"The Grace of Generous Giving" | 2 Corinthians 8-9 | Pastor Israel

Again, good evening and welcome. Well, buckle up.

Tonight's going to be very interesting.

I've I've managed to catch myself the first cold or flu

that I've had all year and we'll see if my voice can hold out.

So I know that that Nat has just prayed, but I'm going to pray

for your sake that my weakness doesn't get in the way of your

capacity to hear the word and that if my coughing gets

intolerable, just mute Micah, and hopefully we can get through

the message. Let's bow our heads again.

Father God in heaven, Your word is, is holy, it is powerful, it

is what we need. And your people have gathered

here tonight to hear from you. And so I pray specifically now

for my weakness to not get in the way of them being able to

hear and to receive and to know and understand your word.

So please, we just commit this time to you now and pray for

your Spirit to be evident within it.

This we ask in Jesus name, Amen. So Second Corinthians chapter 8

2 Corinthians 8 · chapter mention

is where you need to find yourself in the Bible.

The title of the the message tonight is the Grace of Generous

Giving. Actually, if you're sitting in

sort of a roped area, feel free to just remove those so you've

got a little bit more comfort rather than sitting on one.

But when it comes to generosity, what motivates that for people?

For some, it's the thing that springs out of guilt.

They might hear a particularly sad story and think, well,

somebody has to do something about that.

So, you know, I'll give some money, I suppose, and help out

with that. Or some kind of pressing need

comes across their attention. For others, it builds on that

and maybe enters into the realm of obligation and it becomes a

thing. Well, this is just simply what

good people do. And so I'll give.

And, you know, I'm a very charitable person after all.

And still for others, it might be that we give out of

recognition. Well, you know, if people see me

being just generous and philanthropic in this way, this

generosity might earn the applause of the accolades from

certain people. But Paul here in Second

2 Corinthians 8 · chapter mention

Corinthians chapter 8 and 9 before us gives us a deeper

foundation for generosity. And what what lies for the

Christian at at the foundational level for why it is that we give

is something called grace. We have received grace that

means unmerited favour. We've done nothing to deserve

that which we've received from God in and through Christ Jesus.

And because we are the beneficiaries, the recipients of

great grace from God, then we are now the conduits of that

grace to flow on out and be a blessing unto other people.

But there's a greater connection to this as well.

Not only does grace reflect Christ Jesus in US and give

glory to God, but as followers of God, our goal is to emulate

the God that we purport to serve.

And the Bible tells us that we are children of God, that God is

our heavenly Father. And so family is just like it's

the case here on earth, our our heavenly family, we share a

likeness and similarity to our heavenly Father.

What the Bible tells us is that God the Father is a generous

God. One of the most often quoted

verses in the Bible that even many non Christians know is John

316. It says for God so love the

world right that he what gave that he gave and so implied in

that there's a generosity that springs out of well, this is the

character of God the father. And so if we're to be children

of God, then a character just as families here on earth bear

similar traits. They might share similar laughs

or or gates in walk or have certainly similar looks to them.

We as children of God are to be generous, flows on out from

that, that we're, you know, a part of the family of God, that

he is a generous God. And so therefore we are too to

be generous. Now, we teach what's called

expositionally through the Bible.

That means we'll typically tackle a book in the Bible.

We'll go through the chapters in that and ideally go through the

verses of each of those. And we, we do that because we

believe it to be the best way to deliver what's called the whole

council of the word of God. So that means that we in, in

doing so, we'll come across topics and we'll, we'll cover

them evenly. So there's no particular hobby

horse. So if you happen to be visiting

tonight and you go, wow, what a surprise.

I've, I've walked into a church and they're talking about money,

then know that we've actually been going through first

Corinthians and 2nd Corinthians. And this happens to be the

subject matter before us in chapter 8 and 9.

So it's what God wants us to deal with tonight as we cover

this chapter. Now, many people, I'm not sure

your particular background, have varying experiences when it

comes to the church and money, don't they?

Maybe it's based on TV evangelists that you've happened

to be scrolling late at night through the channels and you see

some sweaty southern, you know, American guy with the accent and

the handkerchief and praying some blessing and and the the

toll free number on the bottom is calling for you to ring and

to receive some special anointed product that will promise

blessing into your life. If you but donate.

