Excel in This Grace

And I guess it's actually officially welcome back to me because I've been delinquent lately from church. I've spent some time on the road. I've been in Florida. Yay!

I've been in Nebraska and I'm excited to be back here today. Let me tell you, there's nothing quite like Lincoln, Nebraska, in the end of January.

It was nice and chilly, nice and chilly, a little cool. It was a great time. The leadership here let me go. There was a group of pastors. I had a chance to pour some of my expertise, what little I have into them.

They thought I might have something to offer. I went. I tried to offer it. They were very receptive, but it was a long drive out there. So I'm glad to be back. Glad to not be on the road.

I also want to say I really appreciate the last two weeks and the wonderful teaching that you have had, that I've had, as I've been able to listen from afar last week.

Matt, the week before, if you have not heard a good message in Exodus, I encourage you to go back two weeks ago. And then last week was Paul, Paul Freight. That was on Mark 4, a tremendous message on the life of ministry of Jesus.

So again, check that out. But today we're back, guess what? We're back in 2 Corinthians. So if you've got your journal or just a good old-fashioned Bible, we're ready for a new chapter.

Only problem is that it's all about money. And so I've decided we're going to skip this chapter and go right on to the next one, chapter 9. But there's a problem there, too. That one's also about giving and money.

So we're going to go all the way to chapter 10 to keep us all comfortable. We're going to skip to chapter 10, and we're going to go there, right?

You absolutely know I'm kidding. We're doing chapter 8. So 2 Corinthians chapter 8, if you want to find that, we're going to begin in verse 1.

2 Corinthians 8 · chapter mention

We're going to have a look together, believing that all of God's Word is good, is good for us. Let me begin reading for you in verse 1. We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia.

For in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.

For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and even beyond their means, of their own accord, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints.

And this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord, and then by the will of God to us. Accordingly, we urge Titus that as he had started, so he should complete among you this act of grace.

But as you excel in everything, in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you, see that you excel in this act of grace also.

I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor,

so that by his poverty you might become rich. And in this matter, I give you my judgment. This benefits you, who a year ago started not only to do this work, but also to desire to do it.

So now, finish doing it as well, so that your readiness in desiring it may be matched by your completing it out of what you have. For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have.

For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened, but that as a matter of fairness, your abundance at the present time should supply their need, so that their abundance may supply your need, that there may be fairness.

As it is written, whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack. Let's pray again, shall we? Father, we come to your word trusting it, knowing that it's for our good.

So, Lord, feed us in these green pastures. Make it come alive for us, Lord. This morning specifically, if you want to challenge us, Lord, let us be submissive and be challenged.

And teach us, Lord, for your good, for our good, for your good purposes. And we pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. Now, we've been in this book for a while, and if you remember anything, we'll remember that the relationship between this apostle, Paul, and the church here at Corinth,

it has been a very deep relationship. It's been very personal. These two have got history, the church and Paul. But lately, the relationship has been strained, hasn't it?

Some of these church members have not especially appreciated Paul's answers to their questions. We can read about those in his first letter, 1 Corinthians.

Some of them have failed to back him when Paul visited recently, a painful visit, and he had some opponents. They didn't back him. And so that led Paul to leave and write this severe letter that we've talked about, sending it along with Titus.

And we know there was some delay. Paul didn't know how it was received. And then after some time, finally, finally, Paul was able to rendezvous with the missing Titus and hear about their response.

And while it was mostly good, mostly good, there were still some problems. And some new problems had popped up as well, the so-called super apostles who were challenging Paul.

So if we remember from our last chapter, chapter 7, Paul left us off on an encouraging note about the situation. He told them things like, I was not put to shame.

It's chapter 7, verse 14. He even talked about how my spirit was refreshed by you all once Titus finally showed up. He said, I have complete confidence in you.

And that's a key. That's a key note on which he now pivots to where he goes in chapter 8, verse 1. I have complete confidence in you. Because now what he's going to do here in chapter 8, verse 1, is he's going to pivot to a different matter.

It's the matter of the collection. You say, what collection? It's what's called the Jerusalem collection. It's the situation that was created, to make a long story short, that the people of Judea, if you look at a map far across the ocean in Judea where Jesus lived, there was a famine.

The region was hit hard by a severe famine. We know of at least one famine that was recorded in the book of Acts, as predicted by the prophet Agabus in Acts chapter 11.

