1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:03,569 Hello, and welcome to the Middletown Baptist Church podcast, 2 00:00:03,697 --> 00:00:06,593 where we are proclaiming the truth to the world. 3 00:00:06,689 --> 00:00:09,657 My name is Pastor Josh, and I want to thank you for listening to 4 00:00:09,681 --> 00:00:10,685 this podcast. 5 00:00:10,985 --> 00:00:14,625 I hope that this podcast can be a blessing to you and strengthen 6 00:00:14,665 --> 00:00:16,245 you in the word of God. 7 00:00:16,745 --> 00:00:17,577 Now, come along. 8 00:00:17,641 --> 00:00:21,765 Let's look into the Bible and see what God has for us here today. 9 00:00:23,505 --> 00:00:26,081 Well, we're going to be in Second Corinthians, chapter eight 10 00:00:26,113 --> 00:00:28,169 here this morning as the kids head on out. 11 00:00:28,297 --> 00:00:31,313 We're going to go to Second Corinthians, chapter 8. 12 00:00:31,449 --> 00:00:36,005 The title of this sermon this morning is the Grace Giver. 13 00:00:36,345 --> 00:00:37,633 The Grace Giver. 14 00:00:37,769 --> 00:00:41,681 We mentioned already in this service this morning that our theme 15 00:00:41,713 --> 00:00:44,085 for the month of December is gifts. 16 00:00:44,465 --> 00:00:47,889 And we're going to look at this morning how we as believers 17 00:00:47,937 --> 00:00:51,929 have been given the greatest gift, and we know that that is salvation. 18 00:00:51,977 --> 00:00:57,115 But obviously, on top of our salvation, we have the opportunity 19 00:00:57,155 --> 00:00:59,267 to know many other blessings in our life. 20 00:00:59,411 --> 00:01:03,755 The book of James says in chapter one, verse 17, every good 21 00:01:03,835 --> 00:01:08,987 gift and every perfect gift is come from above and come down from 22 00:01:09,011 --> 00:01:12,779 the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness or variation, 23 00:01:12,907 --> 00:01:15,851 neither shadow of turning or change, meaning this. 24 00:01:16,003 --> 00:01:19,295 Every good thing that we have in our life, if we are believers 25 00:01:19,605 --> 00:01:24,933 and we trust in God, every good thing, salvation, our family, 26 00:01:25,069 --> 00:01:29,517 our friends, our health, anything is coming from God. 27 00:01:29,701 --> 00:01:33,821 And so we as Christians have been abundantly blessed. 28 00:01:33,973 --> 00:01:37,301 We live in a society that is taught not to be content with what 29 00:01:37,333 --> 00:01:38,981 we have, but to want more. 30 00:01:39,173 --> 00:01:41,465 I need more gifts, more things. 31 00:01:42,205 --> 00:01:44,469 And the Bible says it's the complete opposite. 32 00:01:44,517 --> 00:01:50,203 When we understand how much we have been graciously gifted, it changes 33 00:01:50,259 --> 00:01:51,627 the way that we live our life. 34 00:01:51,771 --> 00:01:54,095 It changes our perspective on things. 35 00:01:54,755 --> 00:01:58,139 Speaking of changing perspectives, I remember growing 36 00:01:58,187 --> 00:02:03,179 up as a child, Christmas was always about, what am I going to 37 00:02:03,187 --> 00:02:03,947 get this year? 38 00:02:04,051 --> 00:02:04,291 Right? 39 00:02:04,323 --> 00:02:06,163 That was the conversation at school, right? 40 00:02:06,179 --> 00:02:07,883 We're sitting around school, we're like, what do you think you're 41 00:02:07,899 --> 00:02:09,003 going to get for Christmas this year? 42 00:02:09,059 --> 00:02:09,419 I don't know. 43 00:02:09,427 --> 00:02:10,219 I want a bike. 44 00:02:10,347 --> 00:02:11,635 I want a basketball hoop. 45 00:02:11,715 --> 00:02:12,875 I want this, I want that. 46 00:02:12,955 --> 00:02:16,005 And there was always that buzz with my friends about who was going 47 00:02:16,005 --> 00:02:18,341 to get the best Christmas gift this year. 48 00:02:18,493 --> 00:02:20,021 And time would get closer. 49 00:02:20,053 --> 00:02:23,421 And, you know, you put your list in and, you know, most of the 50 00:02:23,453 --> 00:02:26,285 time, being an only child, I usually got what I asked for, Right? 51 00:02:26,325 --> 00:02:26,685 Okay. 52 00:02:26,765 --> 00:02:28,933 So I would get this great gift, and it would be exciting. 53 00:02:29,029 --> 00:02:29,837 But you know what? 54 00:02:29,941 --> 00:02:33,197 Over a few months, that would get kind of old, and I would start 55 00:02:33,221 --> 00:02:34,877 thinking about, what am I going to get for Christmas next year, 56 00:02:34,901 --> 00:02:35,445 Right. 57 00:02:35,605 --> 00:02:39,421 It was that cycle of wanting more, getting more, and then never 58 00:02:39,493 --> 00:02:41,461 really being completely satisfied, even though I was very 59 00:02:41,493 --> 00:02:43,425 thankful for many of the gifts that I received. 60 00:02:43,835 --> 00:02:48,483 But as I got older and we started to have children, our conversations 61 00:02:48,579 --> 00:02:49,995 began to shift, right? 62 00:02:50,075 --> 00:02:52,139 It wasn't about, what am I going to get this year. 63 00:02:52,187 --> 00:02:54,035 It was, what are we going to get the kids this year? 64 00:02:54,075 --> 00:02:54,539 Right? 65 00:02:54,667 --> 00:02:58,523 Because my joy changed from receiving gifts to, hey, I want to 66 00:02:58,539 --> 00:03:00,667 bless my children with gifts. 67 00:03:00,691 --> 00:03:03,603 I want to be able to provide for them something great this year 68 00:03:03,619 --> 00:03:04,435 and make them happy. 69 00:03:04,475 --> 00:03:04,699 Right? 70 00:03:04,747 --> 00:03:07,187 That's the idea of a believer. 71 00:03:07,331 --> 00:03:10,085 When we start out as a Christian, it's all about us. 72 00:03:10,195 --> 00:03:12,785 It's all about what we've received of God and what we can continue 73 00:03:12,825 --> 00:03:13,769 to get from the Lord. 74 00:03:13,857 --> 00:03:16,721 But the Bible very clearly teaches that, yes, we do receive 75 00:03:16,753 --> 00:03:17,849 those gifts of God. 76 00:03:17,977 --> 00:03:23,145 But as time progressed and as we mature, we look for opportunities 77 00:03:23,305 --> 00:03:25,193 to give gifts to others. 78 00:03:25,249 --> 00:03:28,185 We look for opportunities to share the love of God with others. 79 00:03:28,345 --> 00:03:31,641 We look for opportunities to use the gifts that God has given 80 00:03:31,673 --> 00:03:35,505 us in, in light of those blessings and try to bless other 81 00:03:35,545 --> 00:03:37,941 people that we come across in our life. 82 00:03:38,093 --> 00:03:42,173 And so here in 2 Corinthians, chapter 8, we see Paul challenging 83 00:03:42,309 --> 00:03:45,725 the church in Corinth to be grace givers. 84 00:03:45,885 --> 00:03:48,069 And he reminds them of a few examples. 85 00:03:48,117 --> 00:03:51,085 He's going to talk about another church in Macedonia, but 86 00:03:51,125 --> 00:03:53,637 ultimately he's going to talk about the gift of grace that was 87 00:03:53,661 --> 00:03:56,413 given to them through Jesus Christ and why they should be giving 88 00:03:56,469 --> 00:03:57,229 as well. 89 00:03:57,397 --> 00:04:00,317 Now, in this context, he's talking to them about giving to the 90 00:04:00,341 --> 00:04:01,585 work of the ministry. 91 00:04:01,975 --> 00:04:04,871 And a lot of people say, well, Pastor, you're not allowed to preach 92 00:04:04,903 --> 00:04:06,487 about giving in the church. 93 00:04:06,511 --> 00:04:07,615 I would say it's in Scripture. 94 00:04:07,655 --> 00:04:08,391 So yes, I can. 95 00:04:08,423 --> 00:04:10,847 Okay, we're going to talk about giving to the church today. 96 00:04:10,991 --> 00:04:14,351 And now we're not necessarily only talking about material giving, 97 00:04:14,503 --> 00:04:17,623 financial giving, but what we are going to talk about is as a Christian, 98 00:04:17,679 --> 00:04:20,543 we are challenged to be grace givers. 99 00:04:20,719 --> 00:04:23,239 Not everyone's able to give to the same degree. 100 00:04:23,367 --> 00:04:26,231 We're going to talk about that here in this passage of Scripture. 101 00:04:26,263 --> 00:04:30,297 We're going to look at how God has blessed us and how we bless others. 102 00:04:30,481 --> 00:04:32,985 We already mentioned this morning in Ephesians chapter two, 103 00:04:33,105 --> 00:04:34,185 the greatest gift. 104 00:04:34,305 --> 00:04:37,129 For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves. 105 00:04:37,217 --> 00:04:40,457 It is a gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. 106 00:04:40,601 --> 00:04:41,489 What does that mean? 107 00:04:41,577 --> 00:04:46,897 That means that we cannot ever earn our salvation. 108 00:04:47,001 --> 00:04:49,777 We cannot ever pay for our salvation. 109 00:04:49,881 --> 00:04:54,525 We cannot ever be Good enough to earn God's grace in our life. 110 00:04:55,435 --> 00:04:59,147 I use this analogy on Wednesday, but we could say today, 111 00:04:59,211 --> 00:05:03,043 hey, everybody, as you leave today, we have a gift for you in 112 00:05:03,059 --> 00:05:03,895 the lobby. 113 00:05:04,235 --> 00:05:05,995 We have a gift for all of you. 114 00:05:06,035 --> 00:05:06,371 And it's. 115 00:05:06,403 --> 00:05:09,531 Just because you're here doesn't mean that you've been good. 116 00:05:09,643 --> 00:05:11,755 It doesn't mean that you've been kind to me. 117 00:05:11,875 --> 00:05:13,435 It doesn't mean anything. 118 00:05:13,475 --> 00:05:15,683 It just means that we love you enough to give you a gift as you 119 00:05:15,699 --> 00:05:16,815 head on out today. 120 00:05:17,115 --> 00:05:20,099 Now, you could walk out in the lobby, and as you get to the desk 121 00:05:20,147 --> 00:05:22,671 there, the person sitting behind the desk could say, okay, 122 00:05:22,763 --> 00:05:23,375 here's your gift. 123 00:05:23,415 --> 00:05:25,359 All we're asking for is $5. 124 00:05:25,527 --> 00:05:27,295 You say, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. 125 00:05:27,455 --> 00:05:28,871 I was told that this was a gift. 126 00:05:28,903 --> 00:05:32,591 If I have to pay $5, even if it's a cheap price for whatever I'm 127 00:05:32,623 --> 00:05:34,655 getting, I'm still paying for something. 128 00:05:34,815 --> 00:05:37,519 Say it's no longer a gift because I'm paying for it. 129 00:05:37,687 --> 00:05:39,967 Or let's say, we didn't ask you for money. 130 00:05:39,991 --> 00:05:43,055 But as you head on out, they say, okay, you can have this gift. 131 00:05:43,215 --> 00:05:46,799 All you gotta do is sign up for 5 hours of service here at Middletown 132 00:05:46,847 --> 00:05:47,287 Baptist Church. 133 00:05:47,311 --> 00:05:49,053 We got a lot of leaves to pick up. 134 00:05:49,159 --> 00:05:50,953 We got a lot of pressure washing we need to do. 135 00:05:50,969 --> 00:05:54,617 And you say, wait, no, no, no, that's not how a gift works. 136 00:05:54,801 --> 00:05:55,145 Right? 137 00:05:55,185 --> 00:05:58,641 Those will be two bad responses to, you know, offering 138 00:05:58,673 --> 00:05:59,365 a gift. 139 00:05:59,745 --> 00:06:02,337 But there also could be, hey, no strings attached. 140 00:06:02,361 --> 00:06:04,033 You can have this gift as you walk out. 141 00:06:04,089 --> 00:06:04,685 But. 142 00:06:05,945 --> 00:06:09,281 But you could say, I don't want that gift. 143 00:06:09,313 --> 00:06:10,225 I don't need that gift. 144 00:06:10,305 --> 00:06:11,817 I've had too much in my life already. 145 00:06:11,881 --> 00:06:12,505 I don't need that. 146 00:06:12,545 --> 00:06:12,889 Right? 147 00:06:12,977 --> 00:06:16,497 And so that's the way that many of us deal with the gift of 148 00:06:16,521 --> 00:06:16,895 God. 149 00:06:16,985 --> 00:06:19,091 A lot of people think, well, it's something that I have to earn. 150 00:06:19,123 --> 00:06:20,539 It's something that I have to do. 151 00:06:20,627 --> 00:06:22,467 It's something that I have to accomplish. 152 00:06:22,531 --> 00:06:25,563 Well, no, the Bible says it's by grace and grace alone that we 153 00:06:25,579 --> 00:06:29,091 are able to understand what Jesus Christ did for us. 154 00:06:29,163 --> 00:06:31,899 It's by grace alone that we come to him in faith and receive 155 00:06:31,947 --> 00:06:33,135 that gift of grace. 156 00:06:34,755 --> 00:06:36,107 Some people say, well, you know what? 157 00:06:36,131 --> 00:06:37,275 I don't need that gift. 158 00:06:37,395 --> 00:06:38,619 I don't want that gift. 159 00:06:38,747 --> 00:06:40,283 I don't want that commitment. 160 00:06:40,419 --> 00:06:41,691 I don't want to take that with me. 161 00:06:41,723 --> 00:06:43,809 That's rejecting the gift of grace. 162 00:06:43,987 --> 00:06:46,853 But my prayer is that all of us here this morning have received 163 00:06:46,949 --> 00:06:47,869 that gift of grace. 164 00:06:47,917 --> 00:06:51,181 And so therefore, there's a Challenge for us, there's a challenge 165 00:06:51,213 --> 00:06:54,117 in our life and that challenges to receive the gift of 166 00:06:54,141 --> 00:06:57,541 grace and then show that gift of grace with other people that we 167 00:06:57,573 --> 00:06:58,933 come across in our life. 168 00:06:59,109 --> 00:07:02,605 Romans, chapter 6, verse 23 tells us what we deserve for the 169 00:07:02,645 --> 00:07:06,305 wages or the payment of sin is death. 170 00:07:06,805 --> 00:07:09,525 So biblically speaking, this is not Pastor Josh speaking here. 171 00:07:09,565 --> 00:07:09,957 This is. 172 00:07:10,021 --> 00:07:10,973 This is the Bible. 173 00:07:11,109 --> 00:07:13,701 What do we deserve as a sinner? 174 00:07:13,813 --> 00:07:16,029 Death, separation, punishment. 175 00:07:16,157 --> 00:07:18,693 But the Bible says there's a second part of that verse. 176 00:07:18,789 --> 00:07:19,893 But the gift. 177 00:07:20,029 --> 00:07:20,981 There's our word again. 178 00:07:21,053 --> 00:07:24,917 But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. 