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What Has the Grace of God Moved You to Do? 

Second Corinthians 8–9 

Don Ruhl • Savage Street, Grants Pass, Oregon • October 16, In the year of our Lord Christ, 2019 

Persuasion: 

  1. Describe the grace of God? 
  2. How should His grace affect you? 
  3. Has it affected you the way that it moved the churches of Macedonia? 

Exhortation: 

  1. 8.1–2 • Show God’s Grace in Your Life

    1 Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia: 2 that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality.
    1. How did the grace of God show up in the churches of Macedonia? 
    2. Even during a great trial of affliction, 
      1. the abundance of their joy, and 
      2. even in their deep poverty, 
        1. they abounded in the riches of their liberality. 
        2. Will show what he meant in the next sentence. 
  2. 8.3–4 • Grace Moved the Macedonians to Give

    3 For I bear witness that according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing, 4 imploring us with much urgency that we would receive the gift and the fellowship of the ministering to the saints.
    1. How were they liberal? 
    2. They did according to their ability and then went beyond their ability to give. 
    3. What did they implore Paul and his team about? 
    4. Why do you think the Macedonian churches had to implore Paul and team? 
  3. 8.5 • Order of Giving

    5 And not only as we had hoped, but they first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God.
    1. What was the order of their giving? 
    2. This is the secret to giving. 
  4. 8.6–7 • Complete Grace in You

    6 So we urged Titus, that as he had begun, so he would also complete this grace in you as well. 7 But as you abound in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us—see that you abound in this grace also.
    1. Titus began this work among in the church of taking up a collection for the saints in Jerusalem. 
    2. He needed to complete the work. 
    3. If the Corinthians abounded in other areas, they should abound in this grace also. 
      1. Do some people abound in one thing, but become neglectful in another? 
  5. 8.8–9 • Show the Sincerity of Your Love

    8 I speak not by commandment, but I am testing the sincerity of your love by the diligence of others. 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.
    1. Paul wanted to see whether the Corinthians would as the Macedonians. 
    2. Then he stated what really moved the Macedonians. 
      1. What was it? 
      2. They knew the grace of Christ. 
        1. How did Jesus manifest grace? 
        2. He became poor that we might become rich. 
    3. How rich was Jesus? 
      1. How poor did He become? 
      2. Was it only in material goods? 
      3. What about what happened to Him at the cross? 
      4. What should that knowledge do to us? 
  6. 8.10–15 • Do What You Are Able

    10 And in this I give advice: It is to your advantage not only to be doing what you began and were desiring to do a year ago; 11 but now you also must complete the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to desire it, so there also may be a completion out of what you have. 12 For if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have. 13 For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened; 14 but by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may supply their lack, that their abundance also may supply your lack—that there may be equality. 15 As it is written, “He who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack.”
    1. What was to their advantage? 
    2. Why was it to their advantage? 
    3. Do God expect us to give what we do not have? 
      1. Does He expect us to give what we do have? 
    4. Do we give that others may be at ease and we are burdened? 
    5. Notice that the different parties can both receive and give. 
    6. From what does Paul quote in verse 15? 
      1. What is the context of Exodus 16.18? 
      2. How does that apply to Paul’s instructions? 
  7. VII.8.16–22 • Use Good Brethren

    16 But thanks be to God who puts the same earnest care for you into the heart of Titus. 17 For he not only accepted the exhortation, but being more diligent, he went to you of his own accord. 18 And we have sent with him the brother whose praise is in the gospel throughout all the churches, 19 and not only that, but who was also chosen by the churches to travel with us with this gift, which is administered by us to the glory of the Lord Himself and to show your ready mind, 20 avoiding this: that anyone should blame us in this lavish gift which is administered by us— 21 providing honorable things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men. 22 And we have sent with them our brother whom we have often proved diligent in many things, but now much more diligent, because of the great confidence which we have in you.
    1. Did Titus care for the Corinthians as much as Paul did? 
    2. Was Titus compelled to go to Corinth? 
    3. Did Titus go alone? 
      1. How many went? 
      2. There were two unnamed brethren who carried the gift. 
        1. Why was this necessary? 
        2. Paul had already been criticized. 
          1. He was guarding himself and the others 
          2. lest someone charge them with getting the funds for themselves. 
  8. VIII.8.23–24 • Show the Proof of Your Love

