Authentic Generosity
Series: AUTHENTIC
Speaker: Steve Jeffrey
Date: 22nd September 2019
Passage: 2 Corinthians 8:1-9:15
00:00:00 --> 00:00:08 Good morning all. A carnival set up down at the concourse in Chatswood. They had a variety
00:00:08 --> 00:00:16 of side shows as you do it at a carnival, one of which was the popular strongman competition.
00:00:17 --> 00:00:24 They had a 150 kilogram muscle bound hulk of an individual who squeezed an orange into
00:00:24 --> 00:00:31 a glass until there was, it wasn't even a drop left in this orange. And then the challenge
00:00:31 --> 00:00:36 was to throw out in front of everyone who'd gathered if anyone could come up and get just
00:00:36 --> 00:00:46 one more drop out of this orange, then they would win a prize of $1. Many who spent
00:00:46 --> 00:00:52 their days looking at themselves in the mirror at Crunch Gym stepped up and tried but without
00:00:52 --> 00:01:00 success to get another drop out of this orange until that is a middle-aged man watching from
00:01:00 --> 00:01:08 the back stepped up to the platform, grabbed the orange and proceeded to squeeze this orange
00:01:08 --> 00:01:17 and managed to get another half a cup of juice out of this orange. And the crowd roared with
00:01:17 --> 00:01:25 delight as the check was handed over for $1. And this muscle bound buffoon was embarrassed and
00:01:25 --> 00:01:31 flabbergasted at how this individual could possibly do that. It's not like he'd spend his days at Crunch
00:01:31 --> 00:01:39 Gym. And so he asked him who he was and how on earth did he do it? He said, my name is Andrew Smith.
00:01:39 --> 00:01:44 I'm the treasurer of the local Anglican church and I do this every Sunday with a collection.
00:01:48 --> 00:01:58 So far in 2 Corinthians, Paul has put it all out there. His passion for Jesus and the gospel,
00:01:59 --> 00:02:07 his convictions about ministry, his concern for the church family at Corinth, his love for individuals,
00:02:07 --> 00:02:14 his fear for their long-term salvation and even his delight as we saw last week at their repentance
00:02:14 --> 00:02:25 after his previous stern letter. So having done all of that and with the church now turning around,
00:02:25 --> 00:02:34 what is left? To talk about money. See the link? See the link between what has happened to this point?
00:02:34 --> 00:02:41 Paul has been calling them back again and again to the authentic gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and
00:02:41 --> 00:02:49 having celebrated their repentance, he now highlights what an authentic embrace of the gospel looks like in
00:02:49 --> 00:03:01 practice. Authentic generosity. God's generosity to us shapes a life of generosity.
00:03:01 --> 00:03:07 These chapters are not incidental. They're not a side point.
00:03:09 --> 00:03:17 They are not an added little bit in there to the message of 2 Corinthians. In fact, a number of
00:03:17 --> 00:03:22 commentators argue that these chapters are the point of 2 Corinthians.
00:03:22 --> 00:03:34 While money is the presenting issue in these chapters, they are more broadly a call to open-hearted,
00:03:35 --> 00:03:40 wholehearted, whole-of-life, gospel-shaped followers of the Lord Jesus.
00:03:40 --> 00:03:53 Now this is, of course, is evidenced in a life of radical generosity as God's generosity to us shapes a life of generosity.
00:03:54 --> 00:03:56 So it does include the way we handle our money.
00:03:57 --> 00:04:08 In 2 Corinthians 8 and 9, Paul gives us the longest, most rigorous, sustained treatment of a gospel-shaped
00:04:08 --> 00:04:11 attitude to money in the entire Bible.
00:04:12 --> 00:04:19 So open up your Bibles, 2 Corinthians 8 and 9. It would be great if you could follow along with me
00:04:19 --> 00:04:22 and to see what God has to say to us on this issue.
00:04:22 --> 00:04:24 So why does Paul do that here?
00:04:25 --> 00:04:28 Why does he give us this treatment here?
00:04:28 --> 00:04:32 Because he's wanting to raise money.
00:04:34 --> 00:04:42 It's easy to forget that these letters are not abstract theological essays which lay the theological foundation for Christianity.
00:04:43 --> 00:04:45 They do that, absolutely.
00:04:46 --> 00:04:50 But they are also real letters written for pressing and urgent reasons.
00:04:50 --> 00:05:02 And in this case, it's to get the prosperous Corinthians to part with large amounts of their hard-earned cash
00:05:02 --> 00:05:09 so that their poor brothers and sisters back in Jerusalem can put some hummus and falafel on the table.
00:05:10 --> 00:05:12 That's the point here of these.
00:05:12 --> 00:05:15 He's looking to raise money.
00:05:15 --> 00:05:17 Should not forget that.
00:05:17 --> 00:05:27 One of the main reasons 2 Corinthians was written was to ensure that when Titus and his friends showed up at Corinth,
00:05:27 --> 00:05:31 there would be a large pile of drachma waiting for them.
00:05:35 --> 00:05:42 So strap yourselves in, get a firm grip on your wallet because we've got a bit of ground to cover today.
00:05:42 --> 00:05:44 We'll see that in the service outline.
00:05:44 --> 00:05:49 If you've got that in front of you, you can get it on the St. Paul's app or on the sheets that were handed out to you.
00:05:50 --> 00:05:52 The gospel produces generosity.
00:05:52 --> 00:05:53 The gospel produces sacrifice.
