Overflowing Grace

Introduction

It is not uncommon for the sermon regarding giving to be given to someone else, a number of rungs down the leadership ladder. I think this might be the third time I have been given this topic to preach on.

Previously, however, the Pastor didn’t give me the passage, then get on a plane and fly half way around the world.

Why is it that talking about money and serving can be difficult in the church? Sports clubs don’t have a problem asking for more money to ensure their buildings are kept up to speed and that they can provide the service to which they were created. Why is this a problem in the church?

Why is it that the Cancer foundation can put a call out for volunteers to stand out in the rain collecting money for cancer research and some churches can’t get enough people to greet as people come through the door?

There is an easy way to gauge how well we are doing here at Grace in regards to people serving in certain ministries, or those who give regularly to the church. It’s this simple… raise your hand if you are serving regularly in our church. No, no, don’t do it.

To be honest, I don’t really want to know. I don’t want to know how many people give how much, or how many people are giving of their lives to serve in church. The reason why I don’t really care about this is because I am not the one we should be concerned about.

DNA of the Church

I have to be honest,

I recognise that the term “obedient church” and “Corinth” isn’t the normal combination, until we read Paul’s second letter to the church situated in Corinth.

Paul spends a lot of time at the beginning of 2nd Corinthians outlining the extraordinary position that we have in Christ, and in Christ’s church.

The church is not simply a collection of people on a Sunday morning; the church is a collection of people who are passionately in love with Jesus Christ and live this out.

The church is not simply a collection of people on a Sunday morning; the church is a collection of people who are passionately in love with Jesus Christ and live this out.

The church is redeemed

The church is secured

Overflowing grace of meeting together

In many ways, outlining this point in this environment is like preaching to the converted; it’s not the ones who are here that need to understand this, but those who choose that there are better things to be doing.

The Scriptures, while not silent on gathering with other Christians, doesn’t repeat the theme either. The reason, I believe, is that the idea of Christians not gathering together was not the norm. How, if we claim that God is the priority in our lives, do we struggle to come together to serve with and for one another?

The writer to the Hebrews gives us our main passage when we consider the necessity of Christian fellowship. They write;

And let us watch out for one another to provoke love and good works, not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching. ()

The writer provides us with 3 elements of the essential nature of meeting together as the church;

“Let us watch out for one another”. We are encouraged here to pay careful attention to other people; to care for them. How can we do this is we fail to spend time in each other’s company?

We are to “provoke love and good works”. We are to encourage and stimulate each other to love more and to do more good works. This is not driven to gain acceptance by God, but an outpouring of a life that has been captured by God.

We are to “encourage each other”. This describes an urgency in our encouragement, exhorting and imploring each other in our Christian walks. Why the urgency? For the day is approaching when Christ will return for His bride, the church, and our witness on earth through the gospel will end.

I ask you; how can we watch out for one another, provoke one another to good works, or urgently encourage one another if we are not meeting together regularly?

I was speaking to a friend of mine the other week and he asked me a question that I had never been asked before. The question was; “What is more important; Sunday morning church or life group? I had to be honest that I hadn’t thought about this before.

As we considered each gathering we came to identify that there were strengths and weaknesses in both models. Fundamentally, however, I concluded in my own mind that it is not an either/either but a both/and.

Each gathering has variety, and this is important. As Christians, we should relish the opportunity to meet with other Christians. It should be a time of joy; shoulder to shoulder with our brothers and sisters.

I will confess something to you this morning; I am not really a fan of large groups of people. Therefore, church on a Sunday morning is not my most comfortable place. I love the worship through prayer, preaching, song and fellowship, I still struggle with the shear number of people.

Here at Grace, our Life Group ministry is an essential element of what we are trying to achieve. These groups are pivotal in driving our vision and mission. Kathryn and Avik have the huge task of driving these groups and I commend them for it. This church would not be the place it is without this essential ministry.

In saying that, if you are not meeting with a Life Group then I believe you are truly missing out. While it is neither right or wrong to be in a group, there is far greater value being in one than staying away. If you’re not in a group, touch base with Kathryn or Avik after this service.

I have some very close friends of Kiri and mine who have this wonderful motto for their family in regards to church and church activities. It is quite simple really; “Any excuse to go to church”. Consider the ramifications if we all were to adopt this same desire. “Any excuse to go to church”.

If we priorities church as we should we would eradicate any other distractions in life.

