2 Corinthians 8:1-15, What is Grace?

The Grace of God Displayed in Macedonian Giving

2 corinthians chapter 8 verses 1 to 15. Hear the word of the Lord. We want you to know brothers about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia. We're in a severe test of affliction.

Their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty has overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For they gave according to their means as I can testify and beyond their means of their own accord.

Begging us earnestly for the favor of Taking part in the relief of the Saints and this not as we expected. But they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us. Accordingly, we urge Titus that as he had started so he should complete among you this act of grace.

But as you excel in everything in faith and speech and knowledge in all Earnestness and our love for you. See that you excel in this act of grace. Also, I say that's not as a command but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine.

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 and in this matter I give you my judgment this benefits you who a year ago started not only to do this work.

But also to desire to do it. So now finish doing it as well so that your readiness and desiring it may be matched. By you're completing it out of what you have. For if the readiness is there it is acceptable according to what a person has not according to what he does not have.

For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened but as a matter of fairness. Your abundance at the present time should supply their need so that their abundance may supply your need. That there may be fairness as it is written.

Whoever gathered much had nothing left over and whoever gathered little had no lack. May the Lord add his blessings to the reading of his Holy Word. Well in the fall of 2008 we meaning the church Realized that we needed to make plans about where our long-term meeting place would be.

We've been looking at various options. Even we wanted to have some facility that allowed us to continue our ministries particularly with the youth with Jim jr. And Jim and so we wanted a gym. I even called up we call it a builder.

How much of Jim would cost a gym about This this kind of building to build it new would cost he said 1 million dollars. And keep in mind he was trying to sell me on it. So that was probably an underestimate.

We also looked at the old the gym at the old Dillard school. We made an offer to take that over good thing that didn't come through because the roof there has literally completely fallen down. All gone.

There's no roof over that building anymore. Probably asbestos everywhere. We all we looked at leasing out the old four building, which is also still available. There's by we looked at buying a building in downtown Yancey Ville and This building was available at a special price for us available for $90 ,000 to compare that to a million.

So it was a pretty good deal. It was a mess when we first came in but it had potential and that price $90 ,000 is pretty reasonable but as reasonable as it was that was still more than we could handle.

We cannot afford the payments on $90 ,000 and plus then all the money that would cost to try to refurbish this place. Well, we thought in an association with the Southern Baptist might help make it possible.

They had a program that would give $1 ,200 a month for the first 24 months to new churches like us and I went after that money. Later the next January when the $1 ,200 check was late and coming in and then I called him up.

Hey, ask her What where's my where's our $1 ,200 and I was informed that they would not agree to give us the $1 ,200 a month unless We dropped our plans to move here. I won't go into the details as why but we basically we had to make a choice between the $1 ,200 a month or Having this building now.

We were nearing closing on this building and this building allowed us to do our gym ministries and it attracted kids. So it seemed ideal except it needed so much work, but we were depending on that $1 ,200.

Roughly about twenty five thousand dollars over two years. To be able to afford the monthly payments on this building. It was a Friday. When I was informed that basically we had to choose between the money or this building the Providence gym.

Now, what do we do? Which way did we go? Well on Saturday morning, I woke up and went downstairs. And turned on the computer and checked my email into my utter shock. There was a message from someone.

I really didn't know what a Mary's old friends now living in Houston, Texas and he knew absolutely nothing about any of this and In the email he informed me that he was pledging some money to us money in the amount of $1 ,200 and I looked at that stunned and I went up got up shouted upstairs Mary.

Did you tell this guy about this and he said she said no what an unusual sum $1 ,200. Where did he get that from? It's not like an even thousand you kind of okay. That's kind of normal. You would round it up off like that $1 ,200 the exact amount to the penny that we had just been denied.

But of course a skeptic could say well sure he paid for one missing month. But you're supposed to get for two years for 24 months. You would have gotten about twenty five thousand dollars over two years.

Oh, yeah speaking of that Not long after that another Christian friend rather Christian French in Singapore sent the church without any suggestion from us about a specific amount $25 ,000. Now that is what the Bible calls this passage grace.

