In a recent sermon, I asked this question: "Is this quotation from a false, prosperity gospel preacher or a godly, faithful preacher that I would recommend to you?" And then I quoted him:
Generosity in giving results in a greater reward from God. You want blessing from God, you want it poured out, you want it overflowing, pressed down, shaken together, packed in full, then give.
That might sound like a prosperity preacher, but it's actually John MacArthur.
Like one of my mentors, John Piper, I hate the prosperity gospel. See:
1. Benny Hinn And Those Like Him Are Dangerous False Teachers
And
2. The False "I Am" Of Joel Osteen And The True "I AM" Who Alone Can Save!
But for those of us who hate this wicked and evil false teaching, we must be careful that we don't fail to embrace, love, and teach the truth of God's Word that God does bless His people when they give generously and sacrificially. Consider these Word's of God:
Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine. Proverbs 3:9-10
Ligonier Ministries comments on these verses:
The Wisdom Literature gives us the same exhortation, and in today's passage we read that we are to honor God with our wealth and the firstfruits of all our produce. We are to give to Him and the work of His church not after we have spent enough on ourselves but beforehand. This is a visible act of worship that manifests the intents of our hearts. Giving the first of what we have to our Creator is a tangible way of expressing our trust in Him to meet all our needs. If we take the first and best for ourselves and leave to God only what is left over, we are at least implying, if not outright declaring, that we are not sure whether the Lord can meet our needs. We have to take what we need first; otherwise, we might not be satisfied. It is not that the Lord needs our possessions in any absolute sense; rather, the call to tithe and to sacrifice unto Him is for our benefit. It keeps us from "robbing God," as Malachi so memorably puts it (Mal. 3:6–12), and it enables us to develop the kind of whole-hearted trust that pleases Him. If we give to the Lord before we give to ourselves, we are put in a position where we must trust God to make up for what we have surrendered to Him. Such giving also helps us see the Lord for who He really is. Matthew Henry comments, "God, who is the first and best, must have the first and best of every thing; his right is prior to all other, and therefore he must be served first." If we are faithful to give to the Lord, Proverbs 3:10 tells us, our blessings will not only be spiritual but also physical. The Lord will give us so much that our barns will be full and our wine vats overflowing. These are images of incredible abundance, and the principle applies even for those of us who are not farmers. God will reward all those who give sacrificially to His mission both now and especially in the age to come (Mark 10:39–40).
Jesus says:
give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you. Luke 6:38
On this verse, John MacArthur preached this exhortation:
The principle is simply this. Generosity in giving results in a greater reward from God. You want blessing from God, you want it poured out, you want it overflowing, pressed down, shaken together, packed in full, then give. That is the most direct route to blessing from God. That’s the first verse, and if it was all there was in the Bible, it should make generous sacrificial givers out of all of us because what it tells us is you can’t out give God. You give and He gives back more. You give, He gives back more. That’s the principle, that’s how it works . . .
It should be noted, by the way, that for those, however, for whom the motive of promise doesn’t work too well, for whom the motive of promise doesn’t elicit faith and trust, there is also a command. Luke 6:38 does say, “Give,” that’s imperative. So it’s not just a question of faith; it’s a question of obedience. Trust and obey, those are the two keys to Christian living. Believe God’s promises and obey His commands, and you have both there. The command is give; the promise is He will give in return. Giving then is an issue of faith and obedience. It is an issue of trusting God. It is an issue of believing in His commandments. It is believing that if you give He will give you back in greater measure than you could ever give away, which means you’re always replenished. It is also a question of obedience.
In either case, not to give is a sin. It’s a sin against God in the sense that you don’t trust Him. It’s a sin against God in that you don’t obey Him. These simple verses ought to be enough to make us line up to give as generously, as magnanimously, as unselfishly, as sacrificially as possible.
R. C. Sproul preached it this way:
Jesus said, "I want you to be generous. I want you to give in great measure, and the more you give the more you'll get because our God is a generous God and not a stingy God."
