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The message you're about to hear was preached at Liberty Baptist
Church in Easton, MA. You can find out more about us
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message from God's Word will be a blessing to you.
So let's go ahead and stand in Second Corinthians chapter 8, we
are reminded, would we let me ask you this question.
You can you can say Amen. And that is, is there a
principle of faith, promise, mission, giving found in the
Word of God? That you're supposed to say Amen
now if y'all. Don't say Amen and I.
Have to go down there and Amen myself.
It's going to take a lot longer. Is there a principle of faith
promise? Mission giving in the Bible.
Absolutely there is, and we saw that.
Last. Night.
So I want to continue our thought of this idea of the
principle of faith promise, mission giving.
I'll call this one the performance of faith promise,
and I'll begin reading in verse #8 Second Corinthians 8 verse #8
Paul said this. I speak not by commandment, but
by the occasion of the forewarners of others and to
prove the sincerity of your love.
And that's really where we stopped last night, Paul said.
Now this offering that we're going to give outside of our
locality. It's not a commandment.
But it would prove the sincerity of your love to understand that
you owe a debt to those that we're giving to.
If there was not for the church at Jerusalem, there would be no
church at Corinth. If it wasn't for the church at
Jerusalem, there would be no church in Macedonia like
Philippi and Berea. And Thessalonica so.
Basically the idea was found in Romans chapter 15.
If they've given to us spiritually, the least that we
can do is give them. Carnal and you.
Can't get any more carnal than money, but it is a necessary
part of life. So he says, Prove the sincerity
of your love, for you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that though he was rich, yet for your sakes.
This is. Amazing he became poor that ye
through his poverty might be rich.
I love verse #10 and I'll spend some time here in this verse
tonight. And here's what Paul says.
And here in I give my advice. So here's Paul saying to the
church at Corinth, Let me give you my advice.
My advice is for this is expedient for you who have begun
before, not only to do but also to be forward a year ago.
And he talked about in Chapter 9, verse #2 I know the
forewarnedness of your mind. So I know that you were forward
a year ago. Now verse 11 says now,
therefore, perform the doing of it.
Make sure you're involved in what you were excited about a
year ago. So there may be a performance
also out of that which you have. For if there be first a willing
mind, is it it is accepted according to that a man hath,
and not according that he hath not God's not going to ask you
to do something that he he knows you can do with his help.
And by the grace of God, Paul said, For I mean not that other
men be eased and ye burdened, but by equality, that now at
this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that
their abundance also may be a supply for your want, that there
may be equality. As it is written, He that hath
gathered much hath nothing over, and that he and he that have
gathered little had no lack. Now, of course, he's talking
there about the manna that was brought down from heaven and
everybody had enough when it came to manna, sustained
herself. And God said God is able.
You know, there's equality in giving, and it's called giving
and receiving. And so Paul says when it's time
to give, then you need to give. If there comes a time that it's
that you get to receive, then receive.
But there's equality in giving. And God is actually the great
equalizer when it comes to giving and receiving.
Lord, we need your help tonight. Once again, I pray that you'd
bless the reading of your word, the preaching of your word, the
the meaning of your word. I pray that you would convict us
to understand that while this passage of Scripture is speaking
specifically to the church at Corinth, related to the churches
of Macedonia and the giving of the offering that will go to
Jerusalem, the principle, the performance is there for us
tonight. We are to take this message and
apply it to the situation that we have before us tonight, where
we give beyond our locality to missionaries around the world.
And Lord, we want them to be able to go and do what we're
doing here. So I pray Lord, you'd help
tonight to communicate this thought in Jesus.
Name Amen. Thank you for.
Standing. You may be seated now.
Last night we laid the groundwork for the principle of
faith promise, mission giving. We found out that it, and
there's several things that are involved here.
And I, I, I would recommend you write these things down so you
can always remember them. But the first principle of faith
promise is giving beyond our locality.
In other words, the, the, the offering that they were taking
up was not for the church at Corinth and, and the things that
were related to that church. It was not for the churches of
Macedonia, which included like Philippi and Berea and
Thessalonica. It was not for that particular
locality of those churches, but it was going to go beyond their
locality. And that's what Faith Promise
does. It goes beyond the locality of
our church. You know, the Bible teaches us
that the church is a local visible assembly.
