The Grace to Give 2 Corinthians 8-9

Transcription

1 KCC May 2015 The Grace to Give 2 Corinthians 8-9 Turn to 2 Corinthians 8 please. 2 Corinthians 8-9 are Paul s encouragement to the Corinthian church to take a collection for the poor Christians in Jerusalem. Poverty was an ongoing problem in Jerusalem, and Paul gathered money from different Gentile churches for this need. Corinth was just one of these Gentile churches. A paragraph in Romans 15 explains this collection more, but we ll leave that alone. There is some history with Corinth on this, though, and that you should know. Some time earlier Paul had mentioned this collection to the believers in Corinth, and in Corinth they were immediately enthusiastic about this gift to the poor disciples in Jerusalem. The trouble was that the Corinthians never got around to actually getting money together. This lack of action was an issue already in 1 Corinthians, and Paul encouraged them in 1 Corinthians 16 to get on with the collection. Now we read about it again in 2 Corinthians 8-9, which means the Corinthian church still had no money put away for this. That s the story now to 2 Cor. 8. What does GRACE look like? 2 Cor 8:1-2 - And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. 2 In the midst of a severe test of affliction, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty produced a wealth of generosity. So Paul is going to tell the Corinthians about the grace of God on some other churches, the Macedonian churches. Corinth was a city in southern Greece, Macedonia was a region in northern Greece. Thessalonica and Philippi were the main Macedonian churches. Grace is key here, grace being God s undeserved kind help. Verse 2 ends with a wealth of generosity. God s grace on the Macedonian churches, God s undeserved kind help, produced a wealth of generosity in those churches. Though they were poor, they gave money generously. WE would say that if a church was generous, it would be their self-sacrifice and their devotion to Christ that made them richly generous. Paul says, No. Self-sacrifice and devotion to Christ might be there, but that is not the real explanation. God s grace, nothing more or less, produces self-sacrifice and devotion to Christ and generosity. Grace. God s grace. 2 In the midst of a severe test of affliction/trouble, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty produced a wealth of generosity. This is important, don t skip over this, we need to picture this. The Macedonian churches were in the middle of a severe test of affliction or trouble. In that severe test of trouble, two other things happen. One, they are extremely poor, and two, they are overflowing with joy. This all sounds weird to us, too good to be true, no one is that good, but stay with me. It sounded just as impossible when this was first read in Corinth.

2 2 The Macedonian churches are in a severe trial, and they are extremely poor. Most commentators assume that their test of affliction is their poverty. Their test and their poverty are one and the same thing. No other trouble is mentioned, so we ll assume that the test is their poverty. They are in a severe test, they are extremely poor, and they are also full of joy. How can that be? We already read the answer: we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. God s grace was on those churches, God s undeserved kind help. If you make this about those wonderful churches, you have missed the whole point. Do NOT make this about the wonderful Macedonian churches. God gave grace to those churches. Here s what God s grace looked like, four parts: 1, those churches were in a severe test of troubles; 2, they were extremely poor; 3, they were full of joy; and 4, what came out of them was a wealth of generosity, which is a generous amount of money. THAT is what God s grace looks like. Would you like God to be gracious toward you? More on God s grace (8:3-7) For I testify that they gave as much (money) as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, 4 they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord s people. 5 And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us. 6 So we urged Titus, just as he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part. Titus was the first one to invite the church at Corinth to give money for the Jerusalem saints, so Titus will go to Corinth again to lead them in actually collecting the money. To complete this act of grace. How will the Corinthians giving money be an act of God s grace? It is God s grace in a few different ways. That the Corinthians have money to give is itself God s grace to them more on that in chapter 9. That the Corinthians are generous and willing to give is more of God s grace to them. And to the Christians who receive the money it will also be God s grace to them. Their gift is God s grace to them and to those who receive the money. 7 But since you excel in everything in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you see that you also excel in this grace of giving. Everything that any church does well is God s grace on that church. The Corinthians did well at these things: faith and speech and knowledge and so on see that you also excel in this grace of giving. Every way in which we live out our faith well is God s grace to us there is no other way to take this line. But there was a grace that Corinth was not doing well, but they could see that you excel also in this grace of giving. God had given grace to the Macedonian churches, and even though they were in a severe trial and extremely poor, they were also full of joy and gave generously. So this line to Corinth is also the call to us see that you also at KCC excel in this grace of giving.

