2 Corinthians - Lesson 8G&9A

• Good morning, guys and welcome back to this October 29th fall morning. Turn with me if you will back to the letter or book of 2 Corinthians.

  • Over these past several weeks we have really uncovered some deep spiritual truths of God. Truths that could only be revealed by and through God’s method of rightly dividing His Holy Manuscript.

  • For most of us, including myself some 20 years ago, would have simply read these verses and glossed right over them. And, if we did that, we would have missed the supernatural power that lies inside God’s Word. But we didn’t miss it because we took our time to mine the information, time to pull out and bring to the surface all those ah-ha moments. You know, those moments that cause the light bulbs to kick on.

    • And over these past weeks we’ve had several of those moments, and will receive more, as long as I stay committed. Committed to the way I pray and study. Now I say all that because I want to encourage you, the saint, the believer, the child of God, to do the same.

    • Because it’s not just for the preacher. God has made those moments available to every believer. All we have to do is commit, and you too will receive power, power that will manifest itself in your life through a conduit, which is the Holy Spirit.

  • Last week I left you with some focus verses, verses I wanted you to study or at least read this week on your own. And so, that’s where we are going to pick back up this morning. Here’s what Paul wrote at the end of Chapter 8.

2 Cor. 8:16 But thanks be to God who puts the same earnestness in your behalf in the heart of Titus. 
2 Cor. 8:17 For he not only accepted our appeal, but being himself very earnest, he has gone to you of his own accord. 
2 Cor. 8:18 We have sent along with him the brother whose fame in the things of the gospel has spread through all the churches; 
2 Cor. 8:19 and not only that, but he has also been appointed by the churches to travel with us in this gracious work, which is being administered by us for the glory of the Lord Himself, and to show our readiness, 
2 Cor. 8:20 taking precaution so that no one will discredit us in our administration of this generous gift; 
2 Cor. 8:21 for we have regard for what is honorable, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of other people. 
2 Cor. 8:22 We have sent with them our brother, whom we have often tested and found diligent in many things, but now even more diligent because of his great confidence in you. 
2 Cor. 8:23 As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker among you; as for our brothers, they are messengers of the churches, a glory to Christ. 
2 Cor. 8:24 Therefore, openly before the churches, show them the proof of your love and of our reason for boasting about you.

• If you have been with us at all over the last several weeks, you know Chapter 8 is all about giving. But really, it’s all about sacrifice. As a matter of fact, my NASB (New American Standard Bible) entitled this section ‘Great Generosity’.

  • What we have discovered throughout our teaching of Chapter 8 is that Paul’s message isn’t just about giving in the way we have traditionally been taught about giving. On the contrary, it’s about giving in the way God set up, a supernaturally designed giving. Specifically, how giving is not about the amount, but the sacrifice.

    • And how that, when we sacrifice, the benefits are not just for the one receiving but also for the one who gives. As a matter of fact, Paul spoke in terms of how, when we give it creates equality, but not equality in terms of wealth redistribution/socialism or communism, but equality in the sense that the giver needs something that they cannot access without having someone to give to.

    • And the receiver needs something that they cannot receive without the giver giving it to them. In other words, when the two (the giver and the receiver) come together, equality takes place. And what is it the giver receives? According to Paul it was an abundance of joy. And what does the receiver receive? It was the money to help take care of their basic needs.

    • And so, with that thought front and center of our minds, Paul continues this same theme all the way through the end of Chapter 8. Listen to verses 16-17 one more time:

2 Cor. 8:16 But thanks be to God who puts the same earnestness on your behalf in the heart of Titus.
2 Cor. 8:17 For he not only accepted our appeal, but being himself very earnest, he has gone to you of his own accord. 

• Now, I want to point out something before we move forward. Something that might throw you for a loop if you slow down long enough to think about it. Notice what Paul says in verses 16&17. He says,

2 Cor. 8:16 Thanks be to God who puts the same earnestness in your behalf, in the heart of Titus
2 Cor. 8:17 For he not only accepted our appeal, but being himself very earnest, he has gone to you of his own accord. 

