Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Good Morning, We are in the Generous Life Sermon Series and we have been talking about Divine Grace that flows into our lives… there are inputs and outputs.... God pours into our lives —

It should spill out into generosity towards others… This morning sermons is entitled “Dream makers” — you wont find this term in traditional dictionary but it is in the Urban Dictionary…

Dream Maker.... is a term that can be applied to anyone that will support, assist and promote the personal dreams and desires of another person(s).

UrbanDictionary.com

Dream Makers are generous towards others… often self sacrificing… This is a quality that Paul saw in the Gentile Churches in Macedonia.. and it inspired Him....

Paul uses these stories of inspiration as a Catalyst to inspire generosity.

It’s been proven that Stories move us… they engage us… Our brains are wired and connect via story… When we hear stories of other who have gone through a struggle…..accomplished something... made a sacrifice.. achieved a goal.. Give us Hope…Stories are powerful because they move us and motivate us… Sometimes we think that our lives of difficult and then we hear of someone like..

Liz Murray

When Liz became homeless at the age of 15, it was just after her mother died of HIV and her father moved into a homeless shelter.

In such a painful situation, most people would only be able to see their immediate circumstances.

But Liz would seek a better reality for herself, despite her intense limitations.

So she attended a local high school and graduated in just two years.

She was then awarded a New York Times scholarship for needy students and was accepted into Harvard University, eventually earning her doctorate in clinical psychology.

She has since written a New York Times best-selling memoir “Breaking Night: A Memoir of Forgiveness, Survival, and My Journey from Homeless to Harvard” which was also a made-for-TV movie.

Liz didn’t let her circumstances dictate her future.

Instead, she chose her own destiny and manifested it, despite overwhelming obstacles.

(https://www.powtoon.com/blog/23-most-inspiring-people-alive/

That’s inspirational… What happens when we see what other have done… it gives hope… When I was in college there was a mature student.. 65 plus years old finishing her degree… When I made the decision to go to grad school @ 38 I remember that lady… That she went back to school so could I...

We are going to be looking at 2 Corinthians 8 and 9...

Where the Apostle Paul shares the story of incredible Generosity of the Macedonians — these Gentile Christians who have nothing — give out of the depth of poverty… It so amazing that.... the Apostle...

Paul moved by their generosity that he uses it as a Catalyst to motivate the Corinthian Church.

During the First Century — there was a huge need in the church in Jerusalem.. Palestine had been hit with a severe famine… and they were experiencing extreme hardships..

A decade after the famine —still a huge need and Paul was motivated encourage the Gentile churches to meet this great need…

Paul sent his trusted friend Titus to start this fund raising campaign to Corinth and some of the more affluent churches in the South…

But the Giving project go delayed …and after a year it seemed to come to a holt...

This is the reason Paul sends Titus and other reliable leaders ahead of his trip to encourage the Church to fulfill their promise and complete the project..

There is Good reason that Paul sends Titus back to Corinth.. because..

Paul had been boasting to the Churches in the North… Philippi, Thessalonica and Berra.. about this gift that was being prepared —and these churches were getting excited…but the gift had not yet been completed..

Paul’s reputation and character was on the line …..

Paul saw danger that all of us faith and that is starting out well and then loosing momentum.

NT Wright tells this story woman crossing the Atlantic Ocean single-handedly in a rowing boat.

At least, she ended up doing it single-handedly; to begin with, her husband had been with her, but he had become exhausted and totally demoralized, and he was flown back home while she battled on all by herself.

The newspapers showed maps of how far they had got at the point where the husband left: about one-third of the way across.

Initial enthusiasm is not enough.

There are many projects which seem exciting, a wonderful challenge, a chance to do something different and worthwhile.

We set off eagerly to begin the work.

But with almost everything worthwhile there comes a moment when the initial energy has drained away; the novelty of the project has worn off; and you have to make up your mind to go on despite the fact that at the moment it isn’t any fun any more.

(Nt.

Wright)

Paul reminds the Corinthians to about the Grace of Giving....

Paul is careful to tell the church that he is not commanding giving.. rather he is encouraging them in the grace of giving…

The Corinthian church had a great amount of spiritual gifts—they excelled in faith, gifted speakers, knowledge, and love.

Paul placed giving alongside other gifts, asking that the Corinthians excel in the Act of Grace...

Grace is a wonderfully rich word.. and it has different nuances in the way that it is used in Scripture…For example Grace can mean - Unmerited favor.....God’s unconditional benevolence towards us in Salvation.

Grace can refer to spiritual Spiritual Gifts that have been poured out.. Grace can mean can mean Acts of kindness and Service.

The word grace is used 10 times in Chapter 8 and means…Grace in the sense of monetary giving.... the Grace of Giving.. Offerings…

There is this substantial part of grace…makes a difference in lives.

