The Joy of Giving

Sermon delivered by: Pastor Harold W. Finch, Sr. on August 14, 2011

Scripture - Philippians 4:14-20 (NIV) **Key Verse: 19

 ¹⁴ Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. ¹⁵ Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; ¹⁶ for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid more than once when I was in need. ¹⁷ Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account. ¹⁸ I have received full payment and have more than enough. I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. ¹⁹ And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.
 ²⁰ To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

• When we buy something, there is usually a receipt -- the receipt shows the date, product, and the cost of the item; it becomes a record of a transaction that has taken place. Philippians is a receipt acknowledging  that the Philippians sent a gift to Apostle Paul. Paul wrote Philippians emphasizing that the gift does wonderful things to the giver, more to the receiver.

1. When we give, we become partners with others in the ministry of giving - Remember, what was deposited in you, you should deposit in others. Work is not done inside the church, but in the world. The church is merely a place to prepare and equip us to give to the world. It is also the church's responsibility to take care of the church's messenger.

• Be careful how you give things away. The things that we throw away, many people are actually in need of it. We are hoarders; instead of giving things away or "recycling," we choose to keep things we simply do not need and want and continue to build on to the amount of things we have. Certain things have not been used in years (and probably forgotten about), yet we still keep them and all we do is keep building and adding onto the things that serves no meaning to our lives anymore. Keep in mind, hoarding is a sin before God... if you do not receive something "new" or something you may need, God is asking "What about the things I have already given you?" Make room for more blessings by blessing someone else.

      2. Sacrifice to God - When you give to God, you should not give leftovers. Give God the first-fruits in anything and everything you do.Whatever we have was given to us by God, so why give him leftovers when He gives us His best? Everything you do for Him counts, and you there is no way you can give more than what God has given you. Where would you be if God stopped giving to you?

• Ways to give/sacrifice to God: Time, Tenth (Tithe), and Talent. We have to remember that none of this belongs to us. Everything we have belongs to God, so why would you not give it back to God if it is already His? God gives us more time, the money we receive from the jobs He provided, and He gave us our talents. There are many people who do not use the talents given to them which causes the church to be starved of blessings.

      3. When you give to God, you position yourself for more blessings - When there is an attitude of gratitude, God does not mind giving back to His givers. Because you made the sacrifices, God will give it back to you. You also put yourself in a position to open up doors of opportunity, where more blessings will come.

When you are given something, you want to make sure you stay in contact with the giver. Because God gives us so much, we need to stay in contact with Him. Many people would rather receive gifts than give; they want the gift, but do not want anything to do with the giver. We cannot be this way towards God. God is always present with us, and He would give us anything we ask for, if it is present in His will. It states in verse 19 that He would cover our every need; God is rich, so do you think He will allow His children to live like peasants? If you continue to have faith and believe that God will provide, there should be no complaining or stress. Remember, everything He owns, you own; if He has it, we can own it. Although we receive gifts, the real blessing is giving to those who are in need for the blessings that you can give. God is testing us today to see if His blessings are being used to bless someone else; His test is to see if we are worthy of the blessings He has to offer us. Sometimes we do not attain the job, the house, the car, the clothes we need because we do not bless someone else that is in need or present ourselves worthy. Have you ever taken the time to look at life from God's point of view? What we put in our minds comes out in our words and actions.; instead we need to replace it with wholesome information that is worthy unto God. Always remember, there is blessing in giving to those in need than receiving... God will always continue to do His part, but it is up to us to keep our word, and help others out.