A passage that the Lord's brought before us tonight, it's 1 Corinthians chapter 16, verses one through four. It'll be found in your Pew Bible, page 1,223. But I wanna begin by opening with a passage that's been very familiar with, that I use in the Gideon ministry often, is Proverbs chapter three, verse 27. Proverbs 327, and I have it memorized in the King James, it says, forsake not good from them to whom it is due when it is in the power of thine hand to do it. In other words, when we have an opportunity to do that good and to provide that good and do what he's called us to do, God's given us a responsibility. We as believers have that responsibility to do that good when we recognize the need. We did some investigating, Allison and I did some looking, and in 2022, that was the most recent statistics that we found, in the United States alone, there was an estimated around $500 billion given for charities. Now, I would dare say that I would question the accuracy of that. Why? Because of the private donations and the private gifts and the things that potentially were not included in that. But in and through that, it just gives us a little small glimmer, an example of the generosity and the giving desire that Americans have. When the Gideon ministry was founded, the walls of communism came down in the former Soviet Union in 1989. The first Gideon in Russia's name, he was Viktor Goncharenko. Victor Goncharenko would come over to the United States. He would challenge and encourage the men in Russia. He would share with us here in the United States, and he would go back. And when he would come to America, He would share with the Gideons here in America that he wished we could hear the Gideons in Russia praying for the prosperity of Americans because they know if we prosper that we'll be faithful to send the needed scriptures. And that just blows us away to think of a country, even at the fall of communism and how at each other's throats we were and how tense things were at that time, how folks can be praying for the prosperity of a country like America to be able to give those gifts and provide that gifts. But, beloved, when we think about it and we hold into our hand Proverbs 327, Forsake not good from them to whom it is due when it is in the power of thine hand to do it. If we have that power to communicate the Word of God, which is the greatest gift of all, then we have a responsibility in doing that. Our passage tonight comes 1 Corinthians 16, verses 1 through 4. Hear now the Word of God. Now concerning the collection for the saints as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do. On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come. And when I arrive, I will send those whom you accredited by letter to carry your gift to Jerusalem. If it seems advisable that I should go also, they will accompany me. Grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of the Lord endures forever. Let's pray. Father, I do thank you and praise you for your word. I thank you for the power in your word, and I thank you that as we come to passages in scripture, Lord, that you gifted us with tonight. We ask that you would open it up, open our eyes, our ears, and our hearts, that we may be able to see and hear and understand and know your truths, and I pray, Father, that you would move me out of the way, and as my mouth moves, it will be your words coming forth. For Jesus' sake we pray, amen. As we think about this Paul's letter addressing here in the Corinthians, we remember back, and as Pastor Matt and Pastor Don have introduced us and carried us through the book of 1 Corinthians thus far, we're dealing with some verbal communication, a verbal report that was given to the Apostle Paul in correcting and bringing some issues up that are in the Corinthian church to help the Corinthians in their journey. This church has been established, but what we've gotten to now as we get toward the end of the letter, they also not only had a verbal communication with the apostles, but they had a letter that was written. In chapter 7, verse 1 of 1 Corinthians, you'll notice Paul opened that chapter with the same phrase, now concerning. In other words, there was a letter addressed from the Corinthian church to the apostles wanting some more clarification or some help in dealing with these issues that have come up. And Paul's addressing one of these concerns, and that concern is a collection for the saints. I want to look at two points tonight in these four verses. And the first one would be the importance of caring for the saints. And the second point is the intentionality of collecting and how intentional they were in that. Now, as we look at these points in addressing the importance of caring for the saints, I want to think about this. Verse 1 says a collection for the saints. What is that dealing with? Well, if we back up in Acts chapter 11, We look at Acts chapter 11. I've got a lot of scriptures. I put some marks in here. It helps us understand as an early church and the issues that were going on in the early church and the needs that arose there. Acts 11, verse 27 through 30, it says, Now in these days, prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch, and one of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine everywhere, a great famine over all the world. This took place in the days of Claudius. So the disciples determined everyone, according to his ability, to send relief to the brothers living in Judea. And they did so, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul." Okay, so here's where the initial desire, the initial thought, or the initial need was expressed of this need that's there for the Christian believers back in Jerusalem, or in Judea. because of this famine, because of this, as King James calls it, a dearth in the land. So as we think about that, it goes all the way back, and Barnabas and Saul, Barnabas and Paul, they continued to work in communicating that with the churches that God had given them the responsibility to establish. But Paul also communicated it with other Gentile churches, not only with the Corinthians here, but with the Galatians. He told us very clearly there in verse 1, that just as I directed the churches in Galatia, so you also are to do. In other words, you have that responsibility as well, Corinth and Galatia. And there are others as well that they took up offerings and received offerings to go back to the saints. But see, God has an interest and a concern for His people. And if God has that interest and His concern for His people, should not we as believers be concerned for the same things that God is concerned for? And seeing how He provides. I love the hymn we sang earlier when we had an opportunity to pick out hymns. The first hymn was at 246, I believe it was. Tied in exactly with what we're thinking of here tonight. And God providing and meeting the needs. He's done that for our family. To give you an example, some of y'all may remember, April 16th, 2011. We had a tornado come through. It came through Little Rock, ended up in Rowland. 