 2nd Corinthians chapter 9 verses 6 through 11 the title of our sermon is faith-filled giving faith-filled giving and we are nearing the end of two chapters in the Bible Dealing with the subject of Christian generosity your Christian giving Chapter 8 and chapter 9 Written to the church in Corinth concerning a collection for poor and suffering saints in the Jerusalem church That's in this context in the context of these two chapters in the context of this collection for the saints in Jerusalem That we've been given clear and helpful instruction For how those who name the name of the Lord Jesus Christ should give This is a systematic theology if you will of Christian giving. We're not talking here about giving our time Though Christians should give their time, right? We're not talking here about giving of our talent and our gifts though Christians should certainly serve employing their Talents and their gifts. We're talking specifically here about giving money. That's what the text is dealing with So let's be clear about that what we're talking about here is giving your money in chapter 8 verses 1 through 6 We're given an example of how we should give in a way that honors the Lord in chapter 8 verses 7 through 15 We're given an exhortation to give in a way that honors the Lord and in chapter 8 verses 16 through chapter 9 verse 15 We're given an explanation for giving in a way that honors the Lord So now in approaching our text this morning 2nd Corinthians chapter 9 verses 6 to 11 We've learned several lessons as we've worked verse by verse through these two chapters And I want to spend some time in the beginning here at the outset to remind us of some of those lessons You may want to write this down see if you can keep up What kind of giving is Paul after? What kind of giving is Paul after what kind of giving should we be after what kind of giving honors the Lord? One grace giving that is grace fueled giving that is grace fueled chapter 8 verse 1 more over brethren We draw your attention to the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia That in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty Abounded in the riches of their liberality in a wealth of generosity Paul says see that you abound in this grace also Secondly, it's giving that is love Motivated giving that is love motivated chapter 8 verse 8 Paul says I speak not by commandment But I am testing the sincerity of your love by the diligence of others Thirdly giving that is gospel-informed giving that is gospel-informed chapter 8 verse 9 because you know The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that though he was rich yet for your sakes He became poor that you through his poverty might become rich What kind of giving should we be motivated to give what kind of generosity are we being called to next? It's giving that is God Glorifying God glorifying chapter 8 verse 19 this gift administered by us Paul says to the glory of the Lord himself Next it's giving that is testimony fortifying testimony fortifying chapter 8 verse 21 Providing honorable things not only in the sight of the Lord certainly in his sight But also in the sight of men that are boasting of you might not be in vain chapter 9 verse 3 And lastly, it's grace or giving that is faith filled Faith filled chapter 9 verse 8 and God is able to make all grace abound toward you that you Always having all sufficiency and all things may have an abundance for every good work It is grace fueled love motivated gospel-informed God glorifying testimony fortifying faith filled giving Lot amen When the people of God Gilded to the spirit of God when they ready their minds when they ready their hearts when they prepare their hearts to give like this Then they're giving will be chapter 8 verse 2 overwhelmingly generous and sacrificial chapter 8 verse 3 Unreservedly voluntary Chapter 8 verse 4 seen as a blessing to the giver and certainly a blessing to the receiver chapter 8 verse 5 an expression of selfless devotion chapter 8 verse 6 the fruit of an abounding grace chapter 8 verse 8 the demonstration of a sincere love chapter 8 verse 9 an expression of gratitude for Christ Chapter 8 verse 10 to our everlasting advantage Paul says write chapter 8 verse 12 the action of a willing mind a willing heart chapter 8 verse 12 according to your means According to your means chapter 8 verse 14 a means through which God works to meet the needs of his people Chapter 8 verse 21 honorable in the sight of God Chapter 8 verse 21 honorable in the sight of men chapter 8 verse 24 the proof or evidence of your love Chapter 9 verse 2 a means by which others are stirred up to give Chapter 9 verse 2 a cause for boasting on your behalf Chapter 9 verse 5 an act of gracious generosity Chapter 9 verse 6 that cause and spring of a bountiful blessing from God who supplies all that we need when we trust him in our giving We're not even done with chapter 9 yet, right? We got another week to go Lord willing Beloved, this is how we need to give We need to grasp these two chapters from God's Word and this is how we need to give This is the mindset that we need to inform our giving This is the heart with which we should come to the worship of God through giving This is how we give in the church. This is how we give as Christians. Amen We need to be informed by these two chapters We're called to abound in this grace And someone might say well, listen if I give like this, I'm not gonna have anything left over Slow down cowboy We give according to our means chapter 8 verse 12. Listen, I'm not gifted in