    23 If anyone inquires about Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker concerning you. Or if our brethren are inquired about, they are messengers of the churches, the glory of Christ. 24 Therefore show to them, and before the churches, the proof of your love and of our boasting on your behalf.
    1. Paul gave his testimony about these brethren. 
    2. Those other brethren would have been from Corinth. 
    3. When the three got there, the Corinthians could then give and 
      1. that would prove their love and 
      2. Paul’s boasting about the Corinthian church. 
  9. 9.1–2 • Your Zeal Stirs Up Others

    1 Now concerning the ministering to the saints, it is superfluous for me to write to you; 2 for I know your willingness, about which I boast of you to the Macedonians, that Achaia was ready a year ago; and your zeal has stirred up the majority.
    1. Why was it superfluous for Paul to write about this matter? 
      1. They were willing to give a year previous. 
      2. They did not need to be persuaded. 
    2. What had the zeal of the Corinthian church done? 
  10. 9.3–4 • Do Not Let Others Down

    3 Yet I have sent the brethren, lest our boasting of you should be in vain in this respect, that, as I said, you may be ready; 4 lest if some Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we (not to mention you!) should be ashamed of this confident boasting.
    1. Since the Corinthians were ready and willing, Paul wanted to make sure that they had the chance to give. 
    2. What would have happened if the Corinthians were not ready to give? 
      1. Everyone would have been ashamed. 
  11. 9.5 • Keep Your Promises

    5 Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren to go to you ahead of time, and prepare your generous gift beforehand, which you had previously promised, that it may be ready as a matter of generosity and not as a grudging obligation.
    1. Why did Paul exhort the brethren to go ahead of time? 
    2. He did not want it to be a matter of grudging obligation, 
      1. in other words, Paul shows up and reminds them. 
      2. No, he wanted them to be doing it out of generosity. 
  12. XII.9.6–7 • Reap as You Sow

    6 But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.
    1. See Mark 4.24 
    2. Because of what Paul said in verse 5, 
      1. he said that they should all give according to what they to had purposed in their hearts. 
      2. Remember the grace of God in Christ. 
    3. Why does God love a cheerful giver? 
  13. “He has dispersed abroad,
    He has given to the poor;
    His righteousness endures forever.”

    10 Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness, 11 while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God.
    1. If we want to do good works, shall we have what we need? 
      1. How do you know that is the case? 
      2. God can make His grace abound toward us again. 
      3. He wants us to be rich in good works, so He will make the means available. 
    2. From where did Paul quote? 
      1. How does that passage in the Book of Psalms relate to Paul’s point? 
      2. Notice that we can use the Old Testament to make our points. 
    3. Why will God supply and multiply the seed that we have for sowing? 
      1. He wants us to increase the fruits of our righteousness. 
      2. What does this cause to happen? 
  14. XIV.9.12–14 • What God’s Grace in You Leads to

    12 For the administration of this service not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also is abounding through many thanksgivings to God, 13 while, through the proof of this ministry, they glorify God for the obedience of your confession to the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal sharing with them and all men, 14 and by their prayer for you, who long for you because of the exceeding grace of God in you.
    1. What two things, according to verse 12, did the gift to the saints do? 
      1. It supplied their needs. 
      2. It caused people to give thanks to God. 
    2. Why did people glorify God? (v. 13) 
      1. The Corinthians obeyed the gospel. 
      2. They shared liberally with people in the church and with any others. 
      3. People prayed for the Corinthian church. (v. 14) 
      4. People longed for the Corinthians because of God’s grace in them (v. 14) 
  15. 9.15 • Be Thankful

    15 Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!
    1. What is God’s indescribable gift? 
      1. It is His grace in Christ. 
      2. That has been the theme of these two chapters. 
    2. We should naturally thank God for what He did for us.