 The title of our sermon this morning is Giving from the Riches of His Grace. Giving from the Riches of His Grace. Second Corinthians chapter 8 verses 7 through 15. So each floor today now we're working verse by verse through Paul's second canonical letter to the church at Corinth. And we come again this morning to chapter 8 now and Paul's instruction to the church regarding their part in a collection that he is organizing to meet the needs of poor saints in Jerusalem. And our particular concern now in part 5 of this series in second Corinthians 8, 7 to 15 is this section of text comprising verses 1 through 15 in total where Paul first draws our attention to a great example of God glorifying generosity on the part of the churches in Macedonia. We know those churches to be Thessalonica, Philippi, and Berea. They were an example on the part of giving in New Testament here in Paul's second letter to the Corinthians church, the second canonical letter. And then he, from that example of the giving of the Macedonians in verses 1 through 6, he exhorts the believers in Corinth to be generous themselves by following that good example. And that exhortation to generous giving begins in verse 7 where Paul says, but as you abound in everything, just as you excel in all these other graces, all these other gifts, just as you abound in all these other gifts and graces in sanctifying, maturing, persevering faith, trusting the Lord in all things, as you abound in speech or in utterance and preaching the gospel to the Lord, teaching one another, as you abound in knowledge, knowledge of the truth, as you abound in all diligence in your earnest, fervent deal for these things, and as you abound in your love for us, just as you abound in all these graces, see now that you abound in this grace of generous giving also. Now, the exhortation given in clear view of the extraordinary example of the Macedonians is to abound in generosity. Beloved, we are to abound in this grace also. Amen. Paul's exhortation to abound in this grace of generosity is no trifling matter. It's not a small matter. It's not a secondary concern in the Christian life to abound in these graces. Abounding in the grace of God should be of primary concern to every single Christian. Now, Peter adds to our understanding of this in 2 Peter chapter 1. Turn there with me. In 2 Peter chapter 1, we're beginning in verse 2, Peter adds to our understanding or adds to the weight Paul's instruction to abound in the grace of God, to abound particularly now in this grace of generosity, this grace of Christian giving. So in 2 Peter chapter 1, Peter says in verse 2, he says, grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ our Lord. Now, notice how the grace and peace, notice how it's multiplied or how it abounds to you and I in the text. It abounds in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. That's the way it's going to abound. It's going to abound in the knowledge of him. Now, notice verse 3 that this is because his divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness and how does he do that? He does that through the knowledge of him who called us by glory and virtue. It's by that glory and virtue, verse 4, which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises so that through these promises you may be partakers or sharers of the divine nature having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. Let's think about what Peter is saying there for a moment, okay? Sharing in the divine nature essentially means being holy as he is holy. You share in the divine nature, you are righteous as he is righteous. Having escaped worldly corruption, the lust or the corruption that is in the world through lust, having escaped that, now you partake in the divine nature being holy as he is holy, being righteous in him. This is a gospel, amen. This is a gospel. We are made righteous in the Lord Jesus Christ. By the glory and virtue of the Lord Jesus Christ, God calls us in the gospel and pours out his grace giving us all that we need. We have all that we need by the grace of God. Forgiveness of sins, the righteousness of Christ, a satisfactory, substitutionary sacrifice, right? Resurrection from the dead, his spirit to indwell and empower us, all things that pertain to life and godliness, and through the glory and virtue of the Lord Jesus Christ, God gives us exceedingly great and precious promises. The promise of eternal life, right? The promise of living with the Lord Jesus Christ forever in eternity with him, communion with a holy God, being with him forever, the promise of a glorified body, freedom from sin, never to die again, right? An eternal weight of glory, 2 Corinthians chapter 4. All of that so that through faith in the Lord for these promises, we might become partakers of the divine nature. It's an amazing gift, amen. That begins in this life, but it occurs in all its fullness in the life to come. So then, according to Peter, in 2 Peter chapter 1, how then do we respond to those truths, right? The truth of the gospel that we've been saved for giving of our sin. Now we've been given these exceedingly precious promises. How do you and I respond to that glorious truth, verse 5, for this very reason, giving all diligence. In other words, don't receive the grace of God in