00:05:53 --> 00:05:55 The gospel produces servant-heartedness.
00:05:55 --> 00:05:58 The gospel produces joyful generosity.
00:05:58 --> 00:06:02 I want to close off with an exhortation to practice authentic generosity.
00:06:03 --> 00:06:04 So let's kick off.
00:06:04 --> 00:06:09 The first one is the gospel produces a life of generosity from chapter 8 verses 1 to 7.
00:06:09 --> 00:06:15 So Paul tells the Corinthians to give like the Macedonians.
00:06:16 --> 00:06:24 There is no doubt in Paul's mind that one crucial effect of the gospel is a life of radical generosity.
00:06:25 --> 00:06:29 The Macedonians were a noteworthy example.
00:06:30 --> 00:06:37 The Macedonians had dumbfounded Paul with their selfless generosity despite their deep poverty.
00:06:37 --> 00:06:38 Have a look at verses 1 to 5.
00:06:38 --> 00:06:44 And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches.
00:06:45 --> 00:06:56 In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.
00:06:56 --> 00:07:04 For I testify that they gave as much as they were able and even beyond their ability, entirely on their own,
00:07:05 --> 00:07:11 they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord's people.
00:07:11 --> 00:07:13 And they exceeded our expectations.
00:07:14 --> 00:07:20 They gave themselves first of all to the Lord and then by the will of God also to us.
00:07:20 --> 00:07:26 So their giving is clearly sacrificial.
00:07:27 --> 00:07:30 They gave more than they could afford to give.
00:07:31 --> 00:07:34 And it was remarkably enthusiastic.
00:07:34 --> 00:07:42 They begged Paul for the privilege of getting involved in the collection he was organising for the struggling church in Jerusalem.
00:07:42 --> 00:07:45 I've got to be honest with you.
00:07:45 --> 00:07:57 I dream of the day when people will crowd at my office door pleading with me to allow them to give more and more money to the work of gospel ministry through St. Paul's and beyond.
00:07:58 --> 00:08:01 Please be that person for me this week.
00:08:02 --> 00:08:03 Please do that.
00:08:03 --> 00:08:33 Please do that.
00:08:33 --> 00:09:03 Please do that.
00:09:03 --> 00:09:16 How quickly we can move an empty bag to the back, from the front to the back, without anyone acting like anything significant, let alone joyful, is actually happening in that moment.
00:09:22 --> 00:09:25 We used to do it while singing so no one noticed.
00:09:25 --> 00:09:42 The Macedonians knew that giving to other believers in the work of the gospel was the overflow of the fact that they themselves gave themselves first to the Lord and then to the apostles.
00:09:42 --> 00:09:45 I think verse 5 is a startling sentence.
00:09:45 --> 00:09:49 They gave themselves first to the apostles.
00:09:49 --> 00:09:56 It reveals a depth of commitment and gravity that we would do well to copy.
00:09:56 --> 00:10:05 That is, this is, this is the source of their joy, giving themselves to the Lord first.
00:10:07 --> 00:10:12 They committed themselves wholeheartedly to God in repentance and faith.
00:10:13 --> 00:10:14 They gave themselves to God.
00:10:14 --> 00:10:15 They gave themselves to one another.
00:10:15 --> 00:10:30 John Calvin makes a profound observation on this passage that our problem is that we think something is lost when we give it away.
00:10:30 --> 00:10:34 Especially when we give it to other people.
00:10:34 --> 00:10:48 The Macedonians had come to be so set free by the gospel that they really actually realized to give is to gain, not to lose.
00:10:48 --> 00:10:51 Even though they were Paul.
00:10:52 --> 00:10:55 And so Paul wants this Corinthian church to model the Macedonians.
00:10:55 --> 00:10:56 Verse 7,
00:10:56 --> 00:11:06 But since you excel in everything, in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you, see that you also excel in the grace of giving.
00:11:07 --> 00:11:18 In 1 Corinthians, Paul has plenty to say about the Corinthian church's ability to talk themselves up in speech.
00:11:18 --> 00:11:20 And in various other ways.
00:11:20 --> 00:11:27 Now, he says, now you have a wonderful opportunity to put your money where your mouth is.
00:11:30 --> 00:11:36 Now, Paul's words must have made them squirm a little bit, as I hope it does for some of us here.
00:11:36 --> 00:11:41 It must have bothered them to be compared to the Macedonians.
00:11:41 --> 00:11:46 It's kind of like, you know, your parents saying, why can't you be like your brother?
00:11:46 --> 00:11:47 It's kind of like that.
00:11:48 --> 00:11:49 It's always awkward.
00:11:50 --> 00:12:01 The beauty of the gospel, though, is it helps us get over our pride and over our ego and recognize what God has done for others and be spurred on by our brothers and sisters.
00:12:01 --> 00:12:04 None of us have it sorted.
00:12:04 --> 00:12:11 And it's right to look to others in moments like this and see what they do have sorted.
00:12:12 --> 00:12:17 And what the gospel produces, we see, secondly, is a life of sacrifice.
00:12:17 --> 00:12:18 Verses 8 to 15.
00:12:18 --> 00:12:24 Having told them to model the Macedonians, Paul then raises the stakes a little bit higher for them in these verses.
00:12:25 --> 00:12:28 Paul says the gospel produces sacrifice.
00:12:28 --> 00:12:33 Not just sacrifice like the Macedonians, but sacrifice like Jesus.