And so now we're talking about sending our money beyond our
particular congregation. The the second thing that I
would remind you from last night is that the principle of faith,
promise, mission giving is not is is not only based upon the
principle of giving beyond our locality, but it's also based
upon the debt that we owe to the gospel.
And the reason that we understand that is Paul said to
the churches that he was encouraging to give to the
churches of Judea, including Jerusalem, was we owe a debt to
them. We must pay our debt to them.
And I'm going to tell you, it doesn't matter how much money
you ever give to missions in your life, you'll never
completely pay the debt that you owe to the gospel of Jesus
Christ. There's no way that you could
ever give enough money based on the gospel that has come to you
and the salvation that you have and the eternal life that you
have. And it should be that we
understand that we owe a debt to the gospel, understanding that
we want other people to be saved.
We want them to go to heaven just as we know that we're going
to. So just as the Gentile churches
owed a debt to the church at Jerusalem because they received
the gospel from the church at Jerusalem.
Now the third thing that I would bring across about the principle
is not on only be giving beyond our locality and based on the
principle of owing a debt, but the third thing that I would
say, it is based upon the grace of God.
Because the Macedonian churches gave, because they gave God was
able to bestow upon them the grace of God.
Even though we read words like this last night, trial,
affliction of deep poverty, riches of their liberality, and
we said that when you take that verse and you gave it my
definition, it means that you are to give no matter what your
circumstances are, because God knows your circumstances.
So another thing that we might say, the fourth thing maybe that
we got out of last night's message is that they realized
their giving was not based upon their ability, but God's
ability. So they gave that which was
beyond their power or beyond their ability.
And we saw that the Macedonian churches were able and willing
to give despite of their situation of poverty and
affliction. Now tonight we're going to turn
our attention to this thought, and this is what we're going to
look at tonight based upon the text that we just read.
And that is this. There is a difference in knowing
something and doing something, total difference in knowing what
to do but then actually doing what you're supposed to do.
So Paul is giving them a challenge to perform what they
had promised a year earlier. And remember now he's coming to
them. There's going to be a, there's
going to be some messengers. And I, this is the message.
I will not be able to preach maybe a Sunday school if I'm
doing Sunday school on Sunday morning.
But in verses 16 through verse #23 he talks about the
messengers or the people, the, the, the, what's the word I want
to use the people that will come from the churches that will
deliver the offering. And he talks about that in verse
16 through verse #24 but he reminds them to remember their
forewarnedness. Now, the word forward means, you
know, like you're pretty forward.
You know, somebody, somebody said, I've been told, man, your
preaching is kind of forward. Well, that just means there's an
eagerness about it and a readiness to deliver the message
from the word of God. So he's telling them, remember
what you promised. Remember your eagerness a year
ago. Remember how you were ready to
give. I know the forewarnedness of
your mind. I understood.
Why did he understand it? He was there among.
Them. He was there when he preached
the message that we looked at in Romans chapter 15 about the debt
that they owed. He said he's Paul said I, I, I,
I remember your forwardness. And then he says this and we'll
look at this tomorrow night because of your forewarned this,
because of your eagerness, your zeal has provoked other people.
And in this case, their zeal had provoked the giving of the
Macedonian Church churches. So Paul was trying to get the
church here to understand this. It is dangerous.
And I'll say this to you. And whether it doesn't even have
to be in giving, you can, you can use anything, anything that
God would speak to you through the reading of the Word of God,
through the preaching of God's Word on a weekly basis.
You come on Wednesday night or Sunday night or Sunday morning.
Listen, there's a difference between teaching and preaching.
When you teach something, you, you, you, you, you give people
information, they learn. But when you preach the Bible,
you caused people to make a decision.
And, and Paul said it's time to make the decision about the
excitement that you had a year earlier.
And I want you to understand Paul is trying to get the church
here to understand this. And it is, it is dangerous for
us. It is dangerous to be convicted.
It is dangerous to be stirred. It is dangerous for God to speak
to our heart about something and then we don't do.
Anything about it now? Let me tell you something.
Conviction is not salvation, but conviction is necessary for
salvation. You can't be saved unless the
Spirit of God is convicting you about your sin and the judgment
that is upon you and the righteousness that can only be
found in Jesus Christ. You must be convicted of that
meaning. You must be convinced that the
Bible is true, and you cannot be saved until you are convicted or
convinced about those truths. And it is dangerous to be
convicted and to know that you're lost and that you're on
the way to a Christless hell. And then God convicts you and
convinces you of that truth, and then you don't do anything about
it. That is dangerous.
