Our scripture reading for today, brothers and sisters, to which I invite you to turn with me, is found in the New Testament epistle of the apostle Paul to the church in Corinth, his second epistle, it's 2 Corinthians chapter 9. After the four gospel accounts, Acts, Romans, you'll come to 1 and 2 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians chapter 9. We read the 15 verses of that chapter, 2 Corinthians 9, taking note of the fact that the context is such that Paul has been exhorting Christians throughout the ancient Roman world to support one another, not only with their prayers, but with their financial gifts, so the work of the gospel might go forth. In fact, if you will skim over chapter eight, he says to the Corinthians that he's commending the Macedonian churches. Macedonia was a Roman province in what would today be known as Greece, a bit more north in Greece there, near the Aegean Sea. And they were giving very generously out of their own poverty. And they were taking an offering for the church in Jerusalem because as folks were coming to Christ in Jerusalem, they were often disowned by their families, they lost their jobs, their property may have been confiscated, persecution was increasing. And on top of that, there was a famine in the ancient world, Acts 11, 28 tells us, during the reign of Claudius. And so there was great impoverishment, especially among God's people. And so the Apostle Paul is writing to Christians here, there and everywhere to support one another so that the work of the Lord would go forth. And now he's addressing them in Achaia. Achaia was a province further south than what would be modern day Greece and closer to the Mediterranean Sea. And he's saying, you know, you promised to give, please fulfill that promise that the Lord might be glorified and that, again, the work would not be hindered. So that's the historical context of our text. And as Brother Mark prayed, we're picking up chapter nine along the theme of the continuation of our series entitled, Being the Body. What does it mean to be the body of Christ? And so I draw your attention, brothers and sisters, to 2 Corinthians 9, verse one. And again, we read to the end of the chapter. Let us hear then the word of the Lord. "'There is no need for me to write to you "'about this service to the saints, "'for I know your eagerness to help, "'and I have been boasting about it to the Macedonians, "'telling them that since last year, "'you and Achaia were ready to give, "'and your enthusiasm has stirred most of them to action. "'But I'm sending the brothers in order "'that our boasting about you in this matter "'should not prove hollow, that you may be ready, as I said you would be. For if any Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we, not to say anything about you, would be ashamed of having been so confident. So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to visit you in advance and finish the arrangements for the generous gift you had promised. Then it will be ready as a generous gift, not as one grudgingly given. Remember this, whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you so that in all things, at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written, he has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor. His righteousness endures forever. Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way, so that you can be generous on every occasion. And through us, your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. The service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people, but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. And in their prayers for you, their hearts will go out to you because of the surpassing grace God has given you. Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift. Thus far, the reading of God's Word, brothers and sisters, and as always, I ask and encourage you to keep your Bibles open and handy as you look to God's Word together today. Dear congregation of Jesus Christ, several weeks ago, I received in my email mailbox the September 20, 2018 edition of Breakpoint. Breakpoint is kind of a current events news item published by the Colson Center for Christian Worldview. in memory of Charles Colson. This particular breakpoint was written by Eric Metaxas. Many of us know him as a very famous author, and also a man by the name of Stan Guthrie. And I found it to be very convicting. In fact, it's entitled, Christian Hoarding. Christian Hoarding. Do we own stuff, or does stuff own us? Think about that. I'm gonna just read a portion of this to you. The article says hoarding isn't just a grotesque curiosity for TV voyeurs. It's a real and present danger for Christ Church. C.S. Lewis once said the safest road to hell is the gradual one, the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts, end of quote. In today's prosperous America, we've made hoarding just as easy and the danger to our souls is just as real. A new article in The Atlantic by Elena Samuels lays out the grim details. In 2017, Americans spent $240 billion on jewelry, watches, books, luggage, telephones, and related communication equipment, twice as much in inflation-adjusted dollars as in 2002. During the same time, the population grew only 13%. Spending on personal care products also doubled. To hold all this stuff, we're supersizing our houses and storage facilities. Last year, the average size of a single-family home in the U.S. was 2,426 square feet, a 23% increase from 20 years ago. Meanwhile, two decades ago, there were 26,000 self-storage units around the country. Today, there are 52,000 of them. Too many of us, and this includes Christians, have bought into the lie that the pursuit of happiness