Series: 2
Corinthians
Title:
The Law of Giving
Text: 2
Corinthians 9: 1-11
Date:
November 5, 2017
Place:
SGBC, New Jersey
2 Corinthians 8: 24: 9: 1: For as touching the ministering to
the saints, it is superfluous [needless] for me to write to you: 2: For I know the forwardness of your
mind, for which I boast of you to them of Macedonia, that Achaia was ready a
year ago; and your zeal hath provoked very many. 3: Yet have I sent the brethren, lest our boasting of you should
be in vain in this behalf; that, as I said, ye may be ready: 4: Lest haply if they of Macedonia
come with me, and find you unprepared, we (that we say not, ye) should be
ashamed in this same confident boasting. 5: Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren, that
they would go before unto you, and make up beforehand your bounty, whereof ye
had notice before, that the same might be ready, as a matter of bounty [blessing], and not as of covetousness.
Subject:
The Law of Giving
Proposition: By
the “law” of giving is meant, there is a law in giving that is sure and certain
because God does it.
Concerning
our old man Paul spoke of a sure law—Rom
7: 21: I find then a law, that, when
I would do good, evil is present with me.
In our text, there is a law stated that is sure because God does it.
ONLY FOR SECRET GIVERS
2 Corinthians 9: 5: Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren, that
they would go before unto you, and make up beforehand your bounty, whereof ye
had notice before, that the same might be ready…
This sure
law of God concerning giving only applies to those who give secretly, not
blowing a trumpet to be seen of men. Paul did not want to be ashamed when he
came to the Corinthians nor did Paul want the focus to be on collecting money
when he came to preach Christ to them. He wanted the focus to be on Christ. He did not want to bring reproach on the
gospel. He did not want to bring reproach on himself and his brethren. He did
not want people saying Paul is in this for the money.
Nor did
he want the focus to be on the Corinthian church and their giving. He wanted
sinners attracted only by the gospel, only by Christ, only by the power of God,
and not because of anything about the brethren.
These are
some of the reasons Christ said when it comes to giving, do not do it publicly
but secretly.
Matthew 6: 1:
Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye
have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. 2: Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a
trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets,
that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
3: But when thou doest alms, let
not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: 4: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in
secret himself shall reward thee openly.
ONLY FOR SINGLE-MINDED GIVERS
2 Corinthians 9: 5…that the same might be
ready, as a matter of bounty, and not as of covetousness.
This sure
law of giving only applies to those who give in simplicity—in singleness of
heart and mind toward God—as a matter of bounty—blessing—and not of
covetousness.
Believers
are so blessed by God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ that we want to
bless and thank God our Father and our Lord Jesus. One way we bless and thank God is by willingly
providing for his people. This is giving
in simplicity, singleness of heart—with our hearts set on God in Christ and
what he has done for us.
But the
man who gives grudgingly, covetously, looking to himself and his power to
provide for himself—this man robs God of this glory. Not to mention, he also
robs God’s people.
Malachi 3: 8: Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me.
But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. 9: Ye are
cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.
God says,
2 Corinthians 9: 7: Every man according
as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity:
for God loveth a cheerful giver.
THE SURE LAW OF GIVING
2 Corinthians 9: 6: But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap
also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully…8: And God is able to make all
grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things,
may abound to every good work: 9:
(As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his
righteousness remaineth for ever. 10:
Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your
food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your
righteousness;)
To those
who give secretly and simply as a matter of blessing, the sure of law of giving
is that God always makes his child reap bountifully. It is a standing law of giving that “He
which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth
bountifully shall reap also bountifully.”
Ask any
farmer. If you sow very little seed in the field then you will reap very
little; but if you sow bountifully, you shall reap also bountifully. So it is
with giving. This law is so sure that giving is the one area where God tells
his child to prove him or test him.
Malachi 3: 10:
Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine
house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open
you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall
not be room enough to receive it. 11: And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall
not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit
before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts. 12: And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a
delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts.