00:12:33 --> 00:12:38 The gospel doesn't just make us generous.
00:12:38 --> 00:12:41 It makes us selfless.
00:12:42 --> 00:12:44 Verses 8 and 9.
00:12:44 --> 00:12:49 I'm not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others.
00:12:50 --> 00:12:57 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor,
00:12:57 --> 00:13:00 so that you through his poverty might become rich.
00:13:00 --> 00:13:06 He's now telling them to act like Jesus.
00:13:07 --> 00:13:09 Not just the Macedonians, but Jesus.
00:13:11 --> 00:13:19 In this very brief sentence, Paul highlights the pre-existence of the Son of God
00:13:19 --> 00:13:25 and the grace that God has shown us in the coming of the eternal Son of God into this world,
00:13:25 --> 00:13:36 dying on a cross for us to press the Corinthian church into a life of selflessness in their generosity.
00:13:36 --> 00:13:41 In particular, he's telling the Corinthians to follow through with the pledges
00:13:41 --> 00:13:45 in the same way that Jesus followed through for our sake,
00:13:47 --> 00:13:53 by not even balking at death on a cross for the sins of the world.
00:13:53 --> 00:13:54 Let's keep reading.
00:13:54 --> 00:13:54 Verse 10.
00:13:54 --> 00:13:58 And here is my judgment about what is best for you in this matter.
00:13:59 --> 00:14:04 Last year, you were the first not only to give, but also to have the desire to do so.
00:14:05 --> 00:14:10 Now finish the work so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched
00:14:10 --> 00:14:13 by your completion of it according to your means.
00:14:17 --> 00:14:22 The point he's saying here is follow through with your commitments.
00:14:22 --> 00:14:30 Because Jesus did, and the fact that he did empowers us to do so too.
00:14:32 --> 00:14:40 If you say you're going to support someone in ministry, an organization, a missionary,
00:14:40 --> 00:14:46 then fill out the forms and transfer the money.
00:14:47 --> 00:14:47 Do it.
00:14:47 --> 00:14:48 That's the point.
00:14:48 --> 00:14:48 That's the point.
00:14:54 --> 00:15:01 I think it's important to point out that at the moment right now, we are $22 behind
00:15:01 --> 00:15:03 in our offertory this year.
00:15:03 --> 00:15:13 When I say that, I mean $22 behind what we said we would give in November last year.
00:15:14 --> 00:15:18 $22 behind our pledges from last year.
00:15:18 --> 00:15:28 As Paul is here calling the Corinthians to follow through with their pledges,
00:15:28 --> 00:15:30 I want to encourage you to do the same.
00:15:31 --> 00:15:37 Let's see that that $22 deficit removed by the time that Andrew does his reporting
00:15:37 --> 00:15:38 for parish council next month.
00:15:40 --> 00:15:41 One month, $22.
00:15:42 --> 00:15:42 Let's get it sorted.
00:15:42 --> 00:15:53 A year earlier, the Corinthians had made encouraging noises about supporting the Jerusalem fund.
00:15:54 --> 00:15:56 Now they need to come up with the cash.
00:15:57 --> 00:16:01 Now is the time that they needed to prioritize others and to open their wallets.
00:16:02 --> 00:16:08 The extent to which we follow through with our commitments is a measure of how selfless or
00:16:08 --> 00:16:10 selfish we are.
00:16:10 --> 00:16:18 Almost always, it is self getting in the way of us following through in our commitments.
00:16:19 --> 00:16:28 I don't do what I said that I would do because I've prioritized something else in that moment.
00:16:29 --> 00:16:31 Something else that becomes more important to me.
00:16:33 --> 00:16:35 It's not flattering, but it's true.
00:16:35 --> 00:16:37 It's the opposite of Jesus' attitude.
00:16:37 --> 00:16:43 And what Paul is wanting to see this Corinthian church is to see a grace-driven equilibrium.
00:16:44 --> 00:16:46 Verses 12 to 15.
00:16:46 --> 00:16:50 For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according
00:16:50 --> 00:16:52 to what one does not have.
00:16:53 --> 00:17:01 Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard-pressed, but that there might
00:17:01 --> 00:17:02 be equality.
00:17:03 --> 00:17:09 At the present time, your plenty will supply what they need so that in turn, their plenty
00:17:09 --> 00:17:10 will supply what you need.
00:17:10 --> 00:17:14 The goal is equality as it is written.
00:17:14 --> 00:17:18 The one who gathered much did not have too much and the one who gathered little did not
00:17:18 --> 00:17:19 have too little.
00:17:20 --> 00:17:22 When I need help, you help me.
00:17:22 --> 00:17:24 And when you need help, I help you.
00:17:26 --> 00:17:28 No one is keeping score here though.
00:17:29 --> 00:17:30 No one's keeping score.
00:17:30 --> 00:17:38 There is a natural, what he's describing here is within the church, there's this natural grace-driven
00:17:38 --> 00:17:45 ebb and flow of dependence as we live together without the shame that would stop us asking
00:17:45 --> 00:17:49 for help, nor the greed that would stop us giving it.
00:17:50 --> 00:17:58 Paul backs up this idea from Exodus 16 and the account of God, how God supplied manna as
00:17:58 --> 00:18:00 food for the Israelites in the wilderness.
00:18:02 --> 00:18:05 And it was every day he provided them with their manna.
00:18:05 --> 00:18:07 It's why we pray, give us today our daily bread.