It might be particular marketing that you've received in your

email or even in your letter box, or you've attended a church

service and there's been a a plate that's gone around or a

bag that's gone around or a bucket that's gone around again

and again and again until you know there's been a significant

amount of money given that satisfactorily reaches the goal

of whatever it was that they were hoping.

And for many of us, when it comes to money, we just simply

choose to ignore what the Bible teaches about altogether.

We cover it tonight in chapters 8 and 9, and we're focusing on

what Paul was collecting out of the Corinthian church.

This was an offering specifically for the needy

believers in Judea, in Jerusalem, in Israel.

They were the early church that were experiencing heavy

persecution for being Christians and then coupled with that was

famine in the land. And so it was now an opportunity

for the Gentile churches in this region known as Asia Minor,

which is now modern day Turkey, to be a blessing to the church

that ultimately the gospel message had sprung out of that

the early disciples had spread and, and Paul with his

missionary journeys had delivered the gospel to them.

And so he was wanting to collect this as a means to be a blessing

to the church, specifically in Jerusalem and Judea.

And this collection, it was actually a message that he

declares. It would actually be remiss for

you not to, to, to give generously in this regard.

And so he reminded them of a particular promise in the past

that the Corinthian church had said, oh, we hear that there's a

need in Jerusalem. We promise Paul that we'll give

and we'll help out and we'll be a blessing.

And now in these verses before us, he'll remind them of that

promise, of his boasting on their behalf about this promise

and now seeking for them to fulfil that which they'd

promised to help out. And what we see through these

verses in these chapters are some timely principles for us

when it comes to Christian giving, Christian generosity we

might call it. We prayed for it tonight, our

our tithes and offerings, the way that we steward the money

and the resources, particularly that God has given to us as his

people. So we're going to outline these

principles tonight and I want to do so under 3 headings as we go

along. There'll be some slides coming

up that if you're taking note, you can keep track of where

we're going. So we're going to see verses one

through to 15 out of chapter 8. The pattern of grace that what

we see in Jesus Christ that what they received and what they had

modelled by Jesus Christ of their surrendered to Jesus

Christ in indicates a pattern when it comes to our generosity

in in giving. Second, we'll see the proof of

sincerity that when we give that there's some healthy parameters

in place to ensure that that giving is done in a way where

it's not to be taken advantage of.

And then thirdly and lastly, the promise of blessing that comes

when we do give generously, when we do give on a foundation of

grace that emulates God our Father and Jesus Christ our

Saviour. Let's look at these verses and

firstly the pattern of grace in verses one through to 15.

So Paul begins by pointing out to the Corinthians what the

Macedonian churches were doing. Now Macedonia is a region up in

the north, if you know anything about history and the Grecian

Empire that Alexander the Great came out of Macedonia that

effectively this northern region was what ruled the Grecian

Empire. But the Greeks didn't really

like the Macedonians because of their heavy handed ways of

dealing with them. And you know, this constant

politicking and military fighting on and through.

And Paul kind of uses this to play on those cultural things

that, hey, here's what the Macedonian churches are doing.

How about you guys as as Greek kind of colonies here in

Corinth. Let me tell you about what the

Macedonian churches are doing and let that be a motivation to

spur you on to being generous as well.

The Macedonian church was at this point in time also

experiencing poverty. And yet still they gave

according to their ability and their capacity and they, Paul

says, overflowed in generosity. So let's read these verses.

Just hit mute a second, Micah. All right, verse one.

Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God

bestowed on the churches of Macedonia, that in a great trial

of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty

are bounded in the richness riches of their liberality.

For I bear witness, verse three, that according to their ability,

yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing, excuse

me, imploring us with much urgency that we would receive

the gift and the fellowship of the ministering to the Saints,

not only as we had hoped, but they first gave themselves to

the Lord and then to us by the will of God.

So verse 5 is very pivotal in why it was that the Macedonians

gave and why it is that Paul encourages the Corinthians and

you and I to be generous as Christians that we are

surrendered people unto God. And so we urge Titus verse 6,

that as he had begun, so he would also complete this grace

in you as well. Circle that word grace.

