Excel in Grace!
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Theme: One’s surplus is made available to meet the needs of another.
For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened, but that 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.
“Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
This is the quote, I remember and recall, of Linus from the Charlie Brown Christmas special that I have watched every Christmas since I was a kid. Linus, in answer to Charlie Brown’s question as to what Christmas is really all about, quotes Luke 2:8-14 from the Bible. This was my first exposure to the Gospel. I was a kid, growing up in a secular home, in northen Alberta, that never went to church, and Charles Schultz, the creator of Peanuts, a follower of Jesus, reached me with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Today, I have been a minister for 21.5 years because Charles Schultz was compelled by a deep faith, to fight CBS executives, to share the real meaning of Christmas with the world. Schultz became a follower of Jesus after WWII when his father introduced him to a pastor, who would kindle his personal relationship with Christ, encourage him to attend Bible studies, and small groups. Schultz became a Methodist Sunday School teacher for 10 years in California.
Charles Schultz is quoted as saying this about his comic ministry, “I preach in these cartoons, and I reserve the same rights to say what I want to say as the minister in the pulpit.” -Charles Schultz
Why are am I talking about Christmas already ( btw - it’s only 13 Sunday’s away)?! For a couple of reasons. One, Charles Schultz is a great example of a disciple of Jesus, using his gifting, his artistic ability, to share the Gospel of Jesus with the world and serve Jesus. An example for all of us to follow, as we follow Jesus. Two, it’s the quote of Linus from the Bible “goodwill toward men”. That “goodwill” is translated the New Living Translation as “peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased”.
“Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”
That “goodwill” is the grace of God, it is the favor, the blessing, the good from God to be on all people with whom He is pleased. It is God’s unmerited favor conferred upon sinful men, the blessings of salvation. It is the divine favor of God conferred upon men and women in gifts, graces, and benefits. It is the general goodness of God by which He shows all men favor, both the wicked and good.
For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.
But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.
But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
Goodwill is to follow and obey Jesus’ command and example, to give and serve others, for their benefit, so that thanks, knowing, and glory are given to God. We are to give and serve, as Jesus did, for the benefit of others and the glory of God. It is a foretaste of what the Kingdom of God will be like - we will serve God and we will serve one another (The Parable fo the Talents - Matthew 25:14-30).
For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.
Serve with a good attitude, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that whatever good each one does, slave or free, he will receive this back from the Lord.
Based on the gift each one has received, use it to serve others, as good managers of the varied grace of God. If anyone speaks, it should be as one who speaks God’s words; if anyone serves, it should be from the strength God provides, so that God may be glorified through Jesus Christ in everything. To Him belong the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.
Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship.
Should I go on, do I need to go on? Giving and service to one another, for one another’s benefit and the glory of God is our spiritual worship. It is what the Kingdom of God is/will be like. This is not a forced ideal or principle like communism. It is a communal one body principle of Christ. You are the body of Christ, so serve as the body of Christ on earth. Jesus is our uniting aspect, our commonality, our belonging to Him and to one another.
For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.
Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.
We are to excel in the grace and favor of God by giving and serving to the Body and our world. Are you excelling in the grace of God toward others in giving and serving and bringing glory to God? This is Paul’s encouragment to the Corinthian church in which we find our passage today. A special collection has been suggested and acted upon by the Corinthian church toward Judean believers who have come under persecution, suffering, and hardship. So much so, that they are not surviving economically. Believers are in need of the bare essentials. The collection began with Titus, and now Paul is encouraging the Corinthian believers to make good on their commitment and follow through. Excel in grace!
Paul mentions the Macedonian believers because they are an example of disciples of Jesus excelling in the grace and favor of God toward their brothers and sisters, in giving and serving.
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.
This is charis [5485], the principle of grace. The Macedonian believers gave themselves to the Lord, to His purposes and will, and then gave themselves to give and serve their brothers and sisters in need. It’s called believing in Jesus, belonging to Jesus, and blessing like Jesus. And it is our spiritual worship - to be a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to the LORD God. How do you please God? How does this church body please God? By believing in Jesus, belonging to Jesus, and blessing like Jesus as He has called, commands, and expects us to do. Are you worshiping like Jesus? Like the disciples before you and among you?
Where did the Macedonians receive such an example? Jesus, Paul, and the Judean believers - the very one’s they were giving to and serving. In Acts 4:32-37 we read about a group of believers following Christ. What did they do? “They had all things in common” (Acts 4:32).
Now the large group of those who believed were of one heart and mind, and no one said that any of his possessions was his own, but instead they held everything in common.
And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.
There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.