vain. Giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control. Add these graces and gifts, right? To self-control perseverance. All of these are gifts to the spirit. Add to perseverance godliness, verse 7, to godliness, add brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. Certainly love would include generosity. Verse 8, for if these things are yours and what? And abound. Not just that they're yours in some seed form, but they are yours and they abound. They abound. If these things are yours and abound, if they increase, if they grow, if they move on to maturity, that is evidence. Isn't it of a work of God's spirit in the heart of the believer? Is it not? Your heart moved upon by the spirit will produce these fruits. They will increase and grow and mature. They will abound. And verse 8, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Those were there. That word for abound, present, active, participle in verse 8. It means they are presently abounding in you. It's an ongoing abounding, a present active abounding. In other words, if you're a Christian, they're abounding in you now. They're ongoing abounding. And if they're abounding in you, you will be neither barren. The word there means useless. It means useless. You'll be either useless nor fruitless in your knowledge of him. I think with me about what Peter's saying. What if these graces are not yours? What if you think that some of these graces are yours, but they're not abounding in you? They're not growing. They're not increasing. They're not excelling. They're not maturing. What if you aren't diligently pursuing growth in these graces? Then you are, or you are becoming useless and fruitless. I consider that from what Peter says in verse 9. He who lacks these things, verse 9, he who lacks these abounding graces is short-sighted even to blindness. If you consider short-sightedness, if you will, on a spectrum, leading to blindness. Short-sighted leading even to blindness and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins, has forgotten. It literally means that you are receiving forgetfulness of your cleansing. You're receiving present. You're receiving forgetfulness. Your failure to abound in these graces is an indication that you are at best short-sighted and on your way to blindness. Make sense? It means that you have forgotten. You are receiving forgetfulness. You have forgotten the blessedness of your forgiveness in Christ. You have forgotten the riches of his grace. You have forgotten the price of your redemption. You've forgotten the promise, exceedingly great and precious promises that have been given to us, including the promise of eternal life with him. Therefore, Peter says in verse 10, abound in these graces. Don't lag behind. Don't lag behind. That can happen in us as believers. We can go through a period of time where we begin to lag in these graces. Maybe at some point in time we begin to feel weary. We begin to feel tired. Our hearts grow dull. All that because of sin. All that takes place in our heart because we have inward corruption remaining in us. Sin causes us to lose sight of the promises. Sin keeps us from the Word of God. Sin keeps us from meditating on these great and precious promises. And we can grow cold. We can grow dull. We can grow short-sighted. Some may grow short-sighted even to blindness receiving forgetfulness of all these glorious truths and promises. Therefore, Peter says, verse 10, abound in these graces. Don't lag behind. Now, all that helps add weight, add clarity behind Paul's exhortation back in 2 Corinthians, chapter 8, verse 7, where Paul says there, but as you abound in everything, as you abound in these other graces, faith, speech, knowledge, and all diligence and in your love for us, see that you also abound in this grace, particularly this grace of generosity of Christian giving. If you abound in these graces, particularly in this grace from our text, you'll be neither useless nor fruitless in the faith. So we think about that. We're thinking about these various graces and in particular this one grace that Paul brings to our attention in 2 Corinthians chapter 8. Can you see how the absence or the deficiency of one of these graces calls into question or casts a shadow over, casts doubt on the genuineness of the others? If you can say, I'm a Christian and I'm faithful, but I don't have love, then what does that say about your faithfulness? I say I believe in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and I believe that I've been forgiven of my sin, but I'm not forgiving. And what does that say about the profession that you're making of being forgiven of your sin, having been changed by the gospel, changed by his grace? By the same token, if you abound in faith, if you abound in speech, in knowledge, in diligence and in love for us, but you are greedy when it comes to your generosity or covetous with money and possessions, or you are miserly, sinfully, miserly in giving, doesn't it call into question your faith, what you say you believe, what you understand, your earnestness and your love? In fact, Peter says, for this reason, for this reason, I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know and are established in the present truth. Brothers and sisters, I love this church. I love you. We abound in many graces by