That's the subject matter of
these two chapters in 2 Corinthians. Two entire chapters are given
to that subject. Now let's understand what the
subject is. The apostle's subject is not
tithing. The New Testament doesn't teach
tithing from Matthew to Revelation. My subject this morning is not
church offerings. That's not what I'm talking about
at all. Budgets. Raising money. My subject this
morning is Paul's subject, and that's liberality, generosity,
sharing, giving daily, sharing with others what God
has given us, living in a spirit of generosity and giving. This is a subject that all believers
understand. I understand giving because everything
I have, everything I have spiritually, materially, physically, God gave
me. I've never earned anything I
have. I've never deserved or merited anything I have. Every good gift and perfect gift
cometh down from the Father. Paul says, what do you have that
you didn't receive? Who makes you to differ? Now, if you received it, if it
was a gift, if it came down from God, undeserved, unmerited, unearned,
why do you boast as if you had something to do with it? Wherein
do you differ? Who makes you to differ? A man,
our Lord said to his disciples, a man can receive nothing except
to be given him from heaven. That's what I'm talking about. Literally, truthfully, by the
grace of God, I am what I am. So this is a subject we understand. We understand giving because
the Lord has given us so much. And our Lord taught His disciples
this. Let me read you that verse that
I read a moment ago from Luke 6. That's the reason I read it.
Our Lord was teaching His disciples, and He said to them in verse
36 of Luke 6, Be ye merciful as your Father is merciful. Judge not that you be not judged. Condemn not, and you shall not
be condemned. Forgive, and you shall be forgiven.
give, and shall be given you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken
together, running over, shall be given to your bosom, if you
can learn and acquire the spirit of giving." Over in Matthew 25,
he said this, our master said in Matthew 25 to his people when
he was receiving them into heaven, this is when all things are are
done in Matthew chapter 25 verse 34, then shall the king, king
of kings, Lord of lords, our master, then shall the king say
to them on his right hand, come ye blessed. Come ye blessed of
my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation
of the world. He's talking to all the elect,
every one of the elect. I was hungry and you gave me. I was hungry and you gave. You
gave me meat. I was thirsty and you gave. You
gave me drink. I was a stranger and you took
me in. I was naked and you clothed me.
I was sick and you visited me. I was in prison and you came
to me. And then shall all these elect, these righteous people
who never take any credit for what they do, they said, Lord,
when did we see you hungry? and fed you, and thirsted and
gave you drink? When did we see you a stranger,
and took you, and are naked, and clothed you? When did we
ever see you sick or in prison, and came to you? And the king
shall say unto them, Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as you have
done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, you have
done it to me." So our Lord taught His disciples this lesson of
giving. And we'll find in these two chapters,
if the Lord will give me some understanding so that I can be
a good teacher, we'll find in these chapters all we need to
know about the grace and joy, grace and joy, privilege of giving,
everything we need to know. So let's look at verse 1 of chapter
8. Paul's writing to the church at Corinth about the churches
in Macedonia. He said, moreover, brethren,
we do you to wit, that is, I write to inform you, to make known
to you of the grace of God bestowed
on the churches of Macedonia. That's in the Philippi region
where Paul was called to preach to those people. He's saying
to this church at Corinth, he says, I want to inform you, I
want to make known to you the grace of God, which was bestowed
upon the churches of Macedonia, arousing in them love for others
and a desire to give and to help others. Their generosity and
their liberality is the result of God working in them. Verse
2, how that in great affliction, great trial of affliction, the
abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounding unto the
riches of their liberality, their generosity. That's what we're
talking about, generosity, liberality. These churches in Macedonia,
Paul said, I want to tell you about the grace of God that's
been given to them. in giving them a love for other
people and a willingness to share what God has given them. Their
generosity, their liberality is the result of God working
in them, God's grace working in them. And verse 2 tells us,
although they were in trial of affliction, they themselves were
in great trial. And in the abundance of their
joy and their deep poverty, Paul says they didn't have much, But
this didn't prevent them from giving and sharing what they
did have. I want to tell you about the
grace of God that was bestowed upon these people in Macedonia,
that even though they were in great trial or affliction, I
want to tell you about the abundance of their joy and their grace,
even in their poverty, they were liberal, they were generous,
they shared with others, even in their poverty. I heard a man
say one time, speaking of another man, he said, well, he's more
able to give than I am. And the preacher he was talking
to said, say that again, just exactly like you said. Well,
he said, I said, he's more able to give than I am. And this very
wise man replied, that's not so. He's not more able to give. He's able to give more than you,
but He's not more able to give. Because the ability to give is
grace. It's not material. This church
here had an ability to give, but they didn't have much. They
were in trial, they were in poverty, and yet they gave. They were
liberal, they were generous. Our ability to give is grace. Grace enables us. Our ability
to love is grace. Our ability to believe is grace.
