Radical Generosity

Radical Generosity and the Gospel of Grace

Please take out your Bibles and turn with me to 2nd Corinthians chapter 8. Hold your place at verse 1. I want to begin by simply saying I am thankful to be back in This pulpit this morning. It's been feels like a long time having taken two weeks away.

I'm thankful for brother Andy preaching for me and those in my stead and brother Mike and Andy as always. Just continuing to do the work of pastoring the church and I'm so thankful for them. And for the deacons and for everyone else, so we're very grateful Jennifer and I for having had the opportunity to be away with our family.

It was refreshing and we are.

Encouraged.

Well this morning we're going to talk about the subject of radical Generosity. The gospel has been called the greatest story ever told. That is not to insinuate that it is just a story. Like a fable or a myth.

It is a true story every word of it is fact and yet it is still a story. There are many ways in which the gospel story can be described stories of redemption a story of love a story of forgiveness a story of reconciliation.

But it would also be appropriate to categorize the gospel as a story of Radical generosity because at the heart of the gospel story is The idea of giving God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son.

The word grace which we are Very in love with as a church and we should be it's in the very title of our church sovereign grace. It's on that banner over there grace. We love the word grace. Well the word grace means gift.

Something that is given and not earned. Christ himself came to give himself a ransom for many. So the story of the gospel is a story of Generosity and Today as we continue our study of 2nd Corinthians as we have been going verse by verse through this book We find ourselves at the beginning of chapter 8 where Paul is now going to say to the Corinthians some important truths about the subject of Generosity he is going to call them to generosity and through this remind all of us of What it means?

To be a cheerful giver. So with that let us stand together and we will read Verses 1 to 15 of 1st Corinthians chapter 8. The text says we want you to know brothers about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia.

For in a severe test of affliction their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have 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 urged 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 and all earnestness and in our love for you See that you excel in this act of grace.

Also. I say this 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 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 you so that by your completing it Out of what you have Or excuse me. So that your readiness and desiring it may be matched by your 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 this 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 had nothing left over and whoever gathered whoever gathered much had nothing left over and whoever gathered little had no lack.

Paul’s Prayer for the Spirit’s Help

Father in heaven I.

Come to you in Jesus name. I Pray Oh God first and foremost.

That you would in.

This time fill me with your spirit for Lord apart from the Holy Spirit, the sermon will be meaningless and useless and Will have no effect. Pray that you would forgive me of my sins. Pray that you would keep me from error.

Pray God that you would Fit me for this time and I pray God for the congregation under the sound of my voice. I pray that they would hear the Word of God today and Lord God that you would open the hearts of the believers in Whatever way this message might prick their heart toward greater understandings of your truth and God for any unbelievers.

That they would see the great gift that has been given in The person of the Lord Jesus Christ to all who will believe. That they would recognize that salvation itself is a gift and that gift becomes the model for all giving all Generosity for Christ himself Is our hope our Savior and our model.

So now Oh God as we study together. Again, I pray.

Be with us And lighten us.

And teach us Through your word by your spirit in Christ's name. Amen, we have been in a lengthy study of the book of 2nd Corinthians and For those of you who are new with us this morning, or maybe perhaps visiting with us It may feel as if we're jumping into the middle and in a sense you are because you haven't heard everything that came up to this point, but the good part is Chapters 8 and 9 stand sort of separated from the rest of the book is somewhat unique Within 2nd Corinthians.

In fact, there are those in the scholarly community that actually believe this was an entirely separate letter that has been Brought into this letter and and I don't believe that's the case. I believe that the language and the flow of the argument continue from chapter 7 8 and 9 and into chapter 10.

But the point that I'm making is 9 and 10, I'm sorry. 8 and 9 are a subset of the book chapters 1 through 7. It's Paul's defense of his ministry against those who would call his integrity into question.

And he talks all about his ministry being a ministry of the new covenant. He talks about his ministry being a ministry of reconciliation he gives wonderful theological truths, which we have spent many weeks breaking down and going through and In chapters 10 through 13, he goes on the offensive against what he calls the super apostles Those who were opposing his work.

And when we get back to chapter 10, you'll see that he Continually shows his ministry is true against those who would call it into question but right in the middle between chapters 1 through 7. In chapters 10 through 13, we find these two chapters where Paul focuses on.

An.

Offering.

Which the Corinthian church was supposed to be gathering to take to the church in Jerusalem. So Paul focuses from chapter 8 verse 1 to chapter 9 verse 15 on the subject of Generosity in their offering.

And so what I have decided to do is I'm going to take three weeks Lord willing Today next week and the week after to break down chapters 8 and 9 to discuss the subject of Generosity specifically what I have entitled radical generosity.