00:18:09 --> 00:18:11 But it was the law of diminishing returns.
00:18:12 --> 00:18:20 If you got greedy and tried to store up more than a day's worth of manna for yourself, you
00:18:20 --> 00:18:21 got maggots in your manna.
00:18:21 --> 00:18:30 Now, there was always enough for each day and for everyone.
00:18:31 --> 00:18:38 And the principle of Exodus 16 and right through the New Testament is that excess is toxic.
00:18:41 --> 00:18:42 Excess is toxic.
00:18:43 --> 00:18:45 John Calvin put it like this.
00:18:45 --> 00:18:51 Those who have riches, whether inherited or won by their own industry and labour, are
00:18:51 --> 00:18:57 to remember that what is left over is not for intemperance or luxury, but for relieving
00:18:57 --> 00:18:59 the needs of the brothers.
00:19:01 --> 00:19:03 That stings a bit, doesn't it?
00:19:04 --> 00:19:09 Our society runs on the principle that we work hard so we can get to play hard.
00:19:09 --> 00:19:15 The default is we spend as much on ourselves as we possibly can.
00:19:15 --> 00:19:19 We budget and save so that we can spend it on ourselves.
00:19:20 --> 00:19:29 And the way of Christ is to lavish as much as we can on others for the sake of the gospel.
00:19:30 --> 00:19:34 It is to give things up for the sake of Jesus and others.
00:19:34 --> 00:19:40 That's because the gospel also produces servant-heartedness.
00:19:42 --> 00:19:48 It's why Paul talks about Titus here in chapter 8, verses 16 through to 9.5.
00:19:49 --> 00:20:00 This kind of gospel-driven equality is revealed when Titus puts his hand up to go to Corinth
00:20:00 --> 00:20:05 to collect their part of the money, but also in the depth of care he showed them.
00:20:05 --> 00:20:07 Have a look at verses 16 to 18.
00:20:07 --> 00:20:13 Thanks be to God who puts into the heart of Titus the same concern I have for you.
00:20:14 --> 00:20:22 For Titus not only welcomed our appeal, but he is coming to you with much enthusiasm and on his own initiative.
00:20:22 --> 00:20:30 And we are sending along with him the brother who is praised by all the churches for his service to the gospel.
00:20:31 --> 00:20:33 It turns out there's two brothers.
00:20:33 --> 00:20:41 Titus and his team of two brothers go above and beyond to serve in a selfless way and full of integrity.
00:20:41 --> 00:20:42 Verse 20.
00:20:42 --> 00:21:05 Paul knows full well that fights and accusations about money will kill off gospel ministry more quickly than almost anything else.
00:21:05 --> 00:21:12 I think it's fantastic that the church here does not give me access to bank accounts.
00:21:13 --> 00:21:15 I think that's fantastic.
00:21:17 --> 00:21:27 Not because I would run away with the money, but to ensure that there is no accusation that could be leveled at me.
00:21:27 --> 00:21:39 Paul is keen to make sure that nothing hinders the gospel and the glory of God.
00:21:40 --> 00:21:44 So how were the Corinthians to respond to this servant hardness?
00:21:44 --> 00:21:44 Verse 24.
00:21:45 --> 00:21:53 Therefore show these men the proof of your love and the reason for our pride in you so that the churches can see it.
00:21:53 --> 00:21:58 In other words, if you remember the movie, show me the money.
00:22:01 --> 00:22:02 Show me the money.
00:22:02 --> 00:22:07 That's how you respond to their servant heartedness.
00:22:09 --> 00:22:15 Time for you to come through for me, for them, for the church, for Jesus and for yourself.
00:22:16 --> 00:22:19 Give like the Macedonians, live selflessly like Jesus.
00:22:19 --> 00:22:29 And in the beginning of chapter 9, he's simply calling them to do what they know that they are supposed to do.
00:22:29 --> 00:22:33 Be people of servant hearted integrity and give.
00:22:36 --> 00:22:39 Give because the gospel produces joyful generosity.
00:22:40 --> 00:22:42 Have a look at chapter 9 verse 6.
00:22:42 --> 00:22:45 Remember this, whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly.
00:22:45 --> 00:22:48 Whoever sows generously will also reap generously.
00:22:49 --> 00:22:54 Each of you should give what you've decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion,
00:22:54 --> 00:22:56 for God loves a cheerful giver.
00:22:58 --> 00:23:05 In the Western world, we live under the mantra of God gives credit to the reluctant and cheerful giver.
00:23:05 --> 00:23:12 We live under that mantra, not realizing that's what we do, but that's what we do.
00:23:12 --> 00:23:16 God gives credit to the reluctant and careful giver.
00:23:17 --> 00:23:21 Paul has something a little bit more freeing and lavish in mind in these verses.
00:23:22 --> 00:23:24 Extravagance is good when it comes to giving.
00:23:25 --> 00:23:26 That's his view.
00:23:27 --> 00:23:31 Let me urge you to be a little bit more reckless in your giving.
00:23:31 --> 00:23:34 Reckless in your giving.
00:23:34 --> 00:23:38 And to have a broad smile in your recklessness.
00:23:42 --> 00:23:49 Or if you cannot be in a position to do that,
00:23:49 --> 00:23:53 to be able to be reckless in your giving at this time,
00:23:53 --> 00:24:01 make sure that you see your inability to give as an incredibly sad thing.
00:24:03 --> 00:24:05 That you are actually missing out.