17 trees down in our yard. It looked like a bomb had gone off in our house. But through the providence of the Lord, we were able to have all of our children in the bathroom, and because the Holy Spirit had impressed Rachel to collect, what did she call it? a survival kit that week. We had a flashlight in there, and I could look our children in the eye as we were praying, and the tornado was coming across our house. God literally picked it up. You can look at trees on this side, and they were down. Trees on this side, they were down. And then he picked it up over our house and put it back down. So we've seen how God has provided for those. And within two hours of a tornado coming through that Saturday afternoon, there were over 30 people. at our yard with chainsaws, backhoes, and track hoes cleaning up. And we never called anyone. The only phone call I made after that tornado was to my mom and daddy who live across the interstate checking on them. And they saw everything that was happening. They were fine. So we can testify as our family that how God has provided and how he has used others to provide and meet the needs of fellow Christians throughout our community. February 2021. I was diagnosed with bacteria in my blood, damaged a heart valve, had to have open heart surgery. And we were blown away by the support and the help and the prayers that were given to us as a family. And we thank all y'all for the things that y'all have done. But you see, God has shown himself faithful in providing not only for our family, but I dare say that you can hold up these Ebeneezers in your family as well. How has God provided for you? How has God provided for your family members? How has He done things for missionaries that we've prayed for over the years? And all these provisions that God has, He's directed folks and potentially even unbeknownst to us, when we pray, God is directing things behind the scenes and He's putting people in the proper path in doing these things and providing and meeting the needs. Dr. Brown has a quinine story I'd love to share, and the opportunity of how the Lord provided quinine at just the right time for a need that's there. But when we think about it, it was a collection for the saints, okay? Beloved, the psalmist declares that God owns the cattle on a thousand hills. Everything that is there, all the material possessions that we have, they belong to the Lord, and He has entrusted us as stewards of these material possessions. He's given us the responsibility to care for them during this time when we're here on earth, and His concern is, how are we gonna handle it? To whom much is given, much is required. How are we going to use it? How are we going to handle it? And when we think about it, how are we going to be concerned? Are we going to be concerned about the things He's concerned for? When we think about it, I want to go back to the Gospel of Matthew, Matthew chapter 6. I want to read a few verses in Matthew chapter 6, verse 25 through 34. It ties in right with that hymn that was chosen. 25 through 34, Matthew 6. Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount, Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air. They neither sow nor reap nor gather in the barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not more value than they? And which of you, by being anxious, can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They neither toil nor spin. Yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you? O you of little faith, therefore, do not be anxious, saying, What shall we eat? What shall we drink? What shall we wear? For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your Heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you. Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. In other words, we've got a lot of things to worry about, but God says he's gonna provide and he's gonna care for us. And beloved, we can testify to that. We even pray in the Lord's prayer to give us this day our daily bread. Lord, give us what is sufficient for us on this very day that we need and the day that we are in the midst of. Okay, so don't be anxious. If God will provide for these sparrows, will he not care for you? and address a point, when we're thinking about this importance of caring for the saints, the men on Tuesday mornings are going through a book from Stephen Chernock of Divine Providence, and as we think about a chapter 14 particularly in that book, Pastor Matt and Pastor Don have carried us through that book, and as we're dealing with that, one of the things that we've studied over the last number of months is how much God particularly loves His church and how particularly He cares for His people. Exodus chapter 19. I want to read a few verses there from Exodus 19. Actually, verses 3 through 5. And listen to what it says about God's people, okay? Exodus 19, 3 through 5. While Moses went up to God, the Lord called to him out of the mountain, saying, Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel, You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples. For all the earth is mine, and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel." Did you catch that in there, beloved? God calls His people those who obey His voice, not that they