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Exhortation to Christian Giving 2
Corinthians 8:7-15 Give God what's right, not
what's left! This applies not
only to our finances, but to giving God the place of priority in our time,
our talents, and in all things.
He deserves better than leftovers...rather, the firstfruits! And He has a great purpose
for it--"Giving is not God's way to raise money, it's His way to raise
Christians." Therefore, as ye abound in
every thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence,
and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also [2Cor. 8:7]. Paul is commending them.
They abound in faith; they were able to witness; they had knowledge and
diligence; and they had love for Paul and for the other apostles. Now he
asks them to abound in this grace also. What does he refer to? He means the
grace of giving. I speak not by commandment,
but by occasion of the forwardness of others, and to prove the sincerity of
your love [2Cor. 8:8]. Paul is saying here that
giving today is not by law, by rote, or by ritual. Christ came in the NT w/
a better way, and that is love, not just duty.
Add to your duty, love.
Add to your tithes, offerings that you can give not by commandment by out of
the grace of your heart. You can give without
loving, but you can't love without giving. Paul gives two reasons by
which he is asking them to give. The first is "by occasion of the
forwardness of others" -- which would be the example which the Macedonians
had given. The second reason is to "prove the sincerity of your love." It is
still true today that the pocketbook is really the test of a man's love. It
is the most sensitive area of a Christian. For ye know the grace of
our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he
became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich [2Cor. 8:9]. If you are looking for a
standard for giving, here it is: the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. He was rich
but He became poor. He came down here and took a place of poverty. Imagine
leaving heaven and coming down to this earth to be born in Bethlehem, to
live in Nazareth, to die on a cross outside the walls of Jerusalem, and to
be put into the darkness of a tomb! He was rich but He became poor for you
and me. And herein I give my
advice: for this is expedient for you, who have begun before, not only to
do, but also to be forward a year ago [2Cor. 8:10]. This indicates that the
Corinthians had made a pledge or a promise and had begun to give for this
collection a year earlier. This raises the issue of making a pledge to give
a certain amount of money. Some people say they don't think a Christian
should make a pledge. I think we need to recognize that we sign pledges for
everything else, and I think that people ought to be willing to make a
pledge to God's work. We promise to pay our rent; we sign notes when we buy
an automobile or a refrigerator. I say that we can sign on the dotted line
for God's work, too. Now therefore perform the
doing of it; that as there was a readiness to will, so there may be a
performance also out of that which ye have [2Cor. 8:11]. Paul is saying they should
carry through with their pledge. They should put their money where their
mouth is. However, remember that this is not a commandment. We are not
commanded to make a pledge. However, this verse does tell us that if we do
make a pledge, then we are to carry it through and perform it.
If you pledged to missions, there are missionaries counting on you! For if there be first a
willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according
to that he hath not [2Cor. 8:12]. Here is something very
important to note. Each should give according to "that a man hath," and he
is to do it with a willing mind. No one is to give according to what he does
not have. For I mean not that other
men be eased, and ye burdened [2Cor. 8:13]. Paul is saying that a
burden should not be placed on anyone.
We have no obligation above our tithe if we don't have it.
Ironically, tithers, if they are also obedient to God in being good
stewards of the other 90% of their income, invariably have plenty to give
over and above their tithe. But by an equality, that
now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their
abundance also may be a supply for your want: that there may be equality
[2Cor. 8:14]. As it is written, He that
had gathered much had nothing over; and he that had gathered little had no
lack [2Cor. 8:15]. Paul gives the example of
the gathering of the manna in the wilderness. Each was to gather enough for
one day. Some man might go out with several baskets and say, "Let's just
fill them up. I'll gather bushel baskets of manna while I can." He would go
out and greedily gather up much more than he needed. What would happen?
After he had eaten what he needed for that day, he would find that all the
rest had spoiled by the next morning. It was God's plan that each one should
have just enough and no more. In much the same way, if
you lay up your treasures on earth, buying things or just building a bank
account, it will all come to naught, that’s why we need to send it on ahead
to heaven and put our treasures there by investing in things of eternal
value like church, missions, etc.
“You can’t take it with you
but you can send it on ahead!” Billy Sunday:
"If we could take it with us, it would melt where some of us are
going!" We will learn in chapter 9,
verse 6, that "...He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and
he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully." I think that God
will begin to deal with you as you have been dealing with Him. I think that
God keeps books. He cannot ‘outgive’ us as He is famous for if He doesn’t
keep track. And it’s not for IRS
purposes or anything other than to know how much He can reward us! He does not put us under
law because He wants our giving to be a grace, a passion, a desire to share.
It should be a joyful experience. That may sound crazy to you, but that is
exactly what Paul is saying here. [with helps from J. Vernon McGee]
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