It is dangerous to come to church and to hear the word of
God and know the truth of God's Word, and God convict you of
that truth and you know that you need to repent of something in
your life and then you don't do. Anything about it?
That's a dangerous area. Well, it's the same here.
That's what Paul is saying. It is dangerous for you to be
stirred and moved and excited about the offering and that not
do anything. About it now.
I'd like to say this, that faith promised, mission giving is
God's therapy from the sin of selfishness in the church.
Now, whether you want to admit it or not, we're all
self-centered. Most people, the greatest people
in their lives are three people, me, myself and I.
Those are my three favorite people in my life.
I like to tell people that. When me and my wife.
When we met, we had two things in common.
Oh no, we had one. Thing in common, we only had
one. Thing in common When we got
saved, we had two things in common.
We both love me and we both love Jesus.
Did I get that? So you know what the one thing
was when we first met each other?
We both love me and really that's the way we are sometimes.
We're very self-centered. But when you give to something
that is beyond you, when you give something that is beyond
your church, when you give something that is beyond your
locality for people all over the world to be safe, that'll help
you with selfishness. It will help you.
So let's look at a couple of things here in this text tonight
and see, we didn't have to lay all that groundwork.
So we're moving along a whole lot faster than we did last
night. Somebody say Amen.
Amen. I want you to see the principle
of performing the promise. Look at verse #9 Here's the
great principle of giving. It's found here.
For ye know that the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that
though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye
through his poverty might be rich.
Do you know when it comes to giving that Jesus Christ is the
greatest standard of all? I want you to think about this.
The greatest transform, the the great transformation of man in
that is saved is when he leaves this world, he gets to go to
heaven and he's going to be there and he's going to say man.
I don't like to. Got here a long time ago.
Why did we fight getting here in the first place?
Man and his wife died on the same day and they went to heaven
and they're going around. They said this is the most
glorious thing I have not seen ear heard entered into the the
the heart of man the things that God has prepared for us.
It's an amazing thing. It's going to be a great
transformation. And this wife and husband are
saying all of this and he said, you know what, I could have
been. 10 year I could have been here 10 years ago.
If you hadn't fed me all them, Bran.
Muffins. So if you eat, quit eating bran
muffins. You might get there quicker, but
the opposite of that is a. Greater transformation.
Jesus left all of that. Jesus left everything that one
day we're going to get to enjoy an eternity.
And he came upon this earth and walked as a sinful man, yet
without sin. And they mocked him and they
spit upon him and they hate him. The religious people hated him.
They didn't want to have anything to do with him.
They were losing the religious power.
And listen, He came to seek and to save that which was lost.
He did that for us. That's the greatest standard for
giving. And Paul uses it in the text.
He said, you know that the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, He was
rich and he left all those riches and that's why the Bible
talks about how the angels when it comes to salvation, they
desire to look into. This.
It's like they cannot believe what Jesus Christ has done for
sinful man, that he left the glories of heaven and he gave
himself. And that's why the Bible says
for God so loved the world, that he that he gave his only
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth that him should not
perish, but should be saved. Well, I messed it up.
For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in him should not.
Perish but have everlasting life, yeah.
Be careful when you. Get old.
And so Jesus is the standard. In other words, he became poor
that we might be rich. And that's what and the grace of
God is what's spoken about here. We are saved by God's grace,
Amen. Through his, through his
poverty, we have eternal life. Now, one of the things that's
amazing about the text that we read.
Last night and tonight. Is when the Bible talks about
grace in the sense that the gift that they were giving was going
to be grace. It's called a, it's called an
offering. It's called grace.
Look, look very quickly verse #4 verse #1 in chapter 8.
Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed
on the churches of Macedonia verse #4 praying us with much
entry that we would receive the gift.
All right here he calls it a gift.
Verse number six, he says, we desired Titus, that as he had
begun, so he would also finish giving you this the same grace
also. Verse #7 He told them as they
abound in all things, make sure they abound in this grace also.
He's talking about the offering. Verse #19 If you drop down to
there, he says, and not only, but who was chosen of the
churches to travel with us with this grace.
So he's talking about these, these ministers, these
messengers, and he's talking about, hey, they're going to
travel with us with this, grace with this.