God's grace. Praise God. This is a wonderful church. We abound in many graces. We need to abound in all graces. And Peter says this for this reason, he says, though you know and are established in the present truth, we know that you know and are established in the present truth. But Peter says, I'm not going to neglect to remind you. I won't neglect to remind you abound in these graces also. I will remind you of these things always. Someone says, well, you always harp on these things. You always harp on these things. And I would say with Peter, I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things. The other brothers would say the same. We will not be negligent to remind you always of these things. These constant reminders, these constant corrections, instruction makes me weary, makes me feel tired. I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things. When you feel that way, when you are feeling tired, when you are feeling weary, listen, you are forgetting the price of our redemption. You're being forgiven. You are receiving forgetfulness of all these exceedingly great and precious promises that we have. Consider him, brother. Consider him, sister, who endured such hostility from sinners against himself, lest you feel or become weary and discouraged in your souls. Abound in these graces. Abound in them. Why? Because we have such great and exceedingly precious promises. Abound in these graces. Abound in them. Why? Because we must make our calling and election sure, right? Abound in these graces because he is worthy, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. Why? Because we know that our work in the Lord is never in vain, right? Abound, abound. That's the exhortation. Abound in this grace of generous giving. Pursue opportunities to generously give. So when you hear of a brother in the church who has a need, you hear of a brother, a sister, a family, a pastor, and Haiti who has a need. When we come to you with plans for a project that will further the gospel or will further the cause of Christ. And when you're tempted to quietly sit back, thinking in your mind, well, my brothers and sisters, there are other people are going to be giving. When you're tempted to sit back and rattle off a list of all the other ways in which you serve the Lord, what are all the other things I do around there? I'm giving my time all the time. When you're tempted to say, I'm faithful in this, I'm diligent in that, and I give in all these other ways, remember the example of the Macedonians who begged it, implored with much urgency for the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. Remember the Macedonians. Remember the words of Paul. See that you abound in this grace also, in this grace also. Now, Paul is quick to say, what he's asking for here is not a command. It's not a command. It's an appeal, and it's an appeal to love. Look at verse eight. Paul says, I speak not by commandment, but I am testing the sincerity of your love by the diligence of others. We looked at this some last week in the example of Paul's appeal to Philemon for Onesimus. We saw that generous giving is a fruit. It's an expression. It's an evidence of love. Now, verse eight then moves us from exhortation in verse seven to now is valuation in verses eight and nine. We have the exhortation abound in this grace also, and now he brings us to evaluation, to assessment, if you will, in verses eight and nine. How am I to evaluate or assess the level of my generosity? How generous am I? What would it look like to abound in this grace? What does it look like? I've got to provide for my family. I've got to pay my bills, right? It would be wise and prudent for me to save a little for future needs. And so what does it look like? What would it look like for me to abound in generosity? What would it look like for me to give like the Macedonians? My love is being tested. Paul says in verse eight, how do I know that I passed the test? How much should I be giving? Now, Paul wants us to wrestle. He doesn't give us a command. Doesn't give us a specific amount. He wants us to wrestle with these things from the heart. He wants us to be thoughtful. The Lord wants us to be considerate, compassionate. He wants us to be sacrificial. He wants us to be freely willing. He wants us to be cheerfully generous. He wants us to freely give, right? In verse three, the Macedonians were freely willing. They were uncoerced. They weren't manipulated or strong armed. In chapter nine, verse seven, Paul says, let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity for God loves a cheerful giver. Now, this kind of sacrificial giving, what Paul is calling us to hear, is not giving out of compulsion. We don't give this way begrudgingly. We don't give this way under compulsion. Why? Because this kind of sacrificial giving is an evidence or a fruit of or a proof of genuine love, because it's love, right? Because it's love. Just as love is freely given. Just as love is to be uncoerced. Just as love is not given under compulsion. Okay, I love you. It's not given under compulsion, right? Just as love is freely given and uncoerced, heart felt generosity as a fruit of genuine love is freely expressed and uncoerced, right? Giving is the same way, free, voluntary, uncoerced. First Corinthians, chapter 13, verse 