generosity. It's not my gift Prepare your heart brother prepare your heart sister giving shouldn't be a grudging obligation chapter 9 verse 5 Are you older men? You older men raising kids providing for your household Plan and prepare your giving Let your zeal for giving to the Lord's work to the cause of Christ in this way What's being described here? Let it stir up the majority and be an example of sacrificial love. Let your zeal men fire up the majority young man Young man working a part-time job trying to get yourself through school Not left over at the end of that stack of bills, right? Let this good work be a fruit of your faith and Begin a habit now of sowing bountifully and reaping bountifully young lady Purposing in your heart to be devoted to the Lord and satisfied in him alone Nix your giving with tears of gratitude for what the Lord has done in Christ for you and Lay up for yourself dear sister treasure in heaven. Amen I'm gonna refrain from older ladies No, I'm not you sisters. I love you older ladies Acknowledge that everything you have Everything that you've been given comes from him alone and Give as a testimony to young sisters Give as a testimony to young men Give as a testimony to those who are tempted to draw back in Facelessness and fear give it a testimony to them that he is faithful to supply all your needs and he always has that kind of giving Takes faith But that kind of giving takes faith our giving should be faith filled Giving faith filled giving. How do we give in faith? How do we give in faith? Well, that's the subject of our text this morning second Corinthians chapter 9 Versus 6 to 11. What does it look like to give in faith? How do we give in faith? How is it that our giving is faith filled? Let's look first at the premise and a proverb in verse 6 The premise and a proverb Paul begins in verse 6 saying this but this I say right the word but Makes it sound like he's introducing a contrast with what came before it's not really a contrast It's a continuation of what was said before verse 5 Make sure your gift is a matter of generosity and not a grudging obligation Then the Greek literally says in verse 6 now this right now this Make sure your giving is a matter of generosity and not a grudging obligation Now this and he introduces a proverb in verse 6 now this he's giving us a principle or a proverb That should motivate us to generous giving here it is He who sows sparingly Will also reap sparingly and he who sows bountifully will also reap Bountifully so we have the premise in a proverb verse 6 is a tale of two farmers Sowing seed in a field or remember here what we're talking about. We're talking about giving money Right, we're talking about giving money. This is a tale of two farmers showing seed in a field one farmer goes into the field With a handful of seeds that are precious to him, right? He's got a handful of seeds those seeds are precious Right. He sows them fade a minnows sparingly. He sows them in a meager way Reluctantly putting each individual seed he inserts it in the dark in the dirt like flipping a diamond into a vault Right covers it over cares for it each seed individually There's no indication that he has any fewer seeds than the other farmer But he's most concerned about conserving his seed because he has ultimately no Confidence in the harvest DC. He's fearful. He's fearful and he's so he sows sparingly The other farmer goes into the field with two Big seed bags on his shoulders, right? The field has been well plowed well prepared and if he walks through the field he reaches big handful in one bag and Tosses it out to the right big hand in the other bag and tosses it out to the left Casting seed on either side as he goes right grabbing a handful of seed sowing you like The preposition there with the preposition that literally means on the basis of blessing He sows bountifully and what the word is conveying is that he sows on the basis of blessing Okay, in other words, he sows generously liberally with an expectation of future I so to speak faith in a blessing not concerned so much with Conserving the seed as he is with reaping the harvest now What initially distinguishes the two farmers on the surface is the amount of seed that they sow one sows sparingly one sows bountifully however What is revealed in the amount of seed that they sow is their heart attitude toward the harvest isn't it in our metaphor just we have this trait in our metaphor What is this seed referring to? Money, that's right. I heard it. That's right money, right? What is this sowing? referring to Giving it's referring to giving and what is it that the farmers will reap then? Blessing that's right. That's right The seed is referring to money the sowing is referring to giving what is it the farmers will reap the farmers will reap a blessing now We're establishing the principle here with this proverb. We're establishing the principle of giving in faith a Giving in faith right one farmer fears the loss of a seed as Long as he's has seed in the barn the farmer feels secure to scatter it around To scatter around like that seems to him to be wasteful rather than helpful Do you see as the seed leaves his hand? It seems to him that there is a decrease in what he has He's letting it go and what he has seems to decrease to him. He fears There won't be a harvest or that hell have little or no return for his sowing Maybe his surplus will be depleted. There won't be anything left for him He's sowing in fear Besides all that he has his hand on the seed now It's his there's seed in the barn