Today’s message is from 2 Corinthians 8:1-9:15. This passage is about giving to help those who are in need. It’s about loving. Do you want to know what love is? Look at John 3:16: “For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” Our need that God satisfied through Jesus was and is vastly, vastly, vastly greater than any material need that we could ever have in this life. He satisfied our need for salvation. We need to understand that truth day-by-day. God the Father gave his One and Only Son to rescue us from hell. Do we really understand what that means?

¹We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God granted to the churches of Macedonia: ²during a severe testing by affliction, their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed into the wealth of their generosity. ³I testify that, on their own, according to their ability and beyond their ability, ⁴they begged us insistently for the privilege of sharing in the ministry to the saints, ⁵and not just as we had hoped. Instead, they gave themselves especially to the Lord, then to us by God’s will. ⁶So we urged Titus that, just as he had begun, so he should also complete this grace to you. ⁷Now as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us—excel also in this grace. (2 Corinthians 8:1-7)

This has to do with providing for the material needs of the Christians in Jerusalem. You may remember that early-on, as the church began to grow, there were persecutions in Jerusalem. Many Christians left Jerusalem. So it isn’t hard to imagine that it was hard for Christians to make a living in Jerusalem and that many were in need. (There are many places in the world today where there are persecutions and it’s hard for Christians to make a living. This is an ongoing situation.)

¹Now about the collection for the saints: you should do the same as I instructed the Galatian churches. ²On the first day of the week, each of you is to set something aside and save to the extent that he prospers, so that no collections will need to be made when I come. ³And when I arrive, I will send those whom you recommend by letter to carry your gracious gift to Jerusalem. (1 Corinthians 16:1-3)

The Corinthians had apparently agreed to put back some money week-by-week a year earlier. (Chapter 8, verse 10 in today’s passage says, “...you, who a year ago began not only to do something but also to desire it.”) Now Paul was ready to collect the money and make sure that it got to the church in Jerusalem.

Today’s passage is talking primarily about a monetary gift to help people who were in financial need, but the principles are broader and in many ways apply to other things we may have to give, our time, abilities and possessions. Paul is holding up the Macedonian churches as an example for the Corinthians. (Do you remember when we were going through the book of Acts that the Holy Spirit explicitly sent Paul and his companions to Macedonia to preach the gospel. Paul had a vision of a man from Macedonia begging, “Come to Macedonia and help us.” The gospel is of first importance. Paul told the Corinthian church, “For I passed on to you as most important what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.” –1 Cor. 15:3-4. All these other things—what we are talking about today—follow from the gospel, so we have to remember that.)

Anyway, Paul is holding up the Macedonian churches as an example of giving. He refers to their desire to give as God’s grace: “We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God granted to the churches of Macedonia.” Grace means favor. In the case of God’s grace, it’s a gift—something you don’t (and, in fact can’t) earn or pay for. It’s what Jesus paid for on the cross.

God gives various gifts—gifts of the Holy Spirit. The first is salvation. But there are others. In the case of the Macedonian churches it was to have abundance of joy that overflowed into a wealth of generosity during severe testing by affliction—the desire, even in their own deep poverty, to help others in need—and in fact to beg for the privilege of doing so. They begged insistently.

Sometimes we just pass over words in the Bible—affliction—testing. What are they? What is testing? What is affliction? The word translated affliction literally means squeezing, pressure. Figuratively, it refers to trouble, tribulation, oppression—everything you normally wouldn’t want to happen to you. Testing is what God does to prove that your faith is genuine. It’s what he allows to happen to you. I think it’s safe to say that it’s what God allows the devil to do to you. And the purpose is not to cause you to fail, but to prove your faith is genuine and to cause your faith to grow. Check out James chapter 1.

In the case of the Macedonian churches, the testing was severe. And what had happened to the Macedonian churches was not by random chance, but according to God’s purpose and will. (And also notice that Paul is talking about the churches being tested as opposed to individuals. Maybe not every individual was suffering affliction—maybe just a few. But we are all one in Christ. If one part of the body suffers, the whole body suffers. We are all concerned for each other (should be concerned, that is).)

