WEBVTT 00:00:01.410 --> 00:00:03.990 Hello, you are listening to Second City Sermons, 00:00:04.370 --> 00:00:07.110 a ministry of Second City Church in midtown Harrisburg. 00:00:07.769 --> 00:00:09.390 This fall, we're studying the book of Second 00:00:09.390 --> 00:00:12.429 Corinthians. Second Corinthians is a heartfelt 00:00:12.429 --> 00:00:15.330 and practical book calling us back to the life 00:00:15.330 --> 00:00:18.870 of the cross. We, like the Corinthians, so often 00:00:18.870 --> 00:00:22.350 pursue glory, admire eloquence, shun suffering, 00:00:22.670 --> 00:00:26.230 hide hurt, and hoard our goods. And yet the gospel 00:00:26.230 --> 00:00:29.230 of Jesus tells us that resurrection comes after 00:00:29.230 --> 00:00:33.149 a cross. that comfort comes after being crushed, 00:00:33.789 --> 00:00:36.090 that the way up is the way down, that the way 00:00:36.090 --> 00:00:39.250 to glory is through suffering, that His strength 00:00:39.250 --> 00:00:44.109 is made perfect in our weakness. We'd love to 00:00:44.109 --> 00:00:45.869 meet you, and we hope you'll consider coming 00:00:45.869 --> 00:00:48.109 and joining with us each Sunday morning at 10 00:00:48.109 --> 00:00:50.670 a .m. in the heart of Midtown Harrisburg. You 00:00:50.670 --> 00:00:53.170 can find us online at secondcitychurch .org and 00:00:53.170 --> 00:00:56.509 on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. We hope 00:00:56.509 --> 00:00:59.789 you enjoy this sermon. God bless. We pray again. 00:01:01.159 --> 00:01:04.420 Father in heaven we pray your blessing upon our 00:01:04.420 --> 00:01:07.260 time in your word gotta pray for open hearts 00:01:07.260 --> 00:01:12.680 and ears That we might receive from you That 00:01:12.680 --> 00:01:15.819 we might grow in you that we might be blessed 00:01:15.819 --> 00:01:20.200 by you And may the words of my mouth the meditations 00:01:20.200 --> 00:01:23.599 the thoughts the desires the contemplations of 00:01:23.599 --> 00:01:26.840 our hearts Be pleasing in your sight. Oh Lord 00:01:26.840 --> 00:01:32.659 our rock and our Redeemer Amen All right, so 00:01:32.659 --> 00:01:36.260 oddly enough, we are back in chapter 9. If you 00:01:36.260 --> 00:01:40.280 have been tracking as we've made our way through 00:01:40.280 --> 00:01:44.180 2 Corinthians, you may be thinking right now, 00:01:44.180 --> 00:01:49.640 this is all a little erratic. You heard me preach 00:01:49.640 --> 00:01:54.060 twice on chapter 6, and then Jed picked up in 00:01:54.060 --> 00:01:57.980 chapter 8, and then I preached one sermon on 00:01:57.980 --> 00:02:01.250 chapter 7, and then one on just the end of chapter 00:02:01.250 --> 00:02:04.430 7, the beginning of 8, and then Jed preached 00:02:04.430 --> 00:02:08.009 on chapter 10, and now I'm going to chapter 9, 00:02:08.030 --> 00:02:09.669 and next week we're going to look at chapter 00:02:09.669 --> 00:02:18.849 11. But today it's chapter 9, which works with 00:02:18.849 --> 00:02:25.270 chapter 8, and together they make up Paul's longest 00:02:25.270 --> 00:02:30.500 teaching on giving. And I will admit even as 00:02:30.500 --> 00:02:33.060 I stand here now, but throughout my preparation, 00:02:33.099 --> 00:02:34.979 I've been a little nervous and I was glad that 00:02:34.979 --> 00:02:37.520 Jed kind of eased us into the water a little 00:02:37.520 --> 00:02:40.919 while ago to talk about giving. And it's not 00:02:40.919 --> 00:02:43.560 that I should be actually because our Lord talks 00:02:43.560 --> 00:02:47.719 about our greed and our tendency towards greed 00:02:47.719 --> 00:02:51.120 and our engagement with money more than any other 00:02:51.120 --> 00:02:54.740 of the seven deadly sins. He doesn't mind talking 00:02:54.740 --> 00:02:59.120 about it, it seems. but it's certainly not a 00:02:59.120 --> 00:03:02.500 subject that we like to talk about in our world. 00:03:03.080 --> 00:03:04.659 And maybe if you're here for the first time this 00:03:04.659 --> 00:03:06.780 morning and you're like, oh man, I'm at a church 00:03:06.780 --> 00:03:09.460 and they're going to talk about giving, go figure. 00:03:10.020 --> 00:03:11.919 Well, I can tell you rather confidently that 00:03:11.919 --> 00:03:14.060 I have never actually preached a sermon on giving 00:03:14.060 --> 00:03:16.159 in this church, though I probably should have. 00:03:17.939 --> 00:03:20.159 So anyway, in preparation, I messaged a number 00:03:20.159 --> 00:03:22.379 of pastor friends around the country and I asked 00:03:22.379 --> 00:03:24.419 them for some thoughts and some stories. And 00:03:24.419 --> 00:03:25.919 I want to share a couple of those with you now. 00:03:26.360 --> 00:03:29.449 Here's a thought. A friend of mine who pastors 00:03:29.449 --> 00:03:31.550 a church in Seattle, he's been at his church 00:03:31.550 --> 00:03:35.030 for 17 years. It's a rather large church in our 00:03:35.030 --> 00:03:39.789 circles. He told me that over the 17 years that 00:03:39.789 --> 00:03:42.250 he has pastored there, he has had many congregants, 00:03:42.310 --> 00:03:44.150 many parishioners come and confess all kinds 00:03:44.150 --> 00:03:47.590 of different sins. He has only had one person 00:03:47.590 --> 00:03:52.289 ever come and talk to him about greed. Only one. 00:03:52.969 --> 00:03:55.409 He said, I can give you dozens of other sins. 00:03:57.020 --> 00:04:02.560 Only one. Couple of stories that I heard from 00:04:02.560 --> 00:04:06.939 different pastor. Dad was trying to teach his 00:04:06.939 --> 00:04:09.919 four year old about tithing. He laid out 10 pennies 00:04:09.919 --> 00:04:13.080 on a table, set aside one and handed the other 00:04:13.080 --> 00:04:16.600 nine to the kid. This one is God's, he said. 00:04:17.160 --> 00:04:22.480 The rest are yours. The kid's response? Poor 00:04:22.480 --> 00:04:29.490 God. Here's another short story. A guy came to 00:04:29.490 --> 00:04:31.589 see his pastor and asked for prayer. I'm struggling 00:04:31.589 --> 00:04:34.470 to tithe, he confessed, which is amazing. I've 00:04:34.470 --> 