Offering now when we. Talk about grace, for by grace
are you saved through faith? We like to say grace.
Is this the free unmerited love in favor?
Of God and everybody should say Amen to that.
But in a historical sense, in a primary meaning, in a historical
sense of the word grace, it means goodwill.
And sometimes we use the the idea that well.
I'm trying to show them some grace.
We're trying and that what? Does that mean that means I'm
trying to show? Them some goodwill, a desire to
bring other people goodness, a desire to bring other people
love and strength. And that's what this offering is
doing. And, and and listen, Paul is
talking about grace and, and when you do look at grace in a
historical sense, it is the idea that we're trying to help
somebody along, show them some grace.
And as a pastor, I try to do the best I can to give people grace.
You know, now they can carry it too far and and Peter, you know,
remember Peter, he was like, you know, Lord, I'm pretty
spiritual, you know, I don't know if you know how spiritual I
am, but how often should I forgive my.
Brother. You know, like 7 times and
that's like whoa, that's. Way over the top until.
Jesus said, well what about 7 * 17?
He's like, and he wasn't saying 4 to 490 either.
He was like, show some grace, show some forgiveness.
And, and, and so praise God for the forgiveness of God, Praise
God for second chances. Pray, praise God that that God
shows grace and, and that, and therefore we should show grace.
Well, in this instance, God is saying, let's show these people
some grace by giving and, and, and we, and we might say a
person showed grace to someone in a certain situation.
And sometimes we need to show some grace and, and all that
means is we need to show goodwill.
And here's what I want you to understand that God desires to
show people grace. He desires to bring goodwill to
people by sending his son to save them from their sins.
And that's what verse 9 is all about, the grace of God and how
it's been bestowed upon us, God and his love and mercy.
Listen, I here's one of my pet peeves and I can, I don't worry,
I'll get in trouble with somebody for the week.
But you know, God sent his best for us.
He didn't give a second. Best and.
It and it kind of aggravates me when people want to give their
second best to the church, like they'll be in their garage and
they'll have something. They're like, well, we don't.
Use this anymore? Why don't we just give it to the
church? Well let me help you with that.
Why don't you throw that in the trash and go to Walmart and buy
a brand? New one for the church.
Somebody say Amen. You don't give your second best
to the church, You don't give your second best to the
preacher, You don't give your second best to the things of
God. You give your best.
He gave us his best. He didn't give us his second
best. And the greatest transformation
that took place was for our sake, for your sake.
So we can say another principle of faith, promise, is this the
grace of God? Yes, we owe a debt to the
gospel, but it comes by God's grace and and what I would like
to say is when faith promised faith promised, mission giving
is performed under the principle of grace.
It won't be mechanical. It will be an activity that
seeks to convey others that which is good, which is the
gospel of Jesus Christ. So what's the purpose of giving?
What's the purpose of it? He tells us that the the great
standard is Jesus Christ. And then Paul says something, I
love this. And I told you I'm going to
spend a little bit of time here in verse #10 And he says, and
here in verse 10 and here in, I give my advice.
Everybody is looking to give somebody advice.
Sometimes when I don't even want it, I don't want your.
Advice and I don't like. To give people advice unless
they ask for it. Preacher, would you give me some
advice? Yes, but the advice that I give
them better be based upon the word of God, because that's the
best advice. Anyone can give you.
And so when somebody comes to me for counseling.
Or whatever. Most of the time I say, well, I
counsel, you know, every week. Oh, you do can.
I get an appointment, yeah. Be here at 11:00 on Sunday
morning. That'll be our first.
Appointment for counseling, our second.
Appointment for counseling will be at six.
O'clock that night and the third.
Time that we can counsel will be on Wednesday night at 7:00 and
if I cancel you for like 3 weeks and nine times then you should
basically understand the direction you I don't do.
Counseling. Unless they come to church.
You know why? Because after about 3 weeks.
They don't need no counseling. They just need to be in church.
Hearing the word of God, somebody say Amen.
You need to be in church. You need to be in church now.
There'll be somebody that'll come in on Sunday and they'll be
going. What's the big deal about here?
Well, we've been preaching on faith promise.
Well. You know I wasn't here.
Well then, we can't start all over.
So be here. But here's what I'm trying to
get across. Everyone is always ready to give
advice. Let me let me tell you what Paul
said in First Corinthians 11/1 Be followers of me.