When there is testing, when there is trouble and pressure—affliction—how do we respond? Do we respond with joy and a desire to help those in need—open our hearts (and pocketbooks) to help others—even those whom we don’t know personally? It’s not something that we normally and naturally do. But, that’s what the Macedonian churches did. Even in their poverty they begged for the privilege of helping the church in Jerusalem. This is not something we naturally do. It’s supernatural. It’s a gift from God. The apostle Paul says—and I should say, the Holy Spirit speaking through the apostle Paul says:

⁶According to the grace given to us, we have different gifts: If prophecy, use it according to the standard of faith; ⁷if service, in service; if teaching, in teaching; ⁸if exhorting, in exhortation; giving, with generosity; leading, with diligence; showing mercy, with cheerfulness. (Romans~12:6-8 –my emphasis)

So how do we respond to affliction? Or even, how do we respond when there is a request to help a church half way around the world that is in need (or even one that is close by)? And how do we respond to the needs of individuals? Chapter 9 verse 8 in today’s passage says, “God loves a cheerful giver.” (And if I were Chuck Swindoll I would tell you that the word translated “cheerful” is the Greek word that we get our English word “hilarious” from. But I’m not Chuck Swindoll, so I won’t tell you.)

So how do we become cheerful givers? What do we do to have joy in severe testing by affliction? Well, here’s a clue. Chapter 8 verse 6 says that the Macedonians gave themselves “first to the Lord, and then to us by God’s will.” It’s certainly God’s will to give ourselves “first to the Lord”. Then he will give us joy in affliction and the desire, the supernatural desire, to help others in their need even when we are suffering ourselves. To whatever extent you don’t have this joy (and I’m certainly preaching to myself, also), it’s because you haven’t given yourself fully to the Lord. Jesus says, “If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” (Luke~9:23) The writer of Hebrews says that Jesus, “for the joy that lay before Him endured a cross and despised the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of God's throne.” (Heb.~12:2) We must give ourselves first to Jesus. Only then can we have joy—the joy that Jesus had.

And here’s a clue about how we might lose our joy. I’m going to look at some scripture from Galatians. The book of Galatians is the apostle Paul’s rebuke to the Galatian churches because they were beginning to think that they were saved by observing certain rules (in particular, circumcision) rather than by God’s gracious gift. Let me quote some scriptures. First Galatians 3:1-3—I’ll read it:

¹You foolish Galatians! Who has hypnotized you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was vividly portrayed as crucified? ²I only want to learn this from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law or by hearing with faith? ³Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now going to be made complete by the flesh? (Gal.~3:1-3)

Now let’s look at Galatians 4:15: “What happened to this blessedness of yours? (Blessedness is happiness—joy in the NIV.) For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me.” (Gal.~4:15) Paul evidently had some serious trouble with his eyes. (At the end of Galatians he says, “Look at what large letters I have written to you in my own handwriting.” –Gal.~6:11) He says that the Galatians, because of their blessedness, would have been willing to give him their eyes if they could have. That’s how much joy they had had.

¹³For you are called to freedom, brothers; only don't use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love. ¹⁴For the entire law is fulfilled in one statement: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. ¹⁵But if you bite and devour one another, watch out, or you will be consumed by one another. (Gal.~5:13-15)

What happened to them? They were no longer loving each other but evidently biting and devouring each other. They were in danger of consuming one another. This is what happened to them. They no longer were accepting God grace. They no longer accepted God’s blessing as a gift, but believed that they had to earn it by what they did. (When you believe that you have earned some blessing, the result is pride and competition—biting and devouring.)

So how do we lose our joy in the Lord? How do we lose the blessing of the Holy Spirit? It’s when we stop believing that God’s blessing is a gift and start believing that it’s something we have to earn. Let me say it again: We lose our joy in the Lord—God’s blessing—when we stop believing his blessing is a gift and start to believe that we have to earn it. So give thanks every day and every moment of every day for God’s blessing—his incomparable gift. (And if somehow you don’t know what that is, it’s first of all Jesus! Everything else follows.) And do you know what else? The ability to give thanks is God’s gift, also.

⁸I am not saying this as a command. Rather, by means of the diligence of others, I am testing the genuineness of your love. ⁹For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ: although He was rich, for your sake He became poor, so that by His poverty you might become rich. ¹⁰Now I am giving an opinion on this because it is profitable for you, who a year ago began not only to do something but also to desire it. ¹¹But now finish the task as well, that just as there was eagerness to desire it, so there may also be a completion from what you have. ¹²For if the eagerness is there, it is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have. ¹³It is not that there may be relief for others and hardship for you, but it is a question of equality—¹⁴at the present time your surplus is available for their need, so that their abundance may also become available for your need, that there may be equality. ¹⁵As it has been written:

