2 Corinthians 9 | The Upward Way | Bible Study with A. Z. Adams — Transcript

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1. 0:00So, Paul has been writing to the church
2. 0:03in Corinth. This is his second epistle
3. 0:05and he's writing and basically telling
4. 0:07them that you all need [music] to be
5. 0:10more generous. You all need to be more
6. 0:12involved in the burden of all the
7. 0:15churches because God desires to to even
8. 0:19bring an equality [music]
9. 0:21between the churches so that when one is
10. 0:23suffering or hurting, the others will
11. 0:25step up.
12. 0:26>> [music]
13. 0:26>> And the point is not to make one poor in
14. 0:30order to stop poverty in one place, but
15. 0:32just to [music] bring equality. If you
16. 0:34have an excess, if you have
17. 0:36it's according to your ability that you
18. 0:38need to give [music] and support each
19. 0:39other.
20. 0:40These are clearly
21. 0:42difficult times. [music]
22. 0:43The church in Jerusalem is in terrible
23. 0:45straits and some of the other churches
24. 0:48in Greece, like in Corinth, [music]
25. 0:50they're probably quite wealthy and he
26. 0:52wants them to help out. And he doesn't
27. 0:54want them to do it out of obligation,
28. 0:56but out of love to prove
29. 0:58that what they desire to do, they
30. 1:00[music] can also finish doing.
31. 1:03Second Corinthians chapter 9 verse 1,
32. 1:05"For it is superfluous for me to write
33. 1:08to you about this ministry to the
34. 1:10saints.
35. 1:11For I know your readiness, of which I
36. 1:13boast about you to the Macedonians,
37. 1:16namely that Achaia has been prepared
38. 1:19since last year and your zeal has
39. 1:21stirred up most of them.
40. 1:24So, when he says it is superfluous for
41. 1:27me to write to you, he's saying it's
42. 1:29extra. I don't need to write to you
43. 1:31about this ministry to the saints, this
44. 1:34[music]
45. 1:35financial aid that goes to other
46. 1:37churches. That's what that ministry
47. 1:39[music] refers to.
48. 1:41For I know your readiness.
49. 1:43He's saying I really shouldn't have to
50. 1:44re-go through all of this. It's extra.
51. 1:47I'm re-doing what I've already done.
52. 1:50But I have sent the brethren in order
53. 1:53that our boasting about you may not be
54. 1:55made empty in this case, so that, as I
55. 1:59was saying, you may be prepared.
56. 2:02Otherwise, if any Macedonians come with
57. 2:05me and find you unprepared,
58. 2:07we, not to speak of you, will be put to
59. 2:10shame by this confidence. So, what he's
60. 2:13saying is,
61. 2:14"You guys are going to really look at
62. 2:16stupid. You're going to really look
63. 2:17embarrassed because we've been hanging
64. 2:20out with Macedonians who heard about you
65. 2:22in your early years.
66. 2:24And your faith was such that you became
67. 2:28the example to the Macedonians. Oh, we
68. 2:30told them stories about Corinth. You
69. 2:32should have seen what Corinth did." And
70. 2:33the Macedonians received it, and now
71. 2:36they're twice as poor as you are,
72. 2:38they're twice as persecuted as you are,
73. 2:40but they have given three times as much
74. 2:42as you have. And so, now we're going to
75. 2:44bring them in, and they're going to see
76. 2:45how reluctant you are to participate,
77. 2:48and you're going to make us look at like
78. 2:50idiots. So, just so that we all don't
79. 2:53get embarrassed, we want you to know
80. 2:55that there's going to be some
81. 2:55Macedonians with us.
82. 2:57>> [snorts]
83. 2:57>> And
84. 2:58they're they're going through a lot
85. 2:59harder times than you are.
86. 3:02So, I thought it necessary to urge the
87. 3:05brethren that they would go on ahead to
88. 3:08you and arrange beforehand your
89. 3:11previously promised bountiful gift, so
90. 3:14that the same would be ready as a
91. 3:17bountiful gift and not affected by
92. 3:20covetousness. So, he says, "I'm going to
93. 3:22go ahead and send some guys ahead so
94. 3:25that when we get there for the big
95. 3:26moment, the guys who are with us, who
96. 3:29are going to be indignant at your
97. 3:30covetousness, you don't even have to
98. 3:32show them your covetousness. You can
99. 3:34have it set aside, and you can give what
100. 3:36you promised."
101. 3:38This is how someone can speak
102. 3:40who has given everything himself.
103. 3:43This is how someone can speak who's not
104. 3:46playing games, who has
105. 3:49worked with his own hands, who has
106. 3:51devoted his entire life, and is going to
107. 3:53die for the gospel. He's not embarrassed
108. 3:55to tell him, "You're The reason you're
109. 3:57not giving as much as you should is cuz
110. 3:59you're full of covetousness."
