2 Corinthians 8-9 - Part C

You can be a sad giver, grudgingly. You can be a mad giver, of necessity.

Or you can be a glad giver. God loves a cheerful giver. Do you give joyfully to God?

Well, today on Connect with Skip Hyten, Pastor Skip shows you that your giving to the Lord is something God wants you to do with great cheerfulness. But first, here's a resource that'll help you know God's character and his plans for mankind. Does God exist? And if he does, is it possible to know him?

How you answer those questions shapes how you see the world and navigate life. And Skip Hyten knows how important it is to have an accurate view of God's character. I've noticed that almost every problem that a person has in their life stems from an inadequate view of God. In Skip Hyten's book, Biography of God, learn to recognize and remove the limits you may have placed on your idea of who God is.

The truth is, I am a fellow traveler on the same road that you are on. And we have access to the same information, the same documents, but I hope to offer a fresh perspective on God himself. Biography of God is our way to thank you for supporting Connect with Skip Hyten, as we reach a lost world with the gospel. Request your copy with a gift of $50 or more when you give securely online at connectwithskip.com slash offer or call 800-922-1888.

That's connectwithskip.com slash offer or call 800-922-1888. Okay, let's listen to what Skip has for us today. We'll be in 2 Corinthians 9. We have sent with them our brother whom we have proved diligent in many things.

Now, this could be yet another unnamed brother, perhaps a Corinthian delegate, but now much more diligent because of the great confidence which we have in you. It's very obvious that when it came to financial matters, Paul was very careful. He did not want people to think, Paul's making money off his collection.

You know, he's raising all of this income for the poor saints in Jerusalem, but look, you know, he's driving an eight horse chariot and living high on the house. So Paul said, look, we're going to be very careful about the finances. And I think that every ministry should be very careful about the finances. We every year have an annual audit. Our finances are looked at by an independent audit company, and they come in and they examine best practices. And if there's a red flag, they let us know. They let the accounting department know. They check for fraud. All our checks have to be signed by two signatures. Again, all best, good, above-board practices.

Then it's examined by an independent board of directors. That's just good policy. And Paul is making sure that when he's handling the finances or this group is handling the finances, that they're all above reproach. And he's assuring them of that.

Verse 23, if anyone inquires about Titus, they go, well, who is this Titus character anyway? He's collecting all this money from the church here. He is my partner.

I vouch for him. Fellow worker concerning you, I've asked him, I've commissioned him to be the emissary with you. Or if our brethren are inquired about, they, the unnamed brothers, are messengers of the church's of the glory of Christ. Therefore, show to them and before the churches the proof of your love and of our boasting on your behalf. Paul bragged about the Corinthians to the Macedonians. Now, he's bragging to the Corinthians about the Macedonians, but he's saying, I bragged about you Corinthians to the Macedonians. I boasted of you. I want to make sure my bragging and boasting of you was not in vain. So a year ago you said, oh, count me in.

You know, we love the church in Jerusalem. They've given us so much. Prove it.

That's what he's saying here. Show to them the proof of your love and of our boasting on your behalf. So look, I don't want to force you.

I don't want to command you, but prove your love. I've always loved this story. It's a true story. Back in the 1900s, early 1900s, there was a pastor down in Texas down in Dallas area named Pastor George Truitt. Because it was Dallas, Texas, there were and are lots of wealthy people in that area in that state. And George Truitt, the pastor, was invited over to a wealthy man's estate, far away from town, the large spread of land where his house is right in the middle of it. Pastor went out there for dinner, and after dinner, the businessman took him to the top story and pointed out toward the fields in all directions. And he said, I came to this country so many years ago without a penny. Now I own everything in that direction, everything in that direction, everything in that direction, and everything in that direction.

And George Truitt simply put his arm, his hand on the man's shoulder, pointed up and said, how much do you own in that direction? Are you laying up treasure for yourself in heaven where moth and rust cannot destroy, where thieves cannot break in and steal? Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also? It's just a good story and a good reminder that we give ourselves to the Lord, we belong to Him, thus He has access to everything.

So he, in so many words, is telling them that, and he continues with that thought now into chapter 9, which is a very short chapter. Now concerning the ministry to the saints, that is the saints in Jerusalem, the financial offering that we're concerning the ministry to the saints, it is superfluous for me to write to you, for I know your willingness, about which I boast of you to the Macedonians, that Achaia was ready a year ago and your zeal has stirred up the majority. A couple geographical notes. Again, Macedonia is the area Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea. Achaia was southern Greece and the area of Corinth on that little isthmus of land called the Peloponnesian Peninsula. Say that fast 10 times. Peloponnesian Peninsula.