there's seed in the back there's seed in his hands and it's his To let it go Well, listen, there's just no they're no guarantees They're no guarantees. So why should I let it go liberally? I need to conserve it so he hoards his seed and he sows sparingly. He sows miserly He sows reluctantly not in hope Not in joy, but in fear in reluctance He sows begrudgingly to use that word from verse five, right? The other farmer Doesn't fear the loss of the seed He sees the seed as a means to the harvest Right the seed in the barn Isn't the blessing or the security that this farmer is after in fact, it seems really foolish to him To keep seed in the barn. I thought what seed is for What in the world is seed for if not to sow an expectation of a harvest But that's the mind the heart of this farmer as the seed leaves his hand There is every expectation that what he has is not decreasing but increasing Right He'll replenish his seed at the harvest. There's no need to worry about that And so he sows bountifully and he sows in hope and in joy and in faith and he sows Generously liberally, right So in stark contrast to worldly wisdom This little proverb is biblically axiomatic. It's a truism from scripture. It's all over scripture The means to true prosperity in this life Is not the covetous accumulation of money But the faith filled generosity that gives it away I want to repeat that I want us to think let that sink sink into your heart and mind In stark contrast to worldly wisdom The means to true prosperity In this life In this life Is not the covetous accumulation of money But the faith filled generosity that gives it away Those words are chosen carefully because it is faith filled giving that Secures that prosperity for god's people. Okay, it's christian giving in faith And you might say I know I know I believe what the bible says I know there's going to be a blessing for me in heaven when I give I believe the lord will take care of me On this side of eternity, but I know that I'm really I'm storing up a treasure for myself in heaven. I understand that Now listen That's certainly true Amen, that's a promise from god But the proverb refers to what we sow in reap in this life also It's in this life here and now This life and the one to come okay wicked Word of faith false teachers have robbed Many of god's people from this precious precious promise from his word Right, there's a promise in god's word regarding this and don't let wicked deplorable covetous Greedy false teachers from a word of faith movement. Those charismatic don't let them rob the joy of this promise from god's people There is a promise that god's people with respect to your giving. Okay Let's remind ourselves of some of them turned with me to proverbs chapter three Proverbs chapter three These are promises to god's people, okay We have a promise here in our text regarding this But certainly we find it all over the bible Proverbs chapter three and look at verse nine Here in chapter three verse nine the lord says honor the lord with your possessions And with the first fruits of all your increase What comes to you you give first back to the lord right? Honor the lord with your possessions what he gives you and with the first fruits of what comes to you of what's given to you So that verse 10 your heavenly barns will be filled with No, your barns Okay, so that your barns will be filled with plenty and your vats will overflow with new wine So at the page to the right look at proverbs 11 proverbs 11 Look there proverbs 11 at verse 24 Now these are these are promises in this life forgiving and blessing in the here and now verse 24 there's one who scatters And even though he scatters what he increases more That's that farmer as he's casting out seed as the seed is leaving his hand. He sees an increase Right. He sees a harvest. He's not seeing it as a decrease as a loss of what he has but as an increase Okay, there's one who scatters and yet increases more There's one who withholds more than is right, but it leads to poverty Now why is that it's true because god is the one who's sovereign over giving and receiving Right. God is the one who is sovereign over all these things verse 25 the generous soul will be made rich It's passive. Who's the one making him rich god is The generous soul will be made rich. He who waters will also be watered himself The people will curse him who withholds grain But blessing will be on the head of him who sells it. He who earnestly seeks good finds favor But trouble will come to him who seeks evil He who trusts in his riches will fall But the righteous will flourish like foliage Like a crop, okay Put the page and we'll get proverbs chapter 19 Proverbs chapter 19 And look there at verse 17 Where the lord says he who has pity on the poor lends to the lord That's interesting statement But that one's thinking for a moment, right? He who has pity on the poor lends to the lord and he who's the he who's the nearest antecedent of the he The lord the lord will pay back what he has given He who has pity on the poor lends to the lord when you give It's as if the proverb is saying you are lending to the lord Who pays you back when you lend the lord does and he will pay back what he has given Proverbs chapter 28 Proverbs chapter 28 And look at verse 27 chapter 28 verse 27 He who gives to the poor will not lack But he who hides his eyes from the poor Will have many curses One more malachi You get malachi Last book in your old testament malachi And look at chapter 3 beginning in verse 8 Malachi chapter 3 beginning in verse 8 The lord