We are not going to be continuing on in Ephesians.
Our pastor George, it's a convenient table,
our pastor George is currently on a study leave in the Holy Land.
He'll get back this upcoming week.
So this morning we'll be in 2 Corinthians 9, verses 6 to 15.
That is the section that Matt read for us.
This morning we're going to talk about money.
A good pastor always feels a bit uncomfortable with talking about money
and preaching about money because his income comes from the tithes of the people.
And let me just say, if that marks a good pastor, our pastor is excellent
because our pastor has so much discomfort in talking about that,
he's pawned off the sermon to me.
His underling.
And he is so excellent that he's not even in this room or the city.
In fact, he's in another continent.
Our pastor is fantastic.
Listen, that's not actually how it went down.
George, when he was leaving a few weeks ago,
he gave us a couple passages to pick from.
And this was one that felt like the Lord, out of all of them,
said, give it a shot.
Precisely because it made me feel uncomfortable.
Talking about money can be dicey, especially for a preacher.
Except that when I began to dig into this text
and started to see what it had to say,
realized that this text is less about money,
although it most certainly is about money and giving.
But this text, in fact, is about radical, loving, transformative,
expressive, imitating discipleship of Jesus Christ.
To be a disciple of Jesus is to be rich.
And I'll just say this right off the bat.
To be a disciple of Jesus Christ is to be rich.
Why?
Because God has sent Jesus, his son,
to earth to pay for our sins completely.
To ransom us from the grave completely.
And to not just save us from something,
but to give us something.
New life.
The resurrection of the dead.
That we are now sons and daughters of the living God.
That our cup is always not to the edge of the top.
It's overflowing.
We are blessed people.
To be a disciple is to be rich.
But to be a disciple also is to be an imitator of Christ.
It means following the example and direction of our King Jesus.
It means recognizing that we have been bought with a price
and that the life we now live is not our own.
I think for some of us here,
we need to hear that.
That the life you live,
if you call yourself a Christian,
if you have confessed faith in Jesus Christ,
that he is your Lord and Savior,
he has forgiven you of your sins,
your life is not your own.
His ways always lead to blessing and praise towards him,
but they are his ways,
not our ways.
We don't enter into this relationship with God
only to start calling the shots.
He has laid out for us the way he wants us to live.
And including in that is how we approach money
and how we approach our resources,
how we approach our talents,
all the commodities that we may possess.
And really the attitude towards those things
as a Christian disciple of Jesus Christ
is an attitude of generosity.
So our text today, we'll jump right into that.
We'll address that.
It'll look at three things.
Excuse me.
It'll look at the motivation for being generous,
the results of being generous,
and the foundation of what generosity is all about.
So we have the motivation of generosity,
the results of generosity,
and the foundation of what generosity truly is.
But first let me pray
and then we'll just jump into the text.
Lord God, it's a dicey subject.
Pastors in North America have not got the best rep
for teaching on money.
Lord, the heart of this text is generosity.
Help us to see with your eyes,
to be moved by your Holy Spirit.
We pray these things in Jesus' name.
Amen.
So before we get into the text,
a bit of a background with what's happening here.
Chapter 9, our text today,
verses 6 to 15,
is nestled within chapter 8 and 9,
obviously.
But what's not obvious is that
Paul is making an appeal
to the Corinthian people
about a collection for the saints in Jerusalem.
Paul here is essentially making
a pitch for famine and poverty relief.
So we know from the early chapters of Acts
that in Jerusalem,
the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost
and there was a huge conversion.
Thousands of people converted.
But we don't necessarily see the fallout.
We get a bit of it here.
Undoubtedly, the saints in Jerusalem
would have been ostracized from their family
if their whole families didn't come to faith.
Kicked out of their families.
If they had businesses,
it's likely that their businesses
would have suffered.
If they had any kind of employment
with somebody who was not a believer,
it's likely that they would have lost their job.
They would be pushed to the fringes of society.
You know, this actually happens a lot
in the world today.
Not so much in our culture,
but in places like Iran or in China,
places like India.
The Jerusalemites were poor.
They were very, very poor.
And Paul here is making a big pitch,
not only to the Corinthians,
but also to the Macedonian church.