¹⁶Thanks be to God who put the same diligence for you into the heart of Titus. ¹⁷For he accepted our urging and, being very diligent, went out to you by his own choice. ¹⁸With him we have sent the brother who is praised throughout the churches for his gospel ministry. ¹⁹And not only that, but he was also appointed by the churches to accompany us with this gift that is being administered by us for the glory of the Lord Himself and to show our eagerness to help. ²⁰We are taking this precaution so no one can find fault with us concerning this large sum administered by us. ²¹For we are making provision for what is honorable, not only before the Lord but also before men. ²²We have also sent with them our brother whom we have often tested, in many circumstances, and found diligent—and now even more diligent because of his great confidence in you. ²³As for Titus, he is my partner and co-worker serving you; as for our brothers, they are the messengers of the churches, the glory of Christ. ²⁴Therefore, before the churches, show them the proof of your love and of our boasting about you. (2 Corinthians 8:8-24)

I’m not going to say much about these verses, but to summarize, Paul says that he is not commanding the Corinthians to follow through with their commitment but is encouraging them so as to test the genuineness of their love. I’m not sure about that. It sounds a lot like a command. But that’s what he says. (He said something like that to Philemon, too.)

^9:1Now concerning the ministry to the saints, it is unnecessary for me to write to you. ²For I know your eagerness, and I brag about you to the Macedonians: “Achaia has been prepared since last year,” and your zeal has stirred up most of them. ³But I sent the brothers so our boasting about you in the matter would not prove empty, and so you would be prepared just as I said. ⁴For if any Macedonians should come with me and find you unprepared, we, not to mention you, would be embarrassed in that situation. ⁵Therefore I considered it necessary to urge the brothers to go on ahead to you and arrange in advance the generous gift you promised, so that it will be ready as a gift and not an extortion. (2 Corinthians 9:1-5)

Boy, talk about manipulation! “Don’t embarrass me. I bragged about you, so you had better come through. What if some of the Macedonians come with me and find that you are not prepared?” And “I want this to be a gift, not an extortion.” Yeah, right—a gift, not an extortion. And for that matter, right from the beginning, Paul is telling the Corinthians, “Look what the Macedonian churches have done. Are you going to let them out do you?” When people try to manipulate us, we become angry and condemn it. But God does it all the time. The difference is that when we do it, we generally want to get others to do what we want for our own benefit. When God does it, it is for his glory and for our salvation!

⁶Remember this: the person who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the person who sows generously will also reap generously. ⁷Each person should do as he has decided in his heart—not out of regret or out of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver. ⁸And God is able to make every grace overflow to you, so that in every way, always having everything you need, you may excel in every good work. ⁹As it is written:

¹⁰Now the One who provides seed for the sower and bread for food will provide and multiply your seed and increase the harvest of your righteousness, ¹¹as you are enriched in every way for all generosity, which produces thanksgiving to God through us. ¹²For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing in many acts of thanksgiving to God. ¹³Through the proof of this service, they will glorify God for your obedience to the confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with others. ¹⁴And in their prayers for you they will have deep affection for you because of the surpassing grace of God on you. ¹⁵Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift. (2 Corinthians~9:6-15)

This passage is often used to support “Send us money and God will make you rich.” People who preach this also quote the Parable of the Sower where the seed is multiplied 30, 60 or 100 times. The money we send will come back to us multiplied 30 or 60 or 100 times. For the most part, the people who are teaching this are the ones who get rich. Basically, this is a teaching that, by doing the right thing, you can force God to make you rich. God does give some people money. But his purpose is for it to be used for his glory. Anyway, the more money you have, the harder it is to trust and obey God. The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.

But look at verse 8. God’s truth is really in verse 8: “And God is able to make every grace overflow to you, so that in every way, always having everything you need, you may excel in every good work.” God provides everything we need to do the things he has for us to do—the good works that he has prepared for us—so that we can excel in them: “For we are His creation—created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them.” (Eph.~2:10) God provides for us not just our material needs but spiritual gifts as well—everything we need to love each other (and to love our enemies, too), everything we need to spread the gospel, everything we need to encourage and build each other up in Christ, everything we need to love and to serve and to follow Jesus and everything we need to bring praise and thanksgiving and glory to God. (And notice that the good works are the ones God has prepared in advance for you to do—what he wants you to do and not necessarily the one you want to do and say that you are doing them for God. I’m a father. I know that, when my kids were young, I was pleased when they wanted to do something to bless me. But when I was really pleased was when I knew that they were doing it because they knew it was what I wanted and that they were not just doing it because it was something that they liked to do. God is our heavenly Father. He is pleased when we want to please him by doing what he wants us to do.)