In the book of Acts, we read:
remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." Acts 20:35
Listen to John MacArthur again expositing this statement of Jesus:
But there’s a second verse that we would add to it and that is Acts 20:35. It says, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” By the way, that is the only quote from the lips of Jesus recorded in the New Testament outside the four gospels, unless you include those glorified statements where Christ is speaking in the book of Revelation. But earthly statements quoted from the lips of Jesus are all in the gospels with this one single exception. And of all that Jesus said, which John tells us the books of the world could not even contain all His words and works, of all that He said, of all that could have been quoted, of all that could have been rehearsed and recorded after the gospels, only this, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
In other words, what you give away brings you a greater blessing than what you receive. That should be enough. That should be enough to make us line up to give. Do you want to be most blessed? Than give. Do you want to receive pressed down, shaken together, and running over so that your lap is filled? Then give. Those two monumental promises of blessing and generosity from God, who is the source of everything, who is the giver of every good and perfect gift, who has the power to get you wealth, who gives you all that you have, those promises from God should make us sacrificially generous.
Now, apparently, and we have to say this sadly. But truly, apparently many Christians don’t believe those promises. They carry around the idea that they have to protect everything they have and hang on to it. They become hoarders and they become stingy and they become self-indulgent and protective. And it’s really a matter of faith. They don’t believe the promise of the Word of God or they would give. It’s a question of faith. It’s a question of trust. It’s a question of belief. You either believe it or you don’t. If you do, you give because giving is more blessed and giving causes God to give back in greater abundance.
Then Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit of God, tells us this:
The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all contentment in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. 2 Corinthians 9:6-8
Ligon Duncan comments on these verses saying:
The Bible teaches that the liberality of God's blessings to us is connected to the liberality of our Christian giving. Though it may seem strange, both Jesus and Paul emphasize that there is a relation between our giving to the Lord and the Lord's giving to us. As Paul says in 2 Corinthians 9:6 "Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully." About this matter J.A. Beet once said: "They who in giving think, not how little they can give, as they would if self-enrichment were the aim, but of benefits to be conferred, will receive back on the same principle. As they do to others, so God will act to them." Jesus reminds us of this in Matthew 6:4, where He teaches that our reward in giving comes from our heavenly Father. As someone once said: "The desire to be generous and the means to be generous both come from God." Do you realize that the Lord has given you much, so that you can give much?
And John Piper says as well:
In God's mathematics the best way to increase a sum is to subtract from it.
Verse 6 [2 Cor. 9:6]: "He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully."
Most people operate on exactly the opposite principle to this one, namely, We will have more if we give less. But the Bible says, You will have more if you give more. This doesn't sound like good mathematics. Ten minus one is nine. And ten minus zero is ten. So if you want to have ten instead of nine, you subtract zero from the checkbook on the first day of the week. Right?
Wrong! The problem with that math is that it leaves God out. That's what I am trying to change this morning—to put God and his promises back into your finances. God says: if you subtract more seed from your bag, you have more than if you subtract less seed from your bag. That's God's promise to you. Put him to the test. If you ask, How can this be? we will see more as we move on.
How Is This Different From The Prosperity Gospel False Teachers?
The Bible does actually teach that God blesses His people when we give generously and sacrificially. The prosperity gospel false teachers get this right. But it's their motive, goal, and doctrine that is the deadly problem.
Their motive is love of money: They use this true teaching in God's Word to get more money for themselves, spend it on themselves, and live in luxury (like spending $25,000 for one night in hotels in the UAE!), while a lost and dying world goes to hell.
Their goal is their own selfish pleasures: They use their money and resources for themselves - to build everything bigger and better and nicer and more expensive for themselves and for their own extravagant lifestyles.
Their doctrine is false and leads to hell: They preach a false gospel of the love of money and prosperity that doesn't save anyone but leads their hearers to a deeper love of money, and, as Jesus said, you cannot serve God and money. They teach a false god (denying the Trinity); they teach a false Christ (The true Christ is both God and Man); They humanize God; They deify man; And they make the focus of the Christian life health and wealth, not Jesus Christ and Him crucified and risen from the dead. They get rich by lying, stealing, cheating, and blaspheming the name of God and His Word.
