KNOW, LIVE, BE-BE JESUS' CHURCH-2 CORINTHIANS: Living As Givers

 Living As Givers 2 Corinthians 8:1-10:16 Don’t let your mouth write a check, your butt can’t cash! Have you ever heard that phrase - I think we find it here today in Paul. Usually you hear that in the context of your war veteran grandpa telling you to stop being lippy. We’ve all known someone like that, someone who’s mouth gets them into trouble, maybe you’ve heard it like this: Loud Mouth All Bark No Bite …Or today, Internet muscles - you see those in the comments section of Penn Live or passive aggressive Facebook posts. My good friend Brian Hennon posted the following yesterday: 1. Everyone knows a narcissist or a toxic person, but no one is that person. 2. The illegal, unethical, immoral activities and shady deals done in politics only matter when they are done by people in the party we don't support. 3. Workouts are not complete until one's status is updated. The same applies to morning devotions and bible reading. It isn’t finished until a photo of coffee and a Bible is posted. 4. Opinions are facts even when the facts contradict the opinions. 5. Apparently Jesus spends a lot of time perusing his News Feed, looking for people who share, like or say amen. Aren’t those great observations - aren’t we totally like that? This isn’t new; we just have a new place to do it. Paul was being accused of things by the Corinthian church. Maybe by the party that he wasn’t a part of, maybe when facts contradict. Paul was being accused of all kinds of things as the true church at Corinth tried to find it’s way in a web of confusion. Paul was accused of a false kind of apostleship. Paul was accused of writing checks his butt couldn’t cash - we’ll glance a head, though we’ll start in Chapter 8 and move through chapter 10 today - we’re going to take a quick glance at one of my favorite statements of Paul’s: 2 Corinthians 10:11 (ESV) 11 Let such a person understand that what we say by letter when absent, we do when present. This was in response to the person who would say Paul is bold in letter and weak in person - he says I instruct by letter, I practice in person and with my life. Paul doesn’t want the church at Corinth following rules. No, rather he want’s them living New Testament, spirit-filled, unrestrained testimonies to God’s grace. And their giving here will testify to their freedom. Maybe today we’d say that’s cold, or that Paul roasted the Corinthian haters, maybe he did. But his point was this - anything I’ve instructed to you, I’m saying for you. I’m not seeing benefit from your loss - I’m seeking that we live together for the Glory of God through the Church. And that is huge - we could come to this text and we could twist it up, and say it’s about giving to the church so that the church can grow and do well, and it is about that, but it also isn’t about that. So lets jump into 2 Corinthians 8 and see how it’s about MORE than giving but about LIVING. 2 Corinthians 8:1–8 (ESV) 1 We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, 2 for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. 3 For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, 4 begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints— 5 and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us. 6 Accordingly, we urged Titus that as he had started, so he should complete among you this act of grace. 7 But as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you—see that you excel in this act of grace also. 8 I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine. There is a lot going on here regarding giving, and Macedonia, and acts of grace that show genuineness to others. A fuller picture of both the world and times will be helpful: Paul was a man who came from Jerusalem into the wider world with a singular focus, to capture the Jews who’d become Christians and bring them BACK to Jerusalem in chains. On his way God in a moment changed him - you find this story recorded in Chapter 9 of the book of Acts. All this is because Jesus split time and changed absolutely everything, Jesus’ satisfaction of law made our lives be lived in grace and our obedience in living and giving be a function of our freedom from the law. Jesus similarly changed Paul and may have changed you - if he hasn’t yet, He has the power and ability to do that when you see that you’re ready so is He! And so the church in Jerusalem had encountered Jesus, we see that in Acts chapter 2, Pentecost. So many people were in Jerusalem for the Passover celebration, the Holy Spirit came and many were saved, think 2,000. Many people in the church may have just stayed after their powerful encounter - they may be transplants to the area with no connection other than this NEW Christian family. We’re talking about a place were the count of dudes in the room got to 5k, the church got HUGE, and the local community grew just a bit too - then the church began to be persecuted. New Christians may have lost their jobs or businesses and families stopped talking to each other - like Jesus said and Jesus saw this: John 16:1–3 (ESV) 1 “I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away. 2 They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. 