1 00:00:07,620 --> 00:00:12,740 Again, good evening and welcome. Well, buckle up. 2 00:00:12,740 --> 00:00:14,460 Tonight's going to be very interesting. 3 00:00:14,500 --> 00:00:18,620 I've I've managed to catch myself the first cold or flu 4 00:00:18,620 --> 00:00:22,780 that I've had all year and we'll see if my voice can hold out. 5 00:00:25,020 --> 00:00:28,420 So I know that that Nat has just prayed, but I'm going to pray 6 00:00:29,560 --> 00:00:33,080 for your sake that my weakness doesn't get in the way of your 7 00:00:33,080 --> 00:00:39,480 capacity to hear the word and that if my coughing gets 8 00:00:39,480 --> 00:00:46,120 intolerable, just mute Micah, and hopefully we can get through 9 00:00:46,120 --> 00:00:48,960 the message. Let's bow our heads again. 10 00:00:50,240 --> 00:00:54,160 Father God in heaven, Your word is, is holy, it is powerful, it 11 00:00:54,160 --> 00:00:57,320 is what we need. And your people have gathered 12 00:00:57,320 --> 00:01:02,200 here tonight to hear from you. And so I pray specifically now 13 00:01:02,200 --> 00:01:06,200 for my weakness to not get in the way of them being able to 14 00:01:06,200 --> 00:01:10,160 hear and to receive and to know and understand your word. 15 00:01:10,840 --> 00:01:15,040 So please, we just commit this time to you now and pray for 16 00:01:15,040 --> 00:01:17,160 your Spirit to be evident within it. 17 00:01:19,200 --> 00:01:23,760 This we ask in Jesus name, Amen. So Second Corinthians chapter 8 18 00:01:23,760 --> 00:01:26,080 is where you need to find yourself in the Bible. 19 00:01:27,640 --> 00:01:31,480 The title of the the message tonight is the Grace of Generous 20 00:01:31,480 --> 00:01:36,200 Giving. Actually, if you're sitting in 21 00:01:36,200 --> 00:01:39,000 sort of a roped area, feel free to just remove those so you've 22 00:01:39,000 --> 00:01:42,480 got a little bit more comfort rather than sitting on one. 23 00:01:44,040 --> 00:01:47,160 But when it comes to generosity, what motivates that for people? 24 00:01:47,160 --> 00:01:51,000 For some, it's the thing that springs out of guilt. 25 00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:54,080 They might hear a particularly sad story and think, well, 26 00:01:54,080 --> 00:01:55,640 somebody has to do something about that. 27 00:01:55,640 --> 00:01:59,040 So, you know, I'll give some money, I suppose, and help out 28 00:01:59,040 --> 00:02:01,480 with that. Or some kind of pressing need 29 00:02:01,480 --> 00:02:06,680 comes across their attention. For others, it builds on that 30 00:02:06,680 --> 00:02:11,680 and maybe enters into the realm of obligation and it becomes a 31 00:02:11,680 --> 00:02:13,400 thing. Well, this is just simply what 32 00:02:13,400 --> 00:02:16,680 good people do. And so I'll give. 33 00:02:16,680 --> 00:02:19,520 And, you know, I'm a very charitable person after all. 34 00:02:20,240 --> 00:02:22,320 And still for others, it might be that we give out of 35 00:02:22,320 --> 00:02:25,160 recognition. Well, you know, if people see me 36 00:02:25,160 --> 00:02:28,480 being just generous and philanthropic in this way, this 37 00:02:28,480 --> 00:02:32,920 generosity might earn the applause of the accolades from 38 00:02:32,920 --> 00:02:35,520 certain people. But Paul here in Second 39 00:02:35,520 --> 00:02:39,480 Corinthians chapter 8 and 9 before us gives us a deeper 40 00:02:39,480 --> 00:02:43,680 foundation for generosity. And what what lies for the 41 00:02:43,680 --> 00:02:48,240 Christian at at the foundational level for why it is that we give 42 00:02:48,320 --> 00:02:51,600 is something called grace. We have received grace that 43 00:02:51,600 --> 00:02:54,440 means unmerited favour. We've done nothing to deserve 44 00:02:54,440 --> 00:02:57,760 that which we've received from God in and through Christ Jesus. 45 00:02:58,320 --> 00:03:01,480 And because we are the beneficiaries, the recipients of 46 00:03:01,480 --> 00:03:05,280 great grace from God, then we are now the conduits of that 47 00:03:05,280 --> 00:03:09,760 grace to flow on out and be a blessing unto other people. 48 00:03:10,720 --> 00:03:12,720 But there's a greater connection to this as well. 49 00:03:12,720 --> 00:03:15,760 Not only does grace reflect Christ Jesus in US and give 50 00:03:15,760 --> 00:03:21,160 glory to God, but as followers of God, our goal is to emulate 51 00:03:21,160 --> 00:03:22,840 the God that we purport to serve. 52 00:03:23,640 --> 00:03:27,800 And the Bible tells us that we are children of God, that God is 53 00:03:27,800 --> 00:03:32,160 our heavenly Father. And so family is just like it's 54 00:03:32,160 --> 00:03:35,680 the case here on earth, our our heavenly family, we share a 55 00:03:35,680 --> 00:03:38,920 likeness and similarity to our heavenly Father. 56 00:03:39,560 --> 00:03:42,400 What the Bible tells us is that God the Father is a generous 57 00:03:42,400 --> 00:03:44,840 God. One of the most often quoted 58 00:03:44,840 --> 00:03:48,040 verses in the Bible that even many non Christians know is John 59 00:03:48,040 --> 00:03:50,840 316. It says for God so love the 60 00:03:50,840 --> 00:03:56,840 world right that he what gave that he gave and so implied in 61 00:03:56,840 --> 00:04:00,320 that there's a generosity that springs out of well, this is the 62 00:04:00,320 --> 00:04:03,680 character of God the father. And so if we're to be children 63 00:04:03,680 --> 00:04:08,040 of God, then a character just as families here on earth bear 64 00:04:08,040 --> 00:04:11,520 similar traits. They might share similar laughs 65 00:04:11,520 --> 00:04:15,800 or or gates in walk or have certainly similar looks to them. 66 00:04:16,680 --> 00:04:22,480 We as children of God are to be generous, flows on out from 67 00:04:22,480 --> 00:04:25,920 that, that we're, you know, a part of the family of God, that 68 00:04:25,920 --> 00:04:29,760 he is a generous God. And so therefore we are too to 69 00:04:29,760 --> 00:04:33,480 be generous. Now, we teach what's called 70 00:04:33,480 --> 00:04:34,880 expositionally through the Bible. 71 00:04:34,880 --> 00:04:37,440 That means we'll typically tackle a book in the Bible. 72 00:04:37,440 --> 00:04:39,960 We'll go through the chapters in that and ideally go through the 73 00:04:39,960 --> 00:04:42,920 verses of each of those. And we, we do that because we 74 00:04:42,920 --> 00:04:46,000 believe it to be the best way to deliver what's called the whole 75 00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:50,600 council of the word of God. So that means that we in, in 76 00:04:50,600 --> 00:04:54,760 doing so, we'll come across topics and we'll, we'll cover 77 00:04:54,760 --> 00:04:57,360 them evenly. So there's no particular hobby 78 00:04:57,360 --> 00:04:59,280 horse. So if you happen to be visiting 79 00:04:59,280 --> 00:05:01,400 tonight and you go, wow, what a surprise. 80 00:05:01,400 --> 00:05:04,320 I've, I've walked into a church and they're talking about money, 81 00:05:05,680 --> 00:05:08,160 then know that we've actually been going through first 82 00:05:08,160 --> 00:05:11,160 Corinthians and 2nd Corinthians. And this happens to be the 83 00:05:11,160 --> 00:05:14,040 subject matter before us in chapter 8 and 9. 84 00:05:14,040 --> 00:05:18,880 So it's what God wants us to deal with tonight as we cover 85 00:05:19,600 --> 00:05:22,440 this chapter. Now, many people, I'm not sure 86 00:05:22,440 --> 00:05:25,720 your particular background, have varying experiences when it 87 00:05:25,720 --> 00:05:27,640 comes to the church and money, don't they? 88 00:05:27,800 --> 00:05:30,920 Maybe it's based on TV evangelists that you've happened 89 00:05:30,920 --> 00:05:33,600 to be scrolling late at night through the channels and you see 90 00:05:34,080 --> 00:05:37,800 some sweaty southern, you know, American guy with the accent and 91 00:05:37,800 --> 00:05:41,200 the handkerchief and praying some blessing and and the the 92 00:05:41,200 --> 00:05:44,120 toll free number on the bottom is calling for you to ring and 93 00:05:44,400 --> 00:05:47,240 to receive some special anointed product that will promise 94 00:05:47,240 --> 00:05:49,680 blessing into your life. If you but donate. 