3 3 We can see here that God s grace does not work without our choice, our willingness, our action. We need to choose and be willing and act. BUT it is only God s grace that we would choose, be willing, and act. It will not happen without us, nor will it happen because of us. God Gives Investment Advice - 2 Cor 9: Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Whichever child of God gives money sparingly, will reap a sparing harvest in the kingdom of God. Whichever child of God gives money generously, will reap a generous harvest in the kingdom of God. That s what he s saying, and Jesus spoke like this often. In Matthew 6:19-20 Jesus says, Don t keep your treasure on earth, it is a bad place to invest, you ll be left with nothing. Put your treasure with God, it s the best place to invest, you ll end up with much. Do we think there is a better company to invest in than the kingdom of God? Another company will give us bigger return than the kingdom of God? Do we think there is a better bank to keep our money in than The Almighty Savings and Loans Company? In this advice Jesus appeals to the part of us that wants to end up rich, take care of ourselves: By all means, says Jesus, invest wisely and get rich just don t keep it on earth, the Fool s Bank. To the rich young ruler Jesus said, Sell your possessions, give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. That s how to invest in the kingdom of God. Luke 6:38, Jesus speaking here - Give, and it will be given to you. [What happens if we don t give? Figure it out.] Give and it will given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. [The Almighty pays back very generously.] For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. That s what Paul says in 2 Cor 9:6 - Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. With the measure you use, it will be measured to you. God will bless us so we can keep giving (2 Cor 9:7-8) Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. Verse 8: God is able to bless you abundantly, so that... you will abound in every God work. If we give, God will bless us materially, says this Scripture, not so that we can get rich, but so that we can always keep giving. The Corinthians are afraid: if they give generously they ll have nothing left. No, says Paul, God is able to bless you so that you can always give, you ll have enough to give again, and again. And if this is all planting to have a generous harvest, that s very kind on God s part.

4 4 God gives seed for planting (2 Cor 9:9-11) This is the same as verse 8, which said God will bless us so we can keep giving. Paul is will working with this proverb from verse 6 - Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 9:9-11 As it is written: They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor; their righteousness endures forever. 10 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. Verse 6 if we plant sparingly (give our money and possessions sparingly) we will harvest sparingly, if we plant generously (give our money and possession generously) we will harvest generously. Question: where do we get the seed, the money and possessions that we plant? Verse is the answer: He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion. (Moses put it this way: You may say to yourself, My ability and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me. But remember the LORD your God, for it is he would gives you the ability to produce wealth. Deuteronomy 8.) Can you begin to feel how much of God s grace, his kindness to us, is in this? First, he supplies the seed, the money or possessions that we plant. Verse 10 He supplies seed to the sower, he will increase your store of seed. Second, his grace makes us willing to plant, willing to give, ready to be generous, as his grace did in the Macedonian churches. His grace is behind all our good intentions and actions. Third, God is the one who turns seed into a generous harvest. Only God can turn seed into harvest. V.10c He will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. God s grace: he gives the seed to plant, he gives the willingness to plant, and he turns the planted seed into generous harvest. That s why giving is an act of grace. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion. God gives seed for planting. So, what does our generous giving accomplish? (2 Corinthians 9:12-14) This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. 13 Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. 14 And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. 15 Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

5 5 What does our generous giving accomplish? Our generous giving will bring us a generous harvest that s already been covered. Our giving supplies the needs of the Lord s people. Our giving produces many expressions of thanks to God. The people who receive the money will thank God and praise God. Our generous giving creates unity, a bond of love, between widely separated children of God. When the Corinthians give this money, the Jerusalem believers will pray for the Corinthians, and their hearts will go out to them. In Greek it says, they will long for you. Generous giving creates unity and a bond of love between children of God that don t see each other. But it is not the Corinthians that accomplish all this. God s grace produces all this. When we give generously, it is because God s grace has been given to us. No other explanation will do. Remember how chapter 8 began? - We want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. 2 In the midst of a severe test of affliction, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty produced a wealth of generosity. Look how 9:14 ends: Their hearts will go out to you [in Corinth], because of the surpassing grace God has given you. None of this happens, none of this gets off the ground at all, without the many-sided grace of God. And that s why Paul ends this invitation to give generously with thanks to God: Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! In 8:7 we read, since you excel at many other expressions of your faith, other graces that God has given you, see that you excel also in this grace of giving. God has given graces to this church. And to a real extent the grace of giving is alive and well among us. But I assume that among individual households in our church, and among individuals, some of us do well at the grace of giving, and some do not. So to those that do not, God says: since you excel in many other expressions of your faith, other graces that I have given you, excel also in this grace of giving. And wherever we have planted generously, let s give thanks to God for all the ways he has given grace to us. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift. Amen.