As I am of Christ. Now here's an amazing thing
about advice. The Bible, the word of God
preaching. Now notice Paul said I'm giving
you my advice. Is that what Paul said?
Paul said I'm. Giving you my advice.
And here and here's what my advice is.
This is good for you. That's what he said.
My advice is this is expedient for you.
Did you see that? That means it's good for you.
It's expedient for you. Another word for the word
expedient is the word profitable.
Now isn't it amazing? Now listen to this.
Isn't it amazing that you go to the doctor?
You don't know this. Guy, you, you don't.
You. I mean, you don't.
You don't know the doctor that you go to.
I, I, I, I heard my wife said this the other day.
She goes. You know what, Jeff I?
Figured out why people retire. And I said.
Why is that? She said.
So then go to all their doctor's appointments.
I said there's a lot of truth to.
That in there. People got to retire, so then go
to all their all their doctor's appointments, but we go to the
doctor. And we tell them what's wrong
with us. We say, oh man, I got this pain
here. I got this.
They may want a little blood work.
They may do this or what they do now is they go next door, they
go. You never notice a doctor leaves
a room while. You're in there well.
Let me tell you what he's doing. He's going on next door and he's
grokking it. Or he's ChatGPT in it.
He's. Googling it.
And so he comes back and he goes, OK, we're going to, we're
going to any rights on this little piece of paper, some
Egyptian hieroglyphics that no man could ever read.
And we take it to a pharmacist who we do not know.
And we hand him this piece of paper that has Egyptian
hieroglyphics all over it. And he deciphers it and he put
some pills in a bottle and he tells us, take 3 pills, five
days. Now we, we just went to the
doctor. He told us what to do.
We don't even. Question it.
We go to the pharmacist, he puts it in a pill in a bottle.
He don't even he don't even question it.
We just do what they say. But yet the man.
Of God stands up and says. Let me give you some advice.
This is expedient for you. We go, well, who does he think
he is? Well, you may tell you what I
tell the church. I.
Pastor, I'll tell you who I am. I'm the pastor.
And this would be good for you if you do what God says or we go
to our CPA who we only meet with.
Once a year and sweat and. All coming.
Down us, you know, we got to go in there and he's got to tell.
Us how much our taxes are and we pay it and we do what they say.
But the man of God. Stands up and says, hey, this is
good for you, this is expedient for you.
And you cross your arms and get all bent out of shape and say
who does? He think he is.
I don't know, Maybe he's the man of God.
Who preaches the Word of God from the authorized King James
Version of the Bible? That is the Word of God.
To the English speaking people, somebody say Amen to that.
And we question it. Is everybody getting this?
Yeah. So what Paul says here?
He said. Let me give you some advice.
Now. Here's what Here's the caveat.
Here's. What you got to understand?
When Paul wrote this, it was under the inspiration of the
Holy Spirit of God. This is the errant, infallible
word of God. And so really, it's not, can I
say it like this? It's not really Paul's advice as
much as it is God's advice. Paul was just the human writer
that wrote down and pinned the words that God had him to pin.
So this is not, this is not just Paul's advice.
And after all, Paul was the apostle.
He was the church planner. He was the man of God.
But the truth is, it's God that said this, and God says people.
Let me tell you something. Let me give you my advice.
God says this is expedient for you who have begun before, not
only to do, but also to be forward.
A year ago. You know what he's saying.
You got all excited about last. Year now, you hadn't given.
Let me give you God's advice. Do what you promised to do.
So the idea here is that everyone is always ready to give
advice, but his advice is based. Upon the word of God.
And God's advice is better than anybody else's advice.
And basically he's saying why. Why is why should you?
Why should what you were forward about a year ago concerning
giving, why should you perform the doing of it?
And here's what he said. Because it's expedient for you,
that means it is profitable for you to perform what you got
excited about. I like things that are
profitable for. Me.
Amen. Because the need of the offering
has not changed. It was they who had not.
They were the. Ones that had changed.
All these people who are going away from the Bible and they're
going off on tangents and they go into Calvinism or they go
into some kind of weirdo that the brother said it last night,
the neo evangelical black white semiconductor of this thing or
whatever mumbo jumbo. Hamala whatever, Austella
Shundai, untie my bow. Tie ecumenical religious puke.
