Series: 2 Corinthians
Title: The Purpose of Giving
Text: 2 Corinthians 8: 11-15
Date: October 29, 2017
Place: SGBC, New Jersey
2 Corinthians 8: 13:
For I mean not that other men be eased, and ye burdened: 14: But by an equality, that
now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that
their abundance also may be a supply for your want: that there may be
equality: 15: As it is written,
He that had gathered much had nothing over; and he that had gathered
little had no lack.
Proposition: The purpose of giving is that there be equality—that
is, that each believer shall help his brother during his time of need—and by
this Christ proves to us that he is our Provider.
Subject: The Purpose of Giving
We
have seen the source of giving: the
grace of God; the spirit God gives:
willing, joyful, generous; the order:
first to God, then to brethren; the
character: a new heart to honor God, to prove the sincerity of our love, to
prove all the graces God gives us to be the genuine gift of God; the encouragement: not law but grace; the motive: Christ’s love for his
people—he who was rich became poor that through his poverty we might be made
rich; the acceptance: “if
there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and
not according to that he hath not.”
THE PURPOSE OF GIVING
2 Corinthians 8: 13: For I mean not that other men be
eased, and ye burdened: 14: But
by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply
for their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want:
that there may be equality:
The
purpose of giving is not to ease poorer brethren from their responsibilities by
putting the burden on wealthier brethren—“For I
mean not that other men be eased, and ye burdened…” Helping
a needy brother is not to be ongoing forever. That would ease the poor brother
of his responsibility to get a job and support his family Also, it would burden wealthier.
2
Thessalonians 3:10: [The Spirit of God said]…if any would not work, neither
should he eat.
The purpose is that there may
be equality between all brethren and all churches to help at different times of
need—“But by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that [at
another time] their abundance also may be
a supply for your want: that
there may be equality…” At this time, Macedonia was prospered so they could
help the needy saints at Jerusalem. At another time, Jerusalem would be
prospered to help Macedonia in their need.
This is what he means by equality.
So the purpose is not to take
advantage not to burden but to equally share in helping needy saints in their time
of need.
NOT SOCIALISM/COMMUNISM
2 Corinthians 8: 13: For I mean not that other men be
eased, and ye burdened: 14: But
by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply
for their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want:
that there may be equality:
Understand that this is not
socialism or communism. Socialism/communism
is a man-made government enforced upon natural men by force of law at all
times.
The
natural heart will make a poor man take advantage of the wealthy man’s support.
The poor will neglect his responsibilities and live in the ease of being
supported by the welfare of the wealthy. Unregenerate poor sinners will justify
neglecting their responsibilities and justify taking advantage of the wealthier
because the wealthier has to give and they need it. This is the way of the
natural heart. It is why some get on
welfare and take their ease all their lives, neglecting all responsibility to
provide for their family.
At
the same time, the wealthier unregenerate sinner is burdened to continually support
the poor. So the natural heart makes him grudgingly pay the tax and/or cheat to
keep from doing it. A sinful heart will make him exalt himself before men and
lord over the poor because he calls himself his benefactor.
Luke 22:25: [Christ] said unto [his disciples], The
kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise
authority upon them are called benefactors.
In
man’s government there is no scriptural equality so as to share in supporting
the needy because the burden falls on the same people all the time. So there is a constant selfish,
self-justifying ease on one side and a constant grudging burdened spirit on the
other.
This
is also the case in all man-made religious circles where men force men to do
what they do by law.
GOD BY HIS GRACE
2 Corinthians 8: 15: As it is written, He that had
gathered much had nothing over; and he that had gathered little had
no lack.
This
reference declares this is the work of God, not man. It is the work of grace, not law. This refers to the wilderness,
in the day God rained down manna. No matter how much or little they gathered
they had enough. This was a
miracle the LORD worked for Israel. Every
morning they gathered and every morning the Lord provided enough. On the
sabbath—to show Christ our Rest—the day before, the Lord provided twice as much
manna so they could rest on the sabbath. When each man meted his gathering with
an omer, he that gathered much, had
nothing over, and, he that gathered little, had no lack, Exo_16:18. Brethren,
this was impossible naturally. The Lord supernaturally worked it. What do we
learn from this?
One, Christ is our Bread. As Head
over his church he providentially works all things together to provide for his
people. The Lord Jesus provides for all
his creation.
Psalm
145: 16: Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living
thing.
But Christ especially provides
for his people. That is why David said,
Psalm
37: 25: I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the
righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.
Christ provides his people with
acceptance with God, peace with God, no condemnation before God, no separation from
the love of God in Christ. And Christ provides all things we need to live and
worship him in this life.
Two, it declares the equality
of Christ’s provision. Each morning manna was provided for Israel—each day,
God’s people are provided with Christ our Bread and with all things we need in
this earth.
Lamentations
3: 22: It is of the
LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. 23: They are new every morning:
great is thy faithfulness.
When measured with omer, he that
gathered more had no extra, he that gathered less had no lack—Christ measures
out grace, according to our need so that we have exact sufficiency at all
times.
2 Corinthians
3:5: Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of
ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;
2
Corinthians 12:9: And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee:
Deuteronomy
33:25: Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy
strength be.
We always have exactly what we
need because our heavenly Father provides grace for today. This is why Christ
said,
Matthew
6: 33: But seek ye first the
kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto
you. 34: Take therefore no thought
for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself.
Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
God commanded them not to lay
up the bread but to trust that God would provide bread each morning. So when
some disobeyed, it bread worms and stank. Truly, it is unbelief for a man to
gather more than he needs. That does not mean that we cannot save for our
children.
2 Corinthians
12: 14…the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for
the children.
But when a man’s needs are met
and he lays up so much for his children that they will want for nothing, he is
like the rich fool who had more than he knew what to do with. Such a man is not
rich towards God. He manifests his treasure is not Christ but his money. Christ
said,
Matthew
6: 19: Lay not up for yourselves
treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break
through and steal: 20: But lay
up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth
corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21: For where your treasure is, there
will your heart be also.
It breeds sorrow,
disappointment, vexation, and trouble. Solomon said,
Ecclesiastes
5: 13: There is a sore evil which
I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept for the owners thereof to
their hurt. 14: But those riches
perish by evil travail: and he begetteth a son, and there is nothing in
his hand. 15: As he came forth
of his mother’s womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take
nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand. 16: And this also is a sore
evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go: and what profit
hath he that hath laboured for the wind? 17: All his days also he eateth in darkness, and he hath
much sorrow and wrath with his sickness.
But where God works grace in
the heart bringing us to believe on Christ and trust him for all provision the
wealthy brother will give to his needy brother willingly, cheerfully, and
generously. And the poor brother who is
helped will not take advantage of the wealthy but will quickly find a job or
get his house in order and fulfill his responsibility. Then when the tables are turned, there will
be equality—the one helped at this time will be ready to help the other next time.
Man cannot legislate natural
hearted sinners to create such a government. Only Christ works this government.
It is the government of his church.
Isaiah
9: 7: Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be
no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to
establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The
zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
Christ works it, not in the
sinful heart of Adam, but in the new heart God has created. He works it, not by
law, but by grace and love. He works it by showing his people what he did for
us.
1 John
3: 16: Hereby perceive we the
love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay
down our lives for the brethren. 17:
But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth
up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in
him? 18: My little children, let
us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
Amen!