2 Corinthians 8:16-9:5 (Part 47) The Messengers of Generosity

The messengers of generosity, 8:16-9:5

• Integrity of administration, 8:16-24

 It will be carried to Jerusalem by three independent believers, 8:17-18, 22

 Paul is providing integrity in the sight of God and man

2 Corinthians 8-9 and Proverbs 3

• The same theme—establishing favor between God and man (Paul applies this to a practical situation in 2 Corinthians 8)

Proverbs 3 outline

• Favor with God, vv. 1-12 (introduction is vv. 1-4): 1) Negative command (do not forget his teaching), v. 1; 2) Positive command (keep his commandments)—v. 1—“keep” is to guard and protect; 3) Negative command (v. 3)—“mercy” is the word for commitment to an obligation; 4) Positive (v. 3)—external testimony and internal reality

• Wisdom, vv. 13-26: Wisdom comes after success with God and before success with man

• Favor with man, vv. 27-35 (this is the result of favor with God and wisdom): 1) Vertical relationship must precede horizontal relations; 2) Directly applicable to 2 Corinthians 8-9; 3) Proverbs 3:27 and 2 Corinthians 8:12—God assesses giving based on what remains not what is given; 4) Be prepared and prompt

“Forgetting God”—Proverbs 3:1

1. Failure to know God is to forget God, Hosea 4:6

2. Failure to obey God is to forget God, Deuteronomy 8:11

3. Failure to recognize God as sovereign is to forget God, Deuteronomy 8:19

4. Failure to recall his works and keep them fresh in your mentality is to forget God, Psalm 106:13

5. Failure to perceive all blessings as manifestations of grace is to forget God, Deuteronomy 9:6-7a

6. To be afraid of man is to forget God, Isaiah 51:12-13

7. Material prosperity, Deuteronomy 8:11-14

8. Forgetting God causes God to lament, Jeremiah 2:32, 13:25, 3:32.

Having success with God, Proverbs 3:4-12

• Must be a trust that is complete, vv. 4-8: 1) The qualities of trust, vv. 5-6a: a) Entire; b) Exclusive; c) Consistent; 2) The reward of trust, vv. 6b-8

• Honoring the Lord with our possessions, vv. 9-10: 1) Have to take away the “depletion” idea we have in Christian giving

• Submission to the Lord’s discipline, vv. 11-12: 1: He loves you; 2) He is your Father.