“THANKS BE TO GOD…” (Outline)
October 2, 2022 – Pentecost 17 – 2 CORINTHIANS 9:10-15
INTRO: “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” What an inspirational verse for believers in every age. How does one describe an indescribable gift? Our second reading (1 Timothy 1:15) states: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”. God’s gift to sinners is his Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. Indescribable gift. Love. Mercy. We thank God for his precious Gift to us. For sinners. "And everything you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him" (COLOSSIANS 3:17). “THANKS BE TO GOD…” I. Increased harvest. II. Generous service.
I. GOD’S INCREASED HARVEST OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
A. Verse 10. The Lord uses an easily understood earthly example to explain spiritual truth.
1. The Creator of the heavens and the earth provides “seed to the sower”.
2. From this seed the Lord provides “bread for food”. God multiplies this seed for more sowing.
3. “…and will increase the harvest of your righteousness.” Much more than earthly seed.
a. Righteousness is spiritual. b. Seed, food = spiritual. c. Seed of God’s Word planted.
4. All of this planting…growing…increase is God’s work alone. Word planted and faith grows.
B. Verse 11. “You will be made rich in every way…” Emphasis again is on spiritual wealth of believers.
1. Rich in every way yields generosity in every way (more on this later).
2. Generosity in every way leads to thanksgiving to God. Faith yields thankful, generous living.
C. Believers in Corinth blessed by the Lord. Indescribable gift of faith…Savior…rich in every way.
D. We are not righteous in ourselves in any way. “…and all our righteous acts are like a filthy cloth…” (Isaiah 64:6). An increase of righteousness is growth in our Christian faith. God’s gift of faith sown in our hearts produces eternal blessings. We grow in divine wisdom. We grow in a better understanding of God’s indescribable gift. We believe that Christ, alone, is the only One righteous. "…Christ also suffered once for sins in our place, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring us to God. He was put to death in flesh but was made alive in spirit…" (1 PETER 3:18). Indescribable gift. Christ the righteous One died for the unrighteous. Sinners. His life, death, and resurrection is the sacrifice needed to pay for our sins. Our unrighteousness. Jesus brings us, who once were far off, to God. We are God’s own children.
E. Take an honest, close look at your life. What do we see? We see the truth confessed by the Apostle Paul: “the worst sinner”. “I was a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a violent man.” Our sinful nature speaks out against the Lord. Blasphemy. Too often our anger shows itself. It can lead to hatred. Scripture describes hatred as murder. Violent. Thanks be to God who has opened our ears to hear and hearts to believe his truth. Truth that saves us from all our sins. “…be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own, which comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness that comes from God by faith” (PHILIPPIANS 3:9). Righteousness comes from God through Christ. Indescribable gift!
F. The Lord clearly states: “You will be made rich in every way…” We would have to agree our lives are truly blessed with an abundance of God’s love. We have more than enough to enjoy our lives. We are given spiritual blessings to enjoy eternal life. Thanks be to God. We are sinners who deserve eternal punishment. Our perfect, loving heavenly Father does not treat his children as they deserve. "Listen, my dear brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom, which he promised to those who love him?” (JAMES 2:5). Rich in faith. Heirs of heaven. Thanks be to God.
“THANKS BE TO GOD…” The Holy Spirit gives us faith to believe in Christ’s saving work.
II. OUR GENEROUS SERVICE OF SHARING AND CARING
A. Verse 12. “…administration of this service…” The Corinthian believers collected an offering (service).
1. This collection was destined for needy believers in Jerusalem. Believers who were lacking
2. The management of this act of love produced overflowing prayers of thanksgiving.
B. Verse 13. Others noticed this act of generous love of believers (Corinth) for believers (Jerusalem).
1. People recognized the love the believers had for Christ. Seen and shown in love for others.
2. This Christian love resulted in generous sharing and caring for those in need.
C. Verse 15. Jerusalem believers prayed for Corinthian believers. Separated by thousands of miles.
1. God’s grace is extraordinary by itself. Combined with generosity even more extra-ordinary.
2. Only conclusion: “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” Faith and love in action.
D. Our own Christian lives of generous loving, caring, and sharing are a result of God’s indescribable gift. We live thankful lives of love for God. For one another. All because God first loved us. Still loves us. Always will show his love to us. Christ who was rich became poor for our sakes. Jesus gave up heaven to live here on earth. In the flesh. We who are poor have been made rich. Thanks be to God! "…just as sin reigned in death, so also grace would reign through righteousness, resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (ROMANS 5:21). Adam and Eve sinned. Death entered this world. Jesus lived, died, and was buried. Rose again on the third day. God’s grace reigns. Eternal life is ours. Indescribable.
E. We live in God’s grace. By faith we know that all that we have is a blessing from God. This is not common knowledge in today’s world. Many hoard possessions. They take credit for collecting all these things. They think that they deserve even bigger, better, and newer stuff. As God’s children we know that our loving, heavenly Father generously provides for us. Physically. Spiritually. Perfectly. Thanks be to God. Our gracious God is generous to us that we also can be generous. "Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be poured into your lap. In fact, the measure with which you measure will be measured back to you" (LUKE 6:38). We are not generous so the Lord will bless us. We are generous because the Lord has blessed us. Thanks be to God.
F. The difference between worldly people and godly people is great. This happens as the world speeds toward Judgment Day. The love of many will grow cold. We know God’s love. We want to show God’s love. "He (Christ) gave himself for us, to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people who are his own chosen people, eager to do good works" (TITUS 2:14). Christ bought us back (redeemed) from sin, Satan, and death. We are now eager to do what is good and right in God’s sight. Again, this is not typical of our modern society. All too many today are eager to do what is good for themselves not others. The Lord’s love moves us to love him. Others. To be generous in our caring and sharing.
CONC.: Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! By grace we are saved. The Lord increases our harvest of righteousness. Our faith grows when we hear God’s Word. Daily read it. Study it. Little by little we learn more about the love of God. Little by little we become more generous in service to our fellow human beings. "Now to him, who is able, according to the power that is at work within us, to do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen.” (EPHESIANS 3:20, 21). “THANKS BE TO GOD FOR HIS INDESCRIBABLE GIFT!” God’s Love is ours to share! Amen. Pastor Timm O. Meyer
PENT. 17 rdgs.: EXODUS 32:7-14; 1 TIMOTHY 1:12-17; LUKE 15:1-10; (PSALM 51)
SERVICES: 8:00am @ McCook (Sun) / 10:30am @ Redeemer (Sun) / NCF 1:00 Min. (Sat) & 12:00 Med. (Sun)
BIBLE STUDIES: 11:35am @ Redeemer (SUN) / 5:45pm (Med) + 7:30pm (Min) @ NCF (TUES.)
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