00:04:39.029 never had that conversation. Why? The pastor 00:04:39.029 --> 00:04:42.829 asked. You make great money, like 300 K. Well, 00:04:42.850 --> 00:04:45.310 that's just it. It was easier to tithe when I 00:04:45.310 --> 00:04:48.569 only made 30. Now that I make 300, it feels like 00:04:48.569 --> 00:04:51.670 too much. Pray for me. The pastor bowed his head 00:04:51.670 --> 00:04:57.310 and said, Oh Lord. Please reduce my friend's 00:04:57.310 --> 00:05:07.290 salary Down to where he can obey you Those are 00:05:07.290 --> 00:05:09.629 kind of funny stories, but also actually they're 00:05:09.629 --> 00:05:14.230 very serious stories The child can actually see 00:05:14.230 --> 00:05:18.569 how little we offer To God and the man can see 00:05:18.569 --> 00:05:24.290 how little he wants to offer to God So we're 00:05:24.290 --> 00:05:27.050 gonna talk about giving this morning. If you 00:05:27.050 --> 00:05:30.490 wanna leave, you can, okay. And I wanna walk 00:05:30.490 --> 00:05:33.149 us through this passage in Second Corinthians 00:05:33.149 --> 00:05:35.250 chapter nine with three points, okay? Three points, 00:05:35.970 --> 00:05:38.810 good Presbyterian sermon. First one's gonna be 00:05:38.810 --> 00:05:41.410 coordinated giving. Second one is gonna be the 00:05:41.410 --> 00:05:45.009 character of giving, and then comforts in giving, 00:05:45.170 --> 00:05:49.389 okay? Three Cs. Only they were three Ps. That 00:05:49.389 --> 00:05:51.329 would be better for a Presbyterian pastor named 00:05:51.329 --> 00:05:55.939 Peter. Coordinated giving. Okay, so maybe you'll 00:05:55.939 --> 00:05:59.920 remember from a few weeks ago when Jed was preaching 00:05:59.920 --> 00:06:03.420 about how Paul was sending Titus and a couple 00:06:03.420 --> 00:06:07.800 others to Corinth to collect the Corinthians 00:06:07.800 --> 00:06:10.980 offering for the church there in Jerusalem, which 00:06:10.980 --> 00:06:13.060 was part of Paul's sort of mission that he talks 00:06:13.060 --> 00:06:15.500 about. He mentions it sort of briefly in Galatians, 00:06:15.519 --> 00:06:17.500 and he specifically mentions it at the end of 00:06:17.500 --> 00:06:22.480 1 Corinthians in chapter 16. Those three guys 00:06:22.480 --> 00:06:26.560 weren't going to Corinth to persuade them to 00:06:26.560 --> 00:06:30.060 give. In fact, you know, they had received the 00:06:30.060 --> 00:06:32.639 first letter and we know from some correspondences 00:06:32.639 --> 00:06:35.560 that they had agreed to this already. They said, 00:06:35.639 --> 00:06:38.560 yes, this is a good thing. We ought to be givers. 00:06:39.040 --> 00:06:40.839 So Paul had instructed them and they had said 00:06:40.839 --> 00:06:45.019 they were ready to do so. But Paul here is ensuring 00:06:45.019 --> 00:06:48.399 that readiness and he's saying it needs to be 00:06:48.399 --> 00:06:53.300 coordinated. Follow through, plan, be ready, 00:06:53.939 --> 00:06:56.680 and commit. Follow through. Look at me down at 00:06:56.680 --> 00:06:59.459 verses one and two. And again, I want you to 00:06:59.459 --> 00:07:02.500 keep your finger on this page, so we're gonna 00:07:02.500 --> 00:07:04.819 walk through the whole passage, okay? Now it 00:07:04.819 --> 00:07:08.399 is superfluous for me to write to you about the 00:07:08.399 --> 00:07:11.439 ministry for the saints, for I know your readiness, 00:07:12.279 --> 00:07:15.839 of which I boast about you to the people of Macedonia 00:07:15.839 --> 00:07:19.899 saying that Achaia has been ready. since last 00:07:19.899 --> 00:07:25.379 year, and your zeal has stirred up most of them." 00:07:25.379 --> 00:07:31.839 Here's what had happened. The promised giving 00:07:31.839 --> 00:07:35.779 of the Corinthians... Okay, so Corinth is the 00:07:35.779 --> 00:07:38.759 main city in the area of Achaia. So when it mentions 00:07:38.759 --> 00:07:42.019 Achaia there, what he's saying is your, you know, 00:07:42.100 --> 00:07:46.050 you guys. Okay, so the promised... giving of 00:07:46.050 --> 00:07:48.870 the Corinthians had stirred up the churches of 00:07:48.870 --> 00:07:52.329 Macedonia to give. And you might remember that 00:07:52.329 --> 00:07:53.850 back in chapter eight, the beginning of chapter 00:07:53.850 --> 00:07:56.209 eight, verse two, we read about the Macedonians 00:07:56.209 --> 00:08:00.490 how, quote, in a severe test of affliction, their 00:08:00.490 --> 00:08:05.750 abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have 00:08:05.750 --> 00:08:09.269 overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their 00:08:09.269 --> 00:08:13.740 part. Well, those folk there in Macedonia who 00:08:13.740 --> 00:08:17.100 through their affliction and their extreme poverty 00:08:17.100 --> 00:08:20.459 were so generous, were generous in part, we learn 00:08:20.459 --> 00:08:25.040 here, because of the Corinthian Church committing, 00:08:25.660 --> 00:08:29.500 being coordinated, being ready and willing to 00:08:29.500 --> 00:08:34.320 give generously. Paul says it would be superfluous. 00:08:34.659 --> 00:08:38.399 He says it's not needed to write to them because 00:08:38.990 --> 00:08:40.889 You've already been ready and look at the work 00:08:40.889 --> 00:08:43.230 that has happened because of your readiness and 00:08:43.230 --> 00:08:49.070 your generosity. But he's still coordinating 00:08:49.070 --> 00:08:51.070 their giving and he's still talking about it. 00:08:51.070 --> 00:08:54.309 Why would he do this? Why would he still talk 00:08:54.309 --> 00:08:55.850 about it? Even though it's superfluous and they've 00:08:55.850 --> 00:09:00.110 already been ready for a year, it says. Because 00:09:00.110 --> 00:09:02.990 he wants to ensure this. He wants it to be coordinated. 