Rich in grace, may we overflow in generosity.

 

Sermon for Pentecost 25, October 10, 2024

May the God of hope fill you with complete joy and peace as you continue to believe, so that you overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

2 Corinthians 8:1-9  Now brothers, we want you to know about the grace of God that was given in the churches of Macedonia: ²In a severe test of trouble, their overflowing joy and their deep poverty overflowed into an abundance of their generosity.  ³I testify that of their own free will they gave according to their ability, and even beyond their ability, ⁴pleading with us with an urgent request for the gracious privilege of joining in this service to the saints.  ⁵And they did this not as we had expected, but in keeping with God’s will they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us.  ⁶As a result we urged Titus, since he had already made a beginning, to bring to completion this gracious gift on your part.  ⁷But just as you overflow in every way—in faith, in word, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us—see that you also overflow in this gracious gift.  ⁸I do not say this as a command, but to test how genuine your love is, by comparing it with the eagerness of others.  ⁹For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that although he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that through his poverty you might become rich. (EHV)

Rich in grace, may we overflow in generosity.

Dear friends enriched in grace,

            The question is often asked, “How much should I give?”  Sometimes, this question comes from a person seeking to know what the minimum requirement might be.  Some churches insist that their members tithe, or give ten percent of their income in order to remain in good standing.  A few, I am told, require a membership fee or to purchase a ticket in order to attend services.  At least one church I know of, at one time, annually required its members to pledge a certain amount each year, but if the elders thought you hadn’t pledged enough, they would demand that you increase your pledge.  How that could be seen as a voluntary offering, I am not sure.  Instead of such legalistic demands, though, and recognizing that we are Rich in grace, may we overflow in generosity.

Now, when reading the words of our text, it is certain that Paul has something to say about our giving, so perhaps your reflex defenses even went up thinking that the pastor would now be flogging you about giving more money.  While this text certainly does touch on the action of generous giving, in reality, it is about love—God’s love for us and our fit response.  The Holy Spirit is reminding Paul’s readers about the two great commandments.  Jesus said, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’  This is the first and greatest commandment.  The second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Matthew 22:37-39)

A little background history would be in order here.  When Paul wrote this second letter to the church in Corinth, about a year had come and gone since he had last visited that place.  In that year, much trouble had afflicted the congregation.  In Paul’s absence, false teachers had infiltrated and afflicted the congregation with many wrong ideas.  Even an incestuous relationship had become known which needed to be admonished and the culprit brought to repentance.  There had been a lot of turmoil in this little church in just one year’s time.  Paul wrote his first letter to them to correct those serious problems.  Then, having achieved the goal of correcting those issues, it was time for these faithful Christians to pick back up where they had left off when the problems distracted them.

The year previous, the Corinthian congregation had enthusiastically begun gathering an offering to assist their persecuted and suffering fellow believers in Palestine.  Their good example had even served to encourage other new congregations in adding to the aid of their fellow Christian brothers and sisters.  Thus, Paul reminds them to finish the good work they had started. 

To re-ignite the passions of the people at Corinth, Paul told them about the amazing response of the Christians in Macedonia.  The Macedonians were not richer than the Corinthians.  Instead, they were suffering severe persecution and poverty.  Yet, that didn’t stop them from giving richly and abundantly from the depths of their hearts.  The Macedonians gave far above what any reasonable person might expect them to do.  Those not-at-all-wealthy people literally begged for the opportunity to give for the benefit of their fellow believers.

So, what does this all mean for you and me?  Are we supposed to give everything we’ve got and more?  Must we consider only the needs of other people and not our own?  Is our God making a legal requirement that we impoverish ourselves to help others?  Many ancient monastics seemed to think so.

Here’s where we would do well to mimic the Macedonians.  Paul reported that “they did this not as we had expected, but in keeping with God’s will they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us.”  In their example, we see the Holy Spirit at work.  In those formerly-pagan paupers, the Spirit worked a generous faith, not a faith of mandatory generosity, but a faith that fully trusted in the Lord and His amazing generosity to them.  Because of their newly received faith in Christ, those Macedonian Christians abandoned concern for the riches of this world.  They would gladly get by with even less than the little they already had in order to help their fellow believers they now gladly loved, even though they had likely never met any of them.  They were all fellow brothers and sisters in the body of Christ, so how could they not gladly and willingly give for their relief?