95 00:05:51,440 --> 00:05:54,480 It might be particular marketing that you've received in your 96 00:05:54,480 --> 00:05:58,680 email or even in your letter box, or you've attended a church 97 00:05:58,680 --> 00:06:02,080 service and there's been a a plate that's gone around or a 98 00:06:02,080 --> 00:06:04,840 bag that's gone around or a bucket that's gone around again 99 00:06:04,840 --> 00:06:07,680 and again and again until you know there's been a significant 100 00:06:07,680 --> 00:06:11,640 amount of money given that satisfactorily reaches the goal 101 00:06:11,640 --> 00:06:13,160 of whatever it was that they were hoping. 102 00:06:13,640 --> 00:06:15,680 And for many of us, when it comes to money, we just simply 103 00:06:15,680 --> 00:06:18,840 choose to ignore what the Bible teaches about altogether. 104 00:06:19,680 --> 00:06:23,720 We cover it tonight in chapters 8 and 9, and we're focusing on 105 00:06:23,960 --> 00:06:26,960 what Paul was collecting out of the Corinthian church. 106 00:06:27,000 --> 00:06:30,680 This was an offering specifically for the needy 107 00:06:30,680 --> 00:06:34,360 believers in Judea, in Jerusalem, in Israel. 108 00:06:35,480 --> 00:06:38,160 They were the early church that were experiencing heavy 109 00:06:38,160 --> 00:06:42,120 persecution for being Christians and then coupled with that was 110 00:06:42,120 --> 00:06:47,120 famine in the land. And so it was now an opportunity 111 00:06:47,120 --> 00:06:51,200 for the Gentile churches in this region known as Asia Minor, 112 00:06:51,200 --> 00:06:56,120 which is now modern day Turkey, to be a blessing to the church 113 00:06:56,120 --> 00:07:00,360 that ultimately the gospel message had sprung out of that 114 00:07:00,360 --> 00:07:02,720 the early disciples had spread and, and Paul with his 115 00:07:02,720 --> 00:07:04,920 missionary journeys had delivered the gospel to them. 116 00:07:04,920 --> 00:07:09,640 And so he was wanting to collect this as a means to be a blessing 117 00:07:09,960 --> 00:07:12,520 to the church, specifically in Jerusalem and Judea. 118 00:07:12,520 --> 00:07:16,040 And this collection, it was actually a message that he 119 00:07:16,040 --> 00:07:17,960 declares. It would actually be remiss for 120 00:07:17,960 --> 00:07:21,600 you not to, to, to give generously in this regard. 121 00:07:22,080 --> 00:07:25,200 And so he reminded them of a particular promise in the past 122 00:07:25,440 --> 00:07:28,000 that the Corinthian church had said, oh, we hear that there's a 123 00:07:28,000 --> 00:07:30,440 need in Jerusalem. We promise Paul that we'll give 124 00:07:30,440 --> 00:07:32,200 and we'll help out and we'll be a blessing. 125 00:07:32,720 --> 00:07:36,360 And now in these verses before us, he'll remind them of that 126 00:07:36,360 --> 00:07:40,120 promise, of his boasting on their behalf about this promise 127 00:07:40,360 --> 00:07:43,600 and now seeking for them to fulfil that which they'd 128 00:07:43,600 --> 00:07:47,160 promised to help out. And what we see through these 129 00:07:47,160 --> 00:07:51,200 verses in these chapters are some timely principles for us 130 00:07:51,200 --> 00:07:56,680 when it comes to Christian giving, Christian generosity we 131 00:07:56,680 --> 00:07:59,480 might call it. We prayed for it tonight, our 132 00:07:59,480 --> 00:08:03,480 our tithes and offerings, the way that we steward the money 133 00:08:03,480 --> 00:08:07,240 and the resources, particularly that God has given to us as his 134 00:08:07,240 --> 00:08:09,560 people. So we're going to outline these 135 00:08:09,560 --> 00:08:13,680 principles tonight and I want to do so under 3 headings as we go 136 00:08:13,680 --> 00:08:15,240 along. There'll be some slides coming 137 00:08:15,240 --> 00:08:17,760 up that if you're taking note, you can keep track of where 138 00:08:17,760 --> 00:08:20,360 we're going. So we're going to see verses one 139 00:08:20,360 --> 00:08:25,440 through to 15 out of chapter 8. The pattern of grace that what 140 00:08:25,440 --> 00:08:31,200 we see in Jesus Christ that what they received and what they had 141 00:08:31,200 --> 00:08:34,600 modelled by Jesus Christ of their surrendered to Jesus 142 00:08:34,600 --> 00:08:39,799 Christ in indicates a pattern when it comes to our generosity 143 00:08:40,159 --> 00:08:43,880 in in giving. Second, we'll see the proof of 144 00:08:43,880 --> 00:08:47,520 sincerity that when we give that there's some healthy parameters 145 00:08:47,520 --> 00:08:51,120 in place to ensure that that giving is done in a way where 146 00:08:51,120 --> 00:08:52,720 it's not to be taken advantage of. 147 00:08:53,800 --> 00:08:57,000 And then thirdly and lastly, the promise of blessing that comes 148 00:08:57,200 --> 00:09:02,520 when we do give generously, when we do give on a foundation of 149 00:09:02,520 --> 00:09:05,760 grace that emulates God our Father and Jesus Christ our 150 00:09:05,760 --> 00:09:08,440 Saviour. Let's look at these verses and 151 00:09:08,440 --> 00:09:12,080 firstly the pattern of grace in verses one through to 15. 152 00:09:12,240 --> 00:09:19,280 So Paul begins by pointing out to the Corinthians what the 153 00:09:19,280 --> 00:09:23,200 Macedonian churches were doing. Now Macedonia is a region up in 154 00:09:23,200 --> 00:09:26,200 the north, if you know anything about history and the Grecian 155 00:09:26,200 --> 00:09:30,720 Empire that Alexander the Great came out of Macedonia that 156 00:09:30,720 --> 00:09:34,960 effectively this northern region was what ruled the Grecian 157 00:09:34,960 --> 00:09:36,960 Empire. But the Greeks didn't really 158 00:09:36,960 --> 00:09:41,920 like the Macedonians because of their heavy handed ways of 159 00:09:41,920 --> 00:09:43,840 dealing with them. And you know, this constant 160 00:09:43,840 --> 00:09:47,440 politicking and military fighting on and through. 161 00:09:47,800 --> 00:09:51,080 And Paul kind of uses this to play on those cultural things 162 00:09:51,080 --> 00:09:54,160 that, hey, here's what the Macedonian churches are doing. 163 00:09:54,480 --> 00:09:58,800 How about you guys as as Greek kind of colonies here in 164 00:09:58,800 --> 00:10:01,160 Corinth. Let me tell you about what the 165 00:10:01,160 --> 00:10:05,200 Macedonian churches are doing and let that be a motivation to 166 00:10:05,200 --> 00:10:08,200 spur you on to being generous as well. 167 00:10:08,720 --> 00:10:12,640 The Macedonian church was at this point in time also 168 00:10:12,640 --> 00:10:15,400 experiencing poverty. And yet still they gave 169 00:10:15,840 --> 00:10:19,320 according to their ability and their capacity and they, Paul 170 00:10:19,320 --> 00:10:24,600 says, overflowed in generosity. So let's read these verses. 171 00:10:25,280 --> 00:10:32,880 Just hit mute a second, Micah. All right, verse one. 172 00:10:33,960 --> 00:10:37,920 Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God 173 00:10:39,080 --> 00:10:43,480 bestowed on the churches of Macedonia, that in a great trial 174 00:10:43,800 --> 00:10:46,960 of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty 175 00:10:46,960 --> 00:10:51,000 are bounded in the richness riches of their liberality. 176 00:10:52,000 --> 00:10:55,600 For I bear witness, verse three, that according to their ability, 177 00:10:55,600 --> 00:11:03,560 yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing, excuse 178 00:11:03,560 --> 00:11:06,960 me, imploring us with much urgency that we would receive 179 00:11:06,960 --> 00:11:10,120 the gift and the fellowship of the ministering to the Saints, 180 00:11:11,760 --> 00:11:14,640 not only as we had hoped, but they first gave themselves to 181 00:11:14,640 --> 00:11:17,520 the Lord and then to us by the will of God. 182 00:11:17,520 --> 00:11:21,480 So verse 5 is very pivotal in why it was that the Macedonians 183 00:11:21,480 --> 00:11:25,040 gave and why it is that Paul encourages the Corinthians and 184 00:11:25,040 --> 00:11:29,080 you and I to be generous as Christians that we are 185 00:11:29,080 --> 00:11:34,240 surrendered people unto God. And so we urge Titus verse 6, 186 00:11:35,320 --> 00:11:38,280 that as he had begun, so he would also complete this grace 187 00:11:38,880 --> 00:11:40,880 in you as well. Circle that word grace. 