00:09:03.049 --> 00:09:05.429 He wants it to be completed. He wants them to 00:09:05.429 --> 00:09:09.960 follow through. So verses three and four, okay? 00:09:39.019 --> 00:09:42.360 Imagine this, the poverty stricken Macedonian 00:09:42.360 --> 00:09:48.440 church have given, it said joyfully, picture 00:09:48.440 --> 00:09:50.740 them dancing as some of you have seen in parts 00:09:50.740 --> 00:09:53.320 of the world where Christians come joyfully dancing, 00:09:53.539 --> 00:09:55.679 giving their tithes and offerings to the Lord. 00:09:56.779 --> 00:09:59.159 They've given joyfully out of their affliction 00:09:59.159 --> 00:10:03.840 and their poverty. And now it's very possible 00:10:03.840 --> 00:10:07.559 at least that the rich Corinthian church is going 00:10:07.559 --> 00:10:12.639 to back out. Paul's saying, look at what's happened 00:10:12.639 --> 00:10:14.740 because you've committed to this. You've coordinated 00:10:14.740 --> 00:10:18.500 this follow through with this coordination, follow 00:10:18.500 --> 00:10:21.440 through with this commitment. But there's something 00:10:21.440 --> 00:10:23.840 more in this passage and it's actually more serious. 00:10:24.620 --> 00:10:26.419 He said that the boasting about them, I don't 00:10:26.419 --> 00:10:28.940 know if you got this, the boasting about them 00:10:28.940 --> 00:10:32.039 would prove empty is what our translation says. 00:10:33.430 --> 00:10:35.450 Some translations, maybe you have a different 00:10:35.450 --> 00:10:40.470 one in front of you, it says vain. That word 00:10:40.470 --> 00:10:42.289 is the same word that you can find in chapter 00:10:42.289 --> 00:10:45.470 six, verse one, where this translation uses vain. 00:10:45.970 --> 00:10:47.990 And there, maybe you'll remember what it says, 00:10:48.230 --> 00:10:51.149 but Paul appeals to them to not receive the grace 00:10:51.149 --> 00:10:55.529 of God in vain. That's the two uses of this word 00:10:55.529 --> 00:10:59.710 in 2 Corinthians. But there's a connection with 00:10:59.710 --> 00:11:02.889 being ready to give and following through with 00:11:02.889 --> 00:11:06.799 it. and planning for it and receiving God's grace. 00:11:07.879 --> 00:11:10.399 You could receive God's grace in vain and you 00:11:10.399 --> 00:11:12.960 cannot follow through with the grace of giving 00:11:12.960 --> 00:11:17.759 and it will be in vain. Anyway, Paul does not 00:11:17.759 --> 00:11:20.279 mind pressing them in their coordinated giving 00:11:20.279 --> 00:11:25.879 because he wants to ensure their readiness. He 00:11:25.879 --> 00:11:29.580 also doesn't mind because he desires, he wants 00:11:29.580 --> 00:11:32.600 to ensure their willing blessing, okay? So look 00:11:32.600 --> 00:11:39.919 at verse five now. Verse five, so I thought it 00:11:39.919 --> 00:11:41.960 necessary to urge the brothers to go on ahead 00:11:41.960 --> 00:11:45.480 of you and arrange an advance for the gift you 00:11:45.480 --> 00:11:49.320 have promised. By the way, think of the coordination 00:11:49.320 --> 00:11:51.139 there. He's going to send some folk ahead of 00:11:51.139 --> 00:11:52.909 him and then he's going to come. so that they 00:11:52.909 --> 00:11:55.149 can make sure this is happening. So that it may 00:11:55.149 --> 00:11:59.870 be ready as a willing gift, not as an extraction. 00:12:02.230 --> 00:12:04.110 So there's a word there that's mentioned a couple 00:12:04.110 --> 00:12:07.769 times. It's twice translated as the word gift. 00:12:08.549 --> 00:12:12.289 That word is the same word, and it's the word 00:12:12.289 --> 00:12:15.809 eulageo. It's the word that we get the word eulogy 00:12:15.809 --> 00:12:23.019 from, which means good, ou. Logos word, good 00:12:23.019 --> 00:12:26.139 word, means a good word. Gift is a good word. 00:12:26.960 --> 00:12:28.740 It's actually, it's basically the same word as 00:12:28.740 --> 00:12:30.539 what we say, benediction, but that comes from 00:12:30.539 --> 00:12:35.519 Latin, bene, good, diction, benediction and elegeo, 00:12:35.580 --> 00:12:40.519 eulogy. But so what he's saying is that he wants 00:12:40.519 --> 00:12:45.309 them to be ready to bless. We're blessing. That's 00:12:45.309 --> 00:12:47.649 actually what it means. It's a blessing. And 00:12:47.649 --> 00:12:50.870 this blessing, he says, it's not a blessing if 00:12:50.870 --> 00:12:54.450 it has to be extracted. It has to be pulled out 00:12:54.450 --> 00:12:58.090 of you. There's no grace. There's no goodness. 00:12:58.789 --> 00:13:02.669 There's no blessing in that. He doesn't want 00:13:02.669 --> 00:13:07.149 giving to be begrudgingly done by stingy hearts. 00:13:09.649 --> 00:13:14.000 Won't be a blessing that way. And I want to just 00:13:14.000 --> 00:13:15.820 suggest there's actually a lot that we can learn 00:13:15.820 --> 00:13:20.700 about in our giving from this. One thing that 00:13:20.700 --> 00:13:24.740 we can learn about this is that giving is always 00:13:24.740 --> 00:13:29.320 a reflection of your heart. I actually want you 00:13:29.320 --> 00:13:31.320 to sit for a second and think about your giving. 00:13:33.940 --> 00:13:36.220 Just think about your giving and think about 00:13:36.220 --> 00:13:38.879 how that is always a reflection of your heart. 00:13:43.259 --> 00:13:45.220 Ready, willing, generous giving, which is what 00:13:45.220 --> 00:13:50.580 he's commending here, is a confirmation of the 00:13:50.580 --> 00:13:54.019 salvation of souls, of the blessing of God to 00:13:54.019 --> 00:13:56.980 us, the grace of God to us. Giving doesn't save, 00:13:57.019 --> 00:14:01.179 but it's always a reflection of our salvation. 00:14:02.080 --> 00:14:04.100 A practical thing that we can learn from this 00:14:04.100 --> 00:14:08.080 is that we should be planning. to give. We should 00:14:08.080 --> 00:14:09.639 think of it as a coordinated thing. Something 00:14:09.639 --> 00:14:12.700 that takes actually coordination, working together, 00:14:13.139 --> 00:14:15.639 maybe spouses, working together, planning, kind 00:14:15.639 --> 00:14:18.519 of looking ahead. I've said this to a number 00:14:18.519 --> 00:14:21.960 of you, but I think tithing, which is the practice 00:14:21.960 --> 00:14:25.899 of giving a tenth of your income, is a really 00:14:25.899 --> 00:14:28.740 wise practice. Though most Christians throughout 00:14:28.740 --> 00:14:31.519 history have said that should be a base. We should 00:14:31.519 --> 00:14:35.620 think how generous can we be? That should be 00:14:35.620 --> 00:14:38.460 something we should build off of. But tithing, 00:14:38.460 --> 00:14:41.340 I think, is a good number because it forces you 00:14:41.340 --> 00:14:46.320 to budget and to plan. And that will always be 00:14:46.320 --> 00:14:50.820 for your good. Your finances will be better if 00:14:50.820 --> 00:14:53.980 you budget. Tithing will in some ways force you 00:14:53.980 --> 00:14:57.779 to do so. But anyway, your coordinated planning 00:14:57.779 --> 00:15:01.340 and your readiness will also influence your heart. 