July 1 Sermon 2 Corinthians 8: 1-15
Politicians have a constant need to be diplomatic. Witness this candidate for the Senate who traveled to a small town community to address the single church there. Unfortunately, he had forgotten to ask which denomination so that when it was time for his speech, he began in this way:
"My brethren, all. I must tell you that my great Grandfather was Presbyterian." (absolute silence);
"But my Grandmother was an Episcopalian." (more silence);
"I must tell you that my other Grandfather was a Christian Scientist." (deep silence);
"While my other Grandmother was Methodist." (even more silence).
"But I must tell you that I had an aunt who was a Baptist through and through." (loud cheers!)"
"And I have always considered my aunt's path to be the right one!"
What do you think? Was Paul a manipulator?? I mean listen to how he writes this letter to the Corinthians. “We want you to know about the grace from the Macedonian churches. Out of their most severe trauma, they gave as much as they were able and even more.”
It’s like your parents telling you about school when they were kids. “We walked bare foot in the snow up hill…both ways.” Or “Eat your vegetables. Remember the starving kids in Ethiopia”. The guilt. The competition.
It would be like the Bishop coming to us and saying “hey, this little church in Bethany has given their full apportionments already and they have another check for 25% more on the way…and it’s only July. What are you doing?”
So Paul lays it on thick about the other church and all they have given to the ministry and all the money that is going back to Jerusalem. Then he focuses on the Corinthians.
“Just as you excel in everything – in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and love for us….Just as you have done a great job in everything else you have been doing, now it’s time to pay up. Excel in this grace of giving. “
Have you seen some of those television evangelists? Some of them are false teachers. Some are ok. But I can hear them now.
“What?…your life isn’t going perfect just the way you planned it. Well brother you just don’t have enough faith. You need to step up and step out. You need to extend beyond what you think is your limit and let God show you what HE is capable of. If you give now everything you have in your savings account,
it will be pressed down and multiplied 10 fold, 100 fold, 1000 fold back to you. You only have to have more faith.”
Now I don’t like to preach on money. I’m not going to come to your house tomorrow and say
“now brother Mike, I was looking at the treasury report today and your giving has really slacked off since last year. Now you know I don’t like to have these talks even though I was here last quarter, but I need you to get it in gear.” No I’m not going to do that.
2 Corinthians 9:7 says “each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion for God loves a cheerful giver.” The Greek word for cheerful is hilaros where we get the English word hilarious. So after you give money to the church, God does not want to see you moping or angry leaving the church because of what you gave. He wants you giving what is on your heart to give.
Right after we got married we started going to church on a regular basis. When it came time to for the offering plate to be passed, I would look in my wallet and see what cash I had. I would decide what I needed to do that day and the next, and then give based on that.
I have a friend in Nashville though who gives 10% regularly, no matter what. He says there have been many times when they are scraping the bottom of the barrel to give that 10%, but after they do something miraculous will happen like a check will arrive in the mail or they will find money in the pocket of a jacket.
I have another friend who used to buy food for a kitchen ministry at a Christian music coffee house some years ago. He would take the tip money from the tables to the store and buy what he needed and time after time he had exactly enough money to pay for everything needed. Then just to test God he would throw something extra in the basket and sure enough he would still have just enough to cover the cost.
An unbeliever would say that’s just shear coincidence. The believer would say that’s God providing when needed.
Those who say miracles don’t happen have not really thought it through. Carl Sagan says miracles can’t be real because they don’t happen enough. That’s really just arguing in a circle. Miracles by definition are things that don’t happen regularly in nature. Therefore if they happened more often, they would not be miracles.
Well what is Paul trying to say here. Yes he is telling them they need to give generously. That does make sense. You see, the Corinthian church had both poor and rich believers in it. That’s why he said starting in verse 13 that it’s “not our desire that others might be relieved while you are hurting, but that you give as you are able.”
He does not want you to give everything you have, but to give first fruits, that is give to God first. We took a class a couple years ago called Financial Peace University. It’s taught by Dave Ramsey who is a radio personality. It was a great class.
He said to give to God first, then pay yourself with savings, and then pay your bills. If you don’t give to God first, you won’t give to God what God deserves. That’s how I was when we started going to church. I looked in my wallet and give out of what was there in cash.
Paul told the Corinthians that “you have a willingness to give, now do it. Don’t just sit on the pews, get busy.” There was actually more to Paul’s letter than just money. I like what he says at the end of ch 9.
You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion and your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. You will be rich in love. You will be rich in prayers. You will be rich in sharing. In that spiritual richness, your generosity will result in praises to God from those you bless.
I have a challenge for you the month of July. There are four things I want to see you do.