179 00:07:25,101 --> 00:07:26,437 That is what we have received. 180 00:07:26,501 --> 00:07:28,909 We have received a gift that we don't deserve. 181 00:07:28,957 --> 00:07:31,669 We deserve punishment, we deserve death. 182 00:07:31,757 --> 00:07:33,325 We deserve separation. 183 00:07:33,445 --> 00:07:37,493 But God in His love for us, offers the gift of grace. 184 00:07:37,549 --> 00:07:38,901 And we know how he offered that. 185 00:07:38,973 --> 00:07:41,757 He demonstrated his love towards us in that while we were 186 00:07:41,781 --> 00:07:44,131 yet sinners, Christ died for us. 187 00:07:44,203 --> 00:07:47,215 For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son. 188 00:07:47,715 --> 00:07:48,339 Right? 189 00:07:48,467 --> 00:07:51,851 That's the gift that whosoever believeth in him should not perish 190 00:07:51,883 --> 00:07:53,495 but have everlasting life. 191 00:07:53,835 --> 00:07:55,755 So that's what we're working with here this morning. 192 00:07:55,795 --> 00:07:58,899 We're not working with, hey, God has given me a good job. 193 00:07:59,027 --> 00:08:00,779 God has given me a nice family. 194 00:08:00,867 --> 00:08:02,563 God has given me decent health. 195 00:08:02,659 --> 00:08:03,971 No, we're not talking about that. 196 00:08:04,003 --> 00:08:08,427 At its core, we're talking about the gospel grace of your salvation. 197 00:08:08,491 --> 00:08:11,701 The Bible says that, that you were separated from God, you were 198 00:08:11,733 --> 00:08:12,845 an enemy of God. 199 00:08:12,925 --> 00:08:14,605 You were on your way to punishment. 200 00:08:14,645 --> 00:08:17,797 You were, as the Bible says, dead in your sins. 201 00:08:17,861 --> 00:08:18,973 But what did God do? 202 00:08:19,069 --> 00:08:22,109 He gives us the gift of grace so that we can be brought to life, 203 00:08:22,237 --> 00:08:25,825 so that we can know what it means to live with him forever. 204 00:08:26,205 --> 00:08:28,109 That is what we're dealing with here this morning. 205 00:08:28,237 --> 00:08:31,245 That is the greatest gift that God has extended to you. 206 00:08:31,405 --> 00:08:35,037 And so God has given us many ways that we can worship him. 207 00:08:35,061 --> 00:08:38,220 He's given us many ways that, that we can honor him because of 208 00:08:38,252 --> 00:08:39,564 what he has done for us. 209 00:08:39,684 --> 00:08:42,100 We know that, you know, Christina up here singing, that's 210 00:08:42,132 --> 00:08:44,420 one way that she can worship God. 211 00:08:44,532 --> 00:08:47,796 You singing in your seats out there, that's a way that you can 212 00:08:47,820 --> 00:08:48,548 worship God. 213 00:08:48,636 --> 00:08:50,732 There's a way that you can worship God by service. 214 00:08:50,788 --> 00:08:53,860 There's a way that you can worship God by all these different 215 00:08:53,892 --> 00:08:54,084 things. 216 00:08:54,124 --> 00:08:58,452 But the Bible actually says that one way to worship God is actually 217 00:08:58,548 --> 00:08:59,476 through giving. 218 00:08:59,620 --> 00:09:02,676 And so the act of worship that we're going to talk about here this 219 00:09:02,700 --> 00:09:04,803 morning is the act of giving. 220 00:09:04,859 --> 00:09:07,299 The act of Giving is worship. 221 00:09:07,347 --> 00:09:12,675 Hebrews chapter 13, verse 16 tells us that our giving pleases 222 00:09:12,755 --> 00:09:13,575 the Lord. 223 00:09:13,915 --> 00:09:17,491 I don't know about you, but because of what Jesus Christ has 224 00:09:17,523 --> 00:09:21,507 done for me, because of the love of God given to me in my life, 225 00:09:21,571 --> 00:09:23,155 I want to please my Savior. 226 00:09:23,195 --> 00:09:25,787 And the Bible says one of the ways that we can please our Savior 227 00:09:25,931 --> 00:09:27,251 is through giving. 228 00:09:27,363 --> 00:09:30,971 Paul even mentions in First Corinthians, chapter 16, verses 1 229 00:09:31,003 --> 00:09:36,495 through 4, he, he emphasizes the importance of giving to the Lord. 230 00:09:36,955 --> 00:09:40,851 Ultimately, God wants us to give as an act of worship. 231 00:09:40,963 --> 00:09:43,643 He wants us to give cheerfully, as Second Corinthians, 232 00:09:43,699 --> 00:09:44,731 chapter 9 says. 233 00:09:44,843 --> 00:09:45,139 Why? 234 00:09:45,187 --> 00:09:49,095 Because we are really giving back to him what he already owns. 235 00:09:49,435 --> 00:09:51,939 I think so many times in our life we think that, hey, you know 236 00:09:51,947 --> 00:09:52,283 what? 237 00:09:52,379 --> 00:09:54,667 I can't afford to give this to God. 238 00:09:54,771 --> 00:09:58,021 I can't afford to give this to others in the name of God because 239 00:09:58,093 --> 00:09:58,853 I need this. 240 00:09:58,909 --> 00:09:59,789 I have to have this. 241 00:09:59,837 --> 00:10:00,445 This is mine. 242 00:10:00,485 --> 00:10:01,589 This is what I earned. 243 00:10:01,677 --> 00:10:05,469 Folks, everything that you have, every good gift and every perfect 244 00:10:05,517 --> 00:10:10,453 gift comes from my hard work, my job, my education. 245 00:10:10,549 --> 00:10:11,997 No, it comes from God. 246 00:10:12,141 --> 00:10:15,269 Everything that we have is from God. 247 00:10:15,437 --> 00:10:18,149 Therefore, to give it back to him is just doing the right thing. 248 00:10:18,197 --> 00:10:19,109 Hey, you know what, Lord? 249 00:10:19,157 --> 00:10:20,845 And he's not even asking for all of it. 250 00:10:20,965 --> 00:10:23,741 He's asking for just a portion of what he has given us. 251 00:10:23,773 --> 00:10:26,065 And so the Bible says here, it's not by command. 252 00:10:26,105 --> 00:10:27,785 We're going to look at that here in Second Corinthians, chapter 253 00:10:27,825 --> 00:10:28,121 eight. 254 00:10:28,193 --> 00:10:30,233 It's not like God sits here and goes, well, you didn't give to 255 00:10:30,249 --> 00:10:32,073 me this week, so you're not going to get any blessings this week. 256 00:10:32,089 --> 00:10:33,297 He's not talking about that. 257 00:10:33,441 --> 00:10:35,457 He's always talking about the heart of the issue. 258 00:10:35,521 --> 00:10:36,825 God wants our heart. 259 00:10:36,865 --> 00:10:39,433 And if he has our heart, he has our giving. 260 00:10:39,529 --> 00:10:43,325 If he has our heart, he has our dedication. 261 00:10:43,905 --> 00:10:47,873 So here in this passage, this particular passage in 2 Corinthians, 262 00:10:47,929 --> 00:10:52,265 chapter 8, we'll be studying on the topic focusing on giving to 263 00:10:52,305 --> 00:10:55,965 people in another place for the furtherance of the gospel. 264 00:10:56,425 --> 00:10:57,977 That's in context. 265 00:10:58,041 --> 00:10:59,889 That's what's being talked about here in Second Corinthians, 266 00:10:59,937 --> 00:11:00,689 chapter 8. 267 00:11:00,817 --> 00:11:04,425 Taking what God has blessed me with giving that to other people 268 00:11:04,545 --> 00:11:06,685 for the furtherance of the gospel. 269 00:11:07,145 --> 00:11:07,481 Not. 270 00:11:07,513 --> 00:11:09,593 Not so that someone could get a private jet. 271 00:11:09,769 --> 00:11:12,705 Not, not so that someone could have extra money in their bank account. 272 00:11:12,745 --> 00:11:16,827 No, it's talking about furthering the gospel of Jesus Christ. 273 00:11:16,961 --> 00:11:18,575 That's what we're talking about here in Second Corinthians, 274 00:11:18,615 --> 00:11:18,943 chapter eight. 275 00:11:18,959 --> 00:11:21,903 So if you have your Bible let's go ahead and look there. 276 00:11:21,959 --> 00:11:24,183 I want to give you a little bit of context, little get a little 277 00:11:24,199 --> 00:11:25,155 bit of background. 278 00:11:26,095 --> 00:11:29,399 After waiting a year for the Corinthian church to fulfill their 279 00:11:29,447 --> 00:11:33,167 promise regarding their promise offering to him, Paul writes 280 00:11:33,191 --> 00:11:35,831 2 Corinthians chapter 8 to challenge them. 281 00:11:35,983 --> 00:11:38,431 We already know here in 2nd Corinthians, Paul has been challenging 282 00:11:38,463 --> 00:11:40,071 the church on a lot of different things. 283 00:11:40,183 --> 00:11:42,231 Well, one thing he's going to challenge him on here in chapter 284 00:11:42,263 --> 00:11:45,709 eight is you said you would give to the furtherance of the gospel, 285 00:11:45,847 --> 00:11:46,993 but you haven't yet. 286 00:11:47,129 --> 00:11:48,645 You've been holding on to it. 287 00:11:49,545 --> 00:11:50,961 And so he's challenging them. 288 00:11:50,993 --> 00:11:54,537 And so in order to effectively get the message into their hearts, 289 00:11:54,641 --> 00:11:58,285 he begins with the example of the Macedonian churches. 290 00:11:58,665 --> 00:12:00,185 Remember where he was at? 291 00:12:00,225 --> 00:12:02,561 He was at the church in Macedonia, and that's why they got 292 00:12:02,593 --> 00:12:03,393 upset with him. 293 00:12:03,489 --> 00:12:05,937 So he says, well, I'm going to show you what the Macedonians are 294 00:12:05,961 --> 00:12:08,617 doing in their giving, because they're a great example. 295 00:12:08,761 --> 00:12:10,881 I think he's going to go a little bit further and he's actually 296 00:12:10,913 --> 00:12:13,715 going to give them the example of Jesus Christ. 297 00:12:14,735 --> 00:12:18,623 And so what we're going to see here is that the Macedonians participating 298 00:12:18,799 --> 00:12:23,835 in the offering of God giving to the Gospel message. 299 00:12:24,255 --> 00:12:27,895 And so Paul tells us here in Second Corinthians chapter nine, 300 00:12:27,975 --> 00:12:28,671 all of that. 301 00:12:28,783 --> 00:12:30,583 That's what he talks about in Second Corinthians chapter nine. 302 00:12:30,679 --> 00:12:32,719 Here, he's building that picture. 303 00:12:32,847 --> 00:12:36,235 So Paul begins to lay the groundwork for Corinthian believers 304 00:12:36,655 --> 00:12:39,715 in their participation with giving to the Lord. 305 00:12:40,095 --> 00:12:43,595 And so as we notice the example of the Macedonians giving 306 00:12:44,215 --> 00:12:48,111 and how they give to the needs of others, we begin to recognize 307 00:12:48,303 --> 00:12:50,655 that we have been given great things in our life. 308 00:12:50,695 --> 00:12:54,719 And so we as recipients of grace should then be those that give 309 00:12:54,767 --> 00:12:55,815 that grace to other people. 310 00:12:55,855 --> 00:12:58,535 And that's why we come up with that phrase, the grace giver. 311 00:12:58,695 --> 00:13:03,759 Paul repeats the word grace seven times here in this chapter 312 00:13:03,887 --> 00:13:05,853 and three more times in the ninth chapter. 313 00:13:05,999 --> 00:13:09,481 And so although the offering that was being talked about in the 314 00:13:09,513 --> 00:13:14,665 verse was to help pour Jerusalem, the major idea here is 315 00:13:14,705 --> 00:13:19,457 being given towards the Gospel message, given towards the idea that 316 00:13:19,481 --> 00:13:21,993 we're going to further the kingdom of God. 317 00:13:22,169 --> 00:13:25,313 And so there's a willingness and an opportunity to give for the 318 00:13:25,329 --> 00:13:25,761 grace of God. 319 00:13:25,793 --> 00:13:26,657 So let's look at verse number one. 320 00:13:26,681 --> 00:13:29,017 It says, moreover, brethren, we do. 321 00:13:29,041 --> 00:13:32,057 She's speaking to the Corinthians, we do you to wit, of 322 00:13:32,081 --> 00:13:35,041 the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia. 323 00:13:35,073 --> 00:13:35,857 So what does he say here? 324 00:13:35,881 --> 00:13:37,659 He says, corinthian Church. 325 00:13:37,787 --> 00:13:42,131 We want you to know about the grace of the Macedonian church, how 326 00:13:42,163 --> 00:13:45,075 they've been giving to the cause of the gospel. 327 00:13:45,235 --> 00:13:48,155 So he's just letting the Corinthian church know that the Macedonian 328 00:13:48,195 --> 00:13:48,715 church is giving. 329 00:13:48,755 --> 00:13:50,335 He's using them as an example. 330 00:13:51,155 --> 00:13:56,403 And so we see here that they have a responsibility and a privilege 331 00:13:56,459 --> 00:13:58,055 to give to the cause of Christ. 332 00:13:58,395 --> 00:14:01,747 And just as the Corinthian church and the Macedonian church 333 00:14:01,851 --> 00:14:05,153 has a privilege and a responsibility to give to the cause 334 00:14:05,169 --> 00:14:09,025 of the gospel, so we too, at Middletown Baptist Church have a 335 00:14:09,145 --> 00:14:11,697 privilege and a responsibility to cause. 336 00:14:11,761 --> 00:14:14,553 To give to the cause of the gospel of Jesus Christ. 337 00:14:14,729 --> 00:14:18,377 And so on our own strength, in our own strength, we find reasons 338 00:14:18,441 --> 00:14:20,205 and excuses not to give. 339 00:14:20,625 --> 00:14:23,041 We get weary and we decide to give up. 340 00:14:23,153 --> 00:14:27,137 And so if we look at it in the perspective of it being a blessing 341 00:14:27,201 --> 00:14:30,841 to us and through the power of God, we can stay faithful. 342 00:14:30,873 --> 00:14:34,131 And so let's see the characteristics of a grace giver. 343 00:14:34,203 --> 00:14:37,083 Let's look at what he talks about with the Macedonian Church. 344 00:14:37,179 --> 00:14:37,939 Verse number two. 345 00:14:37,987 --> 00:14:40,427 We're going to look at the characteristics of a grace giver. 346 00:14:40,571 --> 00:14:41,187 Verse number two. 347 00:14:41,211 --> 00:14:46,611 He says how that in great trial of affliction, we see first 348 00:14:46,643 --> 00:14:49,139 and foremost that they're giving out of a difficulty. 349 00:14:49,267 --> 00:14:51,651 He's not saying that the Macedonian church had all of these 350 00:14:51,683 --> 00:14:53,867 blessings and they had excess and they're like, well, we got to 351 00:14:53,891 --> 00:14:55,115 find somewhere to put this. 352 00:14:55,235 --> 00:14:59,887 No, the Macedonian church was giving out of great poverty, out 353 00:14:59,911 --> 00:15:02,915 of great affliction, out of great difficulty. 