Can I touch on something that I have heard a number of times when I discuss with some people, especially men, about church. They say, “I’m not really into the singing”. It’s a bit like, singing is not particularly manly. Let’s camp on this for a few seconds;

Who in the bible is described as one day killing a giant and the next playing the lyre

Overflowing grace in serving

While the church does not serve to be accepted, we do serve because we have been accepted. Paul reveals what should be the overriding motivation to the church;

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 5

9 Therefore, whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to be pleasingaa to him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seatab of Christ,ac so that each may be repaidad for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

Therefore, whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to be pleasing to him. For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, so that each my be repaid for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. (2 Corinthians 5:9-10)

The aim of every Christian must be to “please him”. Every thought we have and every action we do must be for the glory of the one who saved us.

One day we will all stand under judgement before God and the Lord shall, as the righteous Judge of all humanity, judge every action that we have done. Every commission or omission of service that we have done.

When I was on the Armed Offenders Squad

Overflowing grace in giving

The first place in the Scriptures that my mind turns when I consider the grace of giving is 2 Corinthians chapter 8;

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 8

8 We want you to know, brothers and sisters, about the grace of God that was given to the churchesc of Macedonia:d 2 During a severe trial brought about by affliction, their abundant joy and their extreme poverty overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.e 3 I can testify that, according to their ability and even beyond their ability, of their own accord, 4 they begged us earnestly for the privilege of sharingf in the ministry to the saints, 5 and not just as we had hoped. Instead, they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us by God’s will.

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 8

8 We want you to know, brothers and sisters, about the grace of God that was given to the churchesc of Macedonia:d 2 During a severe trial brought about by affliction, their abundant joy and their extreme poverty overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.e 3 I can testify that, according to their ability and even beyond their ability, of their own accord, 4 they begged us earnestly for the privilege of sharingf in the ministry to the saints, 5 and not just as we had hoped. Instead, they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us by God’s will.

We want you to know, brothers and sisters, about the grace of God that was given to the churches of Macedonia: 2 During a severe trial brought about by affliction, their abundant joy and their extreme poverty overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. 3 I can testify that, according to their ability and even beyond their ability, of their own accord, 4 they begged us earnestly for the privilege of sharing in the ministry to the saints, 5 and not just as we had hoped. Instead, they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us by God’s will.

Paul will outline to the Corinthian church that there are many things that they are doing well, “in faith, speech, knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love for us”. All of these things, this church is doing well. Where then does Paul want them to improve? In the grace of giving.

He then uses the church from Macedonia as an example of someone overflowing in the grace of giving. How do they serve as an example to us?

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.

He then uses the church from Macedonia as an example of someone overflowing in the grace of giving.

Joy and poverty produce generosity

Their abundant joy comes not from their financial possessions but from their undying commitment to Christ. Even during a “severe trial” this church’s desire to serve the Lord continued to "overflow in a wealth of generosity”.

It would have been easy for this church to claim poverty and allow that to effect their giving. “I don’t earn very much and what I have I need to live on”. “I know I have some bills coming up that need to be paid; I’d better not give away too much just in case”. “There are others who have more money than me”.

There were no excuses for these Christians. Their ability to give was driven by their poverty, and not inhibited by it. They adopted the same ideal as Christ; if I make someone else rich by becoming poor, I have copied the example of Christ.

They gave beyond their ability

While their lifestyle would indicate that their capacity was small, as a community their capacity was huge. If a lot of people give a little, you will end up with more than a lot of people giving a little.

I’m reminded of Jesus example of the poor widow at the temple in Luke 21;

He looked up and saw the rich dropping their offerings into the temple treasury. 2 He also saw a poor widow dropping in two tiny coins. 3 “Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all of them. 4 For all these people have put in gifts out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on.”

They were uncompromising in their generosity

Paul describes that it was “of their own accord” that they gave. There was no manipulation in their giving. It was driven entirely by their desire to serve God through this ministry. In fact Paul describes that they “begged us earnestly for the privilege of sharing the ministry to the saints”.

These people were strong and persistent in their desire to give. They didn’t need the disciples to request them to give financially to the ministry of God’s kingdom. It wasn’t simply that they could give; it was they had to give. Their desire was so strong, they had to give to God’s work.

They served others because they first served God

Do we see the order here in their service? “They gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us...” If we have our eyes set first and foremost on the Lord, everything else in ministry pales in comparison.

We will always be willing to give to the one thing that we see as our priority. I’ll repeat that, We will always be willing to give to the one thing that we see as our priority.

The church of Macedonia saw God as their number one priority

Why is Paul so emphatic about the giving nature of the Corinthians? He describes it in verse 8; “I am testing the genuineness of your love”. This is a single question test; are we generous towards Christ’s kingdom? Clearly, the sign of a genuine love towards God is a generous heart towards the things of God.

Who then does Paul use as the example of genuine giving?

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.

Overflowing grace in prayer