necessarily includes the pursuit of stuff. We are all accumulating mountains of things, says Mark A. Cohan, Director of Retail Studies at Columbia University's Graduate School of Business. Americans have become a society of hoarders, end of quote. And then finally this. Are we, who have been blessed far more abundantly than most of God's servants around the world, as rich toward God as we need to be. I cannot tell you an amount that you must share if you don't want to be a Christian hoarder. That's between you, the Lord, and perhaps a wise Christian friend or financial advisor. What I can tell you is that if our giving doesn't hurt at least a little bit, If it doesn't curb our seemingly insatiable urge to hoard, then it probably isn't enough. And then finally, the article says this, and in this time of material abundance, a lot of worthy churches and ministries face a chronic shortage of funds. Why is that? According to nonprofitsource.com, Christians today, listen, give only 2.5% of their income. During the Great Depression, it was 3.3%. The average giving by adults who attend Protestant churches in America is about $17 a week, and 37% of regular church attendees and evangelicals don't give any money to church at all. There are all kinds of Christians in this world, but the category Christian hoarders doesn't exist in God's economy. Let's check our hearts and our wallets and set aside more treasure in heaven, end of quote. Friends, did you find that as convicting as I did? And especially that last line, let's check our hearts and our wallets and set aside more treasure in heaven. In fact, that is precisely what the Apostle Paul is trying to get us to do in the words of our text, especially as we focus in on 2 Corinthians 9, verses 6 and following. Friends, Paul is telling us that we serve a very gracious and generous and beneficent God. In fact, if you'll look at the last verse of our scripture reading, in verse 15 of 2 Corinthians 9, he concludes this passage by saying, thanks be to God for his indescribable gift. To what or to whom is he referring? He's referring to our blessed Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He is that indescribable gift. And indeed it was our Lord Jesus Himself who said in John 3.16, For God so what? Loved the world, that He what? Gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life. And Paul is saying that is the God whom we claim to believe in. That is the God whom we claim to serve. And that you and I must seek to make manifest His character before the eyes of a watching world by ever more faithfully being the body of Christ. And one of the ways, Paul says, in which we faithfully make manifest what it means to be the body of Christ is very simply giving generously to God, giving very generously to this very gracious and generous God. Think about that. Now then, as we begin to work our way through our text together this morning, we're going to consider this theme of giving generously to God, first of all, by looking at the principle. We're going to look, first of all, at the principle. For example, look at verse six of 2 Corinthians 9 with me, if you would please. Paul writes, remember this, literally the Greek says, but this I say, as some of the other translations read, Whoever sows sparingly, that is in a restricted, limited, miserly fashion, remember this, whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly. And whoever sows generously, the Greek literally reads, whoever sows with blessing. The King James Version, the New American Standard translates the term, whoever sows bountifully will also reap generously or also reap bountifully. Now friends, that text is what some have referred to as the law of the harvest. And when you consider agriculture, when you consider the natural physical realm, and then you read something like, remember this, whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, whoever sows generously will also reap generously, we say, well, that's self-evidently true. That's manifestly true when you consider the way a farmer sows and reaps. But interestingly enough, the Bible says that that same principle, the law of the harvest, is true spiritually speaking. And there are a host of biblical passages that affirm that fact. For example, turn with me, if you would care to turn, to Psalm 112. If you just want to listen, that's okay. If you're taking notes, I'm going to read Psalm 112, verses 5 and 6. Psalm 112, verses 5 and 6. Here the sacred psalmist says, Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice. Surely he will never be shaken. A righteous man will be remembered forever. Similarly, if you're in the Old Testament with me, please let's turn over to Proverbs 11, verses 24 and 25. Job, Psalms, Proverbs. Proverbs 11, verses 24 and 25. Here God's Word declares, One man gives freely, yet gains even more. Another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous man will prosper, and I love this, he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. A generous man will prosper, he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. And then finally on this score, if you're still in the New Testament or if you're taking notes, jot down Luke 6, verses 37 and 38. Luke 6, verses 37 and 38. Jesus is speaking. And He says in Luke 6, beginning in verse 37, Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. And here's kind of the punchline. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. With the measure you use, it will be measured to you. You know, friends, as I was prayerfully pondering that particular text, an illustration I recall hearing many years ago came to mind, and I may have shared it with you before. If I have, forgive the redundancy, but it kind of drives home this point of the principle of giving generously to God. Boys and girls, the story is told that many years ago in Africa, there was a prince who was traveling along with his royal entourage, and he was passing through a very impoverished village, a very, very poor village. And as he was passing along, there was a beggar sitting on the side of the road, dressed in rags, and as he saw this obviously wealthy prince walk by, he held out his hand and he said, alms, alms. To his great shock and surprise, the prince responded by holding out his hand to that impoverished beggar. Again, rather shocked and greatly dismayed, getting his thoughts together for a moment, the beggar reached into his little tin cup of rice and he took out a pinch of rice and he placed it in the prince's hands. And with that, the prince went, and he called for his servants to come, and they brought a whole bag of gold. The prince dipped into the bag of gold and took out a pinch, and he put it in the beggar's hand, and he went on his way, leaving that beggar forever to wonder this, oh, what might have been if I had given him everything I have? Think about that. 2 Corinthians 9, verse six. The Bible says, remember this, whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly. And whoever sows generously will also reap generously, being the body of Christ and making that manifest by giving generously to God. And first of all, that is the principle. That is the principle. Well, friends, as our text continues, we consider again this theme, giving generously to God, by considering, secondly, the practice. We're going to consider the practice of giving generously to God. Look at verse seven with me, if you would, please, as our text continues. Paul says, each man, the Greek says eskatos, it literally says each one. It doesn't matter if you're a man or a woman, male or female, each one. Each man, each one, should give what he has decided. That word could be translated, what he has purposed, what he has planned, and it's the opposite. It's the antithesis of simply giving by an emotional feeling or giving without really thinking it through or planning accordingly. Each man should give what he has decided or planned or purpose notice in his heart to give. Not reluctantly. The King James New American Standard translates it, not grudgingly. Not grudgingly. I looked that word up in my Greek lexicon and it says, namely, out of sorrow, annoyance, grief, or pain. Out of sorrow, annoyance, grief, or pain. Do not give reluctantly. Do not give grudgingly. One commentator said, and I quote, there are those who part with their contributions as if they are parting with their lifeblood. I think that's true for a lot of folks. But anyway, it says, do not give reluctantly or under compulsion, that is under distress or necessity. In other words, brothers and sisters, when we give, we ought not to experience any pressure at all to give. We ought not to feel like we're under any compulsion, to use the word in the NIV. Why not? Well, the reason is because, as the text goes on to say, because God loves a cheerful. The Greek word is hilaros. It's where we get our word hilarious from. God loves a hilaros. He loves a hilarious. He loves a cheerful giver. Now, brothers and sisters, think about that, think of the implication of that, and think of what that means by way of the contrary position, the conversely, let us say. We have in our heart and in our mind the text, each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And consequently, one commentator writes, listen carefully as I quote, he says, a grudging giver is especially offensive to God. A grudging giver is especially offensive to God. And John Calvin, the great reformer, adds, God loves a cheerful giver. This implies, writes Calvin, that those who give grudgingly and reluctantly are loathed by Him. Not loved by Him, but loathed by Him. Then Matthew Henry writes, quote, God loves a cheerful giver. Can a man be a loser by doing that with which God is pleased? I just love that. Matthew Henry, God loves a cheerful giver. Can a man be a loser by doing that with which God is pleased? And the answer to that rhetorical question, of course, is of course not. Of course not. Friends, I came across another passage as I was prayerfully preparing this very difficult, in some ways, message today, and it was recorded in Mark 12. If you would care to turn with me to the Gospel of Mark, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Mark 12, verses 41 through 44. Mark 12, 41 through 44. Here we read in Mark 12, 41 and following, that Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watch the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Now picture this historically and don't lose your place. Malachi 3.10, as I shared with the boys and girls, God says, bring the whole tithe into the storehouse that there might be food in my house, the whole tenth. So they know that's the law. And Jesus is probably thinking something along the lines of, as the New Testament indicates, well, if you're required to give one tenth under law, how much more shouldn't they be giving under grace, you see? All right, so Jesus is watching them, and that struck me, too. I mean, imagine what the people felt like. They're giving their gifts. Jesus is watching them. I mean, I thought, like, well, actually, Jesus is watching you and me. The collection plate has passed. He's seeing what we're putting in. I'm just relating to the historical account, rather sobering thought. Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put, and he watched the crowds putting their money into the temple treasury, knowing what the law was. Many rich people threw in large amounts, but a poor widow, a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins worth only a fraction of a penny, calling his disciples to them. He said, hey guys, come here. I want to teach you something. He says, I tell you the truth. This poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth. But she out of her poverty put in everything, all she had to live on. Wow. Jesus is saying that it isn't so much what we give that is the issue, it's how much we still have left over for ourselves after we give. That's the issue. I cross-referenced that, brothers and sisters, with Matthew 6. If you'd care to turn back several pages to the left with me, if you want to just listen again, that's okay. But Matthew 6, verses 19 through 21, Jesus is speaking the Sermon on the Mount. And in Matthew 6, 19 through 21, Jesus says, do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where moth and rust do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal. "'For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.'" You catch that, verse 21? "'For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.'" We often interpret that in reverse, and that's kind of what Paul is saying in 2 Corinthians 9. He says, give as you've purposed in your heart to give. Where your heart is, that's where you'll give, correct? If you have an affinity or a fondness for a particular ministry or mission or missionary, that's where your heart is, that's where you're gonna give, that's okay. But that's not what Jesus says in verse 21. He says, where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Ponder that for a few moments. Wow. And then let's pair that with what we read back in 2 Corinthians 9 verse 7. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, For God loves a cheerful giver. He loves a cheerful giver. We've looked at the principle. We've looked at the practice. And now, brothers and sisters, thirdly and finally, let us consider the promises related to giving generously to God. The promises related to giving generously to God. Look at verses eight and following. We're gonna touch on this all too briefly at this time. But beginning at verse 28, Excuse me verse 8 Paul says and God is able he had dunitas He has the power the ability to wherewithal God God is able to make all grace abound to you So that in all things at all times having all that you need you will abound in every good work as it is written He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor his righteousness endures forever that is a quotation taken from Psalm 112 verse 9 a footnote in my Bible tells me that Then he goes on to say in verse 10, he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. One of the brothers in our congregation has said to me repeatedly, Pastor, always remember, you can't give yourself poor. You can't give yourself poor. And that's because of that principle there that's laid out, the promise God gives to those who give generously. Young couples, young families, Psalm 3725. Wow, Psalm 3725. I claim this as a young father myself, raising our several children through the years. Man, there were times you just didn't think you were gonna make it. There were times you didn't seemingly have money for gas or for food, and the Lord always provided. But Psalm 3725, it says, I was young, and now I am old. And yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken. or their children begging bread. Promise of God, it's one of the promises of God. And the text goes on here that we are made rich so that we can be generous. And then look at the end of verse 11, brothers and sisters. It says, so that this will result in thanksgiving to God. Our generosity brings thanks to God, and not only so, verse 12 says that when we give, we're supplying the needs of God's people. We're very physically, practically, tangibly, materially helping others to receive what God promised us, namely their daily bread, and by helping one another with our daily needs and our physical needs, That also results, verse 12 tells us, in thanks to God. And as a result, verse 13, men will praise God for our obedience that is consistent with the confession of faith that we have made in Him. The promises just keep going on. You're gonna be given more than you need. You're gonna be enriched by your generosity. Thanks will be brought to God. Praise will be brought to God. You're gonna meet the physical needs of other brothers and sisters in the Lord. And as a result, in verse 14, and they're gonna pray for you. Therefore, their hearts are gonna go out to you for your generosity, and they're gonna pray for you. Because of the surpassing grace God has given you, has made manifest historically here with their very tangible, personal, practical concern for their brothers and sisters in the church in Jerusalem who were suffering so, who were suffering so. Giving generously to God, making manifest what it means to be the body of Christ and the promises, that those are all the promises. You know, Brother Mark prayed about our transition to church planting and PA, Lord willing, after the turn of the new year. And so Mark and I had begun packing up. We're going through our stuff, trying to get rid of a lot of things. And we're coming across a lot of precious memories. We're coming across a lot of precious memorabilia. And just the other day, we came across a picture. And I know a lot of you can't see this. I apologize to the Fellowship Hall folks, but there are advantages to sitting in the front row. And there's a picture here of me and Dr. Gabriel Atero. and his dear wife, Raquel. Dr. Otero, some of us may know, was the dean of Family Radio School of the Bible for many years, brilliant man. In fact, young people, he used