First is to pray every day. Well that’s easy enough pastor. Not for everyone. Sometimes you have to make a definite decision to do it and if you miss one day, it’s easy to miss the next and the next.
If you wonder what to pray for, I can give you some quick examples.
Pray for me.
Pray for the church to reach lost souls. That’s what we are here for.
There is a list in your bulletin. Pray by name for those people. In fact, I’ll be here tonight for prayer time. We can pray together.
Take a walk down your street and pray for each house.
Psalm 32 says Let everyone who is Godly pray.
Ephesians says to pray on all occasions.
James says to pray for each other.
Jesus said to Go into the closet and pray. Why the closet?? Well in the dark closet, there are no distractions. Any other place will have distractions.
So pray every day.
The second thing I want you to do is fast one day a week. Woe that got some attention. Food is sacred I know. You will hear some people say that in fasting you can give up one thing you like and that’s fasting.
No…fasting is giving it up and focusing on God. When the hunger comes you focus on God, talk to God, meditation on scripture. Is it possible to fast for 40 days? Yes.
Am I going to do it? Not right now. Start small. Fast all morning one day. Next week fast all afternoon. Work up to fasting for one whole day.
Third, tithe. I’m sure you have read the bumper stickers that say “give to God what is right, not what is left.” There are lots like that. Like I said before, God likes a cheerful giver.
Pray for what God is leading you to give. Then pray some more on that amount and see if it’s right. He will give you that cheerful feeling when you’re on the money (no pun intended).
Last, bring one unsaved person to church each week. Well pastor you had me up until there. I don’t even know one unsaved person. I bet you do. I’ll make the first one easy for you and you can work up to it then. Bring one person to church that has not been for at least 5 months. You think, “Man I have not seen Rob and Becky in a while. I’m going to stop by their house. Invite them to supper. Tell them I will pick them up for church. Come listen to this crazy preacher kid we have.” I’ll tell them. I know your thinking of someone right now you can bring.
You have to pick them up. If you say I’ll meet you there, something will come up. Tell them you have a special lunch planned after. Butter them up.
So four things. This is your challenge.
Pray
Fast
Tithe
Bring
I won’t come over and ask you about them.
I know you have willingness and eagerness to follow Christ and be a deeper disciple.
Now it’s time to complete the work as Paul says.
Politicians have a constant need to be diplomatic. Witness this candidate for the Senate who traveled to a small town community to address the single church there. Unfortunately, he had forgotten to ask which denomination so that when it was time for his speech, he began in this way:
"My brethren, all. I must tell you that my great Grandfather was Presbyterian." (absolute silence);
"But my Grandmother was an Episcopalian." (more silence);
"I must tell you that my other Grandfather was a Christian Scientist." (deep silence);
"While my other Grandmother was Methodist." (even more silence).
"But I must tell you that I had an aunt who was a Baptist through and through." (loud cheers!)"
"And I have always considered my aunt's path to be the right one!"
What do you think? Was Paul a manipulator?? I mean listen to how he writes this letter to the Corinthians. “We want you to know about the grace from the Macedonian churches. Out of their most severe trauma, they gave as much as they were able and even more.”
It’s like your parents telling you about school when they were kids. “We walked bare foot in the snow up hill…both ways.” Or “Eat your vegetables. Remember the starving kids in Ethiopia”. The guilt. The competition.
It would be like the Bishop coming to us and saying “hey, this little church in Bethany has given their full apportionments already and they have another check for 25% more on the way…and it’s only July. What are you doing?”
So Paul lays it on thick about the other church and all they have given to the ministry and all the money that is going back to Jerusalem. Then he focuses on the Corinthians.
“Just as you excel in everything – in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and love for us….Just as you have done a great job in everything else you have been doing, now it’s time to pay up. Excel in this grace of giving. “
Have you seen some of those television evangelists? Some of them are false teachers. Some are ok. But I can hear them now.
“What?…your life isn’t going perfect just the way you planned it. Well brother you just don’t have enough faith. You need to step up and step out. You need to extend beyond what you think is your limit and let God show you what HE is capable of. If you give now everything you have in your savings account,
it will be pressed down and multiplied 10 fold, 100 fold, 1000 fold back to you. You only have to have more faith.”
Now I don’t like to preach on money. I’m not going to come to your house tomorrow and say
“now brother Mike, I was looking at the treasury report today and your giving has really slacked off since last year. Now you know I don’t like to have these talks even though I was here last quarter, but I need you to get it in gear.” No I’m not going to do that.
2 Corinthians 9:7 says “each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion for God loves a cheerful giver.” The Greek word for cheerful is hilaros where we get the English word hilarious. So after you give money to the church, God does not want to see you moping or angry leaving the church because of what you gave. He wants you giving what is on your heart to give.
