Giving According to Ability

Transcript

GR 1818
10/25/2015
Giving According to Ability
2 Corinthians 8:10-15
Gil Rugh

I direct your attention to the book of 2 Corinthians in your Bibles. We sing about the greatness of our God, His might, His power, His love, the transformation He brought to our lives. And that's what Paul is writing about in 2 Corinthians 8, He's talking about the greatness of the grace of God and His manifestation in the lives of His people. He is instructing the Corinthians about an offering that is to be taken for the needy, believing Jews in Jerusalem. But he never talks about money, but it's clear what he is talking about. And he's talking about grace as the foundation of the giving. So he keeps mentioning grace, grace, grace because that grace is to overflow in their lives in the area of their giving. He started out in 2 Corinthians 8:1, “Now brethren, we wish to make known to you the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia.” What do you mean the grace of God given? It's the contribution, the financial gift that the poverty stricken churches in Macedonia, churches like Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea collected to give to the needy believers in Jerusalem. Paul said that was the grace of God working and moving in their lives so that they were so generous.

As we move down through the first six verses of 2 Corinthians 8 we are reminded that Paul is not dealing with a new subject for the Corinthians. In fact as we will see repeated again in our study together in a moment, the Corinthians were really the first ones to take on this offering. Evidently as Paul initiated the idea, perhaps through Titus his representative, on a previous visit, the Corinthians had committed themselves in a generous way to be part of this contribution to help alleviate the need of the believing Jews in Jerusalem. So in verse 6 he said, “So we urged Titus that he had previously made a beginning so he would also complete in you this gracious work as well,” this grace work. Paul is not a beggar for money, but Paul wants to encourage growth and development in God's people in all areas and this area of giving is a grace work, a work of God's grace in their lives. And so Titus has been his representative, evidently at the beginning when he presented this idea from Paul. Now follow through on it.

And so in verse 7 he reminded them of the overflowing grace of God in their lives. You abound in everything, overflowing of God's grace in your lives is evident in; so many areas. And he exhorts them at the end of verse 7, “see you abound in this grace work also,” this gracious work, this work of God's grace in your lives. There were so many areas where God's grace was evident in the life of the Corinthian church. He wants that grace to be overflowing in the area of their giving as well. Puts our financial giving in a whole different area. It's not, well there is need, I guess we should do something. No, this is the opportunity for God's grace to overflow in your lives, to be a manifestation of His grace at work in your lives. More than just money. God doesn't need anything from us, as we have talked about, but in His loving plan of grace He uses us to manifest His grace working in our lives. So overflow in this grace as well. Crucial, and we've talked about this as we've worked through verses 7-9 already together. Important we see our lives in all areas as a manifestation of God's grace.

I want to take you to a couple passages, first to Ephesians 2, a chapter which begins by reminding the Ephesian believers of what they were like before God's grace took hold of their lives and transformed them. The chapter opened up, “You were dead in your trespasses and sins in which you formerly walked.” That's important, this is the way they conducted their lives. This is the realm in which they lived. They “walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air. We all formerly lived indulging the lust of the flesh, the lust of our own selfishness. We were by nature children of wrath. But God being rich in mercy because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions made us alive together with Christ. By grace you have been saved.” It's God's grace that intervenes in that dead, lost, hopeless life and transforms it, makes us alive together with Christ. By grace you have been saved. He raised us up with Him, gave us a position in the heavens, and gave us an inheritance in the heavens as we have seen.

Why? Verse 7, “So that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” This grace showered out upon us comes with God's love, God's mercy, God's kindness. The God that we have sung about, the mighty God, the creator God, the sovereign God. He has taken hold of our lives personally and individually, poured His grace out upon us, identified us with Christ so we could be viewed as dying with Him, being raised with Him. And in the ages of the ages it won't be the angels who are trophies of God's grace because there is no salvation for angels who sinned, but we will be testimonies of God's awesome grace throughout the ages to come.