asks a question Verse 8 Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed me This passage is applicable Will a man rob God yet you have robbed me but you say In what way have we robbed you? We've robbed me God says in tithes and offerings You are cursed with a curse for you have robbed me even this whole nation Bring all the tithes into the storehouse That there may be food in my house and try me now in this says the lord of hosts And see if I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes so that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field says the lord of hosts And all nations will call you blessed for you will be a delightful land says the lord of hosts Those blessings belong to us too Amen They belong to us too in addition to all those blessings found forgiving in the new testament now notice Back in 2nd Corinthians chapter 9 our proverb in our proverb And in each of these passages that we've read Who is the one who gives the increase? God does Who's the one who gives the supply god does who's the one who gives the increase god does who's the one who gives the blessing god does Calvin said this Whenever carnal reason Whenever worldly reasoning right worldly wisdom whenever carnal reason keeps us back from doing good through fear of loss We may immediately defend ourselves with this shield, but the lord declares that we are sowing Everybody understand what calvin's saying right when you're tempted to draw back When you're tempted to fear when you find your heart faithless in particularly with respect to this Subject of christian giving when that carnal reason that worldly mindset Keeps us back from doing good by using fear of loss as a wicked tool against you When you feel or feel that sense that fear of loss arising in your heart We can immediately defend ourselves with this report The lord declares that i am sowing And if i am sowing he says there will be a what? a harvest There'll be a harvest i'm sowing it leaves my hand. It's not decreasing. It's increasing it leaves my hand. It's not lost It's gain. It's increase right? We're to sow With our faith in him for the harvest So all our obedience should be the same amen all of our obedience to god should be from the same Basis of faith in him. This is the christian life believing that what he has commanded is for my good It's for my edification. It's for my conformity to my savior right the lord is growing me making me A chaste virgin to present before christ holy without thought or blemish right he's Sanctifying us and as he sanctifies us i am to obey him in faith Understanding that these things are for my good So when you consider giving then to the church When you consider you're giving to missions when you consider you're giving to the needs of god's people Let your giving be fueled by god's grace informed by the gospel motivated by love and filled with faith And consider god's promise to you in the proverb consider god's promise In verse 6 what kind of harvest Do you by faith intend to reap Prepare your heart ahead of time What kind of harvest do i want to reap for the lord's sake for the lord's glory For the good of his people for the good of his church for the good of his cause right for the sake of his name For the spread of the gospel. What kind of harvest do i by faith intend to reap a meager harvest? Or a bountiful harvest Listen lord I knew You were an austere master You were tough Right and so I took what you gave me and I buried it there in the dirt Lord comes back to you lord Here you have back what you gave me What happens to that faithless and wicked servant? What kind of harvest a meager harvest? a bountiful harvest Giving our giving is an act of faith Our discipleship is an act of faith sometimes it doesn't go so good right? And maybe you're having conflicts and difficulties. Maybe you're not seeing much fruit. Well, listen brother, you're sowing So what do you do you keep sowing? But that one left the church and that one got mad at me and that one won't talk to me anymore. Listen Think about what you're doing Make sure you're being loving make sure you're being wise in your discipleship But you're sowing so keep sowing what kind of harvest do you expect to reap a great harvest? That's faith That's faith We should so in hope so in faith think about your evangelism Right sometimes it's tough And you're going door to door you don't see fruit for a while Right, you're not getting the responses maybe that you'd like to see I just haven't had a good conversation in a while Not seeing the fruit that I'd like to see Well, of course not we would like to see a great awakening right And the lord may do that but short of the lord doing that we are sowing brother We're sowing sister and we will reap a harvest. Why because god has said so So in faith I go to the door with the expectation of faith That I will reap a harvest if I faint not Right don't grow weary In well doing right don't be discouraged in your souls Faith priests the gospel love your brothers serve in the church. What about serving over with the kids? How many diapers have I changed in here? I know I don't know I can't remember I've lost count You are serving and sowing You're sowing what kind of harvest do you by faith intend to reap is it going to be a meager harvest because of your heart A meager harvest because of the the way that you approach your service the way that you approach it's not about the amount You see it's not about the amount. It's about our heart The way that I approach my evangelism The way that I approach my discipleship