Open your Bibles to our first scripture reading, which is Exodus chapter 35 and a part of 36. And if you're using that blue Bible, it's page 75. Exodus 35 is when God has told Moses to invite the people of Israel in the wilderness to donate, to give for the building of the tabernacle and all of the furnishings in the tabernacle and the vestments that the priests wore. And so Moses gives that invitation to the people of Israel, and that's what we're going to pick up here in just a minute, Exodus 35, starting at verse 20. I want you to look for key phrases throughout all this reading, like things like willing heart, those who had a desire to give, and so forth. Look for those phrases. So Exodus 35, beginning at verse 20. Then all the congregation of the people of Israel departed from the presence of Moses, and they came, everyone whose heart stirred him, and everyone whose spirit moved him, and brought the Lord's contribution to be used for the tent of meeting and for all of its service and for the holy garments. So they came, both men and women, all who were of a willing heart." And so it goes on to talk about what they brought, brooches and earrings and linen and so forth. And you get down to verse 26, and all the women whose hearts stirred them to use their skills, spun the goat's hair, and the leaders brought onyx stones and stones to be set for the ephod and for the breastplate and spices and oil for the light and for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense. All the men and women, the people of Israel, whose heart moved them to bring anything for the work of the Lord, had commanded by Moses to be done, brought it as a freewill offering to the Lord. And then it talks about how God gifted certain craftsmen in their skills in building the tabernacle. And they come to Moses then, chapter 36, starting at verse 2. And Moses called Basilel and Aholion, and every craftsman in whose mind the Lord had put skill, everyone whose heart stirred him up to come to do the work. And they received from Moses all the contribution that the people of Israel had brought for doing the work on the sanctuary. They still kept bringing him freewill offerings every morning so that all the craftsmen who were doing every sort of task on the sanctuary came. each from the tasks that he was doing and said to Moses, the people bring much more than enough for doing the work that the Lord has commanded us to do. So Moses gave command and word was proclaimed throughout the camp, let no man or woman do anything more for the contribution for the sanctuary. So the people were restrained from bringing for the material they had was sufficient to do all the work and more. So keep that scene in mind as we pick up in 2 Corinthians chapter 8. It's page 967. Just picking back up in our series in 2 Corinthians that we broke from during Lent and Easter. We're back. We're just picking up right where we left off at chapter 8. Commended and approved by God. 2 Corinthians chapter 8, 1 through 7. We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia. For in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means of their own accord. begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints. And this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us. Accordingly, we urge Titus that as he started, so he should complete among you this act of grace. But as you excel in everything, in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you, see that you excel in this act of grace also. The word of the Lord. Let's pray. Oh God, may your grace run free among us. And may our hearts be abounding in joy for Christ's sake. Amen. You may be seated. And so this is where we are in the series, Committed and Approved by God from 2 Corinthians. Like I said, just picking up where we left off. The sermon notes are on the back of your worship guide there with lots of space for you to write notes. There's some questions at the bottom, even with a little fill in the blank there. So I'll try to remember to point it out to you as we go along. Well, my friends, she came twice in January. She didn't come to church, but she came by the church office. And just the persona, we expected she was gonna come and ask for handouts, which normally happens through the weeks. But instead, in her own style of speech, she told Natalie, our office manager, I was there for one of these, and then Natalie was by herself when she came back a second time about a week or two later. She said to Natalie, more than once, she said, I just come here to pay my tithe. I ain't got much, but God been good to me and I just want to give. I was floored. She was someone who gave because she recognized she had been given to. Today we return to 2 Corinthians and we move into the geographical center of 2 Corinthians. It's not the literary center, it's the geographic center. It's not the theme of the whole letter, but it's primary in the letter just right smack in the middle, chapters 8 and 9. And I'm going to tell you that as we move into this subject, and I've told you this before, it's a subject that embarrasses the stuffings out of me and I hate to talk about it. And it was difficult for the apostle Paul to talk about as well. It is about giving and generosity. And one way you know it was difficult for the Apostle Paul is he's collecting monies for relief work for Christians