But as you are bound in everything, in faith, in speech

and knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us, see

that you are bound in this grace also.

I speak not by commandment, but I'm testing the sincerity of

your love by the diligence of others.

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, though he was

rich, verse 9, yet for your sakes he became poor, that you

through his poverty might become rich.

And in this I give advice. It is to your advantage not only

to be doing what you began and we're desiring to do a year ago,

but now you also must complete the doing of it.

That as there was a readiness to desire it, so there also may be

completion out of what you have. For if there is first a willing

mind, it is accepted according to what one has and not

according to what he does not have.

So he said it was all well and good a year ago to say we're

going to do it, but now come through on that promise.

It's all well and good to promise things that you don't

necessarily have, and you can promise the world and not

deliver it, but I'd like you to come through on that which you

are. It builds on this verse 13.

For I do not mean that others should be eased a new burden,

but by an equality that now at this time, your abundance might

supply their lack and that and on other occasions their

abundance may also supply your lack that there may be equality.

So swings and roundabouts, he says.

There'll be times when you're suffering and you'll be blessed,

benefited by their generosity on that occasion.

But now it's your turn. You're experiencing supply and

relative prosperity and peace and where you're at for a number

of reasons compared to the church in Jerusalem.

Now you can be a blessing to them.

As it is written verse 15, he who gathered much had nothing

leftover, and he who gathered little had no lack.

So let's explain these. Firstly, what we see is that

giving flows from grace. Out of verses 1 and 2, Paul says

that the generosity of the Macedonian church wasn't a

natural thing necessarily, but was supernaturally supplied.

It said the grace of God that has been given among the

churches of Macedonia. And in this way you could think

of generosity like a spring. You know, when we give, when,

when Christians are desirous to to be a blessing unto others, It

doesn't flow because you squeeze it or pressure it or make it

happen. Just like a spring, there is an

abundance within it, a potential that is there.

And that abundance is God's grace.

And this grace begins with surrender in verse 5.

They gave themselves first to the Lord, he says.

And the idea with with giving, with generosity is this, if God

doesn't have you in that, you're surrendered, you're submitted

under him. He doesn't want your money.

If he doesn't have the hand, he doesn't want the gift in the

hand. And This is why Jesus, when we

read his words through the Gospels, spoke a lot about

money. In fact, if you were to look at

the number of times that Jesus in his messages mentioned money,

it's quite dominant that he spoke more about money than

almost any other topic. Then he delivered sermons on

you. Remember that, that Jesus, not

because he wanted money, but he knew that there was a particular

connection to our hearts and money, that which we treasure,

that that we hold to because money reveals the heart.

He put it this way, Matthew 6 verse 21, where your treasure is

Matthew 6:21

there, your heart will be also. And that's true for us, isn't

it? You know, the things that we

worry about, the things that we think about are often attached

and connected to what it is that we value and, and what we're

willing to, to commit our costs, our treasure to.

And give some examples. Maybe if you've started to play

the share market a little bit to invest in, in certain stocks and

so on, all of a sudden you're very interested in what the

stock market is doing, right? Because that's where your

treasure is and your heart, your emotions follows, is connected

with that Your treasure draws your heart.

Well, in the same way when we invest for God's Kingdom, then

our heart follows. So Jesus, God our Father, Jesus

our Lord is not interested in in getting our finances, but he's

interested in capturing our hearts, our affection, our

attention. And when he captures our hearts,

then everything else falls into place.

That's why Jesus would emphasise his teaching so much on money,

why Paul brings it up here, and and why we do so tonight.

And this is the point Jesus made in Matthew 22 when he was asked

whether or not that people at the time should pay taxes unto

Rome. Remember what Jesus did?

He said, bring me a coin. And then he asked a question,

holding it up for them all to see.

Whose image is this? It was an image of Caesar.

And he said, Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's, and

render unto the Lord that which is the Lord's right.

You, you know that story whose image wasn't Caesar, and it was

give unto Caesar that which belonged to Caesar, and give

unto God that which belongs to him.