could earn His salvation, not that they could do anything to earn any merit or any favor, but He called them His treasured possession. Beloved, His treasured possession, He gives a desire to follow Him and to do what He calls us to do. That's His treasured possession. He gives us that desire. He's created a covenant with them. And that covenant of God of keeping His commandment, then we are that treasured possession. The psalmist declares in Psalm 25, verse 10. Psalm 25, 10. That we are that treasured possession. When we think about this being a treasure here, notice what he says in Psalm 25.10 about his people. He says, He said, All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies. You know, God in His great mercy, God in His steadfast love, God in His faithfulness has provided all of those things. Deuteronomy chapter 28 deals with the blessings of obedience and the curses of disobedience for us. But we're also reminded of Romans chapter 8 in these things that all things work together for the good of those who love God and who are the called according to His purpose. Beloved, that's His people. His people love Him. And as His people, we are His treasured possession. And as His treasured possession, should not there be a great concern or a love for His people within the family? Just as we've heard, Pastor Don and Pastor Matt have told us that, and particularly Pastor Don, as we're closer related to people, to Christians who are in Africa, who are on totally different continents than we are, oftentimes to some of our family members right here, because we're in the family of God together. And as part of that family of God, we see how he works. But notice also the Spirit, he loves the church because the Spirit is interceding for the saints according to the will of God. And then God's thoughts are toward His saints. Psalm 40, verses 4 and 5. I want to read a little paragraph here in our book that we're studying, Divine Providence, and help you understand about God's love, what Chernock said about God's love for His people. He says, the welfare of the church is the center of the infinite heart of God and all His works. In other words, the well-being of His people, the well-being of the church, The world is a wilderness, but the church is a garden. If God waters the wilderness, will He not much more tend to His garden? If He oversees the flight of the birds, then how much more will He oversee the affairs of the church? As the church is his treasure, he keeps a repository for his people and all that belongs to him. He has a book of life for their names, a book of record for their members, a notebook for their speeches, a book of remembrance, a book of providence for their preservation. Beloved, that's what God is as his people, what he does for his people. And just like he said, if he's going to water the wilderness, will he not take special care of his garden as his people? Second point I want to make, we're going to look at is the intentionality of the collecting, okay? So the first point being the importance of giving to the saints, the importance of caring for the things that God cares for. God cares for His people, we are to care for His people. And that's what He called the Corinthian believers to do here, this collection for the saints. Secondly is the intentionality of collecting, verses 2-4. Paul was very specific and he was intentional on how the Corinthians were to do this. They were to do it on the first day of the week. Wonder why they told them the first day of the week. When you think of the first day of the week as being Sunday, for us as Christians, being the Lord's day, where are you supposed to be at the Lord's day? As Christians, we are to gather for worship on the Lord's Day. The Lord's Day is to be set apart. It's to be totally different from any other day. As we think about that, beloved, we hold that in mind that it's to be totally different. That's why he's collecting it on the Lord's Day, coming in for worship. You know, scripture says a lot about money and saving and giving and how we're to deal with money, but Paul's very specific in here. Okay? That each day of your week, verse 2, he says, I want you to set something aside. Each of you is to put something aside and store it up. as he may prosper, okay? So you put something aside, everybody's there, as the Lord has provided for you, beloved, it might be a quarter, it might be a dollar, it might be 10, whoever, however God has provided for you, and you've seen him provide, you've seen him meet those needs, he doesn't say how much, he says you just set it aside. The Lord will lead you. The Lord will tell you what to do. He'll show you what needs to be done there. Our responsibility is to be obedient and to set it aside just as He was challenging the Corinthians to do. In other words, don't wait. Put something aside. Store it up, okay? Proverbs 21 5 addresses that, the diligence and saving, the diligence and being there. You know, a thought came to my mind as I was studying this about Boaz. When you think about Ruth and Boaz, and when Boaz was faced with the opportunity, not only did he desire to have Ruth for a wife, he was faced with that opportunity, but there was someone who stood in the way, there was one who was a closer kinsman-redeemer. Okay, do you remember what happened in that situation? That kinsman-redeemer, as Boaz went to that kinsman-redeemer, he was willing to buy the farm, he wanted the farm. But he didn't want to take Ruth as a wife. Well, Boaz was in a situation, he desired Ruth as a wife. But beloved, because he was financially responsible and the things that Boaz had done throughout his life, he was able to not only take Ruth as a wife, but he was prepared even when, within a matter of, even though it was a grain harvest, and I understand he's selling the grain, that's there. But he was able to provide and meet those needs and meet this obligation that he was posed with. Because there was faithfulness, he was setting things aside, he was storing things up. Some put in more, some put in less, but Paul tells them here, you set aside as he may prosper. In other words, what the Lord's given you, that's