Grace Is Seen in Visible Generosity

What is grace. How people think it means I Can grace means I can do anything and then get promise heaven. It's a license to live as you want to believe as you want. What is grace? I know a man who loves to talk about reform theology the doctrines of grace and who barely gives he averaged about giving 1 of His income he apparently thinks that grace is something that allows your faith To be unseen.

Now. What is grace? It's a word thrown around a lot. It's a very popular word so popular some girls are even named after it. Perhaps the most popular Christian song of all all time is amazing grace. But there is a lot of confusion as to what it is and these 15 verses.

There are five uses of the Greek word for grace. Karis five uses the word grace. Each showing us something about grace and we see here first that grace is seen. Second the grace serves. Third the grace acts.

Fourth the grace frees. And finally grace.

Enriches.

Paul begins this chapter telling the Corinthians that he wanted them to know notice that first verse. I want you to know the grace of God and We kind of think well, oh he wants to give them like a theology lesson on this abstract concept of grace.

How great is but that's not what he's saying there. Look what he's saying. In verse 7, he says they excel in knowledge among other things, but somehow they lack like a lot of Christian today. They like knowledge as to what grace is.

So Paul points them to the grace of God that has been demonstrated by the Macedonians of the Macedonian. Macedonia is the province just north of where Corinth is so like if Corinth was in North Carolina Macedonia would be Virginia, right?

And we know in Macedonia at least two of two churches. We know something about the Philippians and the Thessalonians, right? They're Macedonia the the Christians there had demonstrated Macedonian Christians had demonstrated grace the grace of God From the Macedonians and Paul wants the Corinthians to know about it.

So they'll know grace. They'll know what grace is and follow in the Macedonians good example. The Corinthians may have a lot of knowledge about a lot of things I guess about the Bible maybe some about some theology although a little shaky on the resurrection, but they have very little real understanding of of grace and So to learn that they need to look at the example of their neighboring Christians the Macedonians.

They can see grace and what the Macedonians have done and that tells us that grace. Is it just a feeling? Grace isn't just kind of a happy concept. That means that now I'm off the hook. Isn't it? Great.

I said I know it now grace means I'm I don't have to worry about anything anymore. It's not just a subject of theology to have knowledge about grace results and things that can be seen. Here the Macedonian Christians were severely afflicted.

They were extremely poor, but they had an overflowing joy that resulted in them.

Giving.

Some today perhaps perhaps the Corinthians then probably then they would imagine that grace Kind of just ends with the joy. That's all what's brings grace. It means I can have joy because I'm right with God that if they're severely tried and extremely poor.

And they can be content and joyful despite all that then that's. That's grace and that's all there is to it. But it Paul here is saying well, that's not enough the grace is seen in more than just, you know, smiling faces.

That now they feel God's grace and so they now they could be happy when otherwise. Otherwise, they would have been sad without the grace. The grace is seen in their lives not just in their smiles. The grace is seen in their lives, even though even though they are poor.

In verse 2 they are generous. That the geyser of grace is seen in gushing out.

Through their wallets.

Through what they but they give grace is seen in Money indeed here in verse 1 that first verse that first verse what he calls the grace of God. I want you to know about the grace of God that that grace of God.

It's not just a theological. He's talking about an offering. The grace of God the Macedonians he means the offering the Macedonians took up for the church in Jerusalem. He wants the Corinthians to know how much the Macedonians gave so that they'll give generously, too.

Because that's grace. About 30 years ago when I marry his friends named Chong Tzu whom Realized that she had a knack for business like Matt Midas everything She touched turned to gold and being a Christian.

She knew the grace of God. She rarely well, so she wanted to beside if she since she has this gift for business. She wanted to become rich and not just so she could indulge herself. She rarely ate out.

She usually spent only like two or three dollars for lunch. But so that she she wanted to be rich so that she could give to worthwhile Christian ministries her grace can be seen. Wanna see it. Look around she's that one who gave the $25 ,000.

Look at this building. That grace can be seen and that $25 ,000 that she and her partner gave and then about three years later another $32 ,000 so that it doesn't look so ratty like it did when we first moved in here.

And so we said we could improve this place so that the grace of God can be proclaimed in it now some might say. Well, well, they're rich. Yeah, they could they can afford it. No, that's not really what can be seen.