I think that's a Bible. Word.
God hadn't changed. Bible hadn't changed.
It's people who change. And everyone is looking for a
sure thing. I am.
Me and Dave, we'd like to find the sure thing in the stock.
Market, well then I don't know about that.
But I'm telling you, everybody likes a sure thing and they'll
be people get on TV. This is a sure thing.
You're a liar. It is a sure thing.
Because you don't know what tomorrow's.
News is going to be. You have no idea what what's
going to what's coming up next and everyone is looking for a
sure thing. You know what?
God said this is a sure thing. We had a man in our church that
we used to have men's prayer breakfast as we don't do that
anymore. We do.
We have like a lunch on a Saturday of our mission
conference. Y'all are going to have a a
Yankee dinner on Friday. Night.
I can't wait to eat some clam chata or something, you know?
And with Masha, you know what I'm saying?
Because I don't think anybody's going to bring any pickled beans
and cornbread, you know what I'm saying?
Fried. Taters.
You know ham Hock. Oh son, going to.
Start getting the willies here in a minute.
I already forgot what I was saying.
Oh. Yeah, so.
We, we had this, we, we used to have men's prayer breakfast and
they'd. Have a lady's.
Lunch anyhow, and the. Young man that was sitting.
Beside me, he's now a pastor. By the way, he pastors in
Oregon. He went through our Bible
Institute and him and his family, they're in Oregon and
they're, he's a, he's a pastor. There now.
And he was sitting. There and and.
Sometimes this stuff goes together and he.
After the breakfast, he came up to me.
He said Preacher, can I talk to you and you're?
You hope it's always. Good.
When somebody says that and he goes, man, I, he said, I just
want to, I want to give you my heart.
I said OK, He said, man, God's been.
Just just tore me. Up about the mission conference
this week and I'm like, OK, brother, yeah.
And he said God's. Laid on my my heart and a mount.
He goes. It just doesn't seem feasible,
but it seems. Like it's my faith.
And I said, well, that's that's how you want to give.
I said brother, herein is my advice.
If God spoke to you about this and it's real and you're not
trying to just be some emotional thing and you know you and God's
really. Working on your heart.
Just perform the doing of it. That's that's all I can.
That's all I can tell you. So he said OK and he filled out
his faith promise card and he dropped it in the offering
plate. And of course, I didn't know how
much it. Was.
I had no idea. But the next on the Wednesday.
Night of that week, I mean. It was like he was waiting on me
to show. In the auditorium.
When it come through the doors of the auditorium.
And he ran straight and he goes, preacher, I got to talk to you.
I got to tell you what's going on.
I said, OK. And I'm like, you know what's
going on? He said, remember the
conversation we had on Saturday? And I said, yeah.
And he goes, I'll put my faith promise in.
He goes. You're.
Never going to believe. This, I said.
I'll believe anything, brother. He said on Sunday afternoon.
After I dropped that Faith Promise mission conference
ticket not ticket card in the mail in the not in the mail in
the offering plate. He said on Sunday afternoon I
received a phone. Call from my dad, I said OK.
He said my dad. Called me and he mentioned his
name and he. Said your brother.
Is in financial need. Is has a financial.
Need. And he said.
So I've decided that I'm. Going to help your brother?
I told him I'd help him this one time, but then he got to
thinking about it. He said if I'm.
Going to do this for your brother, he said.
I'm going to do this for you too because you you're doing right
and he's, he's having some issues.
But I'm going to go ahead and help him.
But I'm just going to, I'm going to give you some money and you
do with it what you want. And here's what he said.
Preacher, the amount of money he gave.
Me was the exact amount of money.
For the. Year for the promise of my faith
Promise. And I said, well, do you
remember what I said? To you on Saturday, I guess this
would. Be profitable for you.
And here's what he said. Is it OK?
If I just write the whole check. For the whole year.
And drop it in the offering plate.
And I'm a Baptist preacher. I said, oh, no, brother, you can
never do that. You want to give it to me and
I'll put it in the safe right now.
No, you can't make that kind of stuff up.
If your heart is right, if you're giving, if you're giving
to get, you'll never get a dime. If you're giving because God
said that it was expedient for you and that it's profitable for
you, then things will work out. Just.
Fine and in verse. 15 We see that God gave manna to the
children of Israel every day, and you know God has a way of
providing in ways that we just. Cannot imagine when.