354 00:15:03,295 --> 00:15:06,511 He says how that in a great trial of affliction, the abundance 355 00:15:06,663 --> 00:15:12,143 of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches 356 00:15:12,199 --> 00:15:13,835 of their liberality. 357 00:15:14,895 --> 00:15:18,319 So, so, so they didn't give because they could afford to lose 358 00:15:18,367 --> 00:15:18,839 it. 359 00:15:18,967 --> 00:15:22,255 They gave even when it didn't make sense in the eyes of the world. 360 00:15:22,295 --> 00:15:24,051 They didn't have a lot for themselves. 361 00:15:24,183 --> 00:15:26,747 They were going through a difficulty, they were going through 362 00:15:26,811 --> 00:15:28,171 poverty, as it says there. 363 00:15:28,243 --> 00:15:29,035 But what does it say? 364 00:15:29,075 --> 00:15:33,379 They did it with joy and liberality, man. 365 00:15:33,427 --> 00:15:36,067 That's really an interesting concept to think that they were going 366 00:15:36,091 --> 00:15:36,707 through a struggle. 367 00:15:36,771 --> 00:15:39,219 The Macedonian church was not like, hey, you know what? 368 00:15:39,307 --> 00:15:42,219 We've had an extra good year this year, so we're going to go ahead 369 00:15:42,227 --> 00:15:44,123 and dole out things to the cause of the gospel. 370 00:15:44,179 --> 00:15:47,915 No, they gave when it hurt, they gave when it was a stretch, 371 00:15:48,035 --> 00:15:49,797 they gave when it was a challenge. 372 00:15:49,931 --> 00:15:54,561 And so it says here that they gave in a place of affliction and 373 00:15:54,633 --> 00:15:58,085 poverty, but they did it with joy. 374 00:15:58,585 --> 00:16:02,257 And they did it as it says there with liberality or they gave 375 00:16:02,361 --> 00:16:03,365 generously. 376 00:16:03,945 --> 00:16:06,805 The word liberality here means open hearted. 377 00:16:07,185 --> 00:16:10,961 The word liberality means to be free of ulterior motives, meaning 378 00:16:11,033 --> 00:16:13,081 they weren't giving to get something back. 379 00:16:13,233 --> 00:16:15,743 That's really what love is in general, right? 380 00:16:15,929 --> 00:16:19,707 True love, true biblical love is giving when I don't necessarily 381 00:16:19,771 --> 00:16:23,895 receive it back, not even giving to expect it to come back. 382 00:16:24,275 --> 00:16:28,619 And so the Macedonian church, out of poverty and out of affliction, 383 00:16:28,747 --> 00:16:32,495 gave joyfully and gave generously. 384 00:16:34,435 --> 00:16:40,215 It was sheer unadulterated joy that motivated their hearts. 385 00:16:40,675 --> 00:16:44,949 It was a love for God which then manifested itself as a love 386 00:16:44,997 --> 00:16:47,869 for others that allowed them to give joyfully. 387 00:16:47,917 --> 00:16:50,701 In the midst of difficulty, they would say, well, how could I 388 00:16:50,733 --> 00:16:51,069 do? 389 00:16:51,157 --> 00:16:53,669 How could I give joyfully when I know it's going to hurt? 390 00:16:53,757 --> 00:16:56,637 How can I give joyfully when I know it's going to be a stretch and 391 00:16:56,661 --> 00:16:57,405 a sacrifice? 392 00:16:57,485 --> 00:17:02,021 Will we go back to where we started, that gift of grace and salvation? 393 00:17:02,093 --> 00:17:06,149 I would have nothing, I would have nothing if it wasn't for Jesus 394 00:17:06,197 --> 00:17:06,785 Christ. 395 00:17:07,365 --> 00:17:11,320 And so this open hearted generosity comes from that motivation 396 00:17:11,392 --> 00:17:12,000 in their hearts. 397 00:17:12,032 --> 00:17:15,960 And so the described generosity here is a sacrificial 398 00:17:16,032 --> 00:17:16,720 kind. 399 00:17:16,912 --> 00:17:19,928 It was with joy that they made their gifts unto the Lord. 400 00:17:20,016 --> 00:17:21,480 They did it sacrificially. 401 00:17:21,592 --> 00:17:26,592 And Paul witnessed this willingness by the Macedonians in 402 00:17:26,608 --> 00:17:29,024 their giving, in the manner in which they did it. 403 00:17:29,064 --> 00:17:29,840 How did they do it? 404 00:17:29,872 --> 00:17:31,312 He says it there in verse three. 405 00:17:31,408 --> 00:17:34,816 He says, okay, they were able to give joyfully and generously. 406 00:17:34,960 --> 00:17:39,096 For to their power I bear record, yea, and beyond their power, 407 00:17:39,240 --> 00:17:42,673 they were willing of themselves beyond their power. 408 00:17:42,729 --> 00:17:46,873 Meaning what power were these Macedonian people trusting in when 409 00:17:46,889 --> 00:17:48,177 they gave to this cause? 410 00:17:48,281 --> 00:17:50,645 The power of God, not their own power. 411 00:17:51,465 --> 00:17:51,977 Okay? 412 00:17:52,041 --> 00:17:54,473 And so again, this is not a message today to say, well, hey, 413 00:17:54,489 --> 00:17:56,929 you know what, we, you know, you all need to start giving. 414 00:17:56,977 --> 00:17:58,849 I'm going to look at everyone's giving statement and we're 415 00:17:58,857 --> 00:18:00,505 going to make sure that all of you guys are faithful. 416 00:18:00,545 --> 00:18:02,345 No, this is a matter of the heart. 417 00:18:02,425 --> 00:18:05,217 But what we can see here is that the way they were able to give 418 00:18:05,281 --> 00:18:08,521 sacrificially was by trusting in the power of God and not the power 419 00:18:08,553 --> 00:18:09,289 of themselves. 420 00:18:09,417 --> 00:18:12,553 Not the power of their hard work, not the power of their position. 421 00:18:12,689 --> 00:18:16,745 They were able to give with motivation because it was beyond 422 00:18:16,825 --> 00:18:17,489 their ability. 423 00:18:17,537 --> 00:18:18,561 It was the ability of God. 424 00:18:18,593 --> 00:18:21,169 Now I'm going to tell you, sometimes there's going to be times 425 00:18:21,217 --> 00:18:24,009 in our life where we get to a place and it could be with giving, 426 00:18:24,137 --> 00:18:25,289 it could be with anything. 427 00:18:25,377 --> 00:18:26,297 And we can say, you Know what? 428 00:18:26,321 --> 00:18:27,249 There's my roadblock. 429 00:18:27,297 --> 00:18:28,377 There's my limitation. 430 00:18:28,481 --> 00:18:29,897 I cannot go further. 431 00:18:30,081 --> 00:18:31,593 I cannot have enough wisdom. 432 00:18:31,649 --> 00:18:33,093 I cannot have enough strength. 433 00:18:33,209 --> 00:18:34,717 I cannot have enough grace. 434 00:18:34,821 --> 00:18:35,917 I cannot have enough love. 435 00:18:35,941 --> 00:18:38,301 And I'm going to tell you as a human being, we're all going to reach 436 00:18:38,333 --> 00:18:40,741 that place in our life where we meet our limit. 437 00:18:40,813 --> 00:18:43,069 But I'm going to tell you that the Bible teaches us that there's 438 00:18:43,117 --> 00:18:44,661 nothing impossible with God. 439 00:18:44,773 --> 00:18:46,565 There's no limit to God's love. 440 00:18:46,645 --> 00:18:48,421 There's no limit to God's power. 441 00:18:48,493 --> 00:18:50,149 There's no limit to God's grace. 442 00:18:50,197 --> 00:18:54,333 And so how can we give above our capabilities? 443 00:18:54,469 --> 00:18:57,381 How can we love beyond our capabilities? 444 00:18:57,533 --> 00:19:00,249 How can we serve beyond our capabilities? 445 00:19:00,377 --> 00:19:04,401 We trust in the power of God to give us the strength to do things 446 00:19:04,433 --> 00:19:05,685 that are impossible. 447 00:19:06,185 --> 00:19:07,965 God says we can do things. 448 00:19:08,785 --> 00:19:13,601 We can do things in his will that are beyond our capabilities. 449 00:19:13,753 --> 00:19:16,137 Philippians, chapter 4, verse 13. 450 00:19:16,321 --> 00:19:20,125 I can do all things through Christ, which strengthens me. 451 00:19:20,665 --> 00:19:22,985 It's not saying that I can do anything I want. 452 00:19:23,065 --> 00:19:25,467 It's I can do anything that God wants me to do. 453 00:19:25,561 --> 00:19:28,927 I can do anything that he calls me to do because of his power 454 00:19:28,991 --> 00:19:29,959 in my life. 455 00:19:30,127 --> 00:19:34,135 And so therefore we see that they give beyond their ability because 456 00:19:34,215 --> 00:19:35,755 of the power of God. 457 00:19:36,255 --> 00:19:38,955 It's not careless giving, it's giving in faith. 458 00:19:39,535 --> 00:19:40,583 We see it there in verse three. 459 00:19:40,599 --> 00:19:43,935 It says, for to their power I bear record, meaning they. 460 00:19:43,975 --> 00:19:45,455 They had power, yea. 461 00:19:45,495 --> 00:19:48,395 And beyond their power, they were willing to give of themselves, 462 00:19:49,495 --> 00:19:54,921 praying us with much entreaty that we would receive the gift and 463 00:19:54,953 --> 00:19:58,165 take upon us the fellowship of the ministering of the saints. 464 00:19:58,505 --> 00:20:01,657 And so the Macedonian church did not know exactly where the gifts 465 00:20:01,681 --> 00:20:06,465 were going to, but they knew who was going to give them that gift. 466 00:20:06,625 --> 00:20:07,985 And that gift came from God. 467 00:20:08,025 --> 00:20:10,433 They said, we don't know where we're going to get all of this to 468 00:20:10,449 --> 00:20:12,577 give to you, but we know that God is going to give it to us. 469 00:20:12,601 --> 00:20:14,725 And so we could say it this way. 470 00:20:15,345 --> 00:20:20,867 They didn't know how the gifts would come in, but they knew who 471 00:20:20,891 --> 00:20:22,275 was going to give them that gift. 472 00:20:22,435 --> 00:20:25,095 And we see in verse five, they give unselfishly. 473 00:20:25,475 --> 00:20:30,403 And this they did not, as we hoped, but first gave their own selves 474 00:20:30,459 --> 00:20:34,051 to the Lord and unto us by the will of God. 475 00:20:34,123 --> 00:20:35,419 And so much that we desire. 476 00:20:35,467 --> 00:20:37,555 Titus, Remember Titus, is that the messenger? 477 00:20:37,595 --> 00:20:40,227 He's the one that's going back and forth and giving the letters 478 00:20:40,251 --> 00:20:41,371 and giving the giving. 479 00:20:41,483 --> 00:20:44,811 He says here, in so much that we desire, Titus, that as he had 480 00:20:44,843 --> 00:20:48,147 begun, so he would also Finish in you the same grace also. 481 00:20:48,211 --> 00:20:49,497 So what is he saying here? 482 00:20:49,521 --> 00:20:50,525 He's saying this. 483 00:20:51,825 --> 00:20:56,545 To be a grace giver like the Macedonians, we must first give our 484 00:20:56,585 --> 00:20:57,609 own selves to the Lord. 485 00:20:57,657 --> 00:20:59,481 Go back there and look at verse five. 486 00:20:59,633 --> 00:21:03,977 He says, as they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own 487 00:21:04,001 --> 00:21:05,169 selves to the Lord. 488 00:21:05,337 --> 00:21:07,985 This is a personal spiritual commitment to the Lord. 489 00:21:08,105 --> 00:21:11,801 This is something that we must do before we become somebody that 490 00:21:11,833 --> 00:21:14,673 we want to be some, you know, some super Christian, some super 491 00:21:14,729 --> 00:21:15,953 giver, some grace giver. 492 00:21:16,049 --> 00:21:17,841 We have to give ourselves to the Lord. 493 00:21:17,993 --> 00:21:19,369 This is a personal sacrifice. 494 00:21:19,417 --> 00:21:21,201 Romans, chapter 12, verses 1 and 2. 495 00:21:21,273 --> 00:21:24,065 I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, 496 00:21:24,145 --> 00:21:28,225 that you present your bodies, a living sacrifice, wholly acceptable 497 00:21:28,265 --> 00:21:30,885 unto God, which is your reasonable service. 498 00:21:31,785 --> 00:21:32,977 What does the Bible say there? 499 00:21:33,041 --> 00:21:34,481 That God doesn't want a part of us. 500 00:21:34,513 --> 00:21:35,217 He wants everything. 501 00:21:35,281 --> 00:21:36,337 He wants us. 502 00:21:36,481 --> 00:21:37,225 He doesn't. 503 00:21:37,345 --> 00:21:37,657 Let me. 504 00:21:37,681 --> 00:21:39,905 Let me say this, and I hope you understand this by context. 505 00:21:39,945 --> 00:21:41,285 He doesn't need our money. 506 00:21:41,595 --> 00:21:43,203 God does not need your money. 507 00:21:43,299 --> 00:21:45,299 God does not need your service. 508 00:21:45,427 --> 00:21:47,867 God does not need your ministry. 509 00:21:47,931 --> 00:21:49,291 You say, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. 510 00:21:49,323 --> 00:21:51,011 I thought he does need me. 511 00:21:51,203 --> 00:21:53,491 Let me tell you, that's a very selfish way to think about things. 512 00:21:53,563 --> 00:21:56,971 Like God needs me to get the gospel message out. 513 00:21:57,043 --> 00:21:57,939 God doesn't need me. 514 00:21:57,987 --> 00:22:00,215 God wants me. 515 00:22:00,595 --> 00:22:05,135 God desires to have me be involved with his work. 516 00:22:05,875 --> 00:22:09,669 It's like when I go out and do work at my house and Mike is there. 517 00:22:09,827 --> 00:22:13,365 Do I need Micah to help me get things done in my house? 518 00:22:14,065 --> 00:22:14,697 Actually, no. 519 00:22:14,721 --> 00:22:15,601 He kind of holds me up. 520 00:22:15,633 --> 00:22:16,641 Dad, what are we going to do with this tool? 521 00:22:16,673 --> 00:22:17,273 He's in the way. 522 00:22:17,329 --> 00:22:17,817 Hold the light. 523 00:22:17,841 --> 00:22:19,809 You ever had your son try to hold the light for you? 524 00:22:19,897 --> 00:22:20,805 He can never. 525 00:22:21,105 --> 00:22:21,977 I couldn't figure out what. 526 00:22:22,001 --> 00:22:24,257 My dad always would get mad at me for holding the light. 527 00:22:24,281 --> 00:22:25,449 I'm like, dad, I'm holding the light, right? 528 00:22:25,497 --> 00:22:26,297 He's like, no, you're not. 529 00:22:26,361 --> 00:22:27,553 And then Mike is doing the same thing. 