Paul then reminded the people of Corinth what they already knew and what had so gladdened the hearts of their fellow believers to the north: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that although he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that through his poverty you might become rich.”  This is what the Christian faith is really all about.  It isn’t about being the best or biggest givers.  It’s about loving God because He first loved us, and then living in that great love of our Redeemer and Savior, loving our neighbors, and especially, our fellow believers in turn.

You might remember this last verse of our text being used for a reading or a sermon text at Christmas time.  Leaving the majesty of heaven, Jesus entered this world by setting aside His glory, and the all-encompassing riches and power of His rightful place in heaven, all so that He could become a pauper for you.  Yes, Jesus gave up everything He rightfully possessed so that He could give you everything you really needed.  By His holy life and sacrificial death in human flesh, Jesus gives you forgiveness.  He gives you hope.  He gives you everlasting life, a home in heaven, and a crown of glory.  Christ won for you peace with God above—everlasting peace with the One who created you and all things.  Christ made you rich with an inheritance in the eternal glory of heaven.  Furthermore, while granting you the overflowing riches of His grace through His Son, God never neglects your physical needs here on earth.  Therefore, being made Rich in grace, may we overflow in generosity. 

As is always the case in Paul’s writings, and the Bible as a whole, this text is really about God’s amazing love for fallen mankind, and the generous grace shown to us in His Son, Jesus.  John the Baptist once taught the crowds that came to him, "The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same." (Luke 3:11)  The point isn’t that you must give away everything but the shirt on your back.  Rather, we should be as concerned for our fellow man and, especially, our fellow believers, as we are about ourselves. 

To be more concerned about holding on to our wealth than about the true needs of those being afflicted by the world is actually a form of idolatry, and no idolater has a place in heaven. (Ephesians 5:5)  Likewise, James wrote to his fellow Christians, “If a brother or sister needs clothes and lacks daily food and one of you tells them, ‘Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,’ but does not give them what their body needs, what good is it?  So also, such ‘faith,’ if it is alone and has no works, is dead.” (James 2:15-17)  

Consequently, Paul encourages believers to look past their momentary troubles and bask in the richness of God’s grace that they truly are enjoying.  The message for us, too, is to keep our eyes on our Savior.  Know what Jesus has won for you: salvation, and peace, and a sure hope of everlasting life.  Paul went on to say, “But just as you overflow in every way—in faith, in word, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us—see that you also overflow in this gracious gift.  I do not say this as a command, but to test how genuine your love is, by comparing it with the eagerness of others.” 

Now, by no means does the Lord want us to boast in comparing our giving with that of others.  You see, it isn’t about the size of your gift, but the wealth of your faith in Christ, which will be shown in your attitude toward giving.  The Lord can and will take care of His faithful believers whether we are generous with material things or not, but He gives us the opportunity to share in His love for our fellow man.

Even so, God doesn’t demand that we become impoverished so that someone else might be enriched in material things.  Rather, we are encouraged to love our fellow saints and to share with them when they are in need while we are materially blessed.  It might even be the case that someday, if the tables should be turned that we will be in the position of need, that those who received our gifts may in turn help us.  For us then, also, God is demonstrating His concern for the welfare of every person on earth, and He works by blessing some of us for the good of others in a time of need. 

Furthermore, it is especially important that we continue to share the gift of God’s rich love with those of our world who don’t yet know it.  It is good and kind on our part to proclaim the Gospel wherever it might be heard, so that those on the outside of salvation may hear of Jesus and be welcomed into the Church.  Then, they too can experience the richness of God’s grace that is yours; that all of your sins—including even whatever sins you may have in the area of giving—are forgiven for Jesus’ sake, that we are all equal parts of one body made up of many members—the body of Christ Jesus—the holy Christian Church, and that all of us together have peace with God, a crown of glory, and a home in heaven above.

Therefore, dear friends, together with the whole Christian Church on earth, being Rich in grace, may we overflow in generosity.  Amen.

God will fully supply your every need, according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.  Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever!  Amen.