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The Grace of Giving: A Call to Generosity 0:10 Good morning. Welcome to Stand on the Word. Thanks for joining me this morning. Well, the sun is not up yet over our nation's capital, but I'm confident that it will be very soon. Today, we're looking at 3 chapters,0:21 second Corinthians chapter 7 through 9. I'm gonna focus primarily on chapters 8 and 9 and look at the grace of giving. Verse 7 of chapter 8, but as you abound in everything, in0:33 faith, in speech, in knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love for us, see that you abound in this grace also. Before we move on to chapter 8, in chapter 7, Paul puts0:45 kind of a period on the, correction of the church at Corinth that led to their repentance, and he's and this really kinda shows the end result of church discipline. Verse 10 of chapter 7, for godly0:57 sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted, but the sorrow of the world produces death. So get it straight. Repent. Walk in obedience to the word1:09 of God, and it actually turns out well. Look how the chapter ends. Verse 16. Therefore, I rejoice that I have confidence in you in everything. So they had been restored.1:20 Good story. Alright. In chapters 8 and 9, Paul is following up on their promise from the previous year to financially help the Jewish believers who were in Jerusalem and Judea who, because of1:32 persecution and famine, were lacking, material goods. They needed help. So Paul, holds up the believers in Macedonia, most likely the church at Philippi, as an example1:45 to the Corinthians. Now the Macedonian believers were also faced with persecution and poverty, themselves. Yet we see in this passage, they implore Paul to take a significant1:57 gift from them to Jerusalem to aid those who were in need. So Paul goes on to tell the Corinthians that he had been, boasting about their promise to help the Jewish believers, which2:08 inspired others to give. So it's time to pony up. He's letting them know that Titus and others would be coming soon to receive their gift, and they need to be sure that it was ready because Paul didn't wanna be2:19 embarrassed, nor should they wanna be embarrassed by their follow their failure to follow through on their pledge. So in this passage, we find, I think, probably the most complete instruction in the New Testament2:31 about giving. We see the model for giving, the motive we should have for giving, and then the New Testament measure, that we should use for our giving as well as what I would describe as the marvel2:43 of giving. So verse 1, chapter 8. Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia. Now let me, in in verse 2, that in great2:55 trial of affliction, the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality. Now I wanna start by defining grace. Grace, the3:07 word here is charis. The the the giving of the gift, not the receiving, is described here as the grace of God. Now, certainly, receiving a gift would fall within the3:18 definition of grace, but Paul says that the grace of God is bestowed upon the churches of Macedonia who were giving the grace. So how is that? Well, first, God gives us the ability3:30 to give. Everything we have is from him. But research also shows that there is great joy, pleasure, and even physical benefits from giving our time, our3:42 resources to others. We are blessed when we give. Now let's look at the model for giving. The Macedonians gave out of their poverty. Now Jesus modeled for this, modeled us,3:54 modeled this for us. Look at verse 9. For you know the grace of our lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor that you through his4:06 poverty might become rich. He left heaven, gave it all up to come to earth. Now go back to, to verse 5, quickly here. And not only as we had hoped, but4:18 they first gave themselves to the Lord and then to us by the will of God. So we urge Titus that as he had begun, so he would also complete this grace in you as well. But as you4:29 abound in everything, in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us, see that you abound in this grace also. I speak not by commandment, but I am testing the sincerity of your4:41 love by the diligence of others. So we we see that the motive here for giving, and number 1, they gave themselves to the lord and then gave by the will of god. So it's out of our4:53 relationship with the lord that we we give. And he says here, they gave not by commandment but by love, which we'll see again in verse 24. In fact, let me read that. Verse 24. Therefore, show5:05 to them and before the churches the proof of your love and of our boasting on your behalf. Let's turn to chapter 9 verse 12, and I'm gonna be kinda jumping around just5:17 a little bit here. 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 of5:29 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 long5:41 for you because of the exceeding grace of God in you. So they gave to the glory of God and to the good of man. And Colossians, 3 17 says, and whatever5:53 you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God the father through him. So they they gave to the glory of god and for the benefit of others. Alright. Back to chapter6:05 8 verse 10. And in this, I give advice. It is to your advantage not only to be doing what you began and were desiring to do a year ago, but now you also6:16 must complete the doing of it. That as there was a readiness to desire it, so there also must be a completion out of what you have. So6:28 Paul's basically saying finish what you started. You promised it. Now fulfill it. And here's the measure of giving. Look at verse 12. For if there is first a willing mind, it is6:40 accepted according to what 1 has and not according to what he does not have. Okay. Here's here's the measure. Give according to what you have, not what you don't have. Or if I had a6:52 million dollars, I would give you fill in the blank. We're not called to give based upon what we might have, but on what we do have right now. Verse7:04 13, for I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened, but by an equality that now, at this time, your