3, where Paul says, and though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and even though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, profits me nothing, profits me nothing. So Paul doesn't give a command. He doesn't give a command here. Paul rather intends to reveal the sincerity or the genuineness of the Corinthians love through their generosity, right? You say that you were bound in your love for us. Now show your love, prove your love. Your love is going to be tested by the generosity or by the diligence of others. You're going to prove your love through your generosity. We say this is a loving church. This will be a generous church. You say you're a loving person, a loving Christian. You'll be a generous person, a generous Christian, right? I give the Corinthians the opportunity to demonstrate their love, to prove their love through this test of generous giving. That's the test, namely the collection for the saints in Jerusalem. Now the test comes, the test comes in evaluating or in assessing the sincerity of their love. We're going to test the sincerity of your love and we're going to do that through means of two, through two means, right? One, the diligence of others, the diligent giving of others, namely the Macedonian believers. And two, the diligent giving of the Lord Jesus Christ himself. We're going to evaluate the sincerity or the genuineness of our love by the diligence of others, namely the Macedonians and by the giving of the Lord Jesus Christ himself. Now first, let's think about this with respect to the diligence of others. The diligence of others, the others that Paul is referencing there are the Macedonians and their generous giving. Think about this from Paul in his instruction to the Romans, Romans chapter 12 verse 9. Listen to what Paul says. Paul says, let love be without hypocrisy. Let love be without hypocrisy. A poor, what is evil, cling to what is good, be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love in honor, giving preference to one another, not lagging in diligence, not lagging. You think about that word lagging, doesn't it convey the picture of falling behind? I'm falling behind. I'm lagging. I'm falling behind some benchmark. If I'm lagging, I'm falling behind some standard. What's the standard that's being set up for us in Second Grand Phrase chapter 8? The standard of the Macedonians. Here, first, the standard first here is the giving of the Macedonians, the diligence in giving the generosity of the Macedonians. Paul says in Romans 12, 11, don't lag behind in your diligence. Going to test the sincerity of your love by the diligence of others, don't lag behind in diligence. See how that's connected, okay? He said there in Romans 12, 11, be fervent in spirit, serving the Lord, rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer. In other words, if you and I are not going to lag behind in our pursuit of these graces, if we're not going to lag behind in abounding in these graces and in this grace of generosity also, then you and I will not lag behind preeminent examples in fervency of spirit, in serving the Lord, in rejoicing in hope, in patient tribulation, in continuing steadfastly in prayer, and verse 13, distributing to the needs of the saints given to hospitality. Be sure that you abound in this grace also, right? Not lagging in diligence, don't lag behind the Macedonians in your diligence to love your brother by providing for his needs. Now, how do they do it? Right? If we're not going to lag behind them, we're not going to lag behind them in how they abounded in this grace of generosity, how do they do it? Well, we know that from looking at the text so far, don't we? They gave enjoy. They gave, even from their deep poverty, they gave according to their ability, and they gave beyond their ability. And don't let this pass by you, like just waft by you, like some ethereal, you know, cloud. This is practical. This is real, right? We consider how we give, we want to abound in these graces, not lagging behind the diligence of the Macedonians. We need to give enjoy. We need to give even from our poverty. And if we give even from our poverty, how much more so should we give from our affluence, right? How much more should we give from our affluence? They gave according to their ability and even beyond their ability. They were freely willing in their generosity. They were known marked commended by their wealth of generosity, just how generous they were. They import, they beg with much urgency to participate in giving. When there's a need, jump, both feet, right? Beg for the opportunity of fellowship and the ministry together with the saints. They sought as a fellowship. They first gave of themselves to the Lord, and then they gave their money. The last point, that last point so important in expressing the heart of generous, generous giving, genuine heartfelt generosity. When we say essentially, Lord, I give all that I am to you. I give all that I am to you. My time is yours. All my days are yours. My desires are yours. All my hopes and dreams I bring gladly as an offering. Don't we think that? Certainly, I give all that I possess. Their generosity was a proof of their love, a proof of their love for others, those to whom they're giving, but also a proof of their love for the Lord. Let