1 Valley View Chapel January 12, 2014 The Grace of Giving, Part 2 The Greatest Gift in the World 2 Corinthians 8:8-15 Introduction The sincerity of our love and commitment is tested in many areas of life. I guess marriage is the most obvious example. Did we mean what we said before God, family and friends? Only time will tell. Friendships are tested when people move away. They are tested when there is a disagreement or misunderstanding. Commitment to education is tested when the going gets tough; when we have to get through those core courses in which we have no interest; when we have to give up going to a movie or a party in order to study for an exam or write a paper. Commitment to a musical instrument is tested when we have to go to a lesson after school or practice for an hour on a Saturday morning. Our commitment to our job is tested when we have an overly demanding boss; or when a co-worker gets the promotion we felt we should have gotten; or when we have to miss our kid s soccer game because we need to work overtime to get a project in under the deadline. The Bible tells us in many places that the sincerity of our Christian profession will be tested in a variety of ways. And one of those ways is the subject of this morning s text 2 Corinthians 8:8-15. 8 I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. 9 For 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. 10 And here is my advice about what is best for you in this matter: Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. 11 Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. 12 For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have. 13 Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. 14 At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality, 15 as it is written: "He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little." (NIV) The Apostle Paul had sent out an appeal across the Christian world to help the believers in Jerusalem who were facing economic hardship. In the first 7 verses of chapter 8 Paul rehearsed for the Corinthians how generously and sacrificially the Christians in Macedonia had responded to this need. We saw last week that what made their response so incredible
2 was that they were among the poorest people in the Empire. Yet Paul said that they gave even beyond their ability. One year before, Paul had informed the affluent church at Corinth about the need of the Jerusalem believers. His request is recorded in 1 Corinthians 16:1-3, Now about the collection for God's people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made. Then, when I arrive, I will give letters of introduction to the men you approve and send them with your gift to Jerusalem. (NIV) A year had gone by and the Corinthian believers hadn t made good on their promise to render assistance. The essence of Paul s message in today s text is: You made a commitment to help the suffering Christians in Jerusalem. It s time to get serious about it. Paul spent the first seven verses holding up the Macedonian churches in Philippi, Berea and Thessalonica as examples of sacrificial generosity. And if their example wasn t enough motivation to spur the Corinthians to give, Paul called their attention to the greatest example of sacrificial giving the world has ever known: the Lord Jesus Christ. It s as if Paul was thinking: If Jesus example of selfless commitment doesn t motivate them to respond with thankful and generous hearts, then nothing will. For 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. The Example of Jesus Jesus, who was rich, became poor so that those who believed on him for salvation would become rich. This thought has been captured beautifully in the words of two hymns. Emily Elliott wrote the words to a song to be performed by the children of her father s church St. Mark s in Brighton, England around 1864. Thou didst leave Thy throne and Thy kingly crown, When Thou camest to earth for me; But in Bethlehem's home was there found no room For Thy holy nativity. Heaven's arches rang when the angels sang, Proclaiming Thy royal degree; But of lowly birth didst Thou come to earth, And in great humility. Frank Houghton who lived from 1894-1972 was a missionary to China. He wrote a beautiful hymn of praise to the one who was rich but who became poor. Thou who wast rich beyond all splendour, All for love's sake becamest poor; Thrones for a manger didst surrender, Sapphire-paved courts for stable floor.