3 And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me. In Acts 2:44 - the end, they sold what they have, they bundled more tightly together in their individual poverty to better care one for another. But, maybe that’s not sustainable if they didn’t gain the traction they needed - maybe they needed a small loan of a million dollars to get going? And so these are the people Paul is talking about giving to; he’s not encouraging the Corinthians to give to their local church, I think they’re doing that - rather he’s talking to them about MORE that giving but about LIVING. Living as impacted people steeped and brimming with grace. In, 1 Corinthians 16:1–4 (ESV) 1 Now concerning the collection for the saints: as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do. 2 On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come. 3 And when I arrive, I will send those whom you accredit by letter to carry your gift to Jerusalem. 4 If it seems advisable that I should go also, they will accompany me. Paul is driving the churches outside Jerusalem to be moved by Grace to collect for their fellow believers - and he lives it. Paul says while he’s worthy because of his work to be paid, he’s in a unique position to continue working and largely give to the ministry as well and he is excited by the testimony it will be to bring a gift from the gentile churches to the Jewish church and show unity. So what? And we have to be careful here to think that there is a formula with God that can be manipulated simply for gain - rather in chapter 9:1-5, Paul shows that this collection he’ll gather isn't so that people can get something. He’s not selling blessings or indulgences, rather Paul is gathering a collection from people so deeply impacted by Jesus, who are living, not giving who are blessed to be a blessing, who are moved by compassion by their brother and sister’s need and when the heart drives the behavior, he talks about how God moves through that. In verses 6-15, we see truths about those who trust God in their giving, not who try to get richer through manipulation but those who trust and are moved by grace. This doesn't say give on credit, or be impoverished and give more or follow rules- rather I think this picks up from a wholesome life - one that’s structured not around debt and love of toys and things and love of money, rather one who desires to be giving, and so now does it. Remember Paul is instructing them in something he’ll then come live out because he’s instructing on living, not giving, he’s writing cashable checks. Now getting in closer to our point on Paul’s check writing: 2 Corinthians 10:1 (ESV) Paul Defends His Ministry 1 I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when I am away!— Meekness is power under control. Just because he could exercise power doesn’t mean he’s going to rather he chooses generally to live as an example among people rather than be on some Napoleon complex. So what’s is the point of all of this: 2 Corinthians 10:13–16 (ESV) 13 But we will not boast beyond limits, but will boast only with regard to the area of influence God assigned to us, to reach even to you. 14 For we are not overextending ourselves, as though we did not reach you. For we were the first to come all the way to you with the gospel of Christ. 15 We do not boast beyond limit in the labors of others. But our hope is that as your faith increases, our area of influence among you may be greatly enlarged, 16  so that we may preach the gospel in lands beyond you, without boasting of work already done in another’s area of influence. And so church for us too as we give, we may not give to the persecuted church at Jerusalem, but we give to world missions. Of every dollar you give we give $0.10 to missions. And collectively through a cooperative program and missions program we as Southern Baptists budgeted $278,755,000 for missionaries like one we may have sent and may have talked to. Church - Paul’s message isn’t one about giving, it’s one about living, and for us church the same is true. We don’t give - that puts the focus on giving, rather giving is a natural part of our living as those impacted by grace who’ll impact others with God’s grace flowing through us. Church - I want us excited to be a living church, who is a giving church. God’s economy is the most amazing thing. Do you know that last year alone over $30,000 was directly handed to us by other churches working on this building, which the city is angry about? Did you know that we paid our nearly $10,000 in taxes to the city though, they agreed we didn't owe but had to so that they didn’t start a sheriff’s tax sale on us? God worked it out - it’s not giving it’s living, it’s trusting God and his power and being agents of and for His grace, and being faithful. Look with me as we close at 2 Corinthians 10:4–5 and I pray this encourages you: 2 Corinthians 10:4–5 (ESV) 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, Let’s live like that’s true - lets trust God for his divine power, lets work to take every thought captive and lets start living, lets write checks with our mouths that our lives can cash! Wrapping out major points, lists, and for living out this/these truths. KNOW, LIVE, BE – BE JESUS’ CHURCH – 2 CORINTHIANS: Living As Givers Pastor John Weathersby Transcend Church 5 of 5 Sunday 7/16/2017