00:24:09 --> 00:24:13 Not because we've had to part with our hard-earned money,
00:24:13 --> 00:24:17 but because we've missed out on the great joy from God
00:24:17 --> 00:24:20 in not being able to give in this moment.
00:24:20 --> 00:24:26 The fact is, those who sow in gospel generosity
00:24:26 --> 00:24:28 and selflessness or servant hardness, integrity,
00:24:28 --> 00:24:38 never, ever, ever, ever, ever miss out.
00:24:41 --> 00:24:42 Have a look at verse 8.
00:24:44 --> 00:24:46 And God is able to bless you abundantly.
00:24:46 --> 00:24:50 God is able to lavish on you every kind of abound
00:24:50 --> 00:24:53 so that in all things and at all times,
00:24:53 --> 00:24:55 having all that you need,
00:24:55 --> 00:24:58 you will abound in every good work.
00:24:59 --> 00:25:04 Our God loves to saturate us in good things.
00:25:04 --> 00:25:05 Keep reading verse 10.
00:25:06 --> 00:25:09 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food
00:25:09 --> 00:25:12 will also supply and increase your store of seed
00:25:12 --> 00:25:14 and will enlarge your harvest of your righteousness.
00:25:14 --> 00:25:17 You will be enriched in every way
00:25:17 --> 00:25:19 so that you can be generous on every occasion
00:25:19 --> 00:25:21 and through us,
00:25:21 --> 00:25:24 your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
00:25:25 --> 00:25:29 God will give us every resource we need
00:25:29 --> 00:25:31 for our own growth
00:25:31 --> 00:25:33 and for that of our brothers and sisters in Jesus.
00:25:33 --> 00:25:35 The illusion here in these verses
00:25:35 --> 00:25:38 is Isaiah 55 10,
00:25:38 --> 00:25:40 where God's word does not come back
00:25:40 --> 00:25:43 without accomplishing what it's designed to do.
00:25:43 --> 00:25:47 This simply means that Paul is talking much more here
00:25:47 --> 00:25:50 than trading finance for finance.
00:25:51 --> 00:25:52 You give, God will give you money.
00:25:52 --> 00:25:54 That's not what he's saying here.
00:25:55 --> 00:25:57 He is referring to whole of life.
00:25:57 --> 00:26:00 He's referring to the whole of lives of others as well,
00:26:00 --> 00:26:04 being enriched with every spiritual blessing.
00:26:04 --> 00:26:09 Let me just follow up on something that I said last week.
00:26:10 --> 00:26:13 The prosperity gospel, as I referred to last week,
00:26:13 --> 00:26:16 is a destructive evil and a blight on the church.
00:26:17 --> 00:26:20 It consistently promises what God does not
00:26:20 --> 00:26:24 and in its overreaching,
00:26:24 --> 00:26:26 it blames the lack of blessing
00:26:26 --> 00:26:29 on the very ones it's been defrauding at the same time.
00:26:29 --> 00:26:33 Usually the poor and the vulnerable.
00:26:34 --> 00:26:39 From what I can understand in my leading of this church,
00:26:40 --> 00:26:43 the prosperity gospel is not our problem.
00:26:44 --> 00:26:49 Our problem is to go the exact opposite direction
00:26:49 --> 00:26:51 and have no expectations of God whatsoever.
00:26:51 --> 00:26:57 We do not expect enough from God.
00:26:57 --> 00:27:01 We don't need our expectations of God dampened at all.
00:27:02 --> 00:27:04 We need to take God seriously when he says,
00:27:05 --> 00:27:07 now he who supplies seed for the sower
00:27:07 --> 00:27:09 and bread for food
00:27:09 --> 00:27:14 will also supply and increase your store of seed
00:27:14 --> 00:27:18 and enlarge your harvest of righteousness.
00:27:18 --> 00:27:22 We need to listen to our God who says,
00:27:22 --> 00:27:26 you will be enriched in every way
00:27:26 --> 00:27:28 to be generous in every way.
00:27:30 --> 00:27:32 When we give generously,
00:27:33 --> 00:27:36 when we give with joy in our hearts,
00:27:36 --> 00:27:38 we are demonstrating that we are trusting
00:27:38 --> 00:27:40 the God of the gospel
00:27:40 --> 00:27:44 who has promised to do us nothing but good.
00:27:44 --> 00:27:53 It's not that we give
00:27:53 --> 00:27:57 with the plan that God will give us more back,
00:27:58 --> 00:28:01 but that in giving we demonstrate
00:28:01 --> 00:28:03 that we trust the gospel,
00:28:03 --> 00:28:05 that we trust God's promise
00:28:05 --> 00:28:08 to always do us good.
00:28:08 --> 00:28:15 And the net result of authentic generosity
00:28:15 --> 00:28:17 is an overflow of thanksgiving to God.
00:28:17 --> 00:28:18 Verse 12,
00:28:18 --> 00:28:20 this service that you perform
00:28:20 --> 00:28:22 is not only supplying the needs of the Lord's people,
00:28:23 --> 00:28:26 but he's also overflowing in many expressions
00:28:26 --> 00:28:27 of thanks to God.
00:28:27 --> 00:28:29 Because of the service
00:28:29 --> 00:28:31 by which you have proved yourselves,
00:28:32 --> 00:28:34 others will praise God
00:28:34 --> 00:28:35 for the obedience
00:28:35 --> 00:28:37 that accompanies your confession
00:28:37 --> 00:28:39 of the gospel of Christ
00:28:39 --> 00:28:41 and for your generosity
00:28:41 --> 00:28:42 in sharing with them
00:28:42 --> 00:28:44 and with everyone else.