Just just their excess wealth being thrown out. A lot of rich people are stingy. Like that's often how they get rich. They're stingy and they hold on to every dollar they have and and invest and make more of it.

She did she didn't give that bus because she just had the pocket change. She gave because of grace grace can be seen and if you want to know what it looks like, well, here it is. It's all around you. It's in this building.

Well something well, then the conclusion is what we need. We need people like Chong Tzu. We need a sugar daddy, I guess in her case a sugar mama. There's such a thing a big donor with deep pockets but Paul's point here is that what you need when you see that grace and other people's life is to be Inspired by that grace to be changed by that grace so that you show grace to be inspired by her.

Generosity Chong Tzu who's generosity so that you become generous, too. And so you don't need her anymore because you're generous. But Paul wants the Corinthians to know about the Macedonians gift because in it they see grace and they finally learn what it's about Grace does it look like everyone doing what they want to do?

Kind of just throwing off old traditions and laws and so we can do what we want and then call ourselves Christians. Don't have to worry about any kind of judgment. We have a lot of Christians today who when it comes to the subject of giving their first question a major question question that haunts them is Do I have to tithe or am I under grace?

Grace, they assume is a ticket out of tithing here. Paul says You want to know what grace looks like?

Look at the poor.

Oppressed Macedonians, there's poor people giving so a lot of people today think I'm poor. I can't give much. The Macedonians were poor. They gave a lot. Look at them. Paul the same. They're so happy to give.

That's the grace at work. And verse 3 they not only gave according to their means that is not only what they could reasonably Give what part with. But beyond their means he says they were sacrificing.

They were cutting off their cable TV subscription because they wanted to give that money instead of you know. Watching what they want on TV. They are seriously cutting back on spending on themselves so that they could give.

Grace can be seen. Basically seen that in Christian just saying well I'm free not to tithe and so using that extra money that they're not giving. To go eat out more often buy a luxury car great vacations.

Those things aren't wrong. They're not wrong. But when Christians use grace as an excuse to skimple the giving so they can splurge on themselves. Well, that's wrong. That's a problem. The major problem is what they think grace is.

They think it's an excuse slip for self-indulgence. But that's not grace. Grace could be seen in someone so Joyful in their relationship with God so content with the Lord so eager to please him. And so then help others that they give more.

They don't ask. Well, I'm under grace. So Can I just not give not serve any. I don't really have to do I. They look at what they have. The real person Impacted by grace looks at what he or she has and thinks how can I give more?

Beyond my means. Of my own accord not in words of my own accord as he says here the Macedonians gave of their own accord. I was not because Paul commanded them. I need a quota. I need so much money. I need a percentage from you.

No, they gave. They give willingly because of their grace. They wanted to give grace impacts. You say I want to give. And so they write out a check. Put it in the offering basket and in that check. You can see the grace of God.

Grace could be seen. It's not just a doctrine. We used to ensure ourselves of our salvation despite our sins. It's a dynamic power that if we received it then shows itself in Invisible ways ways that others can see it can be seen particularly in our checkbooks.

Grace Serves by Seeking the Privilege of Fellowship

Grace serves. It's the second thing second time the word grace occurs in this passage is in verse 4. The word care us in Greek grace. There Paul says that the Macedonians had been quote begging us earnestly.

Look at this. They've been they've been begging him, please. Begging us earnestly for the favor of That word of their favor. So you won't see it in English, but it's the word care us grace the favor the privilege or the grace same word in Greek of Taking part and the relief of the Saints, please.

Let us give. They were begging. Paul was taking up an offering from his churches and they were made mostly of Gentile Christians here. You also see a ethnic or racial Attempted healing here particularly in the church because the the churches Paul is appealing to here the Corinth the Macedonians.

They're mostly Gentiles and he wants to take up an offering from them to take it back to the Jerusalem Church. Where they were Jewish Christians, so they wouldn't be divided so they could see the the grace and the love for each other.

And that in a tangible gift. He wanted to relieve the poor some of the them Widows of the men who had been killed for the faith. They were been martyrs and he wanted to show them that the Gentile and Jewish believers Were connected that they cared for each other that you would know that they're Christians by their love.

