God’s Matchless Gift

INTRODUCTION:

We’re coming to the end of a series called “Close the Gap” Jesus for every generation.

This series has run in tandem with a resource initiative that goes by the same name.

God has been growing our church and we’ve run into a facility gap. If we don’t close these gaps then we’re going to stop growing.

These gaps are especially pronounced among our student ministry, children and Worship Center.

Through Close the Gap we’re trying to raise 1.5 million dollars to renovate our oldest building and transform it into a Student Wing.

We will also create new seating in our sanctuary by adding a balcony on either side.

We aren’t the first local church to face this issue.

We’re studying 2nd Corinthians 8-9 because it shows how the early church faced a similar kind of problem.

In their case, they were raising money for starving Christians in Judea. Most of these churches were made up of Gentile Greeks.

The racial prejudice would’ve been intense. Nevertheless, Paul exhorts them to be generous anyway.

This is one of MANY passages wherein the Bible about money.

The truth is, God really cares what we do with our money.

There’s a constant tug-of-war between love for God and love for money in the human heart.

The Bible says the love of money is the root of every evil.

Not because money is bad (it isn’t) but because loving money can turn us bad.

Money has the power to make us feel secure. Money has the power to make us feel real good. Freedom and independence have a purchase price. If you have enough money you can buy most anything.

But the love of money also creates a slavery of it’s own. The only way to break those chains is through acts of generosity.

It’s one reason Paul is writing this letter and one reason why we’re doing this series.

Set the Table

Our text this morning concludes an argument Paul started in chapter 8.

If you’re new to 2nd Corinthians, let me orient you to our text.

It’s written by Paul of Tarsus. Originally, Paul was a persecutor of Christians. Now, he had become an effective church planter. Through his efforts he was spreading Christianity around the world.

Many of those churches were in Macedonia which is where Paul writes this letter. (MAP)

Paul is writing to a church called Corinth which he had also planted on a prior missionary journey. He encourages generosity for Jewish converts to Christianity living in Judea after the big famine.

Not only would Corinth demonstrate generosity. They would do so for people they would likely NEVER meet. And do so with zero expectation of concern.

Who else would give for people they do not know, who they previously didn’t like and would likely never meet?

Such giving would be an evidence of God’s grace on the human heart.

That’s why Paul describes it as a Christian act of grace.

It’s why God cares about our money and why Close the Gap is so important.

Last week we looked at what it means to be generous and how God would bless us should we live that way.

This week we’ll examine the other downstream effects.

What Happens When You Give

Let’s pick it up in 2 Corinthians 9:10-15.

2 Corinthians 9:10–15 CSB

10 Now the one who provides seed for the sower and bread for food will also provide and multiply your seed and increase the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way for all generosity, which produces thanksgiving to God through us. 12 For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. 13 Because of the proof provided by this ministry, they will glorify God for your obedient confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone. 14 And as they pray on your behalf, they will have deep affection for you because of the surpassing grace of God in you. 15 Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

Did you pick up on Paul’s statement in verse 14?

When others see your generosity, they grow in LOVE FOR YOU because of the grace of God that they SEE IN YOU.

Paul ends this section the same way that he began. Giving is a grace that begins and ends in God.

Giving matters to God because it mediates His grace.

We’ve talked about how Greeks understood the word grace. Grace was a favor given so another favor could be repaid. Grace begins and ends in the individual.

The Christian vision of grace is entirely different. Grace begins and ends in God but we can be a vessel through which it travels.

But that one difference makes ALL the difference. When God’s grace is given THROUGH us, it brings glory back to God.

This is why God blesses any giving that’s done this way. This morning I want to remind you of what that blessing looks like and what it will produce.

GOD’S GRACE IN GIVING

Let’s begin with that God’s blessing looks like. Paul summarizes it in verse 10.

2 Corinthians 9:10 CSB

10 Now the one who provides seed for the sower and bread for food will also provide and multiply your seed and increase the harvest of your righteousness.

The root of the word translated “provides” is where we get our English word “chorus.” It conveys the idea of a festival or dance party.

These festivals were beloved in Greek culture because a wealthy patron would pay for the party.

Paul describes GOD as that wealthy patron. He even attaches a prefix to intensify the theme.

The point? God will MEET our needs.

This language is an allusion to Isaiah 55:10. There God sends the rain to bring about the harvest. Through his kind provision, seed and bread are made.

Notice God’s provision comes in BOTH expressions. The first is bread for eating. The second is seed for sowing.

The bread is consumed and expelled. The seed is sown and invested. .

Paul’s point is that God provides BOTH THINGS. He provides bread for the dinner table AND seed for the offering plate.

Bread & Seed

What God did back then he also does today. God has given every person bread to eat and seed to sow.

The question is, does your stewardship reflect God’s good provision?

Imagine if you took an inventory of God’s provision for your life, how would you determine what is bread and what is seed?

I think there are some basic ways to distinguish.

Bread is for the table (you). Seed is for your field (others).

