fifth Sunday after Pentecost
Notes
Transcript
What does Grace do?
What does Grace do?
Backdrop, what is going on in this passage?
INSERT BIBLICAL PLACES MAPS Pauls MISSIONARY JOURNEYS
Paul writes this letter to the Corinthian church in about AD 55 from what is likely Macedonia.
One can almost picture Paul writing this letter next to a list of all the offerings of the Macedonian churches and trying to use a little friendly rivalry to spur them onto greater generosity.
If you’re looking for the historical record of this then one only needs to look to Acts 20:1-5
After the uproar ceased, Paul sent for the disciples, and after encouraging them, he said farewell and departed for Macedonia. When he had gone through those regions and had given them much encouragement, he came to Greece. There he spent three months, and when a plot was made against him by the Jews as he was about to set sail for Syria, he decided to return through Macedonia. Sopater the Berean, son of Pyrrhus, accompanied him; and of the Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Secundus; and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy; and the Asians, Tychicus and Trophimus. These went on ahead and were waiting for us at Troas,
What’s interesting here is that this is the 3rd missionary Journey and Paul is somewhat famous now. He’s beloved in some circles and berated in others.
This is clear to none other than - LUKE - the physician who says in the last verse ‘these went on ahead and were waiting for… us at Troas!”
It seems like Luke left the party behind after he was arrested with Paul and Silas in Philippi in Acts 16. In acts 20 - Luke Rejoins the party!
Luke is intimately aware of what is happening in the story because for him, it is unfolding in real time.
Let’s recap:
The Church in Jerusalem is under a severe famine (Acts 11) so while Paul is off planting churches all over the mediterranean, including Corinth, he is imploring them to use their new freedom and new life for a purpose - to preserve life.
The Corinthians
The Corinthians
The Corinthian church is LOADED. What is funny is that the Macedonian churches are not poor. In Thyatria Paul converts Lydia- a woman who would have dyed purple garments. She was the Coco Chanel of the Greco Roman world.
In Philippi there are archaeological findings that show a donation made to a Roman God in the sum of 1,000 Denarii (about 8 grand). Philippi was a sort of Roman military retirement city so there was a little bit of money around.
Thessaloniki is even wealthier. Cicero spent six months of his exile there, General Pompey also resided there for a while. It was a sort of Camp David for the Roman Elites who were not totally en vogue.
So when Paul arrives in Corinth the wealth there is quite astounding wealth that he notices. In particular Corinth has some heavy hitters. A guy named Erastus is a member of the church:
Gaius, who is host to me and to the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the city treasurer, and our brother Quartus, greet you.
This is the Erastus inscription. A carving of his name into a street that Erastus would have done at his own expense in order to secure his lofty position.
These churches are not poor- yet Paul refers to each of them as poor.
for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.
And in his first letter to them he tells them:
For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
Paul’s Point
Paul’s Point
The point that Paul is making here is that if you have anything at all it is God’s gracious gift to you and He expects you to use it as such.
The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
Pause.
We must stop here for a moment. We are rapidly approaching a moment in this sermon where the Good news of Salvation is becoming just a social movement.
What Christ gives you and I is abundantly more and greater than paid bills or full bellies. We should work toward those things but those are not the end goal.
This last week I flew to boise- my first flight in about 2 years. It was fascinating because flying is always interesting. But many of us have forgotten how to travel, if we ever knew how. The line for security was so long I could see people weigh their bags at the southwest counter and too often they hit that dreaded overweight mark. Then they’d have to decide do I get rid of something or pay the fee. Pretty quickly you see how people value things.
All their stuff is on display and they need to decide whether or not they should keep that Disney face mask or ditch the full sized bottle of conditioner.
My point is this - whats the main thing for you? What’s your pearl of great price. What can’t you live without?
For Christians the answer is simple- Jesus. The author of life.
This is the grace that Paul is referring to in his letter the the Corinthians.
The grace is not material wealth, it is Jesus, life itself.
Further Paul appeals in v 8:13 that even without Jesus generosity would be the right thing to do!
For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened, but that as a matter of fairness your abundance at the present time should supply their need, so that their abundance may supply your need, that there may be fairness.
Paul says look, it’s unfair that they’re in need and your not. The virtue of fairness is universal.
Even Pagans hold the idea of fairness and exalt generosity. Christians should lead the charge in this way.
My last point.
Many look for their source of worth or identity in their wealth or material possessions.
It’ll never be sufficient, even in a virtue like generosity when have you given enough?
Paul says to the church:
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
What this means is that if you aim for your identity to be born out of greatness. Either in your generosity, your time spent on others, your diligence in study, your development of virtue or any host of things it will never be enough.
BUT! If you’re self worth is found in Christ and His valuation of you- then anything that you ever do will never be too little.
What this means is that in any area of your life- a grandiose gesture is not necessary. The small treatments of grace are an extension of God’s kingdom.
As it is written, “Whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack.”
All of your sins are forgiven, not just the big ones- but the little ones too.
This week, I’d encourage you to go and extend God’s grace to the world. May you also have Jesus, and a little bit more. Amen.