That the new Gentile Christians would serve their needy Jewish brothers and sisters the Macedonians showed grace by begging earnestly for the gift for the grace. Please give us this grace of Participating in the offering to the to the poor Jewish Christians now notice two things about this first their question and second their Participation.

Their question was not. Oh, do we have to tithe? We're poor and oppressed don't you blow that Paul you're trying to squeeze money out of us. Take back to these Jewish people. We don't care about that's not what they know is the opposite of that.

They they weren't saying well, you know things are going so well here with the government of Macedonia. We need to take care of our own needs first, don't you know Paul so could we just skip on the giving?

Instead their question was please let us give. We desperately want to be part of this offering. We want to take part in this.

Please don't leave us out.

Notice in verse 4 the Macedonians were they were begging us earnestly.

To give.

You ever begged earnestly to give. You probably had people beg earnestly to get you to give. How about yourself? Have you ever begged to give. Please let me give grace. Serves by seeking to give which is not it.

It's not a duty the giving not a duty laid on us. It's not like a tax Levied that you have to pay just like any other bill that comes due. You know, if you stop paying your electric bill, the power will be shut off.

Stop paying your grace bill. Is that what you think the offering is is a grace bill. That if you stop paying it the grace will be shut off. Now that whole way of thinking reveals a lack of grace. Grace is not asking the question.

How much do I owe? How little by can how little can I get by with it's passionately pleading? Please let me give. Grace is not asking the question. How much do I owe? It's seeking for the opportunity to give.

God's grace doesn't ask about the minimum. It begs to give the maximum. This is why not only do we have an offering basket, but we ask that every member is physically able. Anyway, it has the free time to want to serve in some in some way Jim jr.

Which will to start back up again the school start and Jim. You know those guys need some supervision need someone to open the building for them. Sunday school. Sending up the sound. Thank you for that.

You really miss it when it's not around Work days. Etc. Whatever some need that needs to be done. Sometimes we we give you these opportunities as a service. Provided to you so that you have a way to serve.

Now while we we want to be appreciative of your willingness to serve and we might occasionally Recognize and thank you for it. We also expect you to understand that we're providing you as part of what a church does we provide you with the opportunity?

To serve with the privilege in verse 4 or the favor or the grace of a way to serve. Because that's what you want, isn't it? I.

Hope.

That if grace has made an impact on your life, your question is not well. How little by how little can you get by with it? It's what can I do to serve? And so we make ways to serve.

For you.

Because that's what you're begging for.

Please.

Give me a way to serve. Okay. Since you ask since you're so eager since you want you're begging for it. Here's a van route. We need somebody pick up kids for Jim jr. Whatever. It's food needs preparing.

Here again for Jim jr. Or there's a lesson needs we need somebody to give there's games to organize. Kidney. The kids want people to play with them. You know that we need a sound system to work on again.

Thank you for that. There's music to perform. Maybe there's budget needs to give to maybe an opportunity to tell the gospel. You're begging for a way to serve so we are doing you the favor of Giving that to you and yes.

You're welcome.

In verse 5 Paul holds up the Macedonians as examples to the Corinthians. Examples to us too, I guess of.

Grace.

Giving more. They gave so much he says not as we expected. Notice that in verse 5 they gave not it. We kind of expected. Yeah, we kind of expected a lot of those Macedonians. We had high expectations from them, but they gave as people impacted by grace always do not just money.

But he says themselves first To the Lord and then he says to us.

God first.

Other second second grace begs for Participation that's the word there in verse 4 participation or fellowship and Greek the word corn Aenea. Remember an axe the the fellowship. The corn Aenea was the sharing with the needy in the body.

Your corn Aenea by it's not just like you have nice small talk over a meal after after a service. But it's sometimes shows in practically meeting the needs of other members. The Macedonians are begging earnestly for the grace of participating and giving to others here.

Paul is holding up before the Corinthians the example of these Macedonians holding up before us that example grace had shown itself in their lives by making them want to take Part in the fellowship of the larger church.

Not content just to be by themselves meeting their own needs. Feeling just joy by themselves. It's me and Jesus and we're hanging out together and we're so happy. No, they pleaded for participation in the body.