us not be found lagging in this diligence. Let us not be found lagging. Secondly, as Paul thought about the genuine love that is displayed and proven, expressed in sacrificial giving, Paul's heart and mind are drawn to consideration of the giving or grace of Christ in the incarnation, right? Inexorably, Paul's heart and mind drawn to the giving of the Lord Jesus Christ. Verse nine, for you know, you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that though he was rich, yet for your stakes, he became poor that you through his poverty might become rich. We are to consider. We are to evaluate or assess our loving generosity. Think about the way to this with me, right? We are to evaluate or assess our loving generosity in light of the perfect and infinite love displayed in the matchless and incomparable giving of Jesus Christ in the gospel. Can't get weightier than that. That little word in verse nine, a little word for. Beginning of verse nine might be better translated because now follow Paul's train of thought with me. Thinking of it that way in verse nine, dear Corinthians, dear Corinthians, I'm not going to command you to give this collection for the saints in Jerusalem. I'm simply going to appeal to the sincerity or the genuineness of your love. Why? Because you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and all that he gave for you. I'm not going to command you. I'm going to appeal to you for the sake of love. Why? Because you know, you know what Jesus Christ did for you. I don't have to command Paul is essentially saying, you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and all that he gave for you. But it's giving. Glorious giving is described in verse nine as the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ summed up in that term. Grace. Grace is the unmerited favor of God. That's what we learned from our catechism. Catechism questions, isn't it? The unmerited favor of God. In other words, grace is not something that we deserve. Not something. Grace is not something that we deserve. Now, an example of grace or this undeserved favor is found in Paul's letter to the Romans. Turn with me to Romans chapter three. Romans chapter three and let's look together at the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. The giving, the matchless gift of the Lord Jesus Christ is summarized in this term, grace. Romans chapter three. Look with me at verse 10. The law of God, the law of God has confined every person under a judgment of condemnation. The law has done that every person is confined under a judgment of condemnation by the law. Verse 10, as it is written, there is none righteous. No, not one. There is none who understands. There is none who thinks after God. They have all turned aside. They have together become unprofitable. There is none who does good. No, not one. I think I'm a pretty good person. No, you're not. There is none who does good by God's diagnosis here. By God, from God's perspective, there is none righteous. Look at John at verse 19, verse 19. Now, we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that your mouth may be stopped, that all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore, by the deeds of the law, by works, no flesh will be justified in his sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. God has appointed a day. He's appointed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he's appointed or the man whom he's ordained, and he's given assurance of this to all by raising that man from the dead. That man is the Lord Jesus Christ. When you stand before the judgment seat of the Lord Jesus Christ, you will be judged according to a perfect standard of righteousness. You'll be judged by a perfect law, by a perfect lawgiver. You'll be judged by a perfect standard. A perfectly fair, a perfectly just judgment will be rendered. God has a perfect and holy standard. In front of that perfection, before that bar, before that standard, your mouth is shut. There is no defense for what you have done. You have rebelled. You have sinned against God, and you've done so repeatedly and without remorse. There is no defense for what you've done. You can offer nothing in your defense. Your mouth is stopped. Now that should cause fear in the heart of every sinner. Fear, knee knocking, not reverence or awe only, but knee knocking fear of condemnation should fall upon the heart of every sinner outside of the Lord Jesus Christ. The verdict is guilty and the sentence is eternal damnation, eternal death in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone. However, for those who turn from their sin and entrust themselves, heart, soul, mind and strength to Christ by faith, those have hope. Look at verse 21. But now the righteousness of God, apart from the law is revealed being witnessed by the law and the prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ to all and on all who believe for there is no difference. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Here it is the verse 24, being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. So our justification, our right standing with God is not coerced. It's not strong armed. It's not given under compulsion. The Lord Jesus Christ gives it freely. We are justified freely by his grace and it is freely given by virtue of the redemption that is in Jesus Christ alone. It's not on anything that you do. It's not anything that you do. It's not based upon anything worthy in us. There is nothing worthy in us. It is entirely undeserved. It's undeserved. There's nothing that compels it. It is free grace, not according to our works. And so we have absolutely nothing to boast of. Paul, in speaking about this, then turns to Abraham as an example of someone saved or justified by faith alone apart from works in Romans chapter four. We went there this morning and the Lord suffered. Look at Romans chapter four and look at verse two. Here's an example of Abraham justified by faith alone apart from works by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. He said that Abraham verse two was justified by works. He had something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the scripture say? Abraham believed God, faith, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace, but as debt. It's not grace if it's by works. And he is giving this as a free gift of his grace. In other words, if you're hired by an employer to work, you work an eight hour day for that employer. What does that employer owe you for that eight hour day? He owes you a paycheck. It's debt to the employer once you've worked. Now he owes you a paycheck. Paul is saying here specifically, it's not counted as wages. It's grace. Him who works, to him who works first for the wages are not counted as great grace, but as debt. But to him who does not work, but believes upon him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, the righteousness that we need to stand before a holy God. Just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works, blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin. That's grace. That's grace, the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ given in the gospel. You see then, it's not our works that justify us. It's not our works that justify us. It is the work of Christ alone that can do that. He alone has satisfied the demands of God's perfect justice. It's his merit, not our own. His merit alone that is worthy of God's favor. Therefore we cling to Christ. We cling to Christ because he is our righteousness by faith. We cling to him by faith because Christ alone is our righteousness. He alone has the merit that we need and he freely, lovingly, sacrificially, voluntarily gives it. That's grace, amen. We lay hold of that gift through faith and faith in and of itself is a gift. Faith is given to us as a gift. When we lay hold of that gift through faith, everything changes. Everything changes. The result is gratitude. Thankfulness for what the Lord has done for us. The result is joy from mourning over sin to joy. If you've never mourned over your sin, you don't know that joy. When you've truly mourned with godly sorrow over your sin and the Lord has granted you forgiveness of sins, you know that joy in Christ. And it results in love. More closely connected to our text, it results in generosity. Because of what Christ gave by grace. I can second Corinthians eight from verse nine, then. We should consider this grace of our Lord Jesus Christ really in two ways in terms of its extent and in terms of its intent. We should consider the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ in terms of its extent and in terms of its intent. Verse nine, you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. You know, right? You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Consider its extent that though he was rich, yet for your sakes, he became poor. The extent of his grace. We see the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ magnified in its extent, right? The extent of what he gave, the fullness of what he gave when compared with or in light of the extent of our need. You can almost say from the highest heights to the lowest depth. And that extent of his grace magnifies the generous giving of the Lord Jesus Christ, right? How much did he give? He gave from here to here. He saves them to the utter most, loves them to the very end, the utter most, the extent of his grace, the extent of our need and then the extent of its effect, what his grace accomplishes, accomplishes. The sufficiency and the efficacy of that provision of grace and all of that magnifies the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and should inform our understanding of what it means to give, okay? One commentator told the story of a Persian monarch, a Shah who reigned in exorbitant splendor, riches, opulence, right? Living in the wealth of his royal palace and yet as this commentator said, is concerned for the common people, frequently drove him to dress as a poor man to leave the palace and to mingle with the lowliest of his subjects. He loved. He was concerned. So one day, as he donned his tattered rags, took off the robes and diadems of his royalty, he went out into the city and he visited a fireman. Wasn't a fireman who put out fires. This fireman's job was to heat water in the bathhouse, in the basement of the bathhouse. So dressed in tattered clothes, the Shah descended a long flight of steps down into the tiny cellar where the fireman sat on a pile of ashes, tending the fire. The ruler, this monarch, this prince, sat beside him and the two men began to talk. At