When Paul saw the spontaneous generosity in the church - “Grace Giving” (monetary gifts) He credited it towards… “Grace” that is at work within and through his people.

Dahl calls the gift of money to others “a visible sign of an invisible grace.”

Grace has a purpose and that is it leads to place of thanksgiving praise and worship..

When the apostle Paul talks about giving he want to make sure that his hears understood the benefits of living Generous lives....

Both the giver and the receiver share together in the blessings.. whar is fascinating about this section of scripture.., is that you have response of two very different churches… you have an affluent church struggling to complete the task of Giving… and church empoverest church… affected by natural disasters and Roman persecution.,,overflowing

with joy and out of poverty giving

Paul is marvel’s at the Generosity that he is witnessing among struggling churches... inMacedonia

T/S What characteristics/attributes do Dream makers posses.

1. Dream Makers have Compassion - They are moved and inspired by the Needs of others.

This past Friday saw that a massive hurricane hit Mozambique and Zimbabwe.

The Capital City and major Port City of Baria was 90% wiped out and 100 000 people have been displaced… there have been floods in Nebraska.. last week I mentioned that Jesus quoted Moses in saying that the poor will always be with us… now the point was not to ignore the poor.., there is always going to be an opportunity to be generous… People who seen dream makers are moved with compassion…

a. Paul wants the Corinthians to know about the Grace that has been at work in the churches of Macedonia…

Paul is wanting us to connect the dots… in the OT it was about law and sacrificial system… laws but the NT it’s about our relationships that are based on grace… its the fellowship of grace with spirit to the son to the father.... and to the grace that we all stand in..together in one mind… Grace is connected to realionships

Paul had used the zeal of the Corinthians to challenge the Macedonians; but now he was using the Macedonians to challenge the Corinthians!

The Giving of the Macedonian Churches inspired Paul.

Why?

a.

In the middle of their own sever test they had God’s joy that was now spilling out in Generosity for others..

These are churches that he founded on Paul’s second missionary Journey… he was heading up to Asia Minor when he had the Macedonian call..

The Lord literally stopped him his tracks and he has this vision of man calling him to go Macedonia… It’s where he met Lydia and planted the church in Philippi..( first European church).. Paul him self is arrested shortly after this in Ephesus..

These Christians endured hardship..

This area had also gone through its own fair share of natural disasters....

The region had said to have been hit by earthquake and prone to flooding..

When we have gone through our own affliction we tend to be more compassionate to those who are suffering.

Secondly, They were a gentile Church who were going to give to the Jewish Church… demonstrating to the Gentile churches that they are part of the same family as the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem

c.

What inspired Paul was that they gave out of their deep Poverty…

They had nothing in terms of possessions but they possesed abundance of Joy… Out of their extreme poverty they gave from both their means and beyond their means.

Paul had no expectations of these churches to give… It would be like expecting the churches in Africa take offerings for us in California..

But these Churches begged.. to be part of the relief effort for the church in Jerusalem.

Apparently, the Macedonians had calculated how much they could give and then tried to exceed that amount.

Their giving was far more than what Paul expected.

In fact, Paul had been reluctant to ask for money for the Jerusalem Christians.

It was the Macedonians who, of their own free will, had begged to be a part of the privilege of sharing in this gift.

d.Why is Paul sharing this with the Corinthians?

The reason is that it was the Corinthians giving that sparked this desire within the Macedonian Church.

T/S What characteristics/attributes do Dream makers posses.

1. Dream Makers have Compassion - They are moved and inspired by the Needs of others.

2. Dream Makers have Faith - They are willing to step out and take Calculated Risks.

Most us have experienced the Armchair Coaches… those Over zealous parents … who make calls and give advice from the sidelines..

Armchair coaches freely expresses opinions and advice to the real coaches and the referees… But when you think about it…there really has been little or no investment in the game… they weren’t with your child during the practices… they are not privy to strategy… yet they have the answers to win the game...

It is easy to take risks from the sidelines… Dream makers are risk takers.. they have real faith..

What does it mean to have real Faith?

Faith has to be more than a belief system… its more than orthodoxy… it has to be grounded in practice… Faith has to have action---

Francis Schaeffer

“Biblical orthodoxy without compassion is surely the ugliest thing in the world.”

— Francis Schaeffer

James deals with the contrast of Faith and works… In James mind Faith and works are not two separate categories…While the Apostle Paul deals with Saving Faith is necessary part of Salvation… justified by faith and it is the basis of Salvation.. James is concerned with genuine faith..

James tells us that works is the proof of genuine faith.

James tells us that Works follow Faith… the order is important… Some religions are works based… What James is talking about the evidence of true faith.. True faith has compassion and then moves to action..

When you become aware of need how do you respond… What good is the kind of faith that sees a brother/sister in need and blesses them… Go in peace and be warm… without action… What good is that kind of Faith..

James tells us that variety of Faith… is useless — in fact its dead..