Why? Verse 8, “For by grace you have been saved through faith.” It is God's grace and the means He used was faith. This salvation doesn't come from ourselves, it's the gift of God. “It's not a result of works that no one should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works.” There are no works that are pleasing to God until after a man has been redeemed by God's grace. “We were dead in our trespasses and sins.” The description in the opening verses of this chapter is clear. But God prepared a new life for us following our salvation. “He created us in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand that we would walk in them.” You see the transformation of walk. You formerly walked, verse 2 said; but now we walk a new life, we live a new life. This saving grace of God envelops all of our life. It's not just we are saved from the penalty of sin, we have trusted Christ and His grace has redeemed us, but now we struggle on. Now we do our best to try to live a decent life. No, God's grace has provided and included our life. That saving grace includes a life now that is lived for Him. Everything in our lives is transformed. We tend to compartmentalize our lives even as believers. We say well, this I just do and this is just part of living on earth. And then I have my part that really where God works. You understand your whole life now is His, you are not your own, you are bought with a price, therefore glorify God in your body. And His grace provides, enables and empowers me in every aspect, in all the details of my life. It's amazing. Even as believers we sometimes have a shrunken view of the wonder of our salvation and the power of God's grace that continues to work.

Come back to Galatians 2. The Galatians had come to salvation through the preaching of Paul, they had experienced the power of God's grace. But because of false teaching that had come into the church, confusion had come. So Paul writes to put them back on track. In Galatians 2:16 he said, “Knowing that a man is not justified by works of the Law but through faith in Christ, even we,” and the we is talking about we Jews from verse 15, “we who are Jews by nature.” “Even we Jews have believed in Christ Jesus that we may be justified,” declared righteous “by faith in Christ. Not by works of the Law for by works of the Law no flesh will be justified.” Come down to verse 20, “I have been crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who live but Christ lives in me.” You see that time when I placed my faith in Christ was the beginning of a life. Christ lives in me. Do you know what that means? That means that every area of my life now is to be manifestation of Christ's life.

When I was a student in Bible College many years ago, we had a professor who is now with the Lord, Claire Hitz, and he would open our classes with prayer. And he would say, “oh Lord, make us little Christs.” I always gritted my teeth, just don't know if I like that, that just doesn't sound right. But you know I talked to him about it and there is a point to be made. It is Christ living in me, so the one to be seen in me and all of my actions and all of my conduct and all of my behavior is Christ living in me. “The life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”

Then he has to start out Galatians 3, “You foolish Galatians,” what in the world has happened to you? You have been put under someone's spell. This only I want to know, find out from you, “Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish having begun by the Spirit are you now being perfected in the flesh?” Some people get the idea, I've trusted Christ, I have been saved by His grace and now it's all my effort. We are to apply effort, we are doing works, but they are enabled and empowered by the indwelling Spirit, the enabling grace of God. That's why every area of our lives is to be a manifestation of that grace. He just didn't save part of us. This isn't the aspect of our lives that we focus on God's grace. We meet together, we join in worship. It's a life. Monday morning, off to work, enabled by the grace of God to manifest His character in all that I do, in the way that I live.

Come back to 2 Corinthians 8. This is why Paul talks about the grace of God instead of money, the work of grace. This is just that same powerful saving grace, manifesting the transformation it has made in my life and that grace is overflowing now, manifest in a very concrete, changeable way—the handling of material things. Remember I am no longer my own, I'm the slave of the One who redeemed me. So all I am and all I have is His, so His grace is to permeate my life.

He says in verse 8 when he tells them he wants them to abound, overflow in this gracious work as well as they do in other areas, he says, “I am not giving you a command,” but I want you to show the genuineness of your love. One of the fruits of the Spirit is love in Galatians 5, manifesting His presence. You know we like to keep things, well, my relationship with the Lord is private, it's personal. It is not, it oozes out of every area of your life. God's grace is not just working in a secret compartment in your heart, it must be working there. That's what he brings out when he talks about in verse 8, “the earnestness of others, proving the genuineness of your love.” He's going to talk about the desire in subsequent verses here. But it just doesn't stay inside. This God's grace producing those works and the manifestation of the presence of Christ in us.

Verse 9, and that great example that we looked at in our previous study, sacrificing grace. “You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, though He was rich yet for your sake He became poor so you through His poverty might become rich.” He left the riches that were His and the glories of heaven to take to Himself humanity. He humbled Himself, becomes a servant. Why? Because we, the ones described in those opening verses in Ephesians 2—dead and lost and without hope in the world, spiritually destitute become the heirs of the riches of God's provision. Heirs and co-heirs with Christ. Christ being the great example.

