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Aug 11, 2019

Giving is Sabbath

Giving is Sabbath

Speaker: Dennis Gallaher

Series: Sabbath

Category: Sunday Morning

The revelation of God’s extravagant generosity will convict us all to be more like Him and to give extravagantly.

Reading of Psalm 19 - The Glory of God

The absolute beauty of creation is breathtaking. For those with an eye to see and a humble heart to hear, this world’s beauty is a precursor and the promise of good things to come! God is the master artist. The One – The only One that creates what others then record as beauty and grandeur.

Why would God create such beauty and awesome wonder that has no parallel or comparison to anything that this world has to offer? This beauty must have a purpose and object of focus. The purpose is to amaze. The object is us. Such beauty is the expression of the extravagant generosity of our God. He loves us so. We are the object of His affection.

Job 41:11 Who has given to Me that I should repay him? Whatever is under the whole heaven is Mine. 

Let's pray that the revelation of God’s extravagant generosity will convict us all to be more like Him.

As our Sabbath season closes, we can reflect on what we have done as a church to honor God through these forty days: 

  • We fellowshipped together.
  • We served together.
  • We worshipped together.
  • And today, we will conclude our Sabbath by giving together.

Our focus on giving is the increasingly-growing-through-persecution church in India. We begin a six-week pledge season to support and help fund three areas of need in India.

This is an opportunity to obey Jesus words in Luke 16:9  And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the wealth of unrighteousness so that when it fails, they will receive you into the eternal dwellings. Jesus is talking about eternal values. Jesus says take the wealth of unrighteousness (the money that we make, gold and silver) and make friends here for eternity. Invest it in places that have eternal value. God can use our money to save souls. See it as seed and invest in eternal principles and values and God will produce a harvest. We can’t take it with us. There is only one thing that will be eternal = souls. If we cannot go to the mission field, then we are compelled to give. Our giving in this season will be like seed thrown strategically into well-plowed soil that will produce a harvest of souls for eternity. 

GIVE EXTRAVAGANTLY!

1) Extravagant giving will always imitate God. Do you want to represent the kingdom of God? To be like Jesus? Do you want the world to know God’s love? John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave - God gave His best - and so should we. Extravagant giving breaks the shackles of materialism and allows us to trust the Lord’s provision. Give and then whosoever will may come. As God gives to us, then we should give like Him.

2) Extravagant giving here on Earth means eternal rewards there in heaven. Consider two lives of wealth:

  • William Borden, born into a family business and great wealth, but lived as he had nothing. He was well known and loved at Yale but determined to go into missions among Muslims in China. He gave away thousands of dollars to missions. After setting out for the mission field, he died after 4 months at the age of 25. Before he died, he wrote “no retreats, no reserves, no regrets.” His tombstone read "Apart from faith in Christ, there is no explanation for such a life." He sent treasures ahead to eternal rewards in Heaven.
  • King Tut was buried with gold all around. He thought he could take his treasures with him. But it was right where it was left and he ended in a Christless eternity.

3) Extravagant giving declares faith in our God who owns it all. Luke 6:46 Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? We can have it here or there. Our true extravagant giving is not known to anyone but God and He will reward every bit of it a thousandfold in eternity. 

We are stewards of what God has given to us. Extravagant giving says “I’m doing what you told me to do.” Heaven is where true rewards and riches reside. 

  • Heaven will be the opulent extravagance of a loving Father giving freely to sons and daughters who represented Him well on this earth. 
  • Heaven will be a place of eternal rewards for doing good works. Ephesians 6:8 knowing that whatever good thing each one does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether slave or free. Romans 2:6 who will render to each person according to his deeds; 10 but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 
  • Heaven will be a place for rewards for generous giving. Matthew 19:21 Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
  • Heaven will be a place where the smallest acts of kindness will be rewarded. Matthew 10:42 "And whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you, he shall not lose his reward.”

Job 41:11 Who has given to Me that I should repay him? Whatever is under the whole heaven is Mine. It all belongs to Him.

Luke 12:34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 

The heart of freedom fellowship is to work hard and give stuff away.

In what ways does God give extravagantly to us?

How does extravagant giving break the shackles of materialism?

How have you been compelled to give extravagantly?

What is the goal of extravagant giving?