So the implication is this, you and I, the Bible tells us in the

book of Genesis specifically, we are made in the image and

likeness of God. So in all actuality, having been

created in the image and likeness of God, you give, you

surrender yourself completely to Him.

This is what verse 5 is all about.

The Macedonian church was surrendered to God.

They had given themselves in totality unto God.

God was their treasure, and so because God was their treasure,

that's where their heart was. And so any earthly, so called

treasures, well man, there's a need for the church and we'd

love to give. We'd love to help out.

Let's be generous and be a blessing to them because that is

the grace of God that we've received.

And now we can be dispensers of that grace unto them.

You see, once we give ourselves to God, we're ready to be right

in this area of finances. And this is surrender.

So what area in in your life, in my life, in our lives

collectively might be the hardest for us to surrender.

It could be finances. Yes, it's probably a big part of

it. It could also be our time could

also be our levels of comfort. And the question in in that in

being surrendered people under God is will we trust him with

it? The implication is that the

Macedonian church trusted because they were surrendered

unto God. And so whilst they were doing it

tough themselves, they said we'll give to help out the

Jerusalem church and we'll trust God with the flow on the impact

of that in our lives now because He's our treasure.

That's where our heart is and we can be a blessing to others.

Secondly, in verses 8 to 9, I want to point out that giving in

this way with generosity and grace, being foundational to

that, reflects Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour.

And Paul anchors his appeal to the Corinthian church with the

example of Jesus Christ. He said Jesus, though he was

rich. Think of all that Jesus had

prior to his incarnation, and yet for your sake, he said he

became poor so that you by his poverty might become rich.

And think of it. Christ had left heaven's riches

and glory and embrace the poverty of of dwelling here on

earth, and he didn't do so grudgingly but joyfully.

He was born, the Bible tells us, in a borrowed stable.

He was raised by poor parents. When we consider the offerings

that that Joseph and Mary had to make at the temple when Jesus

was born, that was what was described in.

Deuteronomy as as the the offering of the the poor people.

He preached many times from a borrowed boat.

He rode into Jerusalem on a borrowed donkey.

He ate his last meal in a borrowed room and was buried in

a borrowed tomb. The rich one became poor that we

might become rich in salvation, forgiveness, grace, and eternal

life. We often quote this verse about

Jesus having been rich and, and becoming poor for our sake.

But here it's, it's very much in the context of giving of, of

generosity. And the point in that is this,

that generosity, when we do so, makes us more like Christ.

We're displaying Christ's likeness.

And that's what the the word Christian means.

It actually springs out of a label that was given to the

early church that they were becoming like little Christ's.

They're like Jesus, but multiplied.

And one of the facets, one of the aspects of the early church

being labelled as Christian was because they were generous in

giving, of helping out and being a blessing unto others.

And so if we are he's his generosity then is not something

that we just admire and appreciate and go thank you

Jesus for being so generous to us that where once you were

rich, you became poor for my sake.

But no, it becomes something now that we imitate, we emulate,

that we copy. And so giving reflects Jesus

Christ verses 8 to 9, Very practically, giving meets needs,

verses 13 through to 15. And what Paul does here in verse

15 particularly is he he brings their mind back to in the Old

Testament, the story of the people of Israel coming out of

Egypt and through their exodus March, being in the desert, and

their experience of daily collecting and gathering what

was called manna. Maybe you've heard of that this

this miraculous supply of this heavenly bread that came from

God that you know, kind of had this honey like wafer taste,

it's described in the Bible, but managed to supernaturally

sustain them through the day. And Paul recalls God's provision

of manner in that each day they were to awake in the morning and

collect that which they could enough for the day and no one

had too much and no one had too little.

They had exactly what they needed in the supply gathered

and when it comes to generosity in this fashion, in this way,

we're ensuring that the the bodies, the the body of Christ

the church specifically locally here and then more broadly

globally that the bodies needs are met.

And this requires faith to gather and to bless.