the way that I approach serving the way that I approach my brothers and sisters in the church coming here Right the way that I approach my giving What is my heart attitude? Is it god glorifying love motivated testimony fortified gospel informed faith filled giving service evangelism discipleship Or is it begrudging Is it meager? Is it scant? Is it reluctant? Our giving is to be faith filled giving That brings us to our second point giving then from faith. We have our premise in a proverb chapter nine verse six Then paul launches into instruction with respect with respect to giving then from faith in verse seven He says in verse seven so then by considering our proverb Let then each one give as the purposes in his heart Literally it says let each one choose for himself That's what the text says Let him choose for himself This is an individual responsibility between you and god as a matter of your faith. It's a matter of your faith You have an individual responsibility. We give we have much work that we do here corporately as a church But giving is a matter for you to consider individually between you and god Let each one choose for himself considering the points that have been raised Considering the instruction that has been given to us from the word of god. How are you going to give? Now paul has great confidence That all the instruction the example of the mastodonians The example of the lord jesus christ all the instruction that's been given to us about giving paul has great confidence that the christian has a willing heart a willing mind And that with that willing mind with that willing heart fueled by grace In dwelt by the spirit that christian is going to give and going to give Generously in a way that honors the lord in a way that's god glorifying Unless that one doesn't have the right heart Doesn't have the right mind, right? Check your heart inform your heart prepare your heart Consider what has been said. How are you going to give certainly here with respect to money? But with any act of christian obedience, right? How are you going to approach our responsibility for evangelism for discipleship for loving your brother loving your sister for ministering to your spouse Ladies for submitting to your husband men for sacrificially loving your wife children for obeying your parents How are we going to serve cornerstone kids? How are we going to serve at the event that we have around here? There's a mission's work that our church is involved in in haydie Right, there's work that our church is involved in in guatemala city. How are we going to give? How are we going to manage these things? What is the heart attitude with which we will before god in the sight of god Approach these things let each one give here as he purposes in his heart Not grudgingly Nor of necessity why because god loves a cheerful Giver we're cheerful. He'll are us where we get our word hilarious from That doesn't mean that you're a hilarious giver in the way that we See him that one that word And you there are some youtube videos where you see some hilarious giving It's also oftentimes blasphemous giving right in the way that they go about that. You've been in some of those churches We're to be joyful joyful exuberant Exuberant when it leaves my hand. What do I see in faith a harvest and there's joy over that right? You know big handfuls of speed Like why because we're we're sowing in faith We're sowing in faith not grudgingly or of necessity but joyfully word for grudging Is different than that word be grudging in verse five. It's a different word. It literally means with sorrow Or with grief Because it's a cheerful or a joyful giver That's the giver that god loves That's the giver that god loves the one who gives in joy The emphasis here is not on the amount What is the emphasizing he's emphasizing the attitude of your heart when you give if you give in sorrow You're giving begrudgingly if let me ask you this if god loves the cheerful giver What's his attitude toward the begrudging sorrowful giver god loves the begrudging giver god loves the cheerful giver god loves The begrudging giver. Okay, the emphasis here is on the attitude of heart. Remember the Macedonians from chapter eight verse two They gave out of an abundance of their joy out of deep poverty and out of an abundance of joy They gave they begged For the blessing of participating in this collection, right? It shows their heart And by stating positively that god loves the joyful giver The implication is that god loads the begrudging giver. This is not to be done out of necessity Well, let's take it aside with respect to that for just a moment, right? It's not to be done as a necessity, but you might ask aren't we commanded to give Aren't we commanded to give? Yes, we are Yes, we are commanded to give. It's a command in scripture. Well, that makes it necessary, doesn't it? Yes, it does It makes it necessary, but we need to watch our hearts. It is to be faith filled giving Let me read a couple of texts to you Deuteronomy chapter 15 verse 7 Deuteronomy chapter 15 verse 7 you shall not harden your heart Nor shut your hand from your poor brother But you shall open your hand wide to him and willingly lend him sufficient for his need whatever he needs That's a command from scripture Romans chapter 12 verse 13. We are to distribute to the needs of the saints We are to distribute to the needs of the saints command from Romans chapter 12 verse 13 the tithe Giving a tent of all that is given to us Was codified under the old covenant and upheld under the new Giving