• The key statement to pick up on in verse 16 is thanks be to God, who puts. The words, ‘who puts’ tell us something. They tell us that the earnestness that Titus feels for the church at Corinth as it relates to the offering they are taking up for the church in Jerusalem. That earnestness was given to him by none other than God Himself.

  • Which means he didn’t manifest it of his own accord, nor was he compelled by anyone else. God laid it on his heart, and from there he simply followed in obedience. Now, having said that, notice verse 17 does however say that not only did he accept our appeal (meaning Paul and the other disciples), but he also says that Titus himself, being very earnest, has gone to you of his own accord.

  • In other words, Paul is saying we did try to compel him, but God had already done a work in his heart, and he did this long before we even said a word. And for you and me, this is very important because that’s how it works.

    • We don’t have to compel anyone to do or give or sacrifice or anything else for that matter, we simply point out the need and if it’s in line with God’s will, that need will be met by God. This is the consistent testimony of scripture. God is always working preemptively in the heart of the individual believer to meet whatever need must be met.

• This is such an important Biblical Concept for us to understand, because honestly, it takes all the anxiety and stress out of life. Think about it, if you know and understand that God is already at work meeting your needs before you even know you have a need, isn’t that pretty liberating?

  • But how do we know this is the case? I mean, after all, that’s not exactly what verse 16&17 said. Well, for further insight on this, I want you to listen to what Jesus said about this topic in Matthew 6:7-8, when He spoke to the disciples about how it was that they should and should not be praying. Listen to what he said:

Matt. 6:7 “And when you are praying, do not use thoughtless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard because of their many words.
Matt. 6:8 So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

• Matthew quotes Jesus, and says God knows what you need before you need it. Which means if He knows what you need before you need it, then He is already working behind the scenes to meet that need, and He does that by placing earnestness and compulsion in someone’s heart. Earnestness and Compulsion for that individual to step up and meet whatever need must be met.

  • Which means God doesn’t need us playing Holy Spirit in the lives of another believer. Nothing wrong with making the need known, but then we must wait, and we can be sure that God will compel someone to step up. That’s the way it works.

    • And let me say one more thing about Titus as it relates to his earnestness about collecting this offering for the poorer church in Jerusalem. You see, the Corinthians might think that the zeal of Titus as it relates to the relief-fund, that his zeal might simply be a zeal for the benefit of the poorer church in Jerusalem.

    • But in reality, it was a zeal on behalf of the Corinthians. You see, Titus wanted the church in Corinth to get in on the grace that God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia, which showed up when they sacrificed at a certain level. And what level did they sacrifice? They sacrificed what they had (referenced by Paul as their ability), and from what they didn’t have (also referenced by Paul as being beyond their ability).

• It was that type of sacrifice that activated a supernatural move of God in the lives of those people in the churches of Macedonia, and Paul and Titus wanted the church at Corinth to get in on what God was doing. And what was He doing? When they gave sacrificially it activated God’s grace, which yielded an abundance of joy.

  • And so, the message was simple, and that was if the Church of Corinth wanted to experience what the other churches experienced, then all they would have to do was make the same type of sacrifices. But if they didn’t, they themselves would be the chief losers.

  • Now, the interesting thing about all this is God Himself is the one really doing all the work. Look at it. He placed earnestness in Titus’ heart, which means all we have to do is be obedient. It’s the same message over and over again. All God requires is our obedience and willingness to act, and He will do the rest.

    • Next, moving on, Paul kind of shifts gears on us a little bit when he says this in verses 18-24:

2 Cor. 8:18 We have sent along with him the brother whose fame in the things of the gospel has spread through all the churches;
2 Cor. 8:19 and not only that, but he has also been appointed by the churches to travel with us in this gracious work, which is being administered by us for the glory of the Lord Himself, and to show our readiness,
2 Cor. 8:20 taking precaution so that no one will discredit us in our administration of this generous gift;
2 Cor. 8:21 for we have regard for what is honorable, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of other people.
2 Cor. 8:22 We have sent with them our brother, whom we have often tested and found diligent in many things, but now even more diligent because of his great confidence in you.
2 Cor. 8:23 As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker among you; as for our brothers, they are messengers of the churches, a glory to Christ.
2 Cor. 8:24 Therefore, openly before the churches, show them the proof of your love and of our reason for boasting about you.