Right after we got married we started going to church on a regular basis. When it came time to for the offering plate to be passed, I would look in my wallet and see what cash I had. I would decide what I needed to do that day and the next, and then give based on that.
I have a friend in Nashville though who gives 10% regularly, no matter what. He says there have been many times when they are scraping the bottom of the barrel to give that 10%, but after they do something miraculous will happen like a check will arrive in the mail or they will find money in the pocket of a jacket.
I have another friend who used to buy food for a kitchen ministry at a Christian music coffee house some years ago. He would take the tip money from the tables to the store and buy what he needed and time after time he had exactly enough money to pay for everything needed. Then just to test God he would throw something extra in the basket and sure enough he would still have just enough to cover the cost.
An unbeliever would say that’s just shear coincidence. The believer would say that’s God providing when needed.
Those who say miracles don’t happen have not really thought it through. Carl Sagan says miracles can’t be real because they don’t happen enough. That’s really just arguing in a circle. Miracles by definition are things that don’t happen regularly in nature. Therefore if they happened more often, they would not be miracles.
Well what is Paul trying to say here. Yes he is telling them they need to give generously. That does make sense. You see, the Corinthian church had both poor and rich believers in it. That’s why he said starting in verse 13 that it’s “not our desire that others might be relieved while you are hurting, but that you give as you are able.”
He does not want you to give everything you have, but to give first fruits, that is give to God first. We took a class a couple years ago called Financial Peace University. It’s taught by Dave Ramsey who is a radio personality. It was a great class.
He said to give to God first, then pay yourself with savings, and then pay your bills. If you don’t give to God first, you won’t give to God what God deserves. That’s how I was when we started going to church. I looked in my wallet and give out of what was there in cash.
Paul told the Corinthians that “you have a willingness to give, now do it. Don’t just sit on the pews, get busy.” There was actually more to Paul’s letter than just money. I like what he says at the end of ch 9.
You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion and your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. You will be rich in love. You will be rich in prayers. You will be rich in sharing. In that spiritual richness, your generosity will result in praises to God from those you bless.
I have a challenge for you the month of July. There are four things I want to see you do.
First is to pray every day. Well that’s easy enough pastor. Not for everyone. Sometimes you have to make a definite decision to do it and if you miss one day, it’s easy to miss the next and the next.
If you wonder what to pray for, I can give you some quick examples.
Pray for me.
Pray for the church to reach lost souls. That’s what we are here for.
There is a list in your bulletin. Pray by name for those people. In fact, I’ll be here tonight for prayer time. We can pray together.
Take a walk down your street and pray for each house.
Psalm 32 says Let everyone who is Godly pray.
Ephesians says to pray on all occasions.
James says to pray for each other.
Jesus said to Go into the closet and pray. Why the closet?? Well in the dark closet, there are no distractions. Any other place will have distractions.
So pray every day.
The second thing I want you to do is fast one day a week. Woe that got some attention. Food is sacred I know. You will hear some people say that in fasting you can give up one thing you like and that’s fasting.
No…fasting is giving it up and focusing on God. When the hunger comes you focus on God, talk to God, meditation on scripture. Is it possible to fast for 40 days? Yes.
Am I going to do it? Not right now. Start small. Fast all morning one day. Next week fast all afternoon. Work up to fasting for one whole day.
Third, tithe. I’m sure you have read the bumper stickers that say “give to God what is right, not what is left.” There are lots like that. Like I said before, God likes a cheerful giver.
Pray for what God is leading you to give. Then pray some more on that amount and see if it’s right. He will give you that cheerful feeling when you’re on the money (no pun intended).
Last, bring one unsaved person to church each week. Well pastor you had me up until there. I don’t even know one unsaved person. I bet you do. I’ll make the first one easy for you and you can work up to it then. Bring one person to church that has not been for at least 5 months. You think, “Man I have not seen Rob and Becky in a while. I’m going to stop by their house. Invite them to supper. Tell them I will pick them up for church. Come listen to this crazy preacher kid we have.” I’ll tell them. I know your thinking of someone right now you can bring.
You have to pick them up. If you say I’ll meet you there, something will come up. Tell them you have a special lunch planned after. Butter them up.
So four things. This is your challenge.
Pray
Fast
Tithe
Bring
I won’t come over and ask you about them.
I know you have willingness and eagerness to follow Christ and be a deeper disciple.
Now it’s time to complete the work as Paul says.
3 comments:
I'm impressed with your site, very nice graphics!
»
Here are some links that I believe will be interested
Hi! Just want to say what a nice site. Bye, see you soon.
»
Post a Comment