188 00:11:42,720 --> 00:11:45,480 But as you are bound in everything, in faith, in speech 189 00:11:45,480 --> 00:11:49,080 and knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us, see 190 00:11:49,080 --> 00:11:52,440 that you are bound in this grace also. 191 00:11:54,560 --> 00:11:57,440 I speak not by commandment, but I'm testing the sincerity of 192 00:11:57,440 --> 00:11:59,160 your love by the diligence of others. 193 00:12:00,080 --> 00:12:05,680 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, though he was 194 00:12:05,680 --> 00:12:09,960 rich, verse 9, yet for your sakes he became poor, that you 195 00:12:09,960 --> 00:12:12,600 through his poverty might become rich. 196 00:12:13,680 --> 00:12:17,560 And in this I give advice. It is to your advantage not only 197 00:12:17,560 --> 00:12:21,120 to be doing what you began and we're desiring to do a year ago, 198 00:12:22,120 --> 00:12:25,320 but now you also must complete the doing of it. 199 00:12:26,360 --> 00:12:29,160 That as there was a readiness to desire it, so there also may be 200 00:12:29,160 --> 00:12:33,120 completion out of what you have. For if there is first a willing 201 00:12:33,120 --> 00:12:36,680 mind, it is accepted according to what one has and not 202 00:12:36,680 --> 00:12:38,320 according to what he does not have. 203 00:12:38,640 --> 00:12:41,840 So he said it was all well and good a year ago to say we're 204 00:12:41,840 --> 00:12:44,720 going to do it, but now come through on that promise. 205 00:12:45,720 --> 00:12:47,720 It's all well and good to promise things that you don't 206 00:12:47,720 --> 00:12:50,800 necessarily have, and you can promise the world and not 207 00:12:50,800 --> 00:12:53,360 deliver it, but I'd like you to come through on that which you 208 00:12:53,400 --> 00:12:55,360 are. It builds on this verse 13. 209 00:12:55,360 --> 00:12:58,640 For I do not mean that others should be eased a new burden, 210 00:12:58,640 --> 00:13:02,320 but by an equality that now at this time, your abundance might 211 00:13:02,320 --> 00:13:06,880 supply their lack and that and on other occasions their 212 00:13:06,880 --> 00:13:11,520 abundance may also supply your lack that there may be equality. 213 00:13:11,520 --> 00:13:13,480 So swings and roundabouts, he says. 214 00:13:13,480 --> 00:13:16,960 There'll be times when you're suffering and you'll be blessed, 215 00:13:17,200 --> 00:13:19,520 benefited by their generosity on that occasion. 216 00:13:19,600 --> 00:13:23,880 But now it's your turn. You're experiencing supply and 217 00:13:23,920 --> 00:13:27,640 relative prosperity and peace and where you're at for a number 218 00:13:27,640 --> 00:13:29,840 of reasons compared to the church in Jerusalem. 219 00:13:30,120 --> 00:13:31,680 Now you can be a blessing to them. 220 00:13:33,720 --> 00:13:36,640 As it is written verse 15, he who gathered much had nothing 221 00:13:36,640 --> 00:13:39,520 leftover, and he who gathered little had no lack. 222 00:13:40,320 --> 00:13:43,600 So let's explain these. Firstly, what we see is that 223 00:13:43,600 --> 00:13:48,720 giving flows from grace. Out of verses 1 and 2, Paul says 224 00:13:48,720 --> 00:13:52,720 that the generosity of the Macedonian church wasn't a 225 00:13:52,720 --> 00:13:56,400 natural thing necessarily, but was supernaturally supplied. 226 00:13:57,240 --> 00:14:00,200 It said the grace of God that has been given among the 227 00:14:00,200 --> 00:14:03,760 churches of Macedonia. And in this way you could think 228 00:14:03,760 --> 00:14:07,520 of generosity like a spring. You know, when we give, when, 229 00:14:07,520 --> 00:14:12,200 when Christians are desirous to to be a blessing unto others, It 230 00:14:12,200 --> 00:14:15,960 doesn't flow because you squeeze it or pressure it or make it 231 00:14:15,960 --> 00:14:18,640 happen. Just like a spring, there is an 232 00:14:18,640 --> 00:14:22,160 abundance within it, a potential that is there. 233 00:14:22,680 --> 00:14:25,200 And that abundance is God's grace. 234 00:14:26,080 --> 00:14:29,560 And this grace begins with surrender in verse 5. 235 00:14:30,400 --> 00:14:34,360 They gave themselves first to the Lord, he says. 236 00:14:35,600 --> 00:14:39,880 And the idea with with giving, with generosity is this, if God 237 00:14:39,880 --> 00:14:43,080 doesn't have you in that, you're surrendered, you're submitted 238 00:14:43,080 --> 00:14:46,000 under him. He doesn't want your money. 239 00:14:48,040 --> 00:14:52,320 If he doesn't have the hand, he doesn't want the gift in the 240 00:14:52,320 --> 00:14:56,400 hand. And This is why Jesus, when we 241 00:14:56,400 --> 00:15:00,040 read his words through the Gospels, spoke a lot about 242 00:15:00,040 --> 00:15:02,280 money. In fact, if you were to look at 243 00:15:02,280 --> 00:15:05,760 the number of times that Jesus in his messages mentioned money, 244 00:15:06,120 --> 00:15:09,720 it's quite dominant that he spoke more about money than 245 00:15:09,880 --> 00:15:13,920 almost any other topic. Then he delivered sermons on 246 00:15:14,920 --> 00:15:16,400 you. Remember that, that Jesus, not 247 00:15:16,400 --> 00:15:19,440 because he wanted money, but he knew that there was a particular 248 00:15:19,440 --> 00:15:23,080 connection to our hearts and money, that which we treasure, 249 00:15:23,080 --> 00:15:26,160 that that we hold to because money reveals the heart. 250 00:15:26,160 --> 00:15:30,120 He put it this way, Matthew 6 verse 21, where your treasure is 251 00:15:30,680 --> 00:15:35,880 there, your heart will be also. And that's true for us, isn't 252 00:15:35,880 --> 00:15:37,360 it? You know, the things that we 253 00:15:37,840 --> 00:15:41,800 worry about, the things that we think about are often attached 254 00:15:41,800 --> 00:15:45,160 and connected to what it is that we value and, and what we're 255 00:15:45,160 --> 00:15:48,440 willing to, to commit our costs, our treasure to. 256 00:15:49,360 --> 00:15:53,320 And give some examples. Maybe if you've started to play 257 00:15:53,320 --> 00:15:56,960 the share market a little bit to invest in, in certain stocks and 258 00:15:56,960 --> 00:15:59,920 so on, all of a sudden you're very interested in what the 259 00:15:59,920 --> 00:16:03,080 stock market is doing, right? Because that's where your 260 00:16:03,080 --> 00:16:07,480 treasure is and your heart, your emotions follows, is connected 261 00:16:07,840 --> 00:16:10,880 with that Your treasure draws your heart. 262 00:16:11,120 --> 00:16:16,080 Well, in the same way when we invest for God's Kingdom, then 263 00:16:16,080 --> 00:16:22,200 our heart follows. So Jesus, God our Father, Jesus 264 00:16:22,200 --> 00:16:27,080 our Lord is not interested in in getting our finances, but he's 265 00:16:27,080 --> 00:16:31,760 interested in capturing our hearts, our affection, our 266 00:16:31,760 --> 00:16:34,560 attention. And when he captures our hearts, 267 00:16:34,560 --> 00:16:36,640 then everything else falls into place. 268 00:16:36,640 --> 00:16:40,680 That's why Jesus would emphasise his teaching so much on money, 269 00:16:40,680 --> 00:16:43,880 why Paul brings it up here, and and why we do so tonight. 270 00:16:45,040 --> 00:16:48,680 And this is the point Jesus made in Matthew 22 when he was asked 271 00:16:48,680 --> 00:16:53,960 whether or not that people at the time should pay taxes unto 272 00:16:53,960 --> 00:16:56,280 Rome. Remember what Jesus did? 273 00:16:56,760 --> 00:17:00,200 He said, bring me a coin. And then he asked a question, 274 00:17:00,880 --> 00:17:02,800 holding it up for them all to see. 275 00:17:03,160 --> 00:17:07,240 Whose image is this? It was an image of Caesar. 276 00:17:08,319 --> 00:17:12,000 And he said, Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's, and 277 00:17:12,000 --> 00:17:15,119 render unto the Lord that which is the Lord's right. 278 00:17:15,119 --> 00:17:18,920 You, you know that story whose image wasn't Caesar, and it was 279 00:17:18,920 --> 00:17:21,599 give unto Caesar that which belonged to Caesar, and give 280 00:17:21,599 --> 00:17:23,280 unto God that which belongs to him. 281 00:17:23,280 --> 00:17:28,240 So the implication is this, you and I, the Bible tells us in the 282 00:17:28,240 --> 00:17:32,480 book of Genesis specifically, we are made in the image and 283 00:17:32,480 --> 00:17:37,200 likeness of God. So in all actuality, having been 284 00:17:37,400 --> 00:17:40,560 created in the image and likeness of God, you give, you 285 00:17:40,560 --> 00:17:43,360 surrender yourself completely to Him. 286 00:17:44,000 --> 00:17:45,680 This is what verse 5 is all about. 