Bread is for today. Seed is for tomorrow.

Bread is for your needs. Seed is for your wants.

Bread might include things like your mortgage, groceries, insurance, gas, emergency fund and sensible maintenance.

Seed would include your tithes and offerings, financial investments for the sake of God’s kingdom. Relief for the poor. A pledge to CTG. An unexpected windfall beyond your basic needs.

It’s important that you eat the bread that God provides. God is gracious and kind and loves to meet your needs.

But just as it is wrong to give what’s for consumption. It is also wrong to consume God’s seed for sowing.

I know this brings up questions about tithing and percentages. Those are important questions but it’s not the essential point.

The point is, God’s provision isn’t JUST for our standard of living. God’s provision in your life is to raise your standard of GIVING.

If you only ever focus on the bread that God has given, you’ll never know the joy that generosity can bring!

Meet < Multiply

Here’s the coolest part. God provides the seed AND bread. But God MULTIPLIES the seed.

God will meet our needs but he MULTIPLIES our giving.

One reason people don’t give is because they are afraid. They think if they sow the seed into the field, they may not have what they need for later.

But that’s simply a failure to trust in God’s provision.

Another reason people don’t give is because they don’t really have a lot. They might say, “even if I gave 10% it’s not really going to matter.

But what if God began to multiply that 10% again and again? Then it would become much greater. Even greater than you could imagine. That’s the logic of generosity.

Notice the progression Paul gives in verse 10. God provides… then multiplies… then increases the HARVEST of your righteousness.

The implication isn’t that God ONLY multiples the seed. In multiplying the seed he increases the harvest of bread.

If you’re struggling with God’s provision the answer isn’t to hoard the seed. You want to sow the seed so God can bless your money!

Multiply To Motivate

Paul makes this point verse 11.

2 Corinthians 9:11 CSB

11 You will be enriched in every way for all generosity, which produces thanksgiving to God through us.

God will increase your standard of living SO THAT he can increase your standard of giving!

Never let your living standards outpace your giving standards.

That’s not why God blessed you with more than you need. Should GOD increase your LIVING standard, be sure YOU increase your GIVING standard.

I remember hearing this from Pastor David when I was young in ministry. I honestly thought to myself, “easy for you say with your living standard! I don’t even have a house yet!”

But I was an arrogant know nothing kid. As I was faithful to give, God was faithful to multiply what I was ABLE to give. And every time God did so, I was tempted to use it all for bread. But those words would ring in my ear every time I tried.

That was biblical wisdom. When you begin to eat the seed God gives for sowing, you will become sick from the sin of greed and envy. There’s never enough money to satisfy that thirst.

It might give you more toys and more bragging rights at the country club. But it also brings a heaviness of anxiety, guilt and stress.

By the way, it’s not JUST about money. God will enrich us in EVERY WAY but it’s always in service of something greater .

That greater end is better than anything money can buy: gratitude.

God multiplies our giving to motivate gratitude.

Not only will you become more thankful and content with what you have. Others offer thanks to GOD because of what you gave.

Nothing feels so good as being used as a channel of grace.

When you sense God using you to bless another person - it’s more exciting than Disney Land. It’s better than a beachside vacation. (or trial hike up a mountain)

It does something in your soul that nothing else can do. Gratitude can’t be purchased. It doesn’t matter how much you have.

Giving As a Ministry

Paul makes this clear as he continues his argument. Notice the progression.

2 Corinthians 9:12 CSB

12 For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.

God uses our generosity to meet a need for others. The meeting of that need also serves a higher purpose.

Generosity leads to gratitude which leads to God being glorified. But not just any glorification. It is ABUNDANT grateful praise.

Paul actually uses the same adjective he used earlier in verse 8.

“God is able to make every grace OVERFLOW to you…so that you may EXCEL every every good work.” (2 Cor 9:8) Here, that same adjective used for thanks to God. This ministry “is also overflowing in thanksgivings to God.” (2 Cor 9:12)

God gives “a lot” of grace so we can do “a lot” of good which produces “a lot” of gratitude so that God gets the glory.

Which means giving is a “ministry” just like any other ministry.

The phrase translated “ministry of this service” is really interesting. The word ministry is our English “deacon” and service our English “liturgy.”

Most Christians understand what ministry looks like in a local church. A children’s minister, a music minister, a deacon ministry, a hospitality ministry.

Everybody would recognize these ministries have a higher purpose. It’s not just serving others it’s doing so for the glory of God.

It’s not just playing music, it’s helping people show love for God. It’s not just serving children. It’s serving children so they worship God. It’s not just hospitality. It’s hospitality in Jesus name.

Every ministry is in service of a higher end like worship. (diakonia to liturgia) Paul says that same thing is true of generosity.

I’m sure you don’t think about your giving like a separate ministry. But in fact, our generosity is in service of that goal. We don’t just give to meet a need. We give as an act of worship. We give so others worship our savior and our God.