00:15:02.840 --> 00:15:05.480 You have those conversations as you reflect on 00:15:05.480 --> 00:15:08.960 your money. You cannot serve God money. It will 00:15:08.960 --> 00:15:12.919 invite you into a heart conversation and that 00:15:12.919 --> 00:15:16.899 will always be also for your good. These things 00:15:16.899 --> 00:15:19.820 reflect and they influence where your heart is 00:15:19.820 --> 00:15:22.580 at. So the first thing is coordinated giving. 00:15:22.980 --> 00:15:24.679 The second thing I want to talk about that I 00:15:24.679 --> 00:15:26.700 think this passage then kind of invites us into 00:15:26.700 --> 00:15:28.679 is the character of giving. And when I say the 00:15:28.679 --> 00:15:30.960 character of giving, I am not meaning generally 00:15:30.960 --> 00:15:34.019 character. I mean, the character of Christian 00:15:34.019 --> 00:15:37.500 giving? What's sort of in its nature? What can 00:15:37.500 --> 00:15:40.639 we say about it? Giving that reflects Christ. 00:15:41.879 --> 00:15:44.960 And the first thing is that it's bountiful, okay? 00:15:45.220 --> 00:15:48.559 So verse six, let's keep going through the passage. 00:15:51.320 --> 00:15:54.659 I thought when I was preparing this, I'm kind 00:15:54.659 --> 00:15:56.159 of nervous enough to talk about giving because 00:15:56.159 --> 00:15:58.889 we don't do that much, though we should. And 00:15:58.889 --> 00:16:00.889 the easiest way maybe is just to keep going to 00:16:00.889 --> 00:16:02.529 the passage. So we're just literally going to 00:16:02.529 --> 00:16:06.090 walk through it. Verse six. The point is this. 00:16:07.090 --> 00:16:11.549 Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly. 00:16:12.690 --> 00:16:16.529 Whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 00:16:20.909 --> 00:16:23.669 You can sow, which is say you can give in a way 00:16:23.669 --> 00:16:29.539 even that is sparingly. Think of the sower who 00:16:29.539 --> 00:16:32.519 takes the seed very carefully one and goes well 00:16:32.519 --> 00:16:34.779 I just want to put this one right here and I 00:16:34.779 --> 00:16:36.519 want to use too much of my seeds I want to put 00:16:36.519 --> 00:16:39.299 that one right there and then when the seed when 00:16:39.299 --> 00:16:41.860 spring comes harvest time comes you go Oh, there's 00:16:41.860 --> 00:16:44.059 only some of those came up and you think of the 00:16:44.059 --> 00:16:48.919 sower who goes I want to throw it all out He 00:16:48.919 --> 00:16:52.330 receives a great harvest You can sow in a way 00:16:52.330 --> 00:16:54.389 that's stingy sowing. You can sow in a way that's 00:16:54.389 --> 00:16:57.070 bountiful sowing. And the Bible tells us actually 00:16:57.070 --> 00:16:59.549 really clearly that one will reap a harvest and 00:16:59.549 --> 00:17:04.410 the other will not. That's what it says. Okay, 00:17:04.410 --> 00:17:07.970 now here's an interesting thing. That word translated 00:17:07.970 --> 00:17:13.829 bountiful is once again the word eulogia. Different 00:17:13.829 --> 00:17:20.990 form of eulogy. Blessing. Good word. So whoever 00:17:20.990 --> 00:17:25.230 sows blessing which means it cannot be extracted 00:17:25.230 --> 00:17:30.349 right can't be pulled out of you Will reap blessing 00:17:30.349 --> 00:17:33.470 and some of you may be familiar with Adam Grant, 00:17:33.470 --> 00:17:36.299 I hope quite a few of you are. I remember having 00:17:36.299 --> 00:17:38.960 a conversation with Dave Riley, who used to attend 00:17:38.960 --> 00:17:40.880 here years ago. He was reading a bunch of Adam 00:17:40.880 --> 00:17:43.480 Grant books and he said, it's just Christianity 00:17:43.480 --> 00:17:46.839 applied. But Adam Grant was actually the youngest 00:17:46.839 --> 00:17:48.839 tenured professor at the Wharton School, the 00:17:48.839 --> 00:17:51.519 business school over at UPenn. And he's written 00:17:51.519 --> 00:17:53.700 a lot of great books on leadership and business. 00:17:53.880 --> 00:17:56.380 And I'd commend some of those to you. He's a 00:17:56.380 --> 00:17:59.440 very easy read, but he wrote a book called Give 00:17:59.440 --> 00:18:03.420 and Take. And he breaks people down into three 00:18:03.420 --> 00:18:05.799 categories in this book, give and take. He says 00:18:05.799 --> 00:18:08.619 there are the givers, people that are free with 00:18:08.619 --> 00:18:11.619 their energy, with their time, with their resources, 00:18:11.680 --> 00:18:14.500 with their money. There are the takers, people 00:18:14.500 --> 00:18:16.440 that mostly want to take from others. And then 00:18:16.440 --> 00:18:19.740 there are the matchers. So it has to be a tit 00:18:19.740 --> 00:18:22.180 for tat. If you give this, then I'll give you 00:18:22.180 --> 00:18:25.539 that. Think of the marriage. If you give me your 00:18:25.539 --> 00:18:27.099 time, maybe I'll give you. If you give me your 00:18:27.099 --> 00:18:30.140 heart, then I'll give you my heart. And he says, 00:18:30.140 --> 00:18:33.519 across the board, every discipline of life, the 00:18:33.519 --> 00:18:37.279 people that succeed are the givers. It's just 00:18:37.279 --> 00:18:39.859 exactly what Paul's saying. You sow sparingly, 00:18:39.880 --> 00:18:43.319 you will reap sparingly. You sow bountifully. 00:18:43.839 --> 00:18:50.000 Be free, open, generous. He says the same thing 00:18:50.000 --> 00:18:53.599 that Paul says and he's not a Christian. The 00:18:53.599 --> 00:18:56.240 first character of giving is it is bountiful. 