Tommy Barnett Giving Messages

I want to give you a little short teaching here. I just had so many comments from people that are saying, “We just love the way that you’re sharing the Word with us every week and then just kind of leave it up to us.” I don’t thing I spend thirty seconds anymore on the offering but I just give you a little teaching from week to week instead of just preaching all the time – I just give you a little teaching. I want you to turn to Philippians, Chapter 4 and I want to read you a great passage of scripture found in Philippians Chapter 4 and verse 18.

‍But I receive everything in full and have an abundance. I am amply supplied having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent – a fragrance, aroma, an acceptable sacrifice [circle that word] well pleasing to God and my God shall supply all of your needs according to the riches in Christ Jesus.‍

We’ve been talking the last few weeks about different ways that you can make investments into the Kingdom of God. We talked about how you can make an investment with your tithe – that’s the 10% that is God’s, that you’ve been made a steward, that you pay every week. You invest 10% and God gives you back90%. He gives you everything that you have – raiment, breath, fresh air, life –everything that you have.

Then last week we talked about investment of giving an offering. An offering is above the 10%. It is a seed that you sow. And that’s what you can expect from that 10%; an offering to come back, the Bible said, pressed down, shaken together and running over. So the offering is an investment likewise.

Today I’m going to take you into another area of investment called “sacrificial giving”. Now when God says that we are to make a sacrificial gift – a sacrificial gift is something that costs us. Something that really means we have to dig in and sacrificially give to God. And the Bible says that a sacrificial gift can be an investment.

In the Old Testament God asked Abraham to offer up his son as a sacrifice. And when he did, remember what happened? He offered him as a sacrifice, God gave his son back ‘cause He just really wanted obedience anyway. And He moved supernaturally in saving that life and gave Abraham so many seed that they were as the sand of the sea and he couldn’t count them all.

Remember Elijah in the Bible? Remember how that the widow came to him? All she had was just a little meal, that’s all she had and he said, “Make me a meal.”He asked her to give him the meal and she did. And when she sacrificed that investment in the program of God, the man of God which was the program ofGod, God moved supernaturally and made supernatural provision for her that she had enough food to eat the rest of that depression or recession that hit that land. She made a sacrifice, God moved supernaturally.

Then last but not least. In the New Testament, remember the story of the little boy that a little lunch. And Jesus said “I have need of it.” And he gave it to Jesus and Jesus took those little loaves and fishes and He made them into a haystack of food that fed the multitude and blessed it and they had more than enough to eat.

You see if it was left up to any one of these people that I have just talked to you about, when God asked them to do it, they did it, but they would never done iton their own. But when they were asked, they sacrificed, they opened up andGod opened up supernatural increase in their lives and blessed them.

I close with this; I think of my own life, when this church was being built, we asked everybody in this building to make a sacrificial offering to God because this church needed to be built - to sacrifice their own things for the house of theLord. The Lord spoke to myself and I gathered my little family together and said- all I really have is an investment my Dad made for me in a mutual fund whenI was little boy that I could someday retire upon since I had no retirement benefits as such at that time. I said to my family, “Look, if I give this away, I’m giving your future, I’m giving your inheritance, ‘cause this is all I have to use some day. What should I do?” One by one my children said, “Let’s give it toGod.” Then my precious wife said, “Let’s give it to God.” I really believe today that the reason I have a wonderful daughter and three of the most beautiful grandchildren in all the world – Amen- and I have two sons that God is blessing in two different types of environment that love Jesus with all their heart. And the reason that we have young men preaching all over the world, we have this wonderful congregation – I pastor the greatest congregation of the most wonderful people to the world – that God has given this great staff of Godly men and women. You know what I believe that as you and I have sacrificed and give sacrificial giving, God supernaturally has moved above our own abilities and honored the gift of sacrifice.

Let’s pray. Father, it’s so wonderful to learn what your Word says. This morning, God, there’s so much that could be done if God’s people, may be in need of your blessings in their life, who have tithed, who’ve given special offerings, Lord – but Lord, maybe you’re calling someone to make a sacrificial offering – something that costs – that you might move supernaturally. Father, we have so many needs – we have missionaries waiting to be supported, so much this church could do if God’s people would just find a new way of investing. We’ve learned three ways, God. We thank you that you have given us so many opportunities to open up the windows of heaven and move supernaturally in our little sacrificial gift.

I thank you for these people as we give our tithe and our offerings and now our sacrificial gifts to Thee. As we walk forward and put our offerings in the Joash Chest to retire this debt, we have a need God that the debt be paid off. Thank you for your people.