Transcript

Descriptions of The Indescribable

2 Corinthians 9:1-15
Sunday, November 23, 2014
Pastor Randy Smith

The collection plate comes around and you toss in a dollar. Many still believe that's how the system works.

I can recall how Bill Taylor Sr., a faithful deacon of this church for many years, frequently called the summer offertory, "Dollar Days." Vacationers would come to the shore, attend our former location a half mile from the beach, and make their presence known by the dollar they would leave behind in the collection plate.

I wasn't any better. Never went to church as a kid. In college I popped into a Catholic church a few times with a friend. I had no clue what I was doing so I followed her example and the example of other students - a dollar for the church collection. I can remember one Sunday thinking to myself as I looked around at the massive building - there's possibly a hundred people here, how do they keep this ship afloat if everybody only throws in a dollar? It was a very astute induction, but then again, the value of a good college education in action!

I like the old story about the guy who went to church with his family. As they were driving home afterwards he was complaining about everything. He said, "The music was too loud. The sermon was too long. The announcements were unclear. The building was hot. The people were unfriendly." He went on and on, complaining about virtually everything. Finally, his very observant son said, "Dad, you've got to admit it wasn't a bad show for just a dollar."

There's a lot of confusion when it comes to church offertory. Some believe it's outright inappropriate. Some believe it's irrelevant and anything will do. Some believe everybody must give the same percentage, the so-called "tithe" or 10%. Some have no clue, but feel they need to leave something behind so they throw a dollar in the plate!

There's been a lot of abuse out there on this one among clergy. There's a lot of misinformation circulating in the church on this one too. Yet what does God's Word have to say about this matter? Today we'll find out as we draw some key conclusions from 2 Corinthians 8 and 9 as we look at the most detailed and extended account on financial giving found in the entire Bible.

You know the story. The apostle Paul is burdened for the poor Christians in Jerusalem. He calls on the Gentile churches to start a collection. The Corinthians begin and then things fizzle out when they were led astray by the false teachers. Paul writes to the church. The church repents. Paul urges the church to complete the collection they started. He informs them that he will be sending a three-man delegation to collect their offering and deliver the money to the Jewish believers.

So with that as the background, let's cover two very practical issues as it pertains to financial giving that are found in chapters 8 and 9 as we wrap up this section. You can see the two topics listed in your sermon outline. First, what is the priority of financial giving? In other words, what's God's perspective on this whole thing? And second, what are some principles we can apply to know how we can best honor the Lord in this essential area of our Christian lives?

1. The Priority of Financial Giving

So let's begin with the priority of financial giving.

As I have studied extensively through chapters 8 and 9 of 2 Corinthians, I have come to reaffirm my conviction that what we do with our money is of great importance to God. I have also come to realize that a good way to understand this is to look at one word that is repeated throughout this section. The word is used ten times (obviously God is trying to emphasize something). The word is "grace," in the original Greek, "charis" - a word we do not commonly associate with money.

Let take a look at these…

First in 8:1, starting off this section on giving, Paul says, "Now, brethren, we wish to make known to you the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia."

Grace only comes from God. It is evidence of His presence given to accomplish His will. As we abide in Christ, grace is the power from the Holy Spirit. Grace is God's favor empowering us for action. Grace is a good thing and 8:1 says grace was present among the churches in Macedonia. How do we know that since grace is essentially invisible? Grace is like the Holy Spirit which is like the wind. We don't see it, but we know it was there because of the effects it leaves behind.

Verse 2 says the Macedonian church battled affliction and deep poverty. Yet despite their suffering and financial status, they gave, verse 2, liberally and with great joy. Their pattern of giving was a sign God was working in their midst. There was grace.

Interestingly, Paul bookends this section on giving by leaving off exactly where he started. In 8:1 he sees the generosity of the Macedonians and praises God for His grace. "We wish to make known to you the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia." Then at the end in 9:14, he anticipates a generous offering from the Corinthians themselves and speaks of the "surpassing grace of God in you." From beginning to end, from the Macedonians to the Corinthians, where there is joyous and liberal giving to God's work, there is evidence of God's grace.

Second, we see the word "grace" used again in verse 4. Paul says, "Begging us with much urging for the favor of participation in the support of the saints." NASB uses "favor." NIV uses "privilege" Both are the English translations for the Greek word "charis," "grace"

Giving to God's work is often seen as a burden, a reluctant action that will now make us go without something we want to do a whole lot more with that money. Not only a horrible thought, but also an unbiblical perspective. It may shock us, but the Bible describes giving as a blessing, a privilege for many reasons.

We are blessed when we give. Didn't Jesus Himself say, "It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Ac. 20:28).

Don't we read in 9:6 that "he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully?" You want bountiful blessings from God? Then you must sow bountifully!

