Make a Joyful Noise

Two Ways to Worship God by Giving

August 27, 2023 | FCBCW Children’s Worship | Various Passages

Introduction

In our Children’s Worship at FCBCW, I like to call our singing a “joyful noise.” This is actually a phrase from Psalm 100. “Joyful” meaning that we sing gladly. And “noise” meaning that we are loud — there is a lot of singing going on, so much that you can hear it. Today we’re going to learn that we worship God not just by singing, but by our giving. And God wants us to give gladly and generously.

We Worship God by Giving

Jesus told a story about a King. The King told his people to come and inherit the kingdom that was prepared for them. He said that when he was hungry, they gave him something to eat. When he was thirsty, they gave him something to drink. He was a stranger, and they took him in. He was naked, and they clothed him. He was sick, and they took care of him. He was in prison, and they visited him. The people asked, “When did we do this?” This is what the King said:

“And the King will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ (Matthew 25:34-40)

This story shows that when we give to the least in this world, we are actually giving to God. Let’s see what else the Bible says about worship and giving.

1. We worship God by giving gladly.

Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. (2 Corinthians 9:7)

To be cheerful means to be happy. We are to be glad when we give. We are not to give reluctantly - meaning we do it in a way that is hesitant. And we don’t give under compulsion - meaning in a way that is forced. We are to give because we want to. When you give gladly, you don’t care if anyone is watching. You give because you want to. This is the right attitude to have when we give. Give gladly.

2. We worship God by giving generously.

The wicked borrows but does not pay back, but the righteous is generous and gives; (Psalm 37:21)

To give generously means to give liberally and lavishly. It means to give more than expected. It’s the opposite of a wicked person who borrows but does not pay back. The righteous person gives without the need to be paid back. It’s a person who gives so much that the people can’t pay them back. This is the right approach to have when we give. Give generously.

Gospel

What are the grounds for our giving? We give because God gave to us:

For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

We are all sinners. The darkness in our heart and the bad things that we do earns us eternal punishment. But God gave us his son Jesus - who died on the cross for our sins. He came back to life again, and if you believe this then you also inherit eternal life with God in Heaven.

We cannot pay back God for what he has given us. But we can and must worship him by giving ourselves to others.

Big Idea

We worship God by giving gladly and generously.

God wants us to give generously. To give to God, give to others. God unselfishly gives us every- thing we need; He expects us to use any extra to help others. When we selflessly give to others, we are giving to God. Giving is one of the truest forms of worship because it is one of the most difficult.

Application

Notice that our passages don't necessarily speak about giving God money. This is good news for you who don’t have any money of your own. A good way to think about giving to God is to give of your time, your talents, and your treasures.

How can you give your time to God? You can start by making time to read your Bible and pray every day. You can also make it a priority to come to church. 

How can you give your talents to God? As children, you’re still discovering what your talents are. You can try new things and ask God how you can give to him if you were really good at something. You can practice and get better at the things you enjoy. Things like making art, writing, playing music, or even being good at sports — these can all be used by God if you want to give to him.

How can you give your treasures to God? If you have an allowance, you can ask your parents if you can give some of it to church. Your treasures might include your toys. Consider sharing your toys with others, or asking your parents to donate the ones that you don’t play with anymore. Something challenging you can do is that if you know your parents are going to buy you a new toy, or instead of asking to buy a new toy, you can ask your parents if they would be willing to give to children who are more needy than you are. 

Conclusion

In our Children’s Worship at FCBCW, I like to call our singing a “joyful noise.” We worship God not just by singing, but by our giving. Like our joyful singing — we give gladly. Like our noisy singing, singing a lot and loud to hear — we must give generously, giving a lot so that we feel it. This attitude of giving begins in our hearts and ends up in our actions. I pray that we will give in the same way that God has given to us.