We see that at the beginning of chapter 8.
Macedonians were poor themselves,
but he's making a pitch to them
for this famine relief.
And then he comes to the Corinthians,
who have an abundance
and have been collecting funds
for over a year,
but for whatever reason,
are struggling with being generous.
They're struggling with being ready,
as the text says.
Something has to do with,
something about their lack of readiness
must have had to do with
not being cheerful in their giving.
Maybe their zeal that they once had
was waning.
They were becoming reluctant
in their giving.
And it's this context
that we find our text
and bring us to our first point,
the motivation for being generous.
So look with me in chapter 9.
We'll start in verse 6.
And we'll go to verse 9.
The point is this.
Whoever sows sparingly
will reap sparingly.
And whoever sows bountifully
will also reap bountifully.
Each one must give
as he has decided in his heart,
not reluctantly or under compulsion,
for God loves a cheerful giver.
And God is able to make
all grace abound to you
so that having all sufficiency
in all things,
at all times,
you may abound in every good work.
As it is written,
He has distributed freely,
He has given to the poor,
His righteousness endures forever.
He who supplies seed to the sower
and bread for food
will supply and multiply their seed
for sowing and increase
the harvest of your righteousness.
Paul makes it clear
that what he is making an appeal to,
this famine relief,
is not some sort of tax.
We see this if we go up
just one verse in verse 5 of chapter 9.
And he says,
So Paul here plays on
this imagery found throughout Proverbs
of sowing and reaping.
It's full, full of that imagery
throughout Proverbs.
And he's calling the Corinthians
back to the scriptures,
back to the heart
that God so desires
for His people.
So Paul encourages the Corinthians
to be generous
in order that they may reap a bounty.
What kind of bounty?
Well, we'll see in verse 10.
Notice that he doesn't say anything
about a dollar amount.
So in the Old Testament temple system,
a tenth was what was required.
But here Paul simply says
that it is a personal matter
and that personal choice
must not be reluctantly given
nor given under pressure.
Why?
Because God loves a cheerful giver.
Here's the motivation for generosity.
It is to reciprocate God's grace
that He has given to us.
And we know this because,
like I mentioned,
this section is nestled
within a broader section
of chapter 8 and 9.
And in chapter 8, verse 9,
this is what it says.
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 by His poverty
might become rich.
So what we have here
is Paul making an appeal
to the Corinthians
to remember the example
of Christ Himself
that He gave Himself up willingly,
not through some kind of compulsion,
but He sought joy
to go to the cross
to endure the sufferings.
And that should be
our attitude,
our motivation
to give generously.
And this results
in two things.
The cheerfulness,
God loves a cheerful giver,
but also faith.
So let's look first
at the cheerful giving.
Why is reluctant giving
such a big issue?
Why is it?
I mean,
if it results
in the same thing,
if you reluctantly
give somebody $5
or joyfully give somebody $5,
they have $5 in their hand.
I mean,
the ends
kind of work out.
They both have
the $5.
But why is there something
not okay
with reluctant giving?
Well, remember,
we talked about
how this text
is about discipleship.
And to be a disciple
of Jesus Christ
means to follow
in His ways
to be saved by Him,
to follow in His ways,
empowered by His Spirit.
And this is not following
the example of Christ.
Like I mentioned,
Christ did not
give Himself up
for us
reluctantly.
It did not,
in one sense,
it pained God,
but in another sense,
it pleased God
that our suffering
should be laid
on the Messiah.
That God gives
freely and graciously,
not reluctantly.
And therefore,
reluctant giving
is not God honoring.
And by the way,
you might get
a $5 bill,
no matter what,
from a reluctant giver
and a cheerful giver.
But that reluctant giving,
it might be $5,
but it comes with
some strings attached,
doesn't it?
Or you feel like
you might be
in their debt.
Or that person
might scoff at you
and look down
their nose at you.
Or maybe they just
don't go through
with it
and take the money away
and then you're
left with nothing.
But the point is,
there is a difference
between reluctant giving
and generous giving.
This giving
that we're supposed
to engage
in this cheerful giving
is voluntary.
It's what Paul says
in chapter 8,
verse 3.