You see Paul is encouraging the Corinthians to imitate the Macedonian brothers who were tremendously benevolent in their giving and We're going to observe that he appoints Titus and two other men to handle the care of the offering Which is being received by the Corinthians.

And so Next week as we continue in this study of generosity We're actually going to talk about how the business of the church actually requires integrity and men to take care of business. Isn't that interesting that the Bible actually talks about a man who's in charge of the money and two other men that are responsible to Work alongside of him and they come together to administer the work of the business of the church.

So next week we're going to talk about that. And then in the third week We're going to get to chapter 9 and we're going to see that wonderful passage that we we repeat so often in this church. That passage in chapter 9 where Paul says that all of our giving is to be not coerced.

Not under compulsion not meant to meet some minimum Percentage standard but rather our giving is to be from the heart according what God has placed in our heart and it is to be not under compulsion because God in fact loves a what kind of giver a.

Cheerful.

Giver. So that's the outline for the next three weeks and we're going to begin again today looking at verses 1 through 15 where Paul introduces the subject of this offering and Discusses the importance of generosity.

Now I want to make mention of One thing before I give us the outline and that is that the whole reason for this offering Which is actually mentioned several times in the New Testament. Is that the church that was in Jerusalem at this time was a church that had great need?

And there are several reasons for that in the book of Acts chapter 11. You don't have to turn there, but I do want to read just a few verses to you. This is in a chapter 11 verse 27. It says now in the days in those days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch which is where Paul was at the time and One of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the spirit that there would be a great famine all over the world this took Place in the days of Claudius.

So the disciples determined everyone according to his ability to send relief to the brothers living in Judea. And they did so sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul. So even as early as Acts 11 the church in Jerusalem, which is where the church was born by Acts 11 the church in Jerusalem was experiencing tremendous difficulty one because of famine and two because of so many of them having Become destitute because of their following after Christ.

There were many issues if you remember one thing about the book of Acts. What was what was the reason? Little quiz time. What was the reason for the first deacons the proto deacons to be chosen in the book of Acts?

Because they were having to feed people right they had a daily distribution of food and the deacons were in charge of Distributing the food properly to the Hellenistic Jews and to the the Greek speaking or the Greek speaking Christians Greek speaking Jewish Christians and the The Hebrew speaking Jewish Christians where there was a divide there.

And so there were these men that were chosen to to distribute food. Why did they need a daily distribution of food? Because many of them had become destitute many of them had become poor many of them didn't have anything and the church was being forced to support and and Provide the food that was needed.

It's an interesting reality. Oh, by the way, if you want to learn more about that brother Burt and brother Andy are about to start their class in the Academy Shameless plug I guess. They're going to be going through the entire book of Acts when the Academy starts back in eight weeks study.

And I'm sure that's going to be part of it talking about what was going on there in Jerusalem. You see the Bible says that Christ gave a command. He says you're going to be my witnesses in Jews Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria in the end is of ends of the earth.

And if you follow that that's Acts 1 8. I think if you take that verse that verse actually becomes the outline of the entire book of Acts the church starts in Jerusalem then spreads to Judea then spreads to Samaria then spreads to the end of the earth of the ministry of The Apostle Paul and other others like him.

Well, what's happening in that Church of Jerusalem is that Church of Jerusalem is under persecution. That Church of Jerusalem is experiencing famine that Church of Jerusalem is in need.

And.

So Paul as he's going out to these different places as he's making his way through Galatia and the Galatian region as he's making his way across the sea to Macedonia and Down into Achaia as he's doing these things.

He's telling the churches many of which like the church at Corinth had a prosperous financial amount. Saying look there's a church over here That is destitute and hurting and you who have so much can bless those who have very little.

While we take it back to them. So correct collect this money so the money can be taken back. So this is what's happening as Paul is going throughout these churches. He's preaching the gospel, but he's also seeking to minister to the church and Jerusalem.

And one of the things that could be on Paul's mind I'm I can't read the mind of the Apostle and I can't say this for certain. But one of the things that could be on Paul's mind is that this could be a unifying.

Offering.

Because what was one of the divides in the early church the divide between? Jewish converts to Christianity and Gentile converts to Christianity. We see that in Galatians. We see that in other books. There's all these divides that had come up between the Jewish Christians and the Gentile Christians and Paul's saying to the Gentile Christians many of.

Which you had a lot. Look you've got your Jewish brothers and sisters who are in Jerusalem and they're suffering. You can bridge the gap in your love by showing them your love through your.

Offering.