• Paul says we are sending another person along with Titus, a famous person (at least as it relates to the work he has done pertaining to the Gospel of Jesus Christ). So evidently word of this man’s work has spread throughout the churches.

  • Having said that, we don’t know who this brother is because He didn’t see fit to tell us in His word. But many scholars have speculated on who it might be. Some have said Luke and any number of men who had assisted Paul in work. Whomever it was, the Churches of Macedonia, Asia Minor, and Galatia had chosen this man as a courier, and they all knew him well.

    • And more importantly, he had won their respect, and to be honest with you it really doesn’t matter who it is, because the point Paul is trying to make has nothing to do with the man’s name or his notoriety. And so, what is Paul’s point, because that’s all you and I need to be concerned with.

  • It was that Paul was very conscious of his need to carefully guard this generous gift and to protect the people handling it. Meaning primary concern was that of being above reproach and for him to stay as far away from any charge of financial mismanagement as he could.

    • And why? Well, he tells us why, so that he wouldn’t be discredited. You see, simply doing what was right wasn’t enough for Paul. He wanted to make sure that everyone knew that what he did was above board and honest.

• It’s interesting how Paul had learned to anticipate the suspicions or accusations of those who viewed his ministry critically, and then to take the necessary precautions in dealing with financial matters. Obviously.

  • Cicero, the Roman philosopher, said (De officiis 2.21.75) “but the main thing in all public administration and public service is to avoid even the slightest suspicion of avarice' (ava -res)”, which is extreme greed for wealth or material gain. Obviously, there were some observers of Paul’s ministry who wondered if Paul might be using other people’s money for his own advantage.

    • Which makes sense, right? You could hear them saying things like, he is probably skimming a certain percentage of this large gift off the top as a commission of sort. And so, to guard against any misunderstanding, Paul had originally thought that he would not accompany the delegates, those who carried the money to Jerusalem (1 Cor. 16:3-4; cf. 2 Cor. 1:16; Rom. 15:25).

  • He had also insisted that the churches, rather than he himself, appoint the delegates (1 Cor. 16:3), and that two delegates accompany Titus to Corinth before he arrived (vv. 18-19, 22-23). What he was doing was trying to apply the wisdom of Proverbs 3:3-4, which says:

Proverbs 3:3 Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart.
Proverbs 3:4 So you will find favor and a good reputation in the sight of God and man.

• Then skipping down in Proverbs 3:20-21 it says:

Proverbs 3:20 By His knowledge the ocean depths were burst open, and the clouds drip with dew.
Proverbs 3:21 My son, see that they do not escape from your sight; comply with sound wisdom and discretion.

• You know guys, this is so important for all of us to understand (especially pastors).

  • We must apply Paul's wise caution, especially in a day and age when so many professed servants of the Lord have proved deceitful. We cannot afford to be naive or careless in these matters, but rather do things that are honorable in the sight of all people.

  • I’ve been in and around ministry for over 30 years, and the stories abound about the mishandling of ministry funds everywhere. Now when we hear about a mishandling of funds inside the church, we generally think about the preacher being the one who did it. But the truth is, it’s not always the preacher dipping his hand into the cookie jar.

    • For example, I’ve heard from pastors who told me they would preach at a church and the church would take up an offering for them. And then at the end of the night when they gave it to him, he would be surprised how the amount of the offering would sometimes end up at an even amount, or how some would privately tell him about a specific amount they gave, maybe to be allotted toward a specific initiative the preacher or his ministry were doing.