530 00:22:27,569 --> 00:22:27,873 And I'm like. 531 00:22:27,889 --> 00:22:29,001 He's like, you're not holding the light, right? 532 00:22:29,033 --> 00:22:29,897 Come on, man. 533 00:22:30,081 --> 00:22:34,657 I don't necessarily always need my children to help me, but 534 00:22:34,681 --> 00:22:36,569 I want them to be involved with me. 535 00:22:36,697 --> 00:22:37,985 I want that relationship. 536 00:22:38,025 --> 00:22:38,913 That's what God wants. 537 00:22:38,969 --> 00:22:40,929 He isn't sitting here going, well, you know what? 538 00:22:41,017 --> 00:22:44,177 You didn't give X amount of dollars this week, so therefore I'm 539 00:22:44,201 --> 00:22:44,745 upset with you. 540 00:22:44,785 --> 00:22:47,513 He wants you to be a part of it, if that. 541 00:22:47,569 --> 00:22:48,225 That's the idea. 542 00:22:48,265 --> 00:22:48,561 So. 543 00:22:48,633 --> 00:22:51,925 So we see here, the Macedonians, they gave of themselves, 544 00:22:52,345 --> 00:22:55,793 their bodies, a Living sacrifice, wholly acceptable unto 545 00:22:55,849 --> 00:22:57,625 God, which is the reasonable service. 546 00:22:57,665 --> 00:23:00,873 And be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the 547 00:23:00,889 --> 00:23:02,447 renewing of your minds. 548 00:23:02,641 --> 00:23:03,515 That's the idea. 549 00:23:03,595 --> 00:23:04,691 We're transformed. 550 00:23:04,723 --> 00:23:06,515 We're desiring him. 551 00:23:06,555 --> 00:23:07,427 And so that's what we see here. 552 00:23:07,451 --> 00:23:11,387 They gave themselves to the Lord and unto us. 553 00:23:11,491 --> 00:23:13,947 So as they give themselves to God, what do they do? 554 00:23:13,971 --> 00:23:15,495 They give themselves to others. 555 00:23:15,795 --> 00:23:17,855 Isn't that the greatest commandment anyway? 556 00:23:18,275 --> 00:23:20,995 If we love God with everything, right? 557 00:23:21,035 --> 00:23:23,563 Remember that guy that came up to Jesus and said, hey, what's the 558 00:23:23,579 --> 00:23:24,147 greatest commandment? 559 00:23:24,171 --> 00:23:25,307 He was trying to trick Jesus. 560 00:23:25,371 --> 00:23:26,895 He was trying to trap Jesus. 561 00:23:27,435 --> 00:23:31,897 And Jesus responds with the perfect answer, says, love the Lord 562 00:23:31,921 --> 00:23:34,425 thy God with all thy heart, soul, mind and strength. 563 00:23:34,465 --> 00:23:36,525 That means love God with everything. 564 00:23:37,625 --> 00:23:39,977 But when you love God with everything, the second commandment 565 00:23:40,001 --> 00:23:43,085 is like unto this, do you love your neighbor as yourself? 566 00:23:43,665 --> 00:23:49,605 When you love God, you will love others. 567 00:23:49,905 --> 00:23:54,587 One John says, if you say you love God, but you hate your brother, 568 00:23:54,761 --> 00:23:57,719 the love of the Father is not in you folks. 569 00:23:57,767 --> 00:23:58,895 That's the challenge. 570 00:23:59,055 --> 00:24:02,335 The challenge is to say, I love God, but do I love God enough 571 00:24:02,375 --> 00:24:04,471 to love those that he loves? 572 00:24:04,543 --> 00:24:07,071 The Macedonians said, we're going to give ourselves first to 573 00:24:07,103 --> 00:24:09,035 God, but then to others. 574 00:24:10,455 --> 00:24:13,431 So some of you, I'm going to pause right now because some of you 575 00:24:13,463 --> 00:24:14,367 might be like me. 576 00:24:14,471 --> 00:24:16,647 If I was hearing this sermon, I would say, well, you know, this 577 00:24:16,671 --> 00:24:19,511 guy doesn't know that I don't really have any finances to give 578 00:24:19,543 --> 00:24:20,345 to anybody. 579 00:24:20,495 --> 00:24:22,141 We're not talking about that. 580 00:24:22,333 --> 00:24:23,469 It's the heart of giving. 581 00:24:23,557 --> 00:24:24,893 It's the grace giver. 582 00:24:25,029 --> 00:24:27,333 For some of you who've been gifted with finances to be able to 583 00:24:27,349 --> 00:24:27,869 help others. 584 00:24:27,957 --> 00:24:30,845 For others, you might say, I don't have a lot to give, but I can 585 00:24:30,885 --> 00:24:32,425 give my time. 586 00:24:32,885 --> 00:24:37,301 I can give my talents, I can give all of these things that God 587 00:24:37,333 --> 00:24:39,333 has given me in my life to help others. 588 00:24:39,429 --> 00:24:40,653 Because that's the heart of this. 589 00:24:40,749 --> 00:24:42,749 The heart of this is not building an empire. 590 00:24:42,837 --> 00:24:44,781 The heart of this is not saying, well, you know what? 591 00:24:44,853 --> 00:24:46,245 We need to build more buildings. 592 00:24:46,285 --> 00:24:47,533 We need to build more things. 593 00:24:47,629 --> 00:24:50,765 The heart of this is building the gospel message, reaching people 594 00:24:50,805 --> 00:24:52,373 for the cause of Jesus Christ. 595 00:24:52,509 --> 00:24:53,605 That's the message. 596 00:24:53,725 --> 00:24:56,429 So for you, you might say, my part of that message is, I'm going 597 00:24:56,437 --> 00:24:59,037 to get out there into the fields and I'm going to spread the 598 00:24:59,061 --> 00:25:00,705 gospel message for Jesus Christ. 599 00:25:01,525 --> 00:25:05,501 Peter, lest you guys think that it's all about money, Peter's 600 00:25:05,533 --> 00:25:08,517 walking to the temple one day and this guy's on the ground, he 601 00:25:08,541 --> 00:25:09,621 says, hey, I need alms. 602 00:25:09,653 --> 00:25:13,821 And Peter says, silver and gold have I none, but such as I have 603 00:25:13,853 --> 00:25:14,397 give I thee. 604 00:25:14,421 --> 00:25:16,303 In the name of Jesus Christ, rise up and walk. 605 00:25:16,389 --> 00:25:17,131 What did Peter give? 606 00:25:17,163 --> 00:25:18,867 Peter gave him what he could give him. 607 00:25:18,931 --> 00:25:20,155 And that was the power of God. 608 00:25:20,195 --> 00:25:21,627 That was the message of the gospel. 609 00:25:21,731 --> 00:25:25,339 And so, as a Christian, God uniquely gives each one of you with 610 00:25:25,387 --> 00:25:28,323 different material blessings that you can use for the cause of 611 00:25:28,339 --> 00:25:28,939 the gospel. 612 00:25:29,027 --> 00:25:30,635 It's all about the gospel. 613 00:25:30,795 --> 00:25:31,587 It's all about. 614 00:25:31,691 --> 00:25:32,387 It's not. 615 00:25:32,531 --> 00:25:35,259 God doesn't give someone a talent to sing in front of people 616 00:25:35,307 --> 00:25:37,011 just to go become famous. 617 00:25:37,123 --> 00:25:40,099 God gives them that talent so they can use that for the glorification 618 00:25:40,147 --> 00:25:41,187 of our Savior. 619 00:25:41,331 --> 00:25:43,235 God has gifted some of you financially. 620 00:25:43,275 --> 00:25:46,331 Not so that you can say, well, look, I'm the richest person in Middletown. 621 00:25:46,403 --> 00:25:49,255 It's so that you can use that for the cause of the gospel. 622 00:25:49,635 --> 00:25:52,251 God has given some people talents in here in building things. 623 00:25:52,323 --> 00:25:54,587 It's not so that you can say, well, look, I'm the greatest builder. 624 00:25:54,651 --> 00:25:56,459 It's so that Jesus can see. 625 00:25:56,587 --> 00:25:58,347 People can see Jesus through us. 626 00:25:58,491 --> 00:25:59,963 Matthew, chapter 5, verse 16. 627 00:26:00,019 --> 00:26:03,091 Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works 628 00:26:03,123 --> 00:26:05,307 and glorify your father, which is in heaven. 629 00:26:05,491 --> 00:26:06,587 So what do we see here? 630 00:26:06,651 --> 00:26:10,091 In Second Corinthians, chapter 8, they gave of themselves unto the 631 00:26:10,123 --> 00:26:13,019 Lord and unto us by the will of God. 632 00:26:13,067 --> 00:26:17,683 Meaning it is the will of God that we love him and that we love 633 00:26:17,739 --> 00:26:18,363 others. 634 00:26:18,539 --> 00:26:21,987 And we demonstrate our love to him, and we demonstrate our love 635 00:26:22,011 --> 00:26:22,895 towards others. 636 00:26:23,715 --> 00:26:25,695 True love is demonstrated. 637 00:26:27,875 --> 00:26:29,335 You say you love God. 638 00:26:30,155 --> 00:26:32,115 Biblically speaking, what does that mean? 639 00:26:32,235 --> 00:26:38,253 That means if I love God, I will keep his commandments. 640 00:26:38,389 --> 00:26:42,025 I will obey him, I will seek after him. 641 00:26:42,685 --> 00:26:43,237 I will. 642 00:26:43,301 --> 00:26:45,025 I will communicate with him. 643 00:26:46,325 --> 00:26:48,045 You guys have heard this analogy before. 644 00:26:48,165 --> 00:26:53,037 What if I said, I love my wife, I love her so much, but I don't 645 00:26:53,061 --> 00:26:54,025 want to talk to her. 646 00:26:55,565 --> 00:26:56,021 I. 647 00:26:56,093 --> 00:26:56,825 You know. 648 00:26:57,605 --> 00:26:58,629 You know, that's. 649 00:26:58,677 --> 00:26:59,785 That's something else. 650 00:27:00,645 --> 00:27:02,545 I wouldn't be a loving husband, right? 651 00:27:03,205 --> 00:27:04,877 But how many Christians say, well, you know what? 652 00:27:04,941 --> 00:27:06,349 I love God so much. 653 00:27:06,437 --> 00:27:08,061 I just love him so much. 654 00:27:08,253 --> 00:27:09,585 But Bible reading. 655 00:27:10,725 --> 00:27:13,477 Just don't want to get into that prayer time. 656 00:27:13,541 --> 00:27:14,625 I don't need him. 657 00:27:15,685 --> 00:27:17,469 Ah, he's given me a lot of good things, but I don't want to 658 00:27:17,477 --> 00:27:18,125 give that back to him. 659 00:27:18,165 --> 00:27:19,053 Folks, I know that's. 660 00:27:19,109 --> 00:27:20,237 I know that's a little coarse. 661 00:27:20,301 --> 00:27:21,061 I know that's a little mean. 662 00:27:21,093 --> 00:27:23,305 But if we put it into perspective that we understand. 663 00:27:23,805 --> 00:27:25,625 Do you see how that doesn't go together? 664 00:27:27,645 --> 00:27:29,805 I love my dad so Much. 665 00:27:30,705 --> 00:27:33,401 My dad and I were not best friends when I was growing up, but 666 00:27:33,433 --> 00:27:35,285 now my dad is my best friend. 667 00:27:36,105 --> 00:27:40,921 Think about if my dad wrote me letters in his life, and he would 668 00:27:40,953 --> 00:27:44,537 say, hey, son, you know, I'm thinking about you today and love 669 00:27:44,561 --> 00:27:45,605 you or whatever. 670 00:27:46,065 --> 00:27:49,457 And let's say he passed and he left all those letters to me in a 671 00:27:49,481 --> 00:27:49,665 box. 672 00:27:49,705 --> 00:27:51,329 And I just said, well, you know what? 673 00:27:51,457 --> 00:27:52,801 I don't want to read those. 674 00:27:52,993 --> 00:27:53,569 I'm good. 675 00:27:53,617 --> 00:27:54,725 Just put that away. 676 00:27:55,075 --> 00:27:57,051 No, I tell you what, I'd had that box open. 677 00:27:57,083 --> 00:27:58,695 I'd be reading that all the time. 678 00:27:59,995 --> 00:28:03,555 I'd be memorizing what he said to me because I love him. 679 00:28:03,675 --> 00:28:04,899 And that's what it is for you. 680 00:28:04,987 --> 00:28:06,579 God sent his only begotten son. 681 00:28:06,627 --> 00:28:06,811 Yes. 682 00:28:06,843 --> 00:28:10,515 But he also sent you his word that you can read and study and grow 683 00:28:10,555 --> 00:28:10,707 in. 684 00:28:10,731 --> 00:28:13,187 And so, folks, love is demonstrated. 685 00:28:13,331 --> 00:28:15,787 Love is demonstrated by obedience. 686 00:28:15,931 --> 00:28:18,251 Love is demonstrated to others by. 687 00:28:18,363 --> 00:28:18,907 So let's say. 688 00:28:18,931 --> 00:28:21,647 Let's say, practically speaking, I've got my brother up 689 00:28:21,671 --> 00:28:25,199 here, and he goes, hey, really in need right now. 690 00:28:25,287 --> 00:28:27,175 And I go, well, I love you, brother. 691 00:28:27,255 --> 00:28:27,759 And I've got. 692 00:28:27,807 --> 00:28:29,303 And the book of James talks about this. 693 00:28:29,359 --> 00:28:31,511 I've got everything that I need right here to help him. 694 00:28:31,583 --> 00:28:33,795 And I go, I love you, but I can't afford to. 695 00:28:34,415 --> 00:28:35,655 I've only got six of these. 696 00:28:35,695 --> 00:28:35,991 I can't. 697 00:28:36,023 --> 00:28:37,555 I can't afford to lose one. 698 00:28:38,415 --> 00:28:39,831 And this brother over here has none. 699 00:28:39,863 --> 00:28:41,759 And we're going, well, I love you, though. 700 00:28:41,927 --> 00:28:42,487 Go out. 701 00:28:42,551 --> 00:28:43,351 We'll be praying for you. 702 00:28:43,383 --> 00:28:44,471 Be warm and filled. 703 00:28:44,583 --> 00:28:46,355 The Bible says that is not love. 704 00:28:46,675 --> 00:28:50,015 If I love my neighbor, I will help my neighbor. 705 00:28:50,875 --> 00:28:54,011 If I love the Lord, I will sacrifice for him. 706 00:28:54,043 --> 00:28:58,467 And so the Bible says it's not an issue of works, it's an issue 707 00:28:58,531 --> 00:28:59,415 of love. 708 00:28:59,715 --> 00:29:02,491 And so therefore, we go back and we see these character traits 709 00:29:02,603 --> 00:29:05,579 that they were willing to give on themselves to the Lord first, 710 00:29:05,667 --> 00:29:07,859 but then give on themselves to others as well. 711 00:29:07,907 --> 00:29:11,491 And that is, as it says there in verse five, the will of God. 712 00:29:11,603 --> 00:29:15,693 The will of God is to love God and to give yourself to him and to 713 00:29:15,709 --> 00:29:16,985 give yourself to others. 714 00:29:17,605 --> 00:29:19,145 Life is not about us. 715 00:29:21,005 --> 00:29:24,381 This Christian life, this Christian walk, I am not the center 716 00:29:24,413 --> 00:29:25,181 of it. 717 00:29:25,373 --> 00:29:29,405 If I begin to start to think that I am the center of the world, 718 00:29:29,565 --> 00:29:32,125 I begin to live like I am the center of the world. 719 00:29:32,205 --> 00:29:34,589 And I begin to treat others like I'm the center of the world. 720 00:29:34,677 --> 00:29:36,909 And that's what's called classic humanism. 