Acts 11 · chapter mention

We also know that there was relief supplied for the church in Judea by the church just up north a little bit in Antioch. Here's what we read in Acts chapter 11, verses 29 and 30.

Acts 11:29

We read that the disciples determined, these are the Antiochian Christians, they determined everyone according to his ability to send relief to the brothers living in Judea.

And they did so, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul. Now, we think this might be an earlier famine. The region was known to have these every so often.

So, it's either that earlier famine, possibly still some of the effects are lingering, or it's a new famine. Either way, we know that the church in Judea is not doing very well.

There is hunger. There is need. And so, Paul actually began, he started this idea of a collection with the churches in Galatia. He went to the Galatians and said, hey, you guys, would you like to help your fellow believers living in Judea?

And let's not think this isn't a very big deal. I want to try to help you appreciate that there is a development happening here between Jew and Gentile as both groups are beginning to come to Christ.

We need to appreciate the fact that the gospel, again, we read in Acts 1.8, it was meant to go out from Jerusalem. That, of course, is Jewish.

Jerusalem, all Judea, and then into Samaria, and then to the ends of the earth. That means Gentile lands. And because of people like Paul, it's done just that.

And so, quite honestly, some of the Jewish Christians living in Jerusalem and in Judea, they were not so sure about these new Gentile Christians.

They weren't so sure. They asked questions like, should they have to keep our law? Some said yes. Some argued yes. Others said, well, we're not sure.

And the apostles were very clear that the answer was no. No, you do not. But to say that things were just a little bit tenuous here between this burgeoning Gentile church and the more established Jewish Christian church in Jerusalem, that would be an understatement, a little tenuous.

So for Paul to begin asking these new centers of the Christian faith, these churches like Galatia and Macedonia, and here presumably it's going to be Corinth, these are, understand, Gentile centers, Gentile cities.

The believers in these churches are mostly non-Jews. They're Gentiles. And here he is asking the church in Corinth, the church in Galatia, to send monetary help to the Jewish brothers and sisters living in Judea.

Yeah, this is a big step for the gospel. So he starts out with the Galatians, and they're like, yeah, we're up for it. We'll do it. And apparently, the Corinthians heard about it.

It's interesting how it worked. They heard about it, and they did not want to miss out on the opportunity themselves. And so, not to mention that Corinth is a pretty prosperous city, as we've talked about.

At the end of 1 Corinthians, we actually read Paul saying, okay, you want to help out? Good. And he gives them some direction on how they could help and what would be the best way to go about it.

Let me share those verses with you. This is 1 Corinthians 16, verses 1 to 3. He says, concerning the collection for the saints, as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do.

1 Corinthians 16:1–3

On the first day of every week, that's a Sunday, each of you is to put something aside and store it up as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come.

And when I arrive, I will send those whom you accredit by letter to carry your gift to Jerusalem. Well, here we are now. And although the relationship between Paul and the Corinthians has been tested, and you might say stretched, he's been repairing now.

Repairing enough that Paul is willing to direct their attention back to what they committed to doing about a year earlier. Before he gets to this, look at how he actually starts things off in verse 1.

He doesn't come right at the Corinthians yet. Here's what he starts to say in verse 1. He's like, hey brothers, by the way, we want you to know, just so you're aware, that there's been this incredible grace of God that's been poured out among the Macedonians.

Macedonia. That would be the region to the north. Remember, Greece is two regions. In the north is Macedonia. In the south, where Corinth lies is Achaia.

Macedonia was a place where Paul had planted many churches. There are famous cities there like Philippi that you've probably heard of, or Berea, or Thessalonica.

Paul himself had planted churches up here in Macedonia, in these cities. And although they were thriving spiritually, they were hurting practically.

We can read about some of the persecution. I mean, Paul wasn't even out of town when the persecution started. Paul himself faced prison in Acts chapter 16, in Philippi, beaten and thrown into a jail.

Acts 16 · chapter mention

And then had to be rushed off. And other times he would be chased out of a city, or the disciples would send him off by sea in a hurry. And the churches that got established in Macedonia here, we ask ourselves, well, after Paul left, was it all easy for them now?

Was it smooth sailing? Were people in the community falling all over the new Christians and giving them like Chamber of Commerce awards and the like?

No. It was hard. It was rough. They faced persecution. We read about it in Acts chapter 17. Men like this guy named Jason in Thessalonica, who gets detained and hauled in and forced to put up money, put up bond.

