2 Corinthians 8:1-8 "Be Like"
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Be Like
Be Like
I was born on my grandpa’s birthday. Grandpa is now in heaven and Birthdays are not the same without my grandpa.
When I was younger, people would ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up.
Grandpa’s routine
Coffee shop at 8
Price is Right at 10
Start to hollar at Ma for lunch around 11:15
Lunch at 11:30
12:00 News
Afternoon nap
Evening news
Dinner
Wheel of fortune
Bible reading with Grandma
10:00 news and bedtime
I loved Grandpa’s routine and I wanted to be like him.
Today’s passage in 2 Corinthians Paul is encouraging the Corinthians to Be Like the Macedonians
1 We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God granted to the churches of Macedonia:
2 During a severe testing by affliction, their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed into the wealth of their generosity.
3 I testify that, on their own, according to their ability and beyond their ability,
4 they begged us insistently for the privilege of sharing in the ministry to the saints,
5 and not just as we had hoped. Instead, they gave themselves especially to the Lord, then to us by God’s will.
6 So we urged Titus that just as he had begun, so he should also complete this grace to you.
7 Now as you excel in everything—faith, speech, knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love for us —excel also in this grace.
8 I am not saying this as a command. Rather, by means of the diligence of others, I am testing the genuineness of your love.
Pray
I am aware that year 2020 has brought some difficult circumstances.
That’s an understatement.
Just listening to people I hear the grit to survive coming out. I hear exhaustion, emotional drain, stress, physical weakness and mental strain.
People are mentally, spiritually, physically and emotionally drained with 2020. Sadly this is causing some to walk away from the church in order to rest.
I recognize that now more than ever the church must strive to be the church. We must live out Ephesians 5:19-21
19 speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music from your heart to the Lord,
20 giving thanks always for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
21 submitting to one another in the fear of Christ.
My desire over the next several months is that our time on Sunday mornings becomes a time of filling up and pouring in. my prayer is that this time together encourages you and refuels the tank so to speak.
My mental picture is the one of you dragging yourself in here after a long week and boldly walking out of here because the Word of God fills you and prepares you to once again pour out during the week.
Let this time together be the charging station for your strength, mental, emotional and spiritual health.
1 We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God granted to the churches of Macedonia:
2 During a severe testing by affliction, their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed into the wealth of their generosity.
As we read earlier, Paul uses the churches of Macedonia as an example for the church at Corinth to follow after. Much like me wanting to be like grandpa.
Paul says Corinthians follow the example of the Macedonians.
In 2 Corinthians 7:5 we heard last week how Paul described his state of life when he came to Macedonia.
5 In fact, when we came into Macedonia, we had no rest. Instead, we were troubled in every way: conflicts on the outside, fears inside.
The words no rest carry with them this physical, emotional, mental and spiritual exhaustion.
He says we were troubled in every way. We had conflicts on the outside and fears on the inside.
Acts 16:11-17:15 tells of some of the trials that they faced in Macedonia
Turn over to Acts 17 and hear some of what the Macedonians faced as they came to follow Jesus
5 But the Jews became jealous, and they brought together some scoundrels from the marketplace, formed a mob, and started a riot in the city. Attacking Jason’s house, they searched for them to bring them out to the public assembly.
6 When they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city officials, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here too,
7 and Jason has received them as guests! They are all acting contrary to Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king—Jesus!”
8 The Jews stirred up the crowd and the city officials who heard these things.
9 So taking a security bond from Jason and the others, they released them.
again
12 Consequently, many of them believed, including a number of the prominent Greek women as well as men.
13 But when the Jews from Thessalonica found out that God’s message had been proclaimed by Paul at Berea, they came there too, agitating and disturbing the crowds.
14 Then the brothers immediately sent Paul away to go to the sea, but Silas and Timothy stayed on there.
6 and you became imitators of us and of the Lord when, in spite of severe persecution, you welcomed the message with joy from the Holy Spirit.
When
2 During a severe testing by affliction, their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed into the wealth of their generosity.
severe testing by affliction we know that this is not some light affliction they are facing, but this was serious persecution that the Macedonians were enduring.
In Acts 16 the word of God says Paul was beaten with rods because they were Christ followers.
I think it is also very important to note who is the ones doing the persecuting.
It was the Jews!
Why is this important?
We will see why in just a minute.
1 We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God granted to the churches of Macedonia:
They are under great persecution but Paul says you must know about the grace of God granted to the churches of Macedonia.
Grace: unmerited favor. God’s love and mercy over us, even though we have done nothing to deserve it.
The churches in severe affliction are experiencing the unmerited favor of God. They are experiencing God’s love over them.
This is polar opposite to the prosperity gospel. The prosperity gospel teaches that if you give and follow God then God will give back to you an easy stress free prosperous life.
Paul says in severe affliction God’s love is all over the Macedonians. His favor is on them.
