2 Corinthians, 9:1-7

And we're going to be looking at 2 Corinthians chapter 9. And we're going to be going through the first seven verses. We won't get through all seven this morning. I've got a question. Pardon me? I'm confused. Well, back several weeks ago, Somebody took us through 915. You know, we went through 915. Boy, where was I? I've got stuff in here that says, yeah, we went through 915 on February 13th.

Jack, that's the overall title. And under the title 8-1 through 915, There is several segments and so Jim just didn't list the segment that he was going through and he went through verses 10 through 15. Well, and then Bob went through 16 through the end of the chapter at 24. So if you notice, here's the thing, Jack, take a look. The overall theme of chapter 8 starting at verse 1 through 9-15 is his ministry, his life and ministry, is carrying concern for the physical needs of all believers.

Then under there, we've got three or four different segments. So today, we're this segment in terms of giving not grudgingly or necessity. So that's the reason. OK. OK. What I thought we'd do, and even based upon Jack's comment, is let's read chapter 9, verses 1-7. Would somebody like to read that? Who ever has it open? Bill? Sure.

Lord, it is superfluous for me to write to you about this ministry to the saints. For I know your readiness of which I boast about you to the Macedonians, namely, that Achaia has been prepared since last year, and your zeal has stirred up most of them. But I have sent the brethren in order that our boastings about you may not be made empty in this case, so that, as I was saying, you may be prepared. Otherwise, if any Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we, not to speak of you, will be put to shame by this confidence. So I thought it necessary to urge the brethren that they would go on ahead to you and arrange beforehand your previously promised bountiful gift, so that the same would be ready as a bountiful gift and not affected by covetousness. Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. Okay, thank you.

Do you see any duplication here in the first five verses from what both Jim and Bob have from in chapter 8 verses 10 through 24, there's a repeat of some of the things that Paul previously said. So what I thought we'd do is put this whole thing in context because he's repeating things a second time. And usually when there's a repeat of something, it means that there's an emphasis. And so what's the emphasis? Why is Paul, and I'm going to ask you some questions in terms of do you get the same flavor that when I read through this that I got.

First of all, let's, in verse 1, first touching, then ministering to the saints, it is superfluous or superfluous, I've been torn in terms of how you pronounce that, for me to write to you. So, notice the concern. The concern is the ministering to the saints.

Turn back to 1 Corinthians chapter 16, because this is a repeat. You might keep your finger in 1 Corinthians 16. We'll keep going back and forth. In verse 1, now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do you. So there's the concern, and the concern is the ministry or the collection for the for the saints of Jerusalem. Then Paul There's a background to all of this in 1 Corinthians as you look. And we'll read verse 2. What do you think he's saying that? What do you think he's saying, you know, lay in store first day of the week, before I come, so that there would be no gatherings when I come. Why would...

They don't take up a collection. Yeah, they don't take up a collection. Right. So why? So why would Paul be saying that? It kind of disturbs the teaching of the ministry. Okay. It disturbs the teaching of the ministry. Okay, good. And I think that's it. Where should the focus be? On Christ and the message, on the word of God. And not the collection of money. So that's why we don't have any collections anymore, so that the focus is in the right place.

Okay, so that's the background. Here's the status. And Paul goes through the status. First, go back to 2 Corinthians now, in chapter 8. So there's the status, and Paul reports the status on three churches. The churches at Macedonia, the church at Achaia, and the Corinthian church. So he goes through the status of this collection for the four saints at Jerusalem. So the status concerning the church at Macedonia in verse one, moreover brethren, we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia, how that in a great trial of affliction, the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality." So the Church of Macedonia, as we see, responded immediately to the need for the First Saint of Jerusalem. And even though They were in deep poverty. And remember, as you read on in chapter 8, they had to beg Paul to take their gift, because Paul knew their financial status. They were in this deep poverty. So they had to beg Paul.

