Latest / Topeka Bible Church Audio Archive / December 3, 2023 | 2 Corinthians - Money Talks

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December 3, 2023 | 2 Corinthians - Money Talks · Topeka Bible Church Audio Archive

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: So many of you know this.
• 0:03
  SPEAKER_00: I used to work as the youth pastor, both here, but also back in a little church in Runaway Bay, Texas, which is a real city.
• 0:11
  SPEAKER_00: And in that little city, we had a wonderful little church.
• 0:15
  SPEAKER_00: It was about a hundred people.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_00: And for um the background of the lead pastor is sort of a story in and of itself there, but uh for various reasons he was fixated on the topic of money.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: And so we had an entire month every year at the church devoted to stewardship, and it was a frequent topic of his sermons and illustrations.
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_00: And so the time came for our entire church to go on a mission trip.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: We went to New Mexico, and as a part of that mission trip, everybody was, you know, we needed, it was a construction thing, and so we needed a lot of folks from our church to take materials and tools and things like that, and their pickup trucks and trailers to the site in New Mexico.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_00: And so everybody was told, you know, go and and use your equipment and then let us know how much it costs, and when you come back, we'll reimburse you.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_00: And so everybody goes on the trip, and we all come back, and it comes time to reimburse everybody, and the pastor brings me aside and says, So um we don't have enough money to reimburse everybody, and he knew that before going on the trip.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_00: But he says, um, the only people we're going to reimburse are those who tithe to the church.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: So I bring that up because this morning we're going to be in chapters 8 and 9 of 2 Corinthians, which talk all about generosity and giving.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_00: And uh that situation back in Runaway Bay was unethical and manipulative and deceptive, and it was ultimately the thing that made me go and look for a different job.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_00: But I know that there are a lot of you who have had bad experiences or have even had, you know, bad ideas about sermons that relate to giving.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_00: Um but as we get into this topic this morning, there are two convictions that that situation in Runaway Bay gave me.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_00: And that first conviction is that here at TBC, I made the decision a while back that though I'm pretty intimately involved in the formation of our church budget, I don't want to know how much anybody in the church gives.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_00: And so I never wanted to be tempted, just because I had seen that to treat somebody differently based upon how much or how little they give to our mission.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_00: Um, if I make eye contact with you today, it has nothing to do with that.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_00: Um the second thing is I nevertheless, I I do feel very strongly that giving is something that at times is appropriate to discuss because the Bible discusses it.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: And so this morning, just in our walk through 2 Corinthians, we've come to a point in time where we need to discuss it.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_00: And uh I'm still I still recognize that this isn't everybody's favorite topic, right?
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_00: I'm pretty sure I could do, you know, race and politics, gender and sexuality.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_00: We could talk about any number of things, and you would still say this is probably the least favorite thing to discuss, but we're not gonna do it for two weeks.
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_00: There's enough content to do it for two weeks.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_00: So instead, this morning, we just have a longer message on two full chapters in 2 Corinthians about this topic.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_00: And here's my hope as we discuss this is that you would have a greater appreciation for the generosity that God has shown to you.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_00: That's my hope.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_00: So, if you will, let's begin in chapter 8.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_00: Verse 1.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_00: Paul says, We want you to know, brothers and sisters, about the grace of God that was given to the churches of Macedonia.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_00: During a severe trial brought about by affliction, their abundant joy and their extreme poverty overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_00: I can testify that according to their ability and even beyond their ability, of their own accord, they begged us earnestly for the privilege of sharing in the ministry of the saints, and not just as we had hoped.
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_00: Instead they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us by God's will.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_00: So we urged Titus that just as he had begun, so he should also complete among you this act of grace.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_00: So for those who are a little lost, as we just sort of roll into chapter eight, Paul is referencing something back in 1 Corinthians 16.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_00: It was how he finished his letter.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_00: And what's going on is the church in Jerusalem is being persecuted, and for various reasons they're struggling financially.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_00: And so Paul has told the Corinthians about this situation, and they have, this is critical, they have asked Paul to be a part of giving to the church in Jerusalem.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_00: They have said they wanted to take part in sort of creating a gift and gathering a gift that then would be sent back to the church there.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_00: And so back in 1 Corinthians 16, Paul gives some ground rules.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_00: He says, All right, so I suggest that what you do is set aside a certain amount of money weekly that is in proportion with how you are prospering.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_00: That's what he says, uh, so that when he returns, that he can gather it and it won't be compulsory.
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_00: He's like, so you've already set it aside so that when I come back, you know, it's not like collection time, but rather we can gather it together and I can take it.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_00: But apparently, at some point, the Corinthian desire to gather this money together has relaxed.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_00: Their passion for the church in Jerusalem has sort of waned.
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_00: And so, presumably, when Titus delivered that third painful letter, he witnessed that they had sort of slowed down this eager process that they had once begun.
• 5:51
  SPEAKER_00: And so Paul, hearing this, is now going to spend two chapters basically encouraging them.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_00: And a huge part of this has nothing to do with how much money the Corinthian church can give, but the reason by which they are giving in the first place.
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_00: And so that is what really he focuses on.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_00: And to begin with, he lifts up the churches in Macedon.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_00: And so Macedon is sort of the northern part of Greece, and that would include Thessalonica, that would most likely include Philippi.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_00: And what's going on is in that region of northern Greece, there's severe persecution as well.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_00: From the very beginning, the churches of Christ were being attacked greatly.
• 6:33
  SPEAKER_00: And so what is going on is this church in Macedon has nevertheless asked, they said, We want the privilege, they say, of sharing in the ministry to the saints.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_00: So they have also asked Paul for this.
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_00: And not just the privilege of taking part in this, right?
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_00: So they even see it as something that is a boon to them.
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_00: But Paul says that they have gone above and beyond even his greatest hopes, that his expectation for them was sort of a certain level, which he'll explain to the Corinthians later, but that the churches of Macedon have gone far above that.
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_00: And the two reasons why he's so impressed is one, he says here, because of their abundant joy.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_00: He says they were so excited.
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_00: It was like they were beating down his doors to give money to Jerusalem.
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_00: He says they were had abundant joy to be able to give to the saints in Jerusalem, and also because of their severe poverty.