You know there is a theological heresy that taught, and some still hold to it and you hear people talk about it, they are trying to be like Christ. And Christ loves people and we're trying to love people. We are not saved by trying to follow the example of Christ, but when we have been saved, the example of Christ is a motivating factor in our lives because we desire to be like Him. So His sacrificing grace is an example for us to manifest sacrificing grace in our lives that others might benefit. What an honor, what a privilege that we should be enabled by God's grace to be examples of the grace of Christ in a life. And we're talking about something so mundane, as we would look at it, as money. But it's so much more, so much more important. It's not about money, it's about God's grace and me manifesting the beauty of the grace of Christ in my life. This is true in so many other areas.

A few examples, come back to 1 Peter 2, and we're going to get here in our study together on Sunday nights before too long. Look at verse 21, he's talking about suffering, the importance of suffering properly—patiently as God would be pleased. “For you have,” verse 21, “been called for this purpose,” suffering, “since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps.” What a standard. It would be impossible were it not for the enabling grace of God. You suffer like Christ, not redemptively, not by paying the penalty for sins, but you go through the sufferings that God brings into your life in the way that Christ went through those sufferings that He endured. No complaining, no bitterness, and so on. “He left you an example for you to follow in His steps.”

There was a book written many years ago ‘In His Steps’ by Sheldon but he didn't get it right. We are not trying to pattern a life after Christ in our own energy and strength, this is only for those who have come to know Christ, one in whom the grace of Christ is working, has brought the power of transformation within and now enabling that we live a life. He set you the example for suffering, pattern your life after it. Similar to what they were instructed back in 1 Peter 1:15, God said you “be holy for I am holy.” You be just like Me. We can never be God but the beauty and perfection of the living God is to be seen in us as His children. In a real sense my professor was right, we are to be little Christs. His character is to permeate every nook and cranny of our lives. What a privilege, transforms life from the mundane, dragging along. We have Christians that look like . . . Doesn't mean everything is pleasant, but life is different. We are living it on a different level, with a different power, with a different enablement.

Go to 1 John 3, another example that what Christ did and how He functioned is to be the example for us. 1 John 3:16, “We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us.” He did, He died for us. What does that mean for us who have come to believe in Him and experienced the blessing of that love that brought life to us? “We ought to lay down our lives for the brethren,” fellow believers, sacrifice for them. You see love is not just kept as a feeling in my heart, it is to manifest itself. If all Christ had was a feeling in His heart for me, I'd be lost. “God so loved the world that He gave His Son.” Christ demonstrated His love for us by laying down His life for us. That's what John is talking about here.

Verse 18, “Little children, let us love with word, not love with word or tongue but with deed and truth.” Just telling someone you love them and they have a need doesn't help a bit. And we are to follow the example of Christ, that self-sacrificing love.

Come back to Ephesians 5. The first verse here, Ephesians 5:1, “Therefore be imitators of God as beloved children.” This is only for God's children who as Peter writes, we have become partakers of the divine nature. We haven't become God but we have become partakers of the divine nature, His character. Now we've been given His life, the life of Christ dwelling in me, the Spirit of God dwelling in me. Therefore be imitators of God. What's the example? “Walk in love just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us.” Your life ought to manifest His love.

Look at Ephesians 4:32, “Be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving each other.” What's the standard? “Just as God in Christ has forgive you.” So in every area of our lives we desire to be like the One who loved us and died for us. What a great responsibility, what a great privilege, what a great honor, what a great calling. You stop and think, you put your name in there, God says Gil, I want you to be like Me. Could you be more specific? In what area? Every area. All you do, every situation you are in.

These have just been some examples, some samples. Well, material things? Of course, my grace ought to be manifested in an overflowing way.

Come back to 2 Corinthians 8, that's where Paul is, it's what he is talking about. He wants these Corinthians to manifest God's grace overflowing in so many areas, but be careful you don't overlook one basic one—the material area. Nice to know God's grace includes everything, every part of my life and I can fall back on that grace. It's what enables me, it's what shapes me and directs me. We don't have to think here is an area I live apart from God's grace. No, His grace has taken me in completely.