How about the long-term blessing too - the spiritual rewards forever in heaven that Jesus promised. "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal" (Mt. 6:19-20).

Giving to the Lord's work also gets our heart behind the Lord and His work. Our hearts will always follow our treasures. As our Savior said, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Mt. 6:21).

In chapter 9 verse 13, Paul ties financial giving into evidence that we are saved. The offering from the Corinthians will show their "obedience to [their] confession of the gospel of Christ"

All of these are true, but perhaps the best reason we should see giving as a gracious thing is because it results in God getting glory. When God can accomplish His plans through people not prone to give by nature, but now view giving to His work as, 8:4, a 'favor" or "privilege," He gets the glory for doing an incredible work in our hearts. This is all over these two chapters as it pertains to the church's generous financial response. 8:16, "But thanks be to God." 8:19, "Which is being administered by us for the glory of the Lord Himself." 9:11, "Through us is producing thanksgiving to God." 9:12, "Overflowing through many thanksgivings to God." 9:13, "Because of the proof given by this ministry, they will glorify God for your obedience." 9:15, "Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!"

Another occurrence of the Greek word "grace" in found in 8:6. "So we urged Titus that as he had previously made a beginning, so he would also complete in you this gracious work as well." NIV, "this act of grace." The collection itself is called a "gracious work." We also see it referred to as a "gracious work" in 8:7 and 8:19 as well.

Another profound use of the word grace is found in 8:9. "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich."

We covered how Jesus, though spiritually rich with the Father in glory, left the perpetual worship of the angels, took on flesh, was nailed to a cross and received the fullness of our sins upon Himself. He experienced the epitome of spiritual poverty. Forsaken by the Father. The fullness of His wrath. All so that we in Him, when we embrace Him by faith, might be spiritually rich. Complete forgiveness. Every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.

What a tremendous act of grace! And if we keep our focus on Jesus as we should and aspire to be more like His as we should, does it not stand to reason that sacrificial giving of our riches is in indispensable component of the Christian life and as we said earlier a clear demonstration of grace? You might not believe this, but according to 8:9, God believes it!

Another use if the Greek word for grace is translated "thanks" in 8:16, "But thanks be to God" and 9:15, "Thanks be to God." Literally we could interpret these verses, "Grace be to God." Do you see the connection? Grace leads to the sacrificial giving of God's people which leads to praise to God. God's grace empowers the giving and it results in God being glorified.

And lastly, again we see how the generous gift gave evidence of God's grace. 9:8, "And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed."

The obvious reason we don't like to give is because we believe giving will naturally result in us having less. The verse actually teaches the opposite. Thanks to God's grace, we will actually have more. God withholds from stingy givers. God blesses bountiful giving. We'll reap what we sow (9:6). You see, God's gracious giving to us has no limits.

So in raising four children we've made a few trips to McDonalds. Happy Meals were always a hit primarily because of the toy, but when it came to individual items on the menu they all had different interests, except in one category - the french fries. All kids like french fries or as Kayla used to call then "tench ties."

I'm not a big fan of french fries, but what I'll commonly do is help myself to one when the food is distributed at the table or when exiting the drive through, consume the few that fall out of the container and find their way to the bottom of the bag. The response is predictable. "Hey Dad, why are you eating my french fries?" You know, there are few things that can bring greater exasperation to a parent! "I have bent over backwards to raise you." "I am sitting here in McDonald's not because it was my first choice of restaurants." "And I am the one that bought you those lousy French fries in the first place!"

I wonder if my heavenly Father feels the same way about my giving back to Him? Every penny I have belongs to Him. In His grace He has blessed me with more than enough to survive. In His grace He has changed my heart to be generous to others. In His grace He has decreed that He will use what I give back to further His purposes. And in His grace, when I give sacrificially, I will bring Him great glory and encourage other believers to do likewise as I prove to Him, myself and others that my heart really has been transformed by grace and is presently being moved by His grace as well.

It is impossible to ignore or plead ignorance on this one!

2. The Principles of Financial Giving

So with that in mind, let's go to the second part of this sermon and see if these verses can provide three general principles as to how we should be applying this truth.

First, giving should be voluntary. The greatest gifts are always the gifts that come from our hearts. How we give should not be done under manipulation, coercion or intimidation. We contemplate the greatness of our Savior. We contemplate His blessings in our lives. We desire to express our love and appreciation back to Him through giving Him first place in our offerings. We give freely, not, 9:7, "grudgingly or under compulsion." We give with, 8:11, "desire." 8:3, we give "of [our] own accord." 9:7, "Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart." Voluntary giving - an overflow out of a heart that loves God.

Someone has said, there are three kinds of givers in every church - the flint, the sponge and the honeycomb. To get anything out of a flint you must hammer it. And then you get only chips and sparks. To get water out of a sponge you must squeeze it, and the more you use pressure, the more you will get. But the honeycomb just overflows with its own sweetness. Which kind of giver are you?