Then, in terms of the status of the churches of Ikea, look at verse 2 on chapter 9. For I know the readiness of your mind talking to the Corinthians, for which I boast of you to them of Macedonia." Don't you find it interesting that when we read chapter 8, Paul was boasting to the Corinthians about the church in Macedonia, right? Here he's telling the Corinthians, I'm boasting of you to the church at Macedonia. And then he goes on to say that Archaea was ready a year ago and your zeal has provoked very many. So the other churches at Archaea, which included And Bob had the map, which he showed you a couple weeks ago, to where Corinth was in this province of Achaia.

And so the other churches of Achaia were ready, except the Corinthian church. The question is, why wasn't the Corinthian church ready? But they responded immediately with their gifts. Now, it's been a year. The Corinthian church, and it's obvious from verse 2, that the Corinthian church was not ready. Well, let me ask it this way. Were they ready? In a sense? The Corinthian church? Look at verse 2. Okay. So they were ready. How were they ready? In spirit, in mind, right? but not in action.

And I thought Jim had a great overhead when he went through Chapter 8, where he showed this chart. He says, you know, you guys began a year ago, and they had the desire then, in fact, They started the giving then. They started the giving, they had the desire, it was the proper motivation, but there was a lull. For whatever reason, there was a lull in carrying it out. And so one of the questions we're going to try to answer or ask, we'll ask it, is why the lull? You know, why the law? It's been a year. And then Paul's reminding them. Okay. So, okay. Yes.

Do we have any indication why slavery stole, shall we say, the money back to the state of Jerusalem? and they themselves were in such poverty. What was going on in Jerusalem where the money was to be sent back that way? Do you have any indication of that? The only thing we know is that there was this need in Jerusalem and the saints in Jerusalem were poor. There was a monetary need. But they also had a need.

The church at Macedonia, I think, as you read through scripture here, was in deeper poverty than the one in Jerusalem. But yet the church in Macedonia gave liberally out from all that they had. Don't you find that interesting? And you can see that Paul didn't even want to take their gift. He knew their financial status. And they had to beg him to take the gift. Because in all probability the church of Jerusalem had been established before these churches.

Sure. They were going on for a while. Sure. But it was probably more oppressed by the Jews. Okay. There was the oppression. That's true. And the impact of that impression probably worked itself out financially, too. And maybe it had difficulty in buying and selling.

You know, I don't know. Yeah. And let me tell you something. I don't think we really know this either as to why. we can make guesses, but I don't know, I can't see anything in scripture that tells us why. But we'll talk about it. Okay, so the status.

The churches at Achaia responded. It was almost immediate response. Corinthian church, as we read, had the readiness of mind. And Paul talks about their readiness of mind. And he talks about their readiness, what we'll see in a minute, that is the readiness of mind. They had the right mindset about giving.

And they started a year ago, but they haven't completed what they started. So as you go through chapter 8 and chapter 9 and looking at the total picture, a year has passed and then Paul sends trusted brothers to help them in completing their gifts so that they would be ready, so that when he comes that there will be no collection. And the issue is not going to be on money, the focus is going to be on Christ and the Word of God. But in the meantime, even though they're not ready, Paul is boasting. He's boasting about the Corinthians to give, which impacted a lot of people. And in the Greek it says, impacted the many.

So, here are my questions. As you go through this, do you have the same questions? Number one, question number one. That it would appear that Paul is utilizing his boasting of the Corinthians, their radiance of mind, as subtle pressure to get them with the program and have their gift ready, like all the other churches. When you read through this, does it appear that way? I don't get the impression that it's pressure as much as it is encouragement. I think in Paul's mind, he's thinking, this is a done deal. made that commitment and he believes in them enough as a body and I think it's more encouragement.

Okay, good. Good. Hold that answer. Remember that answer. Why the apparent procrastination or lull as Jim has pointed out in completing their gift even though God has given them the desire? There's no question that God has given them the desire, they're doing it out of the right motive, but there is this lull. Question number three, did they have a change in heart? And covetousness was the reason for the lull.