287 00:17:46,360 --> 00:17:49,440 The Macedonian church was surrendered to God. 288 00:17:49,640 --> 00:17:52,800 They had given themselves in totality unto God. 289 00:17:52,800 --> 00:17:58,200 God was their treasure, and so because God was their treasure, 290 00:17:58,200 --> 00:18:00,920 that's where their heart was. And so any earthly, so called 291 00:18:00,920 --> 00:18:05,040 treasures, well man, there's a need for the church and we'd 292 00:18:05,040 --> 00:18:06,880 love to give. We'd love to help out. 293 00:18:06,880 --> 00:18:09,800 Let's be generous and be a blessing to them because that is 294 00:18:09,800 --> 00:18:11,320 the grace of God that we've received. 295 00:18:11,320 --> 00:18:15,520 And now we can be dispensers of that grace unto them. 296 00:18:16,240 --> 00:18:19,000 You see, once we give ourselves to God, we're ready to be right 297 00:18:19,000 --> 00:18:21,960 in this area of finances. And this is surrender. 298 00:18:23,680 --> 00:18:26,880 So what area in in your life, in my life, in our lives 299 00:18:26,880 --> 00:18:29,720 collectively might be the hardest for us to surrender. 300 00:18:31,200 --> 00:18:34,840 It could be finances. Yes, it's probably a big part of 301 00:18:34,840 --> 00:18:38,760 it. It could also be our time could 302 00:18:38,760 --> 00:18:45,080 also be our levels of comfort. And the question in in that in 303 00:18:45,320 --> 00:18:49,720 being surrendered people under God is will we trust him with 304 00:18:49,720 --> 00:18:52,040 it? The implication is that the 305 00:18:52,040 --> 00:18:55,480 Macedonian church trusted because they were surrendered 306 00:18:55,480 --> 00:18:58,160 unto God. And so whilst they were doing it 307 00:18:58,160 --> 00:19:01,920 tough themselves, they said we'll give to help out the 308 00:19:01,920 --> 00:19:07,160 Jerusalem church and we'll trust God with the flow on the impact 309 00:19:07,160 --> 00:19:11,200 of that in our lives now because He's our treasure. 310 00:19:11,600 --> 00:19:14,440 That's where our heart is and we can be a blessing to others. 311 00:19:16,800 --> 00:19:20,040 Secondly, in verses 8 to 9, I want to point out that giving in 312 00:19:20,040 --> 00:19:24,080 this way with generosity and grace, being foundational to 313 00:19:24,080 --> 00:19:27,560 that, reflects Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. 314 00:19:27,560 --> 00:19:33,080 And Paul anchors his appeal to the Corinthian church with the 315 00:19:33,080 --> 00:19:36,760 example of Jesus Christ. He said Jesus, though he was 316 00:19:36,760 --> 00:19:39,320 rich. Think of all that Jesus had 317 00:19:39,320 --> 00:19:43,360 prior to his incarnation, and yet for your sake, he said he 318 00:19:43,360 --> 00:19:48,840 became poor so that you by his poverty might become rich. 319 00:19:49,720 --> 00:19:52,520 And think of it. Christ had left heaven's riches 320 00:19:52,520 --> 00:19:55,600 and glory and embrace the poverty of of dwelling here on 321 00:19:55,600 --> 00:19:58,920 earth, and he didn't do so grudgingly but joyfully. 322 00:19:59,840 --> 00:20:02,760 He was born, the Bible tells us, in a borrowed stable. 323 00:20:03,480 --> 00:20:07,240 He was raised by poor parents. When we consider the offerings 324 00:20:07,240 --> 00:20:11,000 that that Joseph and Mary had to make at the temple when Jesus 325 00:20:11,000 --> 00:20:13,480 was born, that was what was described in. 326 00:20:14,240 --> 00:20:18,160 Deuteronomy as as the the offering of the the poor people. 327 00:20:19,760 --> 00:20:21,840 He preached many times from a borrowed boat. 328 00:20:23,440 --> 00:20:25,760 He rode into Jerusalem on a borrowed donkey. 329 00:20:27,320 --> 00:20:32,400 He ate his last meal in a borrowed room and was buried in 330 00:20:32,400 --> 00:20:37,440 a borrowed tomb. The rich one became poor that we 331 00:20:37,440 --> 00:20:43,000 might become rich in salvation, forgiveness, grace, and eternal 332 00:20:43,000 --> 00:20:46,720 life. We often quote this verse about 333 00:20:46,720 --> 00:20:49,880 Jesus having been rich and, and becoming poor for our sake. 334 00:20:49,880 --> 00:20:53,160 But here it's, it's very much in the context of giving of, of 335 00:20:53,160 --> 00:20:56,360 generosity. And the point in that is this, 336 00:20:56,680 --> 00:21:02,480 that generosity, when we do so, makes us more like Christ. 337 00:21:03,280 --> 00:21:05,320 We're displaying Christ's likeness. 338 00:21:05,920 --> 00:21:08,080 And that's what the the word Christian means. 339 00:21:08,280 --> 00:21:11,800 It actually springs out of a label that was given to the 340 00:21:11,840 --> 00:21:15,240 early church that they were becoming like little Christ's. 341 00:21:16,760 --> 00:21:20,240 They're like Jesus, but multiplied. 342 00:21:21,760 --> 00:21:24,200 And one of the facets, one of the aspects of the early church 343 00:21:24,200 --> 00:21:26,960 being labelled as Christian was because they were generous in 344 00:21:26,960 --> 00:21:30,240 giving, of helping out and being a blessing unto others. 345 00:21:30,240 --> 00:21:35,280 And so if we are he's his generosity then is not something 346 00:21:35,280 --> 00:21:38,320 that we just admire and appreciate and go thank you 347 00:21:38,320 --> 00:21:41,640 Jesus for being so generous to us that where once you were 348 00:21:41,640 --> 00:21:43,360 rich, you became poor for my sake. 349 00:21:43,360 --> 00:21:48,440 But no, it becomes something now that we imitate, we emulate, 350 00:21:48,440 --> 00:21:51,800 that we copy. And so giving reflects Jesus 351 00:21:51,800 --> 00:21:56,720 Christ verses 8 to 9, Very practically, giving meets needs, 352 00:21:56,760 --> 00:22:01,440 verses 13 through to 15. And what Paul does here in verse 353 00:22:01,440 --> 00:22:05,760 15 particularly is he he brings their mind back to in the Old 354 00:22:05,760 --> 00:22:10,720 Testament, the story of the people of Israel coming out of 355 00:22:11,200 --> 00:22:15,240 Egypt and through their exodus March, being in the desert, and 356 00:22:15,240 --> 00:22:18,560 their experience of daily collecting and gathering what 357 00:22:18,560 --> 00:22:21,280 was called manna. Maybe you've heard of that this 358 00:22:21,720 --> 00:22:26,240 this miraculous supply of this heavenly bread that came from 359 00:22:26,240 --> 00:22:31,520 God that you know, kind of had this honey like wafer taste, 360 00:22:31,520 --> 00:22:34,640 it's described in the Bible, but managed to supernaturally 361 00:22:34,640 --> 00:22:39,600 sustain them through the day. And Paul recalls God's provision 362 00:22:39,600 --> 00:22:44,920 of manner in that each day they were to awake in the morning and 363 00:22:44,920 --> 00:22:49,360 collect that which they could enough for the day and no one 364 00:22:49,360 --> 00:22:52,360 had too much and no one had too little. 365 00:22:52,360 --> 00:22:55,720 They had exactly what they needed in the supply gathered 366 00:22:56,600 --> 00:23:01,240 and when it comes to generosity in this fashion, in this way, 367 00:23:01,440 --> 00:23:06,040 we're ensuring that the the bodies, the the body of Christ 368 00:23:06,040 --> 00:23:10,040 the church specifically locally here and then more broadly 369 00:23:10,040 --> 00:23:12,720 globally that the bodies needs are met. 370 00:23:14,120 --> 00:23:16,880 And this requires faith to gather and to bless. 