00:28:44 --> 00:28:46 And in their prayers for you,
00:28:46 --> 00:28:48 their hearts will go out to you
00:28:48 --> 00:28:51 because of the surpassing grace
00:28:51 --> 00:28:53 God has given you.
00:28:53 --> 00:28:54 Thanks be to God
00:28:54 --> 00:28:56 for his indescribable gift.
00:28:57 --> 00:29:00 Gospel giving flows out of gratitude
00:29:00 --> 00:29:03 and it multiplies gratitude,
00:29:03 --> 00:29:07 which of course leads to God being glorified.
00:29:08 --> 00:29:10 Gospel giving flows out of gratitude
00:29:10 --> 00:29:13 and it multiplies gratitude,
00:29:14 --> 00:29:17 which of course leads to God being glorified.
00:29:19 --> 00:29:20 Paul's response
00:29:20 --> 00:29:22 to the lack of generosity
00:29:22 --> 00:29:25 is to point this Corinthian church
00:29:25 --> 00:29:28 to God's indescribable gift to us.
00:29:28 --> 00:29:30 He's referring here to the gospel.
00:29:31 --> 00:29:34 It is the core of the Christian faith
00:29:34 --> 00:29:35 and the heartbeat of this church.
00:29:36 --> 00:29:37 As I've said a couple of times
00:29:37 --> 00:29:39 and in fact every time
00:29:39 --> 00:29:40 through 2 Corinthians,
00:29:40 --> 00:29:43 Paul's gospel in 2 Corinthians is this.
00:29:43 --> 00:29:45 The authentic Christian gospel
00:29:45 --> 00:29:46 is the good news
00:29:46 --> 00:29:48 that God sent his son into the world
00:29:48 --> 00:29:50 to live a perfect life,
00:29:50 --> 00:29:53 to die as a substitute for sinners,
00:29:53 --> 00:29:55 to absorb the anger of God,
00:29:55 --> 00:29:56 to turn it away from humanity,
00:29:56 --> 00:29:59 to take away our guilt and our shame,
00:29:59 --> 00:30:02 provide the right standing before God
00:30:02 --> 00:30:02 as a gift
00:30:02 --> 00:30:05 and to give eternal joy
00:30:05 --> 00:30:07 through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ
00:30:07 --> 00:30:10 alone apart from any works of obedience
00:30:10 --> 00:30:11 from us.
00:30:14 --> 00:30:16 That's what he says.
00:30:16 --> 00:30:17 You look at that.
00:30:18 --> 00:30:19 You remember that
00:30:19 --> 00:30:23 and it will build up generosity
00:30:23 --> 00:30:24 in your heart.
00:30:24 --> 00:30:28 Paul puts no pressure on your will
00:30:28 --> 00:30:30 in 2 Corinthians 8 and 9.
00:30:31 --> 00:30:32 He doesn't say,
00:30:32 --> 00:30:32 I'm an apostle.
00:30:34 --> 00:30:36 You are the sheep.
00:30:38 --> 00:30:39 You've got to give
00:30:39 --> 00:30:41 because I'm telling you to give.
00:30:42 --> 00:30:43 He doesn't do that.
00:30:44 --> 00:30:46 He doesn't even put pressure on your emotions.
00:30:46 --> 00:30:49 He doesn't send around
00:30:49 --> 00:30:51 pictures from Jerusalem
00:30:51 --> 00:30:54 of starving little orphan kids
00:30:54 --> 00:30:54 with big eyes.
00:30:55 --> 00:30:56 He doesn't even do that for them.
00:30:57 --> 00:30:59 Try and move their emotions to give.
00:31:01 --> 00:31:02 He says that
00:31:02 --> 00:31:04 if you do not have the freedom
00:31:04 --> 00:31:06 to give your money away
00:31:06 --> 00:31:09 in eye-popping proportions,
00:31:09 --> 00:31:12 it's because something besides Jesus Christ
00:31:12 --> 00:31:13 is your functional Lord and Savior.
00:31:13 --> 00:31:16 you have not grasped the gospel.
00:31:17 --> 00:31:17 That's what he's saying.
00:31:19 --> 00:31:22 And the way you break the hold of money
00:31:22 --> 00:31:23 over your life
00:31:23 --> 00:31:25 is not to sit down with a calculator
00:31:25 --> 00:31:27 but to sit down with the gospel.
00:31:28 --> 00:31:31 The radical generosity of Jesus Christ
00:31:31 --> 00:31:31 on the cross
00:31:31 --> 00:31:34 until it builds up
00:31:34 --> 00:31:36 gratitude in your heart
00:31:36 --> 00:31:38 for what you have received as a gift.
00:31:38 --> 00:31:42 when we see that we are
00:31:42 --> 00:31:43 his greatest treasure
00:31:43 --> 00:31:45 then he'll become ours.
00:31:47 --> 00:31:49 Now when Paul first
00:31:49 --> 00:31:50 introduced this collection
00:31:50 --> 00:31:51 to the church of Corinth
00:31:51 --> 00:31:54 he gave them some very simple
00:31:54 --> 00:31:57 and practical advice
00:31:57 --> 00:32:00 by terms of how to practice
00:32:00 --> 00:32:02 authentic generosity.
