The Exhortation of Faith Promise
Faith Promise 2024 • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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One year had passed since Corinth made a “promise” to give to the church in Jerusalem. Have you ever noticed how easy to “forget” the promises you make to God? Aren’t you glad today that God may “forget” you sin, but that He NEVER “forgets” His promises to you!
Last Sunday we looked at the “Example” of Faith Promise, and I thought it was interesting that God used poor churches as an example to Corinth, but as we get into the message today we’re going to notice something interesting. Read 2 Cor. 9:2
2 For I know the forwardness of your mind, for which I boast of you to them of Macedonia, that Achaia was ready a year ago; and your zeal hath provoked very many.
Do you know why the hurting Macedonians were so excited to give to the church at Jerusalem? They had heard that the church at Corinth was going to take an offering and they wanted to follow THEIR example. These struggling Christians in Macedonia, were willing to help the struggling Christians in Jerusalem because the church in Corinth had made a promise to help with an offering. My how the tables had turned.
See the problem in Corinth wasn’t a money problem, it was a heart problem. Let me be bold, the problems in our churches today isn’t a money problem, or a morality problem, or an ethical problem, its a heart problem. When your heart is right, you won’t have a problem with tithing or giving to missions. When your heart is right you won’t have a problem serving in the church. When your heart is right you won’t struggle with getting up early on Sunday to be at church. When you heart is right you will find that you don’t have as many “problems” as you thought you did.
For this reason Paul wrote this letter and sent it by Titus so that he could share with them the exhortation, encouragement of Paul for them to get their heart right. Look with me at 2 Cor. 8:7-9
7 Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also.
8 I speak not by commandment, but by occasion of the forwardness of others, and to prove the sincerity of your love.
9 For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.
Paul is exhorting, the word means to “Call near” to say, “Come join me!”, the Corinthians to fulfill their promise to give, just as their promise had provoked the poor churches around them to give.
Church this is what God is calling us to do today, to give to Faith Promise so that we can help reach others for Christ, so that we can be a blessing to the hurting saints, and so that we may “abound in the grace” of giving.
We must learn the same lesson regarding giving as the Corinthians did. I have just two points to make today,notice first that...
Giving Should Be With a Willing Attitude v. 7-8
Giving Should Be With a Willing Attitude v. 7-8
7 Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also.
Corinth was an “abounding” church. The word means “to have plenty, and to spare”. Money was no object. They had more money than they knew what to do with. But they were lacking in the same grace that was bestowed upon the Macedonians.
Grace is not bestowed to be stowed. In other words God has been so good to His church, to His children, that we ought to put His grace on display. That is what Macedonia was doing, that is what Corinth should have been doing, and it is what we MUST be doing today.
Faith Promise giving should be with a willing attitude. Notice what FP is NOT. It is NOT...
Commanded 2 Corinthians 8:8 “8 I speak not by commandment...
There several things we as Christians are commanded to do:
To tithe.
I know that there are some that view tithing as an OT ordinance under the law, and I know that they desperately want to claim that it is not for the church today.
Listen, the first mention of tithing in the Bible occurs in Genesis and is repeated often in Genesis LONG before God ever mentioned tithing in the law.
The command to tithe was never repealed in the NT. Period. Therefore we gather that it is still in effect today.
The purpose of the tithe is to bring of the first fruits of your labor to God. Giving 10% to Him, who is responsible for 100% of all you have. It is an act of worship.
The tithe is different from FP giving. If you enjoy padded pews, electricity, A/C in the summer, heat in the winter, indoor plumbing, all of that comes from the tithes we receive.
The tithe also goes to pay the salaries of those serving in the church in various capacity. And yes, in case you are wondering, I tithe too.
we are commanded to tithe, but not to give to FP. There are other things we are commanded to do:
Witness
Be faithful
Live godly lives
We are not commanded to give to FP.
We are commanded to evangelize the world, and FP is one of the means by which we accomplish this
When you give to FP you are giving to support missionaries serving GOd in places you may never go, doing things you may never do, and reaching people you could never reach, but neither could they, without your support.
Faith promise is NOT Commanded, but notice next what FP should be...
Faith Promise should be willing.
The Macedonians had to be used as the example for the Corinthians. Their willing attitude is seen in that they..
Did not have to be coerced they “were willing of themselves” v.3
They “first gave themselves to the Lord...”