lunchtime, the fireman shared his humble meal of coarse bread and water with his guests. Eventually the Shah left, but he returned again and again his heart filled with sympathy for the lonely man. The fireman opened his heart to his kind, compassionate friend who gave him wise counsel. Finally, the Shah could not bear to keep up the pretense any longer and decided to reveal his true identity to his friend. He then asked the poor fireman to name a gift that he could give him. To a surprise, the man said nothing, but merely sat looking at him with love and wonder, thinking that he might not have understood him. The Shah offered to make the fireman rich, to elevate him to the nobility, to make him ruler over a city. But he replied, Yes, my lord, I understood you, but leaving your palace to sit here with me, partake of my humble food, listen to the troubles of my heart, even you could give me no more precious gift than that. You may have had given rich gifts to others, but to me you gave of yourself. I only ask that you never withdraw your friendship from me. I think about that story from the lesser to the greater. In only a very small, you could even say infinitely small way. This story illustrates the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving of himself in the incarnation, lesser to the greater with a massive chasm between the two. This illustrates the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. How much greater is the magnitude of Christ's gift to us? And Paul says to the Corinthians, you know it, you know it, though he was rich, yet for your sake, he became poor. And Paul uses these terms rich and poor in a spiritual sense, right? In a spiritual sense. We're not speaking specifically or only or merely about money possessions at this point. Paul uses a present participle, therefore rich, literally being rich, though he was rich, though he was being wealthy. In a present ongoing way, he became poor. I think with me for a minute. His poverty had a beginning. His wealth had none. He was being wealthy. He became poor, right? His poverty had a beginning. That was the incarnation. He was rich from all eternity, counting equality with God, not a thing to be grasped. Rich, he was spiritually rich as being co-equal and co-eternal with the Father, fullness of deity, having all divine attributes and all divine prerogatives, having immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, eternally glorious, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen. That's the Lord Jesus Christ. Colossians chapter one, verse 16, for by him all things were created that are in heaven, that are on the earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers, all things were created through him and for him. Isaiah spoke of him in Isaiah chapter six in the year that King Uzziah died. I saw the Lord sitting on a throne. We know from John chapter 12 that this is the Lord Jesus Christ. I saw the Lord, Isaiah says, sitting on a throne, high and lifted up. The train of his robe filled the temple and above it stood seraphim. Each one had six wings with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, with two he flew and one cried to another and said, Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of his glory. It is this one, this one that impoverished himself for undeserving sinners. That's grace. That's grace. This one, eternally existing, inequality with God, reigning in majesty, receiving the worship and praise of heaven. This one impoverished himself. We're merely touching the surface of all that he gave to come in the flesh for sinners. And not only humbling himself in this way, right, but he having made himself of no reputation, having taken the form of a slave, coming in the appearance of the man, he humbled himself, became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. In other words, his grace is magnified in its extent, isn't it? In its extent, the extent of what he gave, the extent of what he sacrificed, all that he had, all that he is to redeem you and I. That doesn't mean that he ever gave up being God. Doesn't mean that he ceased to be who he is. Nobody became poor by becoming man, right? He became poor. His poverty had a starting point. He sacrificed all of that wealth, those riches to become poor. So much that can be said here about that, that volumes over centuries have been written. And as the Lord tarries, volumes will continue to be written. Thou who was rich beyond all splendor, all for love's sake became as poor. Thrones for a manger did surrender. Staff fire paved courts for stable floor. Thou who was rich beyond all splendor, all for love's sake became poor. His grace is magnified in its extent. His grace is also magnified in our need, right from the heights to the depths. Our need reveals the degree to which he stooped. Your spiritual bankruptcy required the sacrifice of his riches. Your depravity, your sin required the sacrifice of those riches, of that wealth. Even the sacrifice of himself. Revelation chapter three, verse 17. You and I are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked apart from him. Do you acknowledge that? It is your sin that he bears upon himself, each one of them a death penalty offense in and of itself. His grace magnified in the price that your sin, that my sin