2 Corinthians 8, 9
“…DEMANDS MY LIFE, MY SOUL, MY ALL”
We
have been studying in Unit Two of Growing Together in Christ and in
the past two weeks have looked at disciplines involved in the followship
of Christ. We looked first at the discipline of learning and
last week at the discipline of serving. This week is the discipline
of giving.
One of the tenets of Vision Waxahachie is to focus
our curriculum and study processes on a more practical theology. In other words, we want to emphasize the doing of the Word at least
as much, if not more than, the hearing or learning of the Word. Both are important but knowledge without application, like faith without
works, is dead. So these lessons are written in that vein and
as a teacher and discipler, I want to emphasize and help you discover
ways that you can apply to your faith and walk TODAY. Let’s
see what we can learn.
As a sidebar, let me invite you men to
Men Alive! on this Tuesday. We have just begun a study of the
book, Money, Sex, and Power, which will help you deal with these critical
issues in your daily life in the way that brings honor and glory to
God’s kingdom. Pleas join us at 7PM.
Dr. Jim Denison, pastor
of
A wise man walking along the outskirts
of his village settled down under a tree for the
night when a villager
came running up to him crying, “The stone! The stone! Give me the
precious
stone!”
“What stone?” the wise man asked.
“Last night I had a dream
that if I went to the outskirts of the village at dusk I should find
a
wise man who would give me a precious stone that would make me rich
forever.”
The wise man rummaged in his bag and pulled out a stone.
“It was probably this one,” he
said as he handed it over to the villager.
“I found it on a forest path some days ago. You
can certainly have
it.”
The man gazed at the stone in wonder. It was a diamond, maybe
the largest diamond in
the whole world, as large as a man’s head. He
took the diamond and walked away. All
night he tossed about in bed,
unable to sleep.
The next day at the crack of dawn he woke the wise
man and said, “Give me the wealth
that makes it possible for you to
give this diamond away so easily.”
How do we discover such
wealth today?
Giving to the
not go to all the world, but he
could give to all the world. So can we. Finances are a significant
theme of Scripture. Jesus said more about money than he did about
heaven and hell combined. But why is giving so urgent? In a series
dealing with the essentials of spiritual growth, why is this issue
significant?
Have you heard of the 20/80 rule? Twenty percent
of the people in any church give 80% of the money. That is,
sadly, almost universally true.
From the Barna Group website:
1. Excel in the Grace of Giving – 2 Corinthians 8:1-9
Have
someone read verses
1And now, brothers, we want you to know about the
grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. 2Out of the most
severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled
up in rich generosity. 3For I testify that they gave as much as they
were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, 4they
urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service
to the saints. 5And they did not do as we expected, but they gave
themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God’s
will. 6So we urged Titus, since he had earlier made a beginning, to
bring also to completion this act of grace on your part. 7But just
as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete
earnestness and in your love for us£—see that you also excel in this
grace of giving.
8I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity
of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. 9For
you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich,
yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty
might become rich.
One of Paul’s passions was to help the Jewish
Christians in
We, too, are emphasizing
greater cooperation among fellow believers in our city and county
as part of Vision Waxahachie. A good example is our recent agreement
to join forces with Waxahachie Care in providing benevolent services. This type of thing will unify and strengthen our ability to
share the gospel which is our primary mission with God.
Paul
wanted the Corinthian Christians to imitate those in
A. Let’s look at this a little
more closely. In order to excel in the grace of giving, we have
to give more than we can spare.
Everything we give comes from the One
who gives everything we have.
Paul says the Macedonian churches gave
“out of the most severe trial.” They faced pain and hardship
as they followed Jesus and just for that reason. They faced
extreme poverty. It translates in this passage as one who is
facing starvation.
But the Macedonian Christians gave in a way
that demonstrated “their overflowing joy.” The resulting offering
“welled up in generosity.” They gave generously which means
with integrity and without hidden agendas. Do we sometimes give
to impress our church or our friends? Do we give in order to
earn God’s favor? The Macedonians gave only to glorify God and
extend His kingdom.
Do we give what we can spare? In verse
3 23 see that the Macedonians gave all that they could and even beyond. They gave sacrificially. And they gave without even being asked—verse
4. Paul was apparently reluctant to ask them, given their great
poverty, but they took the initiative.
And here is the key. Their financial offerings were a symptom. Can you guess of what?—their
great devotion to God. Look at verse 5. What did they
do first?—gave themselves to the Lord. They modeled the proper
priorities. When we submit ourselves to the Lord Jesus, we will
then submit our finances to the Lord’s will.
The reverse
is not always true, though. Some give their finances as though
they were paying a religious bill. Think of the Pharisees tithing
on everything they had. Folks like this think they have fulfilled
a spiritual requirement. But, the Lord who owns the entire universe
does not need our money as much as He wants our hearts. Financial
stewardship should reflect our love for the Lord and not replace it.
When
Sam Houston was baptized as a Christian, he insisted on wearing his
wallet into the water. He explained that it needed baptizing, too.
Martin Luther said that every person needs a threefold conversion:
his head, his heart, and his pocketbook. Have you experienced all
three?
B. And then we need to give in gratitude for grace. Look at verse 8 again.
8I am not commanding you, but I want to test
the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of
others.
Paul wanted the Corinthians to respond out of gratitude,
not guilt. Giving is not legalism. It is grace. It is our decision to invest in God’s kingdom out of gratitude for
all God has given us. Paul could have commanded the Corinthians
to make this decision but he did not. He had the authority to
do so but he understood human nature. As the saying goes, a
person converted against his will remains unconverted still.