371 00:23:16,880 --> 00:23:20,440 In this way, like the Israelites gathering mana daily meant 372 00:23:20,440 --> 00:23:24,720 trusting in in God's capacity to provide Paul Paul will later 373 00:23:24,720 --> 00:23:28,040 build on this and use this image of sewing in in Chapter 9, verse 374 00:23:28,040 --> 00:23:29,800 6. But all through it. 375 00:23:29,880 --> 00:23:34,800 The idea is that God promises to supply exactly what you and I 376 00:23:34,920 --> 00:23:38,040 need. And that's often the worry that 377 00:23:38,040 --> 00:23:42,840 we have in giving. Gee, if I give, will I have 378 00:23:42,840 --> 00:23:47,040 enough to to pay my bills to to meet that need or to kind of 379 00:23:47,040 --> 00:23:50,080 deal with the the unknown. What if this happens and what if 380 00:23:50,080 --> 00:23:53,200 that takes place and all of those unknown elements that 381 00:23:53,200 --> 00:23:56,640 well, if I, if I do go and be generous in this way, then you 382 00:23:57,000 --> 00:24:00,640 know, I've, I've got to kind of cover all bases and look after 383 00:24:00,640 --> 00:24:05,120 things here. Paul says trust God just as as 384 00:24:05,120 --> 00:24:08,040 the the people in Israel trusted God with the manner and the 385 00:24:08,040 --> 00:24:11,000 supply here. Then I I know it to be true in 386 00:24:11,000 --> 00:24:13,480 the principle of giving that God will look after and meet those 387 00:24:13,480 --> 00:24:16,680 needs. So the point here in Second 388 00:24:16,680 --> 00:24:20,120 Corinthians, especially going back to verse 3 is that the 389 00:24:20,120 --> 00:24:24,680 people had given according to their means, Speaking of the 390 00:24:24,680 --> 00:24:27,560 Macedonian church. And in the same way the people 391 00:24:27,560 --> 00:24:32,040 had gathered in, in Exodus, in the wilderness in verse 15, when 392 00:24:32,040 --> 00:24:34,120 he gives that according to their means. 393 00:24:35,000 --> 00:24:38,160 And the result in both occasions is this. 394 00:24:38,800 --> 00:24:42,760 God had ensured that they had no lack. 395 00:24:44,000 --> 00:24:47,720 God looked after them. There was an issue of faith and 396 00:24:47,720 --> 00:24:52,560 of trust in him. Turn with me to the Old 397 00:24:52,560 --> 00:24:57,600 Testament book now of Malachi chapter 3. 398 00:24:58,640 --> 00:25:02,440 So open your Bible to Malachi chapter 3, please. 399 00:25:04,000 --> 00:25:08,120 Verse 8 to 10. And what has God promised his 400 00:25:08,120 --> 00:25:11,600 people, His children in the areas of giving? 401 00:25:13,280 --> 00:25:17,120 He's made some pretty clear, some pretty specific promises 402 00:25:17,640 --> 00:25:23,320 that we can by faith, trust in Him and rest in him that He will 403 00:25:23,320 --> 00:25:28,200 take care of and look after me in this area of generosity and 404 00:25:28,200 --> 00:25:34,400 of giving in Malachi 3, look at verse 8 through to 10 with me. 405 00:25:35,720 --> 00:25:40,360 Verse 8, Malachi 3, he says, Will a man rob God? 406 00:25:42,240 --> 00:25:47,000 Yet you have robbed me. But you say, in what way have we 407 00:25:47,000 --> 00:25:51,400 robbed you in tithes and offerings? 408 00:25:52,600 --> 00:25:56,440 You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed me even this 409 00:25:56,440 --> 00:26:00,880 whole nation. Verse 10 bring all the tithes 410 00:26:00,880 --> 00:26:06,280 into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house, and try 411 00:26:06,280 --> 00:26:09,400 me. That means test me now in this, 412 00:26:09,600 --> 00:26:14,000 says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open for you the 413 00:26:14,000 --> 00:26:17,640 windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there 414 00:26:17,640 --> 00:26:20,200 will not be room enough to receive it. 415 00:26:21,680 --> 00:26:24,680 A bit of context to that and you can turn back to 2nd Corinthians 416 00:26:25,080 --> 00:26:27,080 in Malachi. At the time of the prophet 417 00:26:27,080 --> 00:26:33,160 there, the people of God had been holding back their 418 00:26:33,160 --> 00:26:36,280 generosity, have been holding back their tithes. 419 00:26:36,280 --> 00:26:39,320 This was something wired into the Levitical law as a means of 420 00:26:39,560 --> 00:26:43,360 providing for the Levites and the priesthood to enable them to 421 00:26:43,360 --> 00:26:47,000 be able to serve God and to serve the people of God by 422 00:26:47,600 --> 00:26:51,720 having their income supplied from the other 11 tribes and 423 00:26:51,720 --> 00:26:54,280 support them in their work and their labours unto the Lord. 424 00:26:54,600 --> 00:26:57,840 And the other 11 tribes are holding back from doing that. 425 00:26:58,520 --> 00:27:01,120 They were holding back from their offerings that were on top 426 00:27:01,120 --> 00:27:04,240 of the tithe that was to be given to the Levites as well. 427 00:27:04,480 --> 00:27:07,200 And so that meant that the Levites were having to go and 428 00:27:07,200 --> 00:27:10,760 eke out in existence by finding other employment and trying to 429 00:27:10,760 --> 00:27:13,480 put food on the table. And so consequently, the the 430 00:27:13,480 --> 00:27:16,000 flow on effect was that there was no one to serve in the 431 00:27:16,000 --> 00:27:19,080 temple. There's no one to administer all 432 00:27:19,080 --> 00:27:22,480 of the rituals and all of the process of the worship of God. 433 00:27:22,480 --> 00:27:25,480 And so the worship of God was suffering as a consequence. 434 00:27:26,320 --> 00:27:30,520 And the people in, in, in Israel were, were living large and 435 00:27:30,520 --> 00:27:33,680 enjoying the prosperity. And oh, they had finances, they 436 00:27:33,680 --> 00:27:37,040 had full houses and full tables. And God says, you're robbing me, 437 00:27:38,280 --> 00:27:39,920 we're robbing you. How are we robbing you? 438 00:27:40,360 --> 00:27:42,720 Well, you're robbing me by not giving in the tithes and 439 00:27:42,720 --> 00:27:44,920 offerings because you don't trust me. 440 00:27:46,000 --> 00:27:48,040 Because you don't trust me, you're missing out on the 441 00:27:48,040 --> 00:27:50,040 blessing that I have to flow on out. 442 00:27:50,040 --> 00:27:51,720 And he says you can test me in this. 443 00:27:52,920 --> 00:27:55,720 If you'll give, if you'll be generous in the tithe and in the 444 00:27:55,720 --> 00:27:59,640 offering, then then just wait and see how I will open the 445 00:27:59,640 --> 00:28:03,840 windows of heaven and I'll provide and meet and bless all 446 00:28:03,840 --> 00:28:07,400 of your needs. And that is a principle that God 447 00:28:07,400 --> 00:28:10,160 has promised to his people that holds true throughout all of the 448 00:28:10,160 --> 00:28:12,880 ages. It's a principle that held true 449 00:28:12,880 --> 00:28:15,440 to the people of God back at the time of Malachi's writing. 450 00:28:15,800 --> 00:28:19,040 It's a principle that holds true for the church in Corinth at the 451 00:28:19,040 --> 00:28:21,880 time of Paul's writing, and it's a principle that holds true for 452 00:28:21,880 --> 00:28:25,000 you and I tonight. And so if you struggle in this 453 00:28:25,000 --> 00:28:29,000 area of, you know, they keep praying all the time about the 454 00:28:29,000 --> 00:28:31,280 tithes and offerings. And you know, they say it's to 455 00:28:31,280 --> 00:28:33,200 be something that that we're to do. 456 00:28:33,200 --> 00:28:35,760 And I'm not sure, but I'm I'm yet to trust God in that. 457 00:28:36,000 --> 00:28:39,280 Then then may that settle in your heart tonight to go, OK, 458 00:28:40,120 --> 00:28:45,160 God said I can test him on it. I will test him and I'll see if 459 00:28:45,160 --> 00:28:48,120 He's faithful to His Word. And I guarantee you'll find God 460 00:28:48,120 --> 00:28:53,120 is always faithful to His Word. He's proven himself again and 461 00:28:53,120 --> 00:28:57,440 again and again. So giving meets needs. 462 00:28:57,600 --> 00:29:02,320 If that's a worry that you have, well, you can see how God will 463 00:29:02,320 --> 00:29:05,440 move. So do you trust God to provide 464 00:29:05,440 --> 00:29:07,880 for your needs as you give tonight? 465 00:29:10,120 --> 00:29:12,080 Let's move on. That was the pattern of grace. 466 00:29:12,160 --> 00:29:17,160 The second is the proof of sincerity from verse 16 through 467 00:29:17,160 --> 00:29:19,760 to 9:00 and 5:00. What, what Paul will now explain 468 00:29:20,080 --> 00:29:24,280 is a very practical point and some people back then as as 469 00:29:24,280 --> 00:29:28,600 today will go, OK, well, I'll give, but let me just hear the 470 00:29:28,600 --> 00:29:32,520 logistics about this, Paul. What, what parameters, what 471 00:29:32,520 --> 00:29:35,080 things have you put in place that will kind of cover and 472 00:29:35,080 --> 00:29:38,160 ensure that that what I give will reach its destination and 473 00:29:38,160 --> 00:29:41,640 actually do that which you've promised and said it will do. 474 00:29:42,560 --> 00:29:45,160 And so Paul now explains how the collection will be handled. 