It is given freely.
We looked at it
in chapter 9,
verse 5.
And generously,
excuse me,
in verse 6.
So giving cheerfully
to bring gifts
with joy
that come
from a place
of blessing
and not with
tight-fistedness
that harbors
resentment.
That is what God wants.
Growing up,
I would hear
every now and then,
God loves a cheerful giver.
And I just thought,
it's just,
it's like you're
taking the edge off
of asking people
for money
to,
whether it be pastors
or ministry leaders.
But no,
no,
it is,
it is a call
to follow
in the very example
of Jesus Christ himself.
To give cheerfully.
Cheerful giving
and being a miser
don't mix.
But remember,
if you're feeling
like,
oh,
I don't want to give
if I'm not giving cheerfully,
understand
that Paul is saying
it is voluntary.
You need to decide
what you're willing
to give yourself.
Now,
when we give to the church,
all the resources
come together
and we have
a godly council
and a godly pastor
that try their best
to seek the Lord
and ask for the Holy Spirit
to lead
and then invest
and to bless
in the different ministries
in our church,
in the city,
beyond,
with our missionaries.
So,
you know,
there is this aspect
of just a communal
giving that ends up
happening to the church.
It's like
more buying power,
right?
We put all our pot
together.
But ultimately,
ultimately,
you guys are individuals
and the call is
to make that call
yourself.
But make sure
that it's done
cheerfully.
And again,
why do we do this?
Because God himself
is a cheerful giver.
But you might
not feel like
you can give much
or you're reluctant
to give.
Or you might
have this feeling
inside that
if I give,
I will suffer.
If I give,
I won't have enough
for bills,
I won't have enough
for potential car repair,
I'm hoping to,
you know,
have some leisure activity,
vacations coming up.
Or maybe your kids,
you know,
like you've,
you've budgeted
a certain amount of money
to put your kids
in sports or activities.
Whatever it may be,
whatever it may be,
the call is still
to give generously.
Again,
but I'm not going to say to you,
you have to give this amount.
That's between you
and the Lord.
Seriously.
Remember,
Paul is making this appeal
to the Corinthians
who are in abundance,
but he's also made the appeal
to the Macedonians
who are poor themselves.
So,
it's hard to be
a disciple of Jesus.
It is hard
to counter
our flesh,
to counter
the devil,
and most certainly
to counter
the world
and its influences.
There are real
and large obstacles
standing in the way
of walking with Jesus.
We can keep
this religious zeal
for only so long,
but you'll get wearied
or you'll get worried.
And just like
the Corinthians,
your excitement,
your drive
for the Lord
will start to wane.
And that's just
a part of it.
But,
what do we have here?
We have,
in verse 8,
this wonderful
declaration of,
sorry,
in verse 6 and 7,
this wonderful
kind of charge
to give generously.
But then in verse 8,
this wonderful
kind of declaration
by Paul
that God,
if you give,
He will provide.
Look with me
at verse 8.
And God is able
to make all grace
abound to you
so that having
all sufficiency
in all things
at all times
you may abound
or literally
overflow
in every good work.
It's a bit of a wordplay
going on there.
You aren't able
as yourself
to change
every problem
that you see.
Our church
isn't able
to address
every issue
or problem
that we encounter.
But the areas
that we encounter
that God
is leading us to,
He will,
He will provide
for us.
Not so that we
can store it up,
so that we can be
a conduit
of blessing.
But this requires
faith.
And that's hard.
Because we are
potentially putting
ourselves out on the line
when we give
in such a way
that hurts.
But He is saying,
listen,
give generously.
You'll reap generously.
But understand,
God will supply.
Maybe the supply
will be
in the form
of other people
giving to you.
That will require
some humility.
That's hard.
It's easier to give
than to receive
for most of us.
Maybe it will be
one of those things
where
what He will end up doing
is He will
challenge you
to refashion
your life
and priorities.
So that certain
areas of your life
that previously
you could afford
or that you could
devote time to.
Because remember,
this isn't just
a money thing.
This is a resource thing
that you have time
to put towards.
Or certain talents
that you've used
for yourself.
Now you're being
challenged to use them
for the benefit
of other people.