What a great example for us to follow in missions giving, not to think of ourselves first, but of others.
If the heart of faith promise is giving yourself to God, then then mind of FP is to give so that others may experience the grace of God.
Paul wanted the Corinthians to be willing to give, but you cannot force willingness.
I have asked you to take this month and to pray to God about what amount you can give to FPM, but the truth is if your offering is given with the wrong attitude, then it will not be pleasing to God. Look with me at two important verses:
2 Corinthians 8:12 “12 For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.”
God is not asking you to go broke to give to missions..
He is not asking you to starve.
He is asking you to trust Him. That is what the Macedonians did…they trusted that He would make up their lack.
2 Corinthians 9:7 “7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.”
If you are willing to pray about an amount you can give, I am confident that God will honor it.
If you have an amount purposed in your heart to give and you are WILLING to give, not grudgingly - wishing you could spend it on something else, not necessity - because you feel you are being forced, but with a cheerful heart....you have the promise of the grace of God being bestowed upon you.
I’m looking at a room full of people this morning that are in different stages of life. Some of you are retired, some of you on TIGHT fixed incomes, some are nearing the end of your career and some of you are already in retirement, others are still putting in long hours at the office, or punching the clock.
What am I saying?
God knows your ability. God knows your heart.
I love this church. I may question why in the world God would call me into the ministry, but I have never questioned the fact that it was, and is, His will for me to be here, to be your pastor. I am preaching these messages not because I am begging you for your money, but because I want you to get a glimpse of the need of the world around you.
I am asking, not begging, not commanding, not demanding, no forcing, no coercing, not guilting. I am asking you to pray for a willing heart to give to FPM.
Giving should be done with a willing attitude for sure, but that is not all. Notice lastly...
Giving Should Be With a Worshipful Attitude 8b-9
Giving Should Be With a Worshipful Attitude 8b-9
Your ability to worship God is in direct proportion to how you love others.
We think of love as a “feeling” or an “emotion,” but the Bible tells us that love is a verb, not a noun. It is something that you do. If I got up in the morning and told Melanie that I love her, and the proceed to slap her around, am I loving her? If I tell her I love her then go out with another woman, do I love her? If I told you that I love my wife and you witnessed me do those things, would you believe that I love her?
When we say we love God, that we love others, that we want to see lost people saved, but then we are given an opportunity to “do something” about it we tune out the message, or we turn a blind eye to the need, we are guilty of not loving. This is the message that Paul was trying to get across:
I want you to see that “love” and “giving” are connected listen to these verses:
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
I want to be clear this morning, Paul was saying to the Corinthians, “Hey, I’m not commanding you to give to this need, I’m merely giving you an opportunity to prove how much you love God.”
The truth is church, when we think about how deeply God loves us, how richly He has invested in us, then it ought to drive us to our knees. We ought to surrender everything we have to God, starting with ourselves.
I’m reminded of story my pastor once told of a missions service. There was a young girl sitting in the pew playing with her doll. She and her doll had been there all week, listening to the preacher talk about missions. I can’t remember what he said about the sermon topic, but they took up an offering for missions at the end of the service. As the plate passed by this little girl, she looked at her doll, and with a slight hesitation, she placed it in the plate. The usher couldn’t help but smile as he thought of how precious that little doll was to this girl. At the end they brought the plates to the front of the church, and as the ushers sat down, that little girl ran the aisle and grabbed out her doll. “Well, that’s alright. She didn’t understand” the usher thought, but then she did the most unexpected thing. She dumped out the money from the plate, placed it on the floor, and stepped inside.
Church, is your love for God a “Feeling” or an “Action”?
Conclusion:
8 I speak not by commandment, but by occasion of the forwardness of others, and to prove the sincerity of your love.
At the end of each message you are going to have a homework assignment. Last week it was to begin praying to God with your spouse, or if you’re single then just you and God, about how much, if anything, you can give.
This week your assignment is to ask God to give you a willing and worshipful attitude toward giving.
Church in these dark days we’re in, we need to love like Jesus. We need to worship God the way He deserves. We need to be the voice, the hands, the feet of Jesus in our community. Let’s pray together...
I struggle with messages like this knowing how to give an invitation. Right now the only thing that matters is your relationship with Jesus. Do you know for sure that if you died today you would be in heaven? Will you raise your hand?