Why Should Christians Give To Get More Blessing From God?
What blessings do we get from God when we give?
1. We get the blessing of glorifying Jesus: We give because Jesus is better. Money and stuff is not our god, God is our God. Jesus is our God. When we give generously and sacrificially, we glorify God and show the world that God is most precious to us, not our money. We even build up our own assurance and make our calling and election sure by showing we are not serving money, but God. Our joy is in God, and when we give, we testify to this reality and glorify God. Maturing and growing Christians will want to grow in their giving to glorify God.
2. We get the blessing of obedience: God commands us to give generously and sacrificially, and true Christians take great delight in obeying God.
3. We get the blessing of God's promises: The promises of Luke 6:38, Acts 20:35, and 2 Corinthians 9:6-8 are for us! God will grant us a great abundance and provide all of our needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus. Furthermore, we are storing up treasures in heaven for all eternity when we give - God promises great rewards in the life to come when we give and give and give!
Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19-21
4. We get the blessing of being able to give away more for the glory of God: As God blesses us with more resources, we don't horde those blessings for ourselves and live extravagant lifestyles like the prosperity preachers. No! We give away more for the glory of God and for the spread of God's truth, to help the poor, and for spreading the Gospel throughout the world!
I love this story John Piper tells about John Wesley. As his income increased, he did not increase his standard of living, but he increased his standard of giving for the spread of the Gospel:
Thank you, John Wesley, for your practicing what you preached about money. John Wesley was born on this day 1703 (same year as Jonathan Edwards). He was one of the great evangelists of the 18th century. Today I want to celebrate his attitude toward money.
He is famous for saying: “Having, first, gained all you can, and, secondly saved all you can, then give all you can. (Sermon 50, "The Use of Money" in The Works of the Reverend John Wesley, 1840, edited by John Emory, Vol. I, 446). Here is how he lived this out.
In 1731 he began to limit his expenses so that he would have more money to give to the poor. In the first year his income was 30 pounds and he found he could live on 28 and so gave away two. In the second year his income doubled but he held his expenses even, and so he had 32 pounds to give away (a comfortable year's income). In the third year his income jumped to 90 pounds and he gave away 62 pounds. In his long life Wesley's income advanced to as high as 1,400 pounds in a year. But he rarely let his expenses rise above 30 pounds. He said that he seldom had more than 100 pounds in his possession at a time.
This so baffled the English Tax Commissioners that they investigated him in 1776 insisting that for a man of his income he must have silver dishes that he was not paying excise tax on. He wrote them,
I have two silver spoons at London and two at Bristol. This is all the plate I have at present, and I shall not buy any more while so many round me want bread.
When he died in 1791 at the age of 87, the only money mentioned in his will was the coins to be found in his pockets and dresser. Most of the 30,000 pounds he had earned in his life had been given away. He wrote,
I cannot help leaving my books behind me whenever God calls me hence; but in every other respect, my own hands will be my executors.
In other words, I will put a control on my spending myself, and I will go beyond the tithe for the sake of Christ and his kingdom. (Quotes from Mission Frontiers, Sept./Oct. 1994, nos. 9–10, pp. 23–24)
Amen! May we follow John Wesley as he followed Christ!
5. We get the blessing of spreading God's truth and the Gospel: This is what we are to be about as Christians! We are not to be about spending money on ourselves and spending money on things that have no eternal value. We are to be about glorifying God with His money (it all belongs to Him!) and making disciples of all nations! May we heed 1 Timothy 6:8: "But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content."
I love what John Piper calls the William Carey Wildcard. Piper writes:
William Carey left for India in 1793. Two years later he received his second pack of letters from England. One of them criticized him for “engaging in affairs of trade.” In other words, he was working to earn a living for his family as well as doing mission work.