All of those situations
might cause you
to refashion
your life a little bit.
But again,
God will provide.
All sufficiency
doesn't mean
some sufficiency.
It is absolute.
We need to trust God.
This is His word
and we are disciples.
Again,
disciples of Him.
Listen,
I'm talking like,
oh,
I've figured out.
Like,
I am in the boat
with you guys.
And sometimes
it is hard
to put our faith
and trust
and hope in God.
But sometimes
I think
that when Jesus says,
if you have the faith
of a mustard seed,
He actually means
the faith of a mustard seed.
But who is that faith in?
It's in Jesus.
And it says here
that He is able,
verse 8,
to make all grace
abound to you.
So I challenge you guys
that as you think
of generously giving,
generously give,
trusting that
the God
that created
the universe,
the God that did not
withhold His own Son,
will provide for us.
We don't know how,
but He will.
He gives us His word
that He will provide.
I'll just pause
really quickly here.
If you think
that this is
some kind of,
I don't know,
like,
I could potentially
see this,
like,
we turn some words around,
like,
maybe this is
a talk
that a cult leader
would give.
Like,
just give me the money
and God
or whatever deity,
like,
you will be blessed.
But,
I would encourage you guys
that if you are truly,
if you are truly moving
in the direction
of faith and trust
and hope in Jesus,
to hold God's feet
to the fire,
so to speak.
God is,
He is not
a distant God.
He is ever close.
And,
He knows the things
we are going to ask
before we ask them.
So,
I would challenge you
to do your best
to push away
the skepticism
and to look
to be generous givers.
There's a wonderful,
wonderful,
wonderful story
in 1 Kings.
It's the story
of Elijah and the widow.
And,
this is precisely
this generous giving
that results
in cheerfulness
and an increased
faith in God's provision
that is talked
about here.
We see it
in 1 Kings
chapter 17.
I'll read this to you.
You don't have to turn there.
So,
this is in light
of a famine
and a drought
in Israel.
And,
this is what it says.
Then the word of the Lord
came to him,
Elijah,
saying,
Arise,
go to Zarephath,
which belongs to Sidon,
and dwell there.
Behold,
I have commanded
a widow there
to feed you.
So,
he arose
and went to Zarephath.
And,
when he came
to the gate
of the city,
behold,
a widow was there
gathering sticks.
And,
he called her
and said,
bring me a little water
in a vessel
that I may drink.
And,
as she was going
to bring it,
he called to her
and said,
bring me a morsel
of bread
in your hand.
But,
the widow said,
as the Lord
your God lives,
I have nothing baked,
only a handful
of flour
in a jar
and a little oil
in a jug.
And,
now I am gathering
a couple of sticks
that I may go in
and prepare it
for myself and my son
that we may eat it
and die.
And,
Elijah said to her,
do not fear,
go and do as
you have said,
but first make me
a little cake of it
and bring it to me.
And,
afterward,
make something
for yourself
and your son.
For,
thus says the Lord,
the God of Israel,
the jar of flour
shall not be spent
and the jug of oil
shall not be empty
until the day
that the Lord
sends rain
upon the earth.
And she went
and did as Elijah said,
and she and he
and her household
ate for many days.
The jar of flour
was not spent,
neither did the jug
of oil become empty,
according to the word
of the Lord
that he spoke
by Elijah.
God,
he doesn't fool us.
He's not a trickster.
If he says it,
he says it,
he means it.
He makes the promise
and he follows through
because he is able to.
It's a wonderful,
wonderful story.
So,
giving generously,
the motivation
for giving generously
is in light
of what Christ
has done for us,
the generous God
giving to us,
and it results
in cheerfulness,
it results
in increased faith.
But it also results
in a couple other things,
not for us,
but for others.
So you see
what's happening
is that
there is
trust in God
that results,
there's blessing
from God
that results
in thanksgiving
to God,
and that we in turn
put that blessing
to other people
that increases
their faith
and our faith,
which then
helps people
to trust in God's
blessing and provision
as they give.
good time
to throw up
that first picture
if you have it.
My drawing.
Oh, there it is.
So I scribbled this
on a post-it.