Our ability to give is grace. It's not the amount we have.
It's not the supplies that we have. It's not the abundance
we have. It's the will, the desire, the spirit of giving. So when
you say, he's more able to give than I, no he isn't. He's able
to give more. He has more supply. But he's not more able to give. the ability to give the grace
of God in the heart. That's what Paul is saying about
this church. Brethren, I want you to know
about the grace of God. The grace of God that was bestowed
on these churches in Macedonia, that even in their trial and
in their poverty, they demonstrated the joy and grace of God in liberality. That's what I'm talking about.
That's what Paul's talking about. But verse 3, he said, but to
their power, I bear record. What's that word, power? It's
ability. He's saying this, he's saying to their ability, they
gave. Yea, and beyond their ability,
they gave sacrificially. To their power, to their ability,
they gave what they had. They gave what they had to give.
Shared with these other needy believers, they gave what they
had. And they gave beyond what they had. beyond their ability,
they gave sacrificially. And listen, and they were willing
to do it. They gave to their power, their
ability. I bear record, yea, they gave
beyond their ability, sacrificially, and they were willing to do it.
No, they weren't told to do it. They weren't commanded to do
it. They did it because they wanted to. They were willing,
listen, of themselves. from themselves, motivated within
their own spirits. They gave because they wanted
to. They weren't following somebody's example, they weren't following
somebody's orders, they weren't following somebody's commandment,
they were trying to match another group of people. Of themselves. The grace of God in their hearts
motivated them of themselves to their power and beyond, they
gave willingly. And verse 4, they brought the
gifts to me, Paul said, praying me, us, the apostles, praying
us with much entreaty, much persuasion, that we would take their gifts
and take upon ourselves the fellowship of ministering these gifts. He
says these churches brought their gifts to me, to us, to the apostles,
and begged us, prayed us, entreated us, to assume the responsibility
of taking it where it's needed, giving it to needy believers,
sharing it with other churches. They insisted that we take it. Isn't that something? Grace of
God in their hearts made them generous and liberal, wanted
to help other people, motivated them of their power, beyond their
power, they gave willingly of themselves, originated with them,
and they came and said, take this. and give it to those out
there that need it. Would you do that? Would you
do that? And Bruce Powers said, yes, they
did. Not as we hoped. What does that mean, not as we
hoped? Their gifts were not what we expected. It was a whole lot
more. I didn't expect that, Father. Well, they were in trial themselves.
They were in poverty. I didn't expect that. More than
I hoped. Not like I hoped. More than I
hoped. But here's the key. This they
did, not as we hoped, but far beyond what we expected. And
here's the key. They first gave themselves, their
own selves, to the Lord. What's this implying? Well, they
gave themselves to the Lord, to His care, trusting Him to provide for them, resting in the fact that he would
supply their needs, that they could not give him. That what
they gave, God would supply. And no matter what they gave
or how much they gave, God, if they gave it for his glory and
the good of others, God would supply their needs. That's what
he said. This is what they did. They first
gave themselves to God. Like Abraham of old walking up
that mountain with Isaac, he said, my son, he laid a foundation
for every believer for eternity, for the years to come. Here it
is. My son, God will provide. God will provide. Yep, that's
talking about a lamb. He'll provide our food, our clothing,
our shelter, our happiness, our comfort. He'll provide everything
else. God will provide. Jehovah said to him, God will
provide. And that's what these people
did. They first gave themselves to the Lord. Their provider,
their supplier, their keeper. My God, Paul said, my God shall
supply all your needs. All your needs according to his
riches and glory through Christ Jesus. No little rat needs to worry
about having enough to eat when there's a silo out there beside
the barn. And this little rat doesn't need
to worry about what we can go eat, drink, and wear, as long
as God Almighty has his riches and glory through Christ Jesus.
