Sermon Tone Analysis

SLIDE 2

2 COR 8.1

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INTRO:

As you might remember, Corinth was a major city in the southern region of Greece.

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When this letter was written, Greece was divided between the north and the south.

The southern region was called Achaia (u-KAY-yuh).

Corinth was a prominent city in this region.

Like many cities in this region it was economically strong and culturally diverse and profited as vibrant trade hub between many different nations. .

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The northern part of Greece was called Macedonia.

This is where Thessalonica, Philippi and Berea were.

Macedonia was the former homeland of Alexander The Great, and at one time, was a very powerful and wealthy region.

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However, when the Romans conquered this area, they were excessively harsh to the Macedonians… leaving this once flourishing region, in great poverty.

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The Apostle Paul ministered to both regions.

He worked with the churches in the north that endured this unique hardship… and, he worked in the south… with Corinth… a church that did not experience this kind of hardship.

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Surely, both churches would have confessed, that God had shown them grace… but surprisingly… we see that the impact of grace upon the churches that were suffering in poverty, is far greater, than the church that, as Paul says in vs. 7… excels in everything.

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It is one thing to be shown grace… or even to experience grace… but it’s a completely different thing to be changed by grace.

It’s a completely different thing to be transformed by grace.

it’s a completely different thing, to have grace mobilize you and engage you to live and act sacrificially instead of selfishly.

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in today’s passage, Paul is speaking to a church that has a history of selfishness.

These are the same people from the first letter.... But, as we’ve learned in recent chapters… they are also a congregation that has repented.

They have received their rebuke and they are making positive changes.

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But Paul desires more for them.

He doesn’t want them to simply be a people who are correcting bad behavior.

He wants them to be a people who receive grace, who walk in grace, and who are mobilized by grace.

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For the sake of background… Paul is not only ministering to these churches in Greece, but he is also receiving a collection for the church back in Jerusalem.

The church there had been scattered by persecution and those who remained suffered great poverty and ongoing opposition.

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So even as churches, like those in Macedonia, suffered their own kind of poverty, they were still willing to bring aid to Jerusalem, knowing, that in spite of their own needs… there were believers elsewhere, who suffered even greater hardships.

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The question always comes up in scenerios like this… “Why, when there is so much need here locally, should we invest to help those who have great need elsewhere?”

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I think the answer can be found in the Great Commission.

The church was called to go and make disciples… starting in Jerusalem, into Judea… and unto, the uttermost parts of the earth.

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Beyond the call to make disciples… the Great Commission reminds us… that the church community is not just a local thing.

God calls believers to be part of the local church - and yes, we do our part to address needs locally… but also, to reach out beyond its borders… - because the believer 1000 miles away, is just as much a brother and sister… as the believer that sits next to you on Sunday morning.

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Early on, the church had an understanding of this.

900 miles from Jerusalem, Gentile believers responded to the need of JEWISH believers, who were suffering great hardship and poverty in Jerusalem.

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The believers in Macedonia owned this vision.

Paul tells us why in verse one.

It’s because they were motivated by the grace that had been given to them.

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As of yet, it would appear that the believers in Corinth didn’t own this vision.

But Paul wanted them to… so he begins, by sharing the testimony of the Macedonians with them.

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Look at verse one: - “We want you to know...”

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Back in , Corinth was encouraged to set aside a weekly offering for the saints in Jerusalem.

The unanswered question is… “Did they actually do that?”

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Based on the context of these verse, I think Paul must have suspected a lack on their part.

For, if the Corinthians were generously setting aside a contribution for Jerusalem, this testimony concerning the Macedonians would not be necessary.

In fact… he’s already asked them back in to set aside a weekly offering for the Jerusalem church.

But now… as Titus prepares to come and collect that offering…

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Here is their testimony, from vs. 2…

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SLIDE 3

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What Paul is saying here is so contrary to reason and logic.

Later in this chapter, he’s going to encourage the Corinthians to supply for the needy out of their abundance.

The Corinthian church had an abundance, and from that abundance, the weekly collection was to be given to meet the needs of others… this is found in vs. 14..

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but the Macedonians… they are not giving out of the abundance of their wealth.

They are giving out of the abundance of their joy and in the midst of their extreme poverty.

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Their giving was not prompted by the balance of their check books.. instead, it was prompted by the grace of God poured out into their lives.

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SLIDE 4

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The Macedonians gave in three ways.... they gave according to their means…This means, that their gift did not constitute big money.

They were poor, and they gave according to their poverty.

Secondly: they gave beyond their means… which means… their gift, though small, was the result of great generosity… This phrase literally means… that they gave in a manner that was over and above anything that could be expected , given their situation.

Thirdly.. - they gave of their own accord.

- Which means… they gave freely and w/o compulsion.

They gave because they wanted to.

They owned the vision and willingly gave above and beyond their means.

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A similar testimony is given by Jesus in

SLIDE 5

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SLIDE 6

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The widow gave a very small amount of money.

It was so small, that most folks wouldn’t have bothered to pick up 2 mites if they saw them lying on the ground… However… 2 mites was all the money she had in the world.

She didn’t even keep one for herself.

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She too… like the Macedonians… gave beyond her ability.

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The rich were giving more money… but the widow was giving from a richer heart, and God esteemed this as being of much greater value.

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Not only did the Macedonians give willingly and above their means… but they begged of Paul earnestly for the favor of taking part in the work.

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This is interesting.

Paul encouraged other churches to take a collection… but this statement kind of makes you wonder a bit.

- Did Paul not include the Macedonians in the request to take up a collection? - Did Paul refrain from asking them, because of their poverty?

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It looks like this might be the case… because they were the ones who initiated the work.

They heard about it, and they wanted to be a part of it.

They begged to.

They considered it a favor, to let them give generously to the church in Jerusalem.

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There are three important, key words to consider in verse 4.

First word: ‘favor’… which is the familiar Greek word… ‘charis’ which also means ‘grace’.

Which means, they considered the ability to give money to the Jerusalem church…an undeserved privilege.

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The second word is from the phrase ‘taking part’… which is also familiar in the Greek: koinonia… - which speaks of communion, fellowship and relationship.

- IN this, the Macedonian church recognized that they were a part of the greater church community… and in spite of 900 miles that separated them… they loved the believers in Jerusalem, even w/o knowing them, because they recognized the bond they shared in Christ.

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And thirdly… the word relief… is again… a familiar word… ‘diakonia… which speaks of ministry.

This was for them, a service of obedience to honor the Lord.

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These words round out the meaning of church.

Ekklessia… is the most common world for church… speaking of a people who congregate together… and it represents our times of corporate worship… like we are doing here, right now… But our church experience is merely ekklessia, we are missing out...

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For the church is more than just a congregation.

The church is a community, called to fellowship with one another… which is why koinonia is so important… But a church that congregates and fellowships… that’s not even enough… for we have a mission… we are called to ministry… to ‘diakoinia’… and if we are not serving and reaching out with love, works and compassion… then we are missing out.

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The Macedonia church exemplifies what a well rounded congregation does… and Paul really wanted the Corinthians to be encouraged by this example.

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In vs. 5, Paul expresses his surprise over their gift.

It wasn’t what he expected… - He new these churches were poor and so he expected an offering that reflected their poverty… instead, he received a gift that far surpassed his expectation.

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Now… with this in mind… let me suggest something to you....

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We expect… what makes sense.

We expect… what is reasonable.

We expect things based on experience and normality.

We expect things based on our experience of human nature…

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We look at people we know… and we develop expectations.

We have history with people, and we learn their patterns.