who are in need in Judea and Jerusalem. He needs money. And he never uses the word money once in two chapters. He says everything else he can say to get around it without using it. He found it difficult to talk about this subject. So I feel happily at home here. I just want you to know. And so as we launch into these two chapters, in chapter eight and chapter nine, right here in verses one through seven, we pick up that Paul talks about, and here's your three points, graceful giving, graceful giving, overflow giving, and given giving. And the reason I didn't put any scripture references down there, because we're gonna end up going through chapter eight, one through seven, three times with each of these thieves. So here we go, graceful giving. The first thing to sink in is how grace is all over this section, starting from ground zero, verse one. Look at verse one. We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia. Everything we are about to read in chapters eight and chapter nine is dripping with the undeserved, unearned, unbargained for grace of God. The grace of God was loose and on the run in the churches of Macedonia, the church of Philippi, and the church of Thessalonica, and if there were any others that we don't know about. But the grace of God, Paul says, was on the run, was loose and running free in those churches. And the way that you know that the grace of God was having free reign in those churches is how they responded to this endeavor that was so dear to Paul. Paul is collecting monies not for himself, but for Christians who are in need in Jerusalem and Judea. And these people jump on board. Look at verse 4. And so they were begging us earnestly for the favor That Greek word favor, by the way, is caries, it's grace. They were begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints. The grace of God, verse one, made them gracious, verse four, and so they wanted to become, they desired to be the hands and the feet of the grace of God for others. It's a pretty cool thought. The grace of God had turned them into gracious people who wanted to be the hands and feet of the grace of God to others. That's verse four. Now, there's a little toying with words here in verse four. The English Standard Version translates it as favor of taking part in the relief of the saints. The play is on favor and taking part. In the Greek, it's It's favor and fellowship. They begged to have the favor and fellowship of deaconing. That's the word relief in the Greek. Deaconing to the saints there that are in need in Jerusalem and Judea. And so Paul wants the Macedonian Christians' eagerness to encourage the Corinthian Christians with a sustained eagerness so that they will jump in with both feet into this act of grace. He uses that phrase twice in verse six and seven. And if you will circle that phrase and read the rest of chapter eight and nine, you will see it crop up all the time. Listen to how he puts it in verse six and seven. Accordingly, we urge Titus that as he had started, so he should complete among you this act of grace, that as you excel in everything, in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you, see that you excel in this act of grace also." So follow the line of what Paul is doing here. Verse 1, when the grace of God has actually really substantially nabbed and grabbed God's people, Then verse four, they want to be the hands and the feet of the grace of God to others and their engagement. Verse six and seven, their engagement in an endeavor like this is an act of grace. This is graceful giving. And it is also overflow giving. Now when I say overflow giving, I don't mean that they gave the extra change that was on their bedroom dresser or in that glass bottle. I mean, we know this happens at your house too, right? On that big glass bottle you've got over in the side of your bedroom where you put all your pennies and nickels, right? It's not just the overflow change like that. It's not the surplus that was left over after buying their boats and condos and cabins and bingo games. In fact, here's what I want you to see is that there is a deep affliction going on, and I want you to start and go back to chapter 7 and verse 5. Take your eyeballs, look back to chapter 7 and verse 5. Paul mentions this affliction when he came to Macedonia. He says, for even when we came into Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were afflicted at every turn, fighting without and fear within. Now, I mentioned what that possibly means. It could mean lots of other things, but it's very, very likely it's referring to one of those armed conflicts or riots happening in the streets, fightings without, to where everybody has to hunker down in their homes and can't even go to the marketplace or the grocery store to get anything to eat. fears within. It's a deep affliction. When Paul went into Macedonia, there was this severe affliction going on of fighting without and fears within. And so that's the environment in which the Macedonian churches gave. Look at chapter 8, verse 2. For in a severe test of affliction, A lot of affliction, Paul. What I mentioned back in verse five, where there's fighting without and fears within, and a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. Notice it was in the midst of their lack It was in the middle of their concerns for their own safety and