In this way, like the Israelites gathering mana daily meant

trusting in in God's capacity to provide Paul Paul will later

build on this and use this image of sewing in in Chapter 9, verse

6. But all through it.

The idea is that God promises to supply exactly what you and I

need. And that's often the worry that

we have in giving. Gee, if I give, will I have

enough to to pay my bills to to meet that need or to kind of

deal with the the unknown. What if this happens and what if

that takes place and all of those unknown elements that

well, if I, if I do go and be generous in this way, then you

know, I've, I've got to kind of cover all bases and look after

things here. Paul says trust God just as as

the the people in Israel trusted God with the manner and the

supply here. Then I I know it to be true in

the principle of giving that God will look after and meet those

needs. So the point here in Second

Corinthians, especially going back to verse 3 is that the

people had given according to their means, Speaking of the

Macedonian church. And in the same way the people

had gathered in, in Exodus, in the wilderness in verse 15, when

he gives that according to their means.

And the result in both occasions is this.

God had ensured that they had no lack.

God looked after them. There was an issue of faith and

of trust in him. Turn with me to the Old

Testament book now of Malachi chapter 3.

Malachi 3 · chapter mention

So open your Bible to Malachi chapter 3, please.

Malachi 3 · chapter mention

Verse 8 to 10. And what has God promised his

people, His children in the areas of giving?

He's made some pretty clear, some pretty specific promises

that we can by faith, trust in Him and rest in him that He will

take care of and look after me in this area of generosity and

of giving in Malachi 3, look at verse 8 through to 10 with me.

Verse 8, Malachi 3, he says, Will a man rob God?

Yet you have robbed me. But you say, in what way have we

robbed you in tithes and offerings?

You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed me even this

whole nation. Verse 10 bring all the tithes

into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house, and try

me. That means test me now in this,

says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open for you the

windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there

will not be room enough to receive it.

A bit of context to that and you can turn back to 2nd Corinthians

in Malachi. At the time of the prophet

there, the people of God had been holding back their

generosity, have been holding back their tithes.

This was something wired into the Levitical law as a means of

providing for the Levites and the priesthood to enable them to

be able to serve God and to serve the people of God by

having their income supplied from the other 11 tribes and

support them in their work and their labours unto the Lord.

And the other 11 tribes are holding back from doing that.

They were holding back from their offerings that were on top

of the tithe that was to be given to the Levites as well.

And so that meant that the Levites were having to go and

eke out in existence by finding other employment and trying to

put food on the table. And so consequently, the the

flow on effect was that there was no one to serve in the

temple. There's no one to administer all

of the rituals and all of the process of the worship of God.

And so the worship of God was suffering as a consequence.

And the people in, in, in Israel were, were living large and

enjoying the prosperity. And oh, they had finances, they

had full houses and full tables. And God says, you're robbing me,

we're robbing you. How are we robbing you?

Well, you're robbing me by not giving in the tithes and

offerings because you don't trust me.

Because you don't trust me, you're missing out on the

blessing that I have to flow on out.

And he says you can test me in this.

If you'll give, if you'll be generous in the tithe and in the

offering, then then just wait and see how I will open the

windows of heaven and I'll provide and meet and bless all

of your needs. And that is a principle that God

has promised to his people that holds true throughout all of the

ages. It's a principle that held true

to the people of God back at the time of Malachi's writing.

It's a principle that holds true for the church in Corinth at the

time of Paul's writing, and it's a principle that holds true for

you and I tonight. And so if you struggle in this

area of, you know, they keep praying all the time about the

tithes and offerings. And you know, they say it's to

be something that that we're to do.

And I'm not sure, but I'm I'm yet to trust God in that.

Then then may that settle in your heart tonight to go, OK,

God said I can test him on it. I will test him and I'll see if

He's faithful to His Word. And I guarantee you'll find God

is always faithful to His Word. He's proven himself again and

again and again. So giving meets needs.

If that's a worry that you have, well, you can see how God will

move. So do you trust God to provide

for your needs as you give tonight?

Let's move on. That was the pattern of grace.

The second is the proof of sincerity from verse 16 through

to 9:00 and 5:00. What, what Paul will now explain

is a very practical point and some people back then as as

today will go, OK, well, I'll give, but let me just hear the

logistics about this, Paul. What, what parameters, what

things have you put in place that will kind of cover and

ensure that that what I give will reach its destination and

actually do that which you've promised and said it will do.