required the death of the Son of God in your place. But also his grace is magnified in its intent, in its, in its effect or in its purpose in what his grace accomplishes. His grace so great that it can accomplish the salvation of sinners. Verse nine, you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that considering the extent though he was rich yet for your safety became poor so that you through his poverty might become rich, not materially wealthy, not materially wealthy. We know the story of Lazarus who begged at the rich man's gate. And Lazarus went where? The heaven, Abraham's bosom. This is spiritual riches. What have we been given? I want you to think with me. As I read Ephesians chapter one beginning at verse three, think with me about the efficacy of his grace. What his grace accomplishes, the sufficiency of his grace, the magnitude of his grace. Ephesians chapter one, verse three, blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. And that's not hyperbole. He doesn't say with most of the spiritual blessings that we can find in the heavenly places with Christ. He doesn't bless us with some of the spiritual blessings in the heavenly places with Christ. With every spiritual blessing, he has freely given us all things in him, having not spared his only begotten son. Verse four, just as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love. This giving is from his love. It's an expression of his love. Having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to himself. We are adopted as sons and daughters and a household of God. What an amazing gift. According to the good pleasure of his will, verse six, to the praise of the glory of his grace by which he made us accepted in the beloved. These are riches indeed. Amen. Verse seven, in him we have redemption through his blood. The forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace, which he made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in himself. Amazing riches. You can lay hold of those spiritual riches this morning. Right now, by laying hold of Jesus Christ through faith, you can have that wealth. You can have all of those spiritual blessings in the heavenly places with him by turning from your sin and laying hold of him by faith. I believe that my righteousness is with him and I need no other. He is my righteousness. He is my salvation. He has become my justification, my redemption. Do you not know this morning that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked? Turn from your sin. Turn from your own life also. Turn from who you are apart from him and lay hold of Christ. Turn from your poverty before God, your bankruptcy before him. Turn from your bankruptcy and trust in Christ through his poverty. Having given all that he is, you may become rich. Horatius Bonar said this about his grace. Consider the extent of this grace. It is boundless. Like the heart of which it is, the gracious outflowing, like that heart, it is all together infinite. No amount of sin can impede its course or arrest its resistless flow. Transgressions of scarlet and crimson dye in a moment disappear before it and become like snow or wool. Mountain of iniquity are leveled at its touch as the small dust of the balance. An ocean of guilt evaporates as a drop before its glowing warmth and becomes as if it had never been. No number, no extent, no enormity of abominations can withstand grace so free, so abundant, so omnipotent. Where is the sinner on this side of hell that is beyond its reach? What mountains of sin can it not level? What valleys of iniquity can it not exalt till the highway between the sinner and God is made straight and plain so that none need mistake it or stumble upon it or imagine for a moment that it's not for him? That's grace. That's the generosity, the giving of our Lord Jesus Christ. Where to consider that in our giving? What's the result of that for one who is trusted in Christ for these things? What's the result? Gratitude, gratefulness, joy, joy inexpressible when you consider what Jesus Christ has done. What is mine by faith? Joy, gratefulness. Thank you, Lord. Gratitude, joy, love. Don't you? Knowing what the Lord Jesus Christ has done. Love him. Love him. An inexplicable love and it results in generosity in giving. In giving. We've been given so much in him. Amen. As we consider our own giving then, in light of this, Paul essentially says, Second Corinthians 8, think about the example of the Macedonians. I'm going to appeal to you in love to give as they did. Why? Why? Because you know. You know what you've been given. I don't have to command you. You know. You know. And so now give and give generously. Give like the Macedonians. Give like the Lord Jesus Christ freely, willingly, voluntarily as an expression of love. And Paul says, I'm revealing where Paul is showing our love to be document approved. Approved through testing. What's the test our giving? Prove the sincerity of your love through your generosity. That's Paul's exhortation. Let's pray. All praise, honor, and glory to the one who became poor so that through his poverty we might become rich. Amen. Consider our text. Let's consider the exhortation. Consider what Christ has done for us. And let's consider what we will do in response. When you're done praying, you are dismissed. Let's pray.