• 7:26
  SPEAKER_00: This is the thing that ultimately impresses Paul so much is that their desire to give went over and above the sort of lessons and the guidelines that are presented by proportional giving.
• 7:41
  SPEAKER_00: And so he lifts up the church at Macedon and he says that they, at the very sort of the second to last sentence here, says they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us by God's will.
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_00: And he says, So this is not because I went and asked them for money.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_00: He says they've done this of their own accord, and it is because they have understood, as he's about to explain, what it means to respond to the gospel message.
• 8:05
  SPEAKER_00: So we urge Titus that just as he had begun, so he should also complete among you this act of grace.
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_00: And you're also going to see that as we continue on through this, Paul does not use the word money in two whole chapters to describe collecting money.
• 8:21
  SPEAKER_00: It's actually pretty impressive.
• 8:23
  SPEAKER_00: He's got quite the thesaurus.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_00: But instead, he uses things like it's a ministry of grace, it's an act of love, it's generosity, it's a ministry to the saints.
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_00: It's all of these things that draws people away from the dollars and cents and more into the why.
• 8:40
  SPEAKER_00: As we go on, though, the focus becomes less about Macedon, and instead the reason why the churches in Macedonia were so excited.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_00: And it's because they reflected on what God had given to them first.
• 8:54
  SPEAKER_00: Paul says, Now as you excel in everything, in faith, speech, knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love for us, excel also in this act of grace.
• 9:04
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not saying this as a command.
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_00: Rather, by means of the diligence of others, I am testing the genuineness of your love.
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_00: For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, though he was rich, for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_00: And in this matter I am giving advice because it is profitable to you, who began last year not only to do something, but also to want to do it.
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_00: That last sentence there, he's referencing their desire.
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_00: He's like, You again, like, you were the ones who said that you wanted to do this.
• 9:37
  SPEAKER_00: So now let's talk about this, right?
• 9:39
  SPEAKER_00: Anyone who has begun a good work and then has sort of failed down the back stretch, we want to encourage them.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_00: That's what he's doing.
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_00: He says, I'm not commanding you to do anything in the New Testament, and this is a significant shift from the old, but in the New Testament, there's never some compulsory giving that is required.
• 9:57
  SPEAKER_00: He says, everything is flowing out of a heart of generosity.
• 10:01
  SPEAKER_00: And to share that example, he says, first we look to Christ, who showed us humility.
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, if you look at Isaiah 53 or we look at the gospels, we understand from an emotional sense that Christ was humiliated, right?
• 10:17
  SPEAKER_00: That he was uh led a difficult life, even though he never sinned, and he was sick, and he was looked down upon, and of course, the very end of his life, the sacrifice for the entire world, Jesus on the cross.
• 10:33
  SPEAKER_00: But theologically, there's actually kind of another step that you take, and this is in the book of Philippians, which says that Christ, being the second member of the Trinity, being eternally begotten by the Father and existing for all time, when he descended, we use the word incarnation, this is what we celebrate at Christmas, the little baby in the manger, is a theological concept.
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_00: That that was an act of humility of God because he gave up, and that's the debate, what exactly did he give up, but he gave up some of the rights that he has as the son when he took on human flesh.
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_00: And so Paul is drawing back to this claim, not that Jesus was materially poor, though he most likely was, but rather that he, of his spirit, was willing to be humbled and to sacrifice so that others might gain.
• 11:27
  SPEAKER_00: This is what a church father named Gregory of Nazianzis said in about 300 AD.
• 11:35
  SPEAKER_00: This poor sap had one of those Byzantine sort of photos that just gives him a balloon head.
• 11:40
  SPEAKER_00: But he says, Christ was made poor that we through his poverty might be rich.
• 11:47
  SPEAKER_00: He took the form of a servant that we might regain liberty.
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_00: He descended that we might be exalted.
• 11:54
  SPEAKER_00: He was tempted that we might overcome.
• 11:55
  SPEAKER_00: He was despised that he might fill us with glory.
• 11:59
  SPEAKER_00: He died that we might be saved.
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_00: He ascended to draw to himself those lying prostrate or down on the ground through sin's stumbling block.
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_00: And so Gregory's point here is that we look to Christ first and foremost as the par example of one who sacrificed so that others might benefit.
• 12:22
  SPEAKER_00: And that is shown first and foremost, right, through his death on the cross.
• 12:27
  SPEAKER_00: And so, as Christians then who are following after this thing and desire to be like Christ and are responding to the gospel message that says, we have received the free gift of God's grace if we accept Jesus as our Savior.
• 12:41
  SPEAKER_00: Paul says this is really the engine that's driving us.
• 12:45
  SPEAKER_00: It's not so much about, you know, the perception, it's not about like in Greek culture at the time, if you're a patron, okay, your name would be placed on the buildings in very similar ways to our culture of philanthropy today, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but Paul says there's no part of giving within God's kingdom that is for your glory.
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_00: And so that's a hard message for the church in Corinth.
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_00: But he says, you know, if you if you get, though, the message of the gospel, this idea of generosity presented to you through the cross, he says, then you're going to kind of follow a different path as you begin to think about these things.
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_00: And so Paul continues to emphasize, he says, this is not a command.
• 13:33
  SPEAKER_00: Instead, he likens it to a test.
• 13:37
  SPEAKER_00: He says, I'm not saying this as a command.
• 13:39
  SPEAKER_00: Rather, by means of the diligence of others, I'm testing the genuineness of your love.
• 13:43
  SPEAKER_00: And we don't like that.
• 13:45
  SPEAKER_00: We don't like the idea that this would be a test.
• 13:48
  SPEAKER_00: But there are many tests that our walk of faith produces in us.
• 13:52
  SPEAKER_00: Every single day, you experience tests.
• 13:55
  SPEAKER_00: You experience opportunities where you can choose one way or the other.
• 13:58
  SPEAKER_00: And by choosing the path that draws us closer to Christ, you inevitably pass the test.
• 14:05
  SPEAKER_00: You pass the test that displays that God's work in your life is manifesting itself and making you look more and more like Jesus every single day.
• 14:13
  SPEAKER_00: And so this idea of a test, don't go back to, you know, high school or college when we were studying all night.