    • But then, when counted, the entire offering didn’t total that amount. So not only have some preachers been caught in different types of money schemes, so have other church leaders, and Paul wants to stay as far away from that as he can. And of course, so do we. That’s why we have men like Titus and Paul who are appointed to handle the finances for this church.

  • Pressing on, next we move into Chapter 9. I know that’s hard to believe, but it’s true.

• Having said that, even though we are moving forward, the topic of giving still remains. As a matter of fact, my NASB Bible entitles this next section “God Gives the Most”. Yep, just when you thought it was safe to come back to church because the dang giving messages were over, here we are again.

  • Listen to what Paul says in 2 Cor. 9:1-5. And before we read this section, I want to make a bold statement. One that may get me in trouble, and that is, in this section we are going to read Paul’s words and then receive his surface message. But the message behind the surface message may shock you, because we are going to see Paul do something that I don’t think we should do. What?

  • One more time. In this section I believe we are going to read about a deeper spiritual truth, something that I do not think we should do, especially in light of our early teaching, which said God knows what we need before we need it, and therefore He is already working beforehand to meet our needs.

    • So, wonder what it is? Well, let’s read it and find out.

2 Cor. 9:1 For it is superfluous (suh-pur-floo-uhs, which means over and above; more than enough)
For it was superfluous for me to write to you about this ministry to the saints;
2 Cor. 9:2 for I know your willingness, of which I boast about you to the Macedonians, namely, that Achaia has been prepared since last year, and your zeal has stirred up most of them.
2 Cor. 9:3 But I have sent the brothers, in order that our boasting about you may not prove empty in this case, so that, as I was saying, you will be prepared;
2 Cor. 9:4 otherwise, if any Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we—not to mention you—would be put to shame by this confidence.
2 Cor. 9:5 So I considered it necessary to urge the brothers that they go on ahead to you and arrange in advance your previously promised generous gift, that the same would be ready as a generous gift, and not as one grudgingly given due to greediness.

• Before we begin breaking down this section, let me remind you, when the cannon of scripture was originally put together it wasn’t broken into chapters or verses. Chapter breaks weren’t placed in the Bible until roughly about the 12th century, and verses weren’t introduced until the 15th Century.

  • So, when we read the Bible, remember we aren’t reading it in its original formatting, which can sometimes lead to confusion, primarily because when we think of the Bible we tend to think of it like any other book, where a chapter changes the topic. That’s not the case with the Bible. It was written continuously and reads somewhat (but not exactly) like a run-on sentence.

    • The writers wrote continuous with no thought of topic change in mind, which is obvious when we begin reading Chapter 9, because Paul is still writing about the same thing, which was urging the church in Corinth to continue taking up the offering they had promised one year earlier. The one they were gathering for the poorer churches in Jerusalem.   

  • So, as I said, in this section we see Paul once again pressing in on the Corinthian Church for them to remember the promise they made related to the offering they were gathering for the poorer church in Jerusalem.

• Now let me say this, this offering evidently was a very important one, and we know it was because Paul and the other disciples were taking some of it. They weren’t taking any of it, Paul is simply passionate about the wealthier Corinthian Church giving ‘beyond the ability’, because they had it and the poorer Church of Jerusalem really needed it.

  • It doesn’t actually say the Church in Jerusalem really needed it, but we do know this to be the case, because it’s mentioned in other places in scripture (especially as it relates to how poor they were). All you have to do to get the sense of urgency of this offering is read and then re-read this section a few times and you clearly see how Paul really wants the Church at Corinth to give sacrificially, like maybe, they have never given before.

    • That’s why he is writing about it so much. Honestly, he is almost in selling mode. Trying to take control of the situation, which is evident by how hard he is pushing. Now let me break it down for you so I can show you what I mean.

• Number 1: In Chapter 8, Paul really begins emphasizing how the churches of Macedonia were (by and through God’s Grace) blessed because of their sacrificial giving.

  • And then, number 2: He wants to assure them their gift is being handled correctly. As a matter of fact, he is going to great lengths to show them how their gift will be protected by reminding them there will be two men taking the gift.