In addition to voluntary giving, second, financial giving should be proportionate to our income.

I read a story this week about a man in a church who once made a covenant with a former pastor to tithe ten percent of their income every year. They were both young and neither of them had much money. But things changed. The man tithed one thousand dollars the year he earned ten thousand, ten thousand dollars the year he earned one-hundred thousand, and one-hundred thousand dollars the year he earned his first million. But the year he earned six million dollars he just could not bring himself to write out that check for six-hundred thousand dollars to the Church. He telephoned the minister, long since having moved to another church, and asked to see him. Walking into the pastor's office the man begged to be let out of the covenant, saying, "This tithing business has to stop. It was fine when my tithe was one thousand dollars, but I just cannot afford six-hundred thousand dollars. You've got to do something, Reverend!" The pastor knelt on the floor and prayed silently for a long time. Eventually the man said, "What are you doing? Are you praying that God will let me out of the covenant to tithe?" "No," said the minister. "I am praying for God to reduce your income back to the level where one thousand dollars will be your tithe!" (source: www.kluth.org).

Since God ultimately wants our hearts, He is not looking at the amount as much as He is the sacrifice. Is your proportionate giving a sacrifice that shows His importance in your life? Everything we own is God's, but each of us is expected to give back to Him a sacrificial percentage of what He has given to us.

Here is where many throw out the figure of 10% of our annual income. I believe that's a good guide. Julie and I have never dropped below that since the day we arrived here fourteen years ago. But I can't say 10% is a New Covenant expectation as it was in the Old Covenant. God is looking for a reflection of your heart. God is looking for a deliberate amount that after seeking Him in prayer (8:5) is purposely planned into your budget. The only guide is that your giving is to be a regular sacrificial reflection of your love for Him and manifestation of His grace that is working in your life.

This principle is all over these verses: 8:3, "For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability." 8:12, "For if the readiness is present, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have." 9:10, "Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness."

So we give voluntarily, we give proportionately and third, we give cheerfully. At the end of 9:7 we read, "God loves a cheerful giver." So after we have given of our own accord in a sacrificial and proportionate way, is our heart cheerful in the process? Perhaps that's the greatest test that our heart is really genuine and sincere in the matter. That's why God loves a cheerful giver!

What does that mean that God loves a cheerful giver? We know God has a common love for all in the world. We know God has a special or redemptive love for His children. Nothing will ever change either of those, but this verse teaches us that those who give back to God cheerfully are special objects of His love. The Bible tells us that God loves the sacrificial giver that gives cheerfully.

It's said we are made in God's image. I'm sure you all know what it feels like when someone gives you something out of duty (regardless of the size) and not from the heart. And then I'm sure you know what it feels like when a little kid can't wait to give you something that he spent hours creating with a big smile on his face and eager anticipation of your reaction.

So now that we are nearing the end on this unit in giving, how has God changed your heart? Is there evidence of God's grace in your giving? Is your giving purposeful and regular and sacrificial and proportionate and cheerful? Is God being glorified through your obedience in this matter? How are you going to respond going forward? How have you responded over the past three weeks since we started this unit on giving to the Lord's work?

Permit me to close by giving you three considerations:

First, be aware of spontaneous needs that further God's purposes. Pray about them to see how He would have you respond. A needy family in the church? Support for unwanted children or the end of abortion? Persecuted Christians overseas? Various Christian ministries and missionaries? Have eyes and hearts open to these and other good causes.

Second, participate in causes promoted by our church. We had our very successful building drive a few years back. Occasionally we will get behind various Gospel-related opportunities. Solutions pregnancy center fund raisers (we did three this year). Operation Christmas Child. VBS and sport's outreaches and the Fall Festival. The Thanksgiving Dinner. Visiting missionaries. We are looking to do more things along these lines. As a matter of fact, I've already announced a new one for you this morning. In conjunction with this passage in 2 Corinthians that depicts taking a collection for very needy believers, with the support of the elders and through Voice of the Martyrs, we are going to begin a collection for the Iraqi Christians that have been forced to leave their homes and are presently starving and freezing to death in the mountains.

And number three; we have the general fund for the church. In order to accomplish the work we need to do here we all need to make this our priority. I thank God for your generous giving that permits us to fully support five full-time and two part-time staff employees, meet the needs of our missionaries, fund all our many ministries, and pay for the upkeep, utilities and mortgage on this building. Please keep your dedication to this church first and foremost and may I humbly ask you to let your other givings be over-and-above to your determined commitment to this local body.

Giving to the Lord's work and doing it the Lord's way is an indispensable part of the Christian life seen cover to cover in the Bible. Neglect results in God's judgment. Sacrificial and joyful participation results in God's richest blessings.