• 14:19
  SPEAKER_00: But rather, it's a simple thing.
• 14:21
  SPEAKER_00: The answer is clear, right?
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_00: We want to look more like Jesus every day.
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_00: And so through Paul he says, we must follow this act of grace.
• 14:30
  SPEAKER_00: But finally, as he points out at the beginning of this passage here, and you know this if you walked with us through 1 Corinthians last year, last fall, the Corinthians are a very gifted church.
• 14:44
  SPEAKER_00: This becomes a part of the whole discussion in chapter 12 of 1 Corinthians on spiritual gifts, but long story short, they do a lot of things well.
• 14:51
  SPEAKER_00: They're smart, they're attractive, they're wealthy, they speak well, they um are wise teachers, they um can there's prophecy in speaking in tongues in the church in Corinth, and they're pretty fascinated by it.
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_00: And so Paul points to these things, and he says, Look, you have benefited really in so many different ways.
• 15:11
  SPEAKER_00: God's grace upon your life has shown itself in a lot of things that you love to be a part of.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_00: And he says, but this, this act of grace, he says, make sure you follow through with this as well.
• 15:24
  SPEAKER_00: It should be included in your in the collection of things that are motivated by the Spirit.
• 15:31
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so then the question comes, how much, right?
• 15:34
  SPEAKER_00: This is this is the practical question.
• 15:36
  SPEAKER_00: So how much, Paul, how much would you like us to give?
• 15:39
  SPEAKER_00: We are motivated by the generosity that we see in Jesus Christ.
• 15:42
  SPEAKER_00: We get it.
• 15:43
  SPEAKER_00: You're not telling us to do this.
• 15:45
  SPEAKER_00: We are compelled, we are motivated, how much?
• 15:50
  SPEAKER_00: Now also finish the task, Paul says, so that just as there was an eager desire, there may also be a completion according to what you have.
• 16:00
  SPEAKER_00: For if the eagerness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have.
• 16:08
  SPEAKER_00: It is not that there should be relief for others and hardship for you, but it is a question of equality.
• 16:14
  SPEAKER_00: At the present time your surplus is available for their need, so that their abundance may in turn meet your need, in order that there may be equality.
• 16:22
  SPEAKER_00: As it is written, the person who had much did not have too much, and the person who had little did not have too little.
• 16:29
  SPEAKER_00: So there are two primary drivers for answering the question of how much in the New Testament world and the church age that we have.
• 16:37
  SPEAKER_00: The first is proportionality, and the second is equality.
• 16:40
  SPEAKER_00: Let's talk about the first one.
• 16:41
  SPEAKER_00: Multiple times, this is in 1 Corinthians, this is here in this passage, Paul says that the way that we should give is in keeping with, as he says in 1 Corinthians, how we are prospering.
• 16:55
  SPEAKER_00: Here he says the gift is acceptable according to what a person has.
• 17:00
  SPEAKER_00: Uh and then he continues on, right, not according to what he does not have.
• 17:06
  SPEAKER_00: So the idea here is not actually one of tithing, and this is going to kind of like rock a couple worlds, because tithing is not a New Testament concept.
• 17:17
  SPEAKER_00: It is the shorthand we sometimes use to talk about giving to the church.
• 17:21
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes it's used interchangeably with the word offering, but tithing is an Old Testament concept that has very specific rules and regulations attached to how much people are to give, and it's also normative.
• 17:35
  SPEAKER_00: It's the exact same for everybody.
• 17:37
  SPEAKER_00: Everybody is supposed to do the exact same when they are tithing.
• 17:42
  SPEAKER_00: When we get to the New Testament, we still see that there's this idea of proportional giving or a percentage, but it is not attached to a specific amount.
• 17:52
  SPEAKER_00: And you're like, okay, well, then what's the problem in saying tithing?
• 17:55
  SPEAKER_00: Well, if tithing is traditionally 10%, and there's a whole lot of math that makes it out to be more than that in the Old Testament.
• 18:02
  SPEAKER_00: The truth is that in our world today, there are plenty of people who can give more than 10% and still be perfectly content in many of the ways that they are living and even afford some luxuries in life.
• 18:14
  SPEAKER_00: This is true in the Corinthian church.
• 18:16
  SPEAKER_00: He mentions it here that there is a surplus that they have, and they're able to give it to the church in Jerusalem.
• 18:23
  SPEAKER_00: But also, there are slaves in the Corinthian church, people who are saving up their money for their emancipation.
• 18:30
  SPEAKER_00: And so the idea that they would be consistently giving at the exact same amount as the wealthy, you know, business owners in the Corinthian church doesn't make sense.
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_00: That would be depriving them of their freedom, ultimately, but also it would be a hardship for them.
• 18:47
  SPEAKER_00: And so the first thing that we see is in this idea of how much is that there's still this concept of a ratio or a proportion that is in keeping time with how income increases or changes, but nevertheless, there's not a specific answer.
• 19:03
  SPEAKER_00: Paul is essentially giving a guideline, a theme, and he's saying, let your generosity figure out where you land in that space.
• 19:12
  SPEAKER_00: So for some it is more, for some it is less, but it is proportional.
• 19:16
  SPEAKER_00: But the other thing that we see is this idea of equality, this second principle.
• 19:22
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, people can get really hung up on the idea of equality, right?
• 19:27
  SPEAKER_00: They can attach other words to it than the ones that the Bible is using.
• 19:31
  SPEAKER_00: But Paul has a completely reasonable statement there at the end.
• 19:35
  SPEAKER_00: He says, as it is written, the person who had much did not have too much, and the person who had little did not have too little.
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_00: Not everybody is going at the exact same line.
• 19:44
  SPEAKER_00: Some will have more, some will have less.
• 19:46
  SPEAKER_00: But we're reducing the extremes.
• 19:49
  SPEAKER_00: And this is specifically within the kingdom of God's family with his brothers and sisters in Christ.
• 19:55
  SPEAKER_00: Uh John Calvin says, nobody hoards his abundance at another's expense in the church.
• 20:03
  SPEAKER_00: To drive home that concept, Paul, uh that phrase at the very end, when he says, as it is written, it begins right here.
• 20:12
  SPEAKER_00: Uh this is actually quoting Exodus 16, verses 18 through 20.