No, don't really have to do that. But that's Achaia, that's that region. So the churches in Macedonia, churches in Achaia, which included Corinth, a year ago, this has been in the making.

Now here's a question. He keeps mentioning this year lapse, this year interval. You know, okay, Paul, you want an offering for the poor saints in Jerusalem. Why don't you just take it a year ago?

Why this delay? I don't exactly know, but I'll just give you my thought. I think Paul would have. I think it took a year for the Corinthians to get ready for it. Remember, one of the things that was notable about the Corinthian church was their low spiritual level. They were a carnal church, 1 Corinthians 2 and 3. He writes to them, you're a carnal.

And in their carnality, a couple may have voiced their desire. Yeah, this is a good thing to get involved in, but it took that long to ramp them up to the follow through. Could simply be that low spiritual level.

It just took some time to overcome. You see, if you're not a spiritual church, you're not a generous church. But I have discovered that the more spiritual a person is, the more generous that person becomes. It's why it's such an honor to minister among y'all. You're spiritual. And you show, you prove your level of spirituality by all of the projects that we have done through the years and how you have lavishly given to people over in the Ukraine, people down in Africa, or projects with reload love.

You've done that. It took Corinth a little bit longer. Yet, verse 3, I have sent the brethren lest our boasting of you should be in vain in this respect that, as I said, you may be ready, lest if some Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we, not to mention you, should be ashamed of this confident boasting. So Paul's saying, look, I am coming. I promise you that I'm coming. And he explained in the early chapters why the delay, but I'm coming. And some Macedonians may be coming with me.

Remember, Paul is in Macedonia when he writes this, probably in Philippi, perhaps Thessalonica or Berea, but he's in Macedonia. He has told them, I'm coming. Some of the Macedonians might be coming and I've been bragging on you.

Boy, it would be embarrassing for you after all the boasting that I made to them about you if you guys were ready in this. Therefore, I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren to go to you ahead of time and to prepare your generous gift beforehand, which you had previously promised that it might be ready as a matter of generosity and not as a grudging obligation. But this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly. He who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Now that's a spiritual as well as a physical law. It's a physical law. It's a law of nature. A farmer, if he has a little bit of seed, can expect a little outcome.

If he has a lot of seed and a lot of work he puts into it, he can expect a greater outcome. It's the law of the harvest. It's also a spiritual law.

It's true in the spiritual realm. You sow sparingly, you reap sparingly. When I was a kid, my parents had a garden. And it was a half an acre garden. And in one little area, they had a lot of asparagus and they had a lot of other things, but they had just a few watermelons.

They sowed sparingly. And so, we got a few watermelons. But every summer, my mom and dad would go to the grocery store and buy watermelons and bring them home. And there were four Heitzig boys who would eat the, my mom, go outside and eat that watermelon.

You'll make a mess inside. So, we'd go outside, buy the fence, and we'd eat our watermelon and we spit the seeds over the fence. And we sowed bountifully.

And the next year, a whole bunch more watermelons came out. If you sow sparingly, you reap sparingly. If you sow bountifully, you reap bountifully. That's a spiritual law as well as a physical law. It's a law not only that Paul brings up, it's a law found in the Old Testament and also found in the words of Jesus. Jesus said in Luke chapter 6 much the same thing. Maybe this is where Paul even got it from. Give and it will be given to you.

Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over will men give to your bosom. Now, we hear that and it doesn't make logical sense. You're saying that if I give, that I'll actually receive more?

No, it sounds, that doesn't sound logical. What I know to be logical is the more I give, the less I have. The point is you can never outgive God. You can never outgive God. And that is something Jesus said. Give and it will be given to you.

God will figure a way to get it back to you somehow. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over shall men give into your bosom. Now, that is also an Old Testament law. It's found in Proverbs. Proverbs 11 I marked out. There is one who scatters yet increases more. This is Proverbs 11 24.

There's one who scatters yet increases more. There is one who withholds more than is right, but it leads to poverty. The generous soul will be made rich and he who waters will also be watered himself. That's Proverbs 11. Further back in Proverbs 3, it tells us, honor the Lord with your possessions, with the first fruits of all your increase, so your barns will be filled with plenty and your vats will overflow with new wine.

New wine. All those verses, scriptures, places have the same truth. 2 Corinthians, Luke 6, Proverbs 3, Proverbs 11.

It's a spiritual law. He who sows sparingly will reap sparingly. He who sows bountifully will reap bountifully. So, verse 7, let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly nor of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver. I've told you before, the word cheerful means hilarious. The most hilarious part of the church service should be receiving the offering. Joyful.