So now he picks up in verse 10 to exhort them again, “I give my opinion in this matter.” Now he said in verse 8, I'm not giving you a command, but it's an opportunity for you to demonstrate the genuineness of your love. I'm not telling you that you have to do this or what you have to do, but I want you to know your love and its genuineness is being put to the test. Then using the example of Christ he further drives that home and now he says I will give you my opinion. Let me give you some advice. This is to your advantage. It's beneficial, it's fitting, word here. This is the right thing for you to do. “You who were the first to begin a year ago,” from a year ago. Could have been maybe like we might say about a year, maybe it was nine months, maybe it was fifteen months. But that expression there gives the idea they know when it was and we have the general idea. Remember it was Titus in verse 6 who had previously made the beginning, so he evidently was Paul's representative. And at that time the Corinthians were the ones who started it because when Titus shared this with them as Paul's idea, they jumped right on board. They started right away. Let's get started with our giving so we'll be ready when Paul comes. They not only did it, but they had the desire. And by using the giving first, you might think Paul would have reversed it—you have the desire and so you follow through to do it. He puts you did it and you had the desire to do it because the evidence of the desire being genuine was they started doing it, evidently while Titus was there. We'll start this collection right now.

Now the pattern was to be, back up to 1 Corinthians 16, the last chapter of Paul's previous letter. In 1 Corinthians 16:1, “Now concerning the collection for the saints,” Paul is collecting this in other Gentile churches as we have talked about, churches in Galatia also, “on the first day of every week each one of you is to put aside and save as he may prosper so no collections be made when I come.” Then when I arrive I'll take what you have collected and maybe some representatives from your church and we'll take it to Jerusalem. So evidently they started their collections right away, expressing the seriousness, the intenseness of their zeal and desire to do it. What does Paul have to say? My advice is you follow through on what you said.

So 2 Corinthians 8:11, “Now finish doing it.” You were ready to jump in and start it, you manifest the desire of your heart, now finish doing it. Evidently as we know, the passing of time sometimes, I think the Lord really wants me to do something and I'm in. But week after week, month after month, and other things come up and I get distracted and pretty soon I'm not doing what I said I would do and Paul is concerned the collection from Corinth is going to fail. I'm not commanding them they have to do it, but they committed themselves to do it. And his advice would be it's fitting that you do what you said you would do when you started to do.

How often do you tell your kids when you are helping them learn, you have to finish what you started. You know, immaturity characterized by jumping in and it's all right when you are 2. That's why we have classes for the little kids. It's hard for them to come and sit in here, I'm not saying it's only hard for kids, but for them to concentrate and pay attention. Then you do things for the two-year-olds, they'll start something and then they want to do something else. And they start something and see someone else doing something, they want to go do what that person is doing.

Paul is helping mature believers. You started it, it was a manifestation of your heart. Your testimony is on the line, the genuineness of your love is on the line because it is already out there. So “finish doing it, just as there was the readiness to desire it.” It started in their hearts, that's where it has to start. You've already expressed your heart's desire and demonstrated that by starting the collection. Complete it. “There may be also the completion of it by your ability,” the end of verse 11. You see certain things here—there is the desire, now you complete it according to your ability. Paul doesn't want the pressure that he is applying in a good sense to be misunderstood. In 2 Corinthians 8:3 Paul said of the Macedonian churches, “I testify that according to their ability and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord.” Now he's not saying that the Corinthians have to go beyond their ability, and so maybe impoverish themselves to meet the needs of others in Jerusalem. But he is saying you should complete it according to your ability. That's the principle guiding the giving.

And then he elaborates that in verse 12. “For if the readiness is present, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have.” And Paul reminds them of a good point. We ought not to make commitments, as we would talk about, just with blue sky. Well, I'm going to commit this but I don't have any idea how I'll be able to do it, I'll just trust the Lord will. He expects this to be reasonably thought out, so according to your ability. Well if the Lord gives me a million dollars next year, I'm going to give half of it to the Lord, I'll commit $500,000. Is there any reasonable reason to think He's going to give you a million dollars? No, but I'm hoping He does because I'll give the $500,000, besides I'll have $500,000 left. We don't put the Lord in a box like that and call it faith. That doesn't mean we aren't sometimes stretched and we've felt that we should stretch and even though the Lord will have to provide to enable us to do it, Paul is talking about complete it according to your ability. Not saying you have to go beyond your ability. That's the guideline.