• 20:16
  SPEAKER_00: Paul is referencing a passage in Exodus where God was introducing the theme of manna to the Israelites, right?
• 20:24
  SPEAKER_00: Manna, the the bread that uh sustained them day by day as they were going through the desert and their exodus from Egypt.
• 20:32
  SPEAKER_00: Uh well, it had some rules.
• 20:33
  SPEAKER_00: And one of the rules with manna was that you only collected the amount each day that you needed to eat for that day.
• 20:39
  SPEAKER_00: And then right before the Sabbath, you would collect twice as much, so that you didn't have to go out and collect on the Sabbath.
• 20:45
  SPEAKER_00: And so this phrase, the person who had much did not have too much, and the person who had little did not have too little, was originally talking about those who went out and were able to collect as much manna as they wanted, as long as they were able to eat it and use it that day.
• 20:59
  SPEAKER_00: There was surplus, or excuse me, if they had a surplus, though, if they collected more than what was necessary, Bible quiz, what happened to it the next day, it rotted and had maggots in it.
• 21:12
  SPEAKER_00: Exciting, right?
• 21:13
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 21:14
  SPEAKER_00: And so you also understand now the context that Paul is bringing forth here.
• 21:20
  SPEAKER_00: This is in no way demeaning people who have wealth, but rather he's saying there is a concept that we think of when it comes to how much wealth we have or how little wealth we have, that there is this idea of proportionality, there's this idea of equality when it comes to God's kingdom and our generosity.
• 21:38
  SPEAKER_00: And so we never want to be those who are hoarding, as like I said, John Calvin, so that those in the church might suffer.
• 21:46
  SPEAKER_00: But lest you think though that this is some like Robin Hood deal, right?
• 21:50
  SPEAKER_00: Steal from the rich and give to the poor, that's not New Testament giving either.
• 21:54
  SPEAKER_00: See, Paul isn't saying those who are poor are excluded from the giving.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_00: For the giving that they wanted to undertake.
• 22:02
  SPEAKER_00: Right?
• 22:03
  SPEAKER_00: He showed Macedon and he said, now they went above and beyond these examples.
• 22:07
  SPEAKER_00: Like they went above and beyond proportional giving because they're struggling mightily and they're still giving this significant gift.
• 22:14
  SPEAKER_00: But nevertheless, Paul says this principle is for everybody because, and if this is something I can drive home this morning, I would love it.
• 22:23
  SPEAKER_00: It is that we are not giving because we have money.
• 22:28
  SPEAKER_00: We are giving because of the generosity of Christ.
• 22:31
  SPEAKER_00: And so as we take these steps away from our bank accounts and into the gospel message, we say, well, if you have been affected by the gospel, then the generosity of Christ should be flowing through you.
• 22:45
  SPEAKER_00: And then these guidelines that Paul presents are things that help you to determine what it looks like to be generous.
• 22:54
  SPEAKER_00: So as we move away, this is not Robin Hood, but rather there is equality even in who is giving, and that it's everybody.
• 23:03
  SPEAKER_00: So how much, right?
• 23:05
  SPEAKER_00: Paul doesn't give a satisfying answer.
• 23:07
  SPEAKER_00: And in fact, in the New Testament, if you're looking for how as Christians today how much you should be giving, you're not going to find a satisfactory answer.
• 23:15
  SPEAKER_00: Because it is through your heart that you determine this amount.
• 23:19
  SPEAKER_00: And nobody is compelling you to do it, because here in a second we're going to see that actually your heart in giving is far more important than the number of zeros attached to your check.
• 23:32
  SPEAKER_00: So with that, let's turn to chapter nine.
• 23:35
  SPEAKER_00: We'll be in verse six.
• 23:36
  SPEAKER_00: We have to skip a couple things.
• 23:38
  SPEAKER_00: What you're skipping over is Paul's instruction about how he's going, like the technicalities of how he's going to collect the money when he comes next.
• 23:47
  SPEAKER_00: Well, let's go to chapter nine, verse six.
• 23:50
  SPEAKER_00: Paul says the point is this the person who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the person who sows generously will also reap generously.
• 24:00
  SPEAKER_00: Each person should do as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or out of compulsion, since God loves a cheerful giver, and God is able to make every grace overflow to you, so that in every way, always having everything you need, you may excel in every good work.
• 24:18
  SPEAKER_00: As it is written, he distributed freely, he gave to the poor, his righteousness endures forever.
• 24:25
  SPEAKER_00: So Paul makes connections between giving and being a farmer, right?
• 24:29
  SPEAKER_00: And I mean, we're in Kansas, so it's not like six degrees of separation if you know a farmer.
• 24:35
  SPEAKER_00: It's you are one or somebody in your family probably is one.
• 24:39
  SPEAKER_00: But when it comes to being a farmer, you understand that the seed that is planted at the beginning of the season is not a lost sort of bet, right?
• 24:49
  SPEAKER_00: It is something that is going to produce results later on.
• 24:52
  SPEAKER_00: And in fact, as a farmer, if you consistently try and save money by reducing the amount of seed that you are planting, when it comes time for harvest, you're going to realize that now your problem is only being compounded.
• 25:05
  SPEAKER_00: You have much less to harvest.
• 25:07
  SPEAKER_00: And so this concept of seed and harvest is one that Paul is going to now bring up when it comes to the idea of generosity.
• 25:14
  SPEAKER_00: Here's the problem, not that we don't understand the principle of a farmer.
• 25:20
  SPEAKER_00: What is the harvest?
• 25:23
  SPEAKER_00: Because there are many churches in the prosperity sort of gospel realm that are going to use these verses specifically to talk about health, wealth, and success.
• 25:34
  SPEAKER_00: They're going to say, if you give, if you give your seed gift, right, the storehouses of God are going to pour out upon you.
• 25:40
  SPEAKER_00: All of the blessings of the Lord are going to come to you.
• 25:43
  SPEAKER_00: All of the things that you've desired are going to be there.
• 25:46
  SPEAKER_00: Churches in Houston that are in former NBA stadiums are saying these things all the time, right?
• 25:52
  SPEAKER_00: Yet, what is the harvest in context?