3 Thou who wast rich beyond all splendour, All for love's sake becomes poor. Thou who art God beyond all praising, All for love's sake becamest man; Stooping so low, but sinners raising Heavenwards by thine eternal plan. Thou who art God beyond all praising, All for love's sake becamest man. William Barclay stated: The sacrifice of Jesus did not begin on the cross. It did not even begin with his birth. It began in heaven, when he laid his glory to one side and consented to come to earth. If Jesus had been as rich as Solomon, he would have still become poor when he came to earth. Prior to the Incarnation, Christ was as rich as God the Father is rich. The owner of heaven and earth laid aside his wealth and privileges and the glory of the heavenly host to come to earth to be, in the words of Isaiah the prophet: despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. The 9 th verse suggests 4 characteristics of Jesus decision to come to earth as our Savior: For 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. First, his commitment was pre-meditated. Revelation 13:8 mentioned the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world. There was a plan of salvation that was conceived in eternity past. God told the serpent about it in the Garden of Eden: He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." Genesis 3:15 (NIV) This was not some sort of desperation move by the Godhead to neutralize Satan s power. It was supernaturally conceived and meticulously carried out. Just as Christ giving his life was pre-meditated, so our giving should be pre-meditated. We ought to give time, thought, and prayer to what we give financially; to the ways in which we should be involved in the ministries of the church; to how we can be partners with Christ and our brothers and sisters in Christ in being instruments of encouragement and healing to those in need. Second, his commitment was voluntary. The prophet Isaiah 7 centuries before Christ made a profound observation in Isaiah 53:7, He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. (NIV) He was led not driven to the cross. He went because he wanted to. He could have opted out but he didn t. God doesn t want grudging service from anyone. If you really don t want to part with your money if deep down you want to use it for something other than the work of God then
4 keep it. If you really don t want to serve in a ministry if you re just doing it out of duty or guilt or external pressure then quit it. Don t insult the Lord by offering to him what you re unwilling to give. Third, his commitment was sacrificial. When Jesus gave, it cost him something. In fact it cost him about everything. Let s get real about this whole sacrifice business. In light of what Jesus sacrificed to come from heaven to earth to save our souls, can we even use the word sacrifice about anything we might do for Christ? Paul said to the Romans at the beginning of chapter 12, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. Romans 12:1 (NKJV) In other words: If we give our lives in martyrdom for the cause of Jesus Christ in light of what he s done for us it s just a reasonable service. Are we doing anything for the Lord Jesus Christ that costs us anything? I m not even talking primarily about money. A week before Christmas I sat at a table with the members of our Governing Board to do the work of Christ. These men and women gave up their Christmas preparations and time with their families to do what they were elected to do at last year s annual meeting. I was proud to be sitting at the same table with them. Two days before Christmas one of our elders and his wife went to the hospital to offer prayer and comfort to a family whose loved one was facing surgery. If we re going to be committed to Jesus Christ in a serious way, we need to be willing to give something up in order to represent him well. Fourth, his commitment was beneficial. Jesus came from heaven to earth he was who was infinitely rich became indescribably poor in order that he might give to others. His commitment was entirely selfless. His motives weren t self-serving in any way. When we give our time, our money, our talent and our spiritual gifts, we do so with the desire that Jesus will be glorified and people will be blessed. We re not looking for a reward or recognition. The satisfaction of knowing that our love has been expressed to the one who loved us to the nth degree is reward enough. I am saddened by the cheap and tawdry appeals I see on religious television by hucksters who lie to their viewers about giving. In essence, they tell their gullible audience that if they give money to their ministry, God will rain down favor and abundance on them. Where in the Word of God is there precedent for this nonsense? Stephen Olford said: The gaining of money can be a curse; so can the giving of it.
5 The giving of money is a curse if we give in order to get; if we think that a thousand dollar seed is going to get us anything. The God of heaven and earth will not be a personal ATM so that we can satisfy our selfish and worldly desires. We give money, time, and talent for one reason only: to glorify God and to point others to his saving gospel. Yes, Jesus became poor in order to make his people rich but not necessarily rich in money. He came to make us rich in grace; rich in mercy; rich in joy; rich in peace; rich in hope; rich in faith; rich in good works; rich in everything that will last for eternity. Good Intentions We have seen so far in chapter 8 that the Macedonians proved the sincerity of their commitment by their actions. So did Jesus. A good idea inspired heroic action. In verses 10 and 11, Paul urged the Corinthians believers to follow their example: And here is my advice about what is best for you in this matter: Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. 2 Corinthians 8:10-11 (NIV) Apparently one year earlier, the Corinthians had begun to set money aside for the believers in Jerusalem. But something happened that stopped their commitment. Paul told them that the Macedonians didn t do half a job and neither did Jesus. Their intentions became reality by their actions. Suppose Jesus only thought about dying on the cross for our sins but didn t go through with it? Suppose those who teach your children in Sunday school or work with your teenagers in our youth groups only thought about doing something for kids? Suppose those who stand before us every Sunday to lead us in worship only showed up on Thursday for practice but didn t come to church on Sunday? Suppose Zach and Heather Guggenheim made a verbal or even written commitment to disciple college students but never followed through? Suppose Chris and Rachel Wichert raised their support and received their training but never actually went to China? It s good to think and pray and ponder. We dare not make snap decisions about issues of eternal importance. But there comes a time when you have to call for the question. There comes a day when you have to write the check. There comes that defining moment when we stop thinking about what we ll do for God and start doing it. That s the plea of Paul s heart to his friends in Corinth and it s the plea of his heart to some of us here today. This is the second Sunday of the year. It s a good time to make a fresh start. Remember the old saying: If you go on doing what you have always done, you will go on getting what you have always got. Some of you have been thinking way too long about what you might do for Jesus Christ; about how you might someday get involved in the mission of this church; how someday you re going to jump off the hamster wheel of everyday concerns and stress and do something eternally significant. Why not now?
Do you want this year to be different than last year? Then look at Christ. See what he did for you. And then ask with an open mind and a surrendered heart: How do you want me to respond? 6