Back up to 1 Corinthians 16 again just for a moment. You'll note the giving is regular there, Paul doesn't want to take a collection when he comes, and with all the criticisms of Paul and the attacks made on Paul, he's not going to come there and personally try to raise the money because the opponents would just use that for further attacks. So he wants the collection to be complete. He doesn't mind challenging them, but when he gets there whatever has been collected will be what they have. Verse 2, “On the first day of every week each one of you is to put aside and save as he may prosper.” Key point, according to your ability. In those days much of the pay was made at the end of the day. A laborer worked and at the end of the day he was given his wage. We have examples in the stories Christ told. At the end of the day the laborers came to receive their pay. So you would have an idea of what you could expect this week. Even though you get paid monthly, you probably have an idea, probably break your bills down you know what is due and you can think this is reasonable. It's according to what I prospered.

Now obviously some of this is going to change. At the beginning of this offering about a year ago some people may have been doing well but all of a sudden their business closed down, something happened and their financial situation changed. That didn't mean they failed. We make decisions in light of where we are and what we can see at the time. That's where the giving here is planned out but they may not be able to follow through. But by the same token someone else in the church at Corinth may have prospered more than they thought they would. But the principle is there, if each one gives. Evidently Paul had been told by the Corinthians what they thought they would be able to do because later he will refer to their generous offering. And if it didn't measure up, it would be an embarrassment to them and to Paul. So that principle, according to what you have. I wish I had more, I'd love to give more. That's wonderful but what God expects is we give according to what we have, not according to what we don't have, not according to what someone else has. Personal plan here.

Come back to 2 Corinthians 8:13, put this in perspective. “This is not for the ease of others and your affliction, but by way of equality.” In other words Paul is reminding the Corinthians that you don't have to impoverish yourself and thus put yourself under that stress and afflictions and difficulty just so the Jewish believers in Jerusalem can live a more comfortable life. That's not the purpose of the collection. You don't have to impoverish yourself so that others can live a more comfortable life.

Come back to 2 Thessalonians 3. This is one of the Macedonian churches, Thessalonica, that gave generously out of their poverty. But Paul has something to say. Some of those in poverty in Thessalonica are in poverty because they are lazy. Verse 7, “For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example.” Paul is willing to put his life out as an example, even as Christ's life was an example. “Because we did not act in a undisciplined manner among you, nor did we eat anyone's bread without paying for it. But with labor and hardship we kept working night and day so we wouldn't be a burden to any of you.” When Paul was ministering there, he supported himself, which was his pattern. He didn't take collections from those he was bringing the Gospel to, and he didn't want people to say he was here and brought us this message because he was looking for money. Now later these Macedonians, particularly the Philippians, would send him money. That was different, he would take it from them because he wasn't taking it from them when he was there doing the ministry. After they were saved the Lord moved them to do that and that was fine. That's in Philippians 4 as we have seen.

Verse 9, “Not because we don't have the right to do this but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you that you would follow our example.” Paul is trying to set down a pattern. Believers should work hard and lead a disciplined life. There isn't a worse testimony than someone saying I have someone from your church working for me, but they are lousy workers. What a testimony. Paul said I came and worked hard, labored day and night. That was to give you an example because he expected some of the unbelievers had come out of undisciplined lives and lived on handouts.

Verse 11, “We hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, acting like busybodies.” That's a terrible statement. So verse 10 he said, “Remember when we were with you? We used to give you this order, if anyone is not willing to work, he doesn't eat.” Simple. Puts a little pressure on you to work. So Christians don't help others who are lazy. That doesn't mean someone might be out of work, lost a job through whatever circumstances. Maybe a physical illness has prevented them from working. So we're not looking for reasons not to help somebody, a fellow believer in need; but neither are we an easy mark for those who don't want to work.

When we were on vacation this summer, must be the beggar capital of the country. Every corner has people—need food, need help. I mean, young people, they have to be in their early 20s. You have a guy and a girl and a dog, always have the dog, got to feed the dog, out there begging. And you drive down the road and you are going by businesses—help wanted, help wanted. But you have these people out there, work not wanted. I'm not saying some of them may have real needs, it's hard to sort it out. But it ought not to characterize believers. That doesn't mean you won't. I mean, Jewish believers in Jerusalem were in dire straits, some of them. They need help, there will be others that need help. Many of the Macedonians are dirt poor, Paul doesn't condemn them for that. But he does condemn the ones that aren't working. Believers ought to be among the best workers that you could hire—they are disciplined, they are trustworthy, they are hard workers, they put their life into because they are doing it as unto the Lord, and they are not grumbling because I think if I am working this hard, I deserve this or that or another thing. I'm going to be the best worker I can, manifesting the character of Christ, demonstrating I represent Him. If you have a bad worker and he comes to this church, embarrass him, take him aside and tell him you are a lousy testimony. You are ruining the testimony for the Lord here. Should expect you to do your best, to work hard, to be an example to others. Well, I don't think I'm paid enough to work hard. Well, you're being paid something, aren't you? If you don't like the job, go get another one. That's fine. Not saying you have to work at a low-paying job if you could do better, but if it's not your business you probably won't get to decide what you get paid. Well, I don't think it's fair. I guess you have two choices—quit and get another job, don't quit if you don't have another job because no working, no eating. Don't come to the church and say I quit my job but I don't have anything to eat. Well, stupidity has consequences.

