Truus Wierda 16 December 2012 3rd Sunday of Advent   The Blessing of Giving 1

Philippians 4:6 and 4:10- 20 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.   2

Philippians 4: 10-20 10 I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. 11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 3

13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4: 10-20 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength. 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. 4

20 To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen. Philippians 4: 10-20 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. 5

* God is a self giving God. Why do we give? * God is a self giving God. 6

Giving in the Old Testament. * Tithing * Sabbath Year * Year of Jubilee   7

* Many instructions to be generous to the poor and needy. Psalm 112: 5,9 Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice. He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor, his righteousness endures for ever.   * God reveals himself in the Old Testament as a God who favors the poor. * He judges his people because of their treatment of the poor. 8

To whom will you run for help? Where will you leave your riches? Isaiah 10: 1-4 Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people, making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless. What will you do on the day of reckoning, when disaster comes from afar? To whom will you run for help? Where will you leave your riches? Nothing will remain but to cringe among the captives or fall among the slain. 9

Ezekiel 16: 49 Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. 10

Giving in the New Testament * Jesus brings good news for the poor.   * Jesus brings good news for the poor. * Judgment in Matt. 25 based on treatment of the poor, the hungry, the sick. * Jesus points to the dangers of riches * Jesus and his disciples lived from a common purse 11

* In the first church the believers had all things in common * Paul introduces the concept of Koinonia: Fellowship 2 Corinthians 8:13 Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. * Through the centuries the church cared for the poor 12

Three practical points from Philippians 4. Philippians 4: 6.   Philippians 4: 6. Do not be anxious……………..present your requests to God. Foster a carefree attitude towards material possessions. 13

I know what it is………………..who gives me strength. Philippians 4: 12 ,13 I know what it is………………..who gives me strength. Keep your life free from greed. Learn to be content whatever the circumstances.   How did Paul learn this secret? * By having the proper perspective. 14

* He learned by experience. Practice * He trusted in God’s care. Luke 12: 15 Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed. A man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. * He learned by experience. Practice * He trusted in God’s care. Hebrews 13: 5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said: never will I leave you, never will I forsake you. 15

Not that I am……………….pleasing to God. The blessing of Giving Philippians 4: 17,18 Not that I am……………….pleasing to God. The blessing of Giving It will be credited to your account! Acts 20:35 Remembering the words of the Lord Jesus: It is more blessed to give than to receive. 16

How much should we give? Tithing? Matthew 5: 20 Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the Kingdom of Heaven. 17

* Not a law, but giving freely, from a joyful heart. 2 Corithians 9:7 Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.   2 Corinthians 8: 1,2 And now brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. 18

* Generosity is Grace given by God!   For such people is the promise of Philippians 4: 19 And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. 19