Transcript

Overlooked

2 Corinthians 8:16-24
Sunday, November 16, 2014
Pastor Randy Smith

The title of this sermon is short and simple, one word: "Overlooked." I have specifically chosen that title for two reasons.

One reason is that this passage at the end of 2 Corinthians 8 is rarely covered by pastors . To most people who don't chose to preach through books in the Bible, there is very little that jumps out in these verses that scream, "There is a great sermon in here!" As a matter of fact, I perused a few websites that host large collections of sermons and had great difficulty finding anything that represented these verses. And if it was covered, it was barely touched upon - definitely fly-over territory for most pastors.

A second reason I have settled upon the title "Overlooked" is because this passage contains important truths regarding the Christian life that are often overlooked by many believers as well. You see, as we have spent the first two weeks in 2 Corinthians 8 we have covered the principles of the sacrificial and proportionate giving of our finances to the Lord's work. We've mentioned that this is not only a command, but a cheerful reflexive action to God's grace working within us. Great preaching material and definitely not something overlooked by Spirit-filled believers! We know these fundamental principles, right? Possibly it's something disobeyed, but unless we were saved last week, financial stewardship is not a principle from the Lord that we have accidently overlooked. Yet I believe within these clear verses regarding financial stewardship, there are several principles of Christian living that have been overlooked.

So let me provide some background and then I'll tell you where I plan to go with this passage.

Paul planted the church in Corinth on his second missionary journey. He spent 18 months in the Greek town instructing and shepherding these new believers that had become very dear to him. As a missionary he then moved on only to realize that false teachers followed on his heels and began to lead the young converts not only away from Paul, but also away from the Lord.

Paul makes an emergency visit to Corinth in an effort to rectify the situation. Things only get worse. The man who invested so much in this Corinthian church is ridiculed to his face . The church having believed many lies about his character, even failed to stand by his side. Paul returns to Ephesus totally dejected. In tears writes to them expressing not only his sorrow, but also his concern in the strictest words for their spiritual state. The letter is given to Titus who will then deliver it to the church.

Paul becomes an emotional wreck as he waits for the Corinthian response from Titus. Not able to take the suspense any longer, he departs toward Corinth hoping to intersect with Titus on Titus' returning voyage. They meet in Macedonia and Titus brings great news of the church's repentance. The majority reaffirmed their love for Paul. They disciplined the ring leader who opposed Paul. They were again walking in the Spirit and living by the gospel of grace.

Now with the majority of the church back on line, Paul can deal with a very sensitive issue that has been pressing on his heart. You see, before things went south with the church, a financial collection was started among them (and the other Gentile churches) for the poor Christians living in Jerusalem. With the church back in union with Christ, Paul hopes they will not only welcome his instruction regarding money, but also resume and complete the collection they once started.

As we have learned in the past two weeks, Paul emphasized the fact that all things pertaining to this collection begin, are empowered by, and end with Jesus Christ. 8:1, it's only through His grace that we will ever give sacrificially and 8:9, sacrificial giving is following the example of Jesus Himself and as we'll see in 8:19, sacrificial giving concludes with "the glory of the Lord Himself." Sacrificial giving! This is all about God accomplishing His will through the hearts of His people, 8:5, that "first [give] themselves to the Lord." That's why despite the rich generosity of the people, Paul can say in verse 16, "Thanks be to God."

Please keep in mind that our passage this morning is spoken of in this general context.

Specifically, our passage this morning deals with how this financial collection will be administered. Here's the plan proposed by Paul in verses 16-24: Paul anticipates the offering will be completed so he announces in this letter that three delegates are on the way to receive the collection and deliver it to Jerusalem.

One man is Titus (verse 16) - an individual known to the Corinthian church and a trusted "partner" and "fellow worker" of Paul's (verse 23). Titus was looking forward to returning to Corinth and participating in this mission (verses 16-17). Another man in this trio is unnamed. We don't know who he is, but the church obviously did. He was a famed servant of the gospel (verse 18) appointed not by Paul, but by other churches to participate (verse 19). And third is another unnamed brother in the Lord. He too was a faithful servant who was "tested" in Christian ministry and proved to be "diligent" in his service (verse 22). He too was excited to participate (verse 22). Interestingly, Paul all-star team was not chosen because of their given talents, professional experiences or chronological age. The only qualification mentioned was proved spiritual maturity.

So I've given you both the large and immediate context of this passage. I've showed you the forest and the trees. So what overlooked principles for the Christian life can we observe as we zero in on this often overlooked passage? Let me provide four observations.

1. The Desires of a Christian (verses 16-17)

The first overlooked principle is the desires of a Christian.

What we often fail to realize is that Christianity is not just adding Jesus to an already crowded set of desires, but forsaking all when coming to Jesus and allowing Him to completely transform our desires. Faith in Jesus is not tacking Him on as a new hobby. It's not even akin to having a new child in the family, as wonderful and prioritizing that is. It's everything! It's now embracing Him as our life. And though we still live, we live and move and have our being in full submission to Him. First place in all things (Col. 1:18)! And then as we submit to Him, His desires become our desires. Psalm 37:4 teaches that. "Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart." A delight in Christ produces Christlike desires. A delight in all the other stuff produces worldly desires. So it's delighting in Jesus to get Jesus desires!