They gave themselves to the Lord. And then, they gave themselves
unto us. They gave what they had to us,
to our disposal by the will of God. In so much, verse 6, in
so much, because of this, because of this example of this church,
in so much that I desired Titus. Paul had some fellows that were
awful close to him, Timothy, Titus, Luke. In so much that
I desired Titus, that as he had begun, so he would finish in
you the same grace also. Titus? beheld example of these churches
in Macedonia, the grace of God in them, the generosity, liberality
that God had enabled them to demonstrate. He said, Titus,
go down there to Carmel. Go down there to Carmel. I know
you've begun down there. I know you're their teacher.
I know you've been their teacher. And I know you've taught these
things to them. You've begun. But go down there
and finish this. Go down there and perfect it.
Go down there and finish it. Go down there and stress it again,
that these people might be exercised in grace and liberality and generosity
like these people in Macedonia. Go down there and finish the
work. That he would, insomuch, when I saw this take place in
Macedonia, I desired Titus that he had hastened down to Corinth
as he had begun. And He would finish in you, in
you. Now this is a grace in you, in
us. Grace grows. Faith grows. Love grows. Patience, humility,
everything grows in a believer. A believer is born a babe, and
he's a young man, an elder. He grows. And I want you to go
down there and stress this, that our generosity and liberality
needs to grow just like any other grace, this grace, finish in
you, perfect in you, bring to maturity in you that liberality
and generosity demonstrated by these people. Therefore, look
at verse 7. Now, here's what I want you to
do. Paul uses several words in these
two chapters. having to do with this grace
of giving. The first word he uses is grace. It's a grace.
And either underscore the word or write it in the margin of
your Bible, it's already there, but just underscore it or make
some mark. Verse 7, therefore, he says to
the church at Corinth, as you abound, you excel, you're full
of everything, faith, your people who believe God and the gospel,
and you're people who have utterance, you have some good preachers
down there, good teachers, people who know the gospel, knowledge,
you know the Bible, you study the Word of God, you know God,
you're bound, you excel in diligence, you're hard workers, you're faithful,
you're bound in your love to us, you love us, I know that,
you love the gospel, you love the people of God, you love the
gospel. See that you're bound in this grace, underscore that
grace. Giving's a grace. See that you
excel and grow and abound in the grace of generosity, in the
grace of helping others. To believe and to love and to
preach the gospel, that's a grace. But to be generous day by day
with your children, with your fellow worker, with your people
who labor for you, with one another, with other believers, with hungry
people and weary people and old people, Generosity and liberality
and goodness to others is a grace that must grow. See that you
excel. You're good preachers, students
of the word, you believe God, but this is a grace that needs
to excel and grow. And then the second word is found
in verse 8. Now speak not by commandment,
not by commandment. I'm not commanding you to give
anything, share anything. That would kill it. God doesn't
give us laws to determine how much we give or when we should
give or to whom we should give, but there's one chief motive
for everything. I speak not by commandment, but
by the occasion and example of others, and to prove the sincerity
of your love. There's the word, L-O-V-E, love.
Commandments have a place. Commandments have a place in
everybody's life. Thou shalt not, thou shalt. They're
necessary. Example certainly motivates us
and encourages us and blesses us. Gratitude to God for what
we have is a good motivation. But the sincerest motivation
for any act of Liberality or generosity or giving is cause
you love somebody. For God so loved he gave. That's the reason. That's the
reason Christ came. That's the reason Christ died.
That's the reason Christ suffered. Cause he loved. Cause he loved. Look at verse 9. You know the
grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. The generosity of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, He was rich, but
for your sakes He became poor, that through His poverty you
might be rich. How can I, who am so loved, not
love? How can I, who am so loved, not
love? How can I, who have been the
object of such grace and goodness, not be gracious and not be liberal? How can I? His love has no limit. His grace
has no measure. His power has no boundary known
unto men. For out of his infinite riches
in Jesus, he giveth and giveth and giveth and giveth and giveth
again. That's our example. Love. And our generosity and giving
must be motivated by love. Verse 11, Now therefore perform
the doing of it, that as there was a readiness
to will, so there may be a performance also out of that which you have,
for if there be first a willing mind. I know that, and I've experienced
it before, getting some static from people when I insist that
tithing is not taught in the New Testament. It's not. It's
not for New Testament, not for believers. In the Old Testament,
tithing was a law. It was a law pressed upon an
unregenerate, unwilling people. Israel was an unregenerate people.
unwilling people. They had a tabernacle to support.