475 00:29:46,280 --> 00:29:50,600 Verse 16 But thanks be to God. 2 Corinthians 8. 476 00:29:50,600 --> 00:29:54,320 Verse 16 But thanks be to God, who puts the same earnest care 477 00:29:54,320 --> 00:29:58,800 for you into the heart of Titus. Well, he not only accepted the 478 00:29:58,800 --> 00:30:01,640 exhortation, but being more diligent, He went to you of his 479 00:30:01,640 --> 00:30:07,240 own accord. And we have sent with him the 480 00:30:07,240 --> 00:30:11,640 brother whose praise is in the gospel throughout all the 481 00:30:11,640 --> 00:30:14,920 churches. So this unnamed individual, but 482 00:30:14,920 --> 00:30:17,840 was well known back to them and throughout all of the churches 483 00:30:17,840 --> 00:30:21,440 at the time. And not only that, verse 19, but 484 00:30:21,920 --> 00:30:25,040 who was also chosen by the churches to travel with us with 485 00:30:25,040 --> 00:30:27,960 this gift which is administered by us to the glory of the Lord 486 00:30:27,960 --> 00:30:30,440 Himself. And to show your ready mind 487 00:30:31,680 --> 00:30:35,760 avoiding this, that anyone should blame us in this lavish 488 00:30:35,760 --> 00:30:40,560 gift which is administered by us, providing honourable things, 489 00:30:40,960 --> 00:30:43,560 not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of 490 00:30:43,560 --> 00:30:47,280 men. And we have sent with them our 491 00:30:47,320 --> 00:30:51,200 brother, whom we have often proved diligent in many things, 492 00:30:51,840 --> 00:30:54,440 but how much more diligent because of the great confidence 493 00:30:54,440 --> 00:30:58,920 which we have in you. If anyone inquires about Titus, 494 00:30:58,960 --> 00:31:02,160 verse 23, he is my partner and fellow worker concerning you. 495 00:31:03,280 --> 00:31:06,440 Or if our brethren are inquired about their messengers of the 496 00:31:06,440 --> 00:31:10,200 churches, the glory of Christ therefore show to them, and 497 00:31:10,520 --> 00:31:13,200 before the churches, the proof of your love and of our boasting 498 00:31:13,200 --> 00:31:16,880 on your behalf. Now concerning the ministering 499 00:31:16,880 --> 00:31:18,760 to the Saints. Verse 1, Chapter 9. 500 00:31:18,760 --> 00:31:22,640 It is superfluous for me to write to you, for I know your 501 00:31:22,640 --> 00:31:25,560 willingness, about which I boast of you to the Macedonians, that 502 00:31:25,960 --> 00:31:29,320 Akaya was ready a year ago, and your zeal has stirred up the 503 00:31:29,320 --> 00:31:33,120 majority. Yet I have sent the brethren, 504 00:31:33,120 --> 00:31:35,800 lest our boasting of you should be in vain in this respect, 505 00:31:35,840 --> 00:31:40,200 that, as I said, you may be ready, lest if some Macedonians 506 00:31:40,200 --> 00:31:44,560 come with me and find you unprepared, we, not to mention 507 00:31:44,560 --> 00:31:47,400 you, should be ashamed of this confident boasting. 508 00:31:48,400 --> 00:31:49,960 What would the Macedonians think? 509 00:31:51,320 --> 00:31:55,040 Therefore, I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren 510 00:31:55,040 --> 00:31:57,600 to go to you ahead of time and prepare your generous gift 511 00:31:57,600 --> 00:32:00,640 beforehand, which you had previously promised, that it may 512 00:32:00,640 --> 00:32:04,040 be ready as a matter of generosity and not as a grudging 513 00:32:04,680 --> 00:32:08,840 obligation much in there. But what we're seeing is some 514 00:32:08,840 --> 00:32:13,960 very practical unveiling of how it is that the poor set some 515 00:32:13,960 --> 00:32:17,720 caveats in place to protect the administration of this giving. 516 00:32:18,520 --> 00:32:22,200 And so there's integrity that we see in giving and there's to be 517 00:32:22,200 --> 00:32:24,840 integrity in the church in giving. 518 00:32:26,000 --> 00:32:29,520 Paul insists here that the offering that they supply and 519 00:32:29,520 --> 00:32:31,880 the offering that he collects out of the Macedonian churches 520 00:32:31,880 --> 00:32:35,040 and others mention be handled with integrity. 521 00:32:35,720 --> 00:32:39,760 He says we aim to do what is honourable not only in the 522 00:32:39,760 --> 00:32:42,360 Lord's side, but also on the side of men. 523 00:32:42,760 --> 00:32:46,560 So not only is it safe for him to say, well, well, God knows 524 00:32:46,560 --> 00:32:49,360 our hearts and, and God knows how we'll, we'll look after and 525 00:32:49,360 --> 00:32:51,560 care for it. But let's, let's put some good 526 00:32:51,560 --> 00:32:55,200 optics on this and make sure that to the eyes of men and 527 00:32:55,200 --> 00:32:59,920 others around that the way that we administer this is above 528 00:32:59,920 --> 00:33:04,440 reproach. So he appointed Titus, he 529 00:33:04,440 --> 00:33:09,040 mentioned him by name and then two other unnamed brothers are 530 00:33:09,040 --> 00:33:12,480 mentioned in the verses we read. He again wanted to be above 531 00:33:12,480 --> 00:33:18,480 reproach in this and that's why we here, Calvary Chapel, Secret 532 00:33:18,480 --> 00:33:24,920 Harbour do what we do when it comes to money, that that we are 533 00:33:25,280 --> 00:33:28,320 trying to be above reproach. We could just say, well, God 534 00:33:28,320 --> 00:33:31,760 knows our hearts in the way that we handle our finances as a 535 00:33:31,760 --> 00:33:36,400 church, but we have some measures in place to be 536 00:33:36,400 --> 00:33:42,040 accountable, to have good optics before the eyes of men and 537 00:33:42,040 --> 00:33:44,320 before the government, the land in which we live. 538 00:33:44,960 --> 00:33:47,400 We have multiple signatories on our accounts. 539 00:33:47,400 --> 00:33:51,320 We have more than when it comes to the cash in the offering 540 00:33:51,320 --> 00:33:55,720 given to people counting. We have external bookkeepers and 541 00:33:55,720 --> 00:33:57,960 auditors. We have our annual report 542 00:33:57,960 --> 00:34:01,800 published online that that anybody Joe Blow citizen can go 543 00:34:01,800 --> 00:34:04,440 and look and have a squizzy yet if they want. 544 00:34:04,760 --> 00:34:08,679 But the point is that the integrity in that protects our 545 00:34:08,679 --> 00:34:11,960 witness as believers, as followers of Jesus Christ. 546 00:34:11,960 --> 00:34:14,840 And here's why. Do we not know and have we not 547 00:34:14,840 --> 00:34:19,120 heard of so many so called churches or organisations or 548 00:34:19,120 --> 00:34:23,880 people where financial mismanagement has been an issue? 549 00:34:24,719 --> 00:34:29,000 Absolutely it has, right? It makes the news, it appears on 550 00:34:29,000 --> 00:34:32,600 A Current Affair programmes, it hits the media, it becomes the 551 00:34:32,600 --> 00:34:35,440 topic of conversation that people have, oh, the church, 552 00:34:35,440 --> 00:34:37,679 they're just always out for money and they're just trying to 553 00:34:37,679 --> 00:34:40,040 get rich and abuse things and and so on. 554 00:34:40,040 --> 00:34:43,880 We've, we've all heard those words and we've seen examples, 555 00:34:43,880 --> 00:34:46,760 poor examples of the mismanagement of that. 556 00:34:47,440 --> 00:34:51,480 And so integrity in stewardship is a big part of what Paul is 557 00:34:51,480 --> 00:34:54,960 about in this, and it's a big part of what we're to be about 558 00:34:55,199 --> 00:34:57,480 as believers, as followers of Jesus Christ. 559 00:34:57,680 --> 00:35:02,120 But did you know that that flows on beyond just church finances, 560 00:35:03,440 --> 00:35:06,840 That integrity in the way that we manage our resources, that 561 00:35:06,840 --> 00:35:14,160 which we've been given by God is to be also in our homes, is to 562 00:35:14,160 --> 00:35:20,040 be in our honesty, in the way that we deal with with money, in 563 00:35:20,040 --> 00:35:24,680 avoiding certain levels of debt and of being good examples to 564 00:35:24,680 --> 00:35:27,000 our children. It flows on out into all of 565 00:35:27,000 --> 00:35:31,240 those realms as well. The principles put in place by 566 00:35:31,240 --> 00:35:35,280 Paul here cover a whole number of principles in the way that we 567 00:35:35,280 --> 00:35:38,760 as believers, as followers of God, deal with our finances. 