Now here in our time in culture. We have professed Christians and churches that proudly declare themselves quote independent, it's sort of the culture of What I sometimes called the old-time religion is.

You like to say I'm independent. Our church is independent I'm and of course then what happens often is Individuals in those churches end up absorbing in that for themselves and they say I'm independent and so they stay home from they don't go to church anymore.

They were taught that their own church taught them to be independent. But think about the idea both the idea and the attitude of being quote independent. That is not needing or attached to anyone else.

Is that really a Christian virtue? Is that you think that's what Paul is recommending here and verse 14 Paul tells the Corinthians that their present abundance Should go to help Others who who were needy Corinthians things are going well there.

They were a prosperous port city and the Corinthian church were fairly well off least compared to the Macedonians. And he's saying your abundance you Corinthians you have extra cash. You're fairly well off that abundance should go to help others who are needy.

They need you. They're not Independent they're dependent. We are to be dependent not independent further the attitude that attitude of in I'm independent is really ungracious. It's the opposite of what the Macedonians were begging for to participate in the life of other Christians of the churches.

To help them out. That's the opposite of what Paul was trying to cultivate in his his believers his churches that they would be mutually dependent. That they would be helping each other in neat in their needs.

Of course, some could say well to us I guess look. You're independent. Oh, no, we're not. We may not be formally part of a denomination, but we got this got this building because other Christians most halfway around the world.

Wanted to participate with us in the work we're doing they wanted the grace of serving With us and we should let them. We should let them help us because we are dependent and now If we're a little more prosperous, we should help Others out there grace wants to participate in the life of others.

That's partly what church membership means for you that you are dependent on the body and so too I hope that the church corporately and the long run will be able to participate in the lives of other churches and ministries like the hoop don't shoot around here, which we helping bring kids near most Sunday evenings or Church in Ethiopia all the way around the world.

And which won't be able to return us anything. Practically probably not we need a little now the church itself may need a little saving some cushion. But we should never have a vast in Investment portfolio.

I was told I don't know if it's true. But the one church in Yanceyville has that savings of over a million dollars. Okay that I think that's a shameful thing. More of that money should have gone out instead of just sitting on it.

We should never be like that just hoarding money year after year. We need to look like those who gave to us others gave to us. We then should give to others. They served. So should we? Grace acts. In verse 6, there's the third occurrence of the word grace in this passage now the Macedonians were giving more than expected.

Think of that he expected a lot out of them and they gave they went beyond that beyond expectations first their entire selves to God. And then to Paul and his friends begging for the grace. To give more so accordingly that is in the same way you Corinthians.

You people here you too should.

Complete.

This grace. And by this grace, he's referring to that offering that he had begun to take up. Grace is an act. It's something that is seen and it's seen. It acts of service here in an offering a practical offering to meet the needs of needy people.

Grace wants to Participate in the lives of others and we see that here in the only direct imperative. That is the only command in this passage. In verse 11 the command is.

Finish.

Complete complete the act of grace. Finish that offering. The Macedonians started it. Even though they're poor they're oppressed. They gave beyond their means. Now you Corinthians you're better off you top it up.

True love in true grace never leaves us content just to talk. We want to see acts. Maybe flowers maybe dinner kind deeds.

Service.

Something practical. Just talk with no action makes the talk.

Meaningless.

We want acts of love and grace to expresses itself in Action. In particular in this passage it gives. It seeks to create what Paul describes in verses 12 to 15 Equality or fairness. If you have the eagerness the desire to be gracious in verse 12, then you should give according to what you have the more income that you have the more you should give for the goal of Equality or fairness.

The equality is not a quality of amount. The equality is a quality of burden. The privilege of meeting the needs of the church and other churches should be met fairly by all according to their ability.

This is why a shared percentage that everyone give at least gives anyway. At least as a baseline like 10 I think is a good idea. If some people are wealthier and don't need to give so much then grace should create in them an eagerness to give more.

Remember grace doesn't ask about the minimum it wants to give the maximum. Now sometimes Christians need to be challenged to give. To hear that they've been kind of they want to be lost in theology. They think it's just about abstract ideas and you'd be challenged to hey, you need to show your faith your grace your love.