I never usually look at commentaries, but on this passage I looked at several commentaries, and it was interesting. I mean, expositors, who are well-known expositors, took verse 5. Look at verse 5. It says, therefore, I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren that they would go before you and make up beforehand your bounty of which you had noticed before, that the same might be ready as a matter of bounty and not of covetousness.

So one expositor says that the reason for the law is that they started coveting the money and therefore they didn't want to, that was delaying them, that was the reason for the delay. So keep that in mind. Is that the reason? And think about this. If that were the reason, would Paul take the gift? Okay. Okay.

Question number four. Is Paul concerned about being ashamed and embarrassed if the Corinthians are not ready with the gift when he comes with the Macedonian believers? Is he really going to hide his head in shame? Because it kind of indicates that in verse 4, doesn't it? lest somehow, if they of Macedonia come with me and find you unprepared, we, that we say not you, should be ashamed in this same confident boasting. Question number five.

Does it appear to you that Paul's words, his apparent concern about their being ready, right, in chapter 8 and chapter 9, talks about them being ready, and his actions, not only his words, but his actions, and his actions are that he's sending brothers to get them ready. Not only as part of the action is he sending brothers to get them ready, But he's telling them, by the way, I'm going to bring some Macedonian brothers with me when I come, and you better be ready. So is that putting pressure? Is he again subtly putting pressure on the Corinthians and raises the question as to whether they would give out from grace, out from the right attitude.

Did you have those questions when you read through? Okay. Here's what we're going to do. We're going to try to answer the questions. And hopefully, as we go through each of these verses, The answer to the questions will start unfolding. Let's go to verse 1. I've kind of taken the interlinear and reworded it slightly.

And it says, for concerning the ministering unto the saints, it's superfluous for me to write to you. And the word superfluous or superfluous, it consists of two words in the Greek, and it's beyond what is required. That's what that word means. In other words, it's saying, it wasn't necessary. Paul's saying, it's not necessary for me to write to you, about the need. And the reason why it wasn't necessary for him to write about the need, the reason is given in 9.2.

He says, For I know your readiness, For I know your readiness, of which I boast about you to the Macedonians, namely, that Achaia has been prepared since last year, and your zeal has stirred up most of them." I've done an expanded translation of that.

And I thought we'd put the two together so that you see the two together and maybe some inkling in terms of what Paul is saying. He says, first of all, he says, for I have known. And it's a perfect tense. And what he's saying, I've known it in the past, and a perfect tense has abiding results open to the present, and I know it right now. And your readiness. And this word readiness is the word readiness of mind, of which He says, I am boasting.

The word boasting, the word boast, you can translate that to glorify. And it's translated both ways in scripture. And so, which do you use? If you use boast, it sounds like Paul is doing a little boasting, right? But if you use the word glorify, who's he glorifying? He's glorifying the Lord. And I think that's a better translation, that he's glorifying God on behalf of you, on behalf of these believers, to the Macedonians that Achaia has been prepared since last year.

So the question is, Why wasn't it necessary that Paul write them about the financial need at Jerusalem? The answer is because what he knew. He knew something and he didn't have to write to them. So questions, what did he know? Well, the reason is given in verse 2.

Verse two starts off with this little particle four. Usually, every time you see this little word four, it starts off a passage of scripture. This is four. The particle expresses the reason for what has been affirmed or applied just before. So Paul said, it's a purpose for me to write it to you. It's not necessary for me to write it to you because, and then comes the reason, and it's introduced by that little particle for, because. He says, I have known, and the word known here is oida. The word oida, there are several words in the Greek for known. One is oida, another one is gynesco, to know experientially. This is oida. It's to know factually.

Paul knew something factually. He factually knew. And it's a perfect tense. So it's completed action in the past. So he knew that a year ago. And he knows it up until the present. Perfect tense is completed action in the past, abiding results up until the present. So Paul knew. And he's continued to know.