So again, we see Paul going through these churches calling the churches to be generous.

The Macedonian Offering

So.

Here's the outline for today. Verses 1 to 5 Paul talks about the Macedonian Offering. Remember that's where Paul is while he's writing this. Paul is writing from Macedonia and The Macedonian churches would have been the churches of Philippi Thessalonica and Berea.

You probably remember Philippi and Thessalonica because there's Bible books named after them the Church of the book of Philippians the book of Thessalonians first and second. But who are the Bereans? The Bereans were the ones when Paul went it says they searched the scriptures daily to see if what Paul was saying were true.

Many people today when they say you should study the scripture to see if what somebody's telling you are true. They tell you to do what be a be a Berean. So Those are the Macedonian churches and that's the Offering that he talks about in verses 1 to 5.

And then he talks about the the commendation of the Corinthians in verses 6 through 8. He gives us the ultimate example of generosity in verse 9. And then finally he provides a practical exhortation in Verses 10 through 15 and Lord willing we're going to get through all of this today.

Not because I'm in a rush, but because I think it all holds together as a unit of thought. So let's begin looking first at the Macedonian Offering. Verse 1 it says we want you to know brothers about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia.

Stop right there. Paul is talking about the offering that the Macedonian Christians have taken and received for the Church of Jerusalem. But notice what he calls the offering. He calls the offering a grace of God.

Have you ever considered the fact that when you give to God? That's actually God's grace in your life. Number one if you give to God God has been gracious enough to give you the means by which to give right.

You have not done anything on your own nothing that you have that is is not that you've not been given, right?

And.

So if you have the ability to give that's a grace of God if you have money in your pocket to give that's a grace Of God and the desire to give it is also a grace of God. So when Paul describes the gift from the Macedonian Christians He doesn't say hey look at this great thing.

They did he says no look at this great grace of God in their lives. The ability to give and the desire to give and the willingness to give is a grace of Almighty God. So he says in verse 2. For in severe test of affliction their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of Generosity on their part.

This is interesting because essentially what he's saying is This church really was a church that did not have a lot to give. These churches were not like the church in Corinth. Which if you remember as we studied the introduction to this book and back when we did first Corinthians we talked a lot about this.

Corinth was a Bolstering metropolis it was a place where a lot of commerce was done. It was a it was a port city it had ports on both sides and and rather than going all around the Peninsula the the ships would be lifted up out of the sea carried along and put back into the sea in that place where it was that little infamous there between the two seas was where Corinth was situated and because of where it was situated it was a place where a lot of commerce was a lot of money was a lot of things were flowing through the church or the City of Corinth and and the people of the church of Corinth would have been much more well-off probably than their Macedonian neighbors to the north and So Paul talks about it.

He says in a test of affliction their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have Overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part and then he says for they gave According to their means as I can testify and beyond their means of their own accord.

By the way If I were outlining this as a way to give if I were looking at this and saying here here's some things we can learn About giving one we give according to our means can't give what we don't have.

So we give according to our means. But notice what Paul says here. He says they give according to their means and beyond their means. They did go above and beyond. They did rise to the occasion and I love verse 4 because he says begging us.

Earnestly.

For the favor of taking part in the relief for the Saints not only did they give according to their means not only did they Rise above their means and give over and above they also Asked to be able to participate they begged to be able to participate.

The Greek word here literally means to ask earnestly or to plead. Fact one commentator, I think made an interesting point on this. Thank you, if I remember correctly was MacArthur who said it may have been that Paul didn't even seek an offering from these churches because of their poverty and Yet because they knew the need in Jerusalem was so great.

They reached down into their pockets and gave and said we want to give we want to Give we we plead with you for the opportunity to minister to these churches. Because they want to take part in what? The relief for the Saints.

I want you to notice what's not here. Notice there's nothing in here about Give so that God will prosper you in the next couple weeks. I am going to point this out a few times but the prosperity gospel, which is so commonly taught in Television and the internet and on the radio and in many churches is not the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The gospel that if you give God's going to give to you and that's the reason why you give is a false gospel. Not only is it? Wrong in and of itself that that that's the method and reason for giving but it also shows that your gift is more selfish.

Because your only motivation for the gift is that your personal account will increase. Paul doesn't say that here. He says they gave according to their means beyond their means of their own accord meaning they gave it According to their own free will watch out Calvinist.

They did it by their own free will. Begging earnestly for the favor of taking part. Not in their own prosperity, but for taking part in the relief for those who didn't have. They were more concerned that there were churches that that was hurting.

There was a church that was in need. There was a church that was destitute. There was a church that was hungry. They were more concerned that they would be taken care of to the point that they're able and desirable to reach down and make this.