They had the whole tribe of Levi had no property. All eleven tribes
had property and all these things. The tribe of Levi had no assigned
property. They took care of the things
of God. The whole tribe, from that tribe came the priest and
the high priest and All these folks, they kept the storehouse,
they took care of the needy, took care of the sick, took care
of sacrifices, took care of all the passovers, all these things. And Israel, the whole, all other
eleven tribes gave 10% to support these priests and tabernacle,
the storehouse, the needy, all these things. That was a law
and a tax imposed upon Israel. But we're not under such a law.
any more than keeping the Sabbath day or sacrificing lambs or doing
these, so we're not under such a law. The Lord tells us that we're
to give from a willing heart. There must first be a willing
heart. And thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power.
Turn over to Philippians chapter 2. Chapter 2 of Philippians. And I'll show you some more scripture
on that in a few moments, but chapter 2 of Philippians, verse
13. It is God that worketh in you,
both to will and to do His good pleasure. God works in us, not
only to do His pleasure, but to want to, to will to. He makes us willing to believe.
He makes us willing to follow the word. He makes us willing.
Our people shall be willing in the day of our power. And that's
what Paul said about the church at Macedonia. I want to tell
you about the grace of God that's operative in those people, making
them willing to do this and giving them the will and desire to do
this. So giving is a grace motivated
by love, and it springs from a willing heart. If we give or do or worship or
anything and pray in the name of God and it doesn't spring
from a willing, loving, cheerful spirit, it's unacceptable. It's unacceptable to God. Anything
a person does in the name of God, in the name of Christ, that's
not done willingly and lovingly is unacceptable. God won't have
it. A willing spirit. A willing spirit. Now here's another word to underscore,
the word willing and then the word, it's accepted according
to that a man hath. Not according to that he hath
not. It's what he has. It's accepted according to what
we have, not according to what we have not. Our gifts are not
measured by the size of them or the amount of them, but the
love that motivates them. Doris received in the mail this
last week. I wish I'd have brought it. I
thought about bringing it. I don't know what the ladies
call them, a little thing about this size, a little bigger, to put on the table, doilies
or something you all call them, something you put on the table,
but it was handmade. by one of the native preachers
while I was in Mexico. They have dirt floors. They don't
have an abundance of anything. They have dirt floors and sit
on boxes and sleep in hammocks and cook on rocks, and they have
practically nothing. But she made three of these,
hand-stitched, embroidered around them with hours of work in bright,
colorful Mexican thread, made one for by the Cody Groover's
wife, one for, by the Pledger's wife and one for Dice, and sent
it up here. Now that gift, there's no way
to estimate the value of that gift. If it's sold at a flea
market, it'd bring very little. But our gifts to God and to His
name are not measured by the size of them, or the amount of
them, or the value of them to other people. It's the love that
gives it. It's accepted according to what
a man has and not what he has not. And this does away with
pledges. Don't you ever sign a pledge
to give anything next year. You don't have next year. You
might be broke tomorrow. You give what you have right
now. Don't you make a promise or sign
a contract with a church or organization or anything else. It's accepted. It comes to us
with a willing mind. It's accepted what a man has,
not what he has not. Our children don't have much.
And I'll tell you, their little Christmas gifts thrill me as
much as any Christmas gift anybody gives me. And if they're meaningful and
they're precious, because they They give what they have, and
they need to be taught to be givers, not takers, all the time. Learn the grace and the joy of
giving. Our Lord says it's more blessed to give than to receive.
It's a lot more fun to give. Whatever it is we have, give. It's accepted according to what
we have. In verse 13, now here's 14, is the word equality. I want
to substitute that word with the word everyone. Now let me
read verse 13. I don't mean that, I mean not
that other men be eased and you burdened. Giving not just for
people that have a lot. Giving and liberality and generosity
is for all of us. Everybody. Everybody. But by an equality. And now at
this time, your abundance may be a supply for their want, and
their abundance also may be a supply for your want, that there may
be an equality. Turn to 1 Corinthians 16. Here's the word. 1 Corinthians
16. Paul talked about the collection,
the church collection. He does talk about that here
in this 16th chapter of 1 Corinthians. Now concerning the collection
for the saints, for missionaries and other people, As I've given
orders to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye upon the first
day of the week. Let every one of you, every one
of you, that's pastor, students, old, young, rich, poor, adults,
children, married, single, widows, whomever, every one of you, give. Lay by and store as God has prospered
you. that there be no offerings taken
when I come down there to preach. Do it yourself. Don't wait on
me to come down there and take up a collection. You do it yourself. Isn't anybody exempt from giving?
