Giving Is Graceful (2 Corinthians 9:6-15)
Gary McManus, 08/19/2018Part of the Life With Jesus is Better series, preached at a Sunday Morning service
August 19, 2018
2 Corinthians 9:6-15 (p. 1147 / p.1163)
What does DCC teach about money?
Does the Bible talk about money?
Yes, over 1,000 times.
See Larry Burkett's, The Word on Finances
The Lord cares more about you than
the Lord cares about your money.
Everyone has a relationship with money—
even if someone has none!
The Apostle Paul wrote to several congregations
about an offering “for the poor.”
(See Acts 15, Galatians 2:10)
Paul outlined HOW this offering would be done:
1 Corinthians 16 : 6
That is the background to TODAY’s Bible verses.
Apostle Paul: giving as Paul is asking it
and doing it is part of a bigger picture. . .
What that means is that giving isn’t
JUST BECAUSE OF NEED.
Giving proves you believe in Jesus Christ.
That is what Paul is saying in vs. 13.
That one does give is a gift in and of itself.
The gift is a gift and the giving is also a gift.
The Lord God provides both the gift AND
the giving!
Grace is generosity and generosity is grace.
“Having” does not prove faithfulness
(as the success Gospel claims).
Generosity proves faithfulness
(no matter how much a person has).
God will not make you rich enough
to be generous.
God will make you LOVING enough
to be generous.
In verse 13 Paul says the gifts given
PROVE the obedience of faith. . .
Just as the Bible Study read in James 2:15-17.
In and through generosity,
the Lord God will be thanked TWICE
God is praised not just for human
generosity in giving
God is praised for divine generosity
in making people generous. . .
The size of the generosity does not matter.
In Jesus’ eyes generous is generous no matter
how GREAT the gift is.
In vs 8, Paul wrote:
God is able to bless you abundantly,
The Apostle is not talking about money.
The abundant blessing is grace.
THAT is how gracious our Lord God is. . .
It is the same love and generosity that God
so loved the would tha HE gave his only
begotten son, Jesus, our Lord and Savior. . .
(John 3:16). Amen
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