Practical ways and part of that is money. But you do be challenged to give to be fair. To equally share the burden of the needs of the church and not let it rest on the shoulders of those who are making less but they're bearing more.

I I don't like preaching often about giving about money if you go back giving to the church. Partly because there are some people Members who when they hear that we need to get you need you need to give.

We'll be the first ones to give. They'll sacrifice and others who need to give more. Sometimes they won't. Hopefully we don't have that any problem anymore. But sometimes we have to be Gratefully tell some people like these Macedonians who had already given beyond their means and they're begging for the grace of giving.

You might sometimes you may be to tell you know, thank you, but you know. You need to say for yourself some to look after yourself some to you can spend a little on yourself. While we try to get those others Who may not be giving as much as they should to fairly share the load for there to be Equality there should be equality of giving in a church.

Not everyone giving the same amount but everyone usually giving. Maybe I was share equal percentage, but something like that sharing an equal load. Fairness a burden. That's what that last verse is about where everyone regardless of income is sharing an equal load.

If we have fairness of giving. No member will be sacrificing deeply. While others are giving only a kind of a tip off the top. In verse 15 when there is fairness those who have more will be giving more and those who have little Won't have too little just because they had to give to make up for those who wouldn't sacrifice.

That makes sense. You understand say it again if there's fairness. Those who have more will be giving more and those who those who have little Won't have too little.

Won't be impoverished.

Just because they they felt they had to give to the church to make up for others who weren't giving enough. That's where the act of grace is supposed to take us to a quality of.

Burden.

Now if your first thought is well because of grace, I don't have to give or serve that much. Then I don't think you fully know What grace is?

Grace Frees Us from Legalism and Self-Indulgence

Grace acts.

And.

Grace frees and verse 7 is the fourth. Use fourth instance of the word grace in this passage again. It is this grace literally referring to the offering. The Corinthians like many modern-day Christians thought that they excelled in a lot of things and apparently they really did since Paul kind of affirms them.

Yeah, I know that you really do excel in these things. They excel in faith and speech and knowledge diligence or it could be earnestness even in their love for Paul and Titus. But they need to learn to excel.

In.

Grace and.

By that he means Showing your grace in your giving. They probably thought they already did. They probably thought they already did excelling grace. They probably like a lot of modern Christians. Corinthians probably seem to our Corinthian Church is a lot like the modern American Church, right?

They probably thought they knew grace down pat. They probably loved to sing amazing grace if they had it then which they didn't but they probably thought their tolerance of the man. Living in adultery was their grace at work.

That's why they put up with his ongoing sin. Oh, we're so we have so much grace. The way they put up with their unruliness and the worship service, you know. One person standing up and another at the same time talking over each other.

They thought well, we're not gonna say anything because we have so much grace. We just let it go the way they tolerated false doctrines about the resurrection. That's because of grace. But none of that was really grace.

Now that was just laxity. That was just sloppiness. Their grace was to be shown here. Paul here says in their giving and so it is today and there are two things that we need. To know that grace is not.

First it's inverse a grace is not Commanded or compelled. Grace is not something that's required by the law. You shall have grace. Okay, I'll obey. Now here Paul is telling the Corinthians to excel in the grace of giving but not in verse 8 because I command you.

And this answers. That bad question we mentioned earlier is that bad question people are asking do I have to tithe? Well, it's a bad question. But this answers that bad question if you want to answer to it.

If if that were of tithing were a command we had to obey today. You'd expect Paul to repeat it right here. Because now like for three chapters and for second Corinthians to talk about giving expect him to repeat it here instead.

He doesn't do that. Does he doesn't say you Corinthians? You're not giving your 10 What's wrong with you people? Instead he says they're giving is not supposed to be based on commands and laws. It's supposed to be based on grace.

Law and compulsion can't create Givers only grace can. Grace frees us from the law, but that doesn't mean and this is the second thing. Grace frees us from the law, but that doesn't mean. That grace means nothing means nothing seen nothing served.

Nothing acted nothing given. But so many people who ask that otherwise bad question often have in mind grace. They think means I can get away with giving. Basically anything or maybe even nothing. I can splurge on myself.