111. 4:02Now, this I say, "He who sows sparingly
112. 4:05will also reap sparingly, and he who
113. 4:08sows bountifully will also reap
114. 4:09bountifully."
115. 4:11Your contribution to the
116. 4:13larger ministry
117. 4:15is an expression of planting seeds in
118. 4:17the soil of the church
119. 4:19worldwide.
120. 4:21He's saying, "If you're going to sow and
121. 4:23give sparingly, you're going to reap a
122. 4:25very sparse harvest."
123. 4:30Each one must do just as he has purposed
124. 4:33in his heart, not grudgingly or under
125. 4:36compulsion, for God loves a cheerful
126. 4:39giver.
127. 4:41And God is able to make all grace abound
128. 4:44to you, so that always having all
129. 4:46sufficiency in everything, you may have
130. 4:49an abundance for every good deed.
131. 4:52As it is written, "He scattered abroad,
132. 4:55he gave to the poor, his righteousness
133. 4:57endures forever."
134. 5:00For he who supplies seed to the sower
135. 5:03and bread for food will supply and
136. 5:06multiply your seed for sowing, and
137. 5:09increase the harvest of your
138. 5:11righteousness.
139. 5:12You will be enriched in everything for
140. 5:15all liberality,
141. 5:17which through us is producing
142. 5:19thanksgiving to God.
143. 5:21For the ministry of this service is not
144. 5:23only fully supplying the needs of the
145. 5:26saints, but is also overflowing through
146. 5:29many thanksgivings to God.
147. 5:32Because of the proof given by this
148. 5:34ministry, they will glorify God for your
149. 5:37obedience to your confession of the
150. 5:40gospel of Christ, and for the liberality
151. 5:43of your contribution to them and to all.
152. 5:48While they also, by prayer on your
153. 5:50behalf, yearn for you because of the
154. 5:52surpassing grace of God in you.
155. 5:55Thanks be to God for his incredible
156. 5:58gift.
157. 6:00So, he's telling them
158. 6:02I don't want covetousness to stop you. I
159. 6:05don't want you to be embarrassed by
160. 6:07people
161. 6:08to whom we boasted about you.
162. 6:10I want you to give, but I don't want you
163. 6:12to give grudgingly. That won't work. I
164. 6:14want you to give with a cheerful heart.
165. 6:17I want you to do it cuz your heart
166. 6:19really wants to do it.
167. 6:20And I want you to do it because you
168. 6:22believe you're planting seed and you
169. 6:24want a harvest.
170. 6:26In short, you trust that sacrifices made
171. 6:30in love and faith are actually seeds in
172. 6:33the soil and that you're going to reap a
173. 6:35harvest from those.
174. 6:36>> [music]
175. 6:36>> God's going to bless you from that. You
176. 6:38don't do it out of self-seeking, you do
177. 6:40it out of love, but you do it with an
178. 6:42awareness that love is the only thing
179. 6:44that grows. Love is the only thing that
180. 6:47multiplies
181. 6:48>> [music]
182. 6:48>> in this manner.
183. 6:49For the ministry of this service is not
184. 6:51only is not only fully supplying the
185. 6:53needs of the saints,
186. 6:55but it is bringing Thanksgiving to God.
187. 6:57And he says it's your participation in
188. 6:59the gospel.
189. 7:00It's making good on your confession.
190. 7:03How is that? How could my contribution
191. 7:07to other churches in poverty and need,
192. 7:09how could that make good on my
193. 7:11confession of the gospel?
194. 7:13Well, if I
195. 7:16have obeyed the gospel
196. 7:19by dying to myself in repentance,
197. 7:22burying my old will and nature in
198. 7:25commitment at water baptism, and in
199. 7:28receiving the grace of the Spirit, then
200. 7:30part of my dying
201. 7:32comes about when I see someone who needs
202. 7:35what I have
203. 7:36and I have a surplus and I can give it.
204. 7:39And he Paul keeps telling them, my point
205. 7:41is not to make anybody poor. That's not
206. 7:43the point. My point is to share the
207. 7:46grace [music]
208. 7:47of God."
209. 7:48And he says, "I'm not going to force
210. 7:49you. This isn't a tax bill.
211. 7:51I'm not the IRS.
212. 7:54But I want you to have the heart
213. 7:56that understands what you're investing
214. 7:58in.
215. 7:59I want you to do it because
216. 8:01God
217. 8:03has given [music] you
218. 8:04a grace.
219. 8:06A grace of financial support, a grace of
220. 8:08a season of prosperity. Whatever it is,
221. 8:10I want you to do it from that heart. And
222. 8:12when it's coming from that heart, it's
223. 8:13going to be a real blessing not just
224. 8:15[music] to others,
225. 8:17but to you also. Because you're going to
226. 8:18be sowing into them and one day they're
227. 8:20going [music] to sow into you.
228. 8:33>> [music]