Joyful. So, notice in verse 7, you can be a sad giver grudgingly, you can be a mad giver of necessity, or you can be a glad giver. God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able, verse 8, God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you always having sufficiency in all things may have an abundance for every good work. I was reading this morning in my devotions something interesting.

I knew it was there, but I went to look at it again. It's found in Exodus 25. And it's the place in the Old Testament where when God moves the children of Israel out of Egypt into the wilderness, he tells Moses, get the elders together and tell the children of Israel to bring an offering to me. So, God takes an offering. In Exodus 25, the Lord spoke to Moses saying, speak to the children of Israel that they bring me an offering from everyone, listen to this, here's the stipulation, from everyone who gives it willingly with his heart, you shall take my offering.

So, that's chapter 25. Then he gives instructions of what they're to do with that money, build a tabernacle. So, in chapter 35 of Exodus, 10 chapters later, so Moses spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel saying, this is the thing which the Lord has commanded saying, take from among you an offering to the Lord, whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring an offering to the Lord, gold, silver, bronze, and all of these other items. Verse 20 of chapter 35, the congregation of the children of Israel departed from the presence of Moses, then everyone whose heart was stirred, everyone whose spirit was willing and they brought the Lord's offering for the work of the tabernacle of meeting, for all of its works and service and holy garments. They came, both men and women, as many as had a willing heart. Verse 29, the children of Israel brought a free will offering to the Lord, all the men and women whose hearts were willing to bring the material for all kinds of work.

Then in the next chapter, chapter 36 is the last thing I'll read to you. In verse 4, then all the craftsmen who were doing all the work of the sanctuary came each from the work that he was doing and they spoke to Moses saying, the people bring much more than enough for the service of the work which the Lord commanded us to do. So, Moses gave a commandment and caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp saying, let neither man nor woman do any more work for the offering of the sanctuary and the people were restrained from bringing.

Can you imagine? Their hearts were so willing they gave too much and Moses and the gang had to finally say, stop giving. That's probably the only time in recorded history where that has happened.

I don't think it's happened since. You know, we often say generosity multiplies capacity. There's always needs that we see for finances to be used to spread the work and the word of God.

But here, for this offering, enough was enough and so they were restrained from giving. So, not grudgingly, not of necessity, God loves a cheerful giver and God is able to make all sufficiency abound in all work. As it is written, now he's quoting Psalm 112 back to 2 Corinthians 9, we'll finish out chapter 9. As it is written, he has dispersed abroad, he has given to the poor, his righteousness endures forever. Now, may he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness while you are enriched in everything for all liberality or generosity which causes thanksgiving through us to God. For the administration of this service not only supplies the needs of the saints but also is abounding through many to thanksgivings to God. People everywhere are going, praise God, praise God, bless the Lord, thank you Lord. While through the proof of this ministry, they glorify God for the obedience of your confession to the gospel of Christ and for your liberal sharing with them and all men. As we bring these two chapters, just letting you get that soaked in, two chapters tonight, as we bring this to a close, let's close this by acknowledging that there are probably four ways you can give.

You can give out of duty because you have to. Tax season is here. I don't know anybody who goes, I can't wait for tax season. I really have a willing heart. I want to give my government more of my money. I don't think I've ever heard that and I don't think I've ever felt that. I don't feel that.

I don't think that. I give out of duty. I do it, but I give out of duty.

That's one way to do it, out of duty. Some people, secondly, give out of self-satisfaction. They do it because it ameliorates, it satiates a need they have. They feel guilty when they see something.

Oh, I feel so much better now that I've done that. I've given that. Self-satisfaction.

I guess it's better than duty, but not much. A third reason to give is prestige. It increases my reputation. People know that I'm a generous person and some people even attach a stipulation.

Oh, I'd love to give this much money if you just put a plaque in the foyer that says I donated this wing. The fourth purest reason to give is out of love. Out of love.

Where it's not an obligation, it's an opportunity. A grace. I love God. I love God's people.

I want to get involved in this endeavor. And let's finish, and by their prayer, for you who long for you because of the exceeding grace of God in you. And then he's talking probably about the gift of money that is going to be given to Jerusalem, but he says thanks be to God for His indescribable gift.

You could also say that's true of Jesus. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. When you love someone, you give. God so loved the world that He gave, and He gave His best. He gave His Son.

That's God's style to give His best. Have you received His best? Have you received His gift? Have you received eternal life?

Have you received salvation? That's Skip Hyten with a message about giving joyfully back to God from the series Expound, 2 Corinthians. Find the full message as well as books, booklets, and full teaching series at connectwithskip.com. Now here's Skip to tell you how you can connect others with the truth of God's Word with a gift to keep these messages you love going around the world through Connect with Skip Hyten.

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