what you want to set aside. And he says he was intentional in that, in no collecting, so that there will be no collecting when I come. What would happen if Paul showed up? They probably would hear that they couldn't see him. Paul couldn't pick up the telephone and call them and say, I'm coming on Monday. He couldn't do that. Paul would show up, maybe they would know about when he's coming, but he didn't want folks scrambling back and forth trying to take up offerings, trying to take up collecting, and I don't have what I have, but he knows that if there's intentionality in what they do and collecting week by week by week, that God will provide and he'll meet the needs that are there for the saints that need this gift. So if he was intentional, don't wait till I come. You do this collecting and you do this collecting starting now. In verse 3, Paul allows the Corinthian church to pick out who's going to be the courier of this gift to the Jerusalem saints. He tells them in verse three, and when I arrive, I will send those whom you accredit by letter to carry your gift to Jerusalem. He's allowing them to pick whether it's leadership of the church, whomever it may be there at that time. He's allowing them the opportunity to say, well, this is who want to carry. Wonder why? Maybe a couple different reasons. Maybe he desired for the funds to be handled properly. He knew that these folks who they picked out would have had part in the giving of these gifts, so they could be very intentional in how they handled these gifts. But you know, he might have wanted those saints, the folks in Corinth, to go and rub shoulders with the Jerusalem saints that are there. That potentially could have been an opportunity to get to know their brothers and sisters in the Jerusalem church and to see, for them to see the faith of those in Corinth who had an opportunity that they would grow and bring that fire back. And then in verse four it says, Paul addressed the fact that he may go to Jerusalem as well. I imagine that Paul was gonna, he was gonna survey the situation and see what was going on, and if it would be advisable for him to go, I'll lead him, I'll co-take him. If necessary, he didn't mind doing what needed to be done. In other words, Acts 11 verse 30 of meeting the needs of the saints in Judea because the need was there. Paul was willing to do what needed to be done, but his challenge to the Corinthians was start saving and be intentional in your saving and your collecting. Now as we close, I want to address two more small points, two more things that come to mind I think we can make application of as well. The first one being is something that we learned from Mr. Howard Sloan years ago. He said in a, he was teaching a finance class, he said, you can't take it with you, but you can send it ahead. As we think of that, he was talking about gifts that we're not gonna be able to take it with us and remember everything we have, all these material possessions are for us to use here on this earth. But when we send it ahead and these offerings that are given toward the saints that are in Jerusalem here, they needed that, they were sending it ahead. Philippians chapter four, I'm gonna look at a verse in Philippians chapter four for just a moment. Philippians chapter four verse 17. Paul gets to the end of the letter to the Philippians, and I'm going to back up for context. I'm going to back up to verse 14. Philippians 4, beginning with 14, but we're going to look at it since 17. Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble. And you, Philippians, yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving except you only. Even in Thessalonica, you sent me help for my needs once and again. Not that I seek the gift, and here, listen to verse 17. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruits that increase to your credit. Now, other versions of the Bible, it speaks of seeking profit to accrue to your account. In other words, he makes a reference to the account. And then that puts in the mind, well, is there an account? Do I have an account in heaven? You know, if Mr. Sloan says, you can't take it with you, but you can send it ahead, well, beloved, are these things that we give toward the saints, or we give toward the ministry of the church, we give toward the Lord, are these things being accrued to an account that we have? He says, for your credit. What kind of credit am I getting here? But he says to the Philippians, it is for your credit. God has entrusted us with these material possessions we have. Will we be good stewards of what he's entrusted to us? And help caring for the saints, which are his treasure, possession? And the last application I think we can make as well, and adding to that, comes back in the Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew chapter six, beginning with verse one. Well, beloved, we have a responsibility in our giving. We've got to be careful in our giving. Listen to the warning of the carefulness that Jesus says, Matthew 6, verses 1 through 4, Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them. For then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogue and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret, and your father who sees in secret will reward you. God gives us a warning right here through the Lord Jesus, and he tells us here, yes, it's important to give and to care for the needy, and it's important to care for my treasured possession, but beloved, don't do it in a boastful way. Do it in a way that honors him and that provides for him, not for our glory. but all for His. That's why we want to do it, for His glory and His glory alone. Let us pray. Father, I do thank You and praise You for Your Word. I thank You for the timeliness of Your Word and the appropriateness of it and how it deals with every aspect of our life. I ask, Lord, that You would give us wisdom and discernment as we continue to hunger and thirst for righteousness and we continue to look to You as the author and finisher of our faith, that we would be right where You want us to be. Go before us, guide us and direct us now. Fill us with Thy Spirit. I pray in Jesus' name, amen.