*Title:* Systematic Benevolence — Pastor Kyle Baldwin, May 2, 2026

Why does God care so much about giving — and why does He insist it be cheerful? In this sermon, Pastor Kyle Baldwin begins with the text “God loveth a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7) and argues that the way we give matters as much as the giving itself. Giving, he says, is not a duty bolted onto the Christian life; it is woven into the fabric of the universe. Drawing on Ellen White, he pictures a creation in which nothing lives only for itself: birds, trees, flowers, sun, and ocean all minister and give, and the ocean itself “takes to give.” Giving is simply how God’s world works.

The reason runs deeper than nature. Before creation began, God had already planned salvation — the Lamb was “slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8) — and through Christ He set out to reconcile all things to Himself, in heaven and on earth (Colossians 1:19–20). God did not give an angel or some lesser gift; He gave His own Son, pouring out “all heaven in one gift.” And He has not stopped: seedtime and harvest still come, the sun still rises on the evil and the good, and God keeps giving to a world that keeps turning away. If that is who God is at His core, Pastor Baldwin asks, shouldn’t we reflect it — with our time, our expertise, our encouragement, and our finances? God could sustain His work without a cent from us, but in giving we become His co-workers.

The sermon then faces the question many believers quietly carry: what if we doubt how the church handles money? The answer comes from the widow’s two mites (Luke 21:1–4). She gave to the treasury — and the treasury belongs to the Lord (Joshua 6:18–19), is tied to the temple (John 8:20), and was administered by priests (Matthew 27:6). Jesus praised her gift even though He knew the temple system’s corruption better than anyone, because she was not responsible for the priests’ evil. Quoting Ellen White (Testimonies, vol. 9, p. 249) — “Will you rob God because you think the management of the work is not right?” — Pastor Baldwin urges the same course today: give through the local church, press for right use of funds, but do not withdraw. The sermon closes with its title phrase and its challenge: God is systematically benevolent, so give systematically, continually, and cheerfully — and take Him up on the one test He invites (Malachi 3:10): “Test me, and see if I will not open the treasure house of heaven.”

*Key texts:* 2 Corinthians 9:7; Revelation 13:8; Colossians 1:19–20; Luke 21:1–4; Joshua 6:18–19; Matthew 27:6; John 8:20; Genesis 8:22; Matthew 5:45; Malachi 3:10 · *Also referenced:* Ellen G. White, Testimonies, vol. 9, p. 249, and on nature’s ministry of giving

*Watch:* https://youtu.be/xpWgnsTanVw · *Listen:* https://cloud-1de12d.becdn.net/media/original/c4ace061a4193bd8f9911583403c45d5.mp3