Now again we don't want to have an excuse not to help the needy, believers that are genuinely going through difficult times, and we're not looking down on them for that. That's not saying a person gets fired or loses a job, there may not have been reasons for that which are out of his control. So we want to be careful we don't look for reasons to be selfish, but there is the balance perspective. So that's why Paul is telling the Corinthians, I'm not saying you ought to sacrifice so other people can live an easier life, or so other people who don't work still get cared for. There is the proper perspective. Fairness.

While you are here come over to 1 Timothy 6, Paul gives instructions here. Verse 17, “Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of good foundation for the future so they may take hold of that which is life indeed.” He doesn't say the rich have to give away all their riches so everybody can live the same and have the same. That's not the point. He reminds the rich, the rich are constantly reminded because the more we have the more danger of us becoming attached to our riches. In 2 Peter he reminds his readers that “all these things will be burned up.” So the concern of our lives is to live holy ones. But he doesn't say the rich people here ought to give away their riches or it's wrong to be rich. God in His sovereignty sometimes blesses people, His children, with far more than they need. And for some, whatever, their lives may be more of a struggle financially. Both, and James warns this, the rich are to be humbled by realizing what God has done for them and the poor can be proud of the riches they have in Christ. Just we keep a biblical perspective and we don't want to get drawn in, that the more I get, everything just gets eaten up because my standards keep getting so high I never have anything extra. That becomes a personal matter and we handle it.

Come back to 2 Corinthians 8. The point Paul is making, this equality, it doesn't mean sameness. We're talking about in the necessities of life. Doesn't mean that the Corinthian can't have a nicer home than someone else, a nicer chariot, or servants. But when it comes to the essentials of life there ought to be an equality. I shouldn't be gorging when someone else is starving, so to speak—using money on non-essentials when fellow believers are struggling. And he doesn't apply this to all cases. It becomes a personal matter. He doesn't ever tell the Corinthians, and by the way you ought to be more sensitive to helping the needy Macedonians who are remember bottom-of-the-barrel, dirt poor. But if the Lord so leads, I guess they will but there is no instruction to do that. But the principle here does guide us, we want to be a generous people. It's by equality, fairness.

Verse 14, “At this present time your abundance being a supply for their need, so their abundance may also become a supply for your need, there may be equity,” fairness. In other words you have opportunity since you have more than you need to help them in this time of need, and there may come a time when they will have more than they need and they can help you. So that principle is there, that we are ready to be used of the Lord. We live in a country of abundance, for sure. We want to help fellow believers here in our own congregation, those we have become aware of as we have opportunity. And the principle would be every believer ought to be functioning like this so if there comes a time, those you are helping now, their situation changes and yours changes and you have need, they can help you. So Paul is not saying this only applies to the Corinthians. He's saying this principle I'm encouraging you to follow will be true for other believers and you will benefit from it. Now you become the instrument of being the helper, but there may come a time when you will be one of the helped.