to be, by the way, Dr. Otero is the tall, good-looking one, I'm the, well, nevermind. He used to be the goalie for his home country, Argentina. He was the goalie for their World Cup soccer team, Dr. Otero, Gabriel Otero. He went on to become a nuclear engineer, and then he ultimately became a pastor. We became very good friends through the years of speaking for Family Radio, and we would chat about a lot of different things. One day, so you can kind of see that's who he is. So anyway, we're talking one day, and Dr. Otero says to me, we got talking somehow about giving, giving in the church. And he said to me, you know Rich, he said this interesting story I want to share with you. He said several years ago, and this is going back 20 plus years, but he said to me several years ago, the deacons in our church came up to me, And they told me about a man in the church who was not giving anything to the church. And the deacons were concerned that this might have represented a spiritual problem, and they suggested that I go and speak with him. And so he said, I did. And he asked the man why he was not giving to the church. And so the man replied, he said, oh, Dr. Otero, he said, I've got a mortgage, I've got car payments, I've got kids in school, we have medical bills. He said, there's just no way I can give anything to the church. So Gabriel said to him, well, I'll tell you what. He said, why don't next Sunday, why don't you give $1? Give $1 in the collection plate. And the guy said, $1, that's nothing. And he said, no, it's $1 more than you're giving now. He said, I want you to give $1. And he said, I want you to do that for a whole month. Just give $1. Can you do that? The guy says, yeah. He said, then next month, I want you to double that. I want you to give $2. And do that for a whole month. And then the next month, I want you to double that and give $4. And the next month, give $8. And just keep doubling it until you get to the baseline of 1 10th. 1 10th of what God has given you. Work your way up to 1 10th. Make that the minimum that you're giving. And see if God is true to his word in that he would bless you for your faithfulness. So the guy says, okay. So that Sunday he gives a dollar, and he does it for a month, and the next month he gives two dollars, and he did that. And several months went by, and Dr. Otero told me that the guy moved away. He literally moved away, and he lost touch with him, and he kind of had forgotten about the story and everything. So he says, Pastor Kukin, he goes, there's a knock on my study door not too long ago. And he said, I opened the door, and he said, it's that man. I hadn't seen him for many years. And I said, oh, good to see you again. How are things going? He said, well, actually, they're going very well. And he said, I want to give something to you in the church. And Gabriel said, he gave me a check. Are you ready for this? $700,000. He gives him a check. This is what he told me. He said, Rich, he gave me a check for $700,000. And he said, I almost fell on the floor. And I said, what is this? And the guy said, well, he said, I tried to honor the principles from God's word, Dr. Otero, that you taught me, and he said, we moved away, as you know, and he said, I invented something, and I got a patent on it. Now, do you remember the cassettes, the tape cassettes? Just nod if you remember that, I'm not the only one. Okay, you remember those cassettes? You remember how, thank you, Franz. Remember how if you play the cassette, it would auto-rewind and play the other side? Okay. This guy invented the widget, whatever you want to call it, that made the tape rewind on the other side. And he invented that, and he got a patent on it, and he becomes a multi-millionaire. So he says to Gabriel, I just want to come back and thank you for teaching me that spiritual principle of giving. That's what Gabriel told me. Wow. Now friends, do not misunderstand, because I know there's a danger in what I just said. I am not preaching a health and wealth gospel. I am not preaching a name it, claim it, take it home and frame it gospel. That is heresy, by the way, that is being preached all over the TV and all of the airwaves today. I am not saying that, not preaching that at all. Contrary to the word of God. Brothers and sisters, I am trying to bring us simply. The word of God today. praying with God and pleading with God that he would give to you and to me the grace to simply understand the principle and to adhere to the practice and to claim the promises the scripture sets forth in conjunction with being the body of Christ and making that manifest by giving generously to God. Amen. Let's bow our heads and our hearts together in prayer. Oh, our mighty God and most merciful Heavenly Father. Nearly 3,000 years ago, King Solomon said, I have seen a grievous evil under the sun. Wealth hoarded to the harm of its owner. Indeed, Father, in New Testament times, our Lord Jesus reemphasized and reaffirmed this great and grievous danger by telling the parable of the rich man, which is kept on building bigger and bigger barns until you said to him, you fool, this very night, your life, your psuche, your soul, will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself? This is how it will be, said Jesus, with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God. Consequently, O faithful father, grant to us the grace, we pray, individually and congregationally, to increasingly take you at your word and to make manifest what it means to be the body of Christ by giving generously to you, our God, who has, oh, so graciously and oh, so generously given us even His one and only Son to be our Savior from sin, Jesus, in whose name alone we pray, amen.