the tithe was present Before the old covenant was codified under the old covenant and is upheld under the new still in Action today so to speak an interesting term with me to Matthew chapter 23. Let me show a text to you with respect to this Matthew chapter 23 A new testament text dealing specifically with the tithe Matthew chapter 23 and look there at verse 23 but the lord is rebuking just a Scourging here of the Pharisees with respect to their hypocrisy Specifically here in verse 23 their hypocrisy when it comes to the tithe Look at what he says in verse 23 woe to you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites Why because you pay tithe of mint and anise and kuman and have neglected the weightier matters of the law justice and mercy and faith These you ought to have done tithing of mint anise and kuman tithing without leaving the others Undone I think with me about what's going on here in Matthew 23 The lord is rebuking scribes and Pharisees for hypocritical tithing for their hypocrisy, right? They're giving their tithing Has deteriorated Into a heartless practice that is disconnected entirely from the important matters That the tithe was intended to support or to promote you see what's going on He's rebuking them because their giving has been disconnected. It's turned into a heartless hypocritical thing Because it's been disconnected from the heart Of what the command to tithe was given to promote or to support Okay Which is god's justice God's mercy and faith in the lord What they've done in their hypocrisy is they're tithing But they're tithing in a disconnected way Which makes it hypocritical in a disconnected way from god's mercy from god's justice and from faith in him They devoted a tent Of every herb in their garden But what's the one thing that wasn't devoted to the lord? their heart They were giving a tent of everything else What the one thing they lacked they didn't give their devotion their heart their affections they didn't give of themselves to the lord So they're giving then was actually a blasphemous and hypocritical lack Of christian generosity right their giving was hypocritical He concludes that explanation by saying this these you ought to have done You ought to have given these But you should have given them in this way you see You should have given them in this way without leaving the others Undone but what is that telling us about the law? I think with me The lord is after something far more radical Than a mere external conformity to the law Then a mere moralism he's after something far more radical than mere formalism Or mere moralism the lord is after your heart And your devotion and your love and your affection and your faith and trust in him. That's what the lord is after We're not to disconnect these two things right given that way the lord is after far something far more radical than a mere 10 percent of your income Right, that's the law That's the law But he's after something far more radical than just your external conformity to the law Okay, john calvin said this listen the principle end And use of the law is to invite men to god I like that The principle end and use of the law is to invite men to god. He also said this Free affection Is the foundation and beginning of duly obeying the law for what is drawn forth by constraint or Servile fear Can not please god So if you give and you give in fear without faith It's hypocrisy Ten amount to that of the Pharisees right Disconnected from love from faith from justice and mercy There can be no True holiness of heart or life unless it proceeds from faith working by love. Do you see No true holiness of heart or life unless it proceeds from faith Working by love true of all of our obedience, isn't it? True of all of our obedience. We must give from faith working by love. So the christian says to that Yes And amen Praise the lord. That's the response of the christian. That's the way I want to give Right. I want to have that heart God I I I know how weak and how prone to wander my heart is but I see this example of your grace at work in the Macedonians god give me a double horses Right. Let that mantle fall upon me That's the way I want to give I love you lord I want to give as you have called me to give I give I see that my giving should be grace fuel love motivated gospel informed God glorifying testimony fortifying christ exalting and faith filled. I want to give that way I know That what should motivate that giving is faith working through love Help me lord Right the free affection of my heart in devotion to him. That's how I'm to give The lord my heart is plagued with fears My heart is plagued fears on one side doubt on the other I worry about not having enough I worry about what happens if things get tight Or I lose my job or if I can't work any longer. I I don't want to be unwise in my giving lord I don't want to be unwise. I'm concerned about My responsibilities to my family to my household. I'm concerned about Making sure there's enough there that I can Provide for my household. I'm aware of your command lord my responsibility that I should do that I recognize though within my heart there is a tendency towards self-indulgence There's a tendency toward faithlessness in the way that I hoard My possessions or my money the tendency towards selfishness Sometimes lord, I have a greater desire for my own comfort Than a desire to provide for the needs of my brothers and sisters Paul answers those doubts and concerns. He answers them. He says have faith brother Have faith sister Listen beloved have faith verse