• 25:56
  SPEAKER_00: The harvest in context, you might be surprised, has nothing to do with you growing in material wealth.
• 26:04
  SPEAKER_00: There is no concept biblically that if you give money, you are going to get richer.
• 26:09
  SPEAKER_00: In fact, Paul does, he addresses it.
• 26:11
  SPEAKER_00: He says, if that does happen, if you are blessed materially because you give, he says, it is only so that God might prepare you to be more generous in the future.
• 26:22
  SPEAKER_00: It is not so that you might get into the next sort of phase of life, of living that you want.
• 26:30
  SPEAKER_00: It's important to set aside here that God does bless people financially, right?
• 26:35
  SPEAKER_00: It is just that there's responsibility associated with wealth.
• 26:38
  SPEAKER_00: And this is one of those things that we talk about when it comes to being generous.
• 26:42
  SPEAKER_00: Paul says that they are reaping a harvest, but what kind of harvest?
• 26:46
  SPEAKER_00: Well, it is a harvest of righteousness.
• 26:49
  SPEAKER_00: And this is what he's going to spend some time developing.
• 26:52
  SPEAKER_00: And so, if we can, again, take a movement away from the dollars and cents and into the gospel here, what we're looking at is we say that the gospel of Jesus Christ and over the overarching lifestyle of somebody who is a Christian is one that is marked by sacrifice.
• 27:09
  SPEAKER_00: It is one that is marked by a love for others before a love for self.
• 27:13
  SPEAKER_00: And so as we look at these things, and then we then use that to understand Paul's idea of harvest here, we can see that the harvest, then, we receive joy as other things grow and benefit because of the gift that we have received and now impart to other people.
• 27:29
  SPEAKER_00: This is why Paul says, this is an act of grace.
• 27:33
  SPEAKER_00: It's a ministry to the saints, it's a blessing, it's a generous thing to do.
• 27:39
  SPEAKER_00: Not because we are benefiting, but because others are.
• 27:43
  SPEAKER_00: There's an old English proverb that says, He who serves God for money will serve the devil for better wages.
• 27:50
  SPEAKER_00: If you are a Christian because you are hoping to find worldly success, my friend, you're in the wrong gig.
• 27:59
  SPEAKER_00: That's not what we do.
• 28:01
  SPEAKER_00: So there are true benefits, though, to being a follower of Christ.
• 28:04
  SPEAKER_00: I don't want to diminish that.
• 28:06
  SPEAKER_00: It's just that we have to view them from the right angle.
• 28:08
  SPEAKER_00: There are benefits to being a follower of Christ, absolutely.
• 28:12
  SPEAKER_00: There are things that go beyond you are forgiven of your sins and you are going to be in heaven with Jesus, right?
• 28:18
  SPEAKER_00: There are an abundance of worldly things, even we experience in this life.
• 28:24
  SPEAKER_00: And this is what Paul's going to turn his attitude and direction or text towards next.
• 28:30
  SPEAKER_00: Is he says, there are in fact six separate things Paul's going to point out that you can rejoice in and find encouragement in through your giving.
• 28:39
  SPEAKER_00: It's just not that you are being enriched materially.
• 28:43
  SPEAKER_00: Six separate things that he says that allow us to excel in these good works.
• 28:49
  SPEAKER_00: When he quotes Psalm 112 at the end, as it is written, he distributed freely, he gave to the poor, his righteousness endures forever.
• 28:57
  SPEAKER_00: Paul is drawing us deeper into this place where he says, our focus is not on the temporal, meaning the things that perish, the things that rust and decay eat away at, but on the future, his right, our righteousness.
• 29:12
  SPEAKER_00: Psalm 112 about the righteous man, the righteousness that does endure forever, because when we give into God's kingdom, we are making investments into eternal things.
• 29:24
  SPEAKER_00: So our final passage that we're looking at in this area of 2 Corinthians is where Paul gives these six separate things that we can find encouragement in.
• 29:35
  SPEAKER_00: Not our personal growth financially, necessarily.
• 29:39
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but not that we rely on that as a reason to give.
• 29:44
  SPEAKER_00: He says there are six things that draw our hearts deeper into the giving of Christ.
• 29:51
  SPEAKER_00: Now to the one who provides seed for the sower and bread for food will also provide and multiply your seed and increase the harvest of your righteousness.
• 29:59
  SPEAKER_00: You will be enriched in every way for all generosity which produces thanksgiving to God through us.
• 30:06
  SPEAKER_00: For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.
• 30:15
  SPEAKER_00: Because of the proof provided by this ministry, and again, he's that's him talking about this gift, they will glorify God for your obedient confession of the gospel of Christ and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone.
• 30:30
  SPEAKER_00: And as they pray on your behalf, they will have deep affection for you because of the surpassing grace of God in you.
• 30:38
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift.
• 30:43
  SPEAKER_00: So I don't know if you caught it.
• 30:44
  SPEAKER_00: There are the six, right?
• 30:46
  SPEAKER_00: Number one, that you can display stewardship.
• 30:51
  SPEAKER_00: When he says that there is one who provides seed for the sower and bread for food, the concept of stewardship is not just like a net a synonym for giving.
• 31:04
  SPEAKER_00: Stewardship is this concept that God has given to us everything and we give some of it back.
• 31:09
  SPEAKER_00: That everything that we have, everything good that we have in our lives, has come from our Father.
• 31:15
  SPEAKER_00: And so this idea of the farmer is then extended, and it says it's not just that you plant seed, but rather there is one who has given you the seed to plant.
• 31:24
  SPEAKER_00: And so instead of feeling like it is just, you know, drawing from, you know, all of the things that my hard work has achieved for me, we're instead able to release ourselves from that binding view of our finances, which is not biblical, and instead say, man, everything is coming from God.
• 31:43
  SPEAKER_00: And so let me give back some of that.
• 31:45
  SPEAKER_00: Back when I was in grade school, around Christmas time, uh, we did this uh thing.
• 31:50
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know if they still do it, um, but it was your parents would give you money to then go shop at the grade school for Christmas gifts for your parents, okay?
• 32:00
  SPEAKER_00: And so they would have this like these tables set up in the gymnasium, and they had all these just you know, odds and ends and trinkets and worthless stuff, pretty much.
