031614.money.2.cor.8

John R. Wible, 2014 1

What We Work For

2 Corinthians 8:1-9

John R. Wible

3/16/2014


Money Makes the World Go ‘Round

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The Point 2 Cor. 8:1-9

• Support God’s kingdom work with your income

• Saving is a good thing, but why save?– Our needs?– Others needs?– A rainy day?

• Is our security in the money?• On what do you enjoy spending? (P. 32)

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A Big Challenge

• Managing money is one of our biggest challenges

• The older we get, the more we are tempted to hoard stuff, including money

• Why is that? Is that sin? • Is it worse than our younger, venal sins?• Paul challenges us to excel in the grace of

giving in order to advance God’s kingdom

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That Means More than Change

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Review

• Good Work – work is a gift not a curse• We should work as unto the Lord• Today, giving out of the proceeds of our

work, IE.

•TITHING

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The Setting

• Macedonian churches collecting for Church in Jerusalem

• This was of great importance to Paul– Jerusalem was poor, but– Gentiles needed to be seen as caring

• The Church at Corinth was to participate, but needed encouragement

• Paul uses other Macedonian churches as an example of giving out of poverty

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The Macedonian Churches

Five universal characteristics:1. Known widely for the authenticity and

sincerity of their faith.2. Reputation for the diversity of their

membership and leadership. 3. Out of their eagerness to understand, they

were still susceptible to false teachings that could lead them astray (Continued)

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The Macedonian Churches

(Continued)4. Generous response to the needs of

Jewish Christians in Jerusalem5. Gratitude Macedonian Christians had for

Paul, their founding pastor and most faithful friend

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Greece – Achaia and Macedonia

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Macedonian Giving

• They gave “of themselves”• Two Macedonians were given to the work

of the Word– Aristarchus of Thessalonica probably became

Paul’s slave (Barclay)– Epaphroditus brought the give from Philippi

with Paul in prison and nearly died

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Paul’s Persuasion

To persuade the Corinthians, Paul uses five techniques:

1. Example of others (Macedonians)2. Example of Jesus Christ3. He cites their own past record4. Stresses the necessity of putting fine

feeling into fine action5. Life has a way of evening things up

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Why Poverty in Jerusalem?

• Famine prophesied• After conversion Jews in Jerusalem would

have been ostracized• The "experiment in community sharing“

aggravated their poverty.• Food shortages in Palestine because of

overpopulation caused the famine of A.D. 46 in the time of Emperor Claudius (Continued.)

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Why Poverty in Jerusalem?

• As the mother-church of Christendom, the Jerusalem church was obliged to support a proportionately large number of teachers and probably to provide hospitality for frequent Christian visitors to the holy city.

• Jews in Palestine were subject to a crippling twofold taxation--Jewish and Roman.

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2 Corinthians 8:1-2

1 We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God granted to the churches of Macedonia:

2 During a severe testing by affliction, their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed into the wealth of their generosity.

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Key Words• Wealth (page 34) generosity was more than

earthly possessions• Grace (See page 35) The power that ignited

the Macedonian Generosity• Read Bullets on Page 35– Generosity is a lifestyle that gives freely. – A right heart results in open hands.

• Read page 35, “Whether our …”• The most generous person? Why?

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Meeting God’s Challenge

Q: If you are to meet the challenge of supporting God’s kingdom, what is it going to take?

We can only do so when our hearts are right.”

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Where is Your Heart?

Just asking . . .

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2 Corinthians 8:3-5

3 I testify that, on their own, according to their ability and beyond their ability,

4 they begged us insistently for the privilege of sharing in the ministry to the saints,

5 and not just as we had hoped. Instead, they gave themselves especially to the Lord, then to us by God’s will.

(continue)

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2 Corinthians 8:6-7

• 6 So we urged Titus that just as he had begun, so he should also complete this grace to you.

• 7 Now as you excel in everything—faith, speech, knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love for us—excel also in this grace.

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Macedonians’ Desire to Give

• “[B]eyond their ability” (v. 3)• “[B]egged for the privilege”Q: Would you use those words to describe

your feelings when you hear the call for a “special offering?”

• Father Gillhooly and the special offerings• Note verse 5 and our transformation to

“good soil”

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A Burden?

Why do we sometimes see sharing as a burden not a privilege?

• See pp. 37-38, note especially points 1, 2, and 3:1. Willingly. They gave voluntarily to God’s work and His people. 2. Sacrificially. With all they had, they met the needs of others.3. Supremely. With an overflowing heart, they excelled in giving.

Q: What were the ways the Macedonians offered themselves to others?

Q: How could we give generously when income is fixed or uncertain?

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Something to Think About

Managing our finances as we age is challenging, but renewing our minds by focusing on the immeasurable gift displayed on the cross of Christ can empower us to have open hearts instead of grasping hearts

Q: How do you respond to that?

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2 Corinthians 8:8-9

8 I am not saying this as a command. Rather, by means of the diligence of others, I am testing the genuineness of your love.

9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ: Though He was rich, for your sake He became poor, so that by His poverty you might become rich.

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Church Giving

See statistics on page 39.• 1968 – 3.11% (not really good)• 2009 – 2.38% (decline)• Read v. 8, “I am testing the genuineness of

your love.”Q: What would God say about the

genuineness of our love for Him and other people based upon these statistics?

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A Comment

• We can never become the givers God desires us to be by feeling guilty or simply trying harder in our own strength.

• Our fallen human nature fights against us.• Keeping Christ’s ultimate act of generosity

before our minds and trusting in the of the gospel begins to transform our grasping hearts into giving hearts.

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A Question

• What can we change in our community if we, as a group, give generously?

• Look at the activity “Obstacles to Generous Giving” (BOOK, p. 41), how would you responded?

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Live it Out

• The Point: “Support God’s kingdom work with your income.”

• Which application is God speaking to you about?

• While we have breath, the Holy Spirit is still in the heart transformation business.

• As our hearts are transformed, they open up, and we become the givers God intends for us to be.

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Let’s Pray About it!

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031614.money.2.cor.8

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