eight god is able to make all grace abound toward you that you always having All sufficiency in all things may have an abundance for every good work Now here's the apostle paul the holy spirit through the pen of paul coming alongside you me in our doubts and in our weakness and In our ear with great love and great affection great mercy and grace from god saying Have faith Have faith god's able to take care of you Look at the lilies of the field They neither toil Nor weep nor worry nor doubt nor fear yet lord takes care look how majestically they are arrayed God is able five times. He uses the variation here of the word all All grace always having all sufficiency and all things may have an abundance for all good work. That's what he's saying What all that means Because you can be really generous Be freely generous free from worry free from that concern free from doubt Have faith Take a deep breath right take a deep breath and trust the lord Trust the lord You can give You can give And he is able he is able to make all grace abound toward you Ephesians chapter three verse 20 Now to him who is able it's where we see that phrase right Now to him who is able to do Exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us To him be glory in the church by christ jesus to all generations forever and ever amen Lord was able to take your heart of stone and replace it with a heart of flesh wasn't he The lord was able to Change your desires couldn't have done that yourself You're in christ. He has transformed you Transformed the way that you think he's transformed your affections. He's transformed your hopes Right. He's transformed your heart. He was able to change your desires. He was able to take your punishment He was able to die there in your place to forgive you your sins He was able to break the pattern of rebellion that was bound up in your rebellious heart. Was he not? He was able to impute to you his righteousness to give you an inheritance with the saints in the light He is able as jude says to keep you from stumbling And to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy Listen if he's able to do that Then he is able to make all grace abound toward you that you always having all sufficiency and all things may have an abundance for every good work I don't know The fullness and extent of my own wicked heart neither do you Lord does the lord does and the lord is able to sustain. I know enough about my own heart To know what a miracle of grace it is That god will sustain me to the end and present me faultless I know what a miracle that is and if god can do that Then he is able to Do anything to preserve me and care for me and supply my need on this side of eternity To god our savior Who alone is wise be glory and majesty dominion and power both now and forever as jude says amen, right? He's able He's provided for you all your life to this point Has any he's provided for you all your life To this point. He can take a miser And turn him into a generous giver. He can certainly Make all grace abound toward us in fact in fact his faithfulness As provider is memorialized in a psalm psalm 112 verse nine is quoted in verse nine of second crimpians chapter nine As it is written He has dispersed abroad He has given to the poor his righteousness endures forever The subject of this statement the subject of this statement is the person who gives Now listen to that with me one more time And think of it with respect to that the subject of the statement is the person who gives in faith As it is written verse nine. He has dispersed abroad He's given He has given to the poor His righteousness endures forever And that's an amazing thought isn't it what an amazing thought of grace and mercy on the part of god toward the one who Gives in faith the one who puts their faith in the lord gives as god has called them to give And that person has god's blessing in addition to having all sufficiency in all things in addition to having god's promised abundance for every good work Your faithful and righteous acts of generous giving endure before the sight of god forever Forever So that you can sit back with your thumbs under your overall straps and say look at how generous i was No, but they're a testimony of god's grace They're a testimony of god's spirit at work in the heart of his people to give generously It's a testimony of him and that testimony that testimony of righteousness will endure forever Forever both in the life that now is And in the life which is to come a treasure that will not fade A treasure that neither moth nor rust can destroy a treasure that fees can never break in and seal The beauty of that righteous giving that act of righteousness never fades in the sight of god So brother and sister trust in the lord trust in the lord Faith filled giving We have the premise and a proverb We can give from faith because point three on your notes giving the giving of god Because of the giving of god Paul ends with a prayer to god for them for the Corinthians and for us This prayer is for us also verse 10 Now may he who supplies seed to the sower to remember our parable our proverb right remember our metaphor Now may he who supplies seed to the sower And bread for food supply and multiply the seed that you have sown And increase the fruits of your righteousness Now we often imagine don't we that it's our sowing that produces the harvest We lose sight of the fact That it's god who produces the harvest and we think that it's our own effort our sowing that produces the harvest And so we sweat and we toil and we