What I have really enjoyed about this section of Scripture is the often overlooked repetition of these godly emotions that I just mentioned. Remember in 8:10, Paul talked about the Corinthian's "desire" to participate in the financial offering. Sure there was an act of obedience involved, but the obedience that our Lord desires is the obedience that desires to obey, not simply because we must, but also because we want to.

So in 8:16 we understand that some men need to be assembled to receive the financial collection from the Corinthians. Paul is looking for servants, right? And who does he get? He gets the guys with a passion for the work of Christ. He's looking for Christians with a heart for Christ. He gets Titus. And what's so special about Titus? Verse 17, "He not only accepted our appeal," but he also was "very earnest" and has gone to receive the money on "his own accord." His arms weren't twisted. He wanted to serve Jesus!

And let's not underestimate Titus' responsibility. His mission was to travel half way around the known world by land and sea and then return to Jerusalem with a large sum of money as he overcame bandits, natural obstacles and physical fatigue. Not a task for the fainthearted, but yet one that Titus readily accepted and did so with a great desire to participate in the service.

Where does a desire like that come from? Paul tells us in verse 16. "But thanks be to God who puts the same earnestness on your behalf in the heart of Titus." Only God can give people the interest to risk life and limb on His behalf. Only God can give us a passion to serve others with earnestness without wanting the credit for ourselves. Only God can change our hearts (8:1 - it's His grace) and when hearts are changed to sacrificially serve others for the glory of Christ all thanks go back to Him.

So a church with attendees that don't serve and find no joy in their specific field of service is a church clearly disconnected from the Spirit's influence. In chapters 8 and 9 we see cheerful giving and cheerful service. Evidence God is at work and praise for the distribution of His grace.

First overlooked point: Christians delight in Jesus Christ and then He gives them the desire to serve Him cheerfully. Are you among the many that have overlooked that truth?

2. The Reputation of a Christian (verses 18-19)

A second overlooked point is that Christians should develop a godly reputation among other believers.

In verse 18 we are introduced to the second member of this traveling trio. We do not know his name (a variety of suggestions have been proposed throughout church history - Luke has been the most popular guess), but the verse calls him "the brother whose fame in the things of the gospel [which has] spread through all the churches."

This unnamed brother is unknown to us, but he was famous to many in the early churches. Specifically, he was famous for "the things of the gospel." In some way, shape or form his life was so devoted to the gospel (the cause of Christ) that others, even others in other churches, knew of him and had great respect for his reputation. Can we imagine a greater commendation?

As a matter of fact, when it came time to find another faithful and diligent and honest believer to receive the collection and escort the money back to Jerusalem, it was not Paul that personally picked him, but verse 19 says this faithful brother according to Paul was "appointed by the churches to travel with [them] in this gracious work."

So what is your reputation among Christians? Are you famous for Christ? I didn't ask what unbelievers think about you. I asked what Christians think about you. If I were to ask other believers, would they speak well of you as a faithful servant? What would people say about your commitment to prayer or Bible knowledge or church attendance or outreach or fellowship? Would Christians hold you up as one who demonstrates the fruit of the Spirit? Are you respected for your character? Are you respected for your godly wisdom? Are you respected as a mother or father in this church or as a faithful and obedient teenager? Are you famous for the gospel? Are you even known by others? How will you be remembered by other believers ? What will they say when they speak at your funeral?

I believe our reputations for Jesus Christ are overlooked. For perhaps some of us, we can sit in the church and be perfectly content that we have a poor Christian reputation or have no Christian reputation all together. And then we justify our status as simply claiming we wish not to impress people. That is a cop-out. The tragic truth is that such a person just revealed he or she is indeed a man-pleaser. You see, when we have great reputations for Christ that wish to please Christ, Jesus Christ Himself is the One glorified. As Paul said of this unknown brother, his ministry and reputation was, verse 19, "for the glory of the Lord Himself." As the Lord said, "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven" (Mt. 5:16). If you are in love with Christ, Christians will notice and praise God.

3. The Precautions of a Christian (verses 20-21)

A third overlooked component for a Christian is to take precautions to protect our reputations.

Paul knew back then what we also know very well today. The mishandling of money can immediately sabotage any Christian enterprise. If congregations believe that leaders are dealing dishonestly or foolishly with the money they give, not only will the funds cease, but the reputation of the church and her leaders will diminish.

Paul expressed this concern in verse 20. "Taking precaution so that no one will discredit us in our administration of this generous gift." What Paul is saying here is that he desires to make sure that no opportunities for impropriety can take place. But it is even more than that. Paul wants to make sure that even false attacks can't stick when they are hurled against his service to Christ. We get the first part. We often overlook the second part.

You can see in verse 21 that he had "regard for what is honorable." And "not only in the sight of the Lord" who sees all things, "but also in the sight of men." Paul wanted everything he did to be above reproach and he went to extremes to make sure nobody could discredit his ministry.