Me and my and this is not a part of the message, but I will tell
you that when me and my wife got saved in 1984 I was 24 years old
and man our whole life was turned right side up.
Not instead of. Upside down, it was right.
Side up and. We begin to learn about.
Tithing. And we would sit down literally
for those three first three or four months of our of our.
Salvation. We got married in 1980.
We got saved in 1984, I got saved on a Monday, she got saved
the next day on a Tuesday and and.
We started learning about tithing and so we're like, well,
you know, I, I. Just said listen, I think we're.
Just going to have to trust. God that he knows what he's
doing and we were talking just like.
This I mean, because I mean, I was just like, OK.
So we were looking at our bills and we were looking at the
income and the. Outgo and here was the.
Problem there was more outgo. Than there was.
Income, but we started giving. We started tithing and I
remember one month I got a. We got a refund on a insurance
something from two years before that was unbelievably windfall.
For us at that time when I say windfall.
It was like 2 or $250, but it could have been a. $1,000,000
for. Where we were at at.
That time and we're just. Looking at each other like we
just got to check in the mail for $250 and then we're like,
should we tied? Off of that, I mean God knows
how to take care of things that we don't have any idea about.
Is everybody getting this? Does everybody understand what
I'm saying? Don't.
Make me have to start all over. Say Amen.
You know what I'm saying? The God gave those people.
Manna. Every day.
Living in the desert. And the Church must remain
faithful, so the faithful. Missionaries can.
Remain we need to be involved. Listen, here's the idea that
Paul is trying to get across and which when we're talking about
giving like this, we need to be involved in that which will last
forever, that you're what I said forever.
So look at verse 11 and 12. He says now, therefore perform
the doing of it. I love it.
He's just a preacher who says, hey, just do it.
Listen, God doesn't ask you to give what you don't have.
Hebrews 11/1 says faith is the substance of things hoped for,
the evidence of things not seen. There is substance in our faith,
it's just that we can't always see it, but it's there.
And Paul says just do it. That's the best advice I can
give you. It's one thing to be willing and
forward, but it's another thing just to perform the doing.
Promises need to be followed through with action or it will
lead to disappointment. And God never asked a person to
do something unless he knows that person can perform the
doing of it. Listen to this based on last
night. Not by his power or strength,
but by God's power and strength. And the Bible makes it very
clear that without faith it is impossible to please God.
Now in verse 7 Paul said the church has abounded in many
things. Just make sure you abound in
this giving or grace also. Now.
You know what the parallel of giving is?
God, God is the great equalizer and that's what it's meant.
That's what's spoken about in verse 13 when he says, hey, I
don't, I'm not asking that other men be burdened or you be
burdened and other man be ease. I'm saying that by equality.
In other words, the great equalizer in giving is giving
and receiving. And here's what I like to say.
If missionaries were to receive based on your giving, what would
they receive? And Paul is not saying that the
rich become poor so that the poor might be rich.
That's what the government says. In some.
Places he's saying this, you are spiritually rich because of the
church in Jerusalem and now it is your opportunity to be a
blessing to them. So if I turn that around in an
application to us, have you been blessed by the gospel of Jesus
Christ? Then you need to make sure that
you bless others with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Luke 638 Give, and it shall be given unto you.
Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over
shall men give unto your bosom. For with the same measure that
ye meet with all, it shall be measured to you.
Again I. Want to be a giver?
I want to be a liberal giver. Fact.
That's the only. Time I want anybody ever to call
me a liberal. Is when I'm giving.
Otherwise, I don't want to be a liberal, So here's what he says.
Just as they owed a debt to their spiritual heritage, we owe
a debt to the gospel that we were saved by principle.
God's grace and our debt performance.
Just do it and make it sure it's based on faith.
The parallel God, Because here's the deal.
God is the great equalizer when it become between giving and
receiving. I'm, I'll be honest with you,
I'd. Much rather give than receive,
but there's times I like. Receiving, but sometimes I
think. If my receiving was based on my.
Giving where would I be? Thank you for listening to the
sermon from the pulpit of Liberty Baptist Church.
If this message was a blessing to you, or if there's any way we
can serve you, please let us know by contacting us at
info@mylibertybaptist.org. Or you can visit us this Sunday
at 800 Washington St. in Easton, MA.
May the Lord bless you as you grow in His Word.