• 32:12
  SPEAKER_00: I'm sure it was some fundraiser, it was way overpriced.
• 32:15
  SPEAKER_00: But, you know, I would go in with$20 that my mom had given to me, and then I would go into this thing, and I would, you know, as my third grade self, I'd be like, what does mom want?
• 32:26
  SPEAKER_00: You know, what does dad want with this?
• 32:28
  SPEAKER_00: And so I would spend that money and then I'd be able to take it home and have a gift that I had given to my parents, right, under the tree.
• 32:36
  SPEAKER_00: Right?
• 32:37
  SPEAKER_00: Imagine if I just went to the quick shop, and as a third grader in this example, and spent$20.
• 32:44
  SPEAKER_00: Imagine if I had kept some of that for myself.
• 32:47
  SPEAKER_00: Imagine if I had not done what she intended for me to do with that money.
• 32:53
  SPEAKER_00: This is stewardship in its own way.
• 32:55
  SPEAKER_00: God has given you resources, and He has desires for you to do things with those resources.
• 33:00
  SPEAKER_00: And we are not monks of the ancient ages.
• 33:04
  SPEAKER_00: There is life to be enjoyed.
• 33:05
  SPEAKER_00: Ecclesiastes says, have good, you know, wine and food and rejoice with your friends in the life that God has given to you.
• 33:12
  SPEAKER_00: Rejoice in the fruit of your labors.
• 33:14
  SPEAKER_00: True.
• 33:16
  SPEAKER_00: But this is what balances it as well.
• 33:18
  SPEAKER_00: We have stewardship that we are able to display when we give.
• 33:22
  SPEAKER_00: Number two, your faith grows.
• 33:24
  SPEAKER_00: Paul says it increases the harvest of your righteousness.
• 33:28
  SPEAKER_00: As we draw deeper and deeper into this idea of generosity, one of the things that happens is that it draws us deeper and deeper into a relationship with Christ.
• 33:39
  SPEAKER_00: As you continue to, with proportionality and equality in mind, become more generous over time, you realize, and there are some of you here who know this concept, you like becoming generous.
• 33:52
  SPEAKER_00: And you like what it looks like to see what your money is doing outside of your own home and in God's kingdom, and it ends up, you get excited for the things that are happening with it because you realize that it's doing more than just what can be done when it stays within.
• 34:09
  SPEAKER_00: And so, because of that, your faith in God grows deeper because you are looking at the things like Jesus is looking at them, hearing the things like Jesus is hearing them, and speaking the way that Jesus is speaking.
• 34:21
  SPEAKER_00: Your faith grows as this harvest of righteousness grows as well.
• 34:25
  SPEAKER_00: Number three, God receives praise.
• 34:28
  SPEAKER_00: This gift that's being sent to Jerusalem is going to produce thanksgiving to God pulses through you, the Corinthians.
• 34:35
  SPEAKER_00: So what that means is that as your giving goes to help other people, when they receive it, when those things happen that benefit other people, they give thanks, and ultimately it's thanks to the Lord, but you were the one who facilitated that.
• 34:52
  SPEAKER_00: And that is something that is perfectly fine and good for us to rejoice in.
• 34:56
  SPEAKER_00: Lord, we are excited that more people are giving you praise because of the money that you've given to us, that we have now given back in part to you.
• 35:06
  SPEAKER_00: God receives more praise and it produces thanksgiving in the hearts of those who receive these gifts.
• 35:13
  SPEAKER_00: And it's got, in fact, God invites us in to take part in his kingdom, and one of the ways that he ministers to other people is through us.
• 35:20
  SPEAKER_00: That's true outside of finances.
• 35:23
  SPEAKER_00: Number four, the gospel spreads.
• 35:27
  SPEAKER_00: Paul says that this is a test of our obedience, that one of the ways that we respond to the gospel of generosity, right, is that we are giving as well.
• 35:40
  SPEAKER_00: And so as we give and as we meet other people who are generous givers, they see in our lives one of the many expressions of the gospel.
• 35:50
  SPEAKER_00: This is not the only way that the gospel of Jesus Christ is shown in our good works, but it is one of them, and it is one of them that should be remembered.
• 35:59
  SPEAKER_00: And so the gospel is no, or excuse me, the giving is an obedient confession of this gospel.
• 36:06
  SPEAKER_00: Fifth, practical needs are met.
• 36:09
  SPEAKER_00: It supplies the needs of the saints.
• 36:12
  SPEAKER_00: You can rejoice in the specific work that your giving produces, that it is actually doing something and accomplishing something, and here it would be meeting the needs of the saints in Jerusalem.
• 36:25
  SPEAKER_00: It is not like in the book of James, when he says that they go to somebody who is poor and needy and they say, You know, I pray for you, go and be well.
• 36:34
  SPEAKER_00: But you can rejoice, as James says that good works are following faith, that this is one of those ways that it manifests itself.
• 36:41
  SPEAKER_00: The coat is being given, if you will.
• 36:44
  SPEAKER_00: Sixth and finally, God's kingdom grows.
• 36:47
  SPEAKER_00: There's a whole subtext to this relationship between Corinth and Jerusalem that's pretty interesting, and it has to do with uh Jerusalem being almost entirely made up of Jewish Christians.
• 36:58
  SPEAKER_00: Uh there's there were disagreements, debates in the early church about uh that gospel going out to the Gentiles, right?
• 37:06
  SPEAKER_00: And sort of uh two parties that were kind of developing, the Jewish Christians and the Gentile Christians, and how those things worked themselves out.
• 37:14
  SPEAKER_00: Well, Paul ministered to the Gentile Christians.
• 37:16
  SPEAKER_00: The Corinthians, most likely almost none of them, were Jewish originally.
• 37:20
  SPEAKER_00: They were pagans worshiping Zeus and other idols beforehand, and now have come to Christ.
• 37:26
  SPEAKER_00: But one of the ways that this gift is working, it is knitting together this community in Christ and most likely drawing the Jerusalem church deeper in affection towards the church in Corinth that they might not be huge fans of otherwise.
• 37:42
  SPEAKER_00: And so one of the things this does is that God's kingdom is growing because it develops affection and thankfulness for those who are generous.