their own well-being. It was in their extreme poverty that they overflowed in joy, and they overflowed in a wealth of generosity. And so they're stretching themselves in this extreme poverty and this severe affliction. They're stretching themselves. It's even clearer in verse 3. Look at verse 3, chapter 8, verse 3. For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord." Of their own accord. That language should sound familiar, like from Exodus 35 and 36, where the people gave willingly. Their spirits moved within them. They gave from a willing heart. That's what these Macedonian Christians are doing. Willing, overflowing, abundant giving in the face of lack and little. Willing, overflowing, abundant giving in the face of lack and little. Notice what they didn't allow to happen. They did not allow their situation. They did not allow their condition. to throttle and suffocate the grace of God that was running loose among them. They knew what it was to be in need in their severe affliction, in their severe poverty. They knew what it was to be in need. And they knew what it was to have God take care of them and supply them. And so they wanted desperately to be the hands and the feet of God's grace to other Christians in similar situations. And so Paul is using the Macedonian Christians' eagerness as an example to the Corinthian Christians. He wants their example of eagerness in this endeavor to encourage the Corinthian Christians in this act of grace. And so Paul uses the words of verse 2 about abundance and overflow. He uses them again in verse 6 and 7. If you want to know the Greek words, it's paresio, the noun, and paresio, the verb. And so in verse 6 and 7, that's what he says in verse 2, the abundance of joy, the overflow of their generosity. That's the two Greek words. They come up again in verse 6 and 7. But as you excel, paratio, as you overflow, as you abound in everything, faith, speech, knowledge, and all earnestness, et cetera, see that you paratio, that you excel, that you abound, that you overflow in this act of grace. The Macedonian Christians graceful giving was overflow giving. It came from the overflow of the joy they had for the very grace of God bestowed upon them that they didn't deserve. They wanted to give lavishly because they'd been given lavishly. That's the overflow. They were delighted, they were glad, they were enthused to be the hands and the feet of the grace of God to other Christians who were in need in similar situations, in spite of their own circumstance and situation. So not only is it graceful giving and overflow giving, but lastly, it is given giving, given giving. It's there in verse one, verse three, and verse five. Verse one, verse three, verse five. Here's how it goes. Verse one, the grace of God has been given to them. And so verse three, they gave, you hear give, gave? They gave according to their means and above and beyond their means, but more than that, verse five, and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us. Who's the us there? The us is Paul and the apostolic band who are engaged in God's world rescue operation. They gave first themselves to God and to God's world rescue operations, what Paul is talking about there. And so given the grace of God, the Macedonian churches, unlike the Corinthian church, the Macedonian churches are all swelled up, but not with pride, not with self-preservation, not with a sense of privilege. They're swelled up with giving, giving what they have, stretching themselves because God has given lavishly. but also as they gave monetarily, they gave meaningfully. Verse three, they gave monetarily. Verse five, but they gave meaningfully. They gave themselves to the Lord in His world rescue operation. What does this mean? Put it this way. As they gave their assets, verse three, as they gave their assets, verse three, they gave also their affection, adoration, and allegiance, verse five, to God and to God's world rescue operation. And so in these first seven verses, we see graceful overflow, given giving. And so as we walk with the apostle through 2 Corinthians 8 and 9 on giving, we have already, just in these first seven verses, bumped up against a few principles and practicalities that should inform us in our giving. So let me just go from preaching to kind of meddling. Is that all right? Anyway, if it's not all right, I'm gonna do it anyway, so. First, dear friends, if you are a Christian, this is true of you. We give because God has first given to us. We don't give to barter. We don't give to make God beholden to us. We don't give to get more from God so that we'll be wealthy. We give because God first gave to us. And so we give out of the joy of God's grace and God's goodness toward us. We give to be the hands and the feet of God's grace toward others. Now, I know what I'm about to say is gonna sound really self-serving for a preacher and a pastor to say, but I'm gonna say it anyways because it's right here in chapter eight, verses one through seven. One of the evidences, one of the clear evidences that a congregation and the congregants are really made alive by the grace of God, are really flourishing and enlivened by God is seen in their generosity. That's what Paul does here. The grace of God is on the loose in the churches of Macedonia. For example, wink, wink, head nod, right? Let me point at this. They're giving lavishly. in the midst of their lack and little. Here's the second thing. Because God gives us first, we want to give. We want to give. I'm still floored by that woman coming just out of the blue. I want to give back. We want to give and not allow our circumstances to stop us. And so this is going to include both attitude and arrangement, attitude and arrangement. Here's what I mean, attitude first. We want to give because God has given us lavishly. We desire to give because God Because God did not give us a miserly peach of grace. But He opened His hand wide. He opened His arms wide. This is why Paul will go into, in 2 Corinthians 8, verse 9, he will go to the Gospel. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that you, through His poverty, might become rich. And so because God has given us so richly, we become uncomfortable and maybe even embarrassed when we can't give. When we were in another state, in another church, one of our men who later became a deacon, ran his own business in the oil field. He was an oil service guy and it was just like him and I think just him alone most of the time. And he was out in another state and while he was servicing, he had to get up underneath the trailer. You already know where this is going. This is horrible. He was up underneath the trailer doing something under the trailer when the trailer caved in from the weight that was in it. I don't understand all that was going on. And it fell on him and crushed his back and every other bone in his body, just about. And so he was there for a month in this other state and recovering. And then he comes to Midland, comes back to Midland, his hometown, and he's bankrupt. I mean, there's no money coming in because he's laid up. It was a private business. And so I go to visit him and while I'm over there visiting him, he's laid up on the couch with all kinds of metal things protruding here and there. And he looks at me and the words out of his mouth were, pastor, I don't have any money anymore. I can't give. I hope you understand that. It's okay. You're all stove up and laid up. Don't worry about it. What's interesting is that his heart was there. I want to give. Why? Because God gave him first. That's the attitude. So then comes the arrangement. We always keep this in mind. It's right there in verse three, I believe it is. We start with where we are. They gave according to their means. I don't have much. I got two bucks. that I'm gonna give. Praise the Lord. You give according to means. You start with where you are. And you always aim beyond that. In God's good providence, you always aim beyond that. And I'm gonna tell you, I would shoot for a tithe. I think tithing still applies for the New Testament Christian as it did the old. Not as a wall from on high to beat you down, but as an aim that you shoot for, that 10%. And if you don't make it because you can't make it because your condition is such that it's just impossible to make it because all you've got is a dash of cash in your pocket and that's all you'll ever have, okay. But give thanks when you're able to give and give thanks when maybe it's a little bit more this month than it was last month. Give thanks that you can give. And finally, if you do reach that 10%, shoot beyond that. Make that then the bottom floor from which you launch forward. As it says here, they gave and they gave beyond their means. Lastly, start here. When you give, give yourself to God. Give yourself to God who has given himself to you. Give yourself to his world rescue operation. Now, this will show up in many different ways, but here's a couple. You may never have more than just a dash of cash, but you can give your time and you can give your talents. Brothers, sisters, time and talents are hugely Costly, they're expensive, they're valuable. Time and talents are valuable. Maybe you can't do more than just that and just give time and talents. Okay, praise the Lord. Whether it's getting engaged in our English as Second Language program. Maybe it's donating your muscle and manpower to the deacons, going up to Scott and saying, Scott, I know you need some help here and there, let me help out. Maybe it's hosting a missions family in your home. I don't have much money, but I can at least host the Youngs the next time they come here or the Iversons when they come. And you go tell Dave Frisella, the chairman of the missions committee, you want to host them. And as you do those things, let these words always be on your mouth, because this is what matters the most. Lord, I love you. You've given me so deeply. I love you back here. And those who generously give monies to give ourselves to God and to God's world rescue operation means that we will not be satisfied with just giving money to God and God's church. We will also want to give as we are able, time and talents, prayers and partnerings and so forth. So brothers and sisters, because we have been commended and approved by God, may the grace of God run loose and wild and free in and through and out from this church. Let's pray. Oh Lord, may your grace, may your grace run loose and wild and free among us. that we may be able to give and to give not to build a heritage empire, but so that we may be the hands and the feet of your grace for others and for your world rescue operation. It's in your name, Jesus, we pray. Amen.