Acts 17 · chapter mention

Social ostracism was happening. Were people being excluded from business opportunities? Yeah. Were people losing their jobs for being a Christian?

Were they being excluded from the trade guilds? Yes. And we have a sense that life in Macedonia at large, if you're a Christian, is really tough right now.

A severe test is how Paul describes it here, right? Listen to his words in verse 2. Verse 2. For in a severe test of affliction, he says, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty, what an interesting mix,

have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. Paul's talking about extreme circumstances that made it financially hard. And yet, and yet, out of what he calls their extreme rock-bottom poverty,

these people wanted to give for the relief of the saints in Jerusalem.

These are unusual people. Unusually resilient people, the Macedonians. Unusually generous people. In fact, Paul actually mentions the Macedonian believers and how generous they were over in a couple of other letters.

You can find it in Romans 15 and Philippians 4. And just as they had once seen their founding apostle, I think about the Philippians especially, just as many of them, including the Philippian jailer, who's a Christian, would have remembered Paul and Silas doing what in the jail cell?

singing hymns, being joyful in the stocks. I would call that severe, austere circumstances. So they themselves, too, had an abundance of joy in their severe circumstances.

A dearth of material resources, poor, economically speaking, yes, but a rich abundance of joy. This past week, I saw that the world's richest man posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Elon Musk was quoted as saying just four days ago, here's what he wrote. Whoever said money can't buy happiness really knew what they were talking about.

It's got like 107 million views. This coming from the world's richest billionaire. And I know right about now you're thinking, well, I'd like to try.

But seriously, we know this is true, don't we? And just as money can't buy happiness or give you joy, so it is that we're seeing that back here with these Macedonians, poverty can't steal it.

You can be poor and you can be joyful. You can have great need and still have the joy of the Lord in your life. And in the case of these poor souls in Macedonia who had nothing to give, they've decided they're going to give anyway.

Because look at what Paul goes on to tell us. He says, verse 3, What he's saying is, I did not prompt this. I did not suggest to the Macedonian believers they should contribute to this collection.

There was no prompting from me, the apostle. In fact, a lot of scholars are actually convinced that Paul tried to dissuade them from contributing.

But Paul tells us that they literally begged him for the opportunity, for the privilege of being involved. Verse 4, Begging us earnestly, emphatically, Paul, you've got to let us do this.

Paul, we want to take part in the collection, in the relief of our brothers and sisters. And that Greek word there for taking part, you know it's literally koinonia.

I don't use Greek words a lot, but that's one that a lot of us have heard. Koinonia, meaning fellowship. What they're literally saying is, we want to participate in.

We want to literally fellowship in by contributing to this need. That's amazing. I mean, that honestly is astounding. That, I don't know what else to say, is humbling.

And Paul wants it to be inspiring. Look where he goes. He wants their example to inspire the Corinthians. He says in verse 5, They did this, we didn't expect it, but they gave themselves first to the Lord, and then by the will of God to us.

You know, it's almost like the Macedonian Christians got the memo, we belong to the Lord. We sing that sometimes. Do we really mean it? They did.

We belong to the Lord, and so therefore, all that we have, or in their case, don't have, well, that's the Lord's too. We're just servants. We follow God's will.

We are mere stewards, even of the little that we have. And apparently, they were feeling God's leading, that it was God's will for them to take part in this collection, and they weren't about to let some apostle stop them.

So turning to the Corinthians now, verse 6, accordingly, one little word, accordingly, Paul goes on, we urge Titus that as he had started with you guys last year,

so he should complete among you this act of grace. It's like he's saying, I encourage Titus to encourage you guys to finish what you started.

It was great that it was your idea to get started as a contributor to this fund. Once you heard the Galatians were going to do it, wonderful that you started to set aside some funds last year, but now let's see you finish.

Let's get this act of grace going again, and let's have you make it complete. You notice how Paul goes on to commend them. He doesn't command them.

He commends them in verse 7. He says, hey, you know, you guys, I mean, honestly, you excel in so many things. Verse 7, everyone knows you Corinthians, how talented and gifted you are in your faith, in your speaking ability, your speech, in your knowledge.

I mean, nobody knows theology like you guys. In your earnestness, even in our mutual love for each other. Now, let's see you excel in one more area.

Verse 7, let's see that you excel in this act of grace also. Verse 8, I'm not saying this is a command, Paul says. This is not an apostolic order.

It's for you to prove something, to prove your love, to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine. Because real love puts its money where its mouth is.