Paul
knew that the sincerity of our love for Christ is proven by our sacrifice
for those Christ loves. (Repeat). What is the First Great
Commandment—love God… It is followed immediately by the Second
Great Commandment—love each other… If you tell me that you love
me but mistreat my family, your words are negated by your actions. Thanksgiving requires giving in gratitude for God’s grace.
The
Macedonian believers were great examples but none is greater than
our Lord Jesus Himself. Paul reminds us of that in verse 9. The very essence of the Christian message is contained in that sentence.
It
is grace and not works. Jesus initiated this while we were yet
sinners. Grace separates us from all other religions in the
world. In the others we must come to Allah, or the gods, or
Nirvana, or whatever by our own efforts. In Christianity, God
comes to us! What we could never earn, God chose to give.
Jesus
emptied Himself when He entered humanity. He had no place to
lay His head. He gave up His throne in glory to take on our
sin and shame. But this incarnation resulted in our salvation. We now have eternal and abundant life. Our human capacity cannot
comprehend all that God has prepared for those who love Him.
Well,
would an observer say that you are excelling in the grace of giving
this week? Are you setting an example for others? (You
are whether you think so or not). Are you giving more than you
can spare and in gratitude for God’s grace? If others did what
you do, would God’s kingdom advance or decline?
Those are questions
that you and I must ask ourselves and answer, not to each other, but
to our God.
2. Expect the Blessing of God
Someone read 2 Corinthians
9:6-8:
6Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly,
and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7Each man should
give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or
under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8And God is able
to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times,
having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
As we
grow together in our giving we should also expect the blessing of
God. Not only does our giving benefit others, as we have just
see, it also leads to personal blessing as well.
Paul uses a
farming analogy to illustrate. It is a basic principle that
the more seed that is sown or planted, the more is sown or harvested. It makes no sense for me to go buy coastal
This principle of
divine reciprocation is found throughout God’s word:
• “One man gives
freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes
to
poverty. A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will
himself be
refreshed” (Proverbs 11:24-25).
• “A generous man will himself
be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor”
(Prov. 22:9).
• Jesus
taught, “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn,
and
you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give,
and it will
be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together
and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure
you use, it will be
measured to you” (Luke 6:37-38).
• “Do not be deceived:
God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. . . . Let
us not become
weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest
if
we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good
to all
people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers”
(Galatians 6:7,
9-10).
We should make this investment in gratitude
for such a privilege. Give what we decide in our hearts to give,
Paul says. The “heart” in Biblical psychology is the center
of the will, intellect and emotion. We should give out of our
own volition and initiative.
Our gift should always be given
cheerfully. Listen to Deuteronomy 15:10:
“Give generously to
him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD
your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put
your hand to
And, if we do so, here is the result: And God is
able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all
times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work
We
will have all that we need—not all that we want. This is not
a health and wealth promise of riches. Jesus’ poverty and the
suffering faces by His followers is proof that spirituality does not
lead to riches. But our Father is able to meet the needs of
His children and will do so when we are in position to receive it.
And
the “you will abound in every good work.” We are intended to
be conduits, not containers. When we have more, we can give
more of God’s blessings. All that God does for us, God does
through us. A significant dimension of the blessing we receive
is the knowledge that we are blessing others. There are two
families in
The principle is clear: when we work, God works. When we invest, God’s blessings result. He meets our needs and
the needs of others through our generosity. But God can us only
what we give and lead only where we will follow. Is your giving
placing a limit on the fruitfulness of your life and work today?
Leo
Tolstoy once wrote a story about a successful peasant farmer who was
not satisfied with his lot. He wanted more of everything. One day
he received a novel offer. For 1000 rubles, he could buy all the land
he could walk around in a day. The only catch in the deal was that
he had to be back at his starting point by sundown. Early the next
morning he started out walking at a fast pace. By midday he was very
tired, but he kept going, covering more and more ground. Well into
the afternoon he realized that his greed had taken him far from the
starting point. He quickened his pace and as the sun began to sink
low in the sky, he began to run, knowing that if he did not make it
back by sundown the opportunity to become an even bigger landholder
would be lost. As the sun began to sink below the horizon he came
within sight of the finish line. Gasping for breath, his heart pounding,
he called upon every bit of strength left in his body and staggered
across the line just before the sun disappeared. He immediately collapsed,
blood streaming from his mouth. In a few minutes he was dead. Afterwards,
his servants dug a grave. It was not much over six feet long and three
feet wide. The title of Tolstoy's story was: How Much Land Does a
Man Need?
Greed is the logical result of the belief that there is
no life after death. We grab what we can while we can however we can
and then hold on to it hard.
Sir Fred Catherwood
Brothers and sisters,
let’s look closely at our hearts today. Where is our treasure?
Pray
2
Corinthians 8, 9
“…DEMANDS MY LIFE, MY SOUL, MY ALL”
1. Excel
in the Grace of Giving – 2 Corinthians 8:1-9
A. Give more than you can spare
B. Give in gratitude for grace
What is my motivation
for giving?
If everyone gave like me, what would the
2. Expect the Blessing of God – 2 Corinthians
9:6-8
What is my attitude in giving?
Where is
my investment—in the barn or on the ground?
Homework: Examine
your hearts this week to determine where you are “laying up your treasure?”
(Matthew 6:19-21)