Liberality with Alacrity, Part 2

Welcome to Delight in Grace, the teaching ministry of Rich Powell, pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. 1 Samuel 16.7 tells us that man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart. So when it comes to our giving, why we give matters just as much as what we give. Let's do a heart check today as Pastor Rich digs into 2 Corinthians 9 in this message titled, Liberality with Alacrity.

This is the second part of a message that was first preached on July 13, 2014 at Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. That's because I'm a missionary kid, grew up in a boarding school and I know how to towel fight. OK, it was a matter of survival and my kids know that they cannot win against me in that arena.

All right. So if they start stalling when it comes to doing dishes, they see me grab the towel and their hands are in the dishpan. You know, it's that simple.

So grudgingly, and that's very different from when I invite them to do dishes to when a friend calls and invites them over to their house for the day. That's an entirely different disposition. OK, that's cheerful. And so this is the contrast that Paul is making.

Do you give like this or are you a cheerful giver? Let's look at a couple other examples in scripture. Look with me at Philippians.

Well, you can look on the screen. Philippians chapter 2, verse 14, the apostle Paul says, Do all things. Do what things? All things without complaining. Do all things without complaining.

Wow. And also Peter, the apostle Peter in first Peter, chapter four in verse nine, he says, Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. Hospitality is something that is godlike. God draws people to himself. He accepts people.

He invites us to his table. And we as people ought to be the same way, not because that's what a Christian does, but because God is doing this work in our hearts. He has lavished his grace.

His grace is at work in us and his nature is becoming manifest in us. Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. I mean, who'd want to go to that person's house anyway, right? Think about it. Being a cheerful giver, then let's look at three things. Being a cheerful giver gets you beyond good intentions. A lot of people have good ideas about giving. They have intentions of giving, but they never get beyond that.

But being a cheerful giver gets you beyond intention, good intentions. And that's the focus of the first five verses of this chapter. Look what he says, for example, in verse four, lest if some Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we, not to mention you, should be ashamed of this confident boasting. In other words, Paul is saying, I've been bragging about you, Corinthians, your love for God, his grace at work in your hearts and minds. I've been bragging about you, so don't leave me with egg on my face.

All right. Be prepared for this giving as a cheerful giver, the prompt readiness. It's like he's telling, don't be saying, well, we had good intentions of giving, but that was last year. That was a novel thing. Then we're on to a new novel thing now. You know, a cheerful giver is prompt readiness, kindly disposed, and we're ready to give.

And they're right on it. The Ad Council has been a leading producer of public service announcements and of the thousands of commercials that they have produced, their work for Don't Almost Give has been particularly powerful. One ad shows an older woman, picture this now, an older woman sitting alone in a room staring out a window. The narrator says, this is Sarah Watkins. A lot of people almost helped her. One almost cooked for her. Another almost drove her to the doctor.

Still another almost stopped by to say hello. They almost helped. They almost gave of themselves. But almost giving is the same as not giving at all. You see, cheerful giving gets you beyond good intentions. And this prompt readiness is an element of cheerful giving.

The prompt readiness. That's what it means to be a cheerful giver. For example, Paul was bragging about the Macedonians. Remember what he said in Chapter 8, verse 4? Look there with me.

Go back to the last chapter. Look at verse 4. He's speaking of the Macedonians where he says in verse 4, they were imploring us with much urgency that we should receive the gift and the fellowship of administering to the saints. They were imploring us with much urgency, meaning the English Standard Version translates it this way. They were begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part.

What is that? That's cheerful. They were sitting on the edge of their seat, ready and waiting to give. Paul, let us give. We want to give even though they were giving out of their poverty. See, that's a cheerful giver. Cheerful giving gets you beyond good intentions. Secondly, verses 6 and 7, cheerful giving gets God's attention. Cheerful giving gets God's attention. I want to be very careful here, not to be too anthropomorphic in my language, because we don't want to make God in our image, but cheerful giving gets God's attention.

Look what the apostle says in verse 6. This I say, but this I say. What is he saying? Listen, this is the point.

Here it is. God loves a cheerful giver. God loves a cheerful giver. This brings him delight. It pleases him. And be very careful here, because by saying pleases him or God loves, this doesn't mean that giving is what brings us any kind of justification before God.

That's not what this is talking about. But we, as his children, in the outflow of his grace in our lives, giving, manifesting his character, brings God delight. It pleases him. God loves a cheerful giver. And as a child of God, as one who belongs to God, my highest value is bringing him delight. That's why God loves a cheerful giver. Why is it that it brings God delight? Because this prompt readiness, this kind disposition is the mind of Christ. It is considering others more important than yourself.

It is the character of Christ manifesting itself, and that's what brings God delight when his character is manifested in his children. Think of it this way. God doesn't need your resources. He owns it all anyway. He doesn't really need your resources, but he employs them for his purpose to work in you and through you. And those are the things that bring him delight because his working in you is the manifestation of his character. And then working through you is where that manifestation of his character in you points other people to himself.

And he's the best thing for them. That's what gets God's attention, that kind of cheerful giving. Versus when someone gives and God sees that they give, he knows how much they give, but he sees their heart and God says, okay, I saw them give, but you know what? I can't use that. Did you know God does that? God says, I can't use that.

Why? Because he won't share his glory with anyone. If there's anything about my giving that is somehow to bring glory to myself, the prophet Isaiah, the Lord said through the prophet Isaiah very clearly, didn't he?

I share my glory with no one. And therefore, if there's any giving that brings glory to oneself, God's going to say, I can't use that. There's an example of this in scripture.

Remember Acts chapter 5, Ananias and Sapphira is in the beginning of the church. And the Christians, the disciples had so much in common because of the persecution that was going on. Many were losing their jobs. Many were being ostracized. And so the Christians would pull things together to help those in need.

That's exactly why this collection was being collected. But Ananias and Sapphira were not required to give. It doesn't say that they were required to give in scripture. It was a voluntary giving. But in their giving, they misrepresented what they give for the purpose of being recognized, approved by the others. But behind that giving, although they did want to be approved for their giving, behind that giving was a hidden grudge and greed. And what did God say?

I can't use that. And he said it in a pretty dramatic way, didn't he? May we learn the lesson? There is some giving that God just does not want to use. God loves, He delights in a cheerful giver versus a grumbling giver or a grudging giver. God doesn't delight in a grumbling giver.

Well, I'll do it because that's what's expected of me or I'll do it because that's what Christians are supposed to do. God rescues us from that. God does not delight in a grumbling giver. He does not delight in a greedy giver. A greedy giver is one who gives only because of what they expect to get back from it. That doesn't bring God glory. He does not delight in that.

God also does not delight in a grandiose giver. I will give for the attention that it gets me. I want people to notice how generous I am. You have your reward. I know that the Lord has been working on hearts through this series. Thanks for joining us here at Delight in Grace. You've been listening to Rich Powell, the lead pastor at Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. The Delight in Grace mission is to help you know that God designed you to realize your highest good and your deepest satisfaction in Him, the one who is infinitely good. We hope you'll join us again on weekdays at 10 a.m. .