721 00:29:37,037 --> 00:29:40,525 I worship myself and I expect other people to. 722 00:29:40,555 --> 00:29:43,529 To worship me because I am the center of the universe. 723 00:29:43,617 --> 00:29:45,233 And that is what the world teaches. 724 00:29:45,329 --> 00:29:48,137 That was the original lie from the very beginning. 725 00:29:48,241 --> 00:29:50,969 Satan comes to Eve and he says, you can be like God. 726 00:29:51,017 --> 00:29:52,393 You can be your own God. 727 00:29:52,489 --> 00:29:54,529 And that is what's being taught today. 728 00:29:54,617 --> 00:30:00,097 And the Bible says true spirituality, true salvation, true 729 00:30:00,201 --> 00:30:01,929 Christianity is not that. 730 00:30:01,977 --> 00:30:03,609 It's that God is the center. 731 00:30:03,697 --> 00:30:07,685 And I am just those that I'm going to support him and love him, 732 00:30:07,785 --> 00:30:09,493 proclaim him and serve him. 733 00:30:09,589 --> 00:30:12,557 That's the whole message of Scripture. 734 00:30:12,701 --> 00:30:17,945 And so he says here in verse six, insomuch that we desire Titus. 735 00:30:18,365 --> 00:30:24,813 Titus is the messenger that as he had begun, so he would also finish 736 00:30:24,909 --> 00:30:26,533 in you the same grace. 737 00:30:26,589 --> 00:30:29,709 Also meaning this is the way the Macedonians are living. 738 00:30:29,837 --> 00:30:32,305 And this is a grace, this is a gift. 739 00:30:32,725 --> 00:30:36,309 We hope that that's how you begin to live, that you grow in this 740 00:30:36,357 --> 00:30:40,331 grace as well, that this same grace of giving is given over to 741 00:30:40,363 --> 00:30:41,963 you, and that you follow that. 742 00:30:42,099 --> 00:30:45,175 And so the Macedonians gave of themselves. 743 00:30:46,155 --> 00:30:48,931 So the challenge is, do as the Macedonians did. 744 00:30:49,123 --> 00:30:53,395 When a person absolutely gives himself to the Lord, then God has 745 00:30:53,475 --> 00:30:59,495 all, has all that that person has, including their potential. 746 00:31:00,595 --> 00:31:04,701 According to verse five, the primary key to godly stewardship, 747 00:31:04,883 --> 00:31:08,485 to giving enjoy is to first give yourself to the Lord. 748 00:31:09,385 --> 00:31:13,561 Paul says as much to his readers there in many passages of 749 00:31:13,593 --> 00:31:14,285 Scripture. 750 00:31:14,585 --> 00:31:17,977 So grace giving is the kind of giving that must require God for 751 00:31:18,001 --> 00:31:21,685 it to be truly grace giving, no strings attached. 752 00:31:22,185 --> 00:31:26,289 God directs it because he knows what's best to do with it. 753 00:31:26,417 --> 00:31:30,805 It requires love for the Lord and love for others. 754 00:31:31,325 --> 00:31:36,105 And so therefore he says, grow in this grace, grow in this gift. 755 00:31:36,445 --> 00:31:39,901 And so we see the characteristics of the grace giver. 756 00:31:39,933 --> 00:31:41,005 But let's look at number two. 757 00:31:41,045 --> 00:31:44,237 The charity of a grace giver, the love of a grace giver. 758 00:31:44,421 --> 00:31:48,885 Verse number seven says, therefore, in time you see the word, 759 00:31:48,925 --> 00:31:51,517 therefore you say, okay, what did we just read? 760 00:31:51,621 --> 00:31:53,437 He says, be a grace giver. 761 00:31:53,621 --> 00:31:59,257 Be like the Macedonians, give cheerfully, give liberally, even 762 00:31:59,281 --> 00:32:01,005 in the midst of difficulty. 763 00:32:01,345 --> 00:32:06,321 Therefore, as ye abound in everything, so he says, as you're 764 00:32:06,353 --> 00:32:11,481 growing as a Christian in faith, so he says, you're growing 765 00:32:11,513 --> 00:32:20,257 in faith great and in utterance, and in knowledge, and 766 00:32:20,281 --> 00:32:25,831 in diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this 767 00:32:25,863 --> 00:32:26,755 grace also. 768 00:32:27,655 --> 00:32:28,687 What is he talking about? 769 00:32:28,711 --> 00:32:30,275 He's talking about the grace of giving. 770 00:32:31,015 --> 00:32:35,095 So he says, as you are growing as a Christian, you grow in your 771 00:32:35,135 --> 00:32:35,759 faith. 772 00:32:35,927 --> 00:32:39,655 You grow in what you say, you grow in what you know, you grow in 773 00:32:39,695 --> 00:32:40,431 how you love. 774 00:32:40,503 --> 00:32:43,515 He says, just as you're growing in all those other areas 775 00:32:43,855 --> 00:32:46,275 grow in this grace also. 776 00:32:46,695 --> 00:32:50,635 It's a point of spiritual maturity. 777 00:32:51,075 --> 00:32:57,615 As I mature, my focus changes from what I get to what I can give. 778 00:32:58,075 --> 00:33:02,215 We even know that In Acts chapter 20, Acts, chapter 20, verse 779 00:33:02,715 --> 00:33:05,987 35, it says, it's better to give than receive. 780 00:33:06,171 --> 00:33:09,795 And there's that idea that as a Christian, our perspective begins 781 00:33:09,835 --> 00:33:10,355 to change. 782 00:33:10,395 --> 00:33:14,755 And he says, so as you are growing in faith, in utterance, in 783 00:33:14,795 --> 00:33:18,745 knowledge and indigence, in your love to us, see that ye abound 784 00:33:18,825 --> 00:33:20,765 in this grace also. 785 00:33:21,865 --> 00:33:22,793 It's a challenge. 786 00:33:22,849 --> 00:33:26,057 It's a challenge to see this as a spiritual discipline. 787 00:33:26,161 --> 00:33:32,641 It's a challenge for us to see this as spiritual maturity, a marker 788 00:33:32,673 --> 00:33:34,205 of spiritual maturity. 789 00:33:34,785 --> 00:33:35,265 So. 790 00:33:35,345 --> 00:33:38,625 So we all agree that as a Christian, our Bible study should 791 00:33:38,665 --> 00:33:39,245 grow. 792 00:33:39,665 --> 00:33:42,485 We all agree that our prayer time should grow. 793 00:33:42,795 --> 00:33:46,971 We all agree, hopefully that our service should grow to the Lord 794 00:33:47,043 --> 00:33:48,083 as we mature. 795 00:33:48,219 --> 00:33:51,015 He's saying the same thing goes with giving. 796 00:33:52,075 --> 00:33:53,907 And I know that this is a touchy subject. 797 00:33:53,971 --> 00:33:54,411 Why? 798 00:33:54,523 --> 00:33:58,975 Because our society, because of sin and because of selfishness 799 00:33:59,275 --> 00:34:05,535 and because of humanity and that whole idea of humanism. 800 00:34:06,955 --> 00:34:10,726 People over the years, over the decades, over the centuries have 801 00:34:10,750 --> 00:34:13,662 abused people in the area of giving so much to say that we're 802 00:34:13,678 --> 00:34:16,526 so jaded against anyone talking about giving in church that 803 00:34:16,550 --> 00:34:17,550 it becomes, hey, you know what? 804 00:34:17,582 --> 00:34:18,030 That's it. 805 00:34:18,102 --> 00:34:21,334 Hey, he's just up here trying to be a money hungry guy. 806 00:34:21,454 --> 00:34:23,134 No, no, that's not what we're talking about here. 807 00:34:23,214 --> 00:34:25,294 We have to address what Scripture says. 808 00:34:25,374 --> 00:34:28,542 And we cannot get around the fact that he says, here, grow in 809 00:34:28,598 --> 00:34:30,114 this as well. 810 00:34:31,294 --> 00:34:34,274 But here's where it gets interesting. 811 00:34:35,014 --> 00:34:36,034 Verse 8. 812 00:34:36,985 --> 00:34:39,649 Some of you maybe have not heard this verse. 813 00:34:39,697 --> 00:34:46,201 He says, I speak not by commandment, but by occasion of the 814 00:34:46,233 --> 00:34:49,445 foreignness of others and to prove the sincerity of your love. 815 00:34:51,065 --> 00:34:53,045 Ooh, what does that mean? 816 00:34:53,625 --> 00:34:56,965 That means it's not a commandment that keeps your salvation. 817 00:34:57,505 --> 00:35:01,065 It's not a commandment that says that if you give, you stay saved, 818 00:35:01,185 --> 00:35:03,515 but then if you don't give, you aren't saved. 819 00:35:03,665 --> 00:35:11,595 He says, no, all it is is a marker of the sincerity of your love 820 00:35:12,535 --> 00:35:14,155 to prove your love. 821 00:35:15,135 --> 00:35:16,955 Says you want to show your love. 822 00:35:17,695 --> 00:35:19,115 Be a grace giver. 823 00:35:20,175 --> 00:35:21,087 Be a grace giver. 824 00:35:21,111 --> 00:35:25,191 Now, I don't have time to go to the other passages of Scripture, 825 00:35:25,383 --> 00:35:27,807 but we do know that in Second Corinthians, chapter nine, it talks 826 00:35:27,831 --> 00:35:30,479 about proportionally giving, right? 827 00:35:30,527 --> 00:35:34,475 So, for example, let's say we have. 828 00:35:35,535 --> 00:35:37,687 I don't know who's a really rich person. 829 00:35:37,871 --> 00:35:40,087 I won't say a name because then It'll get political, all right? 830 00:35:40,111 --> 00:35:41,791 We'll have a really rich guy come into the building. 831 00:35:41,823 --> 00:35:42,031 He's. 832 00:35:42,063 --> 00:35:43,647 He's a multi billionaire, okay? 833 00:35:43,671 --> 00:35:44,383 It doesn't have to be a man. 834 00:35:44,399 --> 00:35:45,343 It could be a woman, all right? 835 00:35:45,359 --> 00:35:48,343 They all come in here, and we look at them and we go, okay, we 836 00:35:48,359 --> 00:35:49,795 want you to give to the Lord. 837 00:35:50,335 --> 00:35:54,071 And then we also have someone that comes in that's, you know, unemployed. 838 00:35:54,223 --> 00:35:57,975 Maybe they're getting some money here and there, and we don't. 839 00:35:58,055 --> 00:36:01,607 Biblically, God does not expect the billionaire to give the 840 00:36:01,631 --> 00:36:06,207 same amount as that person who has financially nothing, okay? 841 00:36:06,391 --> 00:36:07,167 He doesn't. 842 00:36:07,271 --> 00:36:08,911 And I think that's very clear in Scripture. 843 00:36:08,943 --> 00:36:10,087 The widow with two mites, right? 844 00:36:10,111 --> 00:36:10,879 She gave everything. 845 00:36:10,967 --> 00:36:12,231 She only gave two mites, though. 846 00:36:12,303 --> 00:36:14,615 And there was an honor there with the widow with two mites. 847 00:36:14,695 --> 00:36:16,935 And the Pharisees were holding on to money and giving out of their 848 00:36:16,975 --> 00:36:18,071 comfort, and there wasn't. 849 00:36:18,143 --> 00:36:19,359 And they were abusing the widow. 850 00:36:19,447 --> 00:36:22,511 I think the story of the widow of two mites was also a condemnation 851 00:36:22,583 --> 00:36:25,707 against those Pharisees who were abusing that widow to give everything. 852 00:36:25,771 --> 00:36:29,027 But in the principle of the context what we're talking about 853 00:36:29,051 --> 00:36:30,739 here today, what I want to say is this. 854 00:36:30,907 --> 00:36:34,555 Don't expect to say, well, Pastor's just asking us all to give 855 00:36:34,635 --> 00:36:34,923 everything. 856 00:36:34,979 --> 00:36:36,099 I'm not saying that. 857 00:36:36,267 --> 00:36:39,587 What I am saying is that give out of the sincerity of your love. 858 00:36:39,651 --> 00:36:42,627 Give out of what God has challenged you with in your life. 859 00:36:42,731 --> 00:36:43,915 That's what he's saying here. 860 00:36:44,035 --> 00:36:46,827 And you give proportionally to what God has blessed you with in 861 00:36:46,851 --> 00:36:47,419 those finances. 862 00:36:47,467 --> 00:36:52,323 But, for example, that person that came in, maybe they had, you 863 00:36:52,339 --> 00:36:53,419 know, no income. 864 00:36:53,547 --> 00:36:57,175 They might say, hey, Pastor, but God has gifted me with this area. 865 00:36:57,755 --> 00:36:58,235 I can. 866 00:36:58,275 --> 00:37:00,923 I can sing or I can build or I can do this. 867 00:37:00,979 --> 00:37:01,451 Hey, you know what? 868 00:37:01,483 --> 00:37:03,051 It's giving of yourselves. 869 00:37:03,203 --> 00:37:04,615 It's giving of yourselves. 870 00:37:05,115 --> 00:37:07,771 And so therefore, that's what we see here in this passage of scripture. 871 00:37:07,803 --> 00:37:13,255 He says it is to prove the sincerity of your love. 872 00:37:13,635 --> 00:37:16,787 So giving to the work of the Lord is a practical way that you 873 00:37:16,811 --> 00:37:18,343 can show your love to the Lord. 874 00:37:18,459 --> 00:37:19,671 It's voluntary. 875 00:37:19,823 --> 00:37:24,135 It's not out of obligation, but out of love, right? 876 00:37:24,175 --> 00:37:25,743 Because God loves. 877 00:37:25,919 --> 00:37:27,311 This is the next chapter. 878 00:37:27,423 --> 00:37:28,407 We don't have time to go there. 879 00:37:28,431 --> 00:37:30,231 But God loves a cheerful giver. 880 00:37:30,423 --> 00:37:30,799 So. 881 00:37:30,847 --> 00:37:31,311 So who is. 882 00:37:31,343 --> 00:37:32,995 Who's God more pleased with? 883 00:37:33,375 --> 00:37:37,095 Okay, that billionaire that comes in and goes, oh, I got to give 884 00:37:37,135 --> 00:37:38,807 a couple million to this church. 885 00:37:38,991 --> 00:37:39,855 I hate doing that. 886 00:37:39,895 --> 00:37:40,215 I better. 887 00:37:40,255 --> 00:37:40,671 You know, he's. 888 00:37:40,703 --> 00:37:41,831 He's mad about it the whole time. 889 00:37:41,863 --> 00:37:43,893 Or that person that gives a few dollars. 890 00:37:43,999 --> 00:37:44,961 But it's everything to them. 891 00:37:44,993 --> 00:37:47,161 And they're cheerful about and they're excited about it. 892 00:37:47,273 --> 00:37:50,713 I would venture to say that God, Biblically speaking, is more 893 00:37:50,769 --> 00:37:53,649 pleased with a person who's joyful and cheerful in their giving, 894 00:37:53,777 --> 00:37:56,849 that's giving out of the poverty, than the person who is giving 895 00:37:56,897 --> 00:37:58,001 out of their abundance of their heart. 896 00:37:58,033 --> 00:37:59,641 But they're mad about it the whole time. 897 00:37:59,793 --> 00:38:01,481 The Bible says it's the cheerful giver. 