    • And we also know from other teachings in scripture that when a church gave, many times they would appoint a person from their fellowship to accompany the men, those who were taking the gift to whomever it was going to. To accompany them on the journey of delivering the gift.

  • And then, finally, Number 3: He kind of guilts them a little bit in verses 3-5 when he says to them, “I have been boasting about you”, and then, I’ll paraphrase here for a minute, he says, you know I have been boasting about you so don’t let me down. That’s what he means when he says, in order that our boasting about you may not prove empty in this case, so that, as I was saying, you will be prepared.

    • And then on top of all that, he states, and if any of the Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we, not to mention you, would be put to shame by this confidence.

    • In other words, make sure your gift is a sacrificial gift (beyond your ability), because it sure would be embarrassing for the churches of Macedonia to see you do something less. And then, just in case they don’t get it, he says this in verse 5:

2 Cor. 9:5 So I considered it necessary to urge the brothers that they go on ahead to you and arrange in advance your previously promised generous gift, that the same would be ready as a generous gift, and not as one grudgingly given due to greediness.

• Basically, I am going to send these men on ahead to you. Just make sure you are prepared with the gift you promised.

  • Now I started out this section by saying that I believe Paul is doing something we shouldn’t do. And so, what is it? Well, it pertains to the amount of pressure and guilt he is putting on these people. You see, God knows what we need before we need it and He’s already working to meet that need.

    • Which means, God knows the poorer church in Jerusalem is in desperate need of financial support (it’s His church), and so He has already prepared beforehand the means of their support, which includes where it will come from, which is from the wealthier Church of Corinth.

    • And, because I know from the testimony of scripture that God will take care of the situation. And let me say, Paul also knows this. Because I know God will take care of this situation, I don’t believe we should press in on people. But if that’s the case, then why does Paul continue to drive this point in the ground?

• Meaning, why does he continue to drive his point home from different angles by saying things like, now you know that the churches of Macedonia have been blessed immensely by God’s Grace because of their sacrificial giving and you don’t want to miss out on it. And I have boasted about you to the churches of Macedonia, and I hope you are still preparing your offering.

  • I am sending some men to help you, to make sure you do what you said you are going to do. And oh, by the way, wouldn’t it be embarrassing if someone from the churches of Macedonia showed up and you weren’t prepared after I bragged on you? Why does he do this? Because he is human. Because he is no different than you and me.

  • Think about it. Can’t you hear yourself in Paul’s own words? Especially when you really need something or want something, or you are trying to obtain something through someone else. Maybe you’re trying to purchase something or trying to obtain something; a job, a piece of land, a house, a car, a scholarship.

    • Whatever it is, we do the same thing. We put forth our best case and then many times drive it home. And we do that with more and more reasons why. Why that person should favor us over someone else when it comes to getting what we want.

  • But the question is, is that the way it should be? No, and I will tell you why. Because when we do this, we step out of faith and into the flesh. When we do this, ‘we’ essentially take over by removing God from the equation. By subconsciously saying to ourselves, “Okay God, I can handle it from here".

    • And we don’t have to do this. It’s futile and it never changes the end result. God is going to do what God is going to do. I have often run into this in my own life, especially as it relates to business. Primarily when trying to land a job. As a matter of fact, it happened this past week.

• I’ve been meeting with a church in another state who had a fire in their sanctuary in July. We were recommended by a consultant to do the work, and I have met with the Pastor and a few other members of his church on at least three occasions. Each time I stated the reasons why they should use us, over and over again, trying to make the case why we are the best company for the job.

  • And by the way, we are the best company for the job, but that’s neither here nor there. My point is, this past week when I met with this church I felt somewhat like Paul, trying to sell them on our services. And honestly, I could feel myself stepping out of faith a little bit into my flesh by easing over into the sales side of things.

    • I could feel it in my spirit, and so once I recognized it, I immediately backed off and said to the Pastor and his wife, Hey guys, it’s up to you. Let me know. If God wants me to do this job, then it will happen. If not, it’s okay with me.