568 00:35:39,480 --> 00:35:42,680 And there's to be integrity in that, particularly integrity in 569 00:35:42,680 --> 00:35:46,760 our handling of giving. Well, Paul goes on in, in 570 00:35:46,760 --> 00:35:50,320 dealing with, well, here's the, the measures and the parameters 571 00:35:50,320 --> 00:35:53,120 that we'll put in place at the end of chapter 8. 572 00:35:53,360 --> 00:35:57,120 And then in Chapter 9, he starts to talk about how it was that 573 00:35:57,120 --> 00:36:01,360 their zeal, that their spark forgiving had in fact encouraged 574 00:36:01,840 --> 00:36:06,720 other churches in, in the regions nearby to go, Oh, well, 575 00:36:06,960 --> 00:36:09,600 Corinth is going to give. We'll, we'll give too. 576 00:36:10,120 --> 00:36:12,120 We'd love to be a blessing in this way. 577 00:36:12,400 --> 00:36:16,440 And so zeal in this area of generosity inspires zeal as 578 00:36:16,440 --> 00:36:19,280 well. The Corinthians and their early 579 00:36:19,280 --> 00:36:24,800 eagerness stirred up to give had been a motivator for other 580 00:36:24,800 --> 00:36:28,520 churches to give as well. Now Paul urges them to finish 581 00:36:28,760 --> 00:36:31,800 what they had promised, what they had begun, so that they 582 00:36:31,800 --> 00:36:34,400 wouldn't be embarrassed and so that Paul wouldn't be 583 00:36:34,400 --> 00:36:36,720 embarrassed about his boasting of them. 584 00:36:39,560 --> 00:36:43,280 But haven't you found this? That generosity is contagious. 585 00:36:46,840 --> 00:36:50,160 You know, when we as parents, we, we model it for our children 586 00:36:50,720 --> 00:36:54,880 and they start to see it when churches can model it for other 587 00:36:54,880 --> 00:37:01,080 churches as well. We don't give yes, to be praised 588 00:37:01,080 --> 00:37:03,120 by people. That's what Jesus pointed out in 589 00:37:03,120 --> 00:37:05,760 Matthew 6. But we also give to be good 590 00:37:05,760 --> 00:37:09,000 examples for other people. That's certainly clear. 591 00:37:09,680 --> 00:37:12,280 And what is also clear biblically and scripturally is 592 00:37:12,280 --> 00:37:15,080 this is that if we make promises, just as I had made 593 00:37:15,080 --> 00:37:18,400 promises, we should keep them also. 594 00:37:18,440 --> 00:37:21,080 You guys, you promised that you would help in this, and you need 595 00:37:21,080 --> 00:37:24,960 to be people that not only make promises but keep promises. 596 00:37:27,240 --> 00:37:28,960 But it's more than just that though. 597 00:37:28,960 --> 00:37:32,560 In this, it's about this principle that we see in giving 598 00:37:32,800 --> 00:37:38,960 and that is this when we are a blessing to others, when others 599 00:37:38,960 --> 00:37:44,000 are blessed, when we give, when we're generous, then they're 600 00:37:44,000 --> 00:37:48,160 encouraged by our generosity. Haven't you found that to be 601 00:37:48,160 --> 00:37:53,320 true here in in our midst over the maybe the years of the time 602 00:37:53,320 --> 00:37:58,000 that you've been a member of the church? 603 00:37:58,560 --> 00:38:01,640 You know, aside from the normal giving that we, we do here 604 00:38:01,640 --> 00:38:06,160 regularly when we as a Church of have maybe urged or, or called 605 00:38:06,160 --> 00:38:10,840 for certain causes that, you know, maybe you've been able to 606 00:38:10,840 --> 00:38:12,960 contribute to. I think of the likes of when, 607 00:38:12,960 --> 00:38:16,520 when Haiti a number of years ago was suffering and, and we gave 608 00:38:16,720 --> 00:38:20,840 to them certainly annually we give with the Christmas shoe 609 00:38:20,840 --> 00:38:24,320 boxes, Samaritan's Purse. But a number of years back we 610 00:38:24,320 --> 00:38:26,040 had something called Vale of Tears. 611 00:38:27,640 --> 00:38:33,240 We gave to Ukraine and we've certainly given to AEBM the, the 612 00:38:33,240 --> 00:38:37,280 ministry mentioned in, in Haifa in Israel, We give to Fiji. 613 00:38:37,720 --> 00:38:40,080 There are times when we've, we've done that and, and the 614 00:38:40,080 --> 00:38:42,720 generosity has been overwhelming. 615 00:38:44,880 --> 00:38:49,880 And there's also many people who wish to remain anonymous in our 616 00:38:49,920 --> 00:38:53,480 midst who continually come and say, you know, if, if there's 617 00:38:53,480 --> 00:38:57,040 ever a need in the church, let me be a blessing to that. 618 00:38:57,560 --> 00:38:59,240 But I, I don't want people to know about it. 619 00:38:59,240 --> 00:39:02,080 I just, I just, you know, God is blessed and God has given me so 620 00:39:02,080 --> 00:39:05,200 much, you know, and when we hear of those things and we don't 621 00:39:05,200 --> 00:39:08,280 broadcast it all, you know, another person came up this week 622 00:39:08,280 --> 00:39:10,200 and said, hey, they want to be an anonymous giver. 623 00:39:10,360 --> 00:39:13,720 That's not the point of it. But you know, it does bless your 624 00:39:13,720 --> 00:39:16,920 heart when you hear people designed to just be a blessing 625 00:39:16,920 --> 00:39:20,560 to others. And that's what what Paul is 626 00:39:20,560 --> 00:39:25,320 building on here is that you know, your zeal and your desire 627 00:39:25,320 --> 00:39:27,000 to go and be generous in this way. 628 00:39:27,160 --> 00:39:29,680 It was a blessing to others. It it inspired them. 629 00:39:29,680 --> 00:39:31,720 It encouraged them to be generous. 630 00:39:31,720 --> 00:39:36,120 Now, now follow through on that and and be that blessing that 631 00:39:36,120 --> 00:39:42,920 has encouraged others because giving proves love back in 632 00:39:43,360 --> 00:39:48,600 chapter 8, verse 8 and then in verse 24, the proof of your 633 00:39:48,600 --> 00:39:51,640 love, he said Paul calls generosity the proof of that. 634 00:39:51,640 --> 00:39:53,680 So it's all well and good to say it. 635 00:39:53,680 --> 00:39:56,400 Yeah, it will be generous Paul. We'll give, we'll help out. 636 00:39:56,840 --> 00:40:00,960 But the proof is in actually following through that with with 637 00:40:00,960 --> 00:40:03,840 the love. And just as in a marriage 638 00:40:03,840 --> 00:40:06,200 relationship, you can say I love you, I love you, I love you, but 639 00:40:06,200 --> 00:40:09,880 your actions can all together tell another story. 640 00:40:10,600 --> 00:40:15,120 It's when actions follow through from words that reveal the proof 641 00:40:15,120 --> 00:40:19,280 of love. Giving demonstrates sincerity 642 00:40:19,560 --> 00:40:22,240 and is the proof of love. You see, words can come easy. 643 00:40:24,360 --> 00:40:27,480 So we see the pattern of grace, proof of sincerity. 644 00:40:27,480 --> 00:40:30,480 And let's finish now with the promise of blessing and wrap up 645 00:40:30,480 --> 00:40:34,560 Chapter 9 and our focus tonight. And Paul concludes with an 646 00:40:34,560 --> 00:40:39,600 encouragement here that giving is in fact not a loss, but is a 647 00:40:39,680 --> 00:40:45,920 great blessing. But this I say, he who sows 648 00:40:46,000 --> 00:40:48,040 sparingly will also reap sparingly. 649 00:40:48,480 --> 00:40:51,360 He who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 650 00:40:52,320 --> 00:40:56,560 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not 651 00:40:56,560 --> 00:40:59,960 grudgingly or of necessity. For God loves a cheerful giver, 652 00:41:03,160 --> 00:41:06,920 and God is able to make all grace a bound towards you, that 653 00:41:06,920 --> 00:41:10,280 you always having all sufficiency and all things, may 654 00:41:10,280 --> 00:41:12,200 have an abundance. For every good work. 655 00:41:13,000 --> 00:41:16,400 As it is written, he is dispersed abroad, He has given 656 00:41:16,400 --> 00:41:18,880 to the poor, His righteousness endures forever. 