And so Paul now explains how the collection will be handled.

Verse 16 But thanks be to God. 2 Corinthians 8.

Verse 16 But thanks be to God, who puts the same earnest care

for you into the heart of Titus. Well, he not only accepted the

exhortation, but being more diligent, He went to you of his

own accord. And we have sent with him the

brother whose praise is in the gospel throughout all the

churches. So this unnamed individual, but

was well known back to them and throughout all of the churches

at the time. And not only that, verse 19, but

who was also chosen by the churches to travel with us with

this gift which is administered by us to the glory of the Lord

Himself. And to show your ready mind

avoiding this, that anyone should blame us in this lavish

gift which is administered by us, providing honourable things,

not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of

men. And we have sent with them our

brother, whom we have often proved diligent in many things,

but how much more diligent because of the great confidence

which we have in you. If anyone inquires about Titus,

verse 23, he is my partner and fellow worker concerning you.

Or if our brethren are inquired about their messengers of the

churches, the glory of Christ therefore show to them, and

before the churches, the proof of your love and of our boasting

on your behalf. Now concerning the ministering

to the Saints. Verse 1, Chapter 9.

It is superfluous for me to write to you, for I know your

willingness, about which I boast of you to the Macedonians, that

Akaya was ready a year ago, and your zeal has stirred up the

majority. Yet I have sent the brethren,

lest our boasting of you should be in vain in this respect,

that, as I said, you may be ready, lest if some Macedonians

come with me and find you unprepared, we, not to mention

you, should be ashamed of this confident boasting.

What would the Macedonians think?

Therefore, I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren

to go to you ahead of time and prepare your generous gift

beforehand, which you had previously promised, that it may

be ready as a matter of generosity and not as a grudging

obligation much in there. But what we're seeing is some

very practical unveiling of how it is that the poor set some

caveats in place to protect the administration of this giving.

And so there's integrity that we see in giving and there's to be

integrity in the church in giving.

Paul insists here that the offering that they supply and

the offering that he collects out of the Macedonian churches

and others mention be handled with integrity.

He says we aim to do what is honourable not only in the

Lord's side, but also on the side of men.

So not only is it safe for him to say, well, well, God knows

our hearts and, and God knows how we'll, we'll look after and

care for it. But let's, let's put some good

optics on this and make sure that to the eyes of men and

others around that the way that we administer this is above

reproach. So he appointed Titus, he

mentioned him by name and then two other unnamed brothers are

mentioned in the verses we read. He again wanted to be above

reproach in this and that's why we here, Calvary Chapel, Secret

Harbour do what we do when it comes to money, that that we are

trying to be above reproach. We could just say, well, God

knows our hearts in the way that we handle our finances as a

church, but we have some measures in place to be

accountable, to have good optics before the eyes of men and

before the government, the land in which we live.

We have multiple signatories on our accounts.

We have more than when it comes to the cash in the offering

given to people counting. We have external bookkeepers and

auditors. We have our annual report

published online that that anybody Joe Blow citizen can go

and look and have a squizzy yet if they want.

But the point is that the integrity in that protects our

witness as believers, as followers of Jesus Christ.

And here's why. Do we not know and have we not

heard of so many so called churches or organisations or

people where financial mismanagement has been an issue?

Absolutely it has, right? It makes the news, it appears on

A Current Affair programmes, it hits the media, it becomes the

topic of conversation that people have, oh, the church,

they're just always out for money and they're just trying to

get rich and abuse things and and so on.

We've, we've all heard those words and we've seen examples,

poor examples of the mismanagement of that.

And so integrity in stewardship is a big part of what Paul is

about in this, and it's a big part of what we're to be about

as believers, as followers of Jesus Christ.

But did you know that that flows on beyond just church finances,

That integrity in the way that we manage our resources, that

which we've been given by God is to be also in our homes, is to

be in our honesty, in the way that we deal with with money, in

avoiding certain levels of debt and of being good examples to

our children. It flows on out into all of

those realms as well. The principles put in place by

Paul here cover a whole number of principles in the way that we

as believers, as followers of God, deal with our finances.