Offering.

Paul is really Holding up the Macedonians as an example here. He's saying they gave according to their means above their means. They gave it because they wanted to. They begged us to be able To do it.

And they did it for the right reason. They did it because they knew there was a need. They knew there was a church that had a need. In verse 5. He says in this not as we expected, but they gave themselves First to the Lord and then by the will of God to us.

Can I say this? Giving begins.

With ourselves.

Meaning the first thing that we offer to the Lord is.

Ourself, we say God use me. However, you will.

My bank account belongs to you. My time belongs to you. My talents belong to you. I Give myself To you. And you know what if I don't have a lot of money. That's okay, because God may still use me in a way that glorifies him through my talent.

And if I don't have a lot of talent, I may still have time to get better. I can take the time to get better. And so God wants us. He wants all of us. God doesn't want to be Something that sits on the shelf that we take down every once in a while when we need him.

Neither does he want us to consider ourselves that to him. The Macedonian Christians gave themselves first to the Lord. They understood that they belonged to God. They had been purchased by Christ. They had been bought with a price.

So everything they had and everything they did and everything they possessed Belonged to God. But notice they also gave themselves to others. Notice what it says in verse 5. It says. And this not as we expected but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us.

Paul speaking there of course of himself and His entourage he's talking about his people that they gave themselves to him. But also they're giving themselves to the Church of Jerusalem. They are making themselves Available.

They're making themselves open and willing. They're giving themselves to others. Again they're a tremendous.

Example of.

Generosity in verse 6 Paul moves to talk about the Corinthians and Paul commends them and it's interesting that Paul commends them in verses 6 through 8 because in his Commendation of them we can only remember just a few chapters earlier that he has been considerably hard with them.

He has been talking about the fact that some of them have actually gone to the point where they're calling him to question his own Ministry and he's been defending himself for seven chapters, but now he's going to commend them.

And I want to say from the outset this is in no way flattery. But if you notice what we're going to see in this commendation is Paul is pointing out a very important truth Regarding the Corinthians read it with me as he says in verse 8.

Accordingly we urge Titus That as he had started so he should complete among you this act of grace by the way verse 8 or verse 6 Talking about Titus. Completing among them this work of grace that actually is going to connect a lot to next week's sermon because Titus is the man that Paul's Going to send to begin to collect and manage the offering.

So this is what he means when he says we urge Titus that he as he had started. So he should complete among you this act of grace. He's going to come and Help you along with two other men that we will see but then in verse 7 He says but as you excel in everything in faith and speech and knowledge and all earnestness and in our love for you.

See that you excel in this act of grace.

Also.

Now.

Friend of mine.

Well, not really close friend, but a gentleman I've met recently and a nice godly man named David Wrote a commentary and in his commentary on this particular passage. He believes Paul's being somewhat sarcastic.

And while I love David, I I don't think that's the case you can disagree with me and we can have a discussion later. He thinks Paul is sort of being sarcastic and saying because of all the things you think you have you should do this, too.

I'm not sure I see it that way. Because I think that if you read first Corinthians and even earlier in second Corinthians I think it is true that the Corinthians have excelled in many areas. In fact, Paul tells them in first Corinthians.

They have every gift. They have it all they have all of these gifts, so I don't think it's necessarily sarcasm, but he is making a point. Here's the point he's making as you excel in everything in faith and speech and knowledge and in all earnestness and In our love for you as you excel in all these things as you have all these things.

See that you excel in this act of grace also notice he's calling the get the offering an act of grace. He's doing that again. By the word the word grace is all through here. And what he's saying he's saying if you have these things which you do you have faith you have Speech you have knowledge you have earnestness and you have our love if you have all of those things, you know else you should have generosity.

If you if you exceed in all those areas and you don't exceed in generosity, that's a major area of failure. So if it is true and it is that you have faith and speech and knowledge and earnestness and love.

See that you also excel in generosity in this act of grace. Because why number verse 8 I say this to you. Not as a command. But to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also Is genuine this verse this this verse is hard y 'all.

It's hard. I spent some time with this verse this week thinking about this because I just Paul says I'm not commanding you to give. But this is a test. I'm not telling you you have to do this. But I am telling you this is an opportunity to show the genuineness of your love.

It's a powerful thought just just for a moment I'll I'll just give some dead air unless you think what he's saying. I'm not telling you what you have to do. But I am telling you this is an opportunity to show whether or not your love is genuine.

It reminds me of when Paul Sent the letter to Philemon. Do you remember the letter to Philemon? Philemon was a Man who had a runaway slave. That runaway slaves name was Onesimus and that runaway slave had met the Apostle Paul.