898 00:38:01,513 --> 00:38:01,841 It's the. 899 00:38:01,873 --> 00:38:04,977 It's the joy in our hearts that he's looking for. 900 00:38:05,121 --> 00:38:07,321 It's not out of obligation, but out of love. 901 00:38:07,393 --> 00:38:08,561 And then we think about this. 902 00:38:08,633 --> 00:38:11,939 And so I love how Paul thinks here because he. 903 00:38:11,987 --> 00:38:15,815 He always reads ahead to what that reader is thinking. 904 00:38:16,115 --> 00:38:18,827 So unless you think that that's too much, he goes on to say 905 00:38:18,851 --> 00:38:22,979 in verse number nine, for ye know, and this is. 906 00:38:23,027 --> 00:38:26,371 This is his thesis, this is his main thought for this passage. 907 00:38:26,483 --> 00:38:32,347 He says, for ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. 908 00:38:32,531 --> 00:38:36,891 He appeals back to the grace of Jesus Christ, what Jesus has done 909 00:38:36,923 --> 00:38:37,695 for us. 910 00:38:38,905 --> 00:38:41,305 Some people say, well, you know, what are you going to preach 911 00:38:41,345 --> 00:38:42,845 on in the Christmas season? 912 00:38:43,225 --> 00:38:45,425 Well, most people say, well, Luke 2, right? 913 00:38:45,465 --> 00:38:46,041 And we should. 914 00:38:46,073 --> 00:38:49,257 Luke 2 is a great Christmas passage. 915 00:38:49,401 --> 00:38:52,657 But I'm going to challenge you and say 2 Corinthians, chapter 8, 916 00:38:52,681 --> 00:38:54,849 verse 9 is a Christmas passage as well. 917 00:38:55,017 --> 00:38:56,085 Think about this. 918 00:38:57,065 --> 00:39:00,729 Baby comes to earth, is born in a manger. 919 00:39:00,857 --> 00:39:01,833 What does he say here? 920 00:39:01,929 --> 00:39:08,141 He says that though he was rich, think about the richness of 921 00:39:08,213 --> 00:39:10,717 being God. 922 00:39:10,901 --> 00:39:12,005 You say, what does that mean? 923 00:39:12,085 --> 00:39:12,973 He has everything. 924 00:39:13,109 --> 00:39:15,141 He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. 925 00:39:15,253 --> 00:39:19,625 He, God, is not bound by our economy. 926 00:39:20,125 --> 00:39:24,677 God is abundantly, infinitely wealthy in every way. 927 00:39:24,701 --> 00:39:25,905 He owns everything. 928 00:39:26,965 --> 00:39:28,413 And so Jesus. 929 00:39:28,589 --> 00:39:29,749 Think about this before. 930 00:39:29,837 --> 00:39:33,205 Jesus didn't start his existence in Bethlehem 2,000 years 931 00:39:33,245 --> 00:39:33,781 ago. 932 00:39:33,933 --> 00:39:36,781 Jesus has always been and always will be he's deity. 933 00:39:36,853 --> 00:39:37,461 He is God. 934 00:39:37,493 --> 00:39:38,517 He's eternal. 935 00:39:38,621 --> 00:39:41,065 So Jesus leaves his heavenly home. 936 00:39:41,685 --> 00:39:43,053 That's what he's talking about here. 937 00:39:43,149 --> 00:39:46,077 Though he was rich. 938 00:39:46,181 --> 00:39:47,385 That's an understatement. 939 00:39:47,885 --> 00:39:54,465 Yet for your sakes, he became poor. 940 00:39:55,205 --> 00:39:56,885 That's the story of Christmas. 941 00:39:57,045 --> 00:39:57,821 Jesus comes. 942 00:39:57,893 --> 00:40:02,625 Jesus could have been born in a mansion. 943 00:40:02,665 --> 00:40:05,337 He could have been born in a palace. 944 00:40:05,401 --> 00:40:07,337 He could have been born with everything. 945 00:40:07,441 --> 00:40:10,753 Gold and silver and precious jewels. 946 00:40:10,809 --> 00:40:13,841 He could have been born to the wealthiest family in the world. 947 00:40:13,873 --> 00:40:15,001 But where was Jesus born? 948 00:40:15,033 --> 00:40:16,273 You guys all know this. 949 00:40:16,449 --> 00:40:23,065 He was born in a shepherding town, in a food trough, most likely 950 00:40:23,105 --> 00:40:30,467 in a cave, and had no fanfare, at least no fanfare of this world. 951 00:40:30,611 --> 00:40:35,995 There was HEAVENLY fanfare But we do know that he became poor for 952 00:40:36,075 --> 00:40:37,251 our sakes. 953 00:40:37,403 --> 00:40:40,187 He humbled himself and we're not just talking about where he was 954 00:40:40,211 --> 00:40:46,091 born materially, but the fact that he emptied himself and became 955 00:40:46,163 --> 00:40:48,655 man and dwelt among us. 956 00:40:49,315 --> 00:40:50,851 That's the beauty. 957 00:40:50,963 --> 00:41:00,099 And he says, remember that, that ye through poverty might be 958 00:41:00,187 --> 00:41:00,815 rich. 959 00:41:01,155 --> 00:41:05,495 Now, this is not a proof text for the prosperity gospel. 960 00:41:06,075 --> 00:41:10,179 This is not a proof text to say, you know what, Jesus became 961 00:41:10,227 --> 00:41:12,123 poor so that we can become financially rich. 962 00:41:12,179 --> 00:41:13,627 That's not what this is saying. 963 00:41:13,771 --> 00:41:17,001 In the context Paul is speaking to the spiritual riches. 964 00:41:17,123 --> 00:41:20,905 He's changed his focus to saying, yes, there is that financial 965 00:41:21,445 --> 00:41:23,189 obligation, or maybe not obligation. 966 00:41:23,237 --> 00:41:27,021 It's a financial challenge for us to give, but there's also the 967 00:41:27,053 --> 00:41:30,189 deeper challenge of that spiritual giving. 968 00:41:30,277 --> 00:41:31,853 And he says, you know what? 969 00:41:32,029 --> 00:41:35,909 There is a prosperity gospel, but it's not a financial prosperity 970 00:41:35,957 --> 00:41:38,265 gospel, it's a spiritual prosperity gospel. 971 00:41:38,685 --> 00:41:42,093 If you question whether or not there's a spiritual prosperity gospel, 972 00:41:42,189 --> 00:41:43,791 read the book of Ephesians. 973 00:41:43,973 --> 00:41:46,963 The book of Ephesians is all about the riches that you have in 974 00:41:47,019 --> 00:41:47,643 Christ. 975 00:41:47,819 --> 00:41:51,135 Not material riches, but spiritual riches. 976 00:41:51,715 --> 00:41:53,843 And I would encourage you to do a study in the book of Ephesians 977 00:41:53,899 --> 00:41:56,779 because the Bible says that you are greatly blessed. 978 00:41:56,867 --> 00:42:01,707 You are rich beyond compare when it comes to your spirituality. 979 00:42:01,851 --> 00:42:03,851 I said this on Wednesday night and there's kind of a bleed over. 980 00:42:03,883 --> 00:42:06,243 So if you were here on Wednesday night, I apologize for 981 00:42:06,259 --> 00:42:07,339 the redundancy of the story. 982 00:42:07,387 --> 00:42:08,491 I'm not going insane. 983 00:42:08,563 --> 00:42:11,031 I know that I'm saying this again, but I'm going to give it again. 984 00:42:11,203 --> 00:42:15,315 When I was growing up, I would ask my parents, hey, are we rich? 985 00:42:15,935 --> 00:42:19,271 My parents would say, no, actually, sometimes they would say 986 00:42:19,303 --> 00:42:19,967 yes. 987 00:42:20,151 --> 00:42:21,295 I'd say, we're rich. 988 00:42:21,415 --> 00:42:22,439 How are we rich? 989 00:42:22,607 --> 00:42:24,607 My dad would say, well, we're not rich with money, but we're rich 990 00:42:24,631 --> 00:42:25,079 with love. 991 00:42:25,127 --> 00:42:26,647 We're rich with what God has given us. 992 00:42:26,671 --> 00:42:28,695 We're rich with the fact that we're close. 993 00:42:28,735 --> 00:42:30,815 We're rich with the fact that God has saved us. 994 00:42:30,935 --> 00:42:34,759 And I never understood that until my son asked me the same question. 995 00:42:34,807 --> 00:42:35,879 Dad, are we rich? 996 00:42:36,047 --> 00:42:37,633 He said, do you know what I do for a living? 997 00:42:37,729 --> 00:42:39,305 I'm far from being rich, son. 998 00:42:39,385 --> 00:42:42,361 And he's like, well, and I. 999 00:42:42,393 --> 00:42:43,417 But then I thought about it. 1000 00:42:43,441 --> 00:42:44,961 I said, you know what my dad said that we. 1001 00:42:44,993 --> 00:42:46,097 And I use that same analogy. 1002 00:42:46,121 --> 00:42:48,713 I said, son, we're not rich in finances, but we're rich in love. 1003 00:42:48,809 --> 00:42:51,561 We're rich in the fact that God has spiritually blessed us. 1004 00:42:51,753 --> 00:42:54,445 And that's the Same message that we all have to take with us. 1005 00:42:55,985 --> 00:42:59,457 And so the charity of the grace giver is a love that we are 1006 00:42:59,481 --> 00:43:01,481 to have, we are to give out of love. 1007 00:43:01,633 --> 00:43:04,049 But it's not the love that's produced in us. 1008 00:43:04,097 --> 00:43:07,801 It's the love given to us by the Father through Jesus Christ. 1009 00:43:07,913 --> 00:43:10,045 That is the love that motivates us. 1010 00:43:10,465 --> 00:43:13,897 So if you want a good, you know, we go to the Book of Romans 1011 00:43:13,961 --> 00:43:16,289 for the gospel, we go to the Book of John. 1012 00:43:16,417 --> 00:43:19,657 Great passages of scripture, take them to the Romans road, take 1013 00:43:19,681 --> 00:43:21,697 them to the Book of John, John 3. 1014 00:43:21,841 --> 00:43:27,217 But I can't think of many other verses that explain the gospel 1015 00:43:27,281 --> 00:43:28,125 so well. 1016 00:43:28,635 --> 00:43:29,339 Verse 9. 1017 00:43:29,387 --> 00:43:33,235 For we know that the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though 1018 00:43:33,355 --> 00:43:37,307 he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor. 1019 00:43:37,451 --> 00:43:40,695 That ye through his poverty might be rich. 1020 00:43:41,515 --> 00:43:46,855 He humbled himself and not only did he live a life of humility, 1021 00:43:47,355 --> 00:43:48,775 but think about his death. 1022 00:43:49,515 --> 00:43:51,455 Think about the death of Jesus Christ. 1023 00:43:51,755 --> 00:43:53,067 Think about what. 1024 00:43:53,211 --> 00:43:55,815 Because we don't often think about what that means. 1025 00:43:56,595 --> 00:43:58,735 Jesus was crucified. 1026 00:43:59,195 --> 00:44:01,815 His crucifixion was a death of a criminal. 1027 00:44:02,755 --> 00:44:06,335 The worst death that possibly could be around at that time frame. 1028 00:44:06,755 --> 00:44:11,615 Excruciating, disrespectful. 1029 00:44:12,675 --> 00:44:18,395 They plucked his beard, put a crown of thorns on his head, they 1030 00:44:18,435 --> 00:44:19,739 hit him with a whip. 1031 00:44:19,907 --> 00:44:23,765 They made him carry his own cross to Gal Gotha. 1032 00:44:25,145 --> 00:44:28,025 And so what we know is that he humbled himself and he did all those 1033 00:44:28,065 --> 00:44:32,525 things for us so that we might understand the gift of grace. 1034 00:44:32,945 --> 00:44:39,385 And when we take it in that perspective and we think about that 1035 00:44:39,425 --> 00:44:43,881 type of love and that type of humility, that type of pouring out 1036 00:44:43,913 --> 00:44:46,913 himself for us so that we might have everlasting life, it's 1037 00:44:46,929 --> 00:44:48,097 a lot easier to say, you know what? 1038 00:44:48,121 --> 00:44:49,641 I'm willing to give to the Lord. 1039 00:44:49,673 --> 00:44:52,645 It's an excitement for me to be a part of giving to the Lord. 1040 00:44:53,875 --> 00:44:56,655 And I would encourage you to think about it from that perspective. 1041 00:44:58,155 --> 00:45:00,467 There's some people that will teach you, you know what? 1042 00:45:00,651 --> 00:45:04,095 You keep giving, God's going to keep blessing. 1043 00:45:04,555 --> 00:45:07,771 And I would say that's true, but not in the way that you might 1044 00:45:07,803 --> 00:45:08,615 be thinking. 1045 00:45:09,875 --> 00:45:12,347 I've heard people say, well, I gave this much and he didn't give 1046 00:45:12,371 --> 00:45:13,187 me that much back. 1047 00:45:13,251 --> 00:45:14,435 The truth is, is that he's not. 1048 00:45:14,475 --> 00:45:15,735 That's not God's economy. 1049 00:45:17,515 --> 00:45:20,019 Some people say I can't afford to give to the Lord. 1050 00:45:20,067 --> 00:45:21,917 Well, you can't afford not to give to the Lord. 1051 00:45:21,941 --> 00:45:24,565 And the concept of proving back to him this. 1052 00:45:24,645 --> 00:45:25,685 So, folks, you know what? 1053 00:45:25,725 --> 00:45:27,829 There have been times in My life where I've, I've. 1054 00:45:27,957 --> 00:45:30,945 Because a lot of times you see it on the movies or the Christian 1055 00:45:31,245 --> 00:45:31,669 movies. 1056 00:45:31,717 --> 00:45:35,029 And I sacrificed this person on the side of the road and little 1057 00:45:35,077 --> 00:45:36,637 did I know that person was a millionaire. 1058 00:45:36,661 --> 00:45:39,901 And he came back to me and he gave me, you know, his inheritance. 1059 00:45:40,013 --> 00:45:41,549 That's not how it always goes. 1060 00:45:41,717 --> 00:45:44,445 You might sacrifice for somebody and do something for somebody 1061 00:45:44,485 --> 00:45:47,305 and they might look at you and they might not even say thank you. 1062 00:45:47,845 --> 00:45:49,661 They might not even be appreciative. 1063 00:45:49,733 --> 00:45:50,213 But you know what? 1064 00:45:50,229 --> 00:45:53,613 The Bible doesn't say give to other people, love other people, 1065 00:45:53,749 --> 00:45:56,465 sacrifice for other people when they're kind to you. 1066 00:45:57,565 --> 00:46:03,405 What does it say says, love your neighbor as yourself. 1067 00:46:03,485 --> 00:46:04,221 Who's my neighbor? 1068 00:46:04,253 --> 00:46:07,585 Then the question is, who's my neighbor? 1069 00:46:07,885 --> 00:46:09,305 Anyone that you come across. 1070 00:46:10,285 --> 00:46:12,885 Jesus says to love only those that love you. 1071 00:46:12,925 --> 00:46:13,877 Now what does Jesus say? 1072 00:46:13,901 --> 00:46:15,621 Let's, let's get real this morning. 1073 00:46:15,733 --> 00:46:19,269 Jesus says, love your enemies. 1074 00:46:19,397 --> 00:46:21,705 Love those that aren't even good to you. 1075 00:46:22,805 --> 00:46:26,917 And so biblically speaking, it's not, what can I get out of this? 1076 00:46:26,981 --> 00:46:29,173 It's I've been given so much. 1077 00:46:29,229 --> 00:46:32,861 It's the natural or supernatural response to say, I want 1078 00:46:32,893 --> 00:46:34,265 to give back to him. 1079 00:46:34,765 --> 00:46:36,065 That's what it's all about. 