• Now let me say this, this is another one of those liberating feelings that can only be manifested by and through our faith. The problem is, even though we may know this, many times when we find ourselves in these situations, we still revert back to the flesh. And this will always be the case by the way until we mature. Mature spiritually. And how do we do that?

  • We do it by getting to know God in a more intimate way. And how do we get to know God in a more intimate way? We study His word. We get to know Him by ingesting and rightly dividing His word in context. Essentially, we read and study His memoirs, and then slowly, over time, we become more confident in who God is and how He operates.

  • That is the only way we mature, and it’s only then that we will begin to do what Paul taught us in 2 Cor. 5:6-7, which was what? Let’s re-read it and see.

2 Cor. 5:6 Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord—
2 Cor. 5:7 for we walk by faith, not by sight— 

• Remember, walking by faith and not by sight isn’t just some bumper sticker saying. It’s real, but it’s not an automatic reality in the life of a believer. We must mature spiritually if we truly want to experience this phenomenon.

  • Now, you may be sitting here this morning and saying to yourself, who does Pastor Greg think he is? How dare he try and correct the Apostle Paul. And if you think that, well then you would be correct, kind of, sort of, but not really. I am not really correcting him. I am simply stating that in his zeal to help the poorer church of Jerusalem, he is working overtime to drive home his point.

    • But in the end, God is going to do what He is going to do, and Paul’s exuberance isn’t going to change a thing. Now this brings on more talk when you think about it. Because am I not saying we should never fight for what we believe in? Nope - not at all.

  • I am saying we should always put forth our best foot, or best case, and we should always prepare and make our best presentation. But, when we cross over the line (and we know where that line is), when we move from faith into flesh, that’s when we must back off. And if you are a believer, only you know where that line is.

  • I know where it is, because I always lead from a place of peace into a place of stress or anxiety. And when I start feeling stressed about the situation, I know it’s at that point I am moving from the Spirit into the flesh. And honestly, I think that’s the best way for all of us to know the difference.

• But back to my original statement. Is Paul doing something wrong? Well, it depends. Is he working from the flesh or the spirit? I say that God included this scenario in the cannon of scripture to teach us a lesson, even though Paul himself wouldn’t have known this to be the case.

  • And those lessons are going to close out today. The first lesson is what we just learned, which is we must trust God because He knows what we need before we need it, and we don’t have to stress. Simply trust Him.

  • But then at the same time, as we learn the lessons Paul puts forth, the ones for example we have learned over the past several weeks. The ones about sacrificial giving, which happens when we sacrifice ‘above and beyond our ability’, which is what I call the surface message.

    • There is also the deeper message. As we have learned with the Bible, there is the message (the one you are reading), and then there is the message behind the message. The one you don’t read. The surface message itself is usually clear, but the message behind the message isn’t always that way.

    • This morning, the deeper message of God is that (regardless of our passion), God is always going to do what He is going to do. And so don’t stress.

  • And so, do I think Paul is wrong? I think Paul is pushing hard, but I also know that inside his push are deep spiritual truths being taught. So no, I don’t think Paul is wrong, because God is teaching us something through his writing, through what he is doing.

• I realize this may sound like I am talking out of both sides of my mouth, but I assure you this is not the case. Paul is doing what he is doing, and while doing it we are also learning about God’s character. How He operates.

  • For example, how our sacrificial giving activates God’s Grace by bringing us a supernatural work by way of “an abundance of joy”. But in the same token, we are also being shown a picture of pressure and stress brought about by Paul’s zeal, which teaches us another lesson about waiting on God and trusting God for the result.

  • Remember, as I always say, God and His word is like a kaleidoscope. It’s blue but green, but maybe blue green. There are so many facets to His Word, which is what makes the Bible unlike any other ancient document of antiquity.

    • So, this morning, take it for what it is and remember, God knows what we need before we need it, and if we are supposed to have it, whatever it is, He will provide it. As a matter of fact, He’s already working to provide it.