657 00:41:20,080 --> 00:41:24,120 Now may he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food, 658 00:41:24,720 --> 00:41:27,520 supply and multiply the seed you have sown, and increase the 659 00:41:27,520 --> 00:41:31,040 fruits of your righteousness, while you are enriched in 660 00:41:31,040 --> 00:41:34,440 everything for all liberality, which causes Thanksgiving 661 00:41:34,440 --> 00:41:37,560 through us to God. For the administration of this 662 00:41:37,560 --> 00:41:41,240 service not only supplies the needs of the Saints, but also is 663 00:41:41,240 --> 00:41:45,080 abounding through many thanksgivings to God, while 664 00:41:45,080 --> 00:41:48,880 through the proof of this ministry they glorify God. 665 00:41:48,880 --> 00:41:53,040 For the obedience of your confession to the gospel of 666 00:41:53,040 --> 00:41:57,560 Christ, and for your liberal sharing with them and all men, 667 00:41:59,000 --> 00:42:01,760 and by their prayer for you who long for you because of the 668 00:42:01,760 --> 00:42:05,320 exceeding grace of God in you. Thanks be to God for His 669 00:42:05,320 --> 00:42:11,000 indescribable gift. Whoever so sparingly, he says in 670 00:42:11,000 --> 00:42:13,080 verse 6, will also reap sparingly. 671 00:42:13,520 --> 00:42:16,960 Whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 672 00:42:17,600 --> 00:42:21,080 He appeals to a well known principal, many of us familiar 673 00:42:21,080 --> 00:42:24,520 with the idea that you take a seed, you plant it in the 674 00:42:24,520 --> 00:42:28,400 ground, and that seed needs to die in order for it to bear 675 00:42:28,400 --> 00:42:31,040 fruit. But when it does, it multiplies 676 00:42:31,360 --> 00:42:35,960 that which was originally. Farmers then don't hoard seed in 677 00:42:35,960 --> 00:42:39,400 the barn going, I don't want to plant it because that's all the 678 00:42:39,400 --> 00:42:42,640 seed that I've got. They saw it, trusting that a 679 00:42:42,640 --> 00:42:46,840 harvest will come out because haunted seeds will eventually 680 00:42:46,840 --> 00:42:50,240 rot, but a planted seed will multiply. 681 00:42:53,040 --> 00:42:55,960 He highlights the posture of the giver in verse 7 to 9. 682 00:42:55,960 --> 00:42:58,840 Each must give as he has decided in his heart, So he doesn't set 683 00:42:58,840 --> 00:43:01,760 an amount that each and every one of you give this amount. 684 00:43:02,400 --> 00:43:05,600 He doesn't declare that because he didn't want it to be a 685 00:43:05,600 --> 00:43:10,400 reluctant thing or a thing of compulsion, but he wanted it to 686 00:43:10,400 --> 00:43:14,320 be done cheerfully. For he says God loves a cheerful 687 00:43:14,320 --> 00:43:18,800 giver. You know, God delights when our 688 00:43:18,800 --> 00:43:21,280 giving resembles him in his heart. 689 00:43:22,280 --> 00:43:26,240 That it's joyful that it's free, that it's, that it's that it's 690 00:43:26,240 --> 00:43:30,000 glad. You know, you see the difference 691 00:43:30,000 --> 00:43:35,520 between a, a child that shares a toy begrudgingly compared to 1 692 00:43:35,880 --> 00:43:38,840 who's, yeah, yeah, you can, You can play and you can share that. 693 00:43:39,320 --> 00:43:41,680 Or you know, they've been told by the parents to share and they 694 00:43:41,680 --> 00:43:46,880 do it with a scowl. The action might be the same, 695 00:43:46,880 --> 00:43:49,640 but man, the heart is world's apart. 696 00:43:51,200 --> 00:43:54,000 But there's a praise that is produced out of such giving. 697 00:43:54,000 --> 00:43:57,600 He says in verses 10 to 15, you know, the generosity that meets 698 00:43:57,600 --> 00:44:00,400 needs, that strengthens relationships. 699 00:44:00,720 --> 00:44:03,400 He says it leads to Thanksgiving unto God. 700 00:44:03,400 --> 00:44:06,360 God gets the praise. God gets the glory and the 701 00:44:06,360 --> 00:44:12,360 ultimate result of giving is this worship unto God, worship 702 00:44:12,360 --> 00:44:18,560 under God. So our giving, our generosity, 703 00:44:18,560 --> 00:44:24,280 it not only helps and blesses others, but but praise unto God 704 00:44:24,360 --> 00:44:27,120 springs forth and echoes around the world. 705 00:44:29,600 --> 00:44:33,600 Back in chapter 8, verse seven. Let me read it again and we'll 706 00:44:33,680 --> 00:44:40,120 kind of finish things with this, but as you are bound in 707 00:44:40,120 --> 00:44:44,720 everything, in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, 708 00:44:44,720 --> 00:44:48,280 and in your love for us, see that you are bound in this grace 709 00:44:48,280 --> 00:44:52,680 also. And this is God's heart for them 710 00:44:53,840 --> 00:44:56,880 through Paul's writing and for you and I tonight on this 711 00:44:56,880 --> 00:44:59,200 subject, you're giving. You see, the church in Corinth 712 00:45:00,120 --> 00:45:03,320 was a church that despite all of the problems that we've been 713 00:45:03,320 --> 00:45:06,040 reading about and that as we've been going through 1st and 2nd 714 00:45:06,040 --> 00:45:08,120 Corinthians, there's been a lot, isn't there? 715 00:45:09,640 --> 00:45:12,880 They had great beginnings. They were blessed by God 716 00:45:14,160 --> 00:45:18,240 concerning the gifts, they weren't lacking in any and one 717 00:45:18,240 --> 00:45:21,480 Corinthians, I think of chapter 1213 and 14, they had all of the 718 00:45:21,480 --> 00:45:23,880 gifts of the Holy Spirit operating and functioning. 719 00:45:24,120 --> 00:45:25,920 They were bounding in certain graces. 720 00:45:25,920 --> 00:45:30,400 Paul reminds them in the verse we just read faith and speech. 721 00:45:30,400 --> 00:45:34,600 That means boldness in sharing the gospel, in knowledge and 722 00:45:34,600 --> 00:45:35,920 diligence and love. He says. 723 00:45:35,920 --> 00:45:41,160 But but Paul declares here, don't miss out on this gracious 724 00:45:41,160 --> 00:45:45,120 gift. See that you are bound in this 725 00:45:45,120 --> 00:45:51,040 grace as well of giving, of being generous in that you guys, 726 00:45:51,320 --> 00:45:54,440 you're abounding in all of these other things, in faith, in 727 00:45:54,440 --> 00:45:56,320 speech, in boldness. You've got the gifts of the 728 00:45:56,320 --> 00:45:58,880 Spirit at work and all of these wonderful things, things 729 00:45:58,880 --> 00:46:00,560 happening. Don't miss this. 730 00:46:01,240 --> 00:46:08,120 Don't miss this grace of being generous givers and see that 731 00:46:08,120 --> 00:46:09,560 you're abound in this grace as well. 732 00:46:09,560 --> 00:46:15,080 He says, what is the grace He wants them to abound in again, 733 00:46:15,320 --> 00:46:21,680 the grace of giving. So Paul reframes generosity for 734 00:46:21,680 --> 00:46:25,520 us tonight and for them. But it's not about guilt, it's 735 00:46:25,520 --> 00:46:32,360 not about obligation. But see it as undeserved favour, 736 00:46:32,640 --> 00:46:37,120 as grace, that it flows from Christ, that it proves our love 737 00:46:37,800 --> 00:46:40,120 and that it results in glory unto God. 738 00:46:40,960 --> 00:46:44,360 Again, the Corinthians abounded in many graces, faith, 739 00:46:44,360 --> 00:46:46,240 knowledge, love, and on through the list. 740 00:46:46,240 --> 00:46:49,200 But Paul urged them to abound in this also. 741 00:46:50,560 --> 00:46:54,400 And I think likewise tonight, God urges, God encourages, God 742 00:46:54,400 --> 00:46:59,040 reminds us through his word to grow in this and to be complete 743 00:46:59,440 --> 00:47:03,360 in this area of grace. John Wesley, maybe you've heard 744 00:47:03,360 --> 00:47:04,680 of him. He put it this way. 745 00:47:05,400 --> 00:47:11,120 Earn all you can, save all you can, give all you can. 746 00:47:11,880 --> 00:47:15,360 His life showed it. If you do any study of of him as 747 00:47:15,360 --> 00:47:19,120 an example in Christian history, he lives simply, but he gave 748 00:47:19,120 --> 00:47:22,920 generously and and fueled great gospel work across the world as 749 00:47:22,920 --> 00:47:27,680 a consequence. So Christian giving is not what 750 00:47:27,680 --> 00:47:32,560 God wants from us, but it's what he wants for us. 751 00:47:32,560 --> 00:47:36,000 Let me say that again to make it clear It's not what God wants 752 00:47:36,640 --> 00:47:40,280 from us, it's what God wants for us. 753 00:47:40,280 --> 00:47:44,680 There's a distinction in it. As children of a generous 754 00:47:44,680 --> 00:47:51,280 Father, let us reflect our Father's heart and abound in the 755 00:47:51,280 --> 00:47:52,360 grace of giving.