You can speak well. Can you give well? You know a lot. Can you give a lot? You say that you love a lot. Well, here's a chance for you to really prove it, church.

You got earnestness about a lot of things. Can you be earnest in your generosity for fellow believers out there who are hurting and suffering?

And then we come to verse 9. And in verse 9, Paul proceeds to play the Jesus card. Right? The Jesus card. Check it out. Verse 9. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty

you might become rich. Now please understand, this is not socioeconomic, poor and rich. Yes, Jesus was born in a stable, you know, no crib for a bed, but that doesn't, it's not because he was so poor.

His parents did not have a lot, but they were really pretty typical first century Jews. Very common in the day to live as Mary and Joseph lived.

That's not the kind of poverty Paul's talking about. What he's talking about is the high king of heaven impoverishing himself by making himself nothing, as Philippians says.

By emptying himself and taking on the poverty of human flesh. Becoming incarnate as a lowly human being. Listen, this is the sovereign Lord of the universe inhabiting a regular human body.

That is, that's impoverishing. But Jesus did it. Jesus did it to take upon himself even more of our poverty. The poverty of our sinful condition.

To literally wear our sins upon his head. To go to a cross. To die a sacrificial, substitutionary death. And pay the ultimate price that none of us were able to pay.

Yes, it was only by our Savior's poverty that we became, that any of us became enriched. Enriched by the riches of His grace. That's language Paul will use in his letters, right?

The riches of His grace. Forgiven as we have been as believers. Adopted and made heirs with the promise of imperishable heavenly reward waiting for us.

Paul wants these Corinthians to embrace this outrageously generous, lavish spirit of Jesus as one who literally impoverished himself to enrich a bunch of people who didn't deserve it.

And yet there's a difference in what Paul's actually asking for with the Corinthians. And in the next several verses he makes this clear. But before he gets to that he points out a couple of things starting in verse 10.

Verse 10 he says, this, what I'm asking, benefits you. This is profitable for you to do this. What Paul means is he does not want to see the Corinthians be embarrassed with Titus arriving soon and them having to be pressed

for a collection. Like, you know, hurry up, pass the plates, oh, Titus is here. Because the other thing is that Titus is not coming alone. Who's he bringing along with him?

Scripture tells us he's going to bring some of the Macedonian believers with him. Titus' company will have some of these impoverished believers who sacrificed what they didn't have.

And Paul's saying, it's for your benefit that you do it now. Don't make it become all hurry up and high pressure with everybody watching. That would be awkward for you.

That would not be good for you. It's for your benefit that you do it now. Here's what he actually says just a few verses into our next chapter.

2 Corinthians 9, verse 4. He says, Otherwise, if some Macedonians come with me and find that you are not ready, we would be humiliated to say nothing of you for being so confident.

2 Corinthians 9:4

So yeah, what you started working on last year, good start. Back when you had that desire and got a good jump on it, good, but I now say finish it.

Complete it. Finish doing it. Match that readiness that you had to give with actually completing it out of what you have. And that's the other thing to notice here.

The key difference in what Paul is asking of these Corinthians is different. It's different than what Jesus did. It's different than what the Macedonians did.

No one, Paul says, is asking you Corinthians to impoverish yourself in doing this. No one's asking you to be like Jesus and become poor over this.

We're certainly not asking you to die for anyone's sins. And no one's asking you or expecting you to do the outrageous giving that the Macedonians have done.

All we're asking is to be ready and to give out of what you have. Verse 12. For if the readiness is there it is acceptable according to what a person has.

Not according to what he does not have. Don't you love it when the Apostle Paul sounds reasonable? You see, this isn't like Jesus speaking to the rich ruler telling him go sell everything you have give to the poor.

Neither is this like Zacchaeus who stood up at that banquet at his house and said I hereby give half of my possessions to the poor and then I'm going to make restitution four times for anybody I've defrauded.

It's not that severe. It's according to what you have in proportion to what you got. Or as he instructed them back in the first letter again 1 Corinthians 16.2 he said as you may prosper or I like how the NIV puts it he says in keeping with your income

in keeping with your income. Paul's talking about proportionate giving so that the wealthy Corinthian who owns a highly successful business yeah his portion is going to be greater.

Whereas the lowly slave in the church who follows Jesus who's just trying to squirrel away a few peanuts to maybe someday be able to buy their freedom their proportion is going to be a lot less.

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