• 37:59
  SPEAKER_00: Um we shared with you a couple weeks ago that uh the update from the Lifeline Pregnancy Center here in Topeka that you generously gave$215,000 to last year.
• 38:11
  SPEAKER_00: And the reason that we give you updates, why we sometimes have videos telling you uh what your giving has accomplished is because we want you to rejoice and be encouraged by these things.
• 38:23
  SPEAKER_00: We're not, that's why we're also trying very hard in the language to say, like we praise God for the one who has given us these gifts so that then we can return them back to his kingdom.
• 38:33
  SPEAKER_00: It is not that you are being praised, but rather we want you to be encouraged.
• 38:38
  SPEAKER_00: Because Lifeline Pregnancy Center, over the last year, right, they have been able to grow and expand and meet more people with the gospel and save lives and do all of these things.
• 38:50
  SPEAKER_00: And as you have done that, hopefully by revealing these things to you, you draw deeper into your relationship with Christ.
• 39:00
  SPEAKER_00: Not that you would give more necessarily.
• 39:02
  SPEAKER_00: That is not the reason why we show you those videos.
• 39:06
  SPEAKER_00: We do it because this is supposed to be something that is a discipline of our Christian living, and we want you to be encouraged.
• 39:13
  SPEAKER_00: We want you to see the good works that are being done through you.
• 39:18
  SPEAKER_00: We don't yearn for the glory, but we deeply desire to see that our gifts, gifts, do good things for God's kingdom.
• 39:26
  SPEAKER_00: So, how did the Corinthians respond?
• 39:30
  SPEAKER_00: Right?
• 39:31
  SPEAKER_00: What did they do?
• 39:33
  SPEAKER_00: Thankfully, we're actually told in the book of Romans.
• 39:36
  SPEAKER_00: Romans 15.
• 39:38
  SPEAKER_00: At present, however, I'm going to Jerusalem bringing aid to the saints.
• 39:43
  SPEAKER_00: For Macedonia and Achaia, and Achaia, by the way, is the Corinthian region.
• 39:48
  SPEAKER_00: For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make some contribution for the poor among the saints at Jerusalem.
• 39:55
  SPEAKER_00: For they were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them.
• 39:59
  SPEAKER_00: For if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual blessings, they ought also to be of service to them in material blessings.
• 40:05
  SPEAKER_00: What Paul's talking about there is that there's this kind of economy of exchange, that the gospel has gone out from Jerusalem, and so they are worthy to receive some of these gifts back.
• 40:16
  SPEAKER_00: But nevertheless, the main point here is, right, he says they were pleased to do it.
• 40:24
  SPEAKER_00: The Corinthians matched the enthusiasm of the Macedonians.
• 40:29
  SPEAKER_00: The Corinthians said, You're right, Paul.
• 40:32
  SPEAKER_00: You're not telling us what to do.
• 40:34
  SPEAKER_00: You're not commanding us, you're encouraging us.
• 40:38
  SPEAKER_00: And ideally, the message of Paul that is received here is that we reflect on the generosity of Jesus, shown through his grace, and it makes us generous as well.
• 40:49
  SPEAKER_00: We cheerfully give back to God's kingdom as a sign of our faith and obedience to his gospel message.
• 41:00
  SPEAKER_00: It's one of those things, though, where at this point, um, whether or not you are working through in your head how this applies to your life, you probably have one of two opinions about the fact that I just talked about this.
• 41:20
  SPEAKER_00: Uh the first one is that I'm manipulating you emotionally or spiritually, so that our church gets more money.
• 41:30
  SPEAKER_00: Um that's not it.
• 41:33
  SPEAKER_00: I'm doing this for the second reason, which is that our Bible talks about it.
• 41:40
  SPEAKER_00: And you can benefit spiritually if you become more generous.
• 41:45
  SPEAKER_00: No part of this, even though I recognize the timing of this, I do.
• 41:52
  SPEAKER_00: It's not lost on me.
• 41:55
  SPEAKER_00: But there's no part of my application here that says you need to give to the Christmas project.
• 42:01
  SPEAKER_00: What I'm desiring for you is that you would respond to the gospel as a test of your obedience because you understand the grace of Jesus Christ that was given to you.
• 42:11
  SPEAKER_00: And furthermore, that when you give, you would draw deeper into it because you realize how rich and joyful of an experience it is to see your money do things for God's kingdom.
• 42:22
  SPEAKER_00: And furthermore, that you would be released from some of the shackles of Old Testament principles like tithing.
• 42:30
  SPEAKER_00: And look, if you're set at a certain percentage because that's how you were raised, you know what?
• 42:35
  SPEAKER_00: Great.
• 42:36
  SPEAKER_00: But if you want to be released from that, and just understand that your generosity and your desire for equality in God's kingdom is what propels us into giving, and that through your heart you determine with your family what that looks like.
• 42:51
  SPEAKER_00: As a response, I'm overjoyed, okay?
• 42:55
  SPEAKER_00: There's no part of this that is going to change our relationships with each other.
• 42:59
  SPEAKER_00: There's no part of this that is going to make any one of us treat you differently because God has gifted us all differently.
• 43:08
  SPEAKER_00: But my one sort of lovingly, loving kick in the pants, okay, is this.
• 43:15
  SPEAKER_00: There have been many people who have gotten away from the concept of generosity by saying, there's no way that I can cheerfully give to God's kingdom without feeling like I am, you know, being compelled or it is reluctant for me, and therefore I won't give at all.
• 43:34
  SPEAKER_00: And to that I say, I think you've misunderstood the text.
• 43:38
  SPEAKER_00: Because ultimately, what this is about, and I think what that really reveals, even as I have those feelings at times, is a heart that is still focused more on the dollars and cents than the gospel itself.
• 43:51
  SPEAKER_00: Because if you're able to remove from your sort of thinking the idea that Paul says, you need to give this specific amount, and realize that God says, You get to choose.
• 44:02
  SPEAKER_00: You get to choose whatever you want to give.
• 44:05
  SPEAKER_00: But ultimately, what that is doing is realizing more and more generosity is being propelled from the gospel and reflecting on the gospel of Jesus Christ that shows us what is to be done.