And there's to be integrity in that, particularly integrity in

our handling of giving. Well, Paul goes on in, in

dealing with, well, here's the, the measures and the parameters

that we'll put in place at the end of chapter 8.

And then in Chapter 9, he starts to talk about how it was that

their zeal, that their spark forgiving had in fact encouraged

other churches in, in the regions nearby to go, Oh, well,

Corinth is going to give. We'll, we'll give too.

We'd love to be a blessing in this way.

And so zeal in this area of generosity inspires zeal as

well. The Corinthians and their early

eagerness stirred up to give had been a motivator for other

churches to give as well. Now Paul urges them to finish

what they had promised, what they had begun, so that they

wouldn't be embarrassed and so that Paul wouldn't be

embarrassed about his boasting of them.

But haven't you found this? That generosity is contagious.

You know, when we as parents, we, we model it for our children

and they start to see it when churches can model it for other

churches as well. We don't give yes, to be praised

by people. That's what Jesus pointed out in

Matthew 6. But we also give to be good

examples for other people. That's certainly clear.

And what is also clear biblically and scripturally is

this is that if we make promises, just as I had made

promises, we should keep them also.

You guys, you promised that you would help in this, and you need

to be people that not only make promises but keep promises.

But it's more than just that though.

In this, it's about this principle that we see in giving

and that is this when we are a blessing to others, when others

are blessed, when we give, when we're generous, then they're

encouraged by our generosity. Haven't you found that to be

true here in in our midst over the maybe the years of the time

that you've been a member of the church?

You know, aside from the normal giving that we, we do here

regularly when we as a Church of have maybe urged or, or called

for certain causes that, you know, maybe you've been able to

contribute to. I think of the likes of when,

when Haiti a number of years ago was suffering and, and we gave

to them certainly annually we give with the Christmas shoe

boxes, Samaritan's Purse. But a number of years back we

had something called Vale of Tears.

We gave to Ukraine and we've certainly given to AEBM the, the

ministry mentioned in, in Haifa in Israel, We give to Fiji.

There are times when we've, we've done that and, and the

generosity has been overwhelming.

And there's also many people who wish to remain anonymous in our

midst who continually come and say, you know, if, if there's

ever a need in the church, let me be a blessing to that.

But I, I don't want people to know about it.

I just, I just, you know, God is blessed and God has given me so

much, you know, and when we hear of those things and we don't

broadcast it all, you know, another person came up this week

and said, hey, they want to be an anonymous giver.

That's not the point of it. But you know, it does bless your

heart when you hear people designed to just be a blessing

to others. And that's what what Paul is

building on here is that you know, your zeal and your desire

to go and be generous in this way.

It was a blessing to others. It it inspired them.

It encouraged them to be generous.

Now, now follow through on that and and be that blessing that

has encouraged others because giving proves love back in

chapter 8, verse 8 and then in verse 24, the proof of your

love, he said Paul calls generosity the proof of that.

So it's all well and good to say it.

Yeah, it will be generous Paul. We'll give, we'll help out.

But the proof is in actually following through that with with

the love. And just as in a marriage

relationship, you can say I love you, I love you, I love you, but

your actions can all together tell another story.

It's when actions follow through from words that reveal the proof

of love. Giving demonstrates sincerity

and is the proof of love. You see, words can come easy.

So we see the pattern of grace, proof of sincerity.

And let's finish now with the promise of blessing and wrap up

Chapter 9 and our focus tonight. And Paul concludes with an

encouragement here that giving is in fact not a loss, but is a

great blessing. But this I say, he who sows

sparingly will also reap sparingly.

He who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.

So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not

grudgingly or of necessity. For God loves a cheerful giver,

and God is able to make all grace a bound towards you, that

you always having all sufficiency and all things, may

have an abundance. For every good work.

As it is written, he is dispersed abroad, He has given

to the poor, His righteousness endures forever.

Now may he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food,

supply and multiply the seed you have sown, and increase the

fruits of your righteousness, while you are enriched in

everything for all liberality, which causes Thanksgiving

through us to God. For the administration of this

service not only supplies the needs of the Saints, but also is

abounding through many thanksgivings to God, while

through the proof of this ministry they glorify God.

