Jan 19, 2020
by: Jack Lash Series: 2Corinthians: Paul's Most Underappreciated Epistle | Category: NT books | Scripture: 2 Corinthians 8:1–5
- Introduction
A. What is the most beautiful thing you could ever see in the world?
1. Yosemite, or some other National Park? A starlit sky? A sunset?
2. A smiling face? A child at play? The human form?
3. This morning we are going to talk about the most beautiful thing you can ever see in this world.
B. I am preaching the second of eight sermons on 2Cor.8-9, the giving chapters. And I am doing so in the glowing aftermath of an amazingly generous collection which was gathered from this congregation last fall for a group of new Christians in West Africa who were victims of a costly flood.
C. Last week we spoke about Paul’s collection for the saints in Jerusalem. And that is the subject in 2Cor.8-9. But to get started in his appeal to the Corinthians to participate in this collection, Paul begins by talking about the participation of several other congregations, those in Macedonia, which happens to be where Paul is as he writes this epistle to Corinth.
D. 2Corinthians 8:1–5 We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, 2 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. 3 For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, 4 begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints— 5 and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us.
II. In his appeal to the Corinthians to participate in the collection for the poverty-stricken Christians in Jerusalem, Paul points them to the example of the churches of Macedonia, namely the churches of Philippi, Thessalonica and Berea.
A. And he paints a magnificent portrait of this Macedonian donation to Paul’s collection, a portrait of the generosity of the Macedonians which is almost unbelievable.
1. Not only were these believers willing to give, but they were eager to give. And not only were they eager to give, but they were eager to give generously. And not only were they eager to give generously, but they gave beyond their means. And not only did they give beyond their means, but they actually BEGGED and PLEADED WITH Paul to let them give.
2. He says that they “overflowed in a wealth of generosity” “with abundant joy.”
3. And to cap it off, Paul tells us that these generous Macedonians donated to Paul’s collection while they themselves were in the midst of intense affliction and dire poverty.
B. Now, the normal human reaction to poverty is to become preoccupied with self and have a gloomy, self-pitying outlook. But these Macedonians were not normal. They were filled with the Spirit of Christ and therefore filled with Christ’s love and with the confidence that in Christ they had something to offer others.
1. God does great things with ordinary tools. God does great things with people who are no smarter or richer or more famous than everybody else.
2. It is easy to think our failures in the area of generosity are a result of our lack of funds. But in reality, those failures are the result of a lack of faith or a lack of love.
3. I don’t know about you, but I like to practice safe love. I am so afraid of losing my comfort and security, and my trust in God is so small, that I tend to love others only in ways which are comfortable, in ways that do not threaten my convenience or my standing or my security or my comfort level. I tend to steer clear of the kind of love that involves taking risks.
4. Not so for these churches of Macedonia. They not only donated generously toward the collection for the needy church in Jerusalem, but they did so in spite of the fact that they really couldn’t afford to give that much. They gave not just "according to their ability;" they gave "BEYOND their ability." In other words, they gave to the extent that they put their own situation at risk.
5. But though many would say they acted foolishly, interestingly Paul doesn’t criticize the Macedonians for this outpouring of love. He doesn’t remind them that their FIRST responsibility was to care for their own households. Rather, he praises them and holds them up as an example of Christian generosity for others to follow.
C. As Jesus was training His disciples, a number of times He stopped and pointed them to a living, human example of what He was trying to get them to be:
1. He did this with the centurion with the dying servant (Matt.8:10; Luke 7:9).
2. And with the Canaanite woman with the demon-possessed daughter (Matt. 15:28).
D. Well, that’s what Paul is doing here for the Corinthians — and for us. “Look at these Macedonians, Folks! This is what I’m talking about! This is the way we’re all supposed to be.”
E. The reason the Macedonian believers were so worthy of praise is because they were so like Christ in their generosity. He did not cling to His own security. He did not extend Himself only within the boundaries of what was comfortable. He did not practice safe love. He gave His all for us.
F. The most beautiful thing the world has EVER seen is our Lord willingly giving Himself as a sacrifice upon the cross. But we are living 2000 years too late to have seen that.
1. The most beautiful thing you and I can ever see on this earth is a person filled with the love of Christ, and therefore willingly giving his/her life for others.
2. The most beautiful thing we can see is Christ-filled people, loving like He loved, giving themselves like He gave Himself. Have you ever seen this?
3. I have. Many times. I’ve seen Christ in the face – or in the hands – of His people.
4. And it’s been one of the greatest privileges of my life. Because it’s Him — it’s not them.
G. Why were the Macedonians so eager to give? It was because they saw something reluctant givers don’t see. If reluctant givers saw it, they’d be like the Macedonians.
1. They saw that it was a privilege to give.
2. Ordinarily, we see giving as a duty at best. And we feel the same way about helping and serving and sacrificing and praying and encouraging, etc.
3. But giving to help God’s people is an honor.
a. Just as it would be a great honor to babysit the children of a great king, so it is a very high honor to help those who are the precious little ones of God, loved by Him and written upon His heart.
b. All of history was written for them, they are the ones God has chosen, the ones He has willed to be with for all eternity. The world is not worthy of them (Heb.11:38).
4. And so it is a privilege to serve them and help them and support them in any way they need. They are the blessed ones of God, the ones He calls holy, the ones Paul called saints.