worry over that thing as if it's up to us and listen if it was up to us It would fail far more than succeed It's not up to us God who does that We often think that our diligence our work our labor the might of our hand have provided us this wealth We often think that way, but notice the three parts that we see in verse 10 He will supply he's the one who supplies right He will multiply and he will increase He supplies the seed. What is the seed? It's the means of doing good Specifically from our proverb. It's money. It's wealth. It's it's what we have. It's our resources given to us by god Right. He supplies the seed, which is the means of doing good. He provides for you bread for food He's going to give you enough for you And he's going to give you enough to sow seed Right lord gives that all that we have lord gives us He multiplies that seed That is sown. In other words, he makes it effective. Isn't that a glorious thought too when I sow seed I can sow one tiny seed and from that spring 50 stalks of grain, right? He multiplies the seed. He makes it effective in a way that we never could in a way that is miraculous, right? Supernaturally, he multiplies the seeds that is sown making it effective And he increases the fruit the fruit of well-doing the fruits of your righteousness Listen to this from deuteronomy chapter 8 Deuteronomy chapter 8 beginning in verse 11 Where moses says beware that you do not forget the lord your god by not keeping his commandments His judgments and his statutes, which I command you today Don't forget him blessed When you have eaten and are full and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them And when your herds and your flocks multiply And your silver and your gold are multiplied And all that you have is multiplied why because of the good hand of god The gracious giving of god the supply of god when all that is multiplied When your heart is lifted up And you forget the lord your god who brought you out of the land of egypt you forget that all those blessings have come from him From the house of bondage who led you through that great and terrible wilderness in which were fiery serpents and scorpions And thirsty land where there was no water who brought water for you out of the flinty rock If the lord wants to bring supply for you from a rock he is able Amen Who fed you in the wilderness with manna if the lord Wants to drop supply from you straight out of heaven Like a pastry on the ground that you can pick up you can do it and then he's able right? Which your fathers didn't know Then he might humble you and then he might test you to do you good in the end then you stay in your heart What a testimony of the depravity of our wicked hearts The self sufficiency The faithlessness For us to say my power and the might of my hand have gained me this well absurd, isn't it That would be like terrible analogy Your three-year-old walking into the kitchen Can hardly even put a coherent sentence together Pulls open the refrigerator and pulls out their gummies and says my might And the power of my hand Have made for me It's infinitely more absurd than that Is it for god's people to say Listen, you didn't make you I stand here having been made Fearfully and wonderfully so I reap the blessings and the benefits of his Gracious hand to me Take a breath The air rushing into your lungs. Where does that come from? God graciously gives it for me to say My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth May it never be so right? That's what the lost world says not The people of god Let's not act like that is our heart Have faith brother have faith sister He goes on you shall remember the lord your god for it is he Who gives you power to get wealth that he may establish his covenant Which he swore to your fathers as it is this day Then it shall be if you by any means forget the lord your god and follow other gods and serve them and worship them Including the god of yourself. I have provided this by my power in my mind I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish And justifiably so Amen Paul 2nd Corinthians chapter 9 verse 10 continues Now may he who supplies seed to the sower bred for food supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness implication of that last statement Is this What if you have no fruits of righteousness in this? Those that neglect this work are unrighteous Those that neglect to sow the seed that god has given them for sowing are unrighteous And he gives us all this all this blessing all this blessing While verse 11 you are enriched it is present passive ongoing Currently you are enriched Take a look right you are enriched Liberally in all things You are enriched in everything for Liberality for generosity This is brothers and sisters our current state Praise god For his many blessings praise god for his provision praise god for his supply Praise god for his grace praise god for his mercy In all of that verse 11 Causes thanksgiving through us to god We're certainly grateful aren't we for what god has done for us Amen But also when you obey in faith when you give as we're called to give generously liberally It causes Thanksgiving through us to god it glorifies god and all that do to the faithful giving of god's people All praise honor and glory To the one who supplies all that we need to live for him. Amen. Amen. Let's pray Go before the lord and lord ask the lord. Please lord help us to have this heart give us faith And commit yourself to give in faith in a way that honors him when you're done praying you are dismissed. Let's pray