pumps with her arms, not her feet, but she really flies. ” Riley is determined to keep her campaign going every holiday season. “I want kids to feel the wind in their faces, ” she says.