• 44:18
  SPEAKER_00: And if we're able to move out of that sense of rules and into one of generous sort of hearts, ultimately God's kingdom is going to be impacted even more.
• 44:29
  SPEAKER_00: Quick story.
• 44:54
  SPEAKER_00: And originally, when we were raising money, we asked that everybody would give$5 to our meal.
• 45:02
  SPEAKER_00: And so we were coming in and everybody was giving$5, and everybody was happy to do it.
• 45:07
  SPEAKER_00: And then finally, though, we realized that there were a couple people who were saying, you know, we can't really give$5 right now, or that's not going to work for our family.
• 45:15
  SPEAKER_00: And so we said, just, well, not me, the church leadership.
• 45:18
  SPEAKER_00: They said, just come on in and give whatever you can.
• 45:21
  SPEAKER_00: And when we made that change and said, give whatever you can, do you know what happened to our funds for going on mission trips?
• 45:30
  SPEAKER_00: They went a lot higher.
• 45:32
  SPEAKER_00: Because it wasn't about exactly every person, you need to give$5, you need to give$5, you need to give$5.
• 45:37
  SPEAKER_00: It was about we want you to participate in this ministry.
• 45:39
  SPEAKER_00: Go back to the Macedonians.
• 45:41
  SPEAKER_00: We want you to desire to have this, see it as a privilege to be a part of God's kingdom.
• 45:47
  SPEAKER_00: And it's only if we remove compulsion from that example that we're able to draw deep into these things.
• 45:54
  SPEAKER_00: Final thought.
• 46:02
  SPEAKER_00: And it might feel like a hard right turn into communion.
• 46:08
  SPEAKER_00: Only if we are still struggling with this idea that generosity needs to be divorced from the gospel itself.
• 46:17
  SPEAKER_00: The thing that Paul is encouraging us to do is he says, reflect on the gospel of Jesus Christ and allow that to motivate you wherever it motivates you, and to whatever degree it motivates you.
• 46:28
  SPEAKER_00: And so this morning, what we're doing as we go to the Lord's table and take it together as brothers and sisters in Christ is we are simply focusing on the grace and generosity of Jesus that he displayed on the cross.
• 46:42
  SPEAKER_00: And however, as application, that transforms you or changes you or moves you, if you're in that space, that's between you and the Lord.
• 46:53
  SPEAKER_00: That's certainly not between me and you.
• 46:55
  SPEAKER_00: So with that, I'm going to pray.
• 46:57
  SPEAKER_00: And then we're going to go ahead and take the Lord's Supper together.
• 47:02
  SPEAKER_00: I'll pray and then I'll step off, and there'll be a time of reflection, and then I'll come back on and we'll do it.
• 47:09
  SPEAKER_00: Lord, we thank you for today.
• 47:12
  SPEAKER_00: God, we thank you for your grace and your mercy.
• 47:15
  SPEAKER_00: Lord, we thank you for your generosity to us.
• 47:19
  SPEAKER_00: God, we know that money and faith are two things that sometimes feel like oil and water.
• 47:26
  SPEAKER_00: But God, we desire to be good stewards of the resources that you have given to us.
• 47:32
  SPEAKER_00: Lord, we desire to be generous people.
• 47:34
  SPEAKER_00: We don't want to be stingy Christians.
• 47:36
  SPEAKER_00: But Lord, only insofar as we have reflected on your gospel.
• 47:40
  SPEAKER_00: Not because we are being compelled, not because we are being told, but because, Lord, you have given us the freedom, you've set us free, to be able to do these sorts of things.
• 47:50
  SPEAKER_00: And God, I pray that when we give, that we would see the benefits and be encouraged by what it is doing for your kingdom, Lord.
• 48:00
  SPEAKER_00: Though it might be, as you say, our right hand doesn't know what our left hand is doing, we're not doing it for the praise of others.
• 48:07
  SPEAKER_00: But God, that we might be able to see how others are praising you, how others are glorifying you, how physical and practical needs are being met, how your gospel is being furthered.
• 48:17
  SPEAKER_00: Lord, how we are being good stewards, like I've said, Lord, how we are drawing deeper in our relationship with you.
• 48:23
  SPEAKER_00: God, by your spirit, help us to see these things.
• 48:26
  SPEAKER_00: And Lord, here in a moment, as we take your blood and your body, God, might we just consider how it is that you have been generous to us?
• 48:38
  SPEAKER_00: And it's in Jesus' name we pray.
• 48:39
  SPEAKER_00: Amen.
• 48:40
  SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna step off for just one minute here, give you a time to reflect, and then when I come back on, we'll take the elements of the Lord's table together.
• 49:01
  SPEAKER_00: For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you.
• 49:06
  SPEAKER_00: On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, broke it, and said, This is my body which is for you.
• 49:15
  SPEAKER_00: Do this in remembrance of me.
• 49:27
  SPEAKER_00: In the same way also he took the cup after supper and said, This cup is the new covenant in my blood.
• 49:33
  SPEAKER_00: Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me, for as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.
• 49:51
  SPEAKER_00: Lord, with this body and with this blood, we proclaim your death until you return.
• 49:57
  SPEAKER_00: Lord, we proclaim the gift of salvation.
• 50:01
  SPEAKER_00: We proclaim your sacrifice.
• 50:03
  SPEAKER_00: Lord, we proclaim your generosity to us that was not deserved and is still not.
• 50:09
  SPEAKER_00: But Lord, we receive it thankfully.
• 50:13
  SPEAKER_00: God, I pray that we would continue to walk as people of your kingdom, moved by your body and blood, and living out your gospel in as many ways as we possibly can.
• 50:25
  SPEAKER_00: God, we thank you for this.
• 50:27
  SPEAKER_00: Lord, I also pray later on this week, as we go to the light show, God, that there would be of the thousands who are going to come and see this show, God, that there would be people whose lives are transformed and changed by your gospel.
• 50:40
  SPEAKER_00: And Lord, that they would be people soon enough by your Spirit who are able to celebrate your body and your blood as believers in your kingdom.
• 50:49
  SPEAKER_00: Lord, we love you and we thank you.
• 50:51
  SPEAKER_00: It's in Jesus' name we pray.
• 50:52
  SPEAKER_00: Amen.