The accusation hurt. The fact was that communication was so slow and sporadic Carey and his family would have starved if he had not worked to earn a living. He wrote back these words which describe the William Carey Wild Card.
It is a constant maxim with me that, if my conduct will not vindicate itself, it is not worth vindicating…I only say that, after my family’s obtaining a bare allowance, my whole income, and some months, much more, goes for the purposes of the gospel, in supporting persons to assist in the translation of the Bible, write copies, teach school, and the like…The love of money has not prompted me to pursue the plan that I have engaged in. I am indeed poor, and shall always be so until the Bible is published in Bengali and Hindosthani, and the people want no further instruction. (Mary Drewery, William Carey: A Biography, p. 91)
The William Carey Wild Card is a radical call to remember that we are fighting a war for the eternal lives of men and women. God never condemned high incomes per se. But he said a lot about how much we should keep. The William Carey Wild Card is a challenge to think in a radically heaven-focused way about your treasure. “After an allowance for me and my family, my whole income goes for the purposes of the gospel.”
Praying with you about the limit of that allowance,
Pastor John
Amen! May we follow William Carey as he followed Christ!
I'll end this article with one last amazing story from John Piper about Isaiah 58 and a friend of his named Doug Nichols. Piper writes:
The other experience that makes the chapter rich for me right now is the connection that it has with Doug Nichols, the President of Action International Ministries. Doug is the man who wrote to Tom Steller last summer and suggested that our church get an airplane and take a couple hundred people to Rwanda to help bury the dead so that doctors and nurses could do what they were sent to do. He spoke at our Pastors’ Conference a week or so ago, and gave one of the most stirring messages I have heard in a long time. Action International specializes in reaching street children around the world.
To show you the kind of person he is, he wrote me last week to thank me for the conference and put a P.S. at the bottom of his letter:
In the last “one minute” that it possibly took you to read this letter, 28 children died of malnutrition and diseases that could have been easily prevented. 1,667 die every hour, 40,000 children die daily! Please pray with ACTION for more missionaries to take the Gospel to these children.
Doug was found to have colon cancer in April of 1993. They gave him a thirty percent chance of living after his surgery and colostomy and radiation treatments. Last fall he got on a plane and went to Rwanda with our Dr. Mike Anderson and some others. His non-Christian oncologist said he would die in Rwanda. Doug said that would be okay because he is going to heaven. The oncologist called his surgeon to solicit help in not letting Doug go to Rwanda. The surgeon is a Christian and said, “It’s okay, Doug’s ready to die and go to heaven.”
We got word here that Doug was going — with his cancer and his colostomy — to Rwanda. I recall gathering in the prayer room with the staff and very specifically being led to Isaiah 58:7–8, which we prayed for Doug:
Is [the fast I choose] not to divide your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into the house; when you see the naked, to cover him; and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? Then your light will break out like the dawn, and your recovery [i.e., your healing] will speedily spring forth.
We prayed very specifically that the feeding of the hungry and the housing of the homeless in Rwanda would not kill but heal Doug Nichols.
From Rwanda, Doug called his Jewish oncologist and said he was not dead. And when he got back, he had a battery of tests which resulted in the assessment NED: no evidence of disease. If he makes it to April — the two-year mark — without recurrence of the cancer, doctors give him a good chance of living out his normal span of life. Doug is 53.
Amen! May we follow Doug Nichols as he follows Christ!
To learn more about the great and true Triune God, the God-Man, Jesus Christ, and His glorious Gospel message and everlasting Kingship, please watch American Gospel: Christ Alone. You can watch the full documentary here with a free, 3 day trial.
More Resources On Money And Giving
1. The Place Of My Birth (Valdese, NC), My Views On Money, And Peter Waldo
2. Giving Up Your Ring For The Glory Of The King Who Forever Makes You Sing!
3. "Neither Poverty Nor Riches" And Growing In Generosity For The Glory Of King Jesus!
4. Use Christmas Time And Other Times To Store Up Treasure In Heaven!