00:18:57.460 --> 00:18:59.960 Reaps blessing. The second character of Christian 00:18:59.960 --> 00:19:02.900 giving is that it's marked by a cheerful willingness. 00:19:03.799 --> 00:19:08.119 So verse seven, each one must give as he has 00:19:08.119 --> 00:19:11.980 decided in his heart, not reluctantly, which 00:19:11.980 --> 00:19:14.819 is almost as to say to say if you give reluctantly, 00:19:15.140 --> 00:19:25.700 don't give or under compulsion for God loves 00:19:25.880 --> 00:19:30.960 A cheerful giver. Cheerful giver. Some commentators 00:19:30.960 --> 00:19:34.339 in this passage right here, they point back to 00:19:34.339 --> 00:19:37.400 a passage in Deuteronomy chapter 15. Deuteronomy 00:19:37.400 --> 00:19:40.759 15, 10. It says this, you shall give to him freely 00:19:40.759 --> 00:19:44.220 and your heart shall not be grudging when you 00:19:44.220 --> 00:19:47.980 give to him because for this the Lord your God 00:19:47.980 --> 00:19:50.299 will bless you in all your work and in all that 00:19:50.299 --> 00:19:54.089 you undertake. But I think maybe a better passage 00:19:54.089 --> 00:19:56.450 that we should point to in the scriptures is 00:19:56.450 --> 00:19:58.769 actually not from Deuteronomy, but from Paul's 00:19:58.769 --> 00:20:01.410 book to the Philippians, where he says, for the 00:20:01.410 --> 00:20:04.690 joy that was set before you, Christ endured the 00:20:04.690 --> 00:20:08.170 cross. But it's a great gift of God to us, but 00:20:08.170 --> 00:20:11.210 his very self and his life. And the Lord does 00:20:11.210 --> 00:20:16.650 that with joy. But both verses have to do with 00:20:16.650 --> 00:20:19.490 what God has done for us. Deuteronomy 15 is all 00:20:19.490 --> 00:20:22.609 about the sabbatical year and how we live with 00:20:22.609 --> 00:20:25.470 others. Part of the whole point of that chapter 00:20:25.470 --> 00:20:29.990 is that you forgive others' debts. It's a financial 00:20:29.990 --> 00:20:37.450 dynamic and you give freely to others. How easy 00:20:37.450 --> 00:20:43.660 would it be to begrudgingly forgive the debt 00:20:43.660 --> 00:20:46.660 that somebody else owes you. I think it would 00:20:46.660 --> 00:20:49.740 be pretty easy to begrudgingly do that. The seventh 00:20:49.740 --> 00:20:52.599 year is coming up. I was banking on that money 00:20:52.599 --> 00:20:55.759 to pay for blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Right? 00:20:56.259 --> 00:20:58.700 And the foundation for that seventh year is that 00:20:58.700 --> 00:21:02.440 God rests on it, on the seventh. There's a celebration 00:21:02.440 --> 00:21:06.039 of what God has done. Cheerful giving is a reflection 00:21:06.039 --> 00:21:09.039 of the joy that was set before Jesus and giving 00:21:09.039 --> 00:21:13.950 Himself. He forgives willingly and he gives himself 00:21:13.950 --> 00:21:18.509 joyfully. I read in this commentary by Kent Hughes, 00:21:18.589 --> 00:21:20.730 maybe some of you knew that name. He was a great 00:21:20.730 --> 00:21:22.650 preacher in Chicago for a good long while at 00:21:22.650 --> 00:21:27.509 the college church in Wheaton. He gives an illustration 00:21:27.509 --> 00:21:31.410 saying that this kind of fits with today's culture. 00:21:31.470 --> 00:21:34.210 He says, there's a picture in a Victorian cartoon, 00:21:34.589 --> 00:21:37.509 two men sitting in a London club. One is holding 00:21:37.509 --> 00:21:41.400 a book in his hand and explains, It's a new story 00:21:41.400 --> 00:21:45.599 by that Dickens fellow about a wealthy banker 00:21:45.599 --> 00:21:49.960 named Scrooge who finally degenerates into sentimental 00:21:49.960 --> 00:21:55.920 weakling. We're like, we look down on somebody 00:21:55.920 --> 00:22:01.339 who's so free. But that freedom is a reflection 00:22:01.339 --> 00:22:05.019 of our Lord. Pure forgiving is a reflection of 00:22:05.019 --> 00:22:09.349 Jesus. Paul says in first Corinthians one that 00:22:09.349 --> 00:22:11.630 the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing. 00:22:11.990 --> 00:22:14.130 And we look at it often as foolishness. We look 00:22:14.130 --> 00:22:16.490 at it as foolishness, right? Because we don't 00:22:16.490 --> 00:22:20.009 follow it in its footsteps. We go, that's a foolish 00:22:20.009 --> 00:22:23.730 way to live. But God says it's the power of God 00:22:23.730 --> 00:22:28.890 for salvation. Pureful willingness in our giving 00:22:28.890 --> 00:22:32.210 is a reflection of the cross. So the character 00:22:32.210 --> 00:22:35.920 of Christian giving is belief. that God brings 00:22:35.920 --> 00:22:38.119 about a bountiful harvest beyond what we imagine, 00:22:38.500 --> 00:22:41.240 beyond even what we sow, but it also demands 00:22:41.240 --> 00:22:46.359 our generous sowing. And then we also see that 00:22:46.359 --> 00:22:51.319 a cheerful willingness to give is also a reflection 00:22:51.319 --> 00:22:53.400 of God's own giving of himself on the cross. 00:22:53.619 --> 00:22:55.859 So coordinated giving, character of giving. Finally, 00:22:55.920 --> 00:23:00.160 my third point, comforts in giving. Okay, I think 00:23:00.160 --> 00:23:01.599 that sounds like a little bit of an odd word 00:23:01.599 --> 00:23:03.859 that there's a comfort in giving. and I'm going 00:23:03.859 --> 00:23:08.559 to try to explain it so it makes sense. First, 00:23:08.980 --> 00:23:13.619 I think there's a comfort in giving because it 00:23:13.619 --> 00:23:17.660 reinforces for us that we and what we have is 00:23:17.660 --> 00:23:21.980 not sufficient. And as much as we want to be 00:23:21.980 --> 00:23:26.380 sufficient, as much as what we want to have, 00:23:26.440 --> 00:23:28.920 we think is sufficient for us, I have that temptation, 00:23:29.640 --> 00:23:33.289 there's a great gift in saying we don't have 00:23:33.289 --> 00:23:37.150 it. We have to rely on that which is outside 00:23:37.150 --> 00:23:41.049 of us. There's a comfort in that. So verse eight, 00:23:41.230 --> 00:23:47.809 okay? And God is able to make all grace abound 00:23:47.809 --> 00:23:52.950 to you, so that having all sufficiency in all 00:23:52.950 --> 00:23:58.690 things and at all times, did you catch all those 00:23:58.690 --> 00:24:02.819 alls? all related to God's being sufficient. 