1080 00:46:37,165 --> 00:46:39,349 And so that's what it means to be a grace giver. 1081 00:46:39,477 --> 00:46:44,157 If we want to be the grace giver in our life, we must first 1082 00:46:44,301 --> 00:46:47,625 and foremost trust in the grace giver. 1083 00:46:47,925 --> 00:46:49,221 The grace giver is God. 1084 00:46:49,253 --> 00:46:51,125 He is the one who gave us that grace. 1085 00:46:51,285 --> 00:46:53,581 And we can be givers of that grace in our life. 1086 00:46:53,613 --> 00:46:57,877 And the concept of we can't save somebody, but what we can do, 1087 00:46:58,021 --> 00:47:01,589 what we can do is share that gift of grace with others around 1088 00:47:01,637 --> 00:47:02,225 us. 1089 00:47:02,765 --> 00:47:04,125 Share that gift of grace. 1090 00:47:04,245 --> 00:47:08,925 It might be financially, it might be through service, it might 1091 00:47:08,965 --> 00:47:12,745 be through sacrifice, it might be through the fact that you love 1092 00:47:12,785 --> 00:47:15,245 someone enough to tell them the gospel of Jesus Christ. 1093 00:47:16,225 --> 00:47:19,721 I'm going to tell you here today, giving someone something financially 1094 00:47:19,753 --> 00:47:20,685 is not enough. 1095 00:47:21,025 --> 00:47:23,325 The Bible says that there's a second part of that. 1096 00:47:23,825 --> 00:47:24,729 So, so if I. 1097 00:47:24,777 --> 00:47:26,897 So let's say, for example, someone came in this morning, they 1098 00:47:26,921 --> 00:47:27,713 said, hey, you know what? 1099 00:47:27,729 --> 00:47:28,409 I'm really struggling. 1100 00:47:28,457 --> 00:47:29,305 I need some finances. 1101 00:47:29,345 --> 00:47:30,465 And I go, okay, here you go. 1102 00:47:30,545 --> 00:47:31,849 I got a couple bucks in my pocket. 1103 00:47:31,897 --> 00:47:32,645 Take that. 1104 00:47:34,025 --> 00:47:36,767 That's not the ideal way to do it. 1105 00:47:36,841 --> 00:47:40,635 The ideal way to do it is, says, yes, I have what would help 1106 00:47:40,675 --> 00:47:44,051 you, but I have something else that helps you even more. 1107 00:47:44,083 --> 00:47:46,179 And that's the concept of Jesus Christ. 1108 00:47:46,307 --> 00:47:49,755 That's the belief in what he has done for Us, that's a belief 1109 00:47:49,835 --> 00:47:51,147 in who he is for us. 1110 00:47:51,251 --> 00:47:54,371 And so what we do is we love people enough to give to them, yes. 1111 00:47:54,443 --> 00:47:57,059 But we love people enough to share with them the truth of Jesus 1112 00:47:57,107 --> 00:47:57,695 Christ. 1113 00:47:58,435 --> 00:48:01,547 You know, sometimes I'll do a funeral and I'll stand up in front 1114 00:48:01,571 --> 00:48:04,011 of people and I'll know that there are many people in the room 1115 00:48:04,043 --> 00:48:05,685 that aren't believers in Jesus Christ. 1116 00:48:05,795 --> 00:48:07,609 And there's a challenge there because you don't want to offend 1117 00:48:07,657 --> 00:48:08,337 anybody. 1118 00:48:08,481 --> 00:48:10,681 But then at the other side of things, you say, if I love these 1119 00:48:10,713 --> 00:48:12,465 people enough, I've got to tell them the truth. 1120 00:48:12,585 --> 00:48:13,737 Got to tell them the truth. 1121 00:48:13,841 --> 00:48:15,489 And what I say to people is this. 1122 00:48:15,617 --> 00:48:18,017 I want to treat you like I would treat my family. 1123 00:48:18,121 --> 00:48:21,681 And I love my family enough to tell them that Jesus Christ is the 1124 00:48:21,713 --> 00:48:22,601 only way. 1125 00:48:22,793 --> 00:48:27,161 And so therefore, I risk offending somebody by loving them 1126 00:48:27,193 --> 00:48:28,965 enough to tell them the truth. 1127 00:48:30,705 --> 00:48:34,115 That's the greatest act of grace giving, is telling someone 1128 00:48:34,155 --> 00:48:35,655 the truth of Jesus Christ. 1129 00:48:36,195 --> 00:48:38,755 I would encourage you to think about that on a greater scale, like, 1130 00:48:38,795 --> 00:48:43,307 am I willing to risk an offense? 1131 00:48:43,451 --> 00:48:47,827 Am I willing to risk someone not liking me or getting upset with 1132 00:48:47,851 --> 00:48:50,947 me by loving them enough to tell them the truth of Jesus Christ? 1133 00:48:51,131 --> 00:48:56,251 That's a hard thing to do in our humanity, but it's a possible 1134 00:48:56,363 --> 00:48:58,153 thing to do in the power of God. 1135 00:48:58,339 --> 00:49:02,173 Just as the Macedonians were able to give above their own power 1136 00:49:02,229 --> 00:49:05,885 because of the power of God, you are able to give beyond your 1137 00:49:05,965 --> 00:49:08,345 power because of the power of God in your life. 1138 00:49:10,965 --> 00:49:20,025 And so you give to what you love, you support what you love. 1139 00:49:21,445 --> 00:49:25,275 This church has faithfully demonstrated this truth for over 1140 00:49:25,355 --> 00:49:26,215 50 years. 1141 00:49:27,675 --> 00:49:30,635 And I believe that this church will continue on if the Lord tarries 1142 00:49:30,675 --> 00:49:31,531 for another 50 years. 1143 00:49:31,563 --> 00:49:35,843 Being Grace givers, if we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus Christ, if 1144 00:49:35,859 --> 00:49:40,067 we keep our eyes fixed on the grace of the gift of salvation, if 1145 00:49:40,091 --> 00:49:44,267 we begin to look at it from the bottom line, if we begin to see 1146 00:49:44,291 --> 00:49:47,827 it as something we have to do to be in God's good graces, if we 1147 00:49:47,891 --> 00:49:49,579 see something like, it's that. 1148 00:49:49,627 --> 00:49:54,137 That this is mechanical, we're missing the point of what God is 1149 00:49:54,161 --> 00:49:56,209 calling us to do as grace givers. 1150 00:49:56,377 --> 00:49:59,809 This isn't an excuse to say, well, God's not laid it upon my heart, 1151 00:49:59,857 --> 00:50:01,833 so I don't believe I need to give. 1152 00:50:02,009 --> 00:50:03,297 It's not what this is saying. 1153 00:50:03,401 --> 00:50:06,385 What it's saying is, he wants your heart, he wants your heart. 1154 00:50:06,465 --> 00:50:07,369 It's like anything. 1155 00:50:07,457 --> 00:50:10,217 I could come in here and say, well, I'm gonna give seven days a 1156 00:50:10,241 --> 00:50:10,377 week. 1157 00:50:10,401 --> 00:50:10,881 To the church. 1158 00:50:10,913 --> 00:50:13,905 And I'm gonna work at the church seven days a week, 24 7. 1159 00:50:13,945 --> 00:50:15,209 I'm gonna live in the church. 1160 00:50:15,297 --> 00:50:17,943 That doesn't mean anything if he doesn't have my heart. 1161 00:50:18,129 --> 00:50:20,931 I could read my Bible every day, but it means nothing because 1162 00:50:20,963 --> 00:50:22,291 he doesn't have my heart. 1163 00:50:22,443 --> 00:50:25,363 I could ask him for things every day, but if he doesn't have 1164 00:50:25,379 --> 00:50:26,995 my heart, he doesn't have my life. 1165 00:50:27,035 --> 00:50:28,819 He doesn't have everything. 1166 00:50:28,947 --> 00:50:32,275 And the Bible says, present your bodies a living sacrifice wholly 1167 00:50:32,315 --> 00:50:34,643 acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 1168 00:50:34,699 --> 00:50:35,267 That is it. 1169 00:50:35,331 --> 00:50:37,415 It's reasonable that we give him everything. 1170 00:50:39,195 --> 00:50:41,643 We'll leave you with a couple of other passages of scripture here 1171 00:50:41,659 --> 00:50:42,855 and then we'll be done. 1172 00:50:43,525 --> 00:50:46,949 Says in First John, chapter 3, verse 17 and 18. 1173 00:50:47,077 --> 00:50:51,437 But whoso have this world's good and see if his brother have 1174 00:50:51,501 --> 00:50:53,877 need and shut up, shut up. 1175 00:50:53,981 --> 00:50:55,429 His bowels of compassion. 1176 00:50:55,477 --> 00:50:59,117 Meaning we don't have any desire to help that person. 1177 00:50:59,261 --> 00:51:02,065 How dwelleth the love of God in him? 1178 00:51:02,805 --> 00:51:09,355 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue nor 1179 00:51:09,505 --> 00:51:11,955 but in deed and in truth. 1180 00:51:12,815 --> 00:51:17,711 The challenge is not to say we love somebody, but to demonstrate 1181 00:51:17,743 --> 00:51:18,223 it. 1182 00:51:18,359 --> 00:51:21,415 The challenge is that God has blessed me with something. 1183 00:51:21,575 --> 00:51:23,115 I need to give that to others. 1184 00:51:24,175 --> 00:51:28,127 So for some of us, I'm just going to speak freely this morning. 1185 00:51:28,191 --> 00:51:31,275 For some of us, God has greatly blessed us financially. 1186 00:51:32,135 --> 00:51:33,075 Help others. 1187 00:51:34,375 --> 00:51:36,435 Some of us, God has blessed you with. 1188 00:51:36,475 --> 00:51:36,747 With. 1189 00:51:36,811 --> 00:51:41,619 With serving talents and hospitality and mercy. 1190 00:51:41,787 --> 00:51:42,987 Give that to others. 1191 00:51:43,131 --> 00:51:43,459 Really. 1192 00:51:43,507 --> 00:51:46,695 God has given us all the ministering gifts to help others, 1193 00:51:48,115 --> 00:51:53,235 but God has given us all the gift of grace, the gift of salvation. 1194 00:51:53,395 --> 00:51:57,587 Therefore, if we have that gift of grace and we don't share 1195 00:51:57,611 --> 00:52:00,415 that with someone who needs it, what does it say there? 1196 00:52:01,355 --> 00:52:03,943 Says, how dwelleth the love of God in him? 1197 00:52:04,139 --> 00:52:08,143 If you have been saved and changed and you know that change, 1198 00:52:08,239 --> 00:52:13,063 and someone around you needs that change, and you go, well, they 1199 00:52:13,079 --> 00:52:14,959 don't deserve me to tell them the truth of the gospel. 1200 00:52:15,007 --> 00:52:16,915 They'll probably not receive it anyway. 1201 00:52:17,375 --> 00:52:20,199 The Bible says that is not a demonstration of the love of God. 1202 00:52:20,287 --> 00:52:21,231 Because all of us, let's. 1203 00:52:21,263 --> 00:52:25,215 Let's say, for example, God forbid it, the economy crashes tomorrow 1204 00:52:25,255 --> 00:52:26,799 and none of us have any money in our bank account. 1205 00:52:26,847 --> 00:52:29,695 We're back into another recession or depression or whatever 1206 00:52:29,735 --> 00:52:30,521 it's called. 1207 00:52:30,703 --> 00:52:31,717 None of us have any money. 1208 00:52:31,741 --> 00:52:32,957 But you know what all of us do have? 1209 00:52:32,981 --> 00:52:37,181 If we're believers in Jesus Christ, we have the gift of everlasting 1210 00:52:37,213 --> 00:52:39,277 life and we can start preaching the truth. 1211 00:52:39,301 --> 00:52:41,581 We can start preaching riches that will never be taken Away from 1212 00:52:41,613 --> 00:52:42,185 us. 1213 00:52:43,005 --> 00:52:45,829 Because the kingdom of God is a place where moth and rust cannot 1214 00:52:45,877 --> 00:52:46,465 corrupt. 1215 00:52:48,445 --> 00:52:51,221 This year coming up in 2025, I don't know what the future holds. 1216 00:52:51,253 --> 00:52:55,949 It might be a bountiful year for America or this world, but it 1217 00:52:55,957 --> 00:52:56,849 might not be. 1218 00:52:56,997 --> 00:52:58,409 And my prayer is that it is. 1219 00:52:58,457 --> 00:53:01,977 My prayer is that all of you exceedingly are blessed by God this 1220 00:53:02,001 --> 00:53:03,441 year materially. 1221 00:53:03,513 --> 00:53:04,017 I really do. 1222 00:53:04,041 --> 00:53:04,925 I pray that. 1223 00:53:05,225 --> 00:53:06,065 But for all of us. 1224 00:53:06,105 --> 00:53:07,001 I know. 1225 00:53:07,033 --> 00:53:07,425 You know what? 1226 00:53:07,465 --> 00:53:09,889 You know what I can know, Biblically speaking, I don't know 1227 00:53:09,897 --> 00:53:12,121 what the economy is going to be this year or next year. 1228 00:53:12,313 --> 00:53:16,233 But what I can tell you is that God's economy is always rich. 1229 00:53:16,369 --> 00:53:17,745 It's always abundant. 1230 00:53:17,825 --> 00:53:22,179 And when we tap into that riches, those riches, those blessings, 1231 00:53:22,297 --> 00:53:27,279 we're able to live a Christlike, godly life and understand 1232 00:53:27,447 --> 00:53:30,503 that giving in the perspective of what he has been giving us is 1233 00:53:30,519 --> 00:53:32,687 what it means to be a grace giver. 1234 00:53:32,831 --> 00:53:36,247 So I hope that you trust in that grace giver here today. 1235 00:53:36,351 --> 00:53:39,151 If you don't know Jesus as your Savior, none of this will matter. 1236 00:53:39,223 --> 00:53:40,555 None of this makes sense. 1237 00:53:41,655 --> 00:53:45,351 Doesn't make any sense for me to give a portion of my income to 1238 00:53:45,383 --> 00:53:50,181 a place that is a place that I can come to on Sunday and not give 1239 00:53:50,213 --> 00:53:50,517 that money. 1240 00:53:50,541 --> 00:53:51,589 It's going to still be there. 1241 00:53:51,677 --> 00:53:54,065 Let me tell you, this place isn't guaranteed. 1242 00:53:55,005 --> 00:53:56,165 You guys know that, right? 1243 00:53:56,245 --> 00:54:00,645 This building, this freedom that we have as Christians is not 1244 00:54:00,685 --> 00:54:01,625 guaranteed. 1245 00:54:03,005 --> 00:54:08,021 We're not some kind of entity that gets money just poured down 1246 00:54:08,053 --> 00:54:11,733 to us from upper echelons of religion. 1247 00:54:11,869 --> 00:54:15,585 We are an independent, local, Bible believing church. 1248 00:54:16,955 --> 00:54:22,299 God has entrusted you as a member or an attender of Middletown 1249 00:54:22,347 --> 00:54:26,891 Baptist Church, which means you are the body and I'm not the 1250 00:54:26,923 --> 00:54:27,403 head. 1251 00:54:27,539 --> 00:54:28,811 I'm just a part of the body. 1252 00:54:28,923 --> 00:54:31,175 The head is Jesus Christ. 