00:32:03 --> 00:32:05 In 2 Corinthians 16 verse 2
00:32:05 --> 00:32:06 he wrote this,
00:32:06 --> 00:32:07 on the first day of the week
00:32:07 --> 00:32:09 each one of you
00:32:09 --> 00:32:10 should set aside
00:32:10 --> 00:32:10 a sum of money
00:32:10 --> 00:32:13 in keeping with your income.
00:32:14 --> 00:32:14 That is,
00:32:14 --> 00:32:16 what his instruction there is
00:32:16 --> 00:32:17 is regular
00:32:17 --> 00:32:19 proportional giving.
00:32:20 --> 00:32:21 That's his instruction.
00:32:23 --> 00:32:24 Now can I just add
00:32:24 --> 00:32:25 in top of the
00:32:25 --> 00:32:26 not only are we
00:32:26 --> 00:32:28 at $22 in deficit
00:32:28 --> 00:32:29 I just want to add this bit.
00:32:31 --> 00:32:32 With parish council
00:32:32 --> 00:32:34 we are noticing
00:32:34 --> 00:32:36 that the giving patterns
00:32:36 --> 00:32:37 here at St Paul's
00:32:37 --> 00:32:38 are incredibly unpredictable.
00:32:40 --> 00:32:41 Some months
00:32:41 --> 00:32:43 we have a five figure deficit
00:32:43 --> 00:32:44 and some
00:32:44 --> 00:32:45 we are in surplus.
00:32:45 --> 00:32:46 There's no
00:32:46 --> 00:32:47 regularity
00:32:47 --> 00:32:48 there's no
00:32:48 --> 00:32:50 predictability
00:32:50 --> 00:32:50 in our budget
00:32:50 --> 00:32:53 and it comes down to
00:32:53 --> 00:32:54 irregularity
00:32:54 --> 00:32:54 in giving.
00:32:55 --> 00:32:56 That's the bottom line.
00:32:56 --> 00:32:57 There is
00:32:57 --> 00:32:58 irregularity
00:32:58 --> 00:32:58 in giving.
00:32:58 --> 00:33:02 For the most part
00:33:02 --> 00:33:03 we get to it
00:33:03 --> 00:33:04 when we think about it.
00:33:05 --> 00:33:06 That's why we encourage people
00:33:06 --> 00:33:08 to do it electronically
00:33:08 --> 00:33:10 to be thinking about it
00:33:10 --> 00:33:11 set it up
00:33:11 --> 00:33:13 because the pressing
00:33:13 --> 00:33:14 needs that come
00:33:14 --> 00:33:16 it's the first thing
00:33:16 --> 00:33:17 that gets pushed aside.
00:33:18 --> 00:33:19 We're noticing
00:33:19 --> 00:33:21 like this
00:33:21 --> 00:33:24 all over the place
00:33:24 --> 00:33:26 and let me just say
00:33:26 --> 00:33:27 you do not run
00:33:27 --> 00:33:28 your households
00:33:28 --> 00:33:28 like that.
00:33:29 --> 00:33:30 You cannot run
00:33:30 --> 00:33:31 your households
00:33:31 --> 00:33:31 like that.
00:33:33 --> 00:33:33 One month
00:33:33 --> 00:33:34 I've got feed
00:33:34 --> 00:33:34 for the kids
00:33:34 --> 00:33:35 next month
00:33:35 --> 00:33:35 kids
00:33:35 --> 00:33:37 let's invite ourselves
00:33:37 --> 00:33:39 to people's places
00:33:39 --> 00:33:39 for dinner.
00:33:42 --> 00:33:44 So this week
00:33:44 --> 00:33:45 sit down
00:33:45 --> 00:33:46 with the cross
00:33:46 --> 00:33:49 sit down
00:33:49 --> 00:33:50 with 2 Corinthians
00:33:50 --> 00:33:51 8 and 9
00:33:51 --> 00:33:53 make a decision
00:33:53 --> 00:33:54 to take a step
00:33:54 --> 00:33:54 forward
00:33:54 --> 00:33:55 in showing
00:33:55 --> 00:33:55 gratitude
00:33:55 --> 00:33:56 for what Christ
00:33:56 --> 00:33:57 has done
00:33:57 --> 00:33:57 for you.
00:33:58 --> 00:33:59 Our grasp
00:33:59 --> 00:33:59 of the great
00:33:59 --> 00:34:00 eternal
00:34:00 --> 00:34:01 treasure
00:34:01 --> 00:34:02 that Jesus
00:34:02 --> 00:34:02 is
00:34:02 --> 00:34:03 will be reflected
00:34:03 --> 00:34:03 in a life
00:34:03 --> 00:34:04 of generosity.
00:34:05 --> 00:34:06 Some of us
00:34:06 --> 00:34:06 might be regular
00:34:06 --> 00:34:07 givers
00:34:07 --> 00:34:07 but not even
00:34:07 --> 00:34:08 looked at it
00:34:08 --> 00:34:09 for years.
00:34:10 --> 00:34:10 Same figure
00:34:10 --> 00:34:11 just keep
00:34:11 --> 00:34:11 ticking it over.