00:24:03.980 --> 00:24:07.720 You may abound in every good work. Now the good 00:24:07.720 --> 00:24:09.559 work he's mentioning here most immediately is 00:24:09.559 --> 00:24:12.160 this good work of giving, but he's saying that 00:24:12.160 --> 00:24:15.180 in all times, in all places, God is sufficient 00:24:15.180 --> 00:24:21.660 for you. I mean, we say the Lord owns the cattle 00:24:21.660 --> 00:24:25.240 on a thousand hills. He just speaks and things 00:24:25.240 --> 00:24:28.740 come into being. He's fully sufficient for you. 00:24:30.120 --> 00:24:33.339 God will always give you what you need to follow 00:24:33.339 --> 00:24:38.640 him faithfully. You will always be rich enough 00:24:38.640 --> 00:24:41.960 to give. Think of the Macedonians. They believe 00:24:41.960 --> 00:24:44.440 that deep down because they gave in their poverty 00:24:44.440 --> 00:24:47.559 and in their affliction. They knew they were 00:24:47.559 --> 00:24:52.039 sufficient in God. But I do think there's a real 00:24:52.039 --> 00:24:57.440 comfort in this because we are told that it is 00:24:57.440 --> 00:25:04.779 this grace from God that allows us to give abundantly. 00:25:05.000 --> 00:25:08.940 And it's because God is, God Himself is sufficient 00:25:08.940 --> 00:25:11.960 for all the good work that He calls us to do. 00:25:13.079 --> 00:25:15.740 So the challenge for us is not to say, oh, I 00:25:15.740 --> 00:25:17.660 got to figure it all out. The challenge for us 00:25:17.660 --> 00:25:22.220 is obedience. The sufficiency is God's, the obedience 00:25:22.220 --> 00:25:26.079 is ours. Everything comes from our Father above. 00:25:28.650 --> 00:25:31.089 I think it's important to say that this comfort 00:25:31.089 --> 00:25:35.630 is tied to sufficiency also because we do have 00:25:35.630 --> 00:25:38.349 this temptation to find our sufficiency in ourselves 00:25:38.349 --> 00:25:40.609 and these things that we have. And I think this 00:25:40.609 --> 00:25:44.769 is exactly why Jesus very explicitly says, those 00:25:44.769 --> 00:25:47.089 things, the things of this world is the place 00:25:47.089 --> 00:25:49.970 where moth and rust are going to destroy, where 00:25:49.970 --> 00:25:52.430 thieves are going to break in and steal. And 00:25:52.430 --> 00:25:55.849 he says, for where your treasure is, He's calling 00:25:55.849 --> 00:25:58.910 out specifically like our material stuff and 00:25:58.910 --> 00:26:01.589 our pocketbooks, our money, where your treasure 00:26:01.589 --> 00:26:04.509 is, there your heart will be also. He's calling 00:26:04.509 --> 00:26:06.430 this out. And I think there's a real like sort 00:26:06.430 --> 00:26:09.089 of a practical comfort in this idea that sufficiency 00:26:09.089 --> 00:26:13.089 comes from God because he knows that the temptations 00:26:13.089 --> 00:26:16.789 of our heart are to put our protection in these 00:26:16.789 --> 00:26:18.470 things, right? Our protection for our future. 00:26:18.529 --> 00:26:21.109 Our future is going to be okay if our 401k balances 00:26:21.109 --> 00:26:22.730 blah, blah, blah by this age, blah, blah, blah, 00:26:22.730 --> 00:26:26.670 blah, right? My future is protected if I got 00:26:26.670 --> 00:26:30.009 this job that will allow for this kind of pension. 00:26:31.730 --> 00:26:34.650 You don't know the time of the day when you will 00:26:34.650 --> 00:26:37.529 be called home. No, it's not that we shouldn't 00:26:37.529 --> 00:26:40.210 plan for those things, but our temptation is 00:26:40.210 --> 00:26:43.470 to put our trust for our future in them. And 00:26:43.470 --> 00:26:47.470 that's not where we should be putting it. The 00:26:47.470 --> 00:26:49.109 temptation of our hearts is to put our peace 00:26:49.109 --> 00:26:53.589 in those things, right? Our provision. in the 00:26:53.589 --> 00:26:56.789 presence of those accounts or whatever have you, 00:26:56.910 --> 00:27:01.069 the stuff that we hoard and take. And the Bible 00:27:01.069 --> 00:27:02.970 always tells us the only place you're going to 00:27:02.970 --> 00:27:06.549 find that protection and that peace is in the 00:27:06.549 --> 00:27:08.730 presence of God. That is it. That's the only 00:27:08.730 --> 00:27:12.390 place. So if you want to free yourself from the 00:27:12.390 --> 00:27:14.650 great temptation of your hearts, our hearts, 00:27:15.309 --> 00:27:21.059 let me tell you this. Give your money away. Okay, 00:27:21.140 --> 00:27:22.799 turn with me in your bulletin. Let's look at 00:27:22.799 --> 00:27:24.579 the first quote. Okay on our meditation quote. 00:27:24.980 --> 00:27:28.359 I think Jacques a little Has a really good word 00:27:28.359 --> 00:27:32.059 for us here Okay, let me read this for you How 00:27:32.059 --> 00:27:35.480 do we overcome the spiritual power of money? 00:27:38.380 --> 00:27:41.220 Get more of it. No, he says not by accumulating 00:27:41.220 --> 00:27:44.109 more money not by using money for good purposes 00:27:44.109 --> 00:27:47.170 even, not by being just and fair in our dealings. 00:27:47.210 --> 00:27:49.869 The law of money is the law of accumulation of 00:27:49.869 --> 00:27:52.250 buying and selling. That's why the only way to 00:27:52.250 --> 00:27:54.150 overcome the spiritual power of money is to give 00:27:54.150 --> 00:27:59.410 our money away, thus desacralizing it and freeing 00:27:59.410 --> 00:28:01.190 ourselves from its control. To give away money 00:28:01.190 --> 00:28:03.950 is to win a victory over the spiritual power 00:28:03.950 --> 00:28:08.769 that oppresses us. I'm telling you, it is a comfort 00:28:10.160 --> 00:28:12.500 is the comfort to give your money away because 00:28:12.500 --> 00:28:15.259 it actually takes away its power and it says 00:28:15.259 --> 00:28:20.559 your sufficiency is in God alone. Okay, another 00:28:20.559 --> 00:28:24.059 comfort we have in giving is actually righteousness. 