2.5 Give Joyfully

There are several reasons why people give and what motivates them to be generous towards the kingdom of God and the church of Jesus Christ. But I wanna take just a second today as your pastor, and I wanna share with you gospel-driven giving because I want everything that we do, everything that we are about in this church to be motivated and driven by the gospel of Jesus Christ. That is the standard. The gospel is the truth. And it's always important to me that we know why we do what we do out of the scripture. So let me just share a few reasons why people do give to the church and why you may be here today and what it means to give joyfully. I've noticed that over the years, sometimes people do give, but they'll give out of guilt. The Bible teaches us that we should really never do that. They know they're blessed and they don't really want to, but deep down, they know that they should. And so they give the minimum to just kind of ease their conscience. But 2 Corinthians 9 tells us that each of us should give cheerfully, cheerfully, joyfully, what we have decided in our heart to give and to not do it reluctantly or under compulsion by some sense of obligation. That's why, as a church, we have never

and will never try to make people feel bad about giving because that's not the gospel. We don't wanna guilt anyone into giving. It's supposed to be a cheerful expression. It's supposed to be a joyful expression of our gratitude back to God. But some people do, they give out of guilt. I've noticed secondly, that some people give because they know that God has promised in his word to give back. You cannot out give God, that is a fact. But some people give because it's almost like a down payment on what God is going to give back to them. Jesus said in Luke 6 in verse 38, that give and you will receive. Your gift will return to you, pressed down, shaken together to make room for even more. It will run over and be poured back into your lap. The amount that you give, yes, will determine the amount that you receive back. Now that's Luke 6 in 38, it's in there, it's in there. God said, I'm never going to allow you to out give me. God honors our obedience and generosity and he has indeed pledged that we would never be able to out give him. It's an amazing promise, but that's still not a gospel-driven reason to give. Some people give because they see and believe in the good that the church is doing in the world and we are. And it's important and it's a powerful reason to give.

First Timothy chapter six, verse 17 and 18 says, teach those who are blessed in this world, listen to this, to not trust in their money, which is so unreliable, but to put their trust in God who always gives us what we need. Instead, teach them to use their money to do good. Teach them to use their money to do good, to be rich in good works and to be generous to those in need to always be ready to share that hope with others. There are many people who give to the church because they can clearly see the good that we are doing as a church locally and nationally and internationally. Souls are being saved every single week in our church. Marriages are being restored and families are being strengthened. I mean, if you just look at our church, Canvas Church, we did 78 outreaches to the community last year alone. Over 400 Compassion Kids have been sponsored around the world. 270 foster families were blessed last year. We have a full-time mission in Haiti. Nearly 9,000 salvations have happened over the last 17 years, including 384 just this year alone in just January and February. 133 people last year went public with their faith through baptism. Listen, these are amazing things. I mean, it's incredible what God is doing through our church

and we could not do that, any of those things, without the generosity and the love of people just like you that give so joyfully to the work of God. But good, but not gospel-driven giving. Gospel-driven giving is rooted in the fact that God truly is the first priority of our lives and that His generosity was exhibited to us first and that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. And in response to what we know about the generosity of our good and great God and that He gave us the most lavish gift that could have ever been given even when we were at our lowest point and did not deserve it, out of the overflow of our gratitude, we joyfully and willfully give back to Him. John 3, 16, for God so loved the world that He gave that He gave His only One and Son so that everyone who believed in Him would not perish but have everlasting life. lasting life. Romans 8 chapter 8 verse 32. What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can be against us? Seeing as he didn't even spare his own son, but gave him for us all, won't he also give us everything that we also need in life? Matthew 6 and 33. Seek the kingdom of God above everything else and honor God and he will provide you with everything that you need. Colossians 1 15 and 17. For Christ is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created in heaven and earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, rulers, authorities, all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things and in him all things hold together. Gospel-driven generosity is simply our response in worship to our God who showed us the way by putting us above himself first. He didn't seek his own pleasure because if he did he would have kept

Jesus for himself. He didn't seek to keep himself from pain because if he did he would have never put Jesus on that cross and watch them brutalize his son. He loved us more than himself because if he didn't he would have never felt the pain of separation when he had to turn his back on Jesus when all of the debaucherous sin of the world was laid upon him. Oh no no no. We give in response to the great and lavish generosity of our good and gracious heavenly father that first gave to us and out of understanding who he is and what he did now we in response give joyfully and cheerfully so that others may also know the hope that only Jesus can provide. Thank you for your generosity. Thank you for giving joyfully. Thank you for giving in such a gospel-driven way and may the Lord bless you and your family for all that you do.