I'll give you the answer to that. Turn to Luke 21. Luke 21. Luke
21, verse 1-4. Our Lord and his disciples were
watching the people bring their offerings, their gifts, to the
treasury. These were back in the storehouse
tithing days. This was back in the days of
Old Testament, because our Lord hadn't gone to the cross and
a lot of things. They were still under law. He
was himself keeping the Passover. He looked up and saw the rich
men casting their gifts into the treasury, and he saw also
a certain poor widow. casting in thither two mites.
And he said, of a truth I say unto you, this poor widow hath
cast in more than they all. For all these have of their abundance
cast in unto the offerings of the Lord, but she of her penury
hath cast in all the living she hath. He didn't exempt her from
giving, but rather our Lord Jesus Christ commended her giving,
commended her giving. No one should be robbed of the
joy and blessing of giving. No matter what someone brings
you, a gift, regardless of what it is, how small or whatever,
receive it with thanksgiving. No one should be robbed of the
joy and the grace and the blessing of sharing what they have. Our
young people, our old people, our widows, anyone else. Every
one of you. This is a grace for everybody.
All right, back to my text. Give me a few more minutes. Verse
15, is it written, he that had gathered much had nothing over,
he that gathered little had no lack. This is from Exodus 16,
refers to the manna that fell from heaven that was on the ground.
Some gathered much and some gathered little, but they shared what
they had and nobody lacked. Some gathered little, some gathered
much. See that? but they all shared. He that had gathered much, verse
15, had nothing left over, and he that gathered little had no
lack. Now thanks be unto God, which put the same earnest care
into the heart of Titus for you. Now let's go to chapter 9, let
me show you another word. Well down here in verse 19, there's
one that I missed. Now this is a key. Verse 19,
and not only, not that only, but who was also chosen of the
churches to travel with us with this grace, with this offering,
with these gifts, which is ministered by us to the glory of the same
Lord. And the declaration of your ready
mind. The word glory, what we do is not for our glory, it's
for His glory and His praise. His glory. The giving of it,
the dispensing of it, the sharing of it. Here's the word in chapter
9, verse 7, that does away with the teaching of Old Testament
tithing. You underscore this word. Every man, every person who gives,
according as he purposeth, there's the word purposeth, he purposeth
in his heart, so let him give. He's not told a percentage, an
amount, as he purposes in his heart. You see, here's where
all matters of faith and grace are settled, in the heart, as
he purposes in his heart. With the heart man believeth
unto righteousness. When that fellow wanted to be
baptized, Philip said to him, do you believe with all your
heart? He said, I do. Keep thy heart
out of it of the issues of life. My son, give me your heart, God
says. So let everybody here in this matter of liberality, generosity,
what you pay people, what you give people, how you treat people, your gifts to the church, to
your neighbors, to your friends, that's settled right here as
your purpose in your own heart. Based on grace, love, willingness,
My own heart. Not law, not duty, not necessity. Read the rest of that. Every
man as he purposes in his heart, so let him give, so let him share,
so let him, not grudgingly, I don't want to do this, but, or of necessity. People say you can't go to heaven
if you don't tithe. That's not so. The thief on the cross never
paid a tithe. He never did. Abraham never paid one either,
did he? I don't know. He gave it to the king of Salem,
didn't he? As he purposes in his heart,
not a grudgingly, not a necessity, God loves a cheerful giver. He said, if you need anything,
let me know. They'll never let you know. Go ahead and give it. If you need anything, let me
know. Don't ask. Purpose in your own heart. And don't rationalize. Don't
say, well, I can afford it or can't afford it. If God lays
it on your heart, give it. Because, verse 8, God is able
to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having
all sufficiency in all things, may abound in every good work.
God will provide. God will provide. God is able
to give you All you need. So that's where giving, that's
where giving. It's a grace. It's born of God. It's based on love and a willing
heart. According to what a man has,
not what he doesn't have. As he purposes in his heart.
So let him give. May God finish in us. this grace
also, liberality. All right, let's sing a closing
hymn.