It's a reality, indicative mood. It's a reality. His knowledge was real. It wasn't a feeling. He wasn't wishing. He knew factually. What did he know? He knew their readiness. And Jim went through this in chapter 8, Prathumiha, which simply, you can translate it, eagerness, willingness, readiness, but it consists of two words, pra and thaymas, which you can literally translate, readiness of mind. So he knew their readiness of mind. And there were these other references that we've looked at, and I won't go through them.

Acts 17.11, it talks about the Bereans were more noble than those in Thessalonica. Why? Because they received the word with readiness of mind. So that's the same word that's used there.

He knew that their desire was out from God's grace, not out from themselves. He knew that they were totally sincere. He knew about their love, their love for the saints at Jerusalem. He knew. That's what he knew. So it was superfluous for him to write. But yet he's writing.

Question. So if Paul didn't know all of this, would he be seeking their gift? If he didn't know that their desire was the correct one, out from God's grace, that they were totally sincere, that it was done in love, if he didn't know that, Would he ever even be writing to them about their gift? About them completing? Never. Why? It goes against all that he's been teaching them already.

It's God's grace. So it wouldn't be out of grace, so that when we get to verse 7, in verse 7 says, every man according as he purposes in his heart, so let him give, not grudgingly or of necessity. And so Paul would be creating a need or a necessity which would be spurring them to give, but out of the wrong motive. He would be coming at them He would be coming at the old man and not and not the new man. OK. In Philippians, Chapter four and turn, turn over there. Just just so you see this. Doug asked a question.

He said, but you know, how about these guys in Philippi, Macedonia? You know, I mean, they were really poor. Weren't they poorer than the saints in Jerusalem? Probably were. But look what Paul says, starting at verse 15. Now you Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel, when he departed from Macedonia, how many churches supported him? no church shared with me as concerning giving and receiving, but who? But you only, only the Philippian church who was in deep, deep poverty. For even in Thessalonica you sent once and again unto my necessity."

Notice that Paul received their gift. Why would he receive their gift? knowing of their deep poverty. Okay. He knew it was from the Lord. And are you going to refuse something that comes from the Lord? In no way. Right? And then verse 17, he says, not because I desire a gift, but I desire fruit that may abound to your account. OK, back to 2 Corinthians.

When he talks about boasting, as we saw in that expanded translation, And he says, I boast, and the word boast means either to glory or to boast. And so the point is this, would Paul be boasting either about himself or other believers? Would Paul be boasting either about himself or other believers? Isn't it true that you would be glorifying God, or thanking God for others.

Turn back to Philippians. Remember Verne, when he was going through Philippians chapter 1, and in verse 7, excuse me, verse 3, In verse 3, he says, I thank my God upon every remembrance of you. He doesn't say, I thank you. He says, I thank God for you.

So the glory is to God, the thanking is to God for someone else, for their ministry. So if you're blessed with someone's ministry, what you do is you thank God for that ministry. So the bottom line is this. Paul is glorifying God for the Corinthians and their desire and their zeal to serve the Lord.

That's what he's doing. Verse two or excuse me, verse three and four is where we are at. I'm going to take these two together. Let me let me. This is a new American standard. I think, Bill, you read from the new American standard. But I've sent the brethren that are boasting about you may not be made empty. And in this case that, as I was saying, you may be prepared. If any Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we, not to speak of you, should be put to shame by this conference. OK. Now, two things.

What does it mean when it says that we would be made empty? Somebody had a King James. What does King James say? Should be vain. OK, vain and here made empty. So let's look at that. To be made vain or be made empty or vain. And interesting is this word here, kena'o, means empty or void. Put it down here. This is what it means, meaning to make empty or void, to empty oneself, to divest oneself of rightful dignity by descending to inferior condition. Can you think of somewhere in scripture where it talks about that?

OK. Christ in Philippians two, he emptied himself and became man. Right. OK. OK. So. How do we apply this in terms of to these Corinthian believers, to ourselves? There's this emptying of ourselves or divesting oneself of rightful dignity by descending to an inferior condition. So if there's an inferior condition, that must mean that there's a superior condition, right? Okay. Now, the inferior condition with Christ coming was what?