00:28:24.460 --> 00:28:25.680 Okay, so I'm going to read verses nine through 00:28:25.680 --> 00:28:29.240 10. As it's written, He has distributed freely. 00:28:29.460 --> 00:28:32.920 You heard this earlier. This is Psalm 112. He's 00:28:32.920 --> 00:28:36.240 given to the poor. His righteousness endures 00:28:36.240 --> 00:28:41.650 forever. By the way, if you follow along in that 00:28:41.650 --> 00:28:45.710 Psalm, at the end it mentions the wicked briefly. 00:28:46.269 --> 00:28:48.509 The wicked one is the stingy one in that Psalm. 00:28:50.609 --> 00:28:53.789 He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for 00:28:53.789 --> 00:28:57.529 food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing 00:28:57.529 --> 00:29:00.390 and increase the harvest of your righteousness. 00:29:01.670 --> 00:29:04.170 So like I said, this is a quote from Psalm 112, 00:29:04.609 --> 00:29:06.650 but then interestingly, Paul also kind of sort 00:29:06.650 --> 00:29:09.769 of quotes from Isaiah 55 and then alludes to 00:29:09.769 --> 00:29:12.450 at least Hosea chapter 10, but the point of it 00:29:12.450 --> 00:29:19.250 all is that God supplies the seed that we sow, 00:29:19.869 --> 00:29:23.430 but as we sow, it's a reflection of His righteousness. 00:29:24.750 --> 00:29:27.569 As we mirror Him in our sowing, we're actually 00:29:27.569 --> 00:29:32.339 reflecting the righteous one and we are actually 00:29:32.339 --> 00:29:34.940 called the righteous. Okay, so there's a comfort 00:29:34.940 --> 00:29:37.759 given here with the idea of righteousness, which 00:29:37.759 --> 00:29:44.240 is to say there is a degree in which you can 00:29:44.240 --> 00:29:46.859 have an assurance of your salvation, which is 00:29:46.859 --> 00:29:48.980 a tricky thing, right? That's the Holy Spirit's 00:29:48.980 --> 00:29:50.799 work, but there's a degree in which you can see 00:29:50.799 --> 00:29:54.900 the fruit of your salvation through how you interact 00:29:54.900 --> 00:30:01.910 with giving. So again, an assessment is Where 00:30:01.910 --> 00:30:04.369 am I at with God? Well, where am I at with my 00:30:04.369 --> 00:30:10.650 money and God? Giving doesn't earn salvation, 00:30:10.650 --> 00:30:15.430 but it shows it. Let me put it this way, there 00:30:15.430 --> 00:30:18.630 are no scrooges in the kingdom of God, none. 00:30:21.990 --> 00:30:24.960 Okay, finally, the third comfort we get. in giving 00:30:24.960 --> 00:30:26.900 is communal thanksgiving. So I'm gonna read just 00:30:26.900 --> 00:30:29.099 the rest of it for us, okay? But I want you to 00:30:29.099 --> 00:30:33.039 listen for how communal this is here. You will 00:30:33.039 --> 00:30:36.740 be enriched in every way to be generous in every 00:30:36.740 --> 00:30:40.440 way, which through us will produce thanksgiving 00:30:40.440 --> 00:30:42.799 to God. Through us will produce thanksgiving 00:30:42.799 --> 00:30:45.900 to God. For the ministry of this service is not 00:30:45.900 --> 00:30:49.220 only supplying the needs of the saints, but is 00:30:49.220 --> 00:30:52.240 also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God. 00:30:52.750 --> 00:30:55.930 By their approval of this sacrifice, they will 00:30:55.930 --> 00:30:59.630 glorify God because of your submission that comes 00:30:59.630 --> 00:31:02.529 from your confession of the gospel of Christ. 00:31:04.309 --> 00:31:06.390 Isn't that interesting that he connects giving 00:31:06.390 --> 00:31:09.730 with confession of the gospel? And the generosity 00:31:09.730 --> 00:31:13.109 of your contribution for them and for all others 00:31:13.109 --> 00:31:16.470 while they long for you and pray for you because 00:31:16.470 --> 00:31:19.990 of the surpassing grace of God upon you. Thanks 00:31:19.990 --> 00:31:25.990 be to God for His inexpressible gift. You see 00:31:25.990 --> 00:31:28.829 how it's mentioning so many different people, 00:31:29.309 --> 00:31:36.210 you and us and they over there. Our hearts are 00:31:36.210 --> 00:31:42.130 connected in our giving. You are brought closer 00:31:42.130 --> 00:31:50.029 to one another in your giving. Let me turn your 00:31:50.029 --> 00:31:52.809 attention again to the quote in the bulletin. 00:31:52.930 --> 00:31:56.509 This second one is from NT Wright. When human 00:31:56.509 --> 00:31:59.069 beings give their heartfelt allegiance to and 00:31:59.069 --> 00:32:01.569 worship that which is not God, they progressively 00:32:01.569 --> 00:32:05.369 seek to reflect the image of God. One of the 00:32:05.369 --> 00:32:07.410 primary laws of human life is that you become 00:32:07.410 --> 00:32:10.819 like what you worship. What's more, you reflect 00:32:10.819 --> 00:32:13.240 what you worship not only in the object itself, 00:32:13.380 --> 00:32:16.720 but also outwardly to the world around. Those 00:32:16.720 --> 00:32:19.039 who worship money increasingly define themselves 00:32:19.039 --> 00:32:21.099 in terms of it and increasingly treat other people 00:32:21.099 --> 00:32:24.119 as creditors, debtors, partners, customers, rather 00:32:24.119 --> 00:32:26.460 than human beings. One of the ways, brothers 00:32:26.460 --> 00:32:28.680 and sisters, that we will knit our hearts together, 00:32:28.779 --> 00:32:31.160 that we will be one body, instead of looking 00:32:31.160 --> 00:32:33.400 at each other as separate units, is actually 00:32:33.400 --> 00:32:38.200 giving collectively. Your heart will be changed 00:32:38.200 --> 00:32:40.660 as you give and it will be changed towards one 00:32:40.660 --> 00:32:42.900 another. That's what this passage is saying at 00:32:42.900 --> 00:32:46.160 the end. It's they and us and we're all offering 00:32:46.160 --> 00:32:48.220 it up and thanksgiving, but we're also thanking 00:32:48.220 --> 00:32:50.559 God for one another and how he provides for us 00:32:50.559 --> 00:32:52.799 through one another and all this kind of stuff. 