These Judean believer’s gave and sacrificed for one another, and the grace, the favor, of God was upon them. The Macedonian church, in their poverty and suffering, was just following their same example, and blessing their Judean brothers and sisters. They were excelling in the Grace of God. Do I , do we excel in the grace of God toward another? Serving and giving to one another? To the body of Christ?
Principles from the Passage
1. Gifts and service were brought to the Church (v.1)
A collection was expected and taken to the church meeting. The believer’s had a responsibility and they were expected to fulfill that responsibility of giving and serving. The economy and giving and serving is not just financially, but with will, time, talents, and ability. If we are not giving and serving the local body, does our heart belong to Jesus? As Jesus said,
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
2. Gifts and Service came from the Heart (v.2-9)
The Macedonian believers were poor and suffering, yet they begged to be part of the blessing to their Judean brothers and sisters. Why? Because of their love for Jesus and they understood the love of Jesus. Do I understand the love of Jesus? Jesus said what about who is the greatest in the Kingdom of God, when the disciples were arguing about who would be, was the greatest among them? Jesus said,
The greatest among you shall be your servant.
The greatest among men and women are not the Presidents and PM’s, actors or actresses, not even priests and prophets, but those who love Jesus by their service and giving to another. How is your service? Are you meeting needs, sharing God’s grace? You and I can only do so if we understand the love of Christ and exactly what He accomplished by dying on the cross. He gave Himself so that we might have life. We had a need, we were dead, on the road to death. But because of His sacrifice of service, and love for His father and man, we have life. 2 Cor 5:15
and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.
Do I really understand the love of Christ? Do I really believe in Him? Do I really belong to Him? Then I will bless like Him and follow the example of His disciples. Do I excel in loving and serving the church, the body of Christ? Strangers? My neighbor? The world? If I believe and belong to Jesus, I will believe in and belong to the church, whom were first called Christians because of their love and service to one another (Acts 2:42-47).
Show family affection to one another with brotherly love. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lack diligence; be fervent in spirit; serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer. Share with the saints in their needs; pursue hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.
What is it to be diligent? It is to be attentive, not idle or negligent. It is to take heed and care. It is to hasten, to have zeal, to be earnest (American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828). Am I diligent? Earnest? Am I attentive to the needs of my brothers and sisters? The church? We are called to love, give, and serve diligently and earnestly. To fulfill whatever needs might be among us because we love and follow Christ (Romans 12:8; 2 Cor. 8:7-8).
But as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in 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.
If I am not giving and serving my brothers and sisters, am I loving Christ? Am I following Christ? No. Are you fervent in your spirit to serve and love? Fervent means to bubble and/or boil (AD of the EL). Apollos was an eloquent and powerful man in the Scriptures. He was a new follower of Jesus as well, an Alexandrian. An Alexandrian is a significant detail, because they were Jews, who followed and believed in the Torah, and were zealous about God and the worship of God. They were also the one’s responsible for stoning Stephen on the charge of blasphemy (Acts 6:8-7:60).
Of Apollos it is said, He was bold, unafraid, and diligent in serving Christ, the church, and confronting the same Jews who stoned Stephen (Acts 18). He was willing servant of Christ, who believed, belonged, and blessed as Jesus called Him to, and as Paul taught. He gave himself to serve the purposes of Jesus and the church? Do we do likewise? Are we a disciple of Jesus? Christian giving and serving is to flow from the heart as the expression of our love and gratitude to Christ for His full and free gift of salvation. Is that the case for you, for me, for us?
“To profess to be spiritual, and yet not give faithfully to the LORD, is to deny what we profess.” -Warren Wiersbe
Faith is not a substitute for the grace of giving and serving like Christ. Excel in grace!
Gifts and service were measured proportionately (v. 10-15)
Do we finish what we start? Do we finish well? Does my service and giving result in the blessing of God?
The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.
Giving and serving is not about fairness, it is about sacrifice - loving Jesus and loving others. If we are concerned about things being fair, have we lost sight of Jesus and fallen into Satan’s trap? Have we begun to fall into the trap of belonging to Satan, and not Jesus? Was there anything fair about Jesus dying on the cross for you and me? Fairness has nothing to do about love and Jesus. But sacrifice has everything to do with Jesus. If I believe in Jesus, I will belong to Jesus, and I will bless like Jesus has commanded and expects, but from a cheeful heart, if I truly understand the love of Jesus.
Giving and serving is not an option with the Kingdom of God; it is expected. Giving and serving is not forced, but is a natural outcome of a life truly connected to and in love with Christ, understanding His love for me. If we do not give and serve, do I really know the grace and favor of Christ? Excel in the grace of giving and serving because you believe in, belong to, and love Christ!
Amen