He had gotten saved and Paul is sending him back to the master and he's sending him along with this letter and this letter says to Philemon I could command you. But I'm not going to you know, what is right.

Receive him as a what a brother. Not as a slave, but as a brother. I Won't command you but you know what to do. I'm not going to command you but you know, what's right. And that amazing. That's so much of what we have in the New Testament Does not come by way of command but rather by way of example.

Paul's looking to the Corinthians. He's saying look at the Macedonians and look at that. They didn't have anything and they have reached down as far as they could they've given over and above what they had and they've done So joyfully and willfully and they've done so because of the right reason you Have an opportunity and I'm not going to tell you what you have to do, but you know what to do you know what the right thing is and this becomes a Test an Opportunity again notice the text To prove by the earnestness of others that your love also Is genuine now.

We get to verse 9 I.

Want to say that. It was very much in my heart that I thought maybe I would preach a whole sermon on verse 9. I've decided not to but Unless the Lord moves on my heart and I come back next week and change my mind.

But as of now, I've decided not to. But I want you to understand something. In verse 9 Paul gives one of the most profound passages in the New Testament not just on the subject of giving. But on the subject of Christology.

You know what Christology is. It's the doctrine and study of the Lord Jesus Christ.

And.

Paul is talking about giving Paul's given the Macedonian Example the Macedonian offering. He said look at that. Look at what they have done. He then commends the Corinthians you have all these things.

You have faith you have love. You have all these things. So show yourself true. Show your love true in this offering. And then he 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.

Beloved. One of my favorite verses in the world is 2nd Corinthians 521. God made him who knew no sin to become sin for us that we could become the righteousness of God in him. We call that the great exchange at 2nd Corinthians 521.

We studied it just a few weeks ago. I Think this verse is it's parallel.

And here's why in.

2nd Corinthians 521 God made him who knew no sin Jesus to become sin for us. That was the work on the cross. He became our sin bearer. So that in him we could become the righteousness of God his righteousness becomes our righteousness.

Well this passage in 2nd Corinthians 8 9 actually parallels that in a great way, but parallels it by describing the incarnation of Christ and If you don't remember what that word incarnation means. It means to take on flesh.

To be incarnate means to become flesh. The Bible says in John 1 the word was with God and the word was God and the word became Flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory the glory of the only begotten of the Father full of grace and truth.

You see what? Paul is saying here is That Jesus Christ Though he was rich became poor. I want to ask you this question and just in your mind You have to answer out loud. When was Jesus ever rich on this earth?

He wasn't on This earth. Now a lot of people really really really try to stress the poverty of Jesus, I don't think Jesus was in poverty. But Jesus weren't rich either. Jesus was raised the son of a carpenter and He spent most of his ministry being taken care of by other people.

The women often were the ones who were giving the money for The ministry and he did say at one point foxes have holes birds of the air have nests. But the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head. So when was he rich?

Before the incarnation the eternal triune God Has always existed Father Son and Holy Spirit. There has never been a time When there was not Father Son and Holy Spirit. God didn't become a Trinity in the New Testament.

God didn't become a Trinity at creation. God has always been the blessed triune God and In John 17 When Jesus is praying to the Father He says father Glorify me with the glory that we shared before the world existed.

Glorify me with the glory that we had Before the world existed because what Christ did is in the incarnation. He who was rich took on the poverty of Humility by becoming a man. You understand we call that in theological terms we call that the humiliation of Christ.

You understand it wasn't just going to the cross that was a humiliation. It was coming it was being a man. That's humiliating to God. That's stepping down. That is what is he who was on the throne came down to earth in his Humiliation.

He who was rich became poor. In fact, I want to read to you from Philippians 2. Listen to Philippians 2 verse 5. Have this mind among yourselves. Which is yours in Christ Jesus who though he was in the form of God Did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped.

But emptied himself by taking the form of a servant being born in the likeness of men and being found in human form. He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death even death on a cross.

He was in the form of God, but he did not count that something to be held on to the word grasp. He didn't hold on to that.

But he.

Emptied himself and.

Became a man.

He didn't empty himself of his divinity. He didn't cease to be divine. But what happened in this great miracle Which we call the hypostatic union. The full essence of the divine second person of the Trinity the God the Son United with a full human Person and.

Christ became the God-man.

We call that the hypostatic union. The word hypostatic simply means nature. So it's the union of natures the union of the God and human nature in one person. See God is one being With three persons, but Jesus is one person with two natures.

And.

So in.

That act of.

Humiliation. He who was rich became poor for what reason?

So that.