00:32:54.740 --> 00:32:58.079 Churchwide comfort in the communal thanksgiving 00:32:58.079 --> 00:33:02.000 of giving. Now I rather hate that as soon as 00:33:02.000 --> 00:33:04.539 Halloween was done, Christmas ads went crazy. 00:33:04.660 --> 00:33:06.960 Can I get an amen? It really bothered me this 00:33:06.960 --> 00:33:10.480 year for some reason. I was just like, I was 00:33:10.480 --> 00:33:14.259 scroogey about all that. How all of a sudden 00:33:14.259 --> 00:33:15.940 you go to a store, it's like Christmas stuff 00:33:15.940 --> 00:33:18.339 everywhere. I'm like, where's just the Thanksgiving 00:33:18.339 --> 00:33:23.319 decorations? But I also really do love the act 00:33:23.319 --> 00:33:26.059 of giving and receiving that we practice at Christmas. 00:33:27.180 --> 00:33:29.680 We give to those we love and receive from those 00:33:29.680 --> 00:33:32.460 we love. And as we do, so our hearts do come 00:33:32.460 --> 00:33:36.579 a little bit closer together. as we receive something 00:33:36.579 --> 00:33:37.940 from one another. I mean, we're going to do that 00:33:37.940 --> 00:33:41.240 tonight. You know, as you bring something or 00:33:41.240 --> 00:33:43.980 as you just receive what somebody else made, 00:33:44.779 --> 00:33:46.740 our hearts will come closer together. It just 00:33:46.740 --> 00:33:50.000 naturally happens. There's an affection that 00:33:50.000 --> 00:33:53.240 grows as we release what is ours and we give 00:33:53.240 --> 00:33:56.500 it away. It's an affection for God that grows 00:33:56.500 --> 00:34:00.000 and it is an affection for one another. So we 00:34:00.000 --> 00:34:02.519 have a comfort because we have a communal Thanksgiving. 00:34:03.140 --> 00:34:04.619 All right, let me end by telling you a story. 00:34:04.829 --> 00:34:09.250 It's a short one again. Two men were marooned 00:34:09.250 --> 00:34:12.929 on an island. One man paced back and forth, worried 00:34:12.929 --> 00:34:15.510 and scared, while the other man sat back and 00:34:15.510 --> 00:34:20.429 enjoyed the sun. First man asked the second man, 00:34:21.630 --> 00:34:27.710 aren't you afraid we're about to die? No, said 00:34:27.710 --> 00:34:32.090 the second man. I make $100 ,000 a week and tithe 00:34:32.090 --> 00:34:35.579 faithfully to my church every week. My pastor 00:34:35.579 --> 00:34:51.360 will find me. Okay. I only have like three more 00:34:51.360 --> 00:34:54.980 sentences. I got to get to it. That's a funny 00:34:54.980 --> 00:35:01.019 one. Brothers and sisters in Christ, I am not 00:35:01.019 --> 00:35:04.449 out to find you. I actually don't know what any 00:35:04.449 --> 00:35:06.929 of you give, but I hope that you can say from 00:35:06.929 --> 00:35:11.230 your heart that you cheerfully give generously 00:35:11.230 --> 00:35:16.530 and, and more, maybe, maybe more next year or 00:35:16.530 --> 00:35:18.510 maybe more even this week than you gave last 00:35:18.510 --> 00:35:22.949 week because it is for your good. I promise you 00:35:22.949 --> 00:35:28.849 it's for your good. Like open, open it up, give 00:35:28.849 --> 00:35:31.670 away more than you think you should. It will 00:35:31.670 --> 00:35:36.630 be for your good. And if this is true, then you 00:35:36.630 --> 00:35:39.210 will be blessed through it. The one who sows 00:35:39.210 --> 00:35:43.269 sparingly will reap sparingly. The one who sows 00:35:43.269 --> 00:35:50.989 generously will reap generously. Coordinated 00:35:50.989 --> 00:35:56.889 giving, reflecting the character of Christ is 00:35:56.889 --> 00:36:00.429 for our individual and for our communal joy. 00:36:01.070 --> 00:36:05.630 which is exactly why Jesus came. Let me pray 00:36:05.630 --> 00:36:12.250 for us. Lord, I pray that today we as couples 00:36:12.250 --> 00:36:15.670 and individuals and as families will think long 00:36:15.670 --> 00:36:19.349 and hard of your words that we cannot serve two 00:36:19.349 --> 00:36:23.690 masters and ask ourselves, how can we more faithfully 00:36:23.690 --> 00:36:28.940 and joyfully and cheerfully serve you? And maybe 00:36:28.940 --> 00:36:32.559 today hear that the best way to do that is to 00:36:32.559 --> 00:36:39.079 give cheerfully and generously. God, please, 00:36:40.380 --> 00:36:45.159 would you do that in each one of us? We all know 00:36:45.159 --> 00:36:48.000 the collective things that we hear. And it's 00:36:48.000 --> 00:36:49.760 not even unique to our culture because Jesus, 00:36:49.760 --> 00:36:53.400 you spoke about it so much that we're so tempted 00:36:53.400 --> 00:36:57.099 to grab onto our pocketbooks and keep it in our 00:36:57.119 --> 00:37:02.980 pockets. And I pray that we'd fight that temptation 00:37:02.980 --> 00:37:09.099 by being wildly generous and giving eagerly. 00:37:09.719 --> 00:37:12.179 And that we would also expect that your word 00:37:12.179 --> 00:37:16.980 is true, that your grace is sufficient for us, 00:37:17.420 --> 00:37:20.340 that your power is actually made perfect in our 00:37:20.340 --> 00:37:23.539 weakness, that feeling a little uncertain may 00:37:23.539 --> 00:37:29.119 be actually for our best. God, please do this 00:37:29.119 --> 00:37:34.519 in us. And in so doing, God, conform us to the 00:37:34.519 --> 00:37:38.860 image of our Lord before the joy who is set before 00:37:38.860 --> 00:37:43.619 him endured the cross, despising its shame and 00:37:43.619 --> 00:37:47.659 bringing us to salvation. Amen. Thank you for 00:37:47.659 --> 00:37:50.400 listening to Second City Sermons podcast. We 00:37:50.400 --> 00:37:52.280 hope this sermon has encouraged you to worship 00:37:52.280 --> 00:37:55.210 God and to celebrate the gospel of Jesus. Please 00:37:55.210 --> 00:37:57.570 consider subscribing to this podcast and joining 00:37:57.570 --> 00:38:00.750 us in person each Sunday at 10 a .m. You can 00:38:00.750 --> 00:38:04.070 find us online at SecondCityChurch .org and on 00:38:04.070 --> 00:38:06.650 Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Thanks again 00:38:06.650 --> 00:38:08.170 for listening. God bless.