1253 00:54:31,555 --> 00:54:33,123 And what we can say here is this. 1254 00:54:33,219 --> 00:54:37,203 We have a responsibility to keep up the work of the Gospel ministry 1255 00:54:37,299 --> 00:54:38,787 in Middletown, Delaware, folks. 1256 00:54:38,891 --> 00:54:41,897 We want to be a beacon of light to Middletown. 1257 00:54:42,091 --> 00:54:44,373 We want people to know that there's a difference. 1258 00:54:44,509 --> 00:54:45,725 We're not just some church. 1259 00:54:45,765 --> 00:54:47,749 We're not just a social club across town. 1260 00:54:47,837 --> 00:54:50,981 You know, every church in America can have ministries, but 1261 00:54:51,013 --> 00:54:53,717 not every church in America will proclaim the gospel message 1262 00:54:53,741 --> 00:54:54,829 of Jesus Christ. 1263 00:54:54,997 --> 00:54:56,413 Are we going to say, you know what? 1264 00:54:56,509 --> 00:54:59,061 It's not about putting money into programs. 1265 00:54:59,093 --> 00:55:02,005 It's about putting money into the gospel of Jesus Christ. 1266 00:55:02,165 --> 00:55:04,653 We're going to adjust ourselves to the point of what are 1267 00:55:04,669 --> 00:55:06,781 we doing to reach people in our community? 1268 00:55:06,893 --> 00:55:10,187 What are we doing to reach people in our neighborhoods? 1269 00:55:10,251 --> 00:55:12,355 What are we doing to reach people in our homes? 1270 00:55:12,435 --> 00:55:15,883 What are we doing to reach people in our county, our country, 1271 00:55:16,019 --> 00:55:18,347 our world, folks, that's the focus. 1272 00:55:18,451 --> 00:55:20,547 That's what it means to be a grace giver. 1273 00:55:20,731 --> 00:55:23,003 And so I would encourage you to think about what that means for 1274 00:55:23,019 --> 00:55:23,195 you. 1275 00:55:23,235 --> 00:55:24,455 So I would say this. 1276 00:55:25,555 --> 00:55:28,335 Yes, there is a responsibility to keep the lights on. 1277 00:55:28,955 --> 00:55:32,467 There's a responsibility to keep up with the day to day at the 1278 00:55:32,491 --> 00:55:32,755 church. 1279 00:55:32,795 --> 00:55:37,955 But there's a greater responsibility in the gospel of Jesus 1280 00:55:37,995 --> 00:55:38,575 Christ. 1281 00:55:39,075 --> 00:55:41,099 And that's what we are all about. 1282 00:55:41,187 --> 00:55:43,363 The pillar and ground of truth. 1283 00:55:43,499 --> 00:55:48,115 We are the conduits, we are the vessels. 1284 00:55:48,235 --> 00:55:52,027 We are the instruments of sharing the grace of God to those 1285 00:55:52,091 --> 00:55:53,175 in this world. 1286 00:55:53,955 --> 00:55:55,515 Are we going to take up that mantle? 1287 00:55:55,555 --> 00:55:58,611 Are we going to take up that torch and say we're going to do that? 1288 00:55:58,683 --> 00:56:00,275 We're going to run right into the world? 1289 00:56:00,315 --> 00:56:03,157 We're going to run right into those that oppose us and give them 1290 00:56:03,181 --> 00:56:04,045 the gospel message. 1291 00:56:04,085 --> 00:56:05,585 I hope that that is the case. 1292 00:56:06,205 --> 00:56:07,749 Starts with our hearts, though. 1293 00:56:07,877 --> 00:56:09,345 It starts with our hearts. 1294 00:56:09,885 --> 00:56:14,741 And so as we conclude here this morning, may we think about 1295 00:56:14,773 --> 00:56:16,901 that principle found in the Book of Acts, it's better to give 1296 00:56:16,933 --> 00:56:17,825 than receive. 1297 00:56:18,205 --> 00:56:19,637 You've been gifted so much. 1298 00:56:19,741 --> 00:56:23,549 I've been gifted so much and so often I'm just so selfish. 1299 00:56:23,677 --> 00:56:25,785 So often I just want to keep it to myself. 1300 00:56:26,645 --> 00:56:29,869 Folks, the greatest act of giving is by loving someone enough 1301 00:56:29,917 --> 00:56:31,865 to show them the truth of Jesus Christ. 1302 00:56:33,695 --> 00:56:36,711 Next week we're going to talk about the greatest gift. 1303 00:56:36,863 --> 00:56:38,927 You say, well, we heard about the greatest gift this week. 1304 00:56:39,031 --> 00:56:42,719 Well, next week we have an opportunity to maybe have some visitors 1305 00:56:42,767 --> 00:56:46,367 come in because of our Christmas program next week. 1306 00:56:46,511 --> 00:56:48,935 One of the things that I want to highlight next week is that gift 1307 00:56:48,975 --> 00:56:51,303 and how people can understand that gift. 1308 00:56:51,359 --> 00:56:54,815 How people can get to a place in their life where they can be beneficiaries 1309 00:56:54,855 --> 00:56:55,799 of the grace of God. 1310 00:56:55,887 --> 00:56:57,793 I encourage you to invite some people out. 1311 00:56:57,959 --> 00:57:00,341 Maybe they're not used to coming out to a regular church service, 1312 00:57:00,373 --> 00:57:02,821 but say we're having some special music next week. 1313 00:57:02,933 --> 00:57:03,501 Bring them out. 1314 00:57:03,533 --> 00:57:04,725 We're going to talk about the gospel. 1315 00:57:04,765 --> 00:57:07,933 We're going to talk about how we as Christians receive the gifts 1316 00:57:07,949 --> 00:57:10,621 of God and we're able to then share that with others. 1317 00:57:10,653 --> 00:57:13,301 And we're going to go through the spiritual gifts this month. 1318 00:57:13,333 --> 00:57:15,309 Okay, we're going to go through the spiritual gifts. 1319 00:57:15,397 --> 00:57:16,245 So great. 1320 00:57:16,285 --> 00:57:18,077 I've been gifted the salvation. 1321 00:57:18,141 --> 00:57:20,021 But then what does that mean? 1322 00:57:20,213 --> 00:57:23,395 Well, there's a passage of scripture in the book of Romans, 1323 00:57:23,525 --> 00:57:24,311 Romans, chapter 12. 1324 00:57:24,343 --> 00:57:27,095 It talks about the ministering gifts and we're going to see that 1325 00:57:27,135 --> 00:57:30,511 all of us, if we're believers, have a ministering gift, a service 1326 00:57:30,583 --> 00:57:33,903 gift that God has called us to exercise within the local body of 1327 00:57:33,919 --> 00:57:34,671 believers. 1328 00:57:34,823 --> 00:57:37,471 So I encourage you to come back this month and look at those 1329 00:57:37,503 --> 00:57:38,239 things with us. 1330 00:57:38,327 --> 00:57:40,007 Well, I'm going to encourage you to stand with me, every head 1331 00:57:40,031 --> 00:57:40,823 bowed, every eye closed. 1332 00:57:40,839 --> 00:57:43,167 We're going to have a moment here where you can reflect and that 1333 00:57:43,191 --> 00:57:44,195 you can respond. 1334 00:57:47,815 --> 00:57:51,481 There's been a lot said this morning, and if you're your first 1335 00:57:51,513 --> 00:57:53,593 time here, you might say, well, does this church talk about 1336 00:57:53,649 --> 00:57:54,753 money all the time? 1337 00:57:54,929 --> 00:57:56,697 No, no, that's not what we're here about. 1338 00:57:56,841 --> 00:58:00,521 But we preach through passages of scripture and we come to a passage 1339 00:58:00,553 --> 00:58:03,497 of scripture that clearly talks about supporting the gospel 1340 00:58:03,561 --> 00:58:04,041 ministry. 1341 00:58:04,113 --> 00:58:05,605 We've got to talk about that. 1342 00:58:06,025 --> 00:58:08,969 But the beauty is, is that Paul gives us the perspective. 1343 00:58:09,017 --> 00:58:13,697 The perspective of the giving is the perspective of the cross. 1344 00:58:13,881 --> 00:58:17,937 The perspective of giving is the perspective that Jesus took on 1345 00:58:17,961 --> 00:58:21,405 the poverty of this world so that we might have spiritual riches, 1346 00:58:22,385 --> 00:58:26,325 not by commandment, but by all the sincerity of our love. 1347 00:58:28,665 --> 00:58:30,925 Maybe you've been challenged with that here this morning. 1348 00:58:31,385 --> 00:58:33,565 I know if I'm honest, I'm challenged with it. 1349 00:58:34,705 --> 00:58:38,085 What do I see as mine and what do I see as God's? 1350 00:58:38,825 --> 00:58:42,095 What do I see as untouchable? 1351 00:58:42,915 --> 00:58:46,315 And what do I see is available, folks? 1352 00:58:46,355 --> 00:58:50,323 Some of us, maybe God's calling for more than your paycheck. 1353 00:58:50,459 --> 00:58:52,335 Maybe God's calling for your life. 1354 00:58:52,675 --> 00:58:54,619 Maybe God's calling for your ministry. 1355 00:58:54,707 --> 00:58:55,979 Maybe God's calling for everything. 1356 00:58:56,027 --> 00:58:58,731 Maybe God's called you to take something on that you never would 1357 00:58:58,763 --> 00:59:02,603 have dreamed you're able to do beyond your capabilities, beyond 1358 00:59:02,659 --> 00:59:03,451 your power. 1359 00:59:03,563 --> 00:59:05,227 Folks, today's the day where you say, you know what? 1360 00:59:05,251 --> 00:59:08,847 I'm willing to give everything to the Lord because of what he has 1361 00:59:08,871 --> 00:59:09,359 done for me. 1362 00:59:09,407 --> 00:59:10,799 I want to be a grace giver. 1363 00:59:10,887 --> 00:59:13,287 I don't just want to give a portion of my paycheck. 1364 00:59:13,391 --> 00:59:15,995 I want to give all of my life to Him. 1365 00:59:17,255 --> 00:59:20,287 Hey, maybe today is a day where you commit yourself to just. 1366 00:59:20,431 --> 00:59:25,703 I want to be serving God, not just on Sunday mornings, but in every 1367 00:59:25,759 --> 00:59:27,035 aspect of my life. 1368 00:59:27,735 --> 00:59:30,095 Maybe that's the day today, but maybe it's just for you. 1369 00:59:30,135 --> 00:59:30,623 You say, you know what? 1370 00:59:30,639 --> 00:59:32,127 I'm never giving anything to God. 1371 00:59:32,231 --> 00:59:34,055 I've only just received the gift of grace. 1372 00:59:34,095 --> 00:59:37,785 And I just keep taking and I keep benefiting from it and I keep 1373 00:59:37,825 --> 00:59:38,441 having that peace. 1374 00:59:38,473 --> 00:59:40,609 But I've never thought about giving something back to Him. 1375 00:59:40,697 --> 00:59:42,737 Maybe today you start that conversation in your mind. 1376 00:59:42,761 --> 00:59:44,737 About what does it mean to give back to the Lord? 1377 00:59:44,881 --> 00:59:47,885 What does it mean to give out of what I've been blessed with? 1378 00:59:48,585 --> 00:59:52,433 But maybe you never trusted Jesus Christ as your savior. 1379 00:59:52,489 --> 00:59:56,105 Maybe you don't know what it means to trust in his gift of salvation, 1380 00:59:56,145 --> 00:59:58,993 the fact that he came and died on a cross and conquered death through 1381 00:59:59,009 --> 00:59:59,841 the resurrection. 1382 00:59:59,953 --> 01:00:02,041 Hey, none of this stuff will make sense. 1383 01:00:02,233 --> 01:00:04,281 The motivation will not be there. 1384 01:00:04,473 --> 01:00:06,209 It will all just be empty religion. 1385 01:00:06,257 --> 01:00:08,361 And none of us want empty religion here. 1386 01:00:08,513 --> 01:00:10,105 Empty religion is just that. 1387 01:00:10,145 --> 01:00:10,993 It's empty. 1388 01:00:11,129 --> 01:00:13,405 It's vain, it's works. 1389 01:00:14,145 --> 01:00:17,033 I would tell you that if you're doing things in empty religion, 1390 01:00:17,169 --> 01:00:19,905 there's not going to be any benefit, there's not going to be 1391 01:00:19,945 --> 01:00:20,925 any impact. 1392 01:00:21,585 --> 01:00:26,809 But folks, it's the relationship with Christ, it's the 1393 01:00:26,857 --> 01:00:29,361 knowledge of who he is and what he has done for us that draws 1394 01:00:29,393 --> 01:00:31,975 us to that place of desiring to give back to Him. 1395 01:00:32,015 --> 01:00:34,655 So if you need to know him today as your Savior, we're going 1396 01:00:34,655 --> 01:00:36,567 to have some people standing here and we can show you in the word 1397 01:00:36,591 --> 01:00:40,871 of God what it means to know him and to love him and to serve 1398 01:00:40,903 --> 01:00:41,475 Him. 1399 01:00:43,655 --> 01:00:46,023 So here in a few moments, after I'm done praying, you can come 1400 01:00:46,039 --> 01:00:47,455 here, kneel at the altar. 1401 01:00:47,615 --> 01:00:49,119 You can kneel in your pew. 1402 01:00:49,167 --> 01:00:50,239 You can stand where you are. 1403 01:00:50,287 --> 01:00:51,511 There's no rules here. 1404 01:00:51,543 --> 01:00:53,007 But what I will say is respond to him. 1405 01:00:53,031 --> 01:00:56,567 If he's been speaking to you this morning, the Word of God has 1406 01:00:56,591 --> 01:00:57,639 spoken to you this morning. 1407 01:00:57,727 --> 01:00:59,847 I encourage you to respond to him. 1408 01:01:00,031 --> 01:01:04,903 Make a decision today definitively to say, I know what 1409 01:01:04,919 --> 01:01:08,431 the Lord is telling me and I want to follow that in obedience. 1410 01:01:08,503 --> 01:01:10,767 Lord, I pray that you be in this time of invitation, work in 1411 01:01:10,791 --> 01:01:11,695 hearts and lives. 1412 01:01:11,855 --> 01:01:14,743 Challenge us to be those grace givers that you've called us to be 1413 01:01:14,799 --> 01:01:15,647 in Jesus name. 1414 01:01:15,711 --> 01:01:15,927 Amen. 1415 01:01:15,951 --> 01:01:17,551 As the music plays, follow as the Lord leads. 1416 01:01:17,583 --> 01:01:21,119 This morning, thank you again for listening to the Middletown Baptist 1417 01:01:21,167 --> 01:01:22,215 Church podcast. 1418 01:01:22,375 --> 01:01:24,915 I hope that this sermon has been a blessing for you. 1419 01:01:25,305 --> 01:01:26,417 If you would like to find out. 1420 01:01:26,441 --> 01:01:28,753 More information about our church or this sermon, you can find 1421 01:01:28,769 --> 01:01:32,257 us at middletownbaptistchurch.org or find 1422 01:01:32,281 --> 01:01:34,205 us on Facebook or YouTube. 1423 01:01:34,665 --> 01:01:39,113 You can also email me directly at joshmasaroiddletownbaptistchurch 1424 01:01:39,169 --> 01:01:43,609 dot com if you've enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe and follow 1425 01:01:43,657 --> 01:01:46,645 along for future podcasts and updates. 1426 01:01:47,025 --> 01:01:48,137 Thank you so much. 1427 01:01:48,281 --> 01:01:49,113 God bless. 1428 01:01:49,249 --> 01:01:50,265 Have a wonderful day.