Andrew just
made me not look
goofy.
So,
this is essentially
what we're going to see.
This is what
generosity results in.
So we have generosity
and it results
in thanksgiving
and faith.
And we'll see here
that blessing
will ensue.
The Jerusalemites
will be blessed.
They will be
physically blessed.
They will receive
from Paul
the gathered
famine relief
from the Macedonian
church,
the Corinthian church,
and they will have
their needs met.
And then they will
in turn
thank God
and bless God
for that generosity.
And then them,
they themselves
will give
out of their blessing.
And then we'll have
this continual
growth
in thanksgiving
and blessing
and faith
and generosity.
continues
and grows
and grows.
It really truly is
like just a little
yeast
that spreads.
So,
look with me
in verse 11
to 14.
You will be
enriched
in every way
to be generous
in every way
which through us,
that's Paul,
the apostle,
talking about
collecting the money,
through us
will produce
thanksgiving to God.
Thanksgiving to God
from whom?
The Jerusalemites.
For the ministry
of this service
is not only supplying
the needs
of the saints,
but is also
overflowing
in many thanksgivings
to God.
By their approval
of this service,
they will glorify God
because of
your submission
that comes
from your confession
of the gospel of Christ
and the generosity
of your contribution
for them
and for all others
while they long
for you
and pray for you
because of the
surpassing grace
of God
upon you.
What ends up
happening
is the Jerusalemites
have their needs
met
and the result
is
thanksgiving
and praise
to God.
Not only that,
they'll turn around
and they'll begin
praying
for the Corinthians.
Their affections
towards the
Corinthian people,
it will grow.
Corinth
is very far away
from Jerusalem.
Jerusalem.
Maybe these people
potentially could have met.
My guess is not a chance.
But the point is
there's people
that are called
by the same God
that are brothers
and sisters in Christ
in Asia Minor
and in the ancient Near East
and they have affection
for one another,
brotherly love
for one another.
They're unified together.
But all of a sudden
it says
that the Jerusalemites,
they're going to be
praying for the Corinthians
and longing for them.
So this generosity
results not in
our own personal growth
in what it means
to be cheerful
and our personal faith,
but it will result
in their needs being met
and their praise to God.
And in verse 12,
Paul says this,
for the ministry
of this service
is not only,
put your finger on that,
not only supplying
the needs of the saints,
but also overflowing
in many thanksgiving
to God.
That not only,
but also,
it's taking something
that's good
and contrasting it
with something
that's better.
So not only are you
supplying the needs,
but also
it's bringing thanksgiving
and glory to God.
That's the ultimate thing
when we're talking
about being generous givers.
It glorifies God.
He gets the praise.
He gets the honor.
It's wonderful.
People's faith grows.
Generosity ensues.
All things are from God
and for God.
God enriches
for generosity
which results
in thanksgivings
to Him.
So the Jerusalemites,
although they themselves
are unable to repay the money,
not that that was a condition
upon which they receive the money,
but instead they reciprocate
again with affections
and prayers.
And the wonderful thing
about this
is that although we are
a local church
and like we're a part
of the Anglican Network
in Canada,
which is a part of
the Global Anglican Communion,
we are connected
by virtue of faith
in Jesus Christ
to every true
Orthodox Christian
that lives today
and that has ever lived
before us,
we are unified with them.
And the thing is
when we grow in unity
and we grow in affection
with people,
it transforms the world.
So not only
is the result personal,
but it benefits others.
It actually benefits the world.
In John 17,
verses 20 to 21,
Jesus in his high priestly prayer
prays this,
I do not ask for these also,
but also for those
who will believe in me
through your word,
that they may all be one
just as you, Father,
are in me
and I in you,
that they also may be in us
so that the world
may believe
that you have sent me.
When we are generous,
it proclaims to the world
that there is a God
and that he has sent his son,
Jesus Christ,
and that God desires to bless.
So wherever the church
has been truly walking
in the way God has called her to walk,
there has been incredible blessings
for the world.
Hospitals have been built,
children have been educated,
widows and orphans
have been cared for,
lepers have been tended to,
oftentimes,
at the peril of the Christians
looking after them.