For the obedience of your confession to the gospel of

Christ, and for your liberal sharing with them and all men,

and by their prayer for you who long for you because of the

exceeding grace of God in you. Thanks be to God for His

indescribable gift. Whoever so sparingly, he says in

verse 6, will also reap sparingly.

Whoever sows generously will also reap generously.

He appeals to a well known principal, many of us familiar

with the idea that you take a seed, you plant it in the

ground, and that seed needs to die in order for it to bear

fruit. But when it does, it multiplies

that which was originally. Farmers then don't hoard seed in

the barn going, I don't want to plant it because that's all the

seed that I've got. They saw it, trusting that a

harvest will come out because haunted seeds will eventually

rot, but a planted seed will multiply.

He highlights the posture of the giver in verse 7 to 9.

Each must give as he has decided in his heart, So he doesn't set

an amount that each and every one of you give this amount.

He doesn't declare that because he didn't want it to be a

reluctant thing or a thing of compulsion, but he wanted it to

be done cheerfully. For he says God loves a cheerful

giver. You know, God delights when our

giving resembles him in his heart.

That it's joyful that it's free, that it's, that it's that it's

glad. You know, you see the difference

between a, a child that shares a toy begrudgingly compared to 1

who's, yeah, yeah, you can, You can play and you can share that.

Or you know, they've been told by the parents to share and they

do it with a scowl. The action might be the same,

but man, the heart is world's apart.

But there's a praise that is produced out of such giving.

He says in verses 10 to 15, you know, the generosity that meets

needs, that strengthens relationships.

He says it leads to Thanksgiving unto God.

God gets the praise. God gets the glory and the

ultimate result of giving is this worship unto God, worship

under God. So our giving, our generosity,

it not only helps and blesses others, but but praise unto God

springs forth and echoes around the world.

Back in chapter 8, verse seven. Let me read it again and we'll

kind of finish things with this, but as you are bound in

everything, in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence,

and in your love for us, see that you are bound in this grace

also. And this is God's heart for them

through Paul's writing and for you and I tonight on this

subject, you're giving. You see, the church in Corinth

was a church that despite all of the problems that we've been

reading about and that as we've been going through 1st and 2nd

Corinthians, there's been a lot, isn't there?

They had great beginnings. They were blessed by God

concerning the gifts, they weren't lacking in any and one

Corinthians, I think of chapter 1213 and 14, they had all of the

gifts of the Holy Spirit operating and functioning.

They were bounding in certain graces.

Paul reminds them in the verse we just read faith and speech.

That means boldness in sharing the gospel, in knowledge and

diligence and love. He says.

But but Paul declares here, don't miss out on this gracious

gift. See that you are bound in this

grace as well of giving, of being generous in that you guys,

you're abounding in all of these other things, in faith, in

speech, in boldness. You've got the gifts of the

Spirit at work and all of these wonderful things, things

happening. Don't miss this.

Don't miss this grace of being generous givers and see that

you're abound in this grace as well.

He says, what is the grace He wants them to abound in again,

the grace of giving. So Paul reframes generosity for

us tonight and for them. But it's not about guilt, it's

not about obligation. But see it as undeserved favour,

as grace, that it flows from Christ, that it proves our love

and that it results in glory unto God.

Again, the Corinthians abounded in many graces, faith,

knowledge, love, and on through the list.

But Paul urged them to abound in this also.

And I think likewise tonight, God urges, God encourages, God

reminds us through his word to grow in this and to be complete

in this area of grace. John Wesley, maybe you've heard

of him. He put it this way.

Earn all you can, save all you can, give all you can.

His life showed it. If you do any study of of him as

an example in Christian history, he lives simply, but he gave

generously and and fueled great gospel work across the world as

a consequence. So Christian giving is not what

God wants from us, but it's what he wants for us.

Let me say that again to make it clear It's not what God wants

from us, it's what God wants for us.

There's a distinction in it. As children of a generous

Father, let us reflect our Father's heart and abound in the

grace of giving.