Graham continued the 2 Corinthian series this morning from 2 Corinthians chapter 8, verses 1 to 15
Sermon 2 Corinthians 8:1-15
Using Faith to Handle Money
Intro
Joke - Bathtub Test
During a visit to a hospital for people with mental health problems, a visitor asked the Director how do you determine whether or not a patient should be admitted.
‘Well,’ said the Director, ‘we fill up a bathtub, then we offer a teaspoon, a teacup and a bucket to the patient and ask him or her to empty the bathtub.’
‘Oh, I understand,’ said the visitor. ‘A well person would use the bucket because the bucket is bigger than the spoon or the teacup.’
‘No.’ said the Director, ‘A well person would pull the plug. Do you want a bed near the window?’
And the point is? When we look at this letter of 2 Corinthians let us not jump onto topics only as though they are the only story, look at the bigger picture too. Ask yourself, “What is this letter about?”
For example, so far I have focussed mainly on topics as I have preached on this letter from week to week. When Matt preached on Chapter 6, he focused on topics. I really liked his point that Paul’s endurance of hardships and setbacks show us that for him, the work of God did not see steady, linear advancement. We too will go through times which we may call desert experiences. These “Deserts” are important to our development and godliness. There are times for us all when we will not feel God as near as usual.
Matt mentioned the call to open our hearts, in verses 11 and 12. Last week John picked up that theme in his coverage of chapter 7. He invited us to open our hearts or “make room” in our hearts, as in chapter 7 verse 2. That chapter calls us to make room in our hearts for God, for other believers, for sorrow which leads to authentic repentance and to the comfort of the Holy Spirit - the topic which opens this letter.
Before I go on to the theme of today I will cover from chapter 8, I want us to notice the great theme of the letter - the life of faith. This letter deals with gritty stuff, what the life of faith is all about.
I want this church to biblically literate, and intelligent church, a people of the Truth, people of the word, of revelation. We want to be a church that wins the lost, that displays Christ in the way we serve our community, and a church that has discovered what it is to “be” in a way that pleases God. I want us to be people that live the life of faith.
The theme we come to now is the handling of money. Let us look at this aspect of the life of faith, our financial participation in the work of the Kingdom of God. This theme of chapter 8 is a difficult one but a vital one.
It is not just a matter of opening our hearts, but opening our wallets too. We are not to be chasing the spectacular or short-lived special blessing, this walk of faith is a marathon and not a sprint.
1) Money is not evil
In the scriptures God has a lot to say about money. Money itself is not evil, it is the love of money that is a root of all evil (1 Timothy 6:10).
Jesus said that the way a person handles their money is an indication of whether they can be trusted with true spiritual riches.
See Luke 16:10-11. Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?
It is evident that in the kingdom of God money is important. Church leaders (God’s servants) need to be released from spending all their time in secular employment so that they can devote themselves fully to the work of the ministry. Needs amongst the people of God are to be met. The poor are to be cared for, church buildings need to be paid for, heated, maintained etc. God’s way of meeting these needs is through the giving of His people - it has been so in both Old and New Testament periods.
2) Money can be handled with faith
Some New Testament principles can be seen in:
2 Corinthians 9:7 Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
1 Corinthians 16:2 On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.
Clearly God intends our giving to be:
- In proportion to our means.
- Systematic.
- With a willing cheerfulness.
Rooting about in pockets and purses when an offering is announced betrays a lack of prayerful preparation. On the other hand, the attitude of “I’ll just empty my wallet into the offering and trust the Lord to see me through the week” is, though it seems to show a spontaneous generosity, displays a careless, unplanned approach to giving.
The giving of a believer should never be a matter of compulsion. I have heard many bullying methods used as desperate leaders have attempted to extract finances from God’s people.
Example Luke 6:38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
I have heard that passage used to assert that if I give (or invest!) financially in God’s kingdom I will receive more back. Read the context! Luke 6:38 is about the giving of mercy and not being judgemental.
3) Money and the Macedonians
We see in 2 Corinthians 8:1-5 that the Macedonians gave in a way that has become an example to believers down the ages.
- Sacrificially - beyond their means.
- Willingly - of own free will.
- Eagerly - they loved to give.
- Spiritually - they gave themselves to the Lord.
Lord God, teach me more about this feature of the life of faith. Please help me to grow in it.
