The Greatest Giver

Today’s message is going to be an abbreviated one, because we felt it important to allow plenty of time for the presentation of the 2019 Ministry Investment Plan.

We are also in a unique season of giving back to our community and world, and as you have seen today, there are plenty of opportunities for us to invest our material resources in the lives of those around us.

However, before you see the plans or think of any numbers, I want to remind you of why we give.

We don’t give because we are trying to build our empire or to make ourselves famous. We don’t give to boost our egos or break us out of our depression.

I want to look at one key verse this morning and remind you of one of the primary reasons we are called to give: We give in response to a God who gave first and gave most.

To see that this morning, I want you to turn with me quickly to 2 Corinthians 8. We are going to come back to this chapter next week because it gives us such an incredible pattern for giving that we would be unwise if we skipped it.

However, today we will just cover verse 9 as we remember that our giving is always in response to the God who has given first and given most.

For some quick context, Paul is writing to the church in a city called Corinth. About a year before this, they had promised Paul that they would participate in an offering for some other believers who were having a rough time.

Now, Paul’s associate Titus has come to Corinth to collect their gift and pass it on.

He uses an example of other believers in Macedonia who gave generously, and we will look at them next Sunday.

In the middle of all of that, though, he reminds us of the best example we have to follow.

Read verse 9 with me this morning...

Let’s look at each of the three phrases in this verse about what Jesus did:

1) He was rich.

For us to really understand how generous God has been towards us, we have to stop and think about who he is.

We talk about God so frequently around here that it would be easy for us to lose sight of who he really is.

Yes, in John 15, Jesus calls us his friends, but remember who it is that is speaking that truth:

Colossians 1:15–19 CSB

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For everything was created by him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities— all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and by him all things hold together. He is also the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him,

The God who gave himself for us is the one who not only created everything that exists, but it was all created for him.

He is the one who holds the sun and moon and stars together right now!

In fact, he was holding together the wood and the nails that pinned him to the cross on which he died!

All of the fullness of God dwells in Jesus.

As we said last week, everything we have is on loan to us from God, and since Jesus is God, that means everything is his!

When you look back at the Old Testament, you see that he is the God who appeared to Hagar to comfort her, to Moses in the burning bush, to Joshua as the commander of the army of the Lord.

He is the all-powerful, creator God of the Universe who has everything at His disposal.

He is richer than anyone or anything else in all of creation.

That’s what makes the next statement that much more amazing:

2) He became poor.

The God who owned everything in all of creation, the one who made it all and for whom it all exists, laid it all aside to die on a cross.

In one of the highest statements in Scripture about Jesus’ sacrifice, Paul writes this:

Philippians 2:5–8 CSB

Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus, who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited. Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity. And when he had come as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death— even to death on a cross.

Jesus was completely equal with the Father, yet he humbled himself and laid aside the right to use his divine nature and receive the glory he deserved.

He never stopped being God, but he voluntarily limited himself to take on flesh, only using his divine attributes when the Father told him to.

He lived like that for over 30 years, and then died in our place.

He never stopped being God, and he never lost control of the situation, yet he voluntarily let himself be killed.

When they came to arrest Jesus on the night before he was executed, Peter pulled out a sword and tried to fight to defend Jesus.

Jesus rebuked him, and then added:

Matthew 26:53 CSB

Or do you think that I cannot call on my Father, and he will provide me here and now with more than twelve legions of angels?

One legion was around 6,000 soldiers, so Jesus had more than 72,000 angels at his disposal, and yet he voluntarily let himself be killed.

He was led away, beaten, stripped naked, and hung on a cross to die a torturous, terrifying death.

All the while, he was carrying the sins of the entire world on his shoulders, bearing the weight for everything you and I have ever done wrong and absorbing the wrath we deserved.

Why? Why would he go through that?

That’s the last phrase:

3) He made you rich.

He was made poor so you could become rich.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking this is meaning physically rich, as though following Jesus is a guaranteed way to become wealthy.

No, the richness Jesus secured for us is relationship with God based off the free gift of his righteousness:

Romans 6:23 CSB

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Colossians 2:13–14 CSB

And when you were dead in trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, he made you alive with him and forgave us all our trespasses. He erased the certificate of debt, with its obligations, that was against us and opposed to us, and has taken it away by nailing it to the cross.

Jesus paid it all!

He took every penny I owed to God, took the debt on himself, and gave me his righteousness!

Now, I stand to inherit the blessings he rightfully has:

Romans 8:16–17 CSB

The Spirit himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children, and if children, also heirs—heirs of God and coheirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.

Because of that, I know that he will take care of everything that I need:

Philippians 4:19 CSB

And my God will supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

He never promises to give me everything I want, but he does say that he will supply all of my needs!

Romans 8:32 CSB

He did not even spare his own Son but offered him up for us all. How will he not also with him grant us everything?

If God would give us his own Son, then what won’t he give us?

This is the God who invites us to give, then.

The God who owns everything and who is richer than any other being in all of creation made himself poor for you, so that you could have the richness of a right relationship with him.

In light of that, what could God ever ask you to give that would be more than what he has already given?

When we look at the sacrifice of Christ, is there any room for us to doubt that he will be faithful to meet every single need?

Let’s take a few minutes, then, and prayerfully reflect on what Christ has done as we prepare to look at the ministry opportunities we have available to us in the coming year.