Verse 15, he gives an example. “As it is written, he who gathered much did not have too much, he who gathered little had no lack.” You know it always amazes me when I come to portions like this, Paul is writing to a Greek church, these are not people with a Jewish background. They don't have their own copies of the Bible, the Old Testament, to take home, carry around with them. And they are going to hear Paul's letter being read and they get to what we have as verse 15 and he just says, as it is written. It is clear this is a quote from the Old Testament. He who gathered much did not have too much, he who gathered little had no lack, and they are supposed to pick that up. We quickly look at the cross reference and we can see it set off in capital letters that it is a quote. The Spirit of God directs Paul just like they should know this. He just quotes from the Old Testament, and these are relatively young believers. None had been a church around as long as ours. You realize God expects people to get into the Word and learn it and master it quickly. And be growing in it. So they can say he who gathered much did not have too much, he who gathered little, I remember that account. That's why we have the kids being taught from their early ages so these stories and accounts in Scripture are built in so they can be built upon so the Lord can use it. Yes, I remember the book of Exodus; yes, and the manna and God sent manna from heaven and it was like the dew and it settled on the ground. And then it was flaky stuff that they could gather up and use to make bread. And I remember they were to gather enough for the day. And the one who gathered little didn't have too little, and the one who gathered didn't have too much. When they measured it all out and everybody distributed, everybody had an omer, a measure. God miraculously provided there, and there was equity in the essential. That doesn't mean everyone among the Israelites at that time was equal in what they possessed, but in the necessities of life, their food, there was fairness, equity.

And so you see a principle that God set down in Exodus 16 with His provision among His people. He expects us to be His family and meet needs, meet one another's needs, be concerned for one another. That's a scriptural principle, goes back 1500 years before Paul to the wilderness wanderings and God's provision for His people there. A picture was made. Again, not that everyone has to be of equal wealth, but when it comes to the provision of food, God says everyone ought to have enough to eat among His people.

Come back and we'll close with Matthew 6, just a reminder. Jesus addressed this subject of our trusting God and living for Him. God blesses us, we are blessed no matter what, how much or how little we have. We live in a country that is prosperous, all of us benefit from that. Why were we born here, not one of those places that are so miserable today that your only concern is survival today, I guess, food for today. Where do I go? You see people carrying a bag around, that's all their possessions. What are you doing here? Thinking about where will we go to lunch? What will I make? Just blessed as believers to be here, but a reminder. Verse 25 in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “Do not be worried about your life, what you will eat, what you will drink. Your body as to what you will put on. Is life not more than food and the body more than clothing?” Then He gives examples from the birds and flowers. That principle is on the necessities of life, God will provide them. Now that doesn't mean I don't have to get out of bed tomorrow and go to work, because one of the ways He provides is He provides a place for me to work. Things like that. But He will provide, I don't have to worry about that. I may not be able to live in the same house I'm living in or drive the same car or take the same vacation, or fill in the blank. But He says He takes care of His children, just like He takes care of the birds and we are worth more than the sparrows. Look at the lilies of the field, the flowers. You look at the flowers and they are so beautiful but a little bit of cold comes and they are gone. God clothed them with that beauty. Solomon didn't have such splendor in all he had.

So verse 30, “If God so clothes the grass of the field which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown in the furnace, will He not much more clothe you, you of little faith? Do not worry then, saying what shall we eat? What shall we drink? What will we wear for clothing?” The unbelievers, the Gentiles, Jesus is speaking to Jews, Gentiles are those outside the realm of God's work at this time through the Gospels. “Seek first His kingdom, His righteousness, all these things will be added to you. Do not worry about tomorrow, tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” In other words we can live trusting the Lord. That doesn't mean I don't use wisdom, doesn't mean I can't plan for tomorrow, doesn't mean if I spend all of my money today then the Lord will have to provide for me tomorrow. We have other instruction of Scripture, consider the ant and how they store up and wise planning and all of that. In all of this we don't have to live worried, hurried, anxiety-filled lives. Now if we have the mentality of the world, I have to have security in things, with that comes anxieties and fears. But I have a God who takes care of me and He never fails, so I can be sure He will provide what I need to survive. And here one of the ways He is going to provide for these Jerusalem believers is use the Corinthian believers. He has a variety of ways He works and He uses. We just want to be careful that His grace is pervading our lives in all areas.

The blessings of our salvation are all encompassing. No area of my life is left out and we want our lives in every area to be overflowing manifestations of that grace, its provision, its power, its work in our lives.

Let's pray together. Thank You, Lord, for the riches of Your grace. Lord, easy for us to forget and become short sighted, to get distracted, to thank You for the grace of saving us from our sins and the penalty of our sins and fail to appreciate that saving grace is an ongoing provision for us. It's a grace that sustains us every day, provides for us every day, enables us every day as you work all things together for our good and Your glory. Lord, may we be careful as Paul exhorts the Corinthians, may we have a desire and a passion that Your grace overflow in its manifestations in every area of our lives, in all we do. We pray in Christ's name, amen.