You will see that the Macedonians are giving to the Jewish believers in Judea an offering to help them.
They are being persecuted by Jews in their town but they are taking up a collection to assist the Jewish believers in Jerusalem.
How are they able to do this?
I believe in studying the text is that the Macedonians knew the grace of the Lord Jesus was on them. God’s unmerited favor was on them.
6 For while we were still helpless, at the appointed moment, Christ died for the ungodly.
7 For rarely will someone die for a just person—though for a good person perhaps someone might even dare to die.
8 But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us!
8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with skin diseases, drive out demons. You have received free of charge; give free of charge.
7 Therefore accept one another, just as the Messiah also accepted you, to the glory of God.
32 And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.
1 Therefore, be imitators of God, as dearly loved children.
2 And walk in love, as the Messiah also loved us and gave Himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God.
12 Therefore, God’s chosen ones, holy and loved, put on heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience,
13 accepting one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a complaint against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must also forgive.
The Macedonians experienced and knew the unmerited or undeserved love and mercy of Jesus on them.
Church as I said earlier let this refill the tank today. Meditate on this for just a moment. Be reminded of the grace of the Lord Jesus on your life!
Oh we didn’t deserve this favor from God and to be honest it really doesn’t make sense that the creator of the universe would look on my life with favor. Rest in the grace of Jesus on you today. Be filled today knowing that Jesus chose you. This is not based on what you have done but on the goodness of God.
1 We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God granted to the churches of Macedonia:
2 During a severe testing by affliction, their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed into the wealth of their generosity.
Their joy flowed from the grace of God on their lives.
Notice the state of the Macedonians they have an abundance of joy and they are in deep poverty.
The words deep poverty mean nothing left or down to the last resort.
Notice they are in deep poverty but his deep poverty overflowed into a wealth of their generosity.
3 I testify that, on their own, according to their ability and beyond their ability,
4 they begged us insistently for the privilege of sharing in the ministry to the saints,
Paul says they gave according to their ability and beyond their ability.
It is interesting that often those who are poor often give more of their income away than those who are rich.
This is reflected in the poorest states in the United States are often known as the most generous states.
The richest of states are also known to be the least generous.
Often those with finances give less because they believe their large gifts mean more so in proportion to their income they choose to give less.
Paul says these believers in Macedonian gave according to their ability and even beyond their ability. They gave way above anything that could be expected in their deep poverty.
4 they begged us insistently for the privilege of sharing in the ministry to the saints,
They begged us for the privilege of sharing in the ministry of the saints. I love this because they wanted to be a part of caring for the Jewish believers in Judea. They wanted to support them. They are being persecuted by Jews in their hometown but they wanted to support the Jewish believers in Judea.
I would say that I have experienced this and learned this lesson in my time here are Rockaway Beach. I have had individuals who have less stuff than I have beg me to let them join in what I was doing or to encourage me. I learned this lesson over the last years that it is so important to receive from those who have less than you.
They begged to be a part of what God was doing in the lives of the Jerusalem believers!
5 and not just as we had hoped. Instead, they gave themselves especially to the Lord, then to us by God’s will.
They gave themselves especially to the Lord, then to us by God’s will. They knew the grace of the Lord on their lives and they gave themselves to the Lord.
Others will benefit when we fully give ourselves to the Lord. We won’t regret others benefitting either when we first submit to the Lord.
6 So we urged Titus that just as he had begun, so he should also complete this grace to you.
7 Now as you excel in everything—faith, speech, knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love for us —excel also in this grace.
8 I am not saying this as a command. Rather, by means of the diligence of others, I am testing the genuineness of your love.
Be prepared as we have urged Titus to complete this grace to you.
excel in this grace of giving as well.
I am testing the genuineness of your love. I am checking to see if you really do have love for others. This is not a command. This type of giving will flow from the heart and it will be genuine. You will do it because of the grace on your life and not because of a guilt trip.
Closing
Once I get money then I will give more. The Macedonians were a generous people and they were down to their last resort. I don’t believe money makes you generous.
Understanding God’s grace on your life makes you generous. This can cause you to be generous with your time, your finances, your resources and your life.
Blessings dear brother. We are in good health here. Havana closed again because there was a major outbreak of coronavirus. From the first of September we will have a kind of curfew. Nobody will be able to walk in the streets between 7pm and 5am, nobody will be able to enter or leave the city, you can only buy food in your neighborhood and you will not be able to do it in others unless you have USD. Meetings may not be held even in homes with people outside the family. As you can see, the situation is very complicated, especially since buying food and cleaning becomes increasingly difficult and expensive. But we remain steadfast and confident in the Lord. I keep attending to the siblings by making weekly visits or by phone. Please keep your prayers for us, but above all for the government to take measures according to the needs of the people, and may the Lord allow us to continue serving the needs of our neighbors with what we have and we can also share them the Gospel. God bless you
The ultimate Be Like is to Be Like Christ
9 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.