abundance may supply their lack, that their abundance also7:16 may supply your lack, that there may be equality. As it is written, he who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack. Now7:28 notice the equality of God's kingdom. They were giving to help the saints in Jerusalem to and and and I think Paul is alluding to the fact that there would come a time when they would need help too. But also,7:41 as the the church in Jerusalem, the Christians and the believers there in Jerusalem needed help, they had a lack they had a lack of material needs, well, the Corinthians had a lack of7:53 opportunity to to give. And so as the believers in Jerusalem had a need, the the believers in Corinth were able to to8:05 meet their need by meeting the need of the believers in Jerusalem. Now the the the the, as we talk about this equality issue, the the government tries to imitate8:17 the kingdom of God as it sits in the place of God, but the outcomes are are far from the same. And and so as as as believers, there is a we're instructed to help8:29 meet the needs of other believers, and our churches should be helping first in the church and the body. That's the issue. It's a it's an extension of the family. We should be helping them. Maybe someone loses a job.8:38 Maybe someone has an illness that comes up. It's first our responsibility. And and and, unfortunately, there's been a crowding out where the government has come in, and the church is missing a blessing8:51 because those needs as we meet them, it's meeting a need that we have that we don't realize we have, and that is to sow into the lives of others. Alright. Give to abound in this grace.9:03 Verse, 7 of chapter 8 and verse verse 6 of chapter 9. But as you abound in everything, in faith and speech and knowledge and all diligence and in your love for us, see that you9:14 abound in this grace also. And, verse 6 of chapter 9. But this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.9:27 Now, for the sake of time, I'm gonna summarize the rest. I want I want you to look at the marvel of giving. Okay? God is able to make all grace abound. Verse 8 of chapter 9, and god9:39 is able to make all grace abound towards you that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, have an abundance for every good work. See, god has a way of multiplying9:51 things. God will open the windows of heaven, Malachi chapter 3 verse 10. Bring all the ties into the storehouse that they may be food in my house and prove or10:03 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 blessings that there will not be room enough to receive it. God10:15 says, try me. I'm gonna show you. I'm faithful. And then God will enrich in everything so that he is glorified. Look at verse 11 of chapter 9 here. While you are enriched in10:27 everything for liberality, which calls us thanksgiving through us to God. Paul says we will be enriched in everything. The benefit the benefits that flow from giving are not just economic. Alright?10:38 There's there's a lot of, social research that shows that people benefit in so many different ways when they give. Right? And and it's it's biblical. Now let me close with this.10:50 There there there's, as you know, I've talked about this often. I've been to Israel many times. Love to go there. Gonna be going there probably again pretty soon. There there are 2 seas in the biblical region of Israel.11:01 1 is fresh. Fish live in it. Trees and bushes grow near it. Children splash and play in it. In fact, I baptized my youngest son in it, and I I and, it it is fed by the11:13 river Jordan with its sparkling waters from the hills. And you're familiar with the sea. It's called the Sea of Galilee. It's a a source of life to those around it. The Jordan11:25 also feeds into another sea to the south. But in this sea, there are no fish. In fact, there's no life at all. Only this kind of stale air hangs above the water. You know the name of this sea as well.11:37 It's called the Dead Sea. Now what's the difference between these 2 seas? It's not the source of the water because the Jordan River feeds both of them. The difference is the Sea of Galilee11:49 receives water, but it doesn't keep it. For every drop of water that flows in, another drop flows out. The giving and the receiving go on in equal measure. The12:00 Dead Sea, on the other hand, hoards every drop of water that comes in and feeds nothing. You see, as Christians, we're not called to be reservoirs of God's blessing12:12 holding on to it, but rather we're to be streams of life giving freely of what God has given to us. Father, we thank you for your word. And, Lord, I I pray as12:24 Paul challenged the Corinthians to to help meet the needs of other believers, those that were suffering lack in in Jerusalem. Lord, I pray that we12:36 would be mindful, especially in America as as as we are so blessed. Even, Lord, in our challenges and even, Lord, in, difficult times, we're blessed compared to the rest of the12:48 world. And there there are many believers around the world that are in need, and, they're right in our own churches. And so, father, I pray that we would be sensitive to to13:00 giving and sowing into the lives of others and meeting the needs of others. And, Lord, not that we give to be blessed, but, Lord, we are blessed. And I pray that we would, you would13:11 just magnify the blessing upon the giver, and and as they sow into other ministries and to other needs. And so we thank you, Lord, just for this principle of giving. May we13:23 learn it. May we, may we use it, and may you be glorified through it. For we pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. Alright. Thanks for joining me this morning, and until next time, keep standing13:35 on the word.13:39 Today's study comes from the stand on the word bible reading plan available for free at f r c dot o r g slash bible. By following along in just a few minutes a day, you13:51 can read through the entire bible in just 2 years. Learn more and request the free reading guide at frc dot org slash bible.In this video 0:00 The Grace of Giving: A Call to Generosity
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