Today,
false preachers preach this as though it were an investment tip: they promise a
return on your money if you will but send your money to them. But remember the
first two points, this rule only applies to those who give secretly, in
simplicity, as a matter of blessing God for his grace and love toward us in
Christ. This is not a matter of blowing a trumpet before men and giving for
covetous gain to indebt God to you. God knows the heart.
Galatians 6: 7:
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he
also reap. 8: For he that soweth
to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the
Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. 9: And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we
shall reap, if we faint not. 10:
As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men,
especially unto them who are of the household of faith.
This law
is sure because “God is able to make all grace abound
toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good
work.”
The
sovereign grace of election abounded toward us by God’s ability.
2 Thessalonians 2:13: But we are bound to give thanks
alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the
beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and
belief of the truth: 13: Whereunto
he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus
Christ."
The grace
of Christ’s redemptive blood abounded to us freely by God’s ability.
1 John 4: 9: In this was manifested the love of God
toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we
might live through him.
The grace
of the Holy Spirit’s effectual call abounded to us freely by God’s ability.
1 John 5: 11: And this is the record, that GOD HATH GIVEN
to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
1 John 5: 20: And we know that the Son of God is come,
and HATH GIVEN US AN UNDERSTANDING, that we may know him that is true, and we
are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true
God, and eternal life.
All
providence is God’s abundant gift to us by God’s ability—health and sickness,
happiness and sorrow, easy times and hard times.
Romans 8: 28: And we know that ALL THINGS work TOGETHER
for GOOD to them that love God, to them who are the called ACCORDING TO HIS
PURPOSE
It is God
who even abundantly increases our fruits of righteousness making us cheerful
givers.
2 Cor 9: 9 (As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad;
he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever 10 Now he that ministereth seed to the sower
both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase
the fruits of your righteousness;)
Believer,
“What hast thou that thou didst not
receive? All
things in Nature! All things in Grace! All things in Time! All things in Eternity! All is the free gift of
God’s grace.
WHY THIS SURE LAW?
2 Corinthians 9: 9:…that ye, always having
all sufficiency in all things may abound to every good work.
God
promises to provide “always”—not
occasionally—always. God promises his
child shall always “have all sufficiency”—in
order for God to get all the glory God has got to provide all the sufficiency
and that he shall. God promises this
continually sufficiency “in all things”—in
the heart, in the hand, in the ability, in the opportunity. Why? “that we may abound to every good work.”
God saves
his people to save his people. He uses his child to do things in this earth to
spread his gospel, through which God calls his children and saves us. This is
the ultimate purpose of God in making us cheerful, givers, working in his
vineyard.
2 Corinthians 8:7: Therefore, as ye abound in every
thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in
your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also.
God is
calling upon us to believe something which is contrary to our natural reason.
Giving is, to the natural eye, the way we lessen our inventory, not the way we
increase it But “remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed
to give than to receive.” We receive the reality of God’s faithfulness
toward us. We experience God’s grace
toward us. We find out how true God
is to his word.
So the
greatest gift we receive is happiness and contentment in God in our hearts. The
believer who delights to make others blessed, and who delights to glorify God,
to honor his Master is the happiest man on the planet. “It is
more blessed to give than to receive.”
When we
truly believe God then we realize that our giving is really God’s giving to us.
1 Chronicles 29:14: But who am I, and what is my people,
that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? FOR ALL THINGS
COME OF THEE, OF THINE OWN HAVE WE GIVEN THEE.
This will
bring us to next week’s final message on giving—the fruit or end of giving—which is thanksgiving to God—2
Corinthians 9: 11: Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which
causeth through us thanksgiving to God.
For now,
remember, to those who give secretly, in singleness of mind with the heart set on
Christ, this is the sure law of giving—made sure by God himself—“God is
able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all
sufficiency in all things, may
abound to every good work:”
Amen!