00:34:14 --> 00:34:14 So here's my
00:34:14 --> 00:34:15 advice
00:34:15 --> 00:34:16 if you are
00:34:16 --> 00:34:17 currently
00:34:17 --> 00:34:18 a non-giver
00:34:18 --> 00:34:19 which
00:34:19 --> 00:34:21 according to
00:34:21 --> 00:34:22 stats that I've
00:34:22 --> 00:34:23 seen in research
00:34:23 --> 00:34:25 recently
00:34:25 --> 00:34:27 something in the
00:34:27 --> 00:34:27 order of
00:34:27 --> 00:34:29 30%
00:34:29 --> 00:34:29 of people
00:34:29 --> 00:34:30 who regard
00:34:30 --> 00:34:31 themselves
00:34:31 --> 00:34:31 as mature
00:34:31 --> 00:34:32 Christians
00:34:32 --> 00:34:33 have never
00:34:33 --> 00:34:34 given a
00:34:34 --> 00:34:35 single cent
00:34:35 --> 00:34:36 to gospel
00:34:36 --> 00:34:36 ministry
00:34:36 --> 00:34:38 and
00:34:38 --> 00:34:39 to charity.
00:34:40 --> 00:34:41 It is
00:34:41 --> 00:34:42 impossible
00:34:42 --> 00:34:43 to be a
00:34:43 --> 00:34:43 mature
00:34:43 --> 00:34:43 Christian
00:34:43 --> 00:34:44 and not
00:34:44 --> 00:34:45 give a
00:34:45 --> 00:34:45 single cent
00:34:45 --> 00:34:46 to gospel
00:34:46 --> 00:34:47 ministry
00:34:47 --> 00:34:48 and maturity.
00:34:49 --> 00:34:50 So if you're
00:34:50 --> 00:34:50 a non-giver
00:34:50 --> 00:34:52 start giving.
00:34:52 --> 00:34:53 If you're
00:34:53 --> 00:34:54 an irregular
00:34:54 --> 00:34:54 giver
00:34:54 --> 00:34:56 start making
00:34:56 --> 00:34:56 it regular.
00:34:57 --> 00:34:58 If you're a
00:34:58 --> 00:34:58 regular giver
00:34:58 --> 00:34:59 but only doing
00:34:59 --> 00:35:00 a small proportion
00:35:00 --> 00:35:01 of your income
00:35:01 --> 00:35:02 which apparently
00:35:02 --> 00:35:03 the average is
00:35:03 --> 00:35:03 something around
00:35:03 --> 00:35:04 2.7%
00:35:04 --> 00:35:05 of income
00:35:05 --> 00:35:08 get that
00:35:08 --> 00:35:09 small proportion
00:35:09 --> 00:35:10 and start
00:35:10 --> 00:35:11 radically
00:35:11 --> 00:35:11 aggressively
00:35:11 --> 00:35:12 putting it
00:35:12 --> 00:35:13 towards 10%
00:35:13 --> 00:35:14 which is the
00:35:14 --> 00:35:15 baseline
00:35:15 --> 00:35:16 figure that we
00:35:16 --> 00:35:17 see in the
00:35:17 --> 00:35:17 gospel.
00:35:17 --> 00:35:20 If you are
00:35:20 --> 00:35:20 a regular
00:35:20 --> 00:35:21 and proportional
00:35:21 --> 00:35:22 giver
00:35:22 --> 00:35:23 take a step
00:35:23 --> 00:35:24 towards
00:35:24 --> 00:35:24 extravagant
00:35:24 --> 00:35:25 generosity
00:35:25 --> 00:35:26 and start
00:35:26 --> 00:35:26 giving beyond
00:35:26 --> 00:35:27 10%.
00:35:27 --> 00:35:29 See Paul's
00:35:29 --> 00:35:30 concern here
00:35:30 --> 00:35:30 with this
00:35:30 --> 00:35:31 church
00:35:31 --> 00:35:31 and this is
00:35:31 --> 00:35:32 a really
00:35:32 --> 00:35:32 important point
00:35:32 --> 00:35:33 Paul's
00:35:33 --> 00:35:34 concern here
00:35:34 --> 00:35:34 with this
00:35:34 --> 00:35:35 church
00:35:35 --> 00:35:36 is not
00:35:36 --> 00:35:36 that they
00:35:36 --> 00:35:36 won't
00:35:36 --> 00:35:37 give to
00:35:37 --> 00:35:37 the
00:35:37 --> 00:35:38 collection
00:35:38 --> 00:35:40 his
00:35:40 --> 00:35:40 concern
00:35:40 --> 00:35:41 is that
00:35:41 --> 00:35:42 they won't
00:35:42 --> 00:35:43 excel
00:35:43 --> 00:35:44 in giving.
00:35:45 --> 00:35:46 That's his
00:35:46 --> 00:35:46 concern.
00:35:47 --> 00:35:48 They won't
00:35:48 --> 00:35:49 excel in
00:35:49 --> 00:35:49 giving.
00:35:50 --> 00:35:51 So may we
00:35:51 --> 00:35:52 follow the
00:35:52 --> 00:35:52 Macedonians
00:35:52 --> 00:35:53 and excel
00:35:53 --> 00:35:54 in the
00:35:54 --> 00:35:54 grace of
00:35:54 --> 00:35:54 giving
00:35:54 --> 00:35:56 because we
00:35:56 --> 00:35:57 have received
00:35:57 --> 00:35:58 God's
00:35:58 --> 00:35:59 indescribable
00:35:59 --> 00:36:00 gift to us
00:36:00 --> 00:36:01 in the
00:36:01 --> 00:36:01 Lord Jesus
00:36:01 --> 00:36:02 Christ.
00:36:02 --> 00:36:02 Amen.