It is a giving of themselves
cheerfully.
One example,
there is a letter,
it's called the Epistle of Diognetus.
It comes from the second century
and it talks about
what the Christians look like.
It's a longer epistle,
I'm only going to read
a couple of the verses
and it says,
of Christians,
they dwell in their own countries
but only as sojourners.
They bear their share
in all things as citizens
and they endure all hardships
as strangers.
Every foreign country
is a fatherland to them
and every fatherland is foreign.
They marry like all other men
and they beget children
but they do not cast away
their offspring.
They have their meals in common
but not their wives.
They find themselves in the flesh
and yet they live not after the flesh,
they obey the established laws
and they surpass the laws
in their own lives.
They love all men
and they are persecuted by all.
They are in beggary
and yet they make many rich.
They are in want of all things
and yet they abound in all things.
So what happens
when brothers and sisters
dwell together in unity,
when they give generously,
when they put their faith
and trust and hope in Jesus,
trusting that he will provide
for the things
that he has called them
to do as his disciples.
This last bit,
we have the motivation for generosity,
we have the results of generosity,
but the ultimate foundation of generosity
is Christ himself.
Look with me at verse 15.
Thanks be to God
for his inexpressible gift.
This inexpressible gift,
even though Paul here,
he talks about,
excuse me,
he talks about
how the Jerusalemites
will praise the Lord
because of the submission
of the Corinthians,
because they have put their hope
and trust
and they're walking
in obedience
and faithfulness to Christ
in verse 13.
But ultimately,
the thanks
that Paul gives to God
for his inexpressible gift
is Jesus himself.
Again,
chapter 8,
verse 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,
by his poverty,
might become rich.
Jesus,
when we put our hope
and faith in him,
again,
he saves us
from sin
and from death.
He gives us
a new family.
He unites us
with people
in far off lands
and far off parts
of our city,
with neighbors,
with relatives.
But the ultimate,
inexpressible gift
that God gives us
is himself.
We are made
to worship God.
We are.
And when you don't
worship God,
you don't stop
worshiping.
You just worship
other things.
But those other things
are not meant
to be worshiped
and they cause
a strife.
And in our
affluent city,
we struggle
with money,
whether it is
coming from
a spot of great wealth
or great poverty.
Money is something
that is tough,
that we struggle with.
All too often
we worship.
But if we,
as God's people,
can understand
that he has given
us himself
in Jesus,
that we can
worship him
and know him,
and not just
know him,
but be known
by him,
warts and all,
like genuinely,
that we don't have
to strive
for more money,
we don't have to
strive for a better
reputation,
for a better job,
for more obedient
children,
for whatever it
may be,
that will somehow
give us credibility.
We don't have to
strive for that
because we have
credibility in Jesus
that we are already
operating at an
overflow,
not a surplus,
like at an overflow,
overflow,
because we have him.
That will change
the way we live.
And that is what
is offered to us
as Christians.
If you are not
a Christian,
this is the day,
because tomorrow
is not guaranteed.
It isn't.
Tomorrow may be
guaranteed for some
people,
but it's not
necessarily guaranteed
for you.
So I'd encourage you
to put your faith
and hope and trust
in God,
and he will give you
himself,
and you will know
what it truly means
to live as a human
being,
made in the image
of God,
made for God,
known by God
because of Jesus
Christ and what
he has done.
Lord,
thank you so much
for the call
to be generous.
Now,
this call to be
generous isn't
a sly way of
getting more money
into the church
coffers.
It is a call
to discipleship,
to be like Jesus
Christ,
who again,
chapter 8,
verse 9,
the grace that
he has shown us,
though he was rich,
became poor,
that in his
poverty,
we might become
rich knowing you.
Lord,
transform our hearts.
Help us to see this.
Help us to spur
one another on
in good works.
Help us to do
the good works
you called us to,
knowing that you
will supply our needs
so that we will be
all sufficient
in all things
at all times
to do every good work.
And Lord,
thank you so much
that all of this
is for your renown,
for your glory.
Lord,
help us to be
disciples of Jesus
that are truly,
truly gripped
by your gospel
and learning to live
for your glory.
In Jesus Christ's name,
Amen.