5. This is why it is a privilege to help them, to serve them, to carry them on our shoulder.
6. This is why this congregation raised $7000 in a few weeks to send to people we’ve never met and most likely never will meet – not just to help them in a time of crisis, but to tell them that they are a part of worldwide family, and that “when one member suffers, all suffer together.” (1Cor.12:26)
H. 2Corinthians 8:2 “their abundance of joy...overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.”
1. People who perceive of themselves as poor do not tend to be generous. We only give when we feel like we HAVE something to give.
2. When we are feeling poor, we focus on receiving, not on giving. As a cup cannot overflow until it is full, so a person cannot overflow until he feels full.
3. It was the Macedonians’ sense of fullness that "overflowed in a wealth of generosity."
4. And yet in a worldly sense they were poor. Paul describes their condition as "deep poverty."
a. But they thought of themselves as rich because they had Christ. They were the people James speaks about in James 1:9 who are of humble circumstances but glory in their high position.
b. They were not impressed by their lack, but by their abundance. They did not focus on their poverty but on their plenty. Their joy made them eager to give.
III. Imperfect generosity
A. Last week, we talked about how supremely zealous Paul was for this collection.
1. But that’s not the only thing Paul is super zealous about. Paul isn’t content with mere money. Paul doesn’t just want their dollars in the bag to carry to Jerusalem. He wants the Lord’s joy in their hearts as they give. “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2Cor.9:7) He does not want them giving for the wrong reasons.
2. Consequently, Paul does not command but instead invites, encourages, and lays out promises about giving from Scripture. He hopes they will respond out of hearts freed by the gospel and fired by God’s grace.
3. You see, it’s not how much money is raised that matters. What matters is how much the people are joyfully giving their hearts to God and giving themselves to the Lord’s work here on earth.
4. This is true about so many things in our lives!
a. God doesn’t care how successful I am as a pastor, in a worldly sense. He cares about how faithful I am, and how filled with His love I am, and how much zeal I have for His kingdom, etc., etc.
b. And He doesn’t care about how your kids turn out, He cares about whether you worked humbly and wholeheartedly to raise them in the Lord.
c. And God doesn’t care so much about the grades you get in school or the amount of money you make or whether you get married. He cares about whether you love Him and live for Him.
B. I’m not saying it’s wrong to try to give simply because we know God calls us to give. However, we need to know that giving without joy means we are still in need of God’s work in our hearts. We still need the Holy Spirit to open our eyes to how rich we are in Christ Jesus.
1. Like the disciples, we are slow of heart to believe. We are so prone to notice what we wish we had but don’t, and to be blind to the fabulous wealth that is ours because Christ is ours.
2. But just because we are slow of heart to believe, it doesn’t mean we’re not true disciples.
C. The Lord loves cheerful givers, but the Lord also knows that His people are often imperfect givers.
1. You can see this here. Masterpieces are meant to inspire. (Turns out, the Macedonians were inspired by the Corinthians in the first place. “I boast(ed) about you to the people of Macedonia, saying that Achaia has been ready since last year. And your zeal has stirred up most of them.” 2Cor.9:2)
a. But now the roles have switched. Paul is pointing to the Macedonians to inspire the Corinthians.
b. That implies that not everyone is always a masterpiece.
2. Paul expresses astonishment at the Macedonian generosity (2Corinthians 8:5).
a. It was Paul’s habit to think the best of people. Even in this letter he has demonstrated this. And yet even Paul’s positive expectation was far exceeded by the Macedonian believers.
b. This implies that this kind of giving is not actually normal. It’s wonderful; it’s inspiring. But it’s not common; it’s not ordinary.
3. God loves a cheerful giver, but God know we won’t all be cheerful givers all the time. He knows that our love and generosity will not match His.
D. My love is so meager in light of His!
1. Just like the unmerciful steward, it is so easy for me to receive God’s generous gifts with open hands and then turn and be tightfisted toward my fellow man.
2. I am significantly afraid of over-giving, but don’t tend to have the same fear of under-giving. But, if I’m honest and objective, I have to admit that the Bible is the opposite. The Bible is pretty silent about the danger of over-generosity. (I’m not saying there is no danger. But I can’t think of any Bible verses that speak of it.)
E. But the fact is, God is at work even when people give in a more ordinary way. Paul appeals to the Corinthians to be generous and expects it to be of the Lord, but it is clear he doesn’t expect them to match the giving spirit of the Macedonians. (For one thing, Paul had to urge the Corinthians to give, whereas the Macedonians “gave of their own accord.”) And in Rom.15:26, written a couple of years after this, Paul puts the Corinthians right alongside the Macedonians EVEN THOUGH THEY HAD TO BE URGED TO FULFILL THEIR PROMISE TO GIVE.
IV. Conclusion
A. We have in this passage a magnificent masterpiece of Christian generosity in the churches of Macedonia.
B. You could tell by the video sent to us that those brothers in West Africa felt that way about our gift.
C. Generosity is one of the fruits of the Spirit, and God loves a cheerful giver.
D. However, often the picture is marred by our lack of faith, our lack of joy, our lack of love. But marred doesn’t mean obliterated.
E. "If anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward.” (Matt.10:42)
F. What Jesus doesn’t perfect by the power of His Spirit, He perfects by the power of His atoning death.