We some examples of it in our passage. First, he chose a plurality of individuals to collect the money for safety and accountability. Second, he only used men "tested" for their integrity. Third, he accepted a man hand-picked by the churches. This man was an outsider and in a sense was able to audit the ministry. Fourth, he chose Titus (a Gentile) so no one could accuse him of having a Jewish bias. Fifth, he seemed to distance himself from the offering itself. The goal? All suspicious, false accusations and criticism are removed through a thought-out procedure to maintain his integrity in the sight of men.

We also purpose to meet these general principles here at Grace as it pertains to money. The pastors do not know what anybody gives. All counting is done by the deacons with at least two men present at all times. Only two deacons can sign checks. Every significant financial decision is made by a plurality of leaders. The yearly budget gets elder and congregation approval. Every penny is accounted for both in the collection and in the spending of it. Every year we conduct an independent CPA audit of all our books.

As Christians we deliberately need to be "Teflon People." In other words, when accusations come (and they will), nothing will stick that might damage our testimony for Christ. This takes the wisdom to know how to foresee the attacks from man without living our lives in fear of man, knowing it is God to whom we are ultimately accountable. It is a call for prudence, not paranoia!

I'll give you a recent personal example. When we recently moved the Sunday school hour in-between the services, it made the day shorter for everybody. The only exception is the pastors whom I expect to be here for all three services. This created a problem in my family. I think it is important that we drive to and from church together as a family. But in order to do that, my wife and children would have to stay for two full worship services. Which way should we go? Should we take two cars or stay for two worship services?

Julie stated serving in Discipletown. The girls picked up a few more shifts in the nursery. Now they attend one worship service, attend Sunday school and then serve during the other worship service. Even they don't want to sit in here and listen to me twice! On some weeks, though rarely, we do take two cars. Yet on other weeks, my children have no ministry responsibilities for 90 minutes during one of the worship services. So I suggested they could sit in my office and read or do homework or work on my computer. The one think I asked is that they not play on the playground or walk around the building during the service.

Immediately one of my daughters said, "Why can't we do those things if we attended one of the worship services?" Her point, "Why stay in your office (and be imprisoned as a criminal!) if we are doing nothing wrong in the sight of God?" Here is where perception comes in. I'm not saying it is right, but there will no doubt be people who will say, "How can Pastor Randy tell us church worship is important when I saw his kids playing on the swings the entire service?" A judgmental conclusion. A faulty conclusion. But nevertheless a conclusion easy to draw that could discredit our service to Christ. It again comes down to forsaking our liberties if it means we enhance and protect our testimony.

4. The Diligence of a Christian (verses 22, 24)

Time is fleeting so let me hit you with one more overlooked quality of a Christian. Number four, a Christian is known as one who is diligent.

When speaking of the third partner for the collection, Paul says in verse 22, "We have sent with them our brother, whom we have often tested and found diligent in many things, but now even more diligent because of his great confidence in you." The word diligent means someone who is persistent, hard-working or putting forth effort. NIV translates it "zealous."

So of this third brother we learn that he was not just a flash in the pan. He showed a dependability of being diligent. Verse 22 says he was "often tested" in this regard and was noted for his consistency and longevity of being diligent. He was like both Paul and Titus who gave evidence of the Spirit's work in a desire to be involved in the Lord's work and when involved in the Lord's work, He did it with eagerness, energy, excellence and enjoyment.

Christians should be the most diligent people on the planet. Sadly this is often not the case as we are outspent, outthought and outperformed oftentimes by the very opponents of the Gospel. Is there any cause greater than fighting for the eternal salvation of souls? Is there any book more accurate and relevant and thrilling than the inspired Word of God? Is there any power greater than the Holy Spirit? Is there any god who can compare with our God? Then where is the diligence, the dedication, the determination of His people?

It's sad, even a contradiction to say it, but diligent people are a rare jewel in the church today. And even sadder is the fact that many lose their zeal, not from their treatment by the world, but from their treatment by the church itself! We need to encourage these people! We need to follow their example! That's why Paul said in verse 24 to the Corinthians, "Therefore openly before the churches, show them the proof of your love and of our reason for boasting about you." Treat them well! Esteem them very highly in love! Keep them stoked for Christ! Follow and support; don't criticize and ignore!

We covered four overlooked principles: The desire to obey, a good reputation in the church, wisdom to live a precautious life and a life marked by diligence. Have you overlooked these four principles for Christian living? How are you doing? Are you going to make any efforts to cooperate with the Holy Spirit to bring about change and transformation? Like this section of Scripture, these principles may be overlooked, but they are not dispensable.

At the end of verse 23, Paul again comes back to Titus and the other two brothers who modeled these four traits. At the end of the verse he says they are "a glory to Christ." This reminds me that there is a lot on the line. For when we encounter Christ there ought to be change. And when there is change brought about by our Savior, it definitely resounds to His glory. Think about it, these nameless believers in their Christian character are mirroring the likeness of Christ's splendor. Average guys to average men, overlooked by the world, but to Paul and those who love Christ we see the glorious reflection of our Savior (paraphrased from James Denny).