For God’s Glory

This plays out at two different levels according to the Apostle Paul. The first relates to God and the second to the Gospel.

Let me show you both of these in 2 Cor 9:13

2 Corinthians 9:13 CSB

13 Because of the proof provided by this ministry, they will glorify God for your obedient confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone.

First off, who’s this “they” Paul mentions at the end? They are the people who benefit from the generosity. In this case, it would’ve been the Jewish converts in Judea.

What do “they do” as a result of this “met need?” They “glorify God because your giving helped to prove the Gospel.’

In other words, “giving is a ministry to magnify God’s glory.”

This is what Jesus talked about in the sermon on the mount. “Let your light so shine before men that they will SEE your good deeds and glorify your father who is in heaven.” (Mat 5:16)

The reason they glorify God instead of glorifying the people who gave is because the one who gave gave in such a way that they were acting out their faith in Jesus.

Your generosity is proof that your God has great great glory. Why else would you have given to people you’ll never meet? Why else would you have given to those who can’t repay. The God for who you gave MUST BE AWESOME.

Don’t you see how our giving is a ministry in that way? Not only does it meet a need, it magnifies God’s glory.

Model Our Confession

But there’s another side to the coin. Not only does our giving prove that God is glorious.

Our giving also proves that we believe the Gospel message.

We all know people who say they believe in Jesus but their lives suggest otherwise. One of the ways we PROVE our faith is through our generosity.

Jesus told his disciples “Love one another as I have loved you. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35)

You can give without loving but you cannot love without giving.

Giving is a ministry that models our confession.

It’s one of the most powerful ways we can demonstrate true faith. You can know our faith is genuine through the way we generously give.

I think that’s why generosity is a universal expectation. Outside of love for people, it’s the only measurement that really shows your faith is true.

What does your generosity say about your view of God? What would it suggest about whether your faith is genuine?

You can fool a lot of people with speeches and emotion. But eventually the proof is demanded in the tasting.

“The proof is in the pudding” and the pudding is your giving.

If you thought about your giving as a ministry to God would it change the way or whether or not you give?

If you treat your time and talent like a ministry unto the Lord, why would you not present your treasure as much the same?

Mature The Measure

God will meet our needs but he multiplies our giving.

God multiplies our giving to motivate gratitude

Giving is a ministry to magnify God’s glory and model our confession.

In verse 13 Paul closes up his argument.

Not only does generosity enrich our love for God. Generosity will also enrich our love for each other.

2 Corinthians 9:14 CSB

14 And as they pray on your behalf, they will have deep affection for you because of the surpassing grace of God in you.

More than once within this series we’ve talked about God’s grace.

We’ve also shown the difference between Greek culture and the Christian view.

In Greek culture, grace was a circle that starts and ends with the giver. Paul transforms that circle so it begins and ends in God.

It’s tempting to view this circle and think that Christians are losing out. With the Greek understanding at least your getting something back.

That’s why Paul concludes with this final great reminder.

God’s grace is FOR his glory but it’s also for our good.

There are many ways God’s grace is for our good. The most important good is the increase of our love.

Surpassing grace matures the measure of our love.

God knows what we need even better than we do. What we think we get through money it often never delivers.

Money can’t buy you happiness nor can it buy you love.

Nobody on their death bed clings to their great achievements. The things they want the most are the people that they love. The people who love them back and will be sad when they are God.

Money can’t buy you love. But generosity can make it stronger. That’s exactly what Paul describes as he closes out this section.

God’s surpassing grace matures the measure of our love.

Christ & Others

The more God’s grace is given, the more our love is strengthened.

Shared grace will only deepen our bonds with one another.

Think about this dynamic as it relates to the grace in Jesus.

When you think about God’s gift does it not increase your heart’s affection?

That dynamic is also true when it comes to generosity.

When I think about the people who’ve given to this campaign, my heart grows in affection for their willingness to sacrifice.

The same is true for others who gave to past campaigns? The Sanctuary? Education Building? Nursury Wing and more?

When I look to their generosity my heart is filled with love. That love we give each other when we give in that same way.

CONCLUSION

Overall, the consequence of Christian generosity is greater gratitude and love for God and those who give his grace.

The greatest and most matchless gift is God’s grace to us in Jesus.

Paul’s theology of generosity is rooted in Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 8:9 CSB

9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ: Though he was rich, for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.

What other response could we have other than gratitude? Will we not say with Paul,

2 Corinthians 9:15 CSB

15 Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

Jesus mediates the matchless gift of God.

God so loved the world that HE GAVE his one an only son. Son that whosoever would believe in him would not perish but have everlasting life.

Even though we were undeserving. Even though we were aliens and strangers. Even though we could never repay him. Jesus was generous towards us.

The generosity of God in Christ should move us all to give. Not for personal enrichment but in response to Go’s great gift.

God will the need behind our generosity and God will get the glory through the increase of the harvest.

Will you jump in the circle of God’s grace in Jesus Christ?

Will you help us Close the Gap and bring Jesus to ever generation?