What did he divest himself, what did he empty himself of? Did he empty himself of his divinity? No, when he came in his incarnation, what did he empty himself of? True, being with the Father, His glory. Was He still God? Okay, was He still 100% God, 100% man? So if He was 100% God, did He have all of the essence in terms of His righteousness? It was veiled. So he had the glory, but it wasn't manifested. It was veiled. It wasn't manifested. So think about that, and think about these Corinthian believers in terms of their glory being veiled.

So the superior condition is to have the readiness of mind plus the gift ready. So, the gift being ready is the manifestation of the glory. It's a manifestation of the glory. So you can have the readiness of mind, but there must be the manifestation of that in terms of the tangible output that people can see, which is the gift of being ready. Then there's no question that God is glorified.

Take the inferior condition. inferior condition is to have the readiness of mind, but the gift not being ready. And the glory isn't apparent. The glory is veiled, it's hid, just like in the case of our Lord Jesus Christ. His glory was veiled, it was hid. But when he got to the Mount of Transfiguration, what happened? His glory was manifested, right? So that when we are walking by faith, and we respond by faith to the Lord in whatever, in terms of, say, giving, and we have the radiance of mind, If there isn't the output, then there's this veiling of the glory, of a glorifying God.

Does that make sense? So were they doing something wrong? Were they in sin? I don't think so. OK. The next. The next thing talks about in terms of if they if if these guys from Macedonia come with me and you're unprepared, then, you know, you and you guys and myself will be put to shame. And put to shame does mean make ashamed or to confound, dishonor, disgrace. It's in a passive voice. So Paul and Corinthians would be acted upon, would be put to shame. So I ask the question, by who? They're going to be acted upon by who? I'm not going to give you the answer. So, here's another question.

Could Paul be ashamed? Could Paul ever be ashamed? In Romans chapter 1, I am not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of God. So, in terms of the gospel, Paul was not ashamed. Somebody turn to Philippians chapter 1 and just read it real fast. Philippians 1.20. According to my earnest expectation, my hope, and in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all fullness, as always, so now and also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life or by death. Okay. Is it interesting? In nothing? I shall be ashamed. So is it possible for Paul to be ashamed? The question is, you have to ask the other question, is there two kinds of shame?

Like, for example, is there two kinds of sorrow? Two kinds of sorrow, two kinds of anger. And I forget who went through this, either Jim, no I think it was Bob, who went through 2 Corinthians chapter 7, talked about sorrow. It was a godly sorrow. It was an okay sorrow. But there's a human sorrow that comes out from the sin nature. You're sorry because you got caught, right? And it's the wrong kind of sorrow, but there's a godly sorrow that leads to repentance, a change in mind.

And then anger. How about anger? Are there two kinds of anger? You bet. There's the anger that comes out from the sin nature. You know, when Lindy does something that I think she shouldn't, you know, right? The immediate response from the sin nature is what?

Anger. But there is a godly anger. There's a right kind of anger. It's a righteous anger. And because in Ephesians, It says, be angry but what? But sin not. It's a command. You be angry. You be righteously angry, but sin not. So there's a right kind of anger. So is there a right kind of shame? I think so. I think there's a right kind of shame. The kind of shame in terms of disappointing God. That's an okay shame. That if we disappoint Him. Okay. Next week, we will continue.

Our Father, we just do thank you for this time together. And Father, as we read your Word, we thank you for it. And just thanking you that you edify our hearts through your Word. And Father, we just thank you for this whole subject on giving. This is a subject that we're often, people come at us with their views in terms of the views of the world and in terms of giving. And Father, we just thank you that as you teach us, it needs to be out